Final Reflection EdTech 543

These are exciting times to be in the classroom. Technology continues to flood into schools. Students are coming to school with devices, some even bring more than one. Now is the time to make learning more engaging and practical.

 

I am fortunate enough to teach in a computer lab. I have built my lessons up to the point where I now have a paperless classroom. The passion of incorporating technology into my teaching is what pushed me into the EdTech Program in the first place. I wanted to learn more. Now my eyes have been opened to just how much more you can do with technology. 

In this class I have learned more ways to add collaboration into assignments. Students don't even have to be near each other. I have added a little collaboration into some of my lessons, but I have now seen just how far you can take it. Shortly, in the future, people could literally be hired and work from anywhere with collaboration. I am teaching my students these skills and want to stress them more so they look more viable to employers. This is their future. If I can give them some life skills, they will be more successful.

My favorite assignments involved working with my group. They were awesome. David lives in Idaho and Jody is on the East Coast. Although our time zones were all different, we were still able to pull it together and create our group work. We used Google Docs to collaborate our ideas. They have both been incredible and I think our final mini unit came out pretty good. My group carried me through this semester. I had a tragic loss at the end of October and David took the initiative to check in on me. He would email both Jody and I with important dates, answer my questions when I felt lost, and help me refocus. Truly incredible. I would not have pulled through this class if it hadn't been for them. Another thing I learned this semester was how to incorporate more student evaluation. I think if students know other students will be evaluating their projects then they might step up a level to make themselves look better. 

Another thing I am appreciative of this semester is our instructor, Jackie. She gives a mountain load of work, but she has so many resources and she seems so knowledgeable about this topic. I can feel her passion in every assignment. They are thought out, extensive, and very thorough. We were given examples and tons of additional information to help us through each one. 

I have started a class Facebook page and a class Twitter account. I am going to try and design next semester around using these tools extensively with my students. My goal is to incorporate many collaborative activities using these tools. I am a Google Apps school, so I have that one down, but I need to branch out to other web based tools like Scoop It and I'll look into Storify. Anything to get my student engagement up and to give them skills they will need beyond high school.

As for my performance on this blog I am proud of my post on  Creating a Positive Digital Plan, my PLE Diagram, Twitter for Professional Development, and this one. A few of the other could have used a bit more effort. Time is always the issue here. It doesn't compare to someone like David or Sarah, but I still think it deserves at least a 70/75. I need the points.

Thank you for a great semester, as always, I wish I had more time. And a big thank you to Jody and David for getting me through this.

One of my favorite social media videos. I love the music. The students and I have a whole conversation about the song and this composer and what he originally created it for. It is a great opener.

Social Media Policies

Keep it short and to the point. My district has a four page social media agreement. No one is going to read all four pages. San Diego also has four pages, but they are simplified better than my district. The social media agreement for teachers in my district is 7 pages long, no one is going to read that. The one I like the best is from the Palm Springs School District, they have two pages and it is very simplified, students will actually read that and understand expectations.

My top choices for a social media use agreement are:

1. I will share my passwords with only my parents and teachers.
2. I will not post hurtful or mean things to anyone online.
3. If someone sends me a mean message online I will tell my parent or trusted adult.
4. I will not share any personal info such as: my address, my phone number, or my birthday online.
5. I will be a good digital citizen.
6. I will not post inappropriate messages or pictures of friends.
7. I will not post funny pictures of friends without their permission.
8. I will get permission to post someone else's work, music, or images before I post them.
9. I will only post things that show a positive digital footprint.
10. I understand that by using the school's network, everything I post can be seen by my teacher and admin. 

I just introduced my classroom to Facebook. I showed them this page first. They did some editing before I posted. I would post these publicly during a board meeting and then also on our parents Facebook and Twitter feeds. Parents can give feedback via Facebook, Twitter, and phone. If we get it out there then everyone knows the expectations and can help us adjust what needs to be adjusted. The social media use agreement needs to be kept simple, but still cover the basics. No one will actually read a 4 page detailed agreement. How many times have you accepted a use agreement without reading their multi-page agreement?

