December 6, 2011
Alger Middle Experience

Things 15 - 21 Capstone Reflection

A. How will you use these technology applications to improve learning experiences for your students and/or improve your own practice? 

The shared  calendar in Google has already been put into action in my work. I was looking for something that I could share with the librarians at the district schools without going thru the Groupwise calendar which I do not find friendly. The librarians come from diverse backgrounds when it comes to online experience and this is a simple basic tool to set up times and appointments for our meetings and my school visits.

- Professional Learning Communities were named today when I reminded the librarians of their May meeting and training tomorrow. They have been meeting monthly for discussions, networking and on-site training. At this time it is easier for them to have the time when it is planned and away from their home base. They are paraprofessionals that come to school with the kids and leave with the kids. - MeL was the first tool that I introduced when I began my position in November. The lesson and introduction were followed up by discussion of use at the subsequent meetings. The parapros will be surveyed via Google Form tomorrow on their use and this will guide the plan for next year. I believe that the use of MeL is extremely important for our students. It is so full of information and so valuable to their learning. - RSS feeds are easier than I imagined them to be, thanks to Google again. I have not had the opportunity to go back to the set-up that I created but I can see it being a wonderful tool for keeping up with the profession and the thoughts and opinions of my colleagues bringing the "experts" in. - I have had the best experience using Moodle and this Blog. By weekly assignments which required me to become comfortable with it, I learned a great deal and would not hesitate to use it for students as I have begun to use it with the parapro's. - Who needs Inspiration?  So much available online for free. What a great tool Bubbl is for planning and project based learning. No tutorial required, just jump in and create. Wordle is fun and one of my favorites personally and soon to be used professionally. - I did not imagine that I would be able to screencast but it was so simple and practical that I shared it with a colleague and my supervisor this afternoon showing them how I can teach a method of operation in our library software program. As the screencasts grow, so will the library of information at their fingertips.

B. What effective teaching and learning strategy(ies), based on the work by Marzano (http://gets.gc.k12.va.us/VSTE/2008/ ) will these technology applications address, to make a difference in the learning experience for your students? All Marzano applications are listed with topic in each "thing".

C. Choose one of the seven things and describe an activity or lesson you could use in your classroom. Include in the description how the lesson meets either a Michigan curriculum standard or another Educational Technology standard.
I choose something simple. Introduce Wordle as a way to brainstorm topics found in a classroom novel. As each chapter progresses students will journal their reflections. When the time comes, they will have demonstrated Wordle and be able to go online to create their own Wordle. These in turn can be open to discussion within the classroom.

1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity

Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. Teachers:

a.	promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness.

Thing 21 - Screencasting

http://www.screencast-o-matic.com/

Circulation Statistics in Library World
http://www.screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cXhF3RFVw

This has the very cool factor! So simple and so practical. I shared this with a colleague who works in video and she loved it. It generated many ideas to use with our librarians in the field. The time it took to put this together was short compared to capturing screens and entering text and cutting and pasting. These do not have to be perfect and short and sweet is preferred. I see a future in demonstrations of more aspects of our library software. For example: Inventory procedures. Only the upload time was a bit long but if you are prepared for that it is little bother. I got a chuckle out of the sound of my mouse click. It's very loud on my personal laptop, something that my son has told me on Skype. CLICK

Connections to Marzano Strategies: Objectives and Feedback; Homework and Practice; Nonlinguistic Representations.

Thing 20 - Visual Learning

1. Bubbl.us

Graphic organizer to demonstrate to class of library staff not only how to use the organizer but how to plan the year's monthly meeting schedule as a team. Nice

2. Wordle

3. I was introduced to Wordle a few years ago and used it with the students in the library. We listed  library terms and authors. To expand it to poetry and literary analysis would work very well. How about Dewey Decimal just for fun: 700's, 398.2, Fairy Tales, Fiction, 900's, etc.

Connections to Marzano Strategies: Questions, Cues and Advance Organizers; Non-Linguistic Rerpesentations.

Thing 19 - Virtual Classroom

1. Create a plan on how you can extend your classroom. Explain how this would improve teaching and learning, how you can help meet the NETS-S for your students.

The librarians that I work with meet on a monthly basis. In one of those meetings recently they were introduced to the blogging/messaging component of Moodle within the district. They were asked to register right then and there and they began to message each other. What they were sharing was information and queries re: many of the things they handle on a daily basis.

