Thursday, May 5, 2011

iMovie PSA (NETS-T 3)

I created a short public service announcement video about my alma mater, CSUSM:

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Journal 9 "Teaching Green"

Waters, J.K. (2011). Teaching green. the Journal, Retrieved from http://thejournal.com/articles/2011/04/06/teaching-green.aspx

John K. Waters composed an article with a goldmine of environmental websites for students and teachers.  For the younger students, websites A Walk in the Woods and EEK (Environmental Education for Kids) will teach them about what it is like to live in a green environment (for the urban dwellers), as well as provide an abundance of environmental information for research project assignments they may have.  EEK is like an e-magazine for young students as well as students in high school.

High school students can also learn more about their personal "ecological footprint" when they take the Ecololgical Footprint Quiz (on the website with the same name).  An ecological footprint goes beyond the carbon footprint, as it includes your housing footprint and goods/services footprint, too.  This quiz is a great item to add to a high school environmental lesson plan.

Teachers can find several lesson plans, environmental background information, and class activities for all age groups on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Teaching Center website.  How awesome is that?

Should teachers incorporate environmental issues into their lesson plans?
Absolutely!  We live in an age of environmental endangerment, and all teachers can help remedy our future with the implementation of envrionmental education in the classroom. 

How can busy teachers incorporate environmental issues into their lesson plans?
I think the more appropriate question is "How can they not?"  The websites listed in John K. Waters' article are great places to gain useful information and lesson plans.  It wouldn't take alot of time out of the other important parts of daily curriculum to plant a seed in the minds of your students.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Journal 8 "Point/Counterpoint: Should Schools be Held Responsible for Cyberbullying?"

Bogacz, R., & Gomez Gordillo, M. (2011). Point/counterpoint: should schools be held responsible for cyberbullying?. Learning and Leading, 38(6), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/issues/Point_Counterpoint_Should_Schools_Be_Held_Responsible_for_Cyberbullying.aspx

This point/counterpoint article does not present two polar opposite views of cyberbullying.  The cyberbullying views from Renee Bogacz and Miguel Gomez Gordillo are more aligned than I expected.  The underlying point Bogacz and Gordillo both make is the importance of school administration, teachers, parents, and students to work together against cyberbullying.  However, I agree more with the points Bogacz makes with regard to schools taking a active role in the fight against cyberbullying.  Gordillo's perspective is unsettling in that he believes it is okay for schools to play a passive role in the arena of cyberbullying.  I agree with his ideals that all families should love and care for their children from birth, and spend most of their time together.  But those are the ideals.  Realistically, we live in a broken society and many children grow up in dysfunctional families where, unfortunately, love doesn't abound and one or both parents are not always present, loving, and/or supportive.  I would like to ask Mr. Gordillo the following questions: Aren't we, as a society, and especially as a school community, ideally supposed to be inclusive and responsible for the children in our care?  If you witnessed a student on the school playground bullying another student would you turn your back on the situation?  No, of course not!  You would immediately become involved and responsible for the quickest resolve possible.  In addition, you would feel responsible for preventing any further bullying from occuring.  Cyberbullying is no different than in-person bullying.  Activism and accepting responsibility is much more effective than passivism and turning away from responsibility.

Journal 7 "My Personal Learning Network"

I am truly excited about the creation of my PLN (Personal Learning Network). It is my personally selected community of professionals whom I can share information with digitally at any time. There are so many professionals online who are always ready, willing, and able to help you expand your field of knowledge. I feel like I've tapped into a goldmine!
I created my PLN by using Twitter, Diigo, and Classroom 2.0. These are social networking sites used often by professionals as a way to share ideas and enhance your professional journey.

On Twitter, I am following a few classmates who are in the same process of building their own PLNs. Many of my classmates are pursuing a career in education, like me, so adding them to my PLN allows me to gain not only from my experiences, but from theirs as well. I also found a handful of educators who have tagged various education sites with hints, tips, and great ideas that are now within my reach. Equally exciting to me are the people I added in my network who are SLPs (speech language pathologists), which is the profession I am pursuing. These are SLPeeps, OnSpecEd, ASHAweb, RCSLT, and kidslanguage.

I followed a chat in Twitter: "How can Web 2.0 tools (including blogs) be used effectively with elementary students?" on #elemchat 4/9/11 where a question was posed, "What is your favorite Web 2.0 tool used in the classroom?" Within the 20 minutes I followed, I was introduced to quite a few tools I had not yet heard of. I was intrigued. Here are a few: Kidlblog.org, Glogster, Tagxedo, Voicethread, ReadWriteThink, Voki, StoryBird, Blabberize. I saved the discussion so I can look into these tools later. Some comments on these tools in the discussion: "My D.O. blocks Glogster," "Voicethread is easier than typing," "ReadWriteThink has great activities for kids," "Voki is good for kids who struggle with writing," "My 2nd graders love StoryBird!" The comments that stood out most for me were about blogging: "Blogging for an audience really makes a difference," "Blogging allows quiet students to be heard," "My shyest student is my most enthusiastic blogger." What a powerful tool!

