Julia's+445+Wiki+Workspace

According to Aaron Hogan, one of the biggest mistakes that teachers can make is not fully understanding how to truly get connected with other educators online. In his article, Hogan advocates for the use of Twitter as a way to connect with and learn from educators from various different places. However, he advises that getting connected is a much more daunting task than it may seem. In order to make the most out of utilizing social media platforms like Twitter for educational purposes, Hogan provides teachers with many key pieces of advice. First, Hogan emphasizes the importance of following the right people. He advises teachers to find people that challenge them in their thinking and push them to grow as educators. He also advocates for teachers to get involved in Twitter chats. Hogan (2016) describes these chats as conversations that occur "around a particular hashtag at an agreed upon time." He highly encourages educators to be active participants in these chats, as sharing ideas allows for all participating teachers to grow in their practices. Finally, Hogan highlights a list of recommended apps that will allow for teachers to be thorough, yet efficient, in their quest for new ideas and fresh content. Some of his favorite apps include Voxer, Nuzzle, and Buffer. As educators in the digital age, staying connected online can be extremely effective in allowing for us to engage in the exchange of new ideas related to education. After reading Hogan's article, I am absolutely on board with utilizing Twitter in the appropriate ways in order to challenge myself and grow further as an educator.
 * "An Educator's Social Media Guide"**

As social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram grow in popularity, they bring about a new era in communication between teens and young adults. Especially among young women, Instagram provides the perfect platform for adolescents to proudly display their BFFs, promote their desired personal images, and alienate those who they do not deem "cool" or "popular" enough. Rachel Simmons (2014) said it best when, in her article, she stated that Instagram was the place "where emotions can run wild - and where insecurities run wilder." No longer a harmless social media site for kids to post goofy pictures, Instagram truly has taken on a darker and much more dangerous role in the lives of adolescents. In the classroom, it is important to understand how social media apps like Instagram can negatively impact students on a daily basis. We, as teachers in the 21st century, must work to caution our students against using social media as means to exclude, alienate, or torment their peers. In the classroom, teachers can utilize lessons that promote positive online interactions and have students practice how to use social media sites in constructive ways. By doing so, hopefully we can work to alleviate the negative effects of using sites such as Instagram, and we can further encourage positive and appropriate interactions between young adults online.
 * "The Secret Language of Girls on Instagram"**

Prior to our class discussion, I had not really given my online professional identity much thought. However, after my partner, Jenny, researched my name in class, I realized how important it is to keep up with my online identity and make the most out of my digital footprint. While nothing extremely shocking appeared when my name was searched, I noticed that my online identity seemed to lack that professional quality that others possessed. I began thinking about how, when I am in contention for a teaching position and principals search for me on the internet, nothing about my digital footprint will seem to stand out or be that impressive. My big takeaway from the activity was that I needed to build up my online identity in order for others to view who I am through a much more professional lens. This means that I will need to start bolstering up my Twitter account, creating professional profiles on sites like LinkedIn, and "writing myself into being" through things like blog posts and web pages. It is my hope that, throughout the duration of this course and beyond, I will be exposed to the various ways in which an educator can improve his or her online professional identity.
 * Online Professional Identity Response:**

I think it's great that you're so open to using social media as a tool for collaborating with other educators and exchanging ideas. It is incredible how many cool resources there are out there and the fact that people want to share it is even cooler, so I think it's super smart to hook yourself up with social media sites that are going to allow you to take advantage of those. I like how you're already thinking forward about designing lessons around how to use be online respectfully. Have you thought of anything in particular that you think might be a cool activity for them to get that point across? As far as your online identity, it's definitely good that nothing "shocking" came up, but I think you're right--not finding anything bad isn't as good as finding something awesome about someone you're thinking about hiring. The cool thing about an online identity is we can craft it however we want to and I think it's great that you want to take advantage of that.

http://prezi.com/35tohcjsmmjv/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy
 * Online Professional Identity Presentation: **

This week's 3 readings provided many incredible ways to integrate technology into the ELA classroom. I will say, while I enjoyed reading through the '10 Surprising Ways to Use Instagram in the Classroom' article, I did not find those ideas to be all that surprising! Most of the ideas outlined in the article were things that I have heard about or discussed previously in my time in the College of Education, and I have already gotten extremely excited to start incorporating them in my own classroom when the time comes. I loved that, in that article, so many of the ideas dealt with showcasing students or student work. I think it is so important to allow for students to take a sense of pride in their work in order to continue to encourage and motivate them in the classroom. In Shofner's article on approaching technology in the English classroom, I really identified with the idea that technology must be implemented in ways that support higher level thinking, rather than being thrown into a lesson for simple engagement and nothing further. While, yes, technology is a great way to engage students in the classroom, it is even more important to focus on choosing and applying the engaging technology in effective ways in order to support students in creating meaning. Finally, the 'Enhancing English Language Arts Education with Digital Video' actually changed my perspective on the use of certain film and video in the classroom. Previously, I was absolutely one of those individuals who believed that film in the classroom typically meant showing a movie adaptation of a novel being read in class. I was also absolutely one of those individuals who was adamant that novels were always superior to their film adaptations. After reading the article, however, I realized that the use of film in the classroom can be so much broader and more interesting. One idea that I particularly liked in this article was the use of digital video in order for students to create digital biographies of family members. I would definitely love to use this idea, and many other ideas that incorporate digital video in interesting ways, in my future classroom.
 * Reading Reflections for Seminar 5 (9/25/17):**

In this digital age, it is so important for educators to understand how to implement technology in their classrooms in effective and student-centered ways. Reading through these three articles definitely helped me better understand how I can successfully utilize technology in my future classroom in ways that will support student learning. This is absolutely an idea that I will need to explore more thoroughly to ensure that I do not end up doing my students a disservice in the future. However, I do feel as though I have a good base from which I can continue to experiment with and learn about educational technology.