San Diego social media agreement
San Bernardino City Unified
Palm Springs Unified School District

Schools and Social Networking

Teachers across the nation are using social media in their classrooms. My favorite example came from two like minded educators that use Facebook to create character pages for the book they were studying. Other take aways were to use social media sites to communicate with students and parents. From giving them a heads up of due dates, to answering specific questions about assignments, the students and teachers were always connected. Personally, I have a school Google email address and a Google Voice number that I give to students for communication. They are catching on slowly, yes, it is okay to email or text me any time, I will get back to you. Students love it and I love it. My ScoopIt shows all of the different ways in which social media sites can be used in the classroom.

http://www.scoop.it/t/classroom-projects-using-social-media

PLE Diagram

I found the image below originally on Twitter and then went and Googled it. I felt it was a good reflection on connections. My personal learning environments were comparable to fellow colleagues. We all had Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, and LinkedIn.

Of all of the colleagues I looked over, Markette Kalamete and I only had a couple in common, Twitter and LinkedIn. She had several others that I recognized, and also several I had never heard of such as NSTA, Informal Science, and Bloomed Expert. Her background image of the science teacher being fed through IV's was very creative.

Kyle's imagery of the football field and the players on the team being connected was well done. We had a couple similar sites and several different ones.

Katie Sisson and I had almost all of our sites the same with the exception of WordPress. I didn't include any blogging sites in my diagram.

I liked Karen Arnold Cameron's wheel diagram. It shows the spokes supporting the rim. She has some great sites I didn't think to add such as Edutopia and Ted-I use these all the time. The one that is new to me was edWeb, I'll have to look into it.

The tree position imagery done by Sarah Baughman was a great analogy. As a tree we are always growing. She has several sites that I am not familiar with such as the orange "W".

Levi Fletcher did an amazing food web to represent his PLE Diagram. I was sitting in a meeting with a teacher who has a Science background and without reading Levi's blog, she looked over and said, "That's a food web." Before I read the post I was confused, but now that I have read his blog, he did a great job setting up his analogy. We have many of the same sites and a few different. EdWeb came up again.

Collaboration on Creating Criteria

It has been a great pleasure to work with some exceptional classmates, Jody, David, and Google Docs. David was able to get us started using a shared Google Document. We met online and had some great conversations in the chat window as well as in Facebook's Messenger window. When one or the other wasn't online we were able to leave comments on the collaborative document to address as a whole later. Google is a great tool for collaboration, however, I am very biased. I am sure there are equally great collaborative tools out there. I enjoyed being able to work collaboratively with my classmates. I do this with my students as well, but have never experienced it on this level. I even learned a few things about my classmates I didn't know, it was like sitting down with someone and getting to know them even though we are all in different time zones.
Link to Criteria Checklist

Creating a Positive Digital Plan

What type of footprint do you want to leave?

Maintaining a positive digital footprint?

1.  Pay attention to where I go.

“A digital footprint is the collection of all the traces you leave in electronic environments as you use or move through them. Some is content you actively volunteer—like your Facebook profile. Other material is passive—the cookies a site stores in your browser, the content your district collects about your use of their equipment, etc. All this data can be aggregated to build a profile of you and your behavior” (Kharbach, 2013)

2. Stay on top of things

Your digital footprint says a lot about you. "But why should I care," my students ask. Future employers, colleges, and recruiters are now Googling your online presence. "That's my personal life, it should be considered separate." Your profile and what you post paints a certain picture of you. What do you want them see? Consider the following infographic from KBSD.

3.  Create a solid online identity

In today's digital age, not having a digital presence at all could be seen as a red flag, similar to not having any credit background is problematic when applying for loans. When we make a payment on time, it positively affects our credit. Every time we go online we leave a digital footprint. "Having a solid digital identity is more important now than ever." (Taub, 2012)

4.  Pay attention to my privacy settings

Keep my personal accounts private and my professional ones public. "Change the privacy settings on your social networking sites so that only your Friends can see your information" (Educational Technology & Mobile Learning)

5.  Share helpful information, not banter.

Shirky (2008) suggests, "with an understanding of how transparency fosters connections and with a willingness to share our work and, to some extent, our personal lives. Sharing is the fundamental building block for building connections and networks."

