Thing #5

Thing #5 addresses the questions, What is Web 2.0?  And, what does this mean for schools of the future?  Big questions in two little phrases.

Perusing the various Web 2.0 informational websites I certainly learned a lot more than I ever expected to know about the Internet, how it works and how it is changing.  The Wikipedia – Web 2.0 article is incredibly informative, providing history and various views on Web 2.0 and its differences from Web 1.0.  However much the scientist in me wants to take Wikipedia information with one skeptically raised eyebrow, this article seemed well-informed and scholarly in its presentation.  It certainly helped a novice like me feel better about the information I was seeing outlining key characteristics of Web 2.0.  I loved reading the 50 Web 2.0 Tools Every Teacher Should Know About and jotted down the url’s to the sites I thought might be useful in the classroom.  One website I saw, Go Animate (goanimate.com), is a free online tool allowing users to create their own animation videos.  Seeing this, my mind immediately thought of using this as a tool for students to create their own videos of the cell cycle, mitosis or meiosis.  I think that would be a much more fun way to learn these cycles than drawing each and every step, which is how I learned it.  The other sites spoke a lot towards how technology is changing and will continue to change the classroom and how we teach.  The Horizons Report had a staggering statistic, reporting that “In the U.S. alone, 61% of Americans age 12 and up own a mobile device, and 44% specifically own a smartphone.”  I think this implies that most of our students will have their own smartphones or tablets that can be readily utilized in the classroom for learning.

So what is Web 2.0?  I thought the Wikipedia article put it most succinctly calling it “Web-as-Participation.”  When in its youth, the Internet followed a “Web-as-Information” M.O. and information was searched similar to the way one would look up something in an encyclopedia.  It was already stated and you merely read it.  With the emergence of Web 2.0 information is not merely read, it is shared, changed (Wikipedia for example), and critiqued by millions of online users.  Information is not static anymore, it is infinitely linked to other websites that are linked to even more new websites, and before you know it you are asking yourself, “How did I end up on this page?”  That is the beauty of Web 2.0.  Information is words, music, and videos all shared on the same page or blog.  The hallmark of Web 2.0 is social networking.  Whether this is through sites like Facebook and LinkedIn or by personal creation in the use of blogs, social networking has created an Internet where people are actively involved in the lives of others all across the globe. 

As a teacher, I love the possibilities Web 2.0 technology offers me and my students.  I think what I like most about it is the creativity it allows me to incorporate into the average lesson plan.  I know that not every student that walks in my door is going to find science as fascinating as I do, but I can sure try my hardest to show you why I find it so fascinating.  How?  Technology.  Videos, animations, high resolution photos of macro- and microscopic organism are all tools that are now available to enhance lessons.  Smartboards and new education software can make lessons more interactive and the housekeeping tasks of teaching easier.  Greater still are the interactive capabilities of Web 2.0.  I think, slowly but surely, schools are headed towards classrooms where students are using their own smart devices.  The BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) to class is very neat and the number of apps teachers and students can use to enhance lessons and learning are growing every day. The more I learn about, the more ideas I come up with integrating these technologies into my future classroom.

But, I am curious.  In what ways does learning about Web 2.0 - the resource websites, apps, etc. - inspire you?  Does it inspire you?

Thing #4

Thing #4 focuses on commenting on others blogs.  I have to admit that when I read Thing #4's requirements about commenting on others' blogs I wasn't too excited.  Commenting on posts during online classes can feel like busy work to me, so it was with some apprehension that I read the provided blog entries speaking to its importance.  To my surprise, I was glad that I did read these posts, because it helped me to see exactly what commenting on others' blogs can do.  In essence, commenting builds comunity and interaction on blogs because it allows bloggers interested in similar topics to discuss, or debate, issues related to that field.  It aids in connectedness among bloggers, who may wander to another blog in curiosity after that person has posted on their own site.  It creates networks and online friendships.  I thought it  interesting that some bloggers discussed how commenting can add trust and validity to your site, citing the importance this has with getting "newbies" or "lurkers" to post on your comments.  I had never thought about it that way, but it made sense to me to see that if someone had many comments on a topic it meant that many people were actively reading and participating on this person's blog.  This in turn would make me pause and take what they had to say a little more seriously.  The other thing that I thought very important was the responsibility to monitor the comments recieved on your blog.  Since my blog is a reflection of me and my thoughts, I would not want to allow comments that were not well thought and worthwhile, even if they disagreed with any point I may have made.  I would love comments and healthy debate, but I think there is no place for slander or foul language in an oral debate, so why should it be tolerated in the blogosphere?  I liked that one of the sample blogs on commenting had a "commenting policy" on their blog, making the rules for acceptable postings easily spelled out for all readers.

As a part of our Thing #4 task, we are to comment on other blog posts from both within and outside of our class.  As I read posts that I feel compelled to comment on, I will add them below.

1. Gina's 23 Things, Thing #9 - She created some really neat images related to the science classroom using an image maker that I hadn't tried.  I wanted to share that I thought they were witty and fun.

2. Rockstart to Teacher, Thing #8 - I loved the mosaic he created using photos from Flickr via Mosaic Maker.  I thought it was incredibly creative and a good way to incorporate technology into school spirit.  It was just very original and I wanted to compliment that.

3. Anetta Patterson's 23 Things - Thing #9 - Anetta had an awesome idea using the image maker to create various kinds of classroom passes using a monopoly card image generator.  Hall passes or homework passes, these would certainly get students' attention!

4. Scott Davis and the 23 Things - Thing #7 - Scott had a beautiful picture from Flickr that really captured a Robert Frost poem and it helped me realize the way that images can be used to speak to students and to create an emotion for them when they might not get anything out of mere words on a page.

