Reflection Blog

      As the semester winds down the amount of assignments due seems to build up. My blog has been pushed aside making room for papers, reflections, and project deadlines. This semester has been a full of new tools, ideas, and viewpoints on technology in the classroom.
      At the beginning, in January, I did not believe tech belonged in the classroom. However, after reading, discussing, researching, and using many tech tools this semester I can see where and how we need to integrate this into our schools and curriculum. My favorites include Storybird, Instagram, and Twitter.
     Storybird was discovered in the assignment where I needed to compile a list of 10 tech sites and tools for the classroom. It is free and so simple to use. I set up a class account as well as one for each student to use at home. The kids look forward to creating stories and selecting the artwork. It has been a huge hit and I plan to continue to use it. The class does not know it yet, but for the end of the year I will be ordering a copy of each child's story as a graduation gift. I cant wait to see how excited they are to see their work in an actual book!
     Instagram has been a social media tool I have been using in my personal life. I really enjoy sharing pictures and statements with friends and family. After reading how teachers are using Instagram to share daily interactions with families and branding their classroom I am excited to start using this tool next year. Because we are a private school there are a few steps I need to do first to check what I can and cannot post and how to make it a private group just for the families.
     I am still an early stage user of Twitter, still feeling it out and reading more than posting. I am excited about the network of teachers, educators, and thinkers I am connecting with. I am not sure that I will use Twitter as a communication or branding tool just yet, but I am excited to be a part of the community.
     In addition to learning about technology websites and apps I had the pleasure of working with a few peers on a project. I have never been a fan of group projects. As a child I usually ended up doing all the work or getting upset... too type A to not have my ideas produced the way I want I guess. I was hesitant how working with a group only online would be. Surprisingly, it went very well. I was put with two great guys how were ready to work and produce an awesome project. Sure there were ups and downs, but overall it was a cool experience to have. I can imagine how this skill is utilized by leaders to stay connected, work together, and share when they are apart.
     And with the close of this blog I wish everyone a happy summer break!!!

clip art source 

Too Connected?

     This post is coming a few days late as I  was trapped in Mexico over spring break. My original flight was delayed 4 hours only to find out that they had over sold tickets and there were no seats left on the plane for us. We were literally trapped in paradise. A day later I am home and am able to write last weeks post.
     A rule that I have with my boyfriend is that when we are on a date we do not use our phones extensively, only when needed. When I travel I try to disconnect from technology as well. I take pictures with a camera, not my iPhone, and I usually do not bring a computer or tablet. It feels so good to disconnect from it all and just enjoy time with friends, new sights, and a different culture. This trip was made even easier by the fact that I did not have an international plan. However, throughout my trip I saw families so involved with their technology that they were not interacting at all. Or kids playing in the pools shouting "look mom!" only to see that mom was too busy on her phone and waved her kids off.
     I do not doubt that technology is fun, useful, and has its place in today's culture, but I do wonder if we are TOO connected that we are missing out on life's moments with our face behind the screen.

Virtual Teams

     Throughout this semester I have been working with a virtual team to create a project. We have been using google hangout and documents as our main platform for collaboration and communication. We began our project by developing and implementing a survey to see the current reality of technology and professional learning in each school.
     The responses we collected lead us to create a Weebly website for teachers to read current research, tech tools, shared lesson plans, and ask for help. The greatest response came from a middle school we surveyed, so that school was our focus.
     Working together to create something was a new experience and a large learning curve. While we were able to utilize multiple tools it became difficult find times between our schedules to meet online. I suppose arranging personal face-to-face meetings would have been equally as challenging, but because this was new, I found myself easily frustrated with slow responses, lag time between edits, and difficulties in meeting.
     After lots of hard work I am proud of the work my team and I have created. I will remember the tools I learned and used for this project for future endeavors.
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