I do have a couple questions regarding the '10 Surprising Ways to Use Instagram in the Classroom' article. The second application of Instagram was to feature a "Student of the Week" each week on your class Instagram page. How does this work in terms of privacy and parental consent? I understand that schools ask students, and their parents, to sign a waiver to allow for their picture to be taken and used, but does a class Instagram account and "Student of the Week" campaign fall under the scope of this waiver? And how would you recognize a student that deserves it if he or she has not given consent to post about them on social media?

You ask some really important questions about privacy and parent consent, Julia. The first thing I would do is go to the administration of your school and colleagues you work with to figure out if there are any policies in place that already deal with the use of social media in the classroom and/or if a lot of teachers already do this and there is a precedent set. If not, I would then talk to administration about how to move forward within the school rules about implementing this strategy in the classroom. Finally, if you do need to get parental consent and there are students who are not allowed to be featured, I would think that you could still highlight students on bulletin boards in the classroom or through school announcement or other forms of praise. Did you come up with any other ideas?

I have already created an online 'Professional Portfolio' for another education class here at NC State. Using some of the ideas and resources I have included on that portfolio, I would love to create and build up a newer, more updated portfolio.
 * Initial Ideas about MSL Electronic Portfolio:**
 * PURPOSE: ** To have a concrete, tangible body of work that represents myself as both a pre-service and in-service teacher. I want to use this portfolio to show off my strengths as a teacher, and I would love for it to be used as a resource for other teachers who may look to it for fresh ideas.
 * AUDIENCE: **My peers at NCSU, other teachers (both pre-service and in-service), future employers/principals, and professors/mentors at NCSU
 * POSSIBLE CATEGORIES/CONTENTS: ** Lesson plans, student work samples, grading philosophy/policies, and other ideas regarding pedagogy, classroom management, etc.

Nice job describing the purpose of your portfolio. I also think it's really great and forward-thinking to list future employers as an audience group. Finally, I think you did a good job at listing potential categories and there's nothing wrong with adding onto a project you've already started to make it better and more useful to you. Have you thought about a category of resources?


 * Takeaways from Readings for the Electronic Portfolio**
 * My electronic portfolio should demonstrate my ability to think deeply and fully reflect on my previous teaching practices in ways that will inform my future teaching practices. This is a skill I would especially like to be able to demonstrate to future employers, as they will want to see that I understand the cyclical and reflective nature of the teaching profession. I should be able to show them, through my portfolio, that I can reflect on previous experience to inform my future teaching.
 * In order for my portfolio to draw people in and capture their attention, I must make sure to enhance it with images and a well thought out design or layout. I must be sure to organize my portfolio in a way that is visually appealing and easy to navigate.
 * I must be very careful in my selection of artifacts to include within my electronic portfolio. The artifacts that I choose should be representative of myself within this program throughout the year, and they should highlight my strengths in the educational field.

I think you're so right to pick up on the fact that your EP should show your ability to reflect. I know during a teacher education program when you're not yet in the classroom that reflection can feel a bit redundant, but I can honestly think of no more important of a skill for a teacher to continue getting better than reflection. Very cool that you want to show that in your EP. I definitely think images and a good design are important. If your EP is not pleasant to look at, you won't want to look at it, much less an employer or a parent. I also think choosing an artifact is important. It might be tempting just to slap anything you've done in previous years on there, but I can guarantee that the work you produced your freshman or sophomore year is nowhere near the quality of what you are able to produce now. Good thoughts, Julia!


 * Takeaways from //A Long Walk to Water//, by Linda Sue Park**

Access the video [|here]. :)

10/30/17 - Creation
 * Electronic Portfolio Status Report #1**
 * __//Status Update//__: I have created my Electronic Portfolio! It is definitely in the basic planning stages. I have a title page, but I am still working on figuring out the layout/images so that the site has a distinct theme to it. I have also created my categories, which include Leadership & Collaboration, My Teaching Philosophy, Experience & Resume, and Digital Literacies & Technology. This is a very basic skeleton of what I want my Electronic Portfolio to look like, but it's a start!

11/26/17 - Switch Up
 * Electronic Portfolio Status Report #2**
 * __//Statu////s//__ //__Update:__// I have completely switched up my Electronic Portfolio's theme! Originally, my portfolio used the pre-selected images and colors that came with the google site. However, as I looked at it, I felt as though the portfolio didn't quite represent //me// as an educator. I looked through some of my old photos from teaching dance classes and summer camps and, using that as a newfound source of inspiration, I switched up almost everything on my portfolio. I feel as though now the site truly represents my love and passion for working with young people and supporting them as they learn and grow. Hopefully, once I have the final product, my portfolio will clearly represent that to those who view it.