final reflection...

this past week was crazy-full of so much new learning for me. as i previously shared with all of you, i approached this class with trepidation. for the material (seriously? learning something new? going back to school?), for the time needed (hell - i have 4 kids & 4 jobs - when do i have time for this?), for everything!

when i graduated with my MFA (in ‘91), there WAS NO INTERNET… at least available to the average joe. computers were used as a tool to assist in our traditional artistic methods.  creating my own curriculum in computer graphics and photography was sooooooo cutting edge. we thought we were so cool. rio, retina, topaz, tips… all the predecessors to today's photo-altering software. i had my own macintosh plus. then classic. then classic ii. it was a joyful day when i got my own mac iici. i remember freelancing around boston using the companies brand-sparkling-new cannon RC701 still video camera… so exciting! so nerve wracking (it was worth a fortune at the time)! i also loved freelancing around boston assisting publishing houses in the transfer of their traditional paste-up methods onto the desktop. computers were awesome… wicked awesome (hey - i’m from boston… haha)!

imagine my surprise when, after taking “some time” off to have my 4 kids, suddenly there was this thing called the internet! with new ways to design! new ways to think! and the kicker? my 6 years of college and 2 degrees? could now be purchased at staples in the form of a program called Photoshop for about a thousand dollars.

disillusioned doesn't even BEGIN to describe my state of mind. feeling betrayed, i turned from technology back to more traditional (ie: no computers) art.

since then, i’ve dealt with technology as most people have. i’ve got the phone(s) & upgraded appropriately. replaced my walkman with an iPod. surfed the internet, dipped my toe into the social networking pond, learned about arduinos, even have begun to love playing on an iPad. but never really forgiven technology for what i considered a huge screwing over. irrational? crazy? stupid? close-minded? yes, i know.

              THIS CLASS HAS GOT ME OVER MY MENTAL ROADBLOCK.

technology IS still cool. it can be used for so much. and not just for kids-for me. this realization was HUGE. technology isn't my enemy - its my friend and i now look forward to getting to know it even better. i can hardly wait to experiment with new exciting drawing/painting programs. see what’s new in illustrator & photoshop. learn flash. create a website (!!!! this is HUGE!!! i’ve been wanting one for years and have been too [afraid?] [stubborn?] to try and create one myself). use diigo. learn from twitter. create my own blog. explore and contribute to others blogs, websites, keep in touch with others more effectively, et al. i plan on utilizing it in my teaching too - both for me as well as for the students. after reading tessa's reflection i'm inspired to create a site that links lesson plans and creative ideas to core & standards for art teachers... anyone wanna join me??

there's so much is out there - it’s crazy!

right now - this minute?

         i’m thinking kirk was wrong. space isn’t the final frontier - technology is!

adam - you were the key that helped unlock my ridiculous technology phobia. i left friday feeling at peace with my doubts. feeling a little more confident with all this new technology. feeling energized about sharing my new-found knowledge with students, fellow artists and teachers. filled with questions. looking forward to seeking and discovering the answers. unafraid to take risks - to take chances. to explore. to discover. to create. to learn. it's so EXCITING!!!

what an adventure we have before us! i look forward to embarking on it with all of you. thank you for your patience and ideas - we have a lot of amazing learning ahead of us!

Final Reflection

My goal was to not wait until the last minute to write my reflection yet here I am on Tuesday night and just starting.  I know I will probably wait until tomorrow to check it over then publish it.  This is how I have always operated.  I procrastinate until the last second and then get my work done, which during the school year often means I am working on Sunday evening.  One of the things I have struggled with over the past few years is how to separate my personal and professional life.  They seem to go together and I sometimes have a work day that never ends.  One of the most important points I will take away from this course is "to be present."  When I arrive home from work I need to be "home."  I need to spend time with my husband and my children.  I need this time with them.  I also need that hour once a week to myself to try something new.   I picked up some yarn today and am going to attempt a project with it.  Another thing I will take away from our time together is the discovery of Twitter.  I now see the value of it and love reading all the articles I have discovered through it.