I would like to take this further by introducing another piece before the year is out. When school begins again in September we will come back to this and begin to investigate more and more of the system/site.  Relevant content will need to be added and they will all be part of how the site progresses. They will learn for themselves, from me, and from each other!

2. Choose the student role in Navigating the Land of Online Learning: (web.inghamisd.org/gettingonline/start.html) After looking at the student requirements, summarize what is necessary to be successful as an online student.

To become successful in an online class a student must be prepared to take the class and be able to self motivate. They must know the rules: netiquette, time management, copyright basics, and what it means to plagiarize.  The Tech and Learning 10 Tips and Tricks for the Online Student (www.techlearning.com/article/2388) although published in 2004 is a practical demonstration on how to behave in an online class. I believe that the most important factor is the introduction and the preparation that must be done to get the student ready for an online class whether or not it is their 1^st or their 10^th.

Connections to Marzano Strategies: Cooperative Learning; Questions, Cues & Advance Organizers.

Thing 18 - Staying Informed

 

RSS feeds on Google Reader are an ideal way to keep updated without having to chase down information. Keeping current can be difficult due to the time required to go to sites to see what’s new. Logging into Google and having the briefs displayed will not only be personally and professionally used but will be an ideal tool to introduce to the library staff in my district. I have known about RSS for a very long time and even taking the time to learn about it was taking too much time. I am so glad that I have had the opportunity to explore Google and all of it’s wonders.

 

Thing 17 - Research and Reference Tools

1. Student Research: · InfoTrac Junior Edition and InfoTrac Student Edition

These two reference pieces are produced by Gale which is a product of Cengage Learning. Gale is a long-time leader in e-reference and authoritative reference content. The credibility is proven for both. The content in both overlaps because it is pulled for Middle School or Junior High and High School. The content for both includes: Magazines, Academic Journals, Books, News Items, and Multi-media. InfoTrac Student contains some higher level content. The usability is intuitive for the average bear.

2. Advanced Research:

General One File is designed for the general user. On a simple investigation I found the articles were much the same as the InfoTrac Student Edition. The level was not collegiate nor was it elementary. This reference is another Gale product and meets the appropriateness, usability, content and credibility the same as InfoTrac Junior and Student Editions.

3. Work Cited - 1

4. Works Cited - 2

Thing 16 - Professional Learning Networks

1. LearnPort

Interesting, the first page that I came to labeled GRPS My Choice said that I was not required to take and courses and there was  no mandatory training listed. I say interesting because I have just found out that GRPS has a moodle account set up with New Teacher requirements and I was to have completed them but the deadline has been extended. As I went through them this evening I discovered that I have 7 modules to read and complete. Overload. Looks like GRPS went for the Moodle and not LearnPort for this.

2. I am not interested in Twitter at this time. I understand it's function and attraction but I am feeling such a connection to technology that I hesitate to overload myself. I prefer one piece at a time. Perhaps it is my age, perhaps digesting information in small bites is more appealing to me. I developed a Facebook page years ago in an effort to have instant and open communication and pictures to share with my grown children. I have used it to develop learning communities with not only my family but with librarians/media specialists that I have worked with over the years and some that I communicate with on  a regular basis. I am not currently in a classroom but I have seen the obsessed actions of people on Facebook and have heard from those who refuse to use it. I see it more as a social piece at this time perhaps developing further into a professional piece in the near future.

3. MACUL

4. Michigan Association of Media in Education (MAME) has always been my #1 regional organization. I have attended conferences, developed relationships and networks, used their listserv and recommended the conference and listserv to many library staff. Somehow I have strayed away from the listserv due to being out of the profession for a year and a half and stayed away this year because of the membership dues enforced in order to subscribe. Time to sign up again. The site itself is not spectacular but I do enjoy the connection with the library people out there. I have managed to help many with their library questions in the past because of my experience and practical nature. I would like to do it again. Goal for 2011-2012!

 

 Connections to Marzano Strategies: Cooperative Learning; Objectives and Feedback; Reinforce Effort and Provide Recognition.

Thing 15 - Productivity

1.  Converting docs to pdf can be quite useful when you do not want the format to change, anyone to make changes and especially when you want the doc to be opened whether or not the user has the same document program that the piece was created in. I have used this conversion to protect the integrity of a document. This attached document is a developed procedure and should not be altered.