In Diigo I added a few educators to my PLN who have an impressive compilation of resources. I wanted to add them because they've been doing this for a long time, and I'm sure I will benefit from what they have to share. These are Nicole Lakusta, Natalie Lafferty, Samantha Fecich, David Warlick, Dave Truss, and Jeff Heil. I also added a few people who specifically laid out the best process for you to create your own PLN. These are The Educator's PLN, Building a PLN, and PLN Yourself! I tagged all of these PLN so I can learn the best way to fine-tune my PLN.

I joined Classroom 2.0, a digital discussion forum, and watched a very interesting video: "Recording audio in Audacity - Technical glossary." It was a short introductory to a sound editing program, Audacity, that is available at audacity.sourceforge.net as a free download. (There are more in-depth tutorials available on their website.) With Audacity, you can easily record, edit, and fine tune your work for publication. (Great for creating audio podcasts.) The recording appears as a waveform and timeline. You can add and/or delete whole sections, or move them around. You can also save your tracks for future editing. Exporting the file as an MP3 works best, but you need to first download and install the special plug-in. I think I'm going to have some fun with this!

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Journal 6 "Grow Your Personal Learning Network"

Warlick, D. (2009). Grow your personal learning network. Learning and Leading
http://istelearning.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Grow-Your-PLN.pdf

David Warlick explains the three different types of PLNs (Personal Learning Network). 
1.  Synchronous connections are personally maintained networks of people we contact regularly for their input on professional and/or personal issues.  These groups of people have grown due to the removal of traditional barriers such as geography, background, language, and culture.
2.  Semisynchronous connections are personally and socially maintained networks with a "nearly now" time that replaces Real Time.  In other words, you can post a topical question and receive responses from people in a position to be very helpful.
3.  Asynchronous connections are dynamically maintained networks that connect you with valuable sources rather than people.  The primary tool for this is RSS Aggregator such as Google Reader, Netvibes, or Pageflakes.  Using an aggregator is like placing a customized order into a social media network.

Are PLNs worthwhile? 
Yes.  We are surrounded by innovative technology.  Tapping into this area of network technology is an invaluable tool.  Using a PLN can only enrich your teaching experience.

How much time should I spend using a PLN?
The choice is yours.  Use it to your level of comfort.  You will most likely discover that the more you use it, the more you'll want to use it.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Journal 4 "It's Time to Trust Teachers with the Internet"

Ormiston, M. (2010, December 1). It's time to trust teachers with the internet: a conversation with meg ormiston. Retrieved from http://thejournal.com/articles/2010/12/01/its-time-to-trust-teachers-with-the-internet-a-conversation-with-meg-ormiston.aspx?sc_lang=en

This topic is so important right now.  The discussion is crucial to the gap that is forming between teachers and students in the world of technology.  There is no denying how the internet has become a daily tool for people of all ages.  In many cases students are given minimal instruction and guidance about proper and safe usage of the internet at home.  It is too easy for students to access inappropriate sites online. 

Imagine classrooms across the country that were fully integrated with technological instruction and guidance, and students accessing the internet for research, social networking, and daily school assignments.  I like Meg Ormiston's idea of the "tiered approach" where teachers are given full internet access in the classroom, they're given some instruction on helpful teaching websites, and they're given time to figure out how best to integrate the technology into their lessons.  And Ormiston's point about educating administrators as well as teachers is absolutely key, since administrators are ultimately the ones making final decisions regarding how restrictive to make internet access in classrooms. 

Students are already familiar with the internet, so it only makes sense for teachers to integrate this technology into their teaching methods in order to keep students actively engaged.  This is an important issue about keeping up with the times.  If we allow students to remain in cyber-space with no supervision from teachers, we are setting them up for disaster.  Teachers with a clear vision of technology integration will enhance their abilities to connect with students, and more importantly, provide students with a safe transition into our ever changing world of technology.

Will you use technology in your classroom?

Absolutely!  I will continually educate myself on the newest forms of fun and interesting technology through my colleagues near and abroad.  I believe this is the best way to engage the students with whom I'll be working.

What will you do if you encounter technology task problems?