Last week was very inspiring to me and I left "full" of so much new knowledge and so many new tools and resources.  I am excited to bring this new knowledge back to the classroom in the fall and to share with my colleagues.

Adam, thank you!  Thank you for your guidance and for introducing me to so many innovating educators.  Good luck with your move and all the best to your family.  It was a pleasure learning with you.

To the Bennington V I am looking forward to our journey together.  See you in September!

reflection 5

                I came into this class with an open mind and nervous energy. I knew this was a tech class and my school doesn’t really have the necessary resources to enable tech in my class. Early in the week we discussed how some teachers are able to use their own personal devices in their classrooms, but I don’t have any, I mean I still use a flip phone. So after the first day I had some trepidation over how I was going to get through the week and what I’d actually learn.

                As the week progressed two things put me at ease. Using technology extends beyond just using devices and beyond what we do with our students’ in the classroom. Technology can help with my professional growth, organization, communication with students, parents, and community and it can help me work more efficiently and save some precious time.

                In another month school starts and I plan on creating class blogs for each of my classes. I also want to try to “flip” a few units in each class. I’ll continue to use some of the resources introduced over the course of this class for inspiration for developing engaging lessons.  

Reflection 5

I really enjoyed our first 3 credit class. It was nice being able to spend time on ed tech tools that interest and benefit us as professionals and individuals. Adam, thank you for being knowledgeable, relaxed and supportive, even throughout our process of welcoming the open endedness of the final project. Two things that surprised me throughout the week: 1. The value of using twitter. I had huge misconceptions about what it was for. 2. Exactly how many tech tools are available. After taking this course, I’m inspired to do the following two things in my classroom: 1. Even more inquiry based lessons. 2. Include more time share and discuss student work. I have just spent the last few days dealing with a phone that had only a blue display :( I’m so glad that I spent quite a bit of time throughout the week organizing and filing documents, photos and ideas. Thank to Adam for helping me with my iCloud!!!

#5 MOVE Forward

I always enjoy tech classes and this one was no exception.  Adam's style of teaching is fun and thought provoking.  I loved the line "What do you want to learn".  It reminded me of a website I ran across and tried using with students this year.  In the spirit of what do you want to learn, http://wonderopolis.org/ is a great site to let kids choose their own learning.  I like the idea of letting kids spend some time each week researching something they are interested in instead of doing assignments.  What I realized from trying this program is that students become addicted to hand holding while learning.  They want to be told exactly what is expected and told where to go and what to do.  IF they can't find the answers immediately, they give up in frustration.  They are afraid to explore.   That is a fear I want them to overcome with technology.

Don't be afraid to fail~ I remind myself of this everyday I teach and step into the classroom. Some days I am prepared and some days it feels like the blind leading the blind.  I re frame my thinking to consider myself a guide instead of the wise sage.  I have had to use this approach with teaching technology. I don't know all the tools that are available and if I waited until I did feel in control over some of these programs, I may be paralyzed and not begin.  So I begin projects often without a clear outline of where I am going.  It makes for many questions along the way from students and we muddle through learning together.  It is rewarding when things work in technology.  I have learned to expect glitches and have a plan B.

THere are so many great tech tools and so little time!  I become consumed with exploring them and like what Adam had to say.  Step away and limit your time.  Computers just suck you in to the world of endless information and fun.  The seductive danger here is neglecting your body!  It is easy to spend lots of time on computers and forgetting you need to get up and move.  That will be my challenge in this new school year....to get organized and introduce new and exciting technology tools but to also remember that while my mind may be expanding....I need to remember that my body could be shrinking if I dont get up from time to time and focus on that part of my world too!  So thank you Adam for reminding me that we are human and have to be present in our lives no matter where we are and to take breaks and to not get sucked in to the vortex of giving too much of ourselves to teaching.  We are all  bright stars that have to be careful not to burn out too fast!  I enjoyed your addition of music and fun videos this week.  Thank you and good luck in Burlington...they are lucky to have you there!

