Mr. Treen's Ed Tech Machine

As a college student, I quickly discovered the web based studying tool known as Quizlet. What exactly is quizlet you may ask? Well, I am here to give you some information, and you can make an inference for yourself!

Quizlet is designed to help anyone with an account really, however the aim is to help students who needs a little extra boost before an exam, or those who want to brush up on a subject. Quizlet is filled with “study sets” that students and educators can add to their library. These study sets are saved, and can be gone back to for review whenever the user feels the need to do so. The study sets come in a variety of fashions ranging from flashcards, to matching games, fill-in-the-blank, and other creative ways to help users remember information. Quizlet encourages collaboration, as study sets can be edited by more than one user. Quizlet also has a feature called “Quizlet Live”, which is essentially a game for educators to use to help engage students. In “Quizlet Live”, students are organized into teams randomly, and their knowledge is tested. The team to answer all questions most accurately and correctly wins. Obviously, students love the competitive aspect of the game, and teachers can get great relief in knowing their students are engaged and learning the correct information. While Quizlet may seem like a win-win in every aspect, it does have some cons.

As previously stated, Quizlet is accessible to students, teachers, and anyone who needs some help studying. This means that ANYONE can create a study set. Due to this, some study sets may not always contain the correct information. I cannot think of anything more frustrating than studying a set of notes, only for them to be wrong. Quizlet is also filled with ads, which are targeted to student interests. Trust me when I say, when you do not want to study anything can become a distraction, even a simple ad. Another huge problem with Quizlet is that, students can use the website to cheat. Unfortunately, there is no way for quizlet to prevent other students from posting answers to online tests and quizzes to their website. Below I posted a video from Quizlet that gives some insight into their website and app.

All-in-all, Quizlet is a great way to study, and I have used it in the past. When used appropriately, Quizlet can really be such a useful tool for study, collaboration, and learning.

Thanks for reading my blog! If you want to learn more about science, education, or technology follow my twitter: @Treen97657241

This blog is going to be a reflection on some of the things I have learned so far.. Oh man, where do I start. I would first like to start off with exactly what I am doing right now.. blogging!

Blogging has been such an interesting experience so far. I have always loved reflective writing, and blogging, in a way, is essentially just that! Whether you are writing about some research, an experience, or just how you are feeling, blogging gives you a way to put some of your own experiences into a post. I have learned that blogging is almost this perfect combination of personal writing and research combined. It really gives you such a creative freedom that other forms of writing cannot compared to. When I am writing in my blog, I feel so comfortable. I feel like blogging gives me the freedom to write about how I really feel, and at the same time convey useful information. Now that I have learned quite a bit about all the benefits blogging provides for students, I am really excited to implement it into part of my curriculum. Blogging builds writing confidence. And for that, I am very grateful. Check out this video that will give you 10 inspiring reasons to start blogging today!

Besides blogging, the SGDs are by far one of my favorite things I have learned about throughout the course I am enrolled in right now. The SGDs give you this sense of connectedness unlike any concept I have worked with before. As someone who loves the environment and sustainability, I really enjoy how the SGDs take an ecological approach to solving some of the world’s most basic human rights problems. The SGDs have taught me that we are ALL connected. No one should have to fight their fight alone, and as and educator it is MY responsibility to spread awareness and make a difference in any capacity I can, whenever I can.

Lastly, I want to thank all the people who have helped me through the class so far! Reflection is something that requires one to take a step back and appreciate how they have gotten to where they are. Without my classmates giving me hints and help along the way I would have been lost. From creating a twitter, to learning about SO MANY tools like Google Classroom, Skype, Flipgrid, Edpuzzle and so many more, I wouldn’t have been able to do it without my classmates helpful tweets along the way. I am looking forward to some more blogging, living out the SGDs, and learning more about web tools as the semester comes to it’s halfway point.

If you liked this blog, check out my twitter where I post about science, education, and technology at: @Treen97657241. Thanks for reading!

Glasslip is a Japanese anime about a transfer student into a new school. Anime is a very popular style of cartoon amount America’s youth, and it seems to only be increasing in popularity. I had spent a month in Japan, and 8 months in other Asian countries, but felt I never really got familiar with the culture. I thought anime would be a great way to see into the Japanese way of life through a cartoon. In this blog, I decided to see what all the hype is about:

One of the first things I noticed about this show is actually how SIMILAR some of the themes of this show were to American shows. In the show, teens are gathered at a firework festival discussing plans after graduation. Some of the teens are very excited for what the future might hold, while others do not want this moment to end. This is also a common theme seen in American books, shows, and movies.

