Jamie's Educational Technology Blog

Dec 07 2020

Incorporating Google Earth in the Classroom

Google Earth is a powerful and exciting virtual reality tool that can easily be implemented into a variety of lesson plans. It is a great way for students to locate and learn about places around the globe, but its uses go beyond just history and social studies lessons.

Earth Planet World - Free image on Pixabay

Here you can find a valuable tutorial for teachers who are brand new to Google Earth. I think the authors of the video do a great job at breaking down the features of Google Earth and how they can be used in the classroom in a quick and concise manner. I also happened upon this article that offers a variety of practical ways Google Earth can be incorporated into different subject areas. Here are some of my favorite activities from the article.

Virtually tour new and interesting places. Google Earth offers pre-made “Voyages” that students can take. Stops on the voyages include notable landmarks and important information about them.
Play Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? This is a new take on a classic computer game. Here is a helpful video that I found on YouTube that walks you through exactly how the game works. I think this is a really fun way to get students excited about geography.
Take or create literature tours. Google Lit Trips is an awesome website that was created for teachers to use as a guide for Google Earth tours for literature lessons. These lit trips offer students the opportunity to explore places significant to a story or the author’s life.
Global scavenger hunts. Teachers have the ability to make their own scavenger hunts for their classes by creating clues for them to solve by finding the answers hidden around the globe to test their geography knowledge.
View a time-lapse of coastline changes. Historical satellite imagery can be viewed on Google Earth, making it easy for students to see how coastlines and other have changed over periods of time. The author of this article also included a tutorial from YouTube on how to use this feature.
Measure distances for math lessons. Students can measure distances in different units to understand the concept of distance, scale, and units of measurement. The author found this tutorial on how to use this feature of Google Earth.
Use as an alternative to PowerPoint for presentations. Rather than using a traditional PowerPoint presentation to demonstrate their knowledge on a place they’ve recently studied, students can use Google Earth to create their own tour to take their classmates on.

CIMG6609_ | Google Maps | Google Earth | philflieger | Flickr

Google Earth provides many helpful resources for teachers and students to help them navigate its different features, as well as a YouTube channel, containing other resources and recorded tours of different places around the world. These are great starting places for those who are new to the tool. The possibilities to turn students into global learners are endless with this valuable ed tech tool!

800+ Free Global & Globe Photos - Pixabay

Nov 30 2020

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Global Learning

What Can We Learn from Paul Salopek’s Out of Eden Walk?

Paul Salopek’s 21,000 mile journey across the world is something unheard of in today’s society. The fact that he took so much time to document all of his experiences for us is even more amazing. We are so quick to get caught up in our own world that we often forget that we do not live in a bubble. It was incredibly humbling to read about his journey and to bring myself back down to earth while learning about other parts of the world that I would not have otherwise known anything about.

The first destination that I was captured by was in Chapter 3: Autumn Wars. “Walking Through a Landscape of Pain in the Caucasus” was eye opening to read. To know that the suffering that was endured by the Armenians is essentially being erased from their history is bone chilling. I’ve read about the Armenian Genocide before, but it’s sometimes difficult not to separate history lessons from real life when we are so far removed from tragedies like this. It is fitting that this particular story is an excerpt from a story originally named “Ghostlands”, as Salopek accurately describes Ani as just that – “a monument to forgetting”. This is definitely a story that I feel history teachers should take an interest in sharing with their students. If we do not make it our obligation to continue teaching about this tragedy, it will eventually be erased from history, which is a very scary thought, for as the saying goes, “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it”. And while that may just be an aphorism, it does not negate that all history is important history.

Children in Turkey play at the foot of Mt. Ararat, a peak of symbolic importance to Armenian identity.

PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN STANMEYER

Another one of Salopek’s destinations that peaked my curiosity was from Chapter 2: Holy Lands. I really enjoyed reading “Aftertaste”; whether or not that was because I love to food remains to be seen. I think it is so great that the women in this chapter care enough about the preservation of their culture to set aside time in their lives to dedicate to cooking authentic Nablusi food. They also state that “Our history is mixed into our food. It is the food of a crossroads.” They know that their food alone is capable of telling a story, their history. Food and cooking is such a big part of culture and it is something that not many Americans take pride in. We are so quick to run to the line of a fast food restaurant, that we often take for granted those of us lucky enough to have parents or grandparents who are capable of making authentic food native to our different cultures and backgrounds. I think that preserving tradition is very important in an ever changing world. While the world continues to evolve, it’s nice that some people keep a little bit of the past alive through cooking.