Final Thoughts

One goal I left the class with was to learn with my students.  Not to try and be the expert.  
I am inspired to take some of the risks I have been hesitant to take.  To challenge my students and myself with not having a rigid planned out project, but to explore.  I forgot how much that is a part of my creative nature.  I think the structure and demands that are faced in the classroom everyday can stifle this creative approach.  

I will admit that taking a class on technology did force me to tackle some of my tech issues.  Or at least to remind me that I need to  make the effort to keep up with tech to stay relevant to my students.  This is so difficult when you are working with such out dated, limited tech in the schools.  I will make an effort this year to not let that discourage me. 

This last school year I had a class blog and had students write to each other about books they read and projects they were working on.   I got a little bit of questioning from some about the value in it.  I still stand by it's value.  I am swarming with ideas of how to give students creative choices for writing reports, learning science and social studies, or writing a journal...

Reflection 5

I enter the class feeling like I knew all I wanted to know about technology, however, by Friday I found myself inspired again to learn using technology and to enhance my teaching skills by continuing to update my tech skills.  I am one of the few people in this country who has yet to get an Iphone, ipad or ipod for the simple reason of addiction.  My 75 year old parents have all of thI spent a week at Disney World this past Thanksgiving and I was mortified that so many people who traveled to the "best vacation place on earth" spent so much of their time talking, texting, checking e-mail, checking the weather, planning tomorrow and missing all that being in the presence has to offer.  I was impressed that my children chose not to engage in the use of technology during this vacation and the fact that I didn't have to take the devices away.  They were just occupied by having a great time.  I am so afraid of becoming like everyone else who doesn't look-up from their gadget that I refuse to buy into one.  I don't want to be a hypocrite. After leaving the class and learning all the different ways I could use these devises to enhance my teaching I am eager to get one.  I know I will need to put limits on my use and know when to leave it at home.

Once I allowed myself to let go of my tech hang up I jumped right back in where I left off with my technology use and skills.  I am self taught which makes having conversations a challenge when asking questions or helping others, but I think I managed.  I have shared so much of what I learned with different people I have run into since the class which is not all that uncommon when I get excited about something.

I enjoyed the constructivist format of teaching and learning and I will admit that I have moved away from it for no other reason than conforming to what I was seeing and hearing in the classrooms around me.  I know my passion for this approach stems from my interest in Gardner's multiple intelligence theory of learning, as well as, my understanding of how to engage children in their own learning.

I have to step back and take some advice when it comes to not over doing it.  I have spent so much of my time working on the stuff I have learned mainly because I am afraid I will forget something.   I have added so much to my livebinders to organize my upcoming school year as well as creating a webpage for the 3 schools I teach at.  Each school will have their own link with just there stuff on it along with combined pages that have pictures of projects, tips, parent info, ect.

The presentations were a great way for me to see new uses of technology.  I took so much away and have checked in to many of the ideas.  I will say I am disappointed that I can not find an e-lesson book for art that includes the standards.  How easy would that make life.  

Adam, I thank you for revitalizing my passion for technology as a tool.  I enjoyed your class, your stories, your interests in others with talents.  I would love your play list.  I struggle finding suitable music to play in the classroom.   Did you create it yourself or is there a tool for that too?  Take care, Tessa

Final Reflection

I was definitely tired of looking at a computer screen at the end of the week, so I tried to take the weekend off from the brightness.

It was a nice reboot for the school year, going through class last week. I'm excited I have a concrete plan for using technology in the coming school year. The class time was set far enough away from the end of the year that I was excited to plan for the next one.

I am also glad to have a stronger grasp on the technology that the kids use so much, with GoogleDocs and Twitter. I am also excited to hear in our next class what has been working for others in their classrooms. It will be nice to get different feedback from different people.

