Jenny's+445+Wiki+Workspace

Response to "An Educator's Social Media Guide" I liked this article because I can relate to it. I have a Facebook currently and I don't normally do anything other than look at other people's posts or pictures. Occasionally I will comment if it is a close friend but I don't use it for more than that. When I first learned that we had to create a Twitter account I was slightly annoyed. I thought "oh just one more thing I have to do for class, and never use it other than that." I never thought that Twitter could be useful. Aaron has changed my perspective of that. He says that as long as you are following people you trust and then see who they are following, it can be very beneficial for teachers. The main importance of following certain individuals or groups is to make sure that they are helping you to "challenge, encourage, inspire, and grow." Aaron also says that in order to get something out of the conversation you have to actually contribute to it. You can't just be a bystander. He also suggests using the app Nuzzel to help separate what is and isn't important to you from the overwhelming amount of people you are following.

Response to "Social Media Find Place in Classroom" I understood where this article is coming from. Children today have always had the internet and they are more tech savvy than some older generations. I also understand teachers fears about wanting to make sure kids are safe and that they are viewing appropriate material. I really liked that the article addresses that teachers need to educate students about the dangers of the internet and how students can protect their privacy. The internet can be a scary place and helping students understand how to use it in a safe and effective manner is important. For me, I would likely use social media like Lisa Highfill. Use it to show videos that relate to my content area and help students better understand history. I can also see myself utilizing social media to aid in discussions. You will always have students who don't like to participate in class discussions and using social media could be a way to help them express their thoughts or opinions on a particular topic.

Online Professional Identity Wiki I never thought about the importance of social media. I currently have a Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter account but I don't really use it as much. I used to have a Linkedin account but I didn't really understand the point of it. I do want to be accessible to colleges in the future as well as to parents of my students. I also want to make sure that my personal life is separate from my professional one. I want parents and colleges to see me as professional and that I am capable of teaching their students. I was really surprised by how easy it is to find someone online. At first it felt like an invasion of privacy when Julia was finding my accounts but I realized that I put it out there and anyone can access it. Even though I may end up with two different accounts of Twitter or another social media platform, I still want to ensure that my personal one is still a representation of me and that it does not make me appear in a bad light.

I really like how you pulled out the part from Hogan's article about contributing to the conversation in order to get something from it. I think a lot of times as teachers we hop online and check some websites for cool ideas, which is awesome and there's a lot to choose from. But we don't realize how much we miss if we are engaging with other teachers about those ideas--how what their ideas and our ideas about an activity or lesson can make it that much better or create something completely new. I also really appreciate your ideas about the use of technology in your own classroom. I think videos are a great way to engage students and I would even venture further to suggest that students could even create their own videos in your classroom to help them understand it even further. As far as your online identity, I think you have the right idea with recognizing that there is a need to separate the personal from the professional and make sure that the professional is there to help you with future employment and your career.

Online Professional Identity []

Response to "Approaching Technology in English Education from a Different Perspective" I really liked Shoffner's ideas on technology. I agree with her that "student learning should always come first." Technology can be a great resource and you may find a cool new app but if that app doesn't enhance learning then it is rather ineffective. I also agreed with her that often times preservice teachers only think about whether or not the technology will engage with the students. Technology should try to engage with students but it should be more about creating deeper meaning for students. I liked the examples that she gave for technology teachers can use for vocabulary. I, personally, love to memorize vocab and I know it works for me. However, many of my students are not good at memorization or will memorize vocab words for the test and then forget them the next day. The tools she outlined will help students make connections and apply their understanding of vocabulary. I also like the idea of using these vocab tech tools in the future because they are not only great for ELA but can also be used for social studies as well.

Response for //10 Ways to Use Instagram in the Classroom// I thought these were all very creative and innovative ways to use Instagram in the classroom. I am not sure I would have considered using Instagram in my classroom before taking this class. There were two that I enjoyed the most and want to use in the future. The first was showcasing student work. I think parents would love to see their child's work displayed and see what is going on in the classroom. Often times teens are reluctant to tell parents what is happening in the class and this is a way for teachers to connect with parents and let them know what their children have been learning. Being a social studies nerd I also liked the "Imagine How a Historical Figure Would Use Instagram." This would get students to think creatively and use historical content in a new way. They would also have to really understand a particular person in order to figure out how they would use their Instagram feed if they had one. The only idea I have an issue with is the "student of the week." I think it is a good idea but I think the teacher really has to model what is and isn't appropriate because some students might take inappropriate pictures and upload them.

