EDU 780 99 DIGITAL & MEDIA LITERACY CLASSROOM-Blog #2

End of Course Reflection

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I found this course enlightening and informative from the start. Even though I have heard of digital literacy and had a very basic understanding of the term, my knowledge of it has grown tenfold. It's more than digital citizenship, digital literacy encompasses how we as consumers of digital and media content use it our daily lives. I've stressed to my students over the years the importantance of reading what is searched and checking other sources to validate the content, but didn't have the term of digital literacy in my head. I guess until recently. On the upside, at least I feel like I'm on the right track with what I teach my kids, the only difference is now I have a name to call what I do and can up my game of what I already do. Putting a higher priority of teaching my students strategies of how to decern and consume digital and media content will be my focus from the start of the school year. Just as setting the tone and structure of the classroom is important from the moment the kids walk into my classroom, so must be how my kids use devices.

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Besides making digital literacy a higher priority with my students, I need to up my game with keeping up with best practices. Over the summer, I will seek out ways to help my students analyze and evaluate digital and media content. I've already signed up on Brainpop for the digital citizenship content, so I will look into that. With access to SimpleK12, I can seek out digital literacy PD's. I'm excited that my school has a new computer teacher this coming year; in fact he was just hired. I've already talked to him about teaching about digital literacies, including digital citizenship. I know kind of bold of me to just reach out to a new teacher before the school year, but the new teacher is my son. Yep! I'm so excited my son just got his first official teaching job and it happens to be at my school. He is open to ideas and it's easy for me to reach out to him over the summer--lol. The concepts we learned during this course were lacking in the former computer teacher, so I'm looking forward to working with my kid because now he will build up a more collaborative type of atmosphere within our school with all the teachers.

http://www.classtechintegrate.com/2016/10/teaching-digital-literacy-resources-to.html

My biggest take-away in the course is that teaching my students the importance of digital and media literacies is something that needs to be taught from the start and kept in the forefront of my student's minds. I think when my students use devices, things will go at least a little smoother because the expectations, the hows and whys of this subject will be better understood by my students. Every time I worked on an assignment in this course, I purposely stopped and thought--How am I using digital literacy at this momement? Then, I did the same thing when I was using the Internet for my own purposes. It is clear to me that understanding how to search, analyze, evaluate, and use digital content is non-stop. I want my students to see the same.

https://kristinconradi.wordpress.com/literacy-comics/digital-literacy-comics/

EDU 780 99 DIGITAL AND MEDIA LITERACY CLASSROOM

Blog Post #1: Mid-Course Reflection

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1. What is something new or interesting that you have learned from this course?

Besides some new cool tools to use, which is something I am always looking for to add in my teacher tech box, one other aspect of this course really stands out to me. The most interesting take away thus far in this course is how I now have a better understanding of how not only my students, but how I read digital material differently compared printed text. It is not like I am oblivious that there was a difference, but now my understanding of why we do that is my ah-ha moment in this class. I still prefer printed text when I am engrossed in a novel and so do my students because scrolling while reading a good novel is not enjoyable. When my students and I read informational text, we prefer digital because scanning for information seems to be more user friendly. We can click Ctrl + F and search for words, which can be a time saver. On the other side of the coin, I do not think my students and I read as carefully, when the device seeks out the word. 

As teachers we need to teach our kids how to approach text. Just like when I teach writing, I discuss with my kids that we write for different purposes, whether writing a shopping list, a text to a friend, an email to a teacher, poetry, and essays. The same goes with reading printed text and digital text. The reading series my students use has a plethora of digital content, but my students prefer to bring home the reading book. Maybe during these last few days of school I can show my students how to approach the different types of text formats to help them become stronger readers. At the start of next school year, I am definitely going to teach my students the difference and strategies for reading printed and digital text.

2. How can you apply what you have been learning to what you do daily? ( in the classroom, library, etc)

I somewhat stated what I was going to do in the first question, so I will try to be more specific in this one. Adding an extension like Just Read and practicing the tool with my students. I will also look into Google Keep as a way of keeping notes. Thank you Kent D. for telling me about Insert Learning! I pulled up a tutorial and found that I can connect Edpuzzles, which makes this tool a double winner for me. Google products also work well with Insert Learning. Now I can and use both tools at the same time! If my students were studying the Boston Tea Party, I could find an article and insert questions, highlight text, pose a discussion and more. Plus, I can embed an Edpuzzle video lesson within the article. Now my lessons will have digital text with critical thinking questions for my students, vocabulary, and a video lesson, all on one screen. But wait! That is not all! I can also connect the Insert Learning lesson into Google Classroom. What a great way to get my kids reading deeper using digital text. Unfortunately, the free version means you only get five lessons

What can I do during these last remaining days of school? I can teach my students Google Keep. I can also spend some time reviewing how to evaluate content on a web site.

3.What would you like added to the course?

Next year I will have several students who are in Title I and a couple who have IEP's. I would like to learn more ways to help them with strategies and tools, such as extensions to help those who struggle with learning, especially when it comes to reading printed text vs. digital text.

EDU 781 99--Week 7

Blog Post 2-- "Final Step: Bringing About Change" Reflection

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The process of finding my way through Title III funding in order to acquire Chromebooks for my 1:1 implementation plan was been positive, negative, and challenging. 

Challenges--

Not having any experience with the process caused me stress because I was raised to do it right or not at all. This was compounded by a having a new principal who also had no experience with title programs. My own thought was the only thing that will hold me back is me. Now that I have seen what I can do to help my school and the looks on those kid's faces when they saw those Chromebooks, I will no longer let my own fears dictate what I can and cannot do.

Negatives--

Dealing with the constant red tape of dealing with CPS has been the negative. From my experience, puts Catholic Schools are put on the back burner when it comes to receiving the entitled funding. I have nothing against public education, after all, I am a product of public ed. It is the idea of feeling that only CPS students matter that frustrates me. All kids are important, no matter where they learn. I am not sure what I can possibly change about the animosity between CPS and non-CPS departments, but I will not let that stop me with any future plans I dream about.

Positives--

The experience of working on the implementation program from its genesis through completion has been rewarding. For myself, getting out of my comfort zone to take the lead and have multiple conversations with people--email, phone, and in-person, was difficult for me. I found keeping the reason for my plan---For the kids--in mind is what kept me going. When I couldn't find my answers in one place, I kept going until I found them. Instead of taking on everything myself, I would ask teachers at lunch for their opinions on who should I talk to. By completing this task, I completed something that has been a dream for years and only not pursued by my own fears. I have worked to add other tech advancements in my school or was asked for help by my former principal, but I have never taken on such an undertaking as as using Title III funds. Along with the 1:1 implementation, I have already acquired mice for all the Chromebooks due to a generous donation by a family who is turning their tragedy into something worthwhile in the memory of their son, Patrick. 

Patrick Wetzel spent time in several Central American countries, donating his time to work with children who lived in poverty. He was only in his early 20's when he died in a canoeing accident. Through the family's pain, they raised $80 to donate a playground to my school. It was an honor to work with that family and see how they were trying to heal by doing something for my school. The family had no ties our school, they were just searching through Ka-Boom Playgrounds a school who was in need and had a high Hispanic population. The Wetzel family came back a year later and donated another $10k to my school to use for technology. This is partly because they talk to me every time they do visit and ask me what does our school need, and I'm glad to tell them. They also ask my students and they always say--tech. Thus, I am able to use a small portion of their donation to purchase wireless mice for the kids. I found many of the students struggle using the track pad, and get so caught up in having the right touch or looking up shortcuts, that they forget what they were using the computer for in the first place. The kids cheered when I told them about the mice. I am confident this will also help my struggling learners have one less thing to deal with. I will put time aside for them to practice using shortcuts and track pads without the added stress of completing specific assignment.

I'm A Believer--

Am I a believer and excited? You bet! As much as I'm a believer in my Cubbies and excited for every baseball season, I am the same for my 1:1 project. I am the poster child for tech in my school. My students are thrilled, the families are excited, and the teachers who have the 1:1 Chromebooks are happy. More importantly, my students are seeing what hard work and determination can do. They are also seeing that things are just not given to you, one must work to achieve a goal. I kept my kids up to date with the steps so they could see that goal achieving is a process and many skills are needed within that process. 

Growth--

I think just by reading this blog post, one can see and feel my enthusiasm and passion for my school. Completing tasks of communication with others as a self-proclaimed introvert was huge for me. Realizing that I need to step back and try harder to understand the underlying reasons why someone is resistant to change has become key when working with others. The sense of accomplishment that I feel is beyond words, which has helped boost my confidence level. Knowing that I made a tangible difference in my school matters to me. I know many will not know why we now have Chromebooks, but that is okay. What is important is that the students in my school have access to tech in ways  they never had before. Every time I see that charging cart of Chromebooks, I think--I did that! What's next?!

What's Next?

I have already mentioned about the mice, but that is not all. The liaison between Chicago Arch and CPS sent me an application for Title IV funding. My principal and I have no experience with that either--ugh. There were about eight choices of programs to apply for. Now the old me, would have just applied for what I wanted, but this time I asked others. I included a short list with descriptions of the offerings to my colleagues. From there I was able to determine what programs to apply for, which was one each for primary, middle, and junior high. I also applied for infrastructure funding. If my school gets this funding, it will be used to upgrade and add wireless access points for starters. With all the new devices in my school, it is not difficult to figure out that upgraded Wifi equipment is needed. It just so happens that the tech who originally put in the Wifi was at my school last week. I asked another teacher to watch my students for a few minutes. Her reply was, "Oh, oh, she's at it again." Yep! That's me! One of my students asked, "What is Mrs. Z. going to get us now?" From that quick 5 minute meeting, I am already getting a quote of what we need. This way, if the Title IV funding comes through, I will be ready. My principal saw me walking around and I guess he knew I was up to something. Not sure if he is happy because I took the lead or just relieved that he did not have to. Really does not matter, because when I told my kids what I was up to they were happy. 

Wanting input from my students, I asked them, what is your dream for the school? The only tech reply from them was a 3D printer, which is a pretty cool dream. Then one student asked me about my next goal. I told the class I wanted a printer server and they looked at me like I had just became a Sox fan. I explained what a printer server is and once again, my kids cheered. How I will make that happen? Well, that's for another blog post, but I have my eye on that goal already. As far as 3D printer goes, I plan on looking into that too. I want my students to know that their opinion matters.

This is only my third class in this Technology Specialist program, so I still have a ways to go. I hope to continue to dream big and work hard. One of my favorite quotes is from Daniel Burnham--"Make no little plans. They have no Magic to stir Men's blood."

EDU 781 99--Week 4

Reflection--Role as a Technology Leader/Change Agent &  Bringing About Change

ROLES

Up until a few weeks ago, I have never heard the term change agent. Now I use the term with my sixth grade students. They are currently working on writing an argumentative paper. During the process of choosing a topic, I asked them what issue bugged them and what change in people did they want to cause? I explained to them that is the role of a change agent; someone who takes the lead and works to cause a change in what people think or how they behave. I know I did not approach writing the essay like that last year, so just through this class, I was able to transfer what I learned in this class with my students.

Over the years, I have taken on a bigger and bigger role in the technology program, but this year has been non-stop tech. At times, I just want to shut my classroom door and turn off the lights, because it seems that I'm stopped numerous times a week by a teacher or my principal to help out with a tech question. Other times, I feel like, wow, this is pretty cool; all these people trust me and value my tech skills, that they come to me. I need to learn to embrace my role as a tech leader, not run away from it. 

I know my strengths--not afraid to try new things, hard worker, creative in the use of tech in the classroom, and able to teach others how to integrate tech into lessons. I keep the SAMR model in mind when I add tech to a lesson, as well as my philosophy--use tech with a purpose. I also work well with others and willing to share my ideas. Right now I see myself more of a technology coach, than someone who works on the computers and infrastructure, but I'm keeping my options open.

I also know my weaknesses--I'm introverted, which causes me to back away from leading a group, I'm better in one-one or small group situations as far as helping teachers, not teaching a group of them. My other weakness is patience with other teachers who ask me questions. This seems to happen when I take the time to jot down steps of how to do something or I show a teacher how to do something several times. It makes me feel like they just want me to do it or there is a lack of trying. I know they wouldn't expect that from their students, so I get frustrated when a college doesn't expect the same effort from themselves. On the other hand, I don't want teachers to stop asking me for suggestions or help, because of my lack of patience, so that is an area of my personality that I'm highly aware of when working with my fellow co-workers.

Being the go to person at my school for tech is an aspect of my job that I do enjoy. The school I work at is not just a job for me. My school is in my neighborhood and parish, so going that extra mile to help the teachers improve their skills in order to help their students is worth every step I am taking during this tech specialist journey.

IMPLEMENTATION OF PLAN

The implementation of my 1:1 Chromebook plan for 5th-8th grade is on the way. I feel like I've been walking on cloud 9, knowing how far my school has come, as far as integrating tech into daily use. The equipment arrived today, so the process of unboxing and setting up the devices and Chromebooks in the carts is the priority this week. My son and husband will work mounting the grab bars into the walls this weekend so a chain can be used to secure carts to wall. Until then, the carts will stay in the tech closet. Getting them into the classrooms Monday morning before the students arrive is the goal. It's fitting that the Chromebooks will be placed in the classrooms next week, because that's when the next cycle of testing to see who qualifies for Title III happens. 

If it wasn't for this course and for the last one, where I started creating my plan, I don't know when moving to 1:1 would have happened. I still did not believe my goal was coming to life until I saw that equipment being delivered to my school. I am truly besides myself with joy! This has been such a stressful school year with more turns and twists than straight paths. Starting in August when my principal announced that she was leaving, the ever looming threat of a possible school closing, to finding out that my school will remain open, and finally truly helping my school move from shared devices to 1:1, has been one unforgettable road trip.