6.  Acquire a domain name

"help control what people see when they search your name" (Taub, 2012).

7.  Apply the Golden RuleBe respectful online. Never post anything that could be hurtful or seen as an insult. "Never has this rule applied more than to how you speak to others online. What are you truly accomplishing by saying things behind the veil of a computer screen, that you would never say to someone in person? Treat others as you would like to be treated. Simply put, if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all" (Digital Media in the Classroom).

8. Google Myself

Make sure what is out there is really me, pay attention. "We can fully prepare students not just to be Googled well, but to be findable in good ways by people who share their passions for learning and who may well end up being lifelong teachers, mentors, or friends" (Richardson 2008).

9.  Think twice before posting

Never post anything you wouldn't say in real life or that you might find embarrassing later. "Always keep in mind that once information has been posted online, it can be almost impossible to remove because of archiving and file sharing. Even though you deactivate your accounts, the information may still be retrieved by others."(Educational Technology & Mobile Learning)

10.  Don't post personal information

Watch who you share your personal information with. "Do not disclose your personal address, phone number, passwords. Bank card numbers...etc even in private messages. There is always the possibility of somebody hacking into your account and finding them." (Educational Technology & Mobile Learning)

Resources

(2013). A Great Guide on Teaching Students about Digital Footprint ... Retrieved September 30, 2014, from http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/04/a-great-guide-on-teaching-students.html.

(2012). 4 things you need to know to help your students manage ... Retrieved September 30, 2014, from http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2012/10/4-things-you-need-to-know-to-help-your.html.

(2012). 10 Things Your Students Should Know About Their Digital ... Retrieved September 30, 2014, from http://www.teachhub.com/10-things-your-students-should-know-about-their-digital-footprints.

(2012). 5 Key Things Needed To Improve Your Digital Identity - Forbes. Retrieved September 30, 2014, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/alextaub/2012/06/07/5-key-things-needed-to-improve-your-digital-identity/.

(2011). Digitally Speaking / Positive Digital Footprints - ASCD. Retrieved September 30, 2014, from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/apr11/vol68/num07/Positive-Digital-Footprints.aspx.Richardson, W. (2008). Footprints in the digital age. Educational Leadership, 66(3). Retrieved fromwww.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/nov08/vol66/num03/Footprints-in-the-Digital-Age.aspx

Twitter for Professional Development

Tweets by @AlissaBlackburn

When I first started out on Twitter I spent my initial 6 months just lurking. I couldn't believe the content I was seeing. I found it overwhelming, but completely applicable. I started to follow people I met at conferences and people on specific chats. My bank of resources kept expanding. I finally took the leap to Tweet during a workshop I attended with Eric Sheninger, one very inspiring principal. I slowly became used to Tweeting and today find I would not know or be able to help as many educators had I not taken those first steps. The professional development I get from Twitter is essential to my continued growth. 

The hashtags I am following at the moment are:
#edtech

• PBS News Hour Video
• Try Snapping a Picture of Good Class Behavior

#edchat

• The Power of "I Don't Know"
• 8 Tips to Create a Twitter Driven School Culture

#caedchat

• The Marshmallow Challenge-would be a great first day ice breaker activity
• Resources to help you start your own class Twitter account

#mlearning

• Quickly turn physical post-it notes into digital ones

#engchat

• Inside the brain of a struggling reader-Cool infographic and examples

#makered

• 5 Ways to Bring Innovation into the Classroom
• 10 Examples & Non-Examples of Differentiated Instruction

Digital Footprint

I teach my students about positive digital footprints. We talk about how colleges and employers are now looking them up on their social media sites. Wow, it is definitely an eye opener for them. I ask them to think about the things on their Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram account. Then I ask them would a potential employer, college, or recruiter be happy with what they see on your social media page? Most of them say "No". I would agree; this is why I don't follow students.

I think somewhere down the line, after we have taught digital citizenship for quite a few years, the students I see will be more cognizant of what a positive digital footprint is and I will have less of a challenge in stressing this. For now, this is the first most of them have heard of it.

