Blog #3 PLN--Twitter

Twitter Reflection

My Twitter handle is @Karen3404.

Twitter is not something I use on a regular basis, but I created an account in 2015. When I saw that this week was a Twitter assignment, my first reaction was not--Yay! Maybe if I used it more and understood the tools, I would grow to appreciate Twitter, thus approaching this assignment with an open mind was my goal. Since the last time I used Twitter was about a year and a half ago, figuring out how to join a live chat, was painful. If anyone has a step by step cheat sheet for me, that would be appreciated. I joined a chat from by choosing one from the live chat link that Nicole supplied, then fumbled my way to figuring out how to join it. Once there I was fine with responding to the posed questions, but most of the time forgot to add R1 or A1 to my tweet. It was affirming to see that many of the responses to the moderators questions were were similar, because that showed I'm not alone in my thinking. The takeaway from the Twitter chat was the idea of putting a sentence of positive reflection for the girls in their washroom. I did ask the person who tweeted if there is one or plan to have a positive sentence for the boys, and the response was yes. Trying a live chat, just for my own benefit is something I plan on doing again. If I expect my students to try and not give up, I need to demand the same for myself.

#mnlead Twitter Chat

Response to my Tweet--Yay!

9-11-17--Spent some time on Twitter today looking for a worthwhile sources to tweet. I have a handle on how to tweet and retweet, but still felt like I was bumbling my way around.

9-14-17--Started to follow more educators and professional education sites.RT a link for Article from Mind/Shift

9-16-17--Notes about a RT--Google has great online classes and opportunities for educators to become certified. Here is the link for digital citizenship courses from Google. 

9-17--From a live Twitter chat about reading for fun, which I chose because of the prompts about motivation and engaging.

Live Twitter Chat

9-23-17--Retweeted inforgraphic about PBL@Alex_Corbitt . and tweeted about "What does effective PD looks like?" @Getting_Smart

Twitter Post

9-24-17--Retweeted source --How to Strengthen Listening Skills with Podcasts--I think sometimes we as teachers overlook the importance of listening skills. Not the typical, I am talking to you, so please listen, type of concept. Rather, teaching our kids how to be active and respectful listeners. We cannot expect our students to form an objective opinion or argue an issue, if the students first do not how to listen. The article that is with the tweet is short and to the point, with a handful of suggestions to try with students to help them to become good listeners.

9-26-17 Took a chance on a Twitter Chat #6thchat=best one I participated in, thus far. This is a weekly chat, with a different focus each week. This week was about teaching vocabulary. Click HERE for a view of the chat.

Who I'm Following

@Alex_Corbitt                @Makerspaces_com ‏              @mrskochheiser‏              @MrSTEMcenter 

@friEdTechnology ‏         @OfficeofEdTech ‏                  @ajpodchaski ‏                   @explainevrythng  @EdWeekEdTech ‏           @robertjmarza                       @eschoolnews ‏                  @SimpleK12 ‏        @flippedclassrm ‏             @TeacherCast                         @ShakeUpLearning ‏        @FreeTech4Teache ‏@iPadEducatorsAE         @edutopia                               @MindShiftKQED           @purposegames    @TeachMrReed               @MsKirksey4                         @pernilleripp                   @Teachr4                @EdTechTeacher21            

Final Reflection

After using Twitter a few times since the start of this assignment and participating in Nicole's Zoom session, I am more proficient with using Twitter and Twitter Chats. I'm glad I stuck with it. I will definitely be checking in with #6thchat on a regular basis. 

   

Blog #2 Framework--SAMR

My first experience with the SAMR model was in 2014, when I was a fellow in the Beck Blended Learning Fellowship. Three other teachers from my school were also in this wonderful program that is offered at Dominican University.

After the first fellowship session, my bubble was burst when I found how much I did not know.  My fellow colleagues and I left that first session with our heads spinning from being presented with all the apps and websites that we could use with our students.I just did not know what tech tool to start with and how to implement it. I felt like I was diving off the cliff into an endless pool of ideas, and then waiting for someone to save me from going under from being overwhelmed. The SAMR model helped, because I was able to easily place myself into a category, which gave me a starting point of where I was and where I wanted to be.

Now before I go into the SAMR model, here is a little background about my school. In 2014, my school had a computer lab with about 25 desktops. In my classroom I had four desktops that were mostly used for stations (Substitution), which I did when the calendar allowed me to. When our new principal arrived, she was on a mission to get some tech in our school and into the hands of our kids. We started the school year with our old chalkboards that were transformed into white dry erase boards, and laptops and projectors for the teachers. Thanks to my boss and an anonymous donation, we had 30 iPads by the end of the school year. During the 2015 school year, our faithful leader brought in 25 Chromebooks. In 2016, an addition of 25 more Chromebooks and 10 iPads were added. For a small school like mine, this was like hitting the lottery. Being able to project video clips, examples, primary sources, and help my students visualize what I was trying to teach, truly changed the way I teach.