I have already promised myself not to let the frustration overwhelm me.  It's okay if I get temporarily confused with new forms of technology.  There are many avenues available for me to find the answers I need, whether it is through social networks or finding the answers on educational websites.  I will work through the periodic "bumps in the road" for the benefit of my students.

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Technology Self-Assessment: School 2.0 (NETS 1, 2)

The NETS-T standard I investigated:  Facilitate & Inspire Student Learning & Creativity ** Enable students to use technology to demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes.

I watched Sir Ken Robinson's video presentation: Creativity and Schools.  A classmate had already seen it and highly recommended a viewing.  Now that I've watched the video, I am thankful for the recommendation.  Sir Robinson makes several excellent points about the learning process of children, and the skewed path of education.  His main point is how the essential element of processing data, the element of creativity, has been squeezed out of curriculum.

Sir Robinson noted how public education standards were inspired by the Industrial Revolution.  The top two fields of study in education hierarchy are math and humanities, because those are the subjects most needed to obtain jobs. 

There are two major problems with education hierarchy.  The arts are at the bottom of the list in the order of art, music, drama, and dance.  We cannot fit all children neatly into the top two subjects in the current order of education hierarchy.  Many children lose the opportunity to advance their strengths in the arts due to their failure to keep up to standards in other subjects.  Also, the children who do struggle through and pass the top subjects are then challenged to keep up with "academic inflation."  Jobs that used to require a BA, now require an MA.  Jobs that used to require an MA, now require a PhD. 

I firmly believe that the education of a whole being, including creativity, produces a well-rounded person.  And a well-rounded person can most certainly find happiness in his/her work and become a solid contributor to his/her community.

Friday, February 18, 2011

Journal 3 "100 Things That Make Me Happy"

Not in order!
1. massages  2. red wine  3. ocean  4. sand  5. love  6. my husband  7. Brynna  8. Chloe  9. Rachel  10. Cheyna  11. home  12. a baby's laugh  13. Starbucks  14. money in the bank 15. ice cream  16. playing  17. sleep  18. a good haircut  19. cooked carrots  20. funny people  21. sunshine  22. flowers  23. dogs  24. music  25. a clean house  26. a new mattress  27. Christmas  28. God  29. cookies  30. memories  31. birthdays  32. water  33. snow on the mountains  34. excellent report cards  35. sharing faith  36. giving good advice  37. receiving a thank you  38. long hair  39. old friends  40. owning 2 cars  41. my parents  42. piano  43. hugs  44. exercise  45. dancing  46. reading a good book  47. rain  48. crackling fire in the fireplace  49. my kids' "I love you, mommy"  50. a smile from a stranger  51. talking with an elderly person  52. coconut pie  53. my grandparents' house  54. life  55. wisdom  56. courage  57. American flag  58. iced tea  59. snuggling with my kids  60. no cavities  61. learning  62. Kauai  63. warm shower  64. hairbands on a hot day  65. tennis  66. walking the dog  67. weekends  68. fruit  69. sailing  70. dolphins  71. a full stomach  72. the scent of blackberry pie baking  73. excitement in my kids' eyes  74. antibiotics  75. hummingbirds  76. travel  77. email  78. internet  79. empty credit cards  80. new clothes  81. socks without holes  82. soft sheets  83. safety  84. lotion  85. chapstick  86. listening to my daughter sing  87. prayer  88. watching my husband be a dad  89. down time  90. poetry  91. slippers  92. considerate people  93. the color purple  94. unity  95. family  96. watching my kids play soccer  97. gay guys  98. amusement parks  99. dreams  100. listing 100 things that make me happy

Journal 2 "Join the Flock/Enhance Your Twitter Experience"

Furguson, H. (2010). Join the flock. Learning and Leading, 37(8), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/issues/Join_the_Flock.aspx

McClintock Miller, S. (2010). Enhance your twitter experience. Learning and Leading, 37(8), Retrieved from http://newsletter.cuebc.ca/enhance-your-twitter-experience-by-shannon-mcclintock-miller/

After reading these two articles, Join the Flock and Enhance Your Twitter Experience, I have to admit that it would be difficult to argue against using Twitter as an educational tool.  There is no denying the fact that when you use Twitter for the sole purpose of information-sharing, you can create your own community of professionals right in your own home.  And that community is available to you 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. 

Of course, there is a time commitment involved.  You get as much out of Twitter as you put into it.  But, it sure is simple.  You can search key words like "education," "elementary school," "middle school," "technology," etc., depending on how broad or narrow a spectrum of information you want at your fingertips.

Some of the searching has already been done for you.  There are lists available to help you find people you might like to follow.  You will then be presented with links that fit your areas of interest, and can potentially become important tools for you and your classroom environment.  The possibilities are endless! 

