Digital Citizenship

With many teachers implementing blogs, social media, and computer use into their classrooms, too many cases of students taking advantage of this privilege have arisen. Teachers are being blamed for the inappropriate behavior and students aren't phased by the permanent impact that the internet has in their life. Parents are expecting teachers to supervise their students online behavior and are asking them to be responsible for posts and chats that are happening outside of the classroom. The situation is messy to say the least.

As an innovative educator, I am excited that many teachers are taking their first steps in implementing technology into the classroom. However, I believe that it must be implemented in the correct order. At a charter school in Riverside County, students are not allowed to go online until they complete a digital citizenship class and pass a digital citizenship test. Once the test is finished, they must sign a document that says that they will act like digital citizens and will follow the school's internet policy at all times. Teachers are extremely strict with this policy and students are issued strikes if they do not adhere to the rules. After three strikes, the student is dismissed from the school.

While this technique sounds like a great preventative measure, the school has still struggled with plagiarism, inappropriate comments left on a public google document, and many other minor issues along the way. In short, schools cannot prevent inappropriate things from happening online. It will take a joint effort between staff and parents to monitor and lessen the damage that students can do to themselves or others while on the internet.

In my classroom, I plan on having each student sign his or her name at the bottom of every assignment. Just like when you sign a legal document, you are certifying that the information above is true and correct and that you are the creator of the work. If and when a student in my class plagiarizes, I can then remind him or her about their signature. I believe this is one more way to hold students accountable for their work on and off the computer. That is the most important part to me.

Emerging Technology

For my final project in EDUC 515 Emerging Technologies, I researched the TouchCast software. It is an excellent idea for a classroom. Unfortunately, it has a lot of drawbacks that will discourage me from using it again any time soon. Hopefully the program gets some updates and revisions so that it is more teacher friendly.

Read my full review and thoughts on TouchCast by clicking the link below!
TouchCast Review

Unconference Success

A new tool that was introduced to me was the idea of an "Unconference". I heard about these online conferences through my EDUC 515 course at Azusa Pacific University. At first, I was a little confused about the way these conferences worked. So, I started working with them.

At first, I began by following @cybraryman and followed along with #edchat one evening. The chat was overwhelming because answers kept popping up every few seconds and I couldn't even scroll far enough down in the chat to find the question that these people were answering! When I finally found the question, there were twenty more responses that were available to read. To put it simply, I was confused! I was told that the best way to familiarize myself with these chats is to simply observe and get used to the format. So I did.

After that experience, I began looking for other chats that would be helpful to follow along. My interest was peaked when I heard about #mathchat. I was intrigued by this because I knew that a lot of educators just came back from ISTE and would have great apps to share for math. The chat that I followed along with became a great and interesting resource for my future classroom. The specific resource that I found was from a program called Slide Share and was uploaded by a math teacher. This resource provided me with 15 apps that are amazing for use in any classroom. I was so excited by this post and I began following the person who shared the slides with the chat. I did not participate in the chat by adding posts, but I did participate by retweeting some of the posts that I found to be the most helpful.

I am glad that I am learning about the effectiveness of these chats. For the future, I can see an Unconference being an awesome way to discuss staff problems or school concerns as they arise. I can also see unconferences being very helpful for classrooms during back to school night for parents who cannot make it to the classroom. I hope to find more ways to use this classroom tool in my classroom!

My Capstone

As surreal as it seems, I am 3 weeks away from completing my Master's program at Azusa Pacific University. My journey began in January 2013. I had just graduated from CSU San Marcos and had been accepted into APU to begin my credential journey. (Not to mention that I also got engaged on the same day I graduated from CSUSM!) I knew that I was in for a whirlwind of a journey. "One step at a time" quickly became my motto for the 2013 year. With that motto, I somehow ended up at the end of January 2014 as a credentialed teacher. It was a lot of work, late nights, early mornings, and seemingly endless TEPs and TPAs, but I did it! My newest journey was about to begin. I was going to be the first person in my family to pursue a Master's degree. With the given rise in technology in the classroom (and conveniently, everywhere else too!) I decided to get my Masters of Arts in Education: Digital Teaching and Learning. Five classes later, and I can easily say that this was an excellent decision.