5. Twenty Three Thing - Thing VI - Benton found a great site in Blurtopia.  I thought it was a unique way to integrate technology in the classroom and make lessons interactive for students.  

6. Amazing Paleo - Bacon Guacamole - Paleo is a specific type of diet that is gluten free, dairy free, and vegan.  Every now and then I like going uber-healthy in my eating and this was a delicious recipe I found to indulge in my love for MExican food in a healthy way.  I commented on this blog post about how the recipe tasted and turned out when I made it at home.  I always like seeing how other people review recipes they find online, so I wanted to help others who might do the same.

7. It's Okay to be Smart, A Blog About Science - Surface Tension - This was one of the most incredible pictures I have seen because it captures a scientific concept perfectly.  It would be an excellent way to provide a summary to a lesson about surface tension.  I discovered this blog because of this "thing" and I have added it to my RSS feed because it is so great!

Thing #3

I think the world of blogging is opening so many doors for teachers and students alike.  For teachers, it is a wonderful tool to share ideas and learn from one another.  Just from browsing the blogs nominated for the Edublogs award I learned quite a bit about how other teachers are using their blogs.  Many of these blogs were designed to help other teachers learn about technology, including new apps or websites to enhance student learning by integrating technology into lessons and projects.  One of my favorite projects I saw utilized the photography app Instagram.  An English teacher gave her students a project in which they were to use Instagram to create a pictorial essay describing the theme of the drama A Raisin in the Sun.  I thought this was a phenomenal project and so creative!  The wheels in my brain have been turning ever since I read this trying to figure out how I could do something similar in my future science classroom.  There were numerous blogs with tips on how to be a better educator or working within different educational philosophies.  They were very interesting and can be useful in helping teachers think about teaching in a different way and spark creativity. 

Thinking about blogs in regard to my future classroom, if I were to use a blog I would want it to be a resource for my students.  I would want it to be a place where students can ask questions, find homework assignments or even videos of missed lectures to prevent them from getting behind.  It would serve as a secondary resource and for my students that I could monitor and participate in, and I really like that aspect of it.  I think blogs provide a great opportunity in the classroom and I am excited to give it a try!

Thing #2

Thing #2 is learning to blog and create an avatar.  I must admit that any previous experience I have  with blogging has been quite unintentional, and is typically a result of internet recipe searches.  I've seen some great blogs in my quest of the never-ending question: What to cook for dinner?  So, while I have read a few blogs I am pretty new to this idea of running a blog of my very own.  It's kind of exciting! 

 

For practicality during this class, I titled my blog "Bailey's 23 Things" however, I am not entirely sure I will keep that title once the class is over.  Blogs are a great way to keep friends and family up to date on what is going on in your life, so I may end up keeping this blog as an online journal.  My husband is in the military, and since Army life can be somewhat unpredictable, blogging creates an easy avenue for sharing new life events.  My posting name is also practical, just "Bailey" - my first name.  I don't have any intentions of making my blog open for everyone to see nor will I be talking ill about any one person, so I had no reservations about using my own name. 

 

Creating my blog wasn't too bad.  The editing format was new to me, so it took me a minute to process it all and find my way around to do what I wanted.  I am usually a quick learner and with enough hunting I can typically find what I'm looking for.  I look forward to doing some more exploring to format the blog exactly as I want it.  Creating my avatar was also very easy, although it did take me a minute to figure out exactly how to get it onto my blog.  I had fun looking through all of the options for the avatar and giggled quite a bit with some of the more ridiculous fashions.  In the end, I designed an avatar that looked like me.  I figured this was my blog, so I wanted it to be a good representation of me and thought that someone reading my blog might get a better idea of who I am connecting my personality through writing with the avatar that looks like me. 

Thing #1

Thing #1 is all about life-long learning.  Just think, how boring would life be if we stopped learning new things?  The 7.5 Habits of Life-Long Learners provides some great ways to incorporate learning into life's events, with some easier than others.  As I perused this PowerPoint slide show there was no narration or sound, as I thought there would be, so any explanation for the tips are a result of my own pondering and reflections.  For me, the easiest "habit" was #7: Teach / Mentor Others.  I enrolled in the MAT Program at Austin Peay because teaching is a part of who I am, not what I am going to do.  I have always loved learning new information and sharing that with others.  Heck, I even study for exams as if I were teaching an invisible classroom, just talking out loud into the (hopefully empty) room.  The teacher/mentor is a role that, I feel, fits me very naturally. 

 

 However, not all of the 7.5 Habits come very naturally.  Habit #6: Use Technology to Your Advantage is something I must actively work on and could use some improvement.  I have a basic understanding of programs like Word, PowerPoint and Excel that give me a passing ability to use them, but don't ask me to do anything fancy.  Past the basic functions, I call for my husband to come help me.  He is far better with technology than I am, so I tend to let him fix/set-up whatever technology we're using without challenging myself to also learn it.  This is where I need to become a better learner. 

 

I am so looking forward to all of the skills we will learn in this class because I have wanted to learn how to do many of these things and never knew where to start, or sometimes what it was even called.  I think fluency with the most current technology can really grab students' attention and lend more credibility to a teacher, since they can speak the same technology "language" as their students.  It's a great way to keep student engagement and be creative.  Plus, as a science teacher I really like the idea of using technology to be connected to the most recent information and scientific findings available.  Learning how to use blogs, wikis and other educational Web 2.0 sites will be a great asset to me as a teacher.  These skills can make my class more interactive and provide better access to information in order for my students to succeed.  Setting up this blog was a cinch, and I look forward to playing around with it and learning all of the things it has to offer.