Response to "Enhancing English Language Arts Education With Digital Video" I think the most important thing I learned from this article is to not be scared to use digital videos in the classroom. Many teachers are worried that videos will be more interesting to students than the teacher's teaching. I also found it interesting that many teachers only show movies to classes to point out that the movie adaption was not nearly as good as the novel. I like that having students create videos for class allows them to be an active and creative leaner. I also really like this idea of "replay, review, and reflection." It is not just enough that students are creating these videos but they should be shown to an audience and the students should reflect what aspects they liked about a video and what they would change about a particular digital video. How I might use digital video in the future would be to have students either create public service announcements or have students create a propaganda video. Both of these ideas would be great for a social studies classroom because students would have to analyze other PSAs or propaganda and recreate those elements in their own video.

I really like how you shared that you are good at and enjoy memorizing vocabulary words, but how you recognize that many of your students do not learn in the same ways as you and you, therefore, have a responsibility to meet those needs. As far as your concern with "student of the week" on Instagram, I think that doing that would be best through a classroom account that you are in charge of so that you get to choose to the pictures--you can even work with students and choose it together. If you are concerned about using students' own Instagram accounts or posting inappropriate comments on the class account, I will say that even if that does happen, it will be really convenient that students document will actually be documenting publicly what they have said; therefore, contacting parents about students' behavior is a very straightforward conversation as it's not a "he said/she said" thing, you can literally show parents what a student said. I think this will be disciplining this behavior a lot easier.

__**Infographic**__ Gives the breakdown of the North and South during the Civil War. The North had more population, cities, manufactured products, and more resources than the South.

Initial Ideas on Electronic Portfolio and Teaching Toolkit. Right now I think I am leaning more toward the Electronic Portfolio. I currently have an existing one, although I would like to update it. I feel that the portfolio is better for me because I can use it for job interviews in the future to showcase what I have learned at NCST and what I am capable of doing as a teacher. While I understand the importance of technology, I am not great with technology so I don't think I would do well with the teaching toolkit. My audience would be potential employers and administration. I would want my portfolio to represent me. The categories I would use would be a home/into page about myself, lessons I have created, assessments I have made, reflections on my experiences: what worked and what I need to change, and a resume.

I think expanding on an existing project to make it better and more detailed is a great idea. You did a good job discussing the purpose of your portfolio; however, who are you identifying as your audience for the project? Also, what categories have you thought about to break down the content of the portfolio? Please add more detail on both of those questions to the post. Thanks!

Three takeaways I had from the reading were the need to create a theme, having well chosen artifacts, and then being able to reflect critically on those artifacts. I really liked some of the example portfolios and how they introduced their eportfolio with a picture that represents their theme and some included a quote. I am not sure what my theme will be yet, but I need to ensure that I have one, so I will stand out more to future employers. I do currently have artifacts in my portfolio but I am not sure they are "well chosen." Most were put in there because they were required at the time. I need to look back over and make sure that my artifacts represent the theme I will go for and that they are showing my teaching and learning experience in the best light. Similar to the artifacts, I do have some reflections already on my portfolio. I just need to cleanse these up and perhaps shorten them. The one other thing I noticed about my current portfolio compared to the others is that there are too many links to have to click on. I need to have shortened condensed versions of my artifacts and reflections and then perhaps a link to a longer version. This way administrators who may look at it prior or during an interview don't have to keep opening other windows. There is enough on the portfolio that they get the idea and they can see the longer version if they care too.

I think you've done a great job examining your portfolio thus far and have great ideas for how to improve it. I definitely agree that a theme can help you stand out; I also feel like it makes a potentially disjointed website come together. I like that you're rethinking your artifacts to make them stronger. The things that you did as a freshman or sophomore are nowhere near the quality that you are able to produce now. So that's a great idea. Finally, I think you trying to make the website more accessible and easier to engage with by cutting out some links and text is exactly what you want to do. Looking forward to seeing it, Jenny!

[|Long Walk To Water Takeaways]

EP Progress Report 1 So far on my electronic portfolio, I have selected my theme: journey. I have found a quote for the first page that relates to it "A journey of a thousand miles, begins with a single step." My single step was deciding that education was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, so enrolling in the education program has put me on the path for my future. Underneath the quote I have a brief introduction to myself, with a picture next to the bio. I will also be putting a brief synopsis of my education philosophy on this home page with a link to the longer version. I have deleted a page in my ep because I felt like it was the same information that would be on the home page anyway. I haven't decided on all my categories yet, but so far I have these ideas: utilize multiple and varied forms of student assessment, and technology that enhances student learning experience. I will also have a resume page. I will also have lesson plans that I have created that I feel showcase the best of my pedagogy.

EP Progress Report 2 I have pretty much finished up my digital citizenship page. I have uploaded a screenshot from my twitter page and added a short summary of how I use my twitter page for professional purposes. I have also embedded to this page my online profession identity presentation. I have added a contact page at the end of my website for potential employers. There is a short form that people can fill out and it will email their information. I have started working on my resume page and attached a full resume with contact information to the bottom of the page.