I Googled myself. My digital footprint consisted of my Twitter, Google+, YouTube, 2 Facebook pages, a Pinterest that wasn't mine, a Facebook that wasn't me, a LinkedIn that didn't go anywhere, and some background checks that weren't me.

My Twitter page was all professional and shows many of my hashtags to #iacue and #sbteachrs. The IACUE hashtag I post to is for Inland Area CUE (Computer Using Educators), I am Vice President of our board. The sbteachrs hashtag is one I created for San Bernardino teachers to follow. One of my Facebook pages is personal and blocked to only friends. This is the one I use to post pictures of the kids for my relatives to see. The other Facebook page shows only the EdTech group and all of the posts we are doing for EdTech 543. My YouTube page shows only positive videos I have created or the playlists I have put together. My Google+ page shows previous lessons I have done for classes I have had in the MET program. One of my presentations on creating Google Sites came up, but it was professional as well. The other sites which came up clearly weren't me. The background check sites, if you paid for them, might show I had a ticket for a California Stop almost ten years ago.

I use this Common Sense Media lesson for teaching Digital Footprints to my students and the following You Tube video. We have class discussions about all of it and it gets them thinking.

Creative Expression

I chose to continue the metaphor of plants to represent my creative expression explaining communities of practice, personal learning networks, and connectivism.

All of the plants in the video are from my front yard and backyard garden. Similar to how our own personal learning networks feed us, my plants are fed through external resources as well. They receive assistance from the sun, water, either via drip lines or gray water, and nutrients in the soil. I also feed them once a year at the beginning of the season. Using their personal learning network, the plants continue to grow, bloom, and bear fruit. The plants also give resources and support the surrounding environment. "A PLN involves an individual's topic-oriented goal, a set of practices & techniques aimed at attracting and organizing a variety of relevant content sources, selected for their value, to hep the owner accomplish a professional goal or personal interest" - D. Warlick

The plants are all connected via the drip lines and they all share the same soil; some plants are also connected to my house through the kitchen sink's gray water. The plant roots in the front yard are connected by one type of soil where the plant roots in the backyard are connected through a more fertile soil to help them grow and flourish. The plants are also connected to the environment benefitting all, they are, ".....comprised of two or more nodes linked in order to share resources" (Downes 2008). The birds, bees, and butterflies help to fertilize the flowers. The small critters eat the fruit and fertilize things in their own way elsewhere.

Similar to Communities of Practice, care has been taken not to plant an invasive species, such as mint, next to tomatoes. All of my plants have been placed in groups with common interests. My plants in the front work together with the common interest of holding back the soil and spreading to cover more ground. Even though all of the creepers are different varieties, they are "a group of engineers working on similar problems" (Wenga circa 2007). My plants in the backyard work with specific groups too. Almost all of the plants in the back are specific to growing food for our family. All of the plants whether in the front or the back have a specific domain, "It has an identity defined by a shared domain of interest. Membership therefore implies a commitment to the domain....." (Wenger c 2007).


Resources:
Wenger, Etienne (c 2007) ‘Communities of practice. A brief introduction’. Communities of practice [http://www.ewenger.com/theory/. Accessed January 14, 2009].

Kop, Rita & Hill, Adrian (2008) Connectivism: learning theory of the future or vestige of the past?http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/523/1103

Sheninger, Eric. Anytime PD.  Personal Learning Networks.  https://sites.google.com/site/anytimepd/home

Social Network Sites

Social networking helps me grow as a professional. I have learned how to use Twitter effectively over the last couple of years and it has provided me with some great resources and shown me how to reach out and pass information on to others. I have also started presenting at conferences on how to use Twitter as an educator. At one point in time, someone taught me and I took the leap into the scary unknown. After getting adjusted to it, I realized its value.
I started dabbling with Pinterest this summer and have become much more comfortable with its platform, but I wouldn't say it is my go to site. I have used Facebook personally, but just as a way to post pictures of our children for relatives to see. I have an Instagram account, but never really dived into the world my students seem to spend most of their time in.
I am excited to be in this course and I couldn't have taken it at a better time than now since my district is going to be opening up social media sites this year. I have set up a class Twitter and Facebook account but have not had a chance to use it with students yet.

