Case Studies

This week’s chapters in our reading focused on case studies from teachers all over the world.  These case studies are educators sharing their personal experiences about things they’ve done with global collaboration.

Case Study 4.1

The two case studies I am going to cover in this blog post have very similar themes. They both have to do with educational conferences. This one is called The Global Education Conference. It was created by two people and has become a worldwide community initiative for global collaboration. I found this case study interesting because it shows how just a few people can get something so big started. After reading this book through the semester I found this case study the most relevant to what we had studied as well. The conference they created covers all the things the book wants us to take with us after reading it. This case also shows an aspect of problem-solving with I love. To me, that emphasizes that something so successful even had mistakes and I think that is really inspiring.

Case Study 4.2

This study looks are a conference called Learning2. Learning2 is an inspirational story of a few people who started this project that became one of the leading conferences in the Asia region. It has grown so far that now it will be held in over four continents. I think a story like is so inspiring. I love hearing that a few educators with bright ideas and big dreams started something that has become so huge. I also love seeing how much the conference has grown over the years. It is inspiring to think about being a part of something that has the power to grow that big.

 

Our class book lays out the norms of online global collaboration.

Norm #1 Be Pared

They say that a good thing to do is to have a plan for connection. As a class, we are even doing this right now. In class, we have created PLN’s. That is a professional Twitter that we use to connect with educators all around the world.

Other tools you could use to connect globally are Skype and Google Classroom. They would put in connect with classrooms all over the world.

Norm #2 Have a Purpose

The book states that everything you should do should have a purpose. That means every connection and collaboration is for some reason. For me, I would use all these things to learn from other people. We are working in such an interesting time. By going on Twitter I can find professionals to connect with all over the world. The purpose of this I hope is that my students can see different things from all over the world.

Throughout this class, we have been introduced to many different technological tools. My favorite, that we will be focusing on today, is Flipgrid.

Flipgrid

Flipgrid is a program where you can upload response videos and respond to classmates. Here is a quick video on how you could implement this website in your classroom!

Why I think Flipgrid is important

Here is a little bit of background on myself. When I graduate I hope to get a job teaching English and theatre to high schoolers. When I was first introduced to Flipgrid I knew automatically this would be something I would take into my future classroom.

Public Speaking

People tell me all the time how uncomfortable they are with public speaking. As a theatre person, this is something I am used to. I can see using this to help my students start on the journey to feel more comfortable with public speaking. Talking in front of a camera would help them become more comfortable speaking about academic topics.

Use for Theatre

The reason I feel so passionate about this program is I think it would be GREAT to use in my theatre classroom. This offers a perfect way to have students turn in monologue assignments. Theatre, to me, has always seemed like a subject where it is impossible to grade outside of the classroom. Flipgrid would allow teachers to assign acting and performance work outside of the classroom.

 

This is a great program I think everyone should try in their classrooms. Hope this blog post gave you some ideas. Thanks for reading!

Today I am sitting down to reflected on what I’ve learned so far from Web Tools.

How to write a blog

Before this semester I had never taken part in having a blog. It was something I had always thought about and considered but this course helped give me the push to actually try it.

Sustainable Development Goals

This course took a huge part in trying to effect change in the world. I have gained a better understanding of what little things I can do to try to make a big change globally.

Creating a PLN

A requirement in this class was creating a Twitter to use professionally. This is was something I honestly did not think I’d be super into. After creating one and using it weekly I realized what a great tool it is. It is so interesting to connect with professionals all over the world and share ideas.

 

As we reach the halfway point in our course I am looking forward to what other skills I am able to gain.

Thanks for reading!

This week I was assigned to watch a show or movie with English subtitles. I’ve been meaning to give a new Netflix show Always a Witch a try so this was the perfect opportunity to start it.

https://www.netflix.com/watch/80205596?trackId=13752289&tctx=0%2C1%2C812dca01d0fe5d1459b1423df45b5ed7d2598dd4%3Ae65907fa6a07e943df8bccd6be6490a7b09f8b17%2C%2C

Always a Witch is originally a show aired in Columbia so it is in Spanish with English subtitles.

Cultural Aspects

The first thing I noticed about this show was the cinematography. Everything about the detailing is bright and energetic and reminds me of those latino countries. The music they play in the background of scenes and as transition music was very upbeat and Spanish.

Similarities and Differences

I think with Always a Witch I found way more similarities than differences. Since the show follows a group of teens not much younger than I am I found it easy to relate. Even though they are from a different country a lot of things were still similar. For example, the way they dressed is very similar to how people here dress. As a difference though the weather is much warmer and more tropical there.

 

Since they live on an island they are always at the beach but other than that they hang out like normal teenagers here. They go shopping and hang out on campus.

Overall, the show gave off what it is like in Columbia. I felt like just from watching it I learned more about their culture and that it is not so different than ours.

As of lately, I started something new. I have made a new Twitter account and am using it as a professional account for education.   

Main Purpose:

So far the main purpose of my Twitter has been to connect with professional educators from all over the world.

Thoughts so far?

I’ve been finding this platform very interesting. I’ve had my own personal Twitter for years but it has been interesting using it now for a different purpose.

New Purpose:

Using Twitter in this way has effected the way I see the platform. Now I see it as a way to connect with people in my field from all over the world. Before using this Twitter I saw myself as if I was inside a little bubble. This bubble was trapping me from expanding outside of my thinking because of geography. Using Twitter has burst that bubbled and has allowed me to learn from people from all over the world. It’s nice getting to collaborate and hear ideas from all sorts of different professionals.