I am also excited to show other people at work about the RSS readers - I think that this will make a lot of people happy - saving time that way. There are lot of people who could benefit from working more efficiently, not just me :)

I hope that everyone enjoys the rest of their summer and that Adam finds a house a sooner than later!

Reflection 5

Having had the weekend to reflect, rest, and spend some good time with my family, I find that I am feeling confident and excited about the upcoming school year.  I have long accepted the fact that today's students are ahead of me in the use of technology but I feel better about my own skills.  My goal for this school year was to write a blog to keep parents informed of their child's learning.  I am so happy that I have this ready to go.  I am eager to see how it works, and am thinking of ways to entice parents to read.  I am going to do a test run  soon and see what kind of feedback I get.

In the past I have spent HOURS trying to find something that I had seen on the web so understanding diigo more is enlightening and I am excited to use it better.  I am also thinking a lot about what Aimee shared about organizing her diigo account by standards.  That is brilliant! and not something that I have even considered but now seems obvious.

I really enjoyed last week, and even though my neck and shoulders still hurt (not used to sitting all day I suppose) I got so much out of it; from the flexibility, to the freedom to explore, to the sharing.  It was all so valuable.

Last Reflection on the Week

I learned a lot about technology and myself through this class.  If you had told me before the start of the class  that I would be creating my own blog by the end of the week  I probably would have broken out in hives. I never considered myself a tech savy person.  I could follow along with help from my peers, but I never tried something new because of fear of failure.  Wow, when did I become afraid to try new and innovating things?

Throughout the week the videos we watched and Adam's personal stories inspired me to try new things.  I keep thinking about Steve Job's commencement speech.  "Stay hungry, stay foolish." This is what I want be students to be like, why am I not living by the same expectations?

So my goals moving forward are: 1) take an hour a week to learn something new 2) Remember success doesn't come without some failure... be willing to try new things and to persevere when they don't always work the way I thought they would 3) Create an Edtech Misson Statement for myself and my classroom  4) Remember to ask myself "Are you present?" and find a good balance between work and home.   I am writing these goals where I will see them everyday to remind myself of what is most important.

I leave this class with many new resources to use.  I am excited by those that will help me become more organized (diigo, e-planning books, rss readers).  I also have tools that will help me stay current in education (Twitter, Ted-talks, edchat).  Lastly, I have gained a tremendous amount of tools to use with my students (skitch, common sense media for apps and websites, thinglink).

This class has gotten me rejuvenated and inspired for the upcoming school year!  Thanks Adam and everyone in our Bennington V cohort for a fantastic course!

Reflection 5

Over the week I was introduced to so many new tools, philosophies, and musicians!  Oh my!  It was great to reflect each evening and really think about what I had accomplished or learned that day.  I really liked that the week started with the Dan Meyer video because it really opened my eyes to the tool and resource technology can be in the classroom.  I haven’t hidden my thoughts originally about how useful I felt it was in the Kindergarten classroom.  I can’t tell you how differently I feel after this week.  Although I don’t see my students using Google Docs, blogging, or Twitter, I do see how they can help me as a teacher.  I do believe the Diigo account will help me organize resources, space save, and use my time more efficiently at home and in the classroom.  I think using Twitter will be helpful to keep my mind fresh on new ideas and to assist with some of my professional development.  Recently this weekend I was visiting with a friend who also teaches Kindergarten in a different state.  She asked me how my class was.  I told her good and explained that it was a technology class.  She instantly stated, “Are you serious?  For Kindergarten?”  I actually chuckled and began to tell her about all the different things I had learned and their importance or function in and out of the classroom.  She was going to go check some things out herself.  I think the one thing I am taking from this class is that I know to try not to get stuck in my ways and to continue learning but sometimes we still do.  I think this class helped to expand my view of technology and it helped me to think.  I had to think about what I wanted to learn.  I had to think about how I would attempt that and I had to think about whether I had.  Now I am left still thinking.  I am thinking about how I can improve my webpage, should I use an e-planner, or a behavior management app?  What kinds of lessons and activities can I do with the new tablets my students will be getting?  Thank you for a great week and for introducing us to Tommy Emmanuel.