Ohood Bedawi and Fatima Qadoumy perform the rite of remembering. Nablus, West Bank.

PHOTOGRAPH BY PAUL SALOPEK

I was intrigued to see that Salopek’s story is not yet complete. In fact, his latest story is from less than a month ago from Myanmar, in Southeast Asia. More specifically, he visited the Irrawaddy River, a sacred river of the Pyu culture. His description of his trek to the river makes it feel like you’re right alongside him in his journey. I think what is most important to take away from Salopek’s journey, is that history is invaluable. We are so fortunate to be able to learn about the hardships and sacrifices of our ancestors rather than having to experience them ourselves. And while we won’t be able to experience the same grueling yet rewarding journey as Mr. Salopek, I hope that we can all experience a even small part of it during our lifetime to open our eyes to what life is like in other parts of the world outside of our western bubble.

VIDEO FROM PAUL SALOPEK

Nov 16 2020

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WE Scare Hunger

The WE Schools Program gives teachers and students opportunities to get involved in issues surrounding the Sustainable Development Goals that spark their interests, and guides them to effect positive changes in their own communities, around the country, and around the world.

When I was exploring some of the educational resources on the WE website, I was drawn to the WE Scare Hunger Service Learning Campaign.

Food is something that so many of us take for granted. We often don’t give a second thought about whether or not there will be a warm meal on the table for us at dinnertime, or a bowl of cereal to pour in the morning before walking out the door. We often don’t think about the many others in our country and around the world that aren’t as fortunate as we are; those that have to put survival before anything else, especially school. That is why, as a future educator, I think it is so important to bring awareness to the issue of hunger and food insecurity. Collecting food for local food banks is such a small and simple way that we can help others. I will most definitely have my classes partake in food drives throughout the year. But after looking over the resources offered by WE, it’s clear that the initiative doesn’t stop there. It’s critical that we teach our students about hunger and how it affects us locally and globally. WE provides educators with the resources necessary to transform the way students think about this issue, among many others. They even provide the Common Core Alignment Standards so that you can easily incorporate these types of learning campaigns into classroom lessons.

I think it is so wonderful that we have access to resources like WE and the ability expose our students to learning opportunities that will not only inspire them to do good in the world, but also transform them into informed, well rounded, change-making citizens.

Nov 09 2020

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Ed Tech Tools

Using Google My Maps in the Classroom

The Google My Maps assignment was one of my favorites of the semester so far. I think it can be used for so many different purposes in the classroom. I personally created a map with a few places on my bucket list that I want to visit. However, I think teachers can incorporate this tool in many different lessons. This video gives a really good lesson on how to use Google My Maps with some examples of how it can be used in the classroom.

compass, explore, navigation, exploration, travel, map, adventure, guidance, journey, nautical | Pxfuel

I think My Maps could be especially useful for social studies lessons. For example, for younger students who are just learning state capitals, this tool could really come in handy. Students could create their own map of the U.S., identify the state capitals, and then add additional information about the capital, including images, to make a more meaningful connection to each city. When something has a meaningful connection behind it, students are much more likely to remember it. My Maps could also be used to add to history lessons. For instance, if you are teaching a lesson on the American Revolution, you could have your students create a map and locate where the different battles of the war took place. Visually, this helps them to identify exactly where these battles occurred. It also prompts them to do additional research on each location to add to the information section. I find that when I am able to add a visual aspect to a lesson, it helps me to retain the information that much more. Google My Maps could potentially be used for any geography or history lesson you want to teach. It could even be used for literature and science lessons. I remember being in elementary school myself, and being astounded that I could google a 3D view of my house. To think about how far technology has come since then and that we can essentially take virtual field trips to different cities and landmarks across the globe is amazing. We are very fortunate to live in a world with technology that offers us endless exploration.

austria, obersee, new unit, walker, travel, explore, exploration, adventure, water, landscape | Pikrepo

Adventure is waiting Black and White 8x10 by AdoraMaeDesigns | Quotes white, Black & white quotes, Beautiful words

Oct 26 2020

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“Pandora’s Box”

The show I chose to watch with English subtitles was a Russian TV series known as Pandora’s Box. It is a drama that is centered around a Russian family; a mother and father who were both physicians. It starts out as a flashback of when the couple adopted their 3 small children, all of whom were at the orphanage they worked at, and fled to a new part of Russia. It then fasts forward to when the children are grown and the mother has recently passed away. The father holds onto this box, hence the title of the series, that he believes no one else knows about that looks to contain old family pictures. Toward the end of the first episode, Vera, the eldest daughter, and her son, visit her father. After joining her father and other siblings for a family dinner, Vera’s brother asks her son to break into his grandfather’s room to steal the box (he thinks it contains jewelry) so he can pay off a debt. When Vera’s son retrieves the box from his grandfather’s closet, he clumsily drops the box on his way out. The family runs to see what the noise is and discovers the contents of the box spilled across the floor. To everyone’s surprise, the contents of the box end up being the children’s adoption certificates. The first episode ends as the 3 children struggle to come to terms with finding out that they were adopted.

