Written Assignment

     Before we started this class, I did not define myself as a techno-constructivist. I still do not. But I am working on it. For many years now, I've wanted to have my own professional website. I never created one and I didn't know about the tools available to create one. When I found out about weebly and we saw the model a teacher created, I was very excited and I knew exactly what my project was about.
     I was looking for other teacher websites to get ideas on how the layout should be and on what information I should include. I had an idea of what I wanted to have on my website- a page for parents, a page for students- but I was wondering what else I should add to the website. I want it to be useful for parents and students alike.  It was hard to find one so I was on my own in terms of creating a website. Weebly was easy to use. I'm very proud of my website mostly because I did it myself and I think it would be useful source for parents and students. At the end of this course, we got to see some teacher-created websites that gave me some ideas about what else I should add to my website. As of right now, it's still in progress. I plan on working on it and making it better. I want to add a "For Teachers" page in addition to the other pages and add some facts about ELL students and how to support them in the classroom.
     I added other tools to my website so it would look/ make it more interesting and teach my students how to use these tools as well. One of my favorite tools is the timeline. One of the projects my students work on is on a book about their lives and it's very time consuming. I can see that some of my students aren't very excited about the project anymore because it's taking them so long to finish. I think that using the timeline as a project would be fun, less boring, and more interactive. My students would have a chance to practice some basic computer skills, which many of them lack of.
     My weebly website also has a blog page. I'm excited about this feature because I can see my students using it every day as we write on our journals every day. Sometimes, I have my students comment on each others' journal entries. I still need to work on that page a little more and see if it has the same capabilities that blogger has ( ability to hyperlink, add pictures, add video). It would be great if it did. My students would be excited to use not just words to convey their thoughts and ideas. They could use pictures and videos to express themselves.
     This class got me excited to start using more technology in the classroom. Also, it made me think of what that it would look like in my class. We do not have computers that work well. I usually bring my iPad and computer to class and let my students use it. I'm thinking of purchasing ChromeBooks for my classroom. I service a very small number of ELL students so I don't need many ChromeBooks. Our district is enforcing the students and teachers the idea of using Google Drive and is trying to get a ChromeBook to every student. Even with limited technology in the classroom, I know that my students have technology in their hands (smartphones) and at home. If I show my students how to use tools, they could work with it at home. My middle school students still get excited when they use their iPads or smartphones in the classroom. They also love to show us what they created on their phones. They could create projects that they'll be excited to show us because they get to use technology. When kids are excited about something, they'll learn.
     When I think about technology in the classroom, I think of how many teachers in my district resist using it in school. I think of the comments teachers say when the dismissal bell rings and the kids walk out  of the hallways with their phones on. As we learned about Michael Wesch's idea on technology and how integral it is in our students' lives, I kept thinking about how many teachers in my building react to using computers, Elmos, and Google Drive- they hate it. I don't blame them. With the push and stress of the Common Core Standards, they feel they don't have time to use and then teach how to use technology to students. They feel that it's a burden. But technology is an essential part of our lives and if our students don't get in the routine of using technology, they'll be at a disadvantage. Also, they'll be bored, not interested, and wondering why they need to learn about the different types of rocks, for example. If they use technology to find out about why there are so many different rock types, I think it would motivate them to learn and they would learn, too.
I also think about Sugata Mitra and how the kids from the slums figured out how to use a computer. If the kids who never used a computer can teach themselves how to use a computer, I think our students can teach themselves how to use technology. His TED talk was so inspiring. To ease the teachers' anxiety and refusal to use technology, maybe I should share these ideas with them. I also think that many teachers realize that they're still needed in the classroom because they hold the power, the knowledge. Not anymore. Knowledge is out there, everywhere on the web. We are no longer the sources of knowledge and we need to learn how to be the facilitators of knowledge so our students know how to retrieve appropriate knowledge. This is a challenge for so many teachers who are used to be in the front of the classroom and lead the lesson. It is a challenge for me. And I like this challenge.