Reading about teens and new social media sites

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/15-sites-and-apps-kids-are-heading-to-beyond-facebook

Just reading....

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/maker-movement-moving-into-classrooms-vicki-davis?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=blog-maker-movement-moving-into-classrooms-link

HF's Reflection Day 5

HF’s Reflection  Day 5

My Journey…

Teaching is not a sprint.   I am learning.  I will continue to learn!  I think today’s presentation stated my intent.

Reflection

I have a strong appreciation of my colleagues.   Thank you all for making your learning transparent.  I felt secure to share my foibles with you.   Thank you for sharing the websites listed below with this cohort. I know that there are more website/blogspots you have created (and I am sure someone could post again upon request).  Please consider inviting ( & activate) your Diigo accounts to share with me.  If you want my Diigo, I just started one this week called BRSU Kindergarten Teachers, you can use my maiden name (HilaryPagelBurke) to find it.  Thanks again Bennington V cohort!

http://www.movenote.com/

http://www.thinglink.com/

http://www.cosmickids.org/

http://creativeeducator.tech4learning.com/v10/articles/Less_Us_More_Them

http://www.vita-learn.org/

http://evernote.com/skitch/

http://educonphilly.org/

http://www.livebinders.com/welcome/home

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/

http://www.easybib.com/

http://planbookedu.com/

https://sites.google.com/a/lsr7.net/lsr7chromebookacademy/home

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pC6m3A0ve3A&safe=active

My take away is …

Our cohort has been hindered in the past by things like:   time constraints, fear, and lack of good tech resources including the human resources.  

As we venture further down the road in this program, we will continue to expand our technology skills and document them in our e-portfolios!

See you in September!

Hilary

A Local Conference Opportunity

for adam

kerri smith illustrator

home vs school

creation/thanks

thank you adam!!!!!!!

Thanks Adam

http://creativeeducator.tech4learning.com/v10/articles/Less_Us_More_Them

flowers are red

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1y5t-dAa6UA

Thanks Deborah

www.movenote.com

Thanks Deborah

http://www.thinglink.com/

Thanks Arline

http://planbookedu.com/

Thanks Taylor

https://sites.google.com/a/lsr7.net/lsr7chromebookacademy/home

TGIF

It's Friday at lunch as I write my 4th reflection.  This class has been so eye-opening!  Revolutionary really.  I realize that I need to play more with the technology at my fingertips.  It is so exciting to bring these ideas into the classroom this year.  

I have really enjoyed learning from Adam and my colleagues in this class.  

This week has been a challenge personally.  Mixing a grad class with my crazy summer work schedule (4:00-around midnight every night) has been difficult and I'm pretty sleep deprived.  

I am looking forward to watching everyones' presentations and learning more.

Reflection Day 5 by AP

Time does fly by, doesn't it?

If it did, that means we had some fun and immersed ourselves.

Recapping resources…

fyi… resources from the course… everything we've covered are over there on the right via the syllabus, assignments, about us and 'daily summaries from ap.'

Here are the themes I wanted to explore in the course, and I hope I had some success in doing so.

… like asking people "what do you want to learn." ; )

Daunting question, but we tackled it.

It leads us to deep discussions about relevance, learning, teaching, and the way classrooms work.

People learn in different ways. I've always tried to help learners understand their strengths and use those skills to build and improve their weaknesses.

Diverse projects can often lead to more challenging and thoughtful learning.

"Head and Hand"

- MIT Motto

Spiral curriculum (J. Bruner), using multiple approaches to learning, reinforcing many skills and using many strategies does seem to be in our DNA, doesn't it?  ; )

"Less us, more them"

- Gary Stager

I love this motto.

Try new things, new approaches. Never know where it'll go.

Ask for student feedback. Encourage students to use their voice.

The most powerful lesson you can teach is that you never stop learning... that you are not afraid to learn something new.