As the show progressed, some of the cultural differences became clear. Most of the characters walked or rode bikes, however there was one scene where a friend pulled up in a car. She had just gotten her license, and some of the boys made jokes about her driving. I chuckled at myself when she got out of the car as the driver. As an American I am used to seeing the driver get out on the left side of the car. When the new driver got out on the right, I had a moment of “Oh yeah, not everyone does things like us”, which I thought was very funny.

In the show the characters diet consist mainly of traditional Japanese foods. Ramen can be seen eaten throughout, and especially in the last seen. The family gathers for dinner and eats a giant ramen soup together. “Ramune” is drank frequently throughout the show. This is a drink similar to soda, however, a marble sits at the top of the glass bottle. The drinker hits the marble with their palm downward into the soda, creating carbonation. This actually seemed to be a little more of a fun way to drink soda rather than a fountain.

The surrounding landscape and architecture in the show was so beautiful. There were rolling hills, and flowing streams outside. Rivers that cut through some of the hills provided a great backdrop for the characters to think. The building structure was modern, and still traditional in regards to Japanese architecture. When eating their family dinner, they sat on the ground, with one giant pot of soup in the middle.

After really watching this show, the Japanese culture seems so different, but at the same time very similar. The premise of the show seemed to be a coming of age story, where teens will be figuring themselves out in future. They meet for coffee, talk about school, get new drivers licenses, and have a great time at a fireworks show. There are however cultural differences in what they eat, slang they use, how they get to school, and the family dynamic. Glasslip is a great watch to really exemplify the global connectedness that exist in our world today.

If you liked this blog, check out my twitter where I post about science, education, and technology at: @Treen97657241. Thanks for reading!

This week’s blog is all about twitter, tweeting, following, replying, and most importantly my overall experience with twitter so far.

So here we are, in the digital age, with enough knowledge to get a PhD at our actual fingertips. And what do we use it for? Well… to look up funny memes, and cat pictures of course (: . Until I enrolled in a global educator class at my university, I really thought “hey, that is really what twitter is for, and it serves that purpose well.” Personally, I never was a huge twitter user but occasionally I would check in to see how some bands were doing, or see some celebrity drama, and maybe to catch the occasional funny meme. But since using twitter as a future educator I have discovered a whole world inside a realm of twitter that I never even knew existed.

My first real encounter with using twitter for something other than leisure was when I was assigned to participate in a twitter chat. In the assignment we used a hashtag, which is essentially a word or phrase that allows others to find applicable content, to find a group of like minded people to discuss ideas with. In my twitter chat, immediately I must have been given 7-10 different apps that could help future students learn to the best of their capability. Needless to say, I was blown away with the ease of finding this new information. For the first time I felt as if I was apart of this crazy twitterverse, and not just some observer.

I feel like the other part of twitter I have really enjoyed is the connectedness I now feel with people I follow. In reality, I have never met any of these people. However, I have learned so much about what they value as educators, their interests, and their views on the world. This is something that really can’t be accomplished in a regular online classroom setting. For that, I am very appreciative.

One of the things I really don’t like about twitter is how it has become so apart of American life. People are checking their cell phone and staring at a screen for hours a day to see what someone has said, or commented. As humans, this is not the way we are meant to live out lives. Twitter is a great tool to help people become more aware of global issues, and become global citizens. But I feel it is more important to be conscious of your own life most importantly, be aware of the life you live in the moment. IF the internet were to crash tomorrow, would you be satisfied with the connections you have made in your personal life? I believe genuine human connection is what makes life worth living, and if you’re consistently staring at a computer screen, you are missing the essence of life. TO GO OUT AND LIVE! In the picture I posted, someone is in a beautiful serene environment. Instead of living in that moment and truly taking in what it means to be one with our universe, they are snapping a picture for twitter, or instagram content. It almost degrades what it means to be human if we are constantly posting pictures to keep up with others.

My experience with twitter has been great so far, and I love some of the things it provides. It’s ease of use, ability to connect people from all over, and brings knowledge to your finger tips. My only critique is that I fear one day, it could out compete human connection, and that scares me greatly.

If you like this post, or my other blogs give me a follow on twitter at: @Treen97657241 . Thanks for reading!

As I watched a video about Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs), I sat back and wondered about myself. How am I contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals. As a future educator, and biologist/scientist, I feel like there is a very large portion of these goals I really should be involved in. This idea of not leaving anyone behind is something every educator should be concerned with. Speaking about a grand idea that involves everyone in a global setting, comes with taking care of our Earth as well. Goal 14 of the SGD is called Life Below Water, and in my opinion one of the most important goals in securing the future of the world.