In terms of culture, I was expecting to see major differences in the family structure in comparison to the typical American family. However, I didn’t really notice many differences. The family dynamic seemed very similar to the everyday average family, with two hard working parents who were determined to give their children a better life. I feel as though negative stereotypes often paint Russian men to be very stern and cold, which is the complete opposite of what I observed in the relationship between the father and his two daughters.

I did notice how different the architecture in the homes were compared to homes you see in the United States. The eldest daughter’s home especially, and perhaps this is because she was a wealthy physician, was full of different marble and glass finishes. It had a very modern feel that felt a little cold rather than cozy.

When I noticed what the dinner table looked like when they were having a family meal, it looked very old fashioned, with elegant looking china accompanied by a large tea pot in the center. They also had pastries laid across the table with their dinner. It looked like something I would picture a tea party to look like and not a typical American family dinner.

Above all, what resonated with me most was the value of family that was conveyed throughout the episode. The importance of family is something that resonates across all cultures, which is why I think anyone could potentially enjoy this show. The father, struggling to accept the death of his wife, is doing his best to keep his family together, and his efforts are stifled when they discover the contents of the box. I was surprised that I really enjoyed it and I hope to continue watching the rest of the show in my spare time.

Silhouette of adult people and kids holding hands at sunset sky, family free image

Oct 19 2020

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Ed Tech Tools

Communication in Education

We communicate in every single interaction we have with others in the outside world; whether it be verbally, nonverbally, visually, through writing, or even just through listening. We are always communicating; and it’s no wonder we are always searching for better ways to do so. Communication is important in every profession, but it is especially paramount in education. We cannot set our students up for success if we are not effectively communicating with them, their parents and guardians, our fellow colleagues, and our superiors. Communication has to be strong on all fronts when it comes to education in order for students to reach their full potential.

In the face of obstacles, teachers are constantly searching for ways to improve communication or instill it where it was once nonexistent. As a future educator, it would be naïve of me to think that there will not be challenges that lie ahead in terms of establishing effective and open communication in the classroom. However, I’m realizing more and more just how many barriers we are capable of breaking down with the technology that is at our fingertips. After reading chapter 2 of Sail the 7 Cs with Microsoft Education, I’m excited to know that there are so many new and innovative tools available to teachers, students, and parents to help them communicate with one another. I love everything about the Microsoft Translator tool. I think that it breaks down so many barriers to communication that I can recall my own teachers struggling with while I was in grade school.

I distinctly remember ELLs in my classes struggling to understand lessons and instructions, let alone be apart of class discussions and group work. I remember feeling terrible and thinking about how lost they must have felt. They would spend part of their day in mainstream classes, and the rest in a separate classroom with other ELLs and a Spanish speaking teacher that could give them more one on one instruction time. If we had the Microsoft Translator tool back then, their learning situation could have been so much different and so much more inclusive. I think it is so amazing that this tool can allow students to listen in real time to their teachers and peers in their native language, as well as having their reading and assignments translated. It also allows for English speaking students to be able to understand and communicate back with them. Not to forget, as it was mentioned in the book, that it allows for teachers to communicate with parents as well. Something that just 10 years ago would have prevented nonnative English speaking students from reaching their full potential, is now seen as a nonissue thanks to this amazing tool. Language no longer has to be seen as something that separates us; it is what connects us.

I also enjoyed exploring the Wakelet that accompanied this chapter. The additional resources that are found on the Microsoft website showcase even more ways that Microsoft Translator can be used in the classroom. I found this video to be super informative on how it can be incorporated right into a class lesson.

Oct 12 2020

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Global Learning

Open-Mindedness & Environmental Sustainability

Chapter 4 of The Global Educator explores the impact of global learning. I found one of the more significant topics covered in this chapter to be the idea of teaching students to be open-minded. Being open-minded is so important, especially in today’s society. It is more than just listening to others’ experiences and opinions; it is understanding those experiences and opinions to gain a better understanding of the world.

