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

Thing 7 - Face of Your Classroom

http://bookreviewsk-12.weebly.com/
Using Weebly to create my own website was a fun assignment. I chose a topic that I can build and change and share with the library staff that I serve. This is an excellent communication device to keep them updated and to discuss with them the parameters of collection development.

Thing 6 - Digital Citizenship

Digital Citizenship

1.)

Joyce Valenza

Evaluation is based on 4 aspects:
1. Content
2. Authority/Credibility
3. Bias/Purpose
4. Usability/Navigation

I chose Clones R Us to critically evaluate. The site is pretty obviously a joke but I ran it through the evaluation criteria because all of the other sites were unavailable. Already removed by someone somewhere or not renewed due to their bogus nature.

·          CREDIBILITY / AUTHORITY (author) The author of this site is Dream Technologies. When searched it appears that there may actually be a Dream Technologies but it turns out to be leading one deeper and deeper into stranger and stranger information.

·          ACCURACY (verified through other sources?) Clones? Cloning solutions? This information does not appear to match cloning information found at trusted sources. i.e. The University of Utah at learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/tech/cloning

·          The U of Utah site turns out to be a great teaching tool website when it comes to genetics and cloning.

·          RELIABILITY (view or bias, selling a product?)It appears to be pure conjecture and ridiculousness.

·          RELEVANCE (does this info support my hypotheses?)No way. Every sentence is odd.

·          DATE (when was this created?) 1997. Really? Not too many websites back then.

·          SOURCES BEHIND THE TEXT (what sources does the author use?) It claims that even their biggest competitors don’t have websites.

·          SCOPE AND PURPOSE (why was this page created? Does it support my hypotheses?) If my hypotheses was that bogus websites were out there and poorly done – yes.

Activity Reflection: running through these sites proved a bit tedious. As noted above I found only one on Valenza’s list that I could access that was obviously bogus. There was the “Do Not Call” site however and I am still stumped by this. The address is .gov and the links go to the Federal Trade Commission. The information sounds good but the “look” of the site is not well-designed. That however is certainly not proof in itself. I need some further insight on this one before I use it with other teachers or librarians.

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

2.)

The Netiquette Quiz was written very well. I did not pass however. Not because I am rude online but I did not know some things such as “scrolling” and I don’t test well. I would like to share this simple piece with the librarians that I work with who in turn could quiz their classes or their teachers with a short demonstration using this quiz. To further the lesson with the readings/links provided would enhance and reinforce the netiquette rules. Adding to these rules and creatively posting them on paper/poster or on blog sites would be an excellent way to reinforce as well.

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

Connections to Marzano Strategies: Objectives and Feedback; Generating and Testing Hypothesis