2. I chose to convert a word document to pdf using zamzar.com. The process was easy but I was blasted with pop-ups and confusion. I had a number of file types to choose from including: pdf, csv, doc, html, and key. Zamzar required me to provide an email address to send my file to. It has been 5 minutes plus and it has not arrived. I am sure if the need were to arise in which I needed to convert a file to something other than pdf, I would use this site. At this time however, the garbage it slung my way was not worth it. Thanks for the warning about random downloads!

3. A shared calendar is a wonderful tool for communication. I liked the Doodle.com for easy scheduling. In an attempt to teach the librarians that I work with the benefits of Google "in the cloud", I would use and will use a shared Google or shared calendar on our district software to schedule my visits to their schools. This week I am scheduling full days at each library during inventory to assist them. I have listed my available days and they are instructed to place their name on the day of their choosing. So much easier and more efficient than back and forth emails.

Connections to Marzano Strategies: Summarizing and Note-taking; Homework and Practice; Cues, questions, and advance organizers.

Things 8-14 Capstone

Things 8-14 Capstone Reflection

A. How will you use these technology applications to improve learning experiences for your students and/or improve your own practice?

Copyright and Creative Commons: A refresher on copyright is something that should be done annually with staff. An excellent way to do this is to provide the quiz that I created with the library staff who can in turn use it with their building staff and/or students. An introduction of Creative Commons Licensing is also something that should be addressed with teachers and staff.

Digital Images: I explored Picasa and only was able to spend a fraction of the time that I wanted too. Organization of photos (can you call them that?)is a challenge and the online web albums are a great resource. Digital images found at free copyright sites are more of what I would use with students and staff. The availability of these sites makes searching easier and direct.

Digital Storytelling: Another area that I would like to explore further. Student use in telling their own stories, their writing compositions, would make this creative process fascinating and sneak in a whole lot of learning in something pungent with the cool factor.

Presentation: Prezi! Wow, this one was a bit frustrating as noted in my earlier entries. I believe that our students would blow me out of the water with this one. I would like to take an old fashioned presentation (poster board or report or PowerPoint) and have them convert the pieces, throwing some out on the way and integrating new.

Evaluation and Assessment: I have already used the Google “form” to gather information from my library staff at the middle and high schools re: periodicals and magazines for their media centers. This gave me valuable information on not only what they think about the subject but their level of expertise in regards to research and reading , their knowledge of their students, and how many have the communication skills that allowed them to take part in a timely matter and how many are overwhelmingly busy. A multi-use product!

Online Interactive: Quizlet was fun…a simple flashcard device. I have already recommended it’s use to a colleague for her personal use. This goes a long way.

Online video and audio resources: This “thing” allowed me to explore a subscription service that we use in our district and gave me a different degree of insight. My intent is to work with our technology trainer in the preparation of trainings for my library staff who will in turn train their staff and/or students.

B. What effective teaching and learning strategy(ies), based on the work by Marzano (http://gets.gc.k12.va.us/VSTE/2008/ ) will these technology applications address, to make a difference in the learning experience for your students?

All Marzano connections as well as NETS standards are listed with each “Thing” and posted in this blog.

C. Choose one of the seven things and describe an activity or lesson you could use in your classroom. Include in the description how the lesson meets either a Michigan curriculum standard or another Educational Technology standard.

One particular lesson begins with a brainstorm with students re: presentations that they have done in the past. What was the subject? What was the format? Why did you do it? Did you learn from it? Did anyone else learn from it? How can we update it and make it more appealing?

The next step would be the demonstration of digital storytelling – what it means and why it works. The students would explore their topic through digital storytelling. Differentiation works well with this method. I know that I did not use the music that I wanted to because I did not have the knowledge or time to explore that avenue. Therefore I used what was provided and still produced a nice  product. What did I learn from my exploration of digital storytelling? See below:

Thing 14 - Online Video and Audio Resources

1. My district has a subscription to Learn 360. I come from a district that used Discovery Ed and I was able to attend a few trainings using it. I was biased toward it and did not believe that Learn 360 could compare. It does compare and quite well. I love Reading Rainbow :) I would like to provide a training session for the library staff on the uses of Learn 360. They need to have an awareness of it if they don't already and be able to work with it in order to provide the classroom teachers with assistance. Classroom teachers have the opportunity to have this varied resource which is chuck-full of clips and videos on subjects across the curriculum.

2. Videos on Learn 360 can be played from the site or downloaded for another time. This is probably the best bet to keep them running smoothly. You can search this site by grade level, subject, media format and state  standards. Slide shows are another worthwhile resource.