Here's my self evaluation. Have a great summer and thank you for an

excellent class!

powerpoint

PechaXucha.pptx - https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B19rsa5xoWpmc1c3ekt3RnY0UmhucW9XVXVkamhwU1dPUlVR/edit?usp=sharing

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PechaKucha how to-- YouTube video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9zxNTpNMLo

I found this video very helpful!

Connecting with technology

    Turkle and Wesch give us two different perspectives on media and technology. Wesch demonstrates how the use of media and technology has changed our culture and how powerful it can be. He shows how you can use media and technology in a critical way, beyond just a social connection between people.Turkle looks at the art of conversation and how our society is losing it because of our need to feel connected and not alone.
    I think that both Turkle and Wesch present us valid points when it comes to media and technology. The art of conversing with others has been disappearing and being replaced by relationships that have been created on a virtual world. This shift has happened because it is human nature to communicate with one another and to feel that someone is listening and validating your thoughts. You can get this when you communicate on social media, creating an illusion of companionship, like Turkle mentions. I can see that on my FB feed. There's always a group of people who are constantly on FB, posting thoughts, ideas and people respond to that. When I get a notification, I can't wait to see what it is. I want to see who has liked or not liked what I posted. I feel like it's an obsession and it is hard to get away from FB. Thanks to FB, I've connected with many peoples and communities. I've found out about events and I have learned about my friends. I, however, could not trust a relationship that was created purely on FB. Maybe it's because I'm a digital immigrant. I enjoy having conversations face to face and, at the same time, I enjoy having connections and dialogues on social media. I try to find a happy place where my relationships are not just virtual or person-to -person, but in between those two. In the middle, just right.

    Wesch's video was quite powerful! We have been discussing how our students should become producers rather that just the receivers of knowledge and Wesch demonstrates just that. In today's world, we can connect with anyone around the world and our message can be heard. The video about Dove and Unilever was an example of how your message can be heard and how it can lead to change. I remember when the revolution in Egypt happened a few years ago. The news bombarded FB and I could see what was happening there because some of my FB friends who live there could report what was happening. They became the journalists, the reporters. I don't think I could have gotten the same news experience thru CNN news.
Wesch presents teachers with a challenge. We are used to teaching a certain way, the way our teachers taught us. We are comfortable with it are we are good at it. Shifting from "knowledgeable" from "knowledge- able" classrooms is crucial. If we want our kids to be ready for our world, they need to see how powerful they can be using technology critically.

Gender Stereotypes

Melissa, Christina, and I worked on our gender stereotype project that you can check it out here.

Edutopia

I came across this Edutopia article that suggests several media tools we can use in the classroom!
Check it out!

Girls, Worms, and Body Image by Kate Lyman

Kate Lyman gives examples of classroom experiences when she explored the idea of gender stereotypes among her 2nd and 3rd grade students.

Main Idea:
- Women and body image: pursue to look like the models in magazines.
- Male and females still have the same gender expectation of 60 years ago: women have the major responsibility to take care of the children and the house while men get higher pay in their jobs.

Details/ Elaboration:
** Barbie manufacturers made her with tiny waist and big boobs, long and skinny legs, arms, and neck, and tiny feet. Barbie advertising sends this hidden message that a woman should look like barbies and that women want to look like her, hoping that men would like them better.

** Ads on women's magazines also have a hidden message: If you consume a product (cosmetics, perfume, cigarettes, weight loss) you will look like a model.

** Lyman created an old fashioned school day in her classroom where boys and girls were treated differently: girls wore dresses and boys wore slacks and shirts with collars; chairs and desks were in rows; students followed an "old-fashioned" schedule (hand writing, spelling bees, rote math, and textbook science); lines were divided based on gender; boys were treated differently from girls when it came to classroom participation and work.
This exercise made the boys and girls alike to think critically about their treatment: girls were upset at how Lyman treated them and the boys enjoyed all the attention and slack they received. In addition, boys and girls could learn how to be aware of other forms of gender discrimination in other situations.