Learn from others. 

My challenge to you…

One hour per week. Dive in. Try something fun. Revisit things that are making a difference and exciting you. When they're not, or you need inspiration… go new!

“Stay hungry, stay foolish”. 

- Steve Jobs

The most debilitating approach is saying "I'm not good at this," and stopping there.

I like this challenge from Gary Stager to "take off your teacher hat and put on your learner hat" more often.

Time. Teaching is tough. It's often a culture of 'add.' Adding 'another thing' to my plate though isn't always an option. I strive to rethink how things are working, and how much I'm working and I try to make changes. 

Parse. Find new tools and new ways to do things… and don't work too late ; )

Good question I ask myself… a lot… "Are you present?"

I heard someone say this once… I wish I could remember who it was… I wasn't present at the time I guess ; )  …

"Faster doesn't' always mean thoughtful."

It's not a perfect science. I do my best to learn from failures.

Hopefully we put some new tools and ideas in your tool belt: RSS, Blogs, Twitter, Google Apps, sites, search methods (phrase based, help menu, images), learning and design models, creative ideas… toward a direction that was relevant to you and your goals and explorations with kids.

"Never worry about solving a problem. Just find the right person." 

- Marvin Minsky

You have the 'green light!' Seek out people who inspire you. Conferences, Twitter, blogs, etc has helped me find people doing great things. Find creative ways to bring those folks ideas and even those people themselves into your classroom. Never know, they just might accept an invite!

How do you find those answers you seek? Phrase based searching on the web for your question is a great way to start. i.e. "How do I use Diigo?"

Searching for 'introduction to' and then the subject area. Looking for tutorials. Never know what you might find. Your skills to do this build each time you take this approach. 

The 'help' menus are often excellent. 

Build collaboration into your work with kids and peers. Teaching can be a silo. So can teaching the same content the same way. 

Help your school realize this too if you can. Personalized, teacher centric PD, and on through sensible changes to schedules, policies, and procedures open up learning opportunities. It's a tough battle. Compartmentalize it… chip away.

Step outside your own perspective. "Seeing through the eyes of others."

100 Languages, the 'Romeo and Juliet story'… 

from 'Meet the Robinson's' video… worth a look!

""

My sincere thanks to you all for your willingness to learn here this week, to take chances, and share in class and on the blog so honestly and sincerely. It was a privilege to learn along with you. 

Please stay in touch, keep inventing and sharing ideas. We're all just a click or two away from one another, and I'm always game for a good chat over a stroll, too ; )

My best to you, and my sincere thanks for the work you do in teaching kids, and pursuing your learning goals.

Adam

pic

curiosity

In the book How Children Fail, John Holt states:
When children are very young, they have natural curiosities about the
world and explore them, trying diligently to figure out what is real. As they
become “producers”, rather than “thinkers”, they fall away from exploration
and start fishing for the right answers with little thought. They believe they
must always be right, so they quickly forget mistakes and how these
mistakes were made. They believe that the only good response from the
teacher is “yes”, and that a “no” is defeat.

100 ways to jog your creativity

check this out! 

or modify to suit you/your classroom...

100 ideas

Connecting Education & Technology

http://www.edudemic.com/introduction-google-classroom/

Best Tools and Apps for Flipped Learning Classroom

http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2014/07/the-best-tools-and-apps-for-flipped.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+educatorstechnology%2FpDkK+%28Educational+Technology+and+Mobile+Learning%29


Found on Twitter

Reflection, Day 4

I feel more confident using tags, labels, diigo and twitter now, having played with them this week. Though I have used them in the past I have never taken the time to get to know how powerful they are, and I am sure that I am still only using a small piece of what they are capable of.  It has been very helpful to have had the time to sit and play and learn since I never would have taken full days to do this on my own.  It has also been so helpful to talk with colleagues (I think I have mentioned this every day) as we never have enough time to share.  