Life Below Water has a few target areas, including reducing oceanic acidification, preventing and reducing marine pollution, managing and protecting marine ecosystems, and regulating fishing practices to a more sustainable level. The Life Below Water goal may not be something that we think about in our everyday life, but it is more common in our everyday than we know. How? A quick research into the topic will show that 30% of the carbon dioxide produced by humans is absorbed by our oceans, which provides a great buffer to combat climate change. Sadly, 40% of our oceans are greatly affected by pollution, marine degradation, depleted fisheries or coastal habitat loss. Our oceans cover 99% of the living space on Earth by volume, and are estimated to have over a million different animal species living in them. This video explains how chemistry, temperature, marine life and tides are all one of the most important things to sustain humankind.

As the importance of keeping our oceans clean comes more into the limelight with movements like the SGDs, it is important that we look back and reflect on ourselves and how we can make a change. According to the Oceanic Society some of the ways we can reduce oceanic pollution include:

1. Reduce the use of single use plastic.
2. Recycle properly.
3. Participate in a beach or river cleanup.
4. Support Bans.
5. Avoid products containing microbeads.
6. Spread the Word
7. Support organizations addressing plastic pollution.

After all, the SGDs are not about other people, they are about ourselves. If everyone had this view of being apart of the SGDs, so much would be accomplished. Reading up on the SGDs really gave me a chance to take a look at myself and evaluate if I am doing all I can do, even if it means cutting out a few plastic bottles in my life.

Thanks for reading my blog! Follow my twitter for updates on my blog, and more information about science and educational technology: @Treen97657241. Thank you !!

• https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sustainable-development-goals/goal-14-life-below-water.html
• https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/oceans/
• https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/envision2030-goal14.html
• https://www.oceanicsociety.org/blog/1720/7-ways-to-reduce-ocean-plastic-pollution-today

If you have ever seen the movie Friday, starring Ice Cube, you may have heard the phrase “fired on your day off”. In the movie Craig (Ice Cube), steals some boxes from his job while he is off the clock, and it results in him losing his job. While it may seem like something pretty hard to accomplish, if you are a business professional of any sort including an educator, misusing social media can earn you a spot right next to Craig in the unemployment line.

As Americans, we have rights to free speech. In fact, that is our first amendment right. However, when it comes to being an educator things can get a little dicey. Teachers cannot just post whatever they would like on the internet and say “it’s their right”. In fact, there are a few court cases to help prove this.

• Jeffery Spanierman was terminated from his job because of two conversations he had on MySpace with his students. After a back-and-forth banter about a student and his girlfriend the student replied “don’t be jealous because you don’t get any” to which Mr. Spanierman replied “what makes you think I want any. Im not jealous. I just like to goof and have fun with you guys. If you don’t like it, kiss my BRASS. LMAO”. While many readers might feel that this doesn’t seem egregious, courts ruled that this “was likely to disrupt school activity” and that Mr. Spanierman did not “maintain a professional, respectful association with students”. (https://www.ctemploymentlawblog.com/uploads/file/hughes.pdf)
• In 2009, Ashely Payne, a fresh 24 year old teacher went on a trip to Europe for the summer before the school year started. Like many others who visit famous breweries and wineries, Ms. Payne uploaded pictures of herself drinking wine and Guinness beer. After receiving an anonymous email about the photos, Payne was forced to either be fired or resign from her job. (https://www.ajc.com/news/local/ruling-goes-against-barrow-teacher-who-lost-job-over-facebook-posting/yhQhGPbZiYkH5HYjb34byJ/)
• Another way a teacher can get fired is by sharing too much personal information about their classroom on the internet. Sometimes the stress of being an educator can be very real, but that does not mean students need to be tweeted, posted, or talked about online to anyone for any reason.

Sharing pictures of your students, posting private classroom information, and contacting students online are all easy ways to kiss your job goodbye. Although these reasons for being fired may seem harmful to some and harmless to others, one way to ensure you can keep your job and keep social media is by following these 10 rules:(https://www.americanboard.org/blog/10-social-media-rules-for-teachers/)

• Know your schools guidelines.
• Do not friend or follow any student on personal accounts.
• Keep your profile clean.
• Do not affiliate yourself with your school on your personal profile.
• Never geo-tag your schools location.
• Remember a “snapchat” can always be screenshot.
• Set Instagram accounts to private.
• Never mention your school in any post.
• Never complain about your job online.
• NEVER POST PICTURES OF, INTERACT WITH, OR MESSAGE STUDENTS OVER SOCIAL MEDIA.

A majority of the ideas surrounding social media and being a teacher may seem like common-sense, but, of course we will always have the cases where things fall into gray area. Being a teacher and having social media accounts may seem like a fine line between freedom of speech, and being an education professional. The best advice I have read since researching this topic: If you wouldn’t wear it, say it, or do it in your classroom than you probably should not post it.

If you enjoyed my blog, follow my twitter where I have posts about educational technology and the road to becoming an educator!

twitter: @Treen97657241