Teaching our students to be open-minded lends a big hand in making them into global citizens. We can teach our students to be open-minded by exposing them to other students from around the world and providing them with the opportunity to cultivate relationships with them. Their personal interactions and collaborations with others of different cultures and backgrounds enables them to breakthrough and look beyond stereotypes that so many of us unknowingly hold. When we present our students with these types of learning opportunities, it allows them to not only learn from and respect the beliefs of others, but to also challenge their own. When we encourage our students to look deeper into their own thoughts and beliefs, they begin to develop a sense of self-reflection, something very important for global learning.

Equally as important, open-mindedness leads students to begin understanding that we do not always have to agree with one another, but we can still respect the thoughts and ideas of others. When students can respect one another and coexist even in the event of differing opinions, the result is a more positive and peaceful learning environment for all. Stephen Opanga from Kenya states that this “leads to environmental sustainability, because students care about posterity”. When students are aware of what is going on around the world, they no longer see the world through a two dimensional lens. They become more likely to want to lead and effect change in their own schools and communities. They begin to understand that they’re capable of impacting the world in a positive way. In my opinion, teaching others to be open-minded is one of the most amazing things an educator can instill in their students. When we come together and start to care about things that are bigger than ourselves, we can truly change the world.

After finishing this chapter, I decided to research some different ways to teach open-mindedness in the classroom. I came across this helpful article that goes over some “Teaching Open-Mindedness Dos and Don’ts”.

Some important tips I took away:

Teach students to analyze multiple perspectives to understand how different people view different issues and make decisions
Have students develop a habit of examining primary sources
Do not make overgeneralizations about other cultures or parts of the world
Identify and address stereotypes through media and interaction
Have students interact with individuals from other cultures – directly teach cross-cultural skills in communication and collaboration
Teach about prejudice and discrimination within and across diverse world regions

Oct 05 2020

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Ed Tech Tools

Evernote: The Educational Tool for the Unorganized

When I was deciding which tool to explore from the “Global Educator’s Toolbox” from Chapter 2 in The Global Educator, my mind was automatically drawn to the “Workflow & Scheduling” column. I’m a very detail-oriented person that thrives off of organization and structure, and so I felt like any of the tools in this space would be right up my alley. Evernote was a tool that I was unfamiliar with, so I decided to investigate.

As I ventured through the Evernote website, I discovered the following:

-Evernote is an application that allows you to upload notes, through both writing and pictures. These notes are uploaded online and accessible on all devices. You can create a detailed notebook with different tabs and sections to keep yourself organized, as well as attach tags with keywords to make it easy to search for specific notes when you need them. You can also record audio from important meetings or lectures and upload it directly to your notes.

-Evernote offers the ability to create checklists (a personal favorite of mine).

-The Web Clipper aspect allows users to “clip” useful web pages, articles, and PDF files.

-A variety of note templates make note taking easier and more personalized to fit any subject.

-The Spaces feature is similar to Microsoft Teams, where notes and documents are easily shared with others in an organized format.

-Evernote gives you the ability to scan handwritten notes into the app, which is then translated for you.

-With the Evernote mobile app, you can scan and upload various documents to have them at your fingertips.

-Evernote can be integrated with the following other popular educational technology tools: Microsoft Teams, Gmail, Outlook Mail, Google Drive, and Slack.

Overall, it seems like Evernote is similar to Microsoft OneNote, but also incorporates some aspects of Microsoft Teams. I decided to continue learning about the the tool on YouTube, and I came across this helpful video tutorial that explains some Evernote basics for novice students like myself.

Evernote may definitely be a tool that I choose to incorporate in my own schooling and for teaching in the future. I think it can be extremely useful for students and teachers alike. Students can take and organize their notes, while creating and sharing projects with their peers. Teachers can keep their own notes and lessons organized, while also having a space to collaborate and interact with their students. Applications like this are becoming more popular among educators and students these days since they allow for various educational means to be accessed all in once place. In an online world that is constantly changing, apps that simplify and organize are always welcome in my book.

Sep 28 2020

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Virtual Learning

Why Parent-Teacher Collaboration is Essential for Virtual Learning

What does collaboration mean to you? When I think of the word collaboration, I think teamwork. I think unity. Collaboration does not mean working separately to accomplish a common goal. It means working together and sharing ideas to create something that would not have been as impactful or meaningful if it had been done alone.

