Literacies vs. Technologies?

This quote struck me as a little confusing when I first read it: "Keeping up with technologies is not as important as keeping up with literacies." I guess the first thing I thought was, literacy is such a big part of technology. Doesn't keeping up with technology also mean you're keeping up with literacies?

Then I thought about it from a different angle. Literacy itself is more important than understanding technology. There are plenty of teachers and students who are high readers but may not know anything about technology. In life, technology isn't going to mean much to you if you lack in literacy.

I think it's important to keep these two connected. Literacy is such an important part of education and life in general. And technology is a tool that when used appropriately can be very effective in achieving higher levels of literacy. The concern, I guess, is that we shouldn't get too carried away with keeping up with technology and paying less attention to literacy. 

I hope I'm making sense. What are your thoughts on this quote? I'd love to hear other people's reactions and thoughts.  

8th Graders are Blogging!

As I read through some of the blog posts of the 8th grade students in Iowa I saw that most of them thought blogging would be beneficial for them. Many of the students expressed that blogging is a good way to communicate with people they don't know. Someone said they should blog in their class because it gives them a chance to share ideas with students that are outside of their own school. 

When I responded on one of the student's blogs, I mentioned that what's really neat about blogging is that it's instant and we can now connect with people all over the world quickly. When I was in elementary school my classmates and I had pen pals from a different state (don't remember which one now...). It took so long to hear back because we had to wait for our letters to be written, sent, and then delivered... the slowww way. Now, it's as simple as logging into the internet, reading a blog, posting a comment, and hitting publish. That person across the country or across the world can read your comment in the same day, even hour. 

I've really been thinking about using Kidblog with my 3rd and 5th graders. For those of you who blog with your students, can you comment on how it has been going? What has been working well? 

Using Diigo

I'm really starting to get used to using Diigo to save important/interesting websites. I'm taking a literacy graduate course and in our text the author mentions some great websites for kids to use to practice phonics and the alphabet. I typed the sites into my browser and then saved them right to my Diigo library! It's definitely going to be a useful site for me. 

I was talking with a colleague about another interactive website that is great for kids (starfall) and she mentioned another one I hadn't heard of before: abcya. I added that right to my library, too. Now I'll have all of these great resources in one place where I can access them from any computer. Very exciting!

Has anyone else been using Diigo to save websites from work or other courses?

My Diigo

I just started tagging resources to my Diigo Library. I searched through different examples of Wikis and added some to my library. I thought "Tech Tools 4 Teaching" was a good one because there is a nice variety of technology tools that teachers can incorporate into their teaching. It's nice to have all of this information in one page.

Judy also mentioned that "30+ Open Wikis Every Educator Should Know About" would be a good place to start so I added that to my list, too. I'm hoping to have more resources to add to my Diigo library after class this week.

What has Facebook Become?

 
2004

I was a freshman in college when Facebook first came around. I remember my friend Cory (she attended Susquehanna University in PA) telling me that my school had Facebook. She was so excited and I was very confused. What in the world was Facebook? I signed up for it anyway, and as I started browsing and experimenting, I learned that it was a place to see profiles of old (and recent) friends while also sharing my own. It was a great way to get back in contact with people I hadn't seen since high school. At the time, Facebook was only open to college students (and not all schools yet had access). 

As time went on, Facebook evolved into something much different. It soon became open to high school students, and now ANYONE can join! Its whole appearance has evolved a lot, too. I remember what it used to look like when it first came out. It was a simple page and you could write on someone's wall and that was about it. Soon, it began to implement features such as adding photos, videos, links, people could "share" things on other people's walls, and now there is a news feed on everyone's home page. Very different from its original appearance. 

Richardson mentions that there are ways to create groups (private) and implement Facebook into the classroom. This raised a big red flag in my mind. Facebook is very much a place for personal information and for personal use. People use it to connect with friends and family. I am very hesitant about using Facebook with students because it would be a mixing of a personal life with a professional one. I can be open minded and see the benefits that Richardson talks about, but I'm not quite convinced to take that leap yet.