Technology is constantly changing. Because of this, I greatly respect my professors who keep up with the changing technology as well as keep up their enthusiasm for this technology to share with us. I would say that the most important thing that I have learned in this technology program is: Do whatever is best for your students. My students are and will always be at the center of anything I do in the classroom. Sometimes, an amazing iPad app will be the best way to reach them and allow them to experience a new topic. Other times, a student might need a quiet moment with a pencil in hand to write down their thoughts on a new topic. Technology is a tool for teachers to use. It is not a robot taking over the classroom brainwashing students. It is an avenue that teachers can explore in order to lead their class to its fullest potential.

With this mindset, I can easily say that I have taken great strides in my professionalism as a result of this program. I have learned how to access and determine which resources are best for my students. I can implement videos, webquests, and social media into my classroom confidently. I can use resources such as google drive to collaborate with staff members and even parents. By pursuing this degree, I understand the value of technology as well as the role that it has in the classroom. It is necessary to have both in order to successfully implement pieces of technology into my classroom. Most importantly, I have learned that as long as technology is around, there will always be a need for lifelong learners. I committed myself as an educator to live out the life of a lifelong learner for myself and for my students. My hope is that my display of this mindset will allow my students to have the same passion for learning that I do.

Tweeting a Twit

It happened about six months ago. I joined Twitter. It was not done by choice. In fact, I joined twitter based on a class requirement. My professor talked about the ways in which twitter could be helpful in the classroom. I shook my head in an incognito way as I thought, "Yes, this is exactly what I want my students to be doing in class." Throughout the term, this professor had us communicate with fellow classmates regarding assignments and the status of our larger projects. For me, it was a nuisance to remember. I had to compose a tweet, (or was it a twit?) figure out someone's "handle" to t@g them in the twit, and then pay attention in case they replied to my tweet.

Don't get me wrong, I am fluent in many pieces of technology. I can jump around social media without a single problem. For some reason, Twitter stumped me. But, when that class ended, I figured I wouldn't need it anymore. It turns out that I have yet another professor who insists we tap into the unimaginable power of twitter. Oh great. So I broke out the app again and started at it. I felt foolish as I scrolled through the endless tweets and got a feeling that I was only allowed to see pieces of a larger story. I constantly felt like I was missing something. More importantly, I kept asking myself "What is the point of this?"

With a desire to maintain my 4.0, I pressed on in the land of the tweets. I began following other educators who I hoped were not twits and I also began genuinely reading a minimal amount of their posts. With time, I finally was able to see the beauty behind this strange piece of social media. It was like a light just clicked and I could finally view Twitter as a tool. Now this was not just an ordinary tool, but a plethora of educators in all walks of life who are passionate about sharing ideas. Good ideas, bad ideas, teaching ideas, technology ideas, and any other idea you can imagine. (And this is just in the 83 people I am following!)

I am sure that my understanding of twitter is still minimal in comparison to the many people who have gone and continue to go before me. The important thing is that I am truly giving this everything that I have and I can now see the value that it has in the education world. I feel as if I am no longer a "twit" when it comes to Twitter. I guarantee that I am not an expert, but then again, admitting my lack of expertise is my first step in learning.

Follow me if you'd like! @linzbaker

Those Who "Tech" Teach

As technology continues its relentless boom all around us, it inevitably enters the classroom. Teachers who have been in the classroom for twenty or more years are faced with the challenge of altering their teaching styles to incorporate this new classroom tool. However, a journalist by the name of Kumar Snehansu brings up the issue that is often hushed in the educational world. He titled his article "Why Teachers Who Use Technology Will Replace Teachers Who Don't". Quite frankly, he is correct. Whether or not veteran teachers like the idea of technology in the classroom, it is nonetheless a part of student's lives and must be integrated along with the core subjects. Teachers who withhold technology learning opportunities from their students are ultimately hindering them. My favorite quote in this short article is "Technology doesn't teach; teachers teach". I believe that this is what most experienced teachers (and occasional new teachers) struggle with when they picture technology being integrated into the classroom. They picture technology as a robot entering their classroom and brainwashing their students as they stare lifelessly into a screen. In reality, technology is a tool just like a book, chalkboard, or dry-erase markers are also tools. The title of this article really stood out to me as a bold statement. Eventually, I believe Snehansu will be proven correct.

Click here to view the article.

WebQuest Progress

I am in the process of completing my WebQuest. I have not had issues with the website itself. However, my computer has a virus and it keeps preventing me from being online for long periods of time. I am also very pressed for time right now because I am getting married in 3 days! I am still powering through my assignments and my goal is to complete my WebQuest by Thursday. In general, I really enjoy Zunal. I plan on upgrading to the membership as soon as I get a teaching job. My students can greatly benefit from this.