I find the SAMR model intriguing; it is a brand new concept for me.  The visuals are outstanding in helping me learn what this means.  We have had a big push at our school this year towards backwards design and this model will help me when I am planning future lessons.  

Skitch looks great.  I am interested in playing with it, and most especially on my blog!  

Though I have found self directed learning to be freeing, sometimes I don't know where to look, how to look, etc.  I have been known to spend hours trying to narrow something down.  Sometimes parameters are helpful.  Also, it is always helpful for me to have a visual and get comfortable/familiar with something and then branch out as or if necessary.

I am most excited to have had the time to launch my blog.  This was something that I had planned for the upcoming school year and now I feel ahead of the game.  I hope that my classroom blog and my students eportfolios keep parents well informed of their child's learning.  

reflection 4

Class today was good, in spite being stung by a bee. I liked sharing websites that we found inspiring and fun. I enjoyed people getting a kick out of the site I recommended, http://www.songza.com, check it out guys. I also got to watch some pretty funny videos. The notes and neurons video was cool too, pretty entertaining.

                Interacting with the SNHU website was advantageous.

                Final thoughts before the big presentation/ pitch are trepidation. However I do feel better than the last couple of days because I finally have an idea, and know what I want to say. The time today was good, defiantly beneficial for me generate my idea.

Laughter & Inspiration & Presentations

why's it have to end???

another great day, today.

i seriously wish this didn’t have to end.

i have learned so much.

before we started, i almost didn’t want to start down this road… i’ve got enough on my plate as it is. but after monday, i was completely on board with this great constructivist program.

i enjoyed the information and discussion about all of the different learning models. as someone whose degrees are in art (not education - grrrr), i find all of it very interesting, and it makes me curious - i want to learn more! (hey! aren't we trying to get students to have the same reaction to new information? cool!) re: SAMR - it's fascinating that so many teachers think they’re using technology when they've just put the same recycled handouts up on a smartboard. yikes! i wish this class could be mandatory for ALL the teachers in the district.

i wish we had spent more time brainstorming on technology and gardner’s multiple intelligences. as a non-traditional learner (can you say visual? haha) myself, i know there are many, many students who would benefit from varied non-traditional teaching strategies. for example, the stroll, from what i’ve read on others posts, really energized us today. several people commented that after the walk, they came up with a great idea.

before this class, i had never looked at a blog; never tweeted a tweet; never even knew about things like diigo, social bookmarking, RSS and more.

way more.

i really feel like i’ve learned so much (in such a short time! wow!). (thank you adam!!!)

i’m stretching out of my comfort zone to not only create a blog, but i’m going to try to treat it like a journal and post - at least something! - every day. or at least every OTHER day. that’ll be challenging, yet exciting and, hopefully, inspirational to not only myself, but to students & colleagues also. i’m very nervous about my presentation. not sure why. i can’t wait to see/hear the other presentations to morrow - to learn about everyone’s thought processes, successes, failures and goals.  so much to look forward to! ‘night all...

Reflection4 7-24-14

Today was another day where I didn't worry about time.  There is no way to express how engaging this class has really been for me.  Even with the time to work on our project has flown by!  Time does supposedly fly by when you're having fun.  I can honestly say that I have been having a lot of fun learning this week.

Some things that I would like to incorporate into my new classroom would be a poster of the SAMR Model- (apps in ed).  I would also like to give time for students to discuss more (with specific time limitations).  As I continue to play around with google drive, I am starting to become more comfortable with it.  I will look to continue my journey with my students as we tackle learning how to use Chromebooks together.  One of my biggest hurdles right now would be getting each student their own email address.

As for my thoughts on the final presentation, I believe that we will all be amazed with how unique everyone's reasoning behind their project.  I think about what I have learned/accomplished this week, with the "BenningtonV" crew, and with all of the help from an amazing individual.  Yeah, it's you Adam.  I admire your creativity and determination to continue your learning.  I look forward to adding in the information that I have soaked up into my teaching.  THANKS!