Eve's+445+Wiki+Workspace

__Post #1__

As educators in 2017, we have no choice but to cope and work with a generation structured by the foundation of technology. Although we do not have to, it is our choice whether or not we want to embrace this ever-progressing era. In his blog post, Aaron shares his insight on the use of Twitter, as a fellow educator. He may have had a rocky start figuring out how to make the most of his Tweeting experience, but after some investigation and discovery, he is now hooked. He initially sums up his definition of Twitter as "a space where educators resist isolation, celebrate together, and continue professional growth" (Hogan 2016). He has found that Twitter is a place to find like-minded professionals that have ideas worth sharing, and encourages teachers to follow these accounts, to create empowering "lists" (self-made categorized groups of followers), and to engage in 'Twitter Chats'. Twitter Chats begin with a hashtag that was created with intent to provoke public discussion, open to anyone willing to share his or her thoughts. By clicking on this hashtag, one can view all of the public Twitter accounts that use this hashtag in discussion. Teachers can really benefit from using Twitter as a resource for all of the ideas and insights in can provide. I am definitely going to try it out!

"The internet is the real world. Only faster" (Hobbs 2008). Without any sort of background information, one might view that quote as a progressive, exciting idea. Hobbs had a more cautionary intent when he wrote them, after spending years of calculating and utilizing his formula of the perfect online relationship. After trying to figure out a way to disguise his awkward, unfortunate appearance and "nerdiness", Hobbs found that he could create an alternate persona that was smooth and suave with the ladies. He states, "I wanted to, no, needed to know that the cool person I became when my fingers caressed the keys was actually me", so he began his life as a serial dater, both online and in person. Although this may not have ended the way he wanted it to, he realized that what he considered to be a fake relationship was very real to other people involved. This eludes to the fact that even though the internet is not tangible or part of our outer surroundings, it is very much a factor in our everyday lives that can shape the way we think, feel, and what we know. Adolescents are quite impressionable, and are usually very concerned with the way they seem and appear in the eyes of their peers. With that in mind, it stands to reason that if technology can evoke such thought and emotion, it has a massive impact on the way adolescents perceive themselves, others, and the whole world around them. Instead of treating the internet as a poisonous blackhole that sucks away students' brain cells and confidence, why don't we mold it into a pathway for success in the classroom? If the internet is such a huge part of our students' lives, then there have to be digital resources we can give them that they can connect with and enjoy using, pointing them in the direction of both academic and emotional success. The use of technology is inevitable, so let's make the most of it!

After researching myself and my partner, Kasie, in class, I realized that my professional identity is not exactly what I thought it might be. I noticed that some of the things I found about myself that I have written or posted can be viewed in a variety of ways, both positive and negative. When I mentioned in class that I was worried about the articles that I posted for a publication might be viewed as too opinionated by other professionals, Dr. Young counteracted my argument. He claimed that, on the other hand, some might view my articles as forms of my own professional development as a published writer for a legitimate online publication. My main takeaway from this lesson was that even though something we post might appear to be a certain way, there are many ways of viewing things and there are multiple perspectives that professionals might have. My next step, as a future educator, is to figure out how I want my professional identity to look. As stated in the Online Professional Identity Wiki, I need to decide how I want to brand myself-- more specifically-- what I want to "create, promote, and share". I will have to make a choice as to whether or not the pro's of my articles posted publicly outweigh the cons, and will move on from there to create ways that might further my pursuit to reaching a higher level of professionalism.

Super thoughtful response, Eve! I think your attitude towards technology in the classroom is all anyone could ask for. Your acceptance that technology is an inevitable aspect of our students' lives, and therefore an inevitable aspect of ours, is so true. From there, like you said, really all we can do is make the most of the tools we have and not be afraid to try new tools that might help us better connect with our students. As far as your online professional identity, it's awesome that you are already forward thinking about how you might be perceived from someone else's perspective and I would suggest that you might shape your online identity based on your audience as well (i.e., maybe the school you end up teaching at and the battles you are willing to fight). Thanks for sharing!


 * Here is the rubric for the Online Professional Identity project. **

https://docs.google.com/a/ncsu.edu/document/d/1UvjyxfI0Y0MuuleysCasLbpioeLdztQp_WWr-9XMkjI/edit?usp=sharing

__Post #2__

Each reading from the past week left me with new ideas and inspiration on how to make my future middle school classroom a fairly digital one. Shofner's article gave me great ideas on how to teach vocabulary in a more interesting manner, rather than giving students word lists and asking them to memorize them. She mentioned how instead, students are able to "visually explore connections and associations with words, concepts, and definitions using Lexipedia or Visuwords" (Shofner 1). Both tools look really engaging, and totally change the experience of learning vocabulary from monotonous to exciting. The We Are Teachers blogpost provided ways to utilize Instagram in the classroom, which was a great read. Some ideas that a teacher can post are to create a student of the week that is showcased, to share reading recommendations, and to create accounts for characters that appear in class literature. Lastly, Dr. Young's article about Digital Video was very intriguing. It gave me a newfound perspective on how films are not necessarily superior to the literature they might be based off of, and that watching a video can be a form of literacy in itself. If films are taught critically, they can be analyzed in similar ways to books.