Reflection

Part 1: Reflection
I feel I have grown using the resources from this course. The textbook has some great ideas for implementing technology into a classroom environment. I have sent several resources to my staff already from the resources I learned. I am most interested in exploring more ways to create cross-curricular content for my site. I have several teachers who would be willing to work with me on this.

On the downside, I feel taking this course during the summer is difficult. There is so much content to absorb and so little time. I wish I had more time to devote to exploring new ideas in this field. I have to accept my shortfalls here, due to my own limitations at home. All in all though, I know I am walking away with more than I started with.

Part 2: Assess your performance
As for my performance I would assess myself at about a "B" level. I feel I contributed good content, but fell short with APA citing, timeliness, and responses to others.

Obstacles and Suggested Solutions for Integrating Technology in the Language Arts Classroom

First, let me give you some scenarios. You created a great lesson at home only to find out the next morning during first period the URL you wanted to use is blocked at school. The blogging platform you are using and have all of your lesson materials on decided to run updates through the night and they weren't finished in time for classes the next day, you have no way to access your assignments. You walk into another classroom to give a presentation only to find out that the overhead that worked flawlessly yesterday with the desktop won't work with your laptop. The computer in another classroom doesn't have the right programs installed to display the content you were going to present. The wifi is so bogged down your online materials won't load.

It never fails, integrating technology is not foolproof. It is inevitable at some point technology will frustrate us and we find ourselves scrambling at the last minute to reinvent our great lessons in the most engaging way possible, while the non-techie users sit back and mock us for relying on technology. Half of the above scenarios I have personally experienced and the other half I have seen happen during conferences.

The first scenario, creating lessons at home, I am guilty of. I come in the next morning to find the district filter has blocked a particular video or article I wanted to use for engagement in class. I scramble to find a replacement before the first bell rings all the while using some choice vocabulary describing my feelings surrounding district filters. These walled gardens meant to protect our students reduce our ability to integrate technology into our classrooms.

Districts are torn do we give them access or not. By not giving us access they are limiting what could be used effectively for teaching. Anne Murphy Paul in her blog on Why Schools Should Block (Some of) the Internet  (2014) said, "if we want our young people to learn anything during the school day, they must be kept away from these sites." She also states, "What is predictable is that young people, given the chance, will use the Web for social and entertainment purposes; what’s practical is to remove that temptation during the school day." All that aside, when the filters are in place students waste their time figuring out how to hack the system. Ms. Paul even admits, "Within days, even hours...their young users have figured out how to circumvent the filters meant to block access to games, social networking, and other noneducational activities (not to mention offensive or inappropriate content).

In an argument to Anne Murphy Paul, Scott McLeod wrote a blog post Filtering social media in schools because it is a 'distraction'. He writes that students know how to use technology for social uses and games, but they do not understand how to use it in productive ways. It is our job as educators to help them learn how to be productive using technology and we cannot do that if the real world is blocked. I tend to agree with him. The solution here would be for districts to open the filters and give students and teachers a chance to prove they can use technology productively.

The second scenario, the blogging platform being down, has also happened to me. When I realized this before first period, I immediately pulled out my iPhone and jumped on Twitter to find out what was going on. I had a response within minutes explaining about the updates. I was at least thankful it wasn't my district blocking yet another useful tool. To avoid this in the future, the companies should give their users a heads up. Most of the time when we set up accounts we are logging in with an email address. It seems to me companies could send out a mass email letting us know in advance so we can plan accordingly.

