IT 6230 Group Project

Final Post- Winter 2014

Adapting to the upcoming changes will vary district to district, building to building, and teacher to teacher.  I feel the key to the success of the technology additions will come from our buildings administration and trickle down from there.  If the administrator isn't willing to take risks, the buildings incorporation of technological pieces will be slow.  While an open minded administrator may be more supportive in these new endeavors.  

In my building, I know there are teachers in my building that will be great implementing these things as they trickle down from the high schools into the middle schools.  However, there are teachers in my building that would probably rather retire than have to deal with teaching an online or hybrid course.  

Districts will have to spend time researching and developing policies, training staff, and providing the basic infrastructure to handle the web based classes.  This will cost a great deal of money, so bonds or millages will play a role in this.  Title 1 funds could be used for some of the costs if it is appropriately included in the schools Title Plan.  I'm guess the districts with additional funds will really implement these programs quickly and efficiently, while schools with low funding may start off taking baby steps and work their way up slowly.

 The scenarios mentioned brought up a plethora of difficult choices.  This shows how ALL stakeholders will have to be involved in the creation of policies and programs including, but not limited to teachers, parents, administrators, union representatives, government agencies, and board members.  

Virtual Learning Post 2

The biggest surprise I found during the reading was that Michigan was one of the first states to require an online component to diploma requirements.  I knew that Michigan's MACUL organization was very strong, so I shouldn't have been so surprised.  This requirement makes a lot of sense to me.  Whether the child is college, military, or trade school bound they will likely experience some find of online course or training.  This high school experience will help prepare them for this.

The Clark study surprised me right from the get-go.  When I saw the 2001 date next to the author's name I was shocked.  I thought to myself, I was in 8th grade/9th grade in 2001, I do not remember anything about online or virtual schooling.  Honestly, PowerPoint was still pretty "cool" back then.  The 40-50 thousand students participating in virtual school then seemed super high to me.  My mind was blown to read that there were virtual schools/programs back before 1995.

The amount of growth these programs are seeing is really remarkable.  It really tells you how fast our field is changing.  In just the three years I've been teaching, I've found that education has already changed quite a bit.  I can't even imagine what our field will look like in 10 years. 

I felt that my original post was pretty accurate.  I know I have a lot to learn on virtual schools and the current programs that are available.  

Virtual Learning....What I know now.

K-12 Online learning can look like a lot of different things. There are "Flipped" schools and classes where you watch lectures at home from your tablet, laptop, or phone and then do your homework in school.  There are online charter schools popping up all over the place offering a "customized" or"personalized" curriculum for students.  There are also K-12 schools or programs offered online for alternative education.

Depending on the program they can offer many of the same classes you would find in the traditional school setting.  Students from all grades can participate in these programs.  I would guess there are more high school aged students participating in these programs because of the level of independent work needed.  These programs also take students with disabilities, so special education services may be offered with them.

I Love Wikipedia

I love Wikipedia and Youtube. 

     Youtube is a tool that is blocked under student log-ins, but available for teachers to use.  This is a great tool for fun videos to use with your instruction.  Are there drawbacks? Of course!  You MUST watch in their entirety the videos before you play them to 30 students.  There are times when you think you’re watching one thing, then BAM something inappropriate comes on.  Also, the ads can be a bit annoying.  However, if you use Youtube in a professional manner, it is a great FREE tool.

     Wikipedia was probably my best friend during undergrad.  I used it as starting point for research or just basic understanding.  After reading an article on topic it would help me guide my research in a better direction.  Also, the references listed at the bottom were great places to go.  I use it now as a teacher when I need to write an information piece for my students at their level (1^st/2^nd grade reading).  When my friends and I are having a discussion on a random topic it’s easy to pull up my Wikipedia app to prove myself right.