 I think Edmodo is a safer alternative to use in schools. What's cool about it is that it looks like Facebook and has many similar features. I learned about this last year in my "Technology for Learning" class. One of the teachers at my school uses this program with her fifth grade students and it has been working very well. Last year I worked in a high school and the teacher I worked with was doing a unit on The Hunger Games. She followed a set of lessons created by another teacher and one of the activities was to have students create Facebook profiles for one of the characters and add updates to that character's wall. This was done via paper/pencil, but I can see great benefits to having students use Edmodo instead. Given that it gives a similar feel to Facebook, I really think students would like using it. It's also a great alternative to using Facebook because teachers and students are able to keep social media meant for personal reasons (Facebook) separate from ones meant for educational purposes (Edmodo).

Do you have any experience using Edmodo? 

Sources: 
Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin. 

Podcasting (School Radio)

Would You Podcast?

Remember watching "Saved By The Bell?" I used to watch this show all the time. It's a bit dated now, but for those of us who remember, the show touched on a lot of relevant issues and was very relatable! While reading Richardson's chapter on Podcasts, I remembered the episode of "Saved By The Bell" when Zack and his friends discovered the old radio station of their school. They convinced their principal to let them start up the station again and they each took on roles during their radio show. Slater wanted to do the sports segment, and much to everyone's surprise, he was not a very good DJ. It wasn't until the end of the episode that Slater found his "voice." 

From what I remember about the episode was that Zack and his friends had a great time putting on a radio show for their classmates. It gave them a voice and they were able to reach the student body more easily with important news and events. I think this is what podcasting is all about. Richardson explains that students can connect through audio media. 

Being from Madrid myself, one particular podcast site caught my attention: Madrid Young Learners Podcasts. Reading about "tapas" and "Madrid night life" brought me back!

Has anyone tried using podcasts in their schools? I'd love to hear about it!

Sources:
Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin. 

What is Flickr?

When I first started reading about Flickr, the first things I thought of were Google images and Instagram. I use Google images all the time, and though I don't use Instagram myself, I know of people who do. To be completely honest, this semester is the first I've heard of Flickr.

After reading about Flickr in Richardson's book, I came across something cool that I could actually incorporate with my ELL students. I learned that Flickr is a place to search images and also upload your own if you become a member. One of his ideas is that teachers can start online discussions about images they upload and students can comment on what they see (p.105). This would be a great tool to use with my ELL students to teach vocabulary. 

Richardson also mentions that students and teachers can use Flickr to upload pictures of vacations they take (p.107). What a great way to stay connected and share experiences with your classmates!

Another cool idea was Flickr Magazine Cover where students can use their photos to create a magazine cover. This would be great for a project!

What are your experiences with Flickr? Please share! 

Sources:
Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin. 
 

My Animoto!

The Alphabet!

My animoto video is complete! I really wanted to create a video that might help my kindergarten students practice the letters of the alphabet and their individual sounds. Some of my kids are still having a hard time with some of the letters. This video goes through each letter of the alphabet, is followed by an image of something that starts with that letter, and finally shows a caption of the word of each object. 

One of the things that NETS wants students to do regarding technology is to  "demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations." Students are to understand how technology can be used in the classroom. This video exposes them to different technologies.

NETS for teachers states that teachers should "develop digital age learning experiences." Animoto is a great way for teachers to incorporate technology into their lessons. I've been working on letters and sounds with my kindergarten students, but I've never made a video! 

I think my students will enjoy watching this video and stating the letters they see and the images that accompany each one. The repetition will be good for them as well. 

Check out my animoto video!

 

A Cool Blog

Something nice about blogging is that it can serve as a student portfolio so that all student work becomes digital and is neatly stored in one place. I like the way Mrs. Alaniz created a blog where she uploaded student work samples right onto the page. She also included some personal photos into her blog as well as photos from what is going on in her classroom. It's nice to look through someone's blog and see concrete images to reflect what they are talking about with regard to what they're doing in their classrooms. I love that student work can be added right in as examples. Check out her blog here!

My Alphabet Idea

I'm really thinking that my Animoto video will be one about the alphabet and the sounds of each letter. Some of my kindergarten students are still struggling with their letters and their sounds. I want to create an animoto similar to Kelly's animoto below. 







 
 I can see my students benefiting from watching a video like this that goes through each letter of the alphabet followed by a picture of something that starts with that letter. Something else I could do is create a separate animoto for each letter of the alphabet. For example, if I was going to create a video of the letter "D" I might first have a picture of both a capital and lower-case "D" followed by a set of images that start with the letter "D": Dog, doughnut, etc. The repetition would be good for my students. This may be a bit too much work right now, but it's a good idea for next year!

What are others thinking for their animoto videos?

Social Networking: We're Only a Click Away

Twitter

Do you tweet? I haven't used Twitter in either my personal or professional life, but I have learned something about it. Last year I was introduced to Twitter by a professor but the process, I suppose like anything else that's new, seemed overwhelming. From what I understand about Twitter, it provides a stream of tweets that is constantly changing and being updated as people continue to post new tweets. I've heard it's great for educators. You can "follow" someone who has great ideas and stay updated on new happenings in education. Twitter for Teachers is a good example. 

Something else I learned about Twitter was that you can become a member but not contribute to the stream of tweets right away. You can start out by "lurking" around and checking out other people's pages. Once you feel ready to start sharing your own ideas, you can begin to tweet too. 

I remember seeing an article about a kindergarten teacher using twitter with her students. Even more surprising, doctors tweeting during surgery! Check it out here. 

Anyone have any info regarding twitter? Do you use it personally or with your students? I'd love to hear about it!

Sources:
Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.  

The Benefits of RSS

What is RSS?

As I read about RSS in chapter 5, I thought about a Facebook newsfeed. When I log into Facebook, the first thing I see on the homepage is a list of posts and pictures other people are uploading. I can see all of these things on my main screen without having to go to everyone's individual walls. This is how RSS works. It's cool to think that we don't have to go out looking for information as much anymore. Once you find a page of interest, you can subscribe to it and it appears in your google reader. It's like receiving a magazine right in your mailbox that you subscribe for instead of going to the store to buy it. 

 
So What are the Benefits?

Clearly there are many ways to use RSS for personal and professional reasons. But I wondered, how might a teacher use it with students? One thing I thought was cool was connecting your Google Reader to your student blogs. Instead of going to each individual blog to read and check over what they're posting, all of their posts could come to you, the teacher, via RSS. What a convenient process! Teaching students to use their own RSS is also something to keep in mind. Instead of constantly looking for information (to use for research, etc), subscribing to pages of interest would be a real time-saver. Would have saved me a lot of time had I known about it!

Examples of RSS Feeds

Richardson mentioned some good examples of RSS feeds to get us started. I thought the Weather and Word of the Day were interesting. 

Sources:
Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
  

Blogging and Multiple Literacies

I was surprised to see that Karen, a first grade teacher, was able to set up a blog with her young students. But then again, why should I be? Children as young as first grade, maybe even younger, may have a better grasp at some of these new technologies than most adults. The way of the world is changing as far as literacy goes, so why not begin blogging with students as young as first grade? Blogging gives students a sense of pride because others are reading and commenting on their writing. This is a great way to promote engagement and motivation in the youngest writers.Karen includes pictures of her students into her blog. This is a great way to show parents and others what you are doing in your classroom.

As far as global awareness, I thought that The Global Read Aloud was very cool. Students are able to blog and communicate with other kids from all different parts of the world. It's crazy to think that we are really just a click away from people in Europe, or Australia, or China! What a great way for students to stay connected and learn from kids they have never met! I've heard of teachers using Skype with their students to connect to other classrooms around the world. Also very cool!

In her article, Online Collaborative Inquiry: Classroom Blogging Ventures and Multiple Literacies, Judy states that blogging serves all purposes with regard to technology standards for students. When blogging, students are constantly reading other people's work (thoughts, ideas) and in turn, commenting on their blogs which enhances their own writing. They are also practicing writing for an audience when they create their own blogs or comment on others. There is a different feeling that comes with knowing that your writing is reaching others. I'm sure that when students first read a comment someone has posted on their blog, they will feel a sense of pride in their work, knowing that others are interested in what they have to say (or write). Blogging is a great way for students to communicate with their peers, teachers, and perhaps others out there who read and comment on their blogs. They can start to make connections by having this new sense of communication with others. Blogging gives students a voice: a voice that can reach anyone across the globe. This is a very powerful thing!

Examples of Animoto Videos

I've been thinking about what type of Animoto I might create to use with my students. I've seen ones that deal with specific vocabulary, like Sara's Animoto on community vocabulary. I'm thinking I might go in a similar direction with my first Animoto video. My students are ELL students and a good number of them are beginners in the English language. They have a lot of vocabulary to learn. I might make an Animoto that highlights important "school vocabulary" that they need to recognize and know.

Taini's animoto was also used to teach vocabulary about a book she has been reading with her students, Mice and Beans. I think this is one of the ones we saw during class. I like the way these videos introduce a word, then follow up with an image, and then show the definition in writing. I can see this being a really helpful tool with my ELL students.

I also work with Kindergarten students and have been working on letters/sounds and will soon begin teaching sight words. Kelly's animoto was designed for letter and sound identification. I may do something similar. Perhaps start with a letter and then directly after include an image of something that starts with that letter.

Blogs and Wikis

After reading these two chapters, I have a bit of a debate going on in my mind.... blogs vs. wikis. I can see great benefits to both, though for some reason, wikis make me a bit nervous when thinking about using them in the classroom. My main concern (apparently the same as many others out there) is that anyone can post anything at anytime. Anything. This raises a red flag for me.. Richardson did well explaining that there are ways to approach creating a wiki with students in safe ways. Sometimes only students themselves can edit. This rules out the possibility of random readers adding whatever they want. Louise Maine's wiki uses this approach. Wikis allow the option for a password/login system which I think is great. Much safer in my opinion. I may want to use wikis with my students eventually. I might not be quite there yet, though. I would rather start with using blogs. There are some cool examples of wikis included in this chapter. Some I thought were interesting were the Recipes Wiki and Traveling Wiki. I do love the idea that so many people can come together and share their thoughts/ideas on one page.

Incorporating Blogs into Instruction

I've started thinking about ways I might incorporate blogs into my instruction. I agree with Richardson that the first step to using a blog in your own teaching is to practice with blogging by creating your own first. Teachers should practice blogging before trying to teach kids how to blog. Last year at USJ I created a blog on digital citizenship for my technology for learning course. Click here if you want to take a look at it. It was a fun project!

This year I am teaching language arts with third and fifth graders. Recently we've been coming up with deep questions to ask of ourselves as we read our texts. For homework and during class, I've been having my students read their books and mark down questions they are asking of themselves as they read. These questions should reflect critical thinking. What a great idea it would be to create a class blog and have students respond for homework rather than doing everything paper/pencil. My fifth graders could publish their poems on our class blog, then read each other's poems and comment on them. Ideally, all students would have their own computers at home. This isn't always the case, but there are ways to work around that. Perhaps we could take time each week to go to the computer lab and blog.

Blog Safety

Blog safety is very important. Richardson suggests having students create pseudonyms so they don't use their real names on the blog. I took a course in undergrad where we blogged as part of our homework. We created usernames so our identities remained anonymous. This also opens up a new feeling of freedom. Students can write without fear of judgment.

With blogs, I like the feature that allows the teacher to revise any posting first before it is published. Teachers also have the power to accept or reject an outside source form posting on the blog. This is a very important feature when blogging within schools. I may not use blogger with students. Some good alternatives are Edublogs or Kid Blogs. They seem a bit more kid-friendly.

Am I not being open minded enough with the wikis? I'd love to hear if anyone has used them with their students. How did you use them? Did you find the experience beneficial? What did you like or dislike about wikis?

Sources:
Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.