3. Our students have grown up on videos as have we if you count television and film. Video resources are an excellent way to teach and learn for visual learners which most of us tend to be. You see it and you hear it. Auditory files are also an excellent teaching tool for students to create, imagine, and absorb what they are hearing. Students must be provided with a variety of input including audio and visual but not exclusive to.

Aligned to NETS-T: 1.a, 1.b, 2.a, 2.b, 2.c, 3.a, 3.d, 4.b, 5.a, 5.c

Connections to Marzano Strategies: Non-linguistic Representations; Summarizing and Note-taking

They are only one resource however. Audio resources are also excellent for learners that concentrate and retain when they hear something. They allow the learner to use their own creativity to picture and imagine what they are hearing. It is best to have a combination of input, auditory, visual, kinesthetic, etc

Thing 13 - Online Interactive Learning Tools

1.Google Earth Screen Shot

2.Google Earth Screen Shot with placemarker

3. Flashcards in Quizlet 
I was excited to see that there were so many Quizlet flashcards available. I created a set of literature terms that I teach the students. They could use these on the site as an opening activity or they could be printed to test each other or as they come in and exit the media center as a class.

Thing 12 - Evaluation and Assessment

Google Docs - Form

This survey was designed to be sent directly to the library staff at the middle and high school levels. Their budget for periodicals was absorbed into other avenues this year and some have requested it be re-instated. I have discussed this with many of them individually and I would like them to be able to answer these specific questions. The educational use here is the eventual inclusion of magazines and/or periodicals back into the library media centers. I will use their testimonies/quotes as reference pieces from the field of expertise to add to my request for re-instatement if that is the consensus.

(I have 7 responses and counting!)



Rubistar - I began this assignment with the idea of a promotional poster-making contest involving the library staff at each school in the district. They would be responsible for creating or leading the creation of a promotional poster for their school library with the intent of boosting circulation. Their work would be assessed using the rubric. The rubric would be a contributing factor towards the outcome of the contest. The ideas started multiplying in my mind and in speaking with a colleague re: the idea.
Stay tuned!

Data Tools

Classroom teachers and administrators are asked to provide, record, test, assess, analyze and report. I have chosen two of the data tools listed in the PowerPoint to connect with the job that I do as District Media  Specialist. Course Management Systems such as Moodle are becoming part of every teacher's world. They experience them first in graduate or undergraduate classes and they are now being offered in the district as a tool to use in their classroom for communication as well as data purposes (assessment and evaluation storage). Privacy of students must be addressed because of the vast and potentially public use of student records. This is where FERPA/HIPAA come in. SIS or Student Information Systems contain demographics and academics of the students. This system is currently not in use in connection with the Library Circulation system. This question has been raised and is being looked into. The SIS should be able to populate the Circulation system and update it regularly with new students, students leaving the district, students switching buildings, and other student data as it is updated at the school level.

Aligned to NETS-T: 2.a, 2.d, 3.a, 3.d, 5.c

Connections to Marzano Strategies: Reinforce Effort and Provide Recognition; Objectives and Feedback

Thing 11 - Presentation Tools

Prezi - http://prezi.com/nxcby5bd1c3z/edit/#0_8162543
Posted in presentation: Core Curriculum reference point, images, creative common license (showing as full url).
Perhaps it is the way my mind works or perhaps doesn't work but Prezi took some time and frustration levels were peaking. Reminds me of the PowerPoint vs. Hyperstudio brain. I am a PP. Not that I would prefer PP after experiencing Prezi...I just need lots of practice with this. I believe that students would catch on to this presentation piece quickly and this is the perfect note taking and reporting venue for many types of presentation work or "reports". Imagine the images and text that could be put together instead of that old fashioned book report. Nice. As for diverse learners....maybe that is now what I am, still linear but willing to experiment. With someone like me I would slow this piece down and walk through it "holding hands".

Definitely better than this looks!

Thing 10 - Digital Storytelling

Storyboard:
I have created a storyboard and photo story by downloading PhotoStory3. Photos were used, transitions were made and music from program was added. I tried each combination of music provided and was not happy with my final choice. In an actual project for a class demonstration I would change that music to something more appropriate. This piece would actually be an ideal demonstration for the students to see what sound and music does to change a visual. As stated, the learning is in the process here. This entire process was new to me and I attempted to produce quality not quantity. Feedback from peer included "nice, beautiful pics, nice flow, terrible music..." :)
I have not uploaded this to my Face of the Classroom page because I don't know how. I don't know if this is a doc or video or what. I did try and would appreciate some help. This may have to wait due to the next "thing" banging on my door.