Twitter Chats:

For me so far the most interesting part has been participating in Twitter chats. This was something I did not even know existed until recently. A Twitter chat is when a hashtag is used to answer questions regarding a certain topic. Participating in Twitter chats has connected me to people I would have never gotten to learn from otherwise. They’re an excellent way to share ideas and participate in intelligent conversation with other people in your field.

Thanks for reading! Follow my Twitter to keep up on content!

@Katiiestella6

 

Making a difference with technology.

The technological age we live in has granted us with a special opportunity. We are able to reach anyone with the simple power of the internet.

Here is another blog post talking about something similar!

https://medium.com/remote-symfony-team/let-s-make-the-world-a-better-place-through-technology-are-you-in-f4a32591f5ee

The book used in our class, “The Global Educator”, covers all aspects of global education but one specifically covered this week is how you can make a difference and effect change.

My goal as an educator is to make change. We as educators are given the opportunity to effect the younger generations. This is the push that drove me toward education. I love the idea of being able to be responsible for helping children and making them better people.

Specifically, I want to teach theatre and literature. With these topics I can draw upon the world. Theatre is something that first originated in other parts of the world. As a teacher I can use technology to access those parts of the world. Literature is also something that exists in all parts of the world. Technology can put us in connect with people from all over. I love the idea of being able to use programs like Flipgrid or Skype to make connects and I look forward to using them in my future classroom.

Using Pinterest in the classroom.

The phrase commonly attached to the website Pinterest is labeling someone as a “Pinterest mom”. I personally have been told by many close friends they see me growing up to be one of those. While I agree, right now I think I could more accurately be labeled as a “Pinterest teacher”

Pinterest is labeled as a communication and social media tool. There are many ways Pinterest can be incorporated in the classroom. Here are two main uses…

1. Use it to find lesson plans

You can use the search bar on Pinterest to look up anything when it comes to lesson planning. You can expect to find anything from templates to organize your lesson planning to a full planned out lessons. Personally, I have used this for inspiration for theatre lessons.

2. classroom decorating

Pinterest is great for decoration inspiration. Whether you are looking for a whole new classroom set up or your next bulletin board they will have plenty of ideas for you.

Here is a short clip on how to use pinterest

Here is a short link to describe ways to use Pinterest in the classroom

https://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/teacher-resources/pinterest-education/

 

Thanks for reading!

 

In this day and age it is much easier to get fired from using technology than you may think. To a lot of people their biggest social media concern is tweeting every update of their life or documenting every moment on Instagram. If you are heading into the work force there are some things to consider when using social media so you don’t get yourself in trouble.

Things to avoid…

1. Be careful what pictures you post

There have been numerous cases of teachers getting in trouble for what pictures they post. In this clip, a teacher was asked to resign over a parent complaint over a picture from her vacation. Even though she thought the picture of her drinking a beer was harmless a parent found it not be. From this example we can learn to watch out for what pictures you’re posting on Facebook because you never know who is seeing them and to remain professional.

2. Sharing Political Opinions

It can also be dangerous to share your political opinions on social media. A lot of people share articles or political cartoons regarding their opinions and schools do have problems with that. As a teacher you should not be putting your opinions on your students. In an example here a teacher was fired for secretly hosting a podcast that the school found.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/florida-school-removes-teacher-who-hosted-white-nationalist-podcast-n853096

3. Posting tweets

In this article a Colorado teacher was dismissed from her job after posting racy tweets. On your social media page you should steer clear of talking about drinking, partying, or smoking, as it is seen as inappropriate action for a teacher.

https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/colo-teacher-dismissed-over-racy-tweets/

Take Away…

After all these examples we can see that on social media the things to avoid are anything that might be deemed inappropriate and unprofessional or might make a parent uncomfortable. A thing to think about is you never know who is going to be seeing your posts as there isn’t much privacy to the internet.

 

Thanks for tuning into my second blog post! Check back next week for more updates!

Check out my twitter @Katiestella6 for more content!

 

 

Welcome to my very first blog post!

As I was on the #edtech hashtag on Twitter I found an article titled, “5 Ways Edtech Tools Can Support Small Group Reading Instruction.” In this article Eileen Belastock goes over the idea that students should be able to access content to help them learn and that will help small group reading instruction.

Here is where you can read the article for yourself!

As someone about to go into the teaching field sometimes I worry with the way technology is changing. There is so much new stuff and it’s hard to know how it can be incorporated into your classroom efficiently. This article goes over 5 ways tools can help support small groups. This list is a overview of what is mentioned in the article:

1. Decoding

• This first sectioned goes over how a decoding software would be helpful for students who may need help with phonological awareness.
• The programs she mentioned that might be helpful are: Sound Literacy, Lexia Learning, Classkick and a few others.

2. Encoding and morphology

• Morphology is defined as the structure of words.
• Programs like Quizizz, Simplex Spelling, and Word Wizard can give feedback to students and teachers in real-time.

3. Fluency

• Programs like Flipgrid and Fluency Tutor can help students record themselves so they can listen to what needs improving.

4. Comprehension

• Programs to help support comprehension include Actively Learn, InsertLearning, and Epic can help students break things down and remember content better.

5. Differentiated contextual reading

Programs like Newsela, Freckles, Rewordify, and Learning Ally can make sure students who are reading at different levels can still access the same articles and understand them.

 

Helpful?

I think this article is packed with usefully resources for the classroom. They are all things that can help our students succeed.

Thanks for tuning in!