While I was exploring the #MSFTEduChat hashtag on Twitter, I realized that perhaps the most important type of collaboration during this current school year, may just be between teachers and parents. With COVID-19 still largely affecting in-person learning, it is more important now than ever for teachers and parents to work together. One tweet I stumbled across from a MicrosoftEDU team member asked the question, “How can teachers and parents work together to support their students’ learning?” Some students are hybrid-learning, spending half their week in the classroom, and the rest at home. Other students are learning completely remotely. Collaboration and communication have never been so important between parents and teachers to help students navigate this new world of virtual learning. Many parents are taking on a new role in their children’s education. They have become at-home teachers overnight, and it has not been an easy task.

Using Microsoft Education tools, this transition has the potential to be a lot easier on both parents and teachers, and therefore easier on students. Microsoft Teams gives parents and teachers the ability to communicate with one another seamlessly with the weekly parent/guardian email digest. This feature of Teams shows parents a breakdown of their child’s assignments and what they have or have not completed. This makes it so much easier for parents to stay up to date on their child’s progress from subject to subject. It allows them to see whether they are on track or struggling in certain areas. It also gives teachers to ability to send weekly emails to parents to give them a run down of information regarding the upcoming week’s assignments. This is just one innovative Microsoft Education feature that can aide communication between parents and teachers to foster a more collaborative learning environment for students during this challenging time.

The most important thing to remember about this school year, is that it is a brand new journey for everyone. Teachers, students, and parents alike are all navigating the virtual learning world for the first time. It’s also important to keep in mind that there is always room for improvement and feedback on what is and isn’t working. Although teachers can keep track of what is working for them by their own measurements, they can also benefit from receiving input from their students and parents. All parties should try their best to give one another feedback and offer helpful suggestions when possible. Since parents now have an up close and personal look at how their children are being taught via Zoom, Skype, and other online education tools, it gives them the opportunity to be more vocal and speak up when they feel things are being done well or could use some adjustment. Teachers can certainly take advantage of the educational technology at their fingertips to make these adjustments and facilitate a stronger partnership between classroom and home. Although collaboration and communication between parents and teachers has always been significant when it comes to education, it seems virtual learning has definitely highlighted its importance. As the saying goes, “It takes a village“.

Sep 21 2020

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Virtual Learning

Is Learning on Zoom the Same as In Person? Not to Your Brain

I found this intriguing article on EdSurge via Twitter that confirmed what I already thought to be true: Zoom learning is not the same as in-person learning. However, the reasons for this are not what I initially had in mind. This article explores the ways in which our brains interpret Zoom learning, right down to the hormones it causes our bodies to release. The article was taken from a podcast done with Brenda Wiederhold, a clinical psychologist who treats her patients with forms of virtual technology. During her interview, Wiederholder explains what is known as “Zoom fatigue”, which is when “overuse of video conferencing causes us to feel tired, anxious, or worried.” Basically, because we understand that communication via Zoom is not in real time, although it appears to be, our brains subconsciously pick up on this and try to compensate for the lag. Over time, this causes us to feel more tired than we normally would during in-person learning.

Additionally, we are not able to pick up on body language and facial cues as easily or as often as we would be able to face to face. This would normally cause our bodies to release “feel good hormones” like dopamine and oxytocin. Instead, Zoom calls might actually be causing our bodies to release cortisol, which is released when our bodies are in fight-or-flight like situations. It’s crazy to think that video conferencing could be causing our brains to send a message to our bodies that we in danger. It’s even crazier to think that it could be due to prolonged eye contact with the large faces staring at us on our computer screens.

Luckily, Wiederhold also provides us with some tips and tricks for lessening the hormonal stresses from Zoom learning on our bodies. She says that sometimes, when permitted, turning the camera off is not always a bad idea. She expressed that when she and her colleagues did this for work calls, they reported feeling less fatigued afterward. She also suggested being eye level with your camera, especially if you are a teacher, and looking at it while you are speaking. This helps those watching feel as though you are actually looking at them and aides social connection. Lastly, for those that may just feel nervous about speaking on camera, she suggests practicing diaphragmatic breathing to calm your mind and body, thus allowing yourself to have a more relaxed disposition and manifesting that to your students or colleagues.

This article is definitely something that students and teachers across our country can relate to right now. During this time, as we are still dealing with interruptions to our traditional learning routines due to COVID-19, Zoom has become an integral part of at-home instruction. As useful and necessary as it currently is, it is not what we are accustomed to. Reading this article reminded me that we are all human, and that feelings of anxiety during this new and unusual time are normal and okay. Now that I have a better understanding of what causes our brains to feel this way, I plan on putting some of the tips to alleviate these stresses to use going forward.