The next two scenarios are very similar to each other, both have to do with the hardware we use when integrating technology in the classroom. I can't stress enough, always check the hardware in another classroom before relying on it. There is nothing worse than having 30 students in the room sitting idle for 5-10 minutes while you trouble shoot connections or have to download appropriate plug ins or programs. Most teachers aren't able to download the programs themselves they have to wait for their IT guy to come out and do it because downloads are password protected. I was in a Leadership Meeting yesterday for my campus and the presenter was frustrated because the old desktop that worked with the overhead didn't have the right plug ins for her Popplet presentation and her laptop wouldn't connect with the overhead. I felt bad for her and even though I have admin rights to download programs, this was one of our older XP's that would not have supported it anyway. When I demonstrate how to integrate technology in another teachers classroom I always check ahead of time what I am working with. My campus is not uniform, we do not all have the same equipment.

The last scenario, doesn't really have to do with integrating technology in the classroom, but I felt it was important to share if there are any future presenters out there. The wifi being bogged down, hasn't yet affected me, but I have seen it happen too many times at large conferences. For instance, the year before last at the annual, Palm Springs CUE Conference, they had over 3,000 attendees and the wifi was awful. This past year, this same conference had over 5,000 attendees and the wifi was even worse. All over Twitter people were hackling about how can you have a tech conference without wifi. Mike Lawrence, the President of CUE, admittedly joked in his closing about how next year it will be an even better conference and we'll include wifi. Even at ISTE this year, the wifi was maxed out, I wonder how many tweets were posted regarding wifi issues? The solution here is to always have a back up of your presentation that does not require wifi, and for CUE to go with a different provider in the future. At large conferences like these, I find I get very accustomed to taking notes and pictures on my phone, it works great.

Social Media in the Classroom

A link to Social Media in the Classroom

Online Safety

The Internet has become a second home for the majority of people in today's society, through the use of cell phones, tablets, and computers. People are playing Virtual Games with others, researching, shopping, or chatting on social media sites. With the increased usage, also comes the increase in privacy concerns and safety. How do we protect ourselves from online predators? In my home, I personally do not allow my children to be on the Internet in their bedrooms, my three and four year olds know how to get videos from YouTube and my six year old has mastered Minecraft. They do not take devices to bed with them and the only place they can use them is in the presence of mom and dad. But what about our students? How do we teach them?

First things first, I start every new class out with lessons on digital safety. I use videos, we discuss the videos whole group, and then they have to write a blog post regarding key points to being safe online. The first video I show is Jigsaw: Assembly for 8-10 year olds.


Even though it is geared for younger students, it gets the point across. I teach high school students and this video leaves them feeling creeped out. We talk about their privacy settings and what about the privacy settings of their younger siblings. This is the ticker. They come back the next day and tell me they went home and checked their little sisters settings. We talk about the importance of #1 Never displaying your home address, #2 Never give anyone your password, #3 Never post your schedule of activities, and #4 Never post pictures that lead to your school.

Since my students are so text savvy, I also give them this video, Miketosis. It is great to get the point across that anything you text can fly through many people without you being able to delete it. My students get the humor in this video.

Another video I like is, "Do You Really Have a Private Life Online." Students get the point that even friends can post things of them which you might wish no one had seen. It also discusses the importance of having a good password.



From digital safety lessons, we then jump into lessons on digital footprints. I explain to my inner city students what they post on line is a trail of their digital footprint. What things have they posted would they not want a future boss or college to see? This gets them thinking about all of their social media accounts. I use part of a lesson from Common Sense Media, on the ramifications of a not so good digital footprint. I use an article called, "College Sued over 'Drunken Pirate' Allocations,"to get the point across. Students get heated about this one, claiming it isn't fair for employers or colleges to use a picture found online against you, it stirs up great conversations and gets them thinking. I also use the following video about being careful about what gets online.



Students blog about what it means to be safe online and how they can create a positive digital footprint. I know some educators which need to know this information as well. I hope this helps.
The following example is a post one of my students created last year.

Benefits of Multimedia in the Classroom

Vodcast on The Benefits of Using Multimedia in the classroom.

Instructional Software

Acceptable Use Agreements

Districts create acceptable technology use agreements with students and teachers to ensure their electronic devices will be used safely and efficiently for educational purposes. The acceptable use agreement, for students, in my district is 4 pages long. As well as signing this agreement, students will also be required to watch a cyber safety video and pass a quiz. The following video was created for 6-12 graders in my district.