Retweeting is a good way to strengthen your relationship with your followers and those whom you follow.  It is a way for you to give back to your community, so to speak.  And, it is a complimentary act of kindness.  You are, in essence, sending a message to the original tweeter of the information that their input is important and helpful enough to share with many others in the community.

Does Twitter appear to be a useful tool for teachers or an unnecessary extra? 

I believe you cannot judge Twitter until you have been educated on it's use as a tool for teachers.  Once you are aware of the power behind the tweets, a whole new world of information becomes apparent.

Will you choose to share Twitter with your colleagues?

I most definitely will talk to my colleagues about the benefits of Twitter as a teaching tool!  When you come across a gem, you are inspired to share the wealth.  Teachers are very good at that. :)

Friday, February 11, 2011

Journal 1 "Do Web 2.0 Right"

Light, D. (2011). Do web 2.0 right. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/issues/Feature_Article_Do_Web_2_0_Right.aspx

This article pertains to the NETS-T #1 in that it refers to how teachers effectively integrate the use of technology, specifically blogs, to enhance the teaching and learning experience while incorporating classroom time with virtual time.

Some of the technology integration mentioned in this article already looks familiar within this EDUC 422 class.  For example, open communication between the teacher/student and between students.  Also, students commenting on the teacher's posed question, and responding to their classmates' comments.  Another recognizable form of technological integration is the website links to online sources for students' easy access right from the class website.  I am most impressed with the convenience this provides me as a student!

The three points discussed within this article about using blogs within the curriculum are: 1) daily practice  2) focus on audience  3) appropriate behavior.  The discussion is about how to assign blogging every day while keeping it interesting and relevant to the subject; when to make blogs public and when to keep blogs private; and how to maintain a respectful environment within the blogs.

A very good point is made in the article about sensitivity to students in the virtual world.  The teacher must keep in mind how some students might get carried away with criticism in cyber-space, because the environment is disconnected as compared to face time in the classroom.  On the other hand, I like the idea of giving otherwise quiet and introspective students the opportunity to share their thoughts more comfortably.

Is blogging an appropriate technological tool for any grade level?
Yes.  The teacher has the capability to limit the students to private blogs as well as creating a controlled virtual environment for public usage.  So, for the delicate middle school and high school students who are exposed to inappropriate use of websites during personal use of the internet, the teacher can create a safe place for the students to learn a more mature way to interact.

Do I see myself as a teacher using this type of technology in my classroom?
Yes.  I am confidant that I would be able to think of creative uses for blogs within my curriculum.  Ultimately, I plan to work as a speech pathologist, and I can imagine how useful this teaching tool could be in that capacity as well.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

All About Lynanne

Hello CSUSM friends!  My name is Lynanne Hamill, I'm 42 years old, and I'm happy to be here!  When I was a child my dad was in the Marine Corps and my family lived in North Carolina.  That's where I began school.  My dad was transferred to Camp Pendleton, CA when I was 8 years old.  That is where I finished my elementary school years.  Just before I began 6th grade, we moved to Temecula.  I attended Temecula Middle School, then Elsinore Union High School.  (Temecula Valley High School opened the year after I graduated from EUHS in 1986.)  After high school I began college at Mt. San Jacinto College, but decided to drop my classes, move to Orange County, get a job, and have some fun.  I told myself, "I'll just wait one year, then go back to college..."  It was a decision that filled me with regret later on.  Life got very busy, and I never went back - until - I got married in 1998.  My husband and I wanted to start a family.  As we planned our future together it became more important to me to obtain a college education because I want my children to attend college some day.  I have grown into the knowledge that education is extremely important, and I felt it was important for me to lead by example.  Currently, I am working on prerequisite classes for the Communicative Sciences and Disorders master's program.  We now have 4 kids in elementary school, and I am excited to see where their education takes them in life!

I would place myself in the middle of the technology scale.  My husband is a high school teacher and he uses technology in his classroom regularly.  His knowledge exceeds my own, so he is my mentor in this area.  Although, I'm hoping this class will bring me up to his level!

The COE Mission Statement was vaguely familiar to me when we looked at it in class.  I must have read it at some point, but it didn't really sink in.  Now that I've focused on it's meaning, I am most impressed with their commitment to diversity, educational equity, and social justice.  "Diversity" is mentioned again at the end.  My teaching philosophy is similar to my parenting philosophy, and one of the important recurring issues I discuss with my kids as they get older is acceptance/tolerance.  We live in a world of diversity, so those who master the art of acceptance will, in my opinion, have alot more to offer.
Photo: Me, our daughters Brynna, Rachel, Chloe, Cheyna, my husband Chris