     Wikipedia is actually blocked on my schools internet for students.  However, if the students want to look at it for general information, I don’t have a problem with it.  When we teach students how to do research for essays we generally tell them to stay away from Wikipedia, Yahoo Answers, and sites where anyone anywhere can edit the information.  We try to teach them to look for reputable sources.  For example if my 7^th grader is doing research on heart disease we would want them to use Mayo Clinic or the American Heart Association for a reference, not Wikipedia. 

Photograph from http://goo.gl/5ESiOj

Twitter, Blogs, and Feedly

Blogs:

Free Technology for Teachers http://www.freetech4teachers.com/

      I decided to add this Blog to my Feedly because I love Free stuff!  Our Title 1 funds are mostly advocated to intervention teachers, so technology things are usually moved to the bottom.  This website is also great because it talks about the free technology and how you can use it in the classroom.

Cycles of Learning http://www.cyclesoflearning.com/posts.html

      This blog was added because the writer is a Google certified teacher.  My district utilizes Google Apps for Education and I would like to learn things beyond “Google Docs.”  This Blog features many great ways to use Google in the classroom.

2 Cents Worth http://2cents.onlearning.us/

      The author of this Blog writes to pose questions and to learn himself.  He dabbles in a bit of educational politics and offers examples of tech learning.  He speaks in a very straightforward way, which I appreciate.

Twitter Handles:

@RickWormeli Rick is an educator, speaker, and author who really makes you think about assessment and education.  He is a must follow for teachers.

@Educationweek Education Week is an educational based newspaper that posts about trends and politics in education.

@ScholasticTeach Scholastic’s Twitter feed is full of information for teachers. They include games, strategies, and general educational information.

@Web20Classroom This Twitter feed is packed with tech things to bring to your school and classroom.

@Carp_CHS204 This is actually the Twitter feed of my old high school Government/Econ Teacher.  He uses his Twitter in a great meaningful way for students. If I taught high school, my twitter would be modeled after his!

Reflection:

So far this semester I have not used my Twitter or Feedly for school reasons.  If I were to use my Twitter for teaching purposes I would create a completely separate account.  I use my personal Twitter for mostly sports and pop-culture.  I follow some teaching/academic accounts and I often read the articles they post about, but I generally do not post about education.  Twitter could be a great tool for posting reminders, extra credit (if you believe in that), fun facts, and background information for an upcoming unit. 

SAMR & Web 2.0 Tools

I co-teach 6^th grade Language Arts and teach basic classroom math and social studies.  My basic classroom is for students with Mild Cognitive Impairments.  After reviewing SAMR I've realized that I've utilized the Substitution and Augmentation levels just this month.  The Modification and Redefinition levels are where I've fallen off.  Hopefully as I did deeper into these tools my creativity begins to flow.  I'm fortunate to work in a district where we have technology available, there just aren't a ton of people using it.  Here are some examples I could think of for SAMR.  I would love any feedback you have!

Level	Definition	My Example
Substitution	Computer technology is used to perform the same task as was done before the use of computers.	Currently, in my basic classroom I have students log onto iXL to practice math skills. This simply replaces worksheets.
Augmentation	Computer Technology offers an effective tool to perform common tasks.	My co-teacher and I use iLearn occasionally for tests.  We type the test into the software and the students log in to take it.  This saves us time grading and the students receive immediate feedback on their score.
Modification	This is the first step over the line between enhancing the traditional goings-on of the classroom and transforming the classroom. Common classroom tasks are being accomplished through the use of computer technology.	I would like to utilize Google Apps for Education in my co-taught language arts classroom.  During editing and revising students can work in groups editing papers together on a live document.  This eliminates the issues of “I can’t read this!” Also, this allows me to work with and observe multiple groups at the same time.  We don’t have to worry about sticky notes and colored pencils.
Redefinition	Computer technology allows for new tasks that were previously inconceivable.	Students could use iPads to create videos and presentations on a story or topic.  This would allow for creativity, group work, differentiation, and a fun was to assess student understanding.