SBCUSD Student Use Agreement Video 6-12 from Ruth on Vimeo.

Over the past years, the district has blocked all social media, Youtube, and anything to do with gaming or music. This coming year is the first year they are opening up social media sites, Youtube, and other sites. The new technology use agreement is focused on being digital citizens while online, creating a positive digital footprint, and what the users can and cannot use the schools electronic devices for.

Technology use agreements should include acceptable uses of electronic devices as well as unacceptable uses. They should also cover consequences if improperly used. There should be some instruction at the beginning of the year regarding what makes a digital citizen and how to protect yourself while online.

My districts Student Technology Use Agreement
Palm Springs Unified Student Technology Use Agreement
San Diego Unified Student Technology Use Agreement
Ventura County Office of Education

Edtech 541: Vision Statement

The National Technology Plan (NETP), wants to create “lifelong learners” “calling for a revolutionary transformation” “powered by technology” “by bringing state-of-the art technology into learning to enable, motivate, and inspire all students.” The NETP recognizes the need to bring collaboration and practical life skill applications into our classrooms. We live in a world where technology continues to expand and evolve beyond anyone's imaginations. As educators, we must be prepared and willing to adapt and instruct our students to grow with the constant changes. As stated in USA Today, half of the fastest growing jobs in America are in Computer Science. The New York Times supports this in their article A Surge in Learning the Language of the Internet.  Introducing technology in the classroom opens doors and worlds students and teachers never had access to before. According to Roblyer & Doering, "In today's technology-driven society, new technology tools and new versions of older tools are emerging at a dizzying rate." Classrooms can now Skype or have Google Hangouts with other classrooms, authors, or artists via a connected computer. Students can take Virtual Tours of Art Museums using the Google Art Project or Virtual Tours of historical places using Google Maps. Students can collaborate while creating Presentations and Documents within Google Drive or other Web 2.0 tools likePrezi or Padlet. Technology offers endless opportunities for our students to become critical thinkers and life long learners. We are now teaching in a digital world and with that comes new expectations for educators and parents. As well as guiding our students imaginations and facilitating their learning, we are giving them skills they will need beyond the classroom walls. We are giving our students direction beyond the drill and kill, and the worksheet world, and offering them more project and problem based real world applications for learning. References Roblyer, M.D. & Doering, A. H. (2013). Chapter 1. Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching (6th ed., pp. 2-29). Boston, MA: Pearson. U.S. Department of Education, The Office of Educational Technology (2010). The National Technology Plan 2010.

VW Explorer Agent

I started by going to one of the Freebie sites and felt the content to be too mature for me. I don't want to see half dressed models. I don't care for the style of clothing also being to revealing. So, I left there with a couple of donkeys and some spooky dragons.

I selected the Idaho link and chose to go to a world named Time Out. It was peaceful and displayed poster boards advertising upcoming concerts and photo contests. A world like this could be transformed into an educational scavenger hunt for any subject. I still don't care for some of the participants you encounter. One in particular was named "Lover" something and she had a very skimpy outfit on. You couldn't have that in a high school where we already are fighting so many dress code issues. 

 There were quite a few snakes on this side of the island, very scary.

 This is a sweet park. It has a full swing set and teeter-totter and a gazebo where you can play hopscotch with a dancing rat. Don't understand the rat part. I sat on the dock and was given a fishing pole. I don't believe I caught anything, but I have never been a patient fisherman.

 I did some painting out on the lawn of the lighthouse.

 This dog barks a lot.

 Again, here at the Pub, all around the outside were people passed out. I have students that do this at school they don't need to see it in an educational world. Of course, I wouldn't include a Pub in an alternative high school world.

My next stop was the Millhouse Beanery. Great place for relaxing and coffee. It even looked like they hosted open mich nights and other musicians. I loved all the old rustic woodwork. 

 Look at the beams and window casings, absolutely love this style.

In Mad City I found the streets deserted.  It was foggy and night time. Kind of eery.

 Weird rat looking guy.

 Some of the shops were open.

The next place I visited was The Palace of Tears. They had incredible dining rooms and entry ways and sculptures in the yard.