These articles are great resources for me as a future educator, because I felt that I was limited in my knowledge of useful educational technology. I have always liked watching movies in class-- not only because they are "chill" days, but because I got so excited about coming to class in those days. I felt so wrapped up in the storyline of each movie, regardless of whether it was my style or not, that I found myself analyzing character relationships, conflict, and the plot on my own time. I love the idea of treating movies as another form of literature, and think that students can benefit from both versions of the story. It's as if there are two different authors telling it from their own perspective and form of language, which is really interesting to look further into. I wonder though, is it difficult to keep students awake during movies, thus making it less productive?

Those are some good takeaways that you got from the articles. I really like your specific examples of tools that you can use. I also agree that using movies as a different form of literature would be a really engaging activity for students--and super relevant advancing students' critically thinking, especially with a type of media that students consume frequently. You asked at the end of your post if students would be hard to keep awake during movies. I would put that question back on you--if students weren't engaged in a movie, why would that be? And what sorts of things can you do as a teacher to prevent students from begin disengaged with a movie? How can you make the movie meaningful to them, or facilitate activities that do that?

**Initial Ideas about Teaching Toolkit**

 * 1) **Purpose: I want to prepare myself with resources, strategies, and instructions on how to use certain electronic tools in my future classroom. With a list of applications to ELA or history.**
 * 2) **Audience: Ideally, the audience would be limited to me and my professors. If I had members of my PLT or team that wanted to look through it, that would be fine too. This is just for me to be fully prepared when I am licensed and start in my own classroom.**
 * 3) **Possible categories: Some categories would include reading strategies, writing strategies, student teaching resources, assignments and lesson plans that I worked on with my CT, instructions on how to use electronic tools with possible classroom applications, and maybe a list of tips from my professors and CT.**
 * 4) **After reading the article for Teaching Toolkits, I know how important it is to provide the resources that parents want in a prompt, timely manner. (Ex) posting homework assignments and grades soon after assignment or assessment is given.**
 * 5) **In a teacher's website, I would include a little bit of information about my personal life that makes me seem more relatable to families and students. I might post some of my hobbies that are related to my teaching profession or some appropriate interests that I have.**
 * 6) **The website MUST be visually appealing and easy to navigate! Studies show that if a website seems confusing or unorganized, people are most likely to leave it before navigating further.**

Good initial thoughts. I would think about expanding your audience past you and your professors and thinking more about how you can use this project for your future career in terms of sharing it with employers during a job interview or sharing it with parents and/or students for them to have access to your resources, etc. I like your ideas about the categories as well--breaking them down into different skills (reading, writing, etc.). Nice job, Eve!


 * Action Portfolio Entry- 10/16/17**
 * Dr. Young's article, //Electronic Portfolios 2.0,// gave me a great sense of what an Electronic Portfolio and/or Teaching Toolkit is comprised of, and what I should model mine after.**
 * 1. The first thing that stood out to me was that in order to engage viewers, the website should be organized in a fashion that is easy to navigate, visually appealing, and contains information that is relevant to the purpose of the website.**
 * 2. I also learned that in many cases, portfolios have a theme that is present throughout the site. This can serve as a tool to represent who you are as a professional and individual.**
 * 3. The last aspect of Dr. Young's article that I found to be very important was that the website can be used in my own classroom that my students and their families can follow along with in regards to course work. I can update class announcements, homework assignments and projects, and happenings within the classroom and the school.**

Eve's Teaching Toolkit Progress Report #1:

So far, the website is coming along nicely! I have created a layout that I find to be both visually appealing and easy to navigate, with clear tabs that allow readers to understand what the website will provide. I also included an About Me page that has some professional fun facts about me that teachers, students, administration, and other professionals might want to know. My next step is to add in some activities that I have completed and to write and post my teaching philosophy.

Eve's Teaching Toolkit Progress Report #2:

I have been playing around with the website on google sites, and I think I might want to change the website platform to weebly or wordpress. I was happy with how the site was looking, but Google Sites has been pretty difficult for me to figure out. I feel like there is not a lot of room for creativity, so I need to look into changing it. Otherwise, I have compiled some elements that I want to incorporate, including my philosophy of assessment, my favorite writing and reading strategies, and some great teacher resources.