This is a three-part video by Nightline that focused on IDEO, a design firm, that uses design thinking principles to create innovative products.
Monday, December 29, 2014
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Saturday, December 6, 2014
PD Session: The Hour of Code - Computer Science Education Week (2014)
Each week, our EdTech department presents a new professional development session for our faculty. For this week I developed "The Hour of Code" session to celebrate Computer Science Education Week. The following is the information that is going to be sent to our teachers to promote the session.
.jpg)
The Goals for the Session is to provide teachers with an introduction to computer science aimed to demystify "code," show that anyone can learn the basics, and provide information on why students should learn code.
Student Benefits
- Be exposed to a new way of understanding their world; see the role of computer science in their daily lives.
- Gain vital, transferable skills that can be used in other areas (problem solving, critical thinking, decision-making, creativity, and innovation skills).
- Be prepared for future STEM careers.
- Take action regarding social and political issues in their world.
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Design Thinking with 1st Grade
In this unit, students learned about the external parts of different animals that help them meet their needs and survive in their specific environment. These parts help animals see, hear, grasp objects, protect themselves, and move from place to place. Their parts also help them seek, find, and take in food, water and air. The goal of the unit was for students to design and create the “ultimate” animal that can survive in any environment. They used the design thinking process to develop a problem sentence, find a solution to the problem, and prototype their solution. The process involved students asking questions, making observations and gathering information on external animal parts. They used their findings to sketch out possible solutions to their problem sentence. Finally the students created their ultimate animal and proposed their solution to a “zookeeper.”
Special thanks to Nalisha Keshaw, Brianna Bedessem, Ara Cho, and Chris Bernhardi, and the whole 1C class for making this unit possible!
Annotate Videos with Zaption (Great for Teacher Feedback)
Zaption allows you to annotate video by:
- Inserting text
- Adding an image and resizing it
- Drawing or writing on the video
- Asking open response questions, multiple-choice questions,and checkbox questions
Upgrading to the Pro version allows you to:
- insert drawn responses, discussion boards, and numeral responses.
Special thanks to Lyra for her work sample, as well as Kevin MacLeod for his music ("Local Forecast").
Friday, November 28, 2014
"Minecraft in the Classroom" Book - Unboxing
Special thanks to Colin Gallagher for making this book happen!
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Multiple Intelligence Test: How my Intelligence types influence my pedagogy
Yesterday I took a multiple intelligence test. I found that the results were pretty accurate and noticed how my intelligence types influences my teaching. Here is what I found.
Multiple Intelligences Test Findings
The results of the multiple intelligence test shows that my intelligence comes more from bodily-kinesthetic activities. I also enjoy logical-mathematical and spatial-visual activities to learn content and skills. The test also revealed that I do not enjoy linguistic and musical activities.
Reflection on the Accuracy of those Findings and How the Findings Affect My Teaching
The multiple intelligence test was accurate in showing how I like to learn content and skills, and how I like to demonstrate mastery of content and skills. The test indicated that my prefered intelligence type is bodily-kinesthetic. I enjoy playing sports and my dream career was to become a professional sports player. I also enjoy using my hands to create things because of the physical experience and movement. I learn by doing! My second intelligent type is logical-mathematical. I enjoy using teaching approaches that allow students to create their own process and devise their own strategies to accomplish tasks. I have used project-based learning in the past, but now I am integrating the design thinking process with 1st and 4th grade classes, and will work with 5th grade in the coming weeks. This process helps students create creative products to problems that they find. My third intelligent type is spatial-visual. I am obsessed with they way information is presented. I focus a lot of my time making my website, presentations, blogs, educational videos, and infographics aesthetically pleasing. I love the creative process of making my information easy to perceive and understand in a visually pleasing manner. I scored the lowest in Since I enjoy using visual and spatial perception in education, I have implemented Minecraft, a 3D world simulation game where you can build structures and craft items through the resources you find, in many units. For example, in science I had students create volcanoes and plate boundaries, develop simple electrical circuits, and calculate speeds of objects. I also had students create their own communities to teach civic competence. This game is great for students who have the same intelligence type as me.
Thursday, October 16, 2014
2nd Grade IT Support (Real World Use of Technology Skills)
In my ICT class, my 2nd graders are currently learning about emailing systems and how it is a crucial method of communicating with people on the Internet. They are learning how to compose and send emails to their teachers that contain attachments of their work.
Today a 2nd grader emailed me about a bug that he found in an Accelerated Reader (AR) quiz he was taking online. He took a screenshot of the error and attached it to the email. He also provided me with a great subject line: "AR diffculty." IT Support Specialists are getting younger each year.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Monday, September 29, 2014
Sunday, September 21, 2014
My Own Google Custom Search Engine for EdTech
Google allows you to create your own custom search engine at https://www.google.com/cse. Click on the image below to visit the custom search engine I created for educational technology resources. The search results are from great EdTech blogs and sites that visit for informative materials, strategies and information.
You can also embed a search box to your custom search engine to your website. You will be provided with HTML code you can copy and paste to your site.
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Attaching a Photo, Video, or Audio Recording to Schoology App on iPad
Here are the steps in attaching a photo, video, or audio recording to a post in the Schoology app.
1. Open the Schoology app, pick a course, and then tap on the "+" sign in the top right corner.
2. Tap on Attach in the bottom right corner of the window. The image below shows the four different options given.
3. If you tap on Photo or Video, you will be asked to choose a quality level.
4. If you tap on Record Audio, a small window will pop up asking for permission to use the microphone. Tap on Yes.
5. If audio does not work, go to the Settings app, tap on Privacy, then Microphone, and last give Schoology permission to use the microphone.
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Sunday, August 31, 2014
"Google Docs in Your Classroom" Training Session
"The goal of this session is to improve communication, collaboration, and quality of feedback." -Art SchultzThis blog post showcases the presentation I created and used for the "Google Documents For Your Classroom" training session at my school. It also contains a cheat sheet of different Google document features, and an example of what a document would look like if some of the features were used. I want to thank the KIS EdTech Team for helping me create this presentation, as well as giving me valuable feedback.
Presentation:
Features Cheat Sheet:
What you can create with these features:
My Computer Lab in Google Street View
I used Photo Sphere on my Nexus 7 to create a 360 panorama of my computer lab. With this Android app, I took pictures of my whole computer lab, guided by a blue dot in the center of the screen.
After creating my photo sphere, I shared it with Google Maps and waited until it was approved to be public by the online mapping service.
So here is the final product! You can also check it out on my official website.
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Google Forms: Adding Collaborators & Make a Copy
File > Add collaborators...
Invite the people you would like to collaborate with.
Your collaborators will be sent an invitation email that provides a link to the Google Form.
If you collaborators want to use your form as a template, have them open the form and click on File and then Make a copy...
They will then need to rename the new form.
Google Forms: Selecting Multiple Options with Checkboxes
If you use the "Multiple choice" option, form users can only select one option.
But if you select "Checkboxes" for the question, then users will be able to select multiple options.
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
"You Can Learn Anything" by Khan Academy
"Some people believe that intellectual ability is purely genetic or fixed.
This is a myth. Research now shows that your brain is like a muscle; the more you apply it and struggle, the more it grows. People who learn to recognize this fact about their own brain develop a ‘growth mindset’ and are able to persