Looking Back/Looking Ahead

When I first registered for this class, I was excited to learn more but I had this preconceived notion that the class would be focusing on presentation tools such as PowerPoint, Smartboard, etc.  I see now how naive that was.  Not only did we learn about presentation tools (Prezi!), we learned about all the techy tools that could make education fun and still effective for all learning types.  From the "Trends in Ed Tech" at the beginning of the class till the "Cool Tools" segment at the end, I learned a new skill/trick every class.  I was always learning something new and it was always something I could apply for my future classroom and even my own personal use.  There were so many tools and tricks that I learned, but I would like to point out just a few that truly made an impression on me.
One of the tools I found neat and that I wish I will have the resources for at my future school is my "Trends in Ed Tech" presentation on augmented reality.  I was amazed by the advancements and benefits that augmented reality can provide in a classroom.  It gives the physical and visual learner an opportunity to actually learn in their own element.  They no longer have to worry about memorizing text or trying to decipher confusing charts of data.  With augmented reality, they are able to actually see and "touch" the information they need to learn and understand.  Through the use of a simple app, it can open up a new world for certain students and make education not only visually stimulating but interesting enough to deserve pursuit. Most people believe that 3D imagery belong in the movie theater or for special effects, but bless the man or woman that discovered that it could help children learn as well.  
Another tool that I cannot wait to use in the classroom is (coincidentally): blogs.  In a previous blog post, I believe I mentioned that I had always thought that the only people who wrote blogs were adults who had a certain topic or notion to write about when they felt like it.  I had never even thought of using blogs in the classroom as a tool to have the students engage and discuss with each other about certain aspects of a topic.  I think that blogs provide students the skills to carefully sort out their thoughts and come to conclusions about their opinions.  Students can learn these skills writing essay papers as well, but blogs are more engaging and the students are familiar with them in this modern day existence.  Any tool that can help students connect with what they are learning is a gem and should be taken advantage of often.
The final tool that I believe will be a great assistance for me in my future classroom will be the idea of  the "flipped classroom."  When it was introduced in class, I just thought to myself that it made so much sense.  Instead of using precious class time for instruction, one could provide the instruction via video that the students can watch when they get home, and then discuss it and work on projects during the actual class period to enhance what they have already learned the night before.  All teachers complain about how there are never enough hours or days in the school year to teach all that they need to teach.  The flipped classroom concept gives the teachers the opportunity to have half the work done each time the students come into class.  If the students already have the basic understanding of the concept, the rest of the class can be utilized to further delve into the subject matter more.  Granted, this process might not be beneficial for some students who understand better if they have a physical teacher instructing them step-by-step.  However, I think that for some subjects, especially math and science, this is a preferred method of instruction since there are so many projects or experiments that can be performed during the class period instead.  I know for the young elementary grades that this idea might be a tad difficult to operate, but I would like to try and see if it can be possibly done.
Overall, I would have to say that my whole attitude about integrating technology in my classroom has definitely changed.  My first initial thoughts about technology in the classroom was that it definitely has its uses, but I was still a fan of the traditional pencil and paper.  Which I still am.  However, perhaps it was my past experiences as a teacher at a school that had no resources or money for anything technologically advanced that had me a tad biased about using technology.   We had chalkboards, posters, pencils, and paper.  No iPads, Smartboards, WiFi, or anything that activated with the swipe of a finger entered those doors.  I felt that I had taught my students to the best of my ability with the resources I had at hand, and I believed that they had received a sound and well-rounded education despite everything.  So, perhaps it was a bit of pride that made me dubious about using lots of technology in the classroom.  I could understand some uses but not many.
Now that I have finished this class, I cannot say that I have necessarily abandoned my traditional ways entirely, but that my eyes have been opened to the countless possibilities through the use of techy tools in the classroom.  In this modern age, it would be foolish and ignorant to resist any types of technology in the classroom.  I still do not believe that it should overtake the curriculum necessarily, but through the utilization of these cool tools and gadgets that I have learned throughout this course, I can confidently say that technology can be a helping hand and an opportunity to reach and support students on their sacred journey of knowledge.
 Currently, I cannot wait till I have my own classroom to try out all these great and nifty techy tricks that I now have stored up my sleeve.  I cannot wait to see my students engaged and excited to learn.  There will always be some degree of distraction that accompany anything technological, but I believe that if you have a goal in mind and you know how you would like to use a techy tool that there will mostly be beneficial outcomes from its utilization in the classroom.
I would like to also say thank you to Prof. Zumpano for teaching this class and showing us all how to become better teachers in the 21st century.  I truly feel like I can walk into a modern day classroom and teach the modern day kids with modern day technology and (hopefully) succeed.   Thanks again to my professor and class for a great semester! I will probably data mine you all in the later years to come, so do not worry, I will keep "in touch."  Good luck on all your future endeavors!