Thing 9 - Digital Images

Picasa was downloaded and installed. This photo was cropped simply and warmed up a bit. I call this moose and mooslette. A typical scene on an Air Force Base in Anchorage AK. Just stay out of Mama's way. 

Classroom use would include the search for copyright free photos online and the use of one's own photos online in the building of a project. What better way to learn about the daily life in our 50th state then to post personal pictures obtained onsite. Along with these photos comes stories and writing assignments, geography lessons, science and climate notations and safety issues. Will you remember this photo? That baby was only a few days old.

Aligned to NETS-T: 1.a, 1.b, 2.a, 2.b, 2.c, 3.a, 4.b 

Connections to Marzano Strategies: Nonlinguistic Representations; Identifying Similarities and Differences

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/myphotos

Thing 8 - Copyright and Creative Commons

1. Copyright Quiz

1. The concept of copyright is protected by the U.S.__ ___________________and granted by law.

(U.S. Constitution)

2. Copyright protects original works of _______________________________not inventions or discoveries. (authorship)

3. Can you copyright a work that has not been published? (yes)

4. How is a copyright different from a trademark?

(a copyright protects original works of authorship, a trademark protects words, phrases, symbols, or designs)

5. Name 3 things that copyright protects.__________________________________________________

(poetry, novels, movies, songs, software, architecture)

6. The rules and regulations of copyright law can be found at www.copyright._________.

(gov)

7. Can you copyright a domain name?

(Copyright law does not protect domain names)

8. Can I copyright a website?

(The original works on a site may be protected by copyright)

9. Name the 3 steps in obtaining a copyright:__________________________________________

(Submit an application, pay the fee, submit the work to be copyrighted)

10. For more information go to www.loc.gov (The Library of Congress) or ____________________

(www.copyright.gov)

I gave my quiz to a few of my co-workers after I gave them a 5 minute lesson/explanation of copyright basics. They did quite well after the lesson. I would not hesitate to use this with students and teachers.

2.
Creative Commons Copyright for BookReviews K-12 website.

Aligned to NETS-T: 4.a

Connections to Marzano Strategies: Generating and Testing Hypothesis

Things 1 - 7 Capstone

Things 1-7– Capstone Reflection

A. How will you use these technology applications to improve learning experiences for your students and/or improve your own practice?

B. What effective teaching and learning strategy(ies), based on the work by Marzano (http://gets.gc.k12.va.us/VSTE/2008/ ) will these technology applications address, to make a difference in the learning experience for your students?
C. Choose one of the seven things and describe an activity or lesson you could use in your classroom. Include in the description how the lesson meets either a Michigan curriculum standard or another Educational Technology standard.

In an effort to integrate technology into my “curriculum” which includes working with library parapros who are a diverse population in their experience and interests will work best by demonstration, modeling, and hands-on relevant assignments.  For example, a monthly library meeting may include a demonstration of designing book talks. In turn, they will increase their comfort level and knowledge and be able to share by practice, demonstration, and integration their new knowledge.

All of Marzano’s instructional strategies are included in the first 7 “things”.

These strategies were designed for the “student” but are equally valuable when planning and teaching/presenting to adults. The tools of technology include one or more of these pieces depending upon the lesson planned and how the technology will be used.

For example:

The most practical and fun piece of technology that I encountered in the first seven “ things” was weebly.com.  Building an educational website with such ease was exciting and full of potential. I meet with the library parapros on a monthly basis and present to them practical pieces of their jobs. I have included a technology piece in each meeting. As a follow-up to this, I visit each middle and high school library and discuss how they have used the information that was presented/demonstrated to them at each meeting. I would like to present the following using Weebly.

 

Designing your own interactive website to use with students and/or teachers.

Discuss with attendees the value of a library website. Do they see a value? Do they see a purpose or use? What is the basis for building such a site? What is the educational purpose? How will this effect students, teachers, library staff?

Share simply designed weebly site that has an educational purpose. Discuss it’s possibilities.

 Demonstrate weebly.com watching the training piece on how to build the site together. Allow time for  basic construction of individual sites, sharing components, answering questions, etc.

Link all sites developed to own site.

Discuss at this time or at follow-up how each site will be used effectively.

This project/lesson fulfills  #3 b and c:  Model Digital-Age Work and Learning in NETS for Teachers 2008

 -Collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation.

-Communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats