Journal 4: Twitter!

Ferguson , H. (2010). Join the flock. Learning & leading with technology , 37(8), 12-17. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/issues/Join_the_Flock.aspx

 In Hadley Ferguson’s article entitled, “Join the Flock,” she expresses the need to build a “professional learning network” through Internet resources.  She refers to this as a PLN, a network developed for learners around the world.  Using simple and easy-to-follow steps, she explains the way to create a network through Twitter, an online communication hub.  By watching, listening, giving, exposing, and tagging, Hadley suggests that anyone can change the way in which you teach and students learn.

What are a few benefits of the Twitter phenomenon?

A few benefits that I found highlighted in this article were easy access, instant information, collaboration, and a culture of online community.  Having access to information regardless of location is something I find very useful.  Challenges like SES are a thing of the past with Internet access, as nearly all information can be attained at a nearby computer in local facilities (i.e.: libraries, school campuses, etc.).  Further, the fact that information can be instantly attained is a commodity which has also been made accessible through use of the Internet.  New information is constantly being published in an online forum, just as I am able to update this blog within seconds.  This is also something which allows scholars alike to collaborate in a community with constant feedback and refining.  Together, each of these aspects create the wonderful online community that is Twitter.

 Miller, S. M. (2010). Enhance your twitter experience. Learning & leading with technology, 37(8), 14-17. Retrieved from www.iste.org/Libraries/...and.../June_July_2010_Join_the_Flock.sflb.ashx

An additional article called, “Enhance Your Twitter Experience, partners Hadley Ferguson’s piece.  In this section, author Shannon McClintock Miller discussed the benefits of using Twitter and ways in which a person’s Twitter experience can be improved.  Organization techniques, terminology comprehension, management, and strategic usage are all specifics outlined within her article.  Something I found most useful and interesting was the use of a “Hashtag (#).”  The insertion of a # allows the “Tweeter” to categorize their own “Tweet” as a subcategory or example within a much bigger category.  This piece adds to the overall ideas emphasize within “Join the Flock.”

Will you use Twitter more now knowing how great the repercussions are?

I definitely will, the benefits are constant and dynamic.  While only just beginning to use Twitter as online connection to the world, I have already been a witness to the amount of possibilities that it holds.  I can attain lesson plans, find innovative new ways of presenting material, learn about new laws and mandates that affect the teaching world, the amount of online discovery is endless!  Learning more about Twitter has presented these ideas to me, and allowed me to see the wonderful innovations that come with such an amazing tool.  The online world has presented us with so many easy and instant ways to stream information, something Twitter further improves.

Journal 3: Upside Down and Inside Out

Fulton, K. (2012). Upside down and inside out: Flip your classroom to improve student learning. Learning and leading with technology, 39(8), 12-14. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/issues/Upside_Down_and_Inside_Out.aspx

In the article entitled, “Upside Down and Inside Out,” Kathleen Fulton describes a high school in Colorado, which has a “flipped” type of curriculum.  According to the piece, the teacher of a Calculus I class decided to switch up the way in which he ran his classroom following budget cuts.  In place of the traditional classroom schedule with lecture in the classroom and homework at home, he has designed an innovative new teaching format where lecture is accessed at home and homework is completed in the school; this required a textbook-free curriculum.  The article self proclaims the astounding success associated with the flip, pointing out that student grades increased at an amazing rate.  Furthermore, the overall approval of students was high.

Implementing a curriculum such as this in my future classroom would be a wonderful way to shake things up and enhance learning.  While I will be a new teacher, I think mastery in a basic setting may be required before I begin making alterations to the norm.

Questions to Consider:

Can I see myself using this type of technique in my future classroom?

Although this “flip” seems to be a wonderful support system in place for student learning, I question whether or not it is a fad (something the article also questions). Implementing any useful teaching techniques will be very useful as a first time teacher.  While I may need to perfect my own teaching styles before getting really creative, I cannot wait to get into a classroom setting and experiment with some of these techniques!  A challenge I see in this style of learning is getting the students motivated to watch and thoroughly engage in lectures while at home.  Some parental guidance and enforcement may be a necessary aspect of this type of learning.  In the end, anything that can get kids thinking and using their minds in ways they had never thought possible is definitely a win in my book.

What was a highlight of this article?

I really enjoyed seeing how a teacher was able to respond to budget cuts in a school district.  The ever-diminishing budget cuts is something I will most certainly face in my future career.  Further, combatting those things and trying to get a handle on the problems we face will be crucial to my success as an educator.  Being able to respond well to financial issues is something I will have to get used to in my profession, and that was really a main point of this article.  Getting innovative and creative with what you’re given is an amazing response to the budget crisis we currently face.  This is was the teachers at this Colorado high school were able to face and overcome.  I hope to one day be as clever and innovative as the educators described. 

Journal 2: Technology Self Assessment, School 2.0 Reflection Tool

For this section, I further researched the NETS-T that I achieved the lowest score in: 5. Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership.  From this section, I selected the first standard, which read, "I actively participate in local and global learning communities to exchange and implement ideas and methods related to creative applications of technology to improve student learning."  The website it took me to was entitled, "Classroom 2.0."  From this website, it appears that educators from around the entire globe gather to discuss how technology can be implemented within the classroom.  Blogs are used to offer support for educators, and ideas about technology and innovation within a classroom setting are encouraged.  As there is a globe on the site with hotspots demonstrating universal usage, it is obvious that this site is used as a global learning community.  In addition, there are a number of links to other educational venues along the sides of the page, something that will be very useful for me as a future teacher.  It is good to know that if I am having difficulties within a classroom that there is a resource of educators with the ability to back me up in my struggles.  Further, there will be a significant number of collaborative ideas within this site as it exists on a global scale.