Gotta close out the semester with Oprah.  It's a must.  

Digital Tattoos

When we were assigned to find our "stranger," I can say that I was kind of surprised that these people were all right with us looking up their personal information on the Internet.  Granted, nowadays you can find mostly anything on the Internet, and nothing is necessarily "private" or a "surprise." What with Facebook and blogs, people are pouring their whole souls sometimes onto these sites, and there are many occasions in which people talk about more intimate and difficult topics online than face to face with an actual person.  I feel that some people might find it easier perhaps if they are not actually looking at a person when they are discussing complex or emotional topics.  I have never been that type of person myself.  I mean, I post things here and there on Facebook, Twittter, etc., but I have never been a fan of telling your whole life story to complete strangers online.  The strangers become an audience and your life becomes a performance, and in my opinion, that is not the way that life should be led--basing your decisions on how your audience might react to them.  However, people who have no shame on what they post or how they lead their lives are open to others researching them.  I figured that these "strangers" that we were assigned to had nothing to hide, and so I was not necessarily expecting to uncover any dirt or tools to blackmail them.
It was rather simple to find all the basic information about our "stranger."  One of the frustrating parts of the investigation though was that you had to pay to get a full background check on some of these sites.   Necessary if you want to know for certain if your next door neighbor is a serial killer or not, but for our particular assignment, I did not want to bother paying the government to tell me she was clean as a whistle.  In the end, we discovered some of her hobbies, where she went to school, her living arrangements, how much she paid for her house, her family's names and their interests, and videos that she had posted on YouTube.   Was I surprised we found all this about her?  No.  As I stated before, with Facebook and all the places on the internet where you have to upload personal information to sign up, activate, or download certain websites or files, your information and passwords are everywhere.  I would have been surprised if we had perhaps found some criminal records on her, but again since she permitted us to research her, I figured she did not have anything to cover up.  Sometimes it might take a certified and experienced CIA agent to dig up absolutely everything, but the most basic and mostly harmless information is open to the general public.  Public in this case referring to the world wide web and the millions of people who have access to Internet.
  The fact that millions of people could have personal information about you and your family?  Slightly terrifying.  However, I think that most people have enabled this by posting everything online and sometimes you need to for banking purposes and such.  Our generation has mandated us to do so many things online now.  Sometimes it is the only option.  Some workplaces will only accept job applications if they are submitted online for instance.  There is all your personal information!  Granted, the website does promise that no personal information will be leaked.  But one high-school dropout with a knack for hacking could.  This has happened and will continue to happen, and the only thing we can really do about it is to be aware of how much we are revealing about ourselves online.
So, yes, I think it would be very important to approach this subject with students.  After all, they have been surrounded by technology since they were born and dial-up Internet was basically extinct when they were placed on this Earth.  Students nowadays are always on the Internet in some form or capacity.  They are sharing everything about their lives on all kinds of apps and social media sites from how pretty their ice cream cone is, how cute they look in their sunglasses, and selfies of them and their friends doing the "duck-face." All of these are harmless yet the students have to be aware at the same time of how much they should share.  Students are sometimes the most vulnerable and susceptible to the cruel and unjust world of the Internet just because they are young and unaware of the dangers.  Will most of these kids' identities get stolen and will get stalked by some creeper in Tokyo?  Probably not.  But that does not mean that they cannot be careful about it.

As teachers, we ourselves need to be the models for self-awareness on the Internet.  I think Facebook, for teachers at least, needs to be on the private setting or labeled under a different name than the students are used to calling them.  Teachers also need to be especially careful about what they post since it can affect their job stability.  One viral picture and everything can go south.  Teachers need to practice being careful on the Internet to be an example to students of how they should act and behave.  Will you still be able to find lots of information about a particular student or teacher on the Internet?  Most likely.  It's not difficult to find general information about people.  I believe it is more difficult to hone and refine what you want your digital tattoo to look like if others chance to look you up.  All of us has a digital tattoo whether we like it or not.  It is up to us and how we behave in our lives that determines what that tattoo will ultimately look like.  We do not and should not live for an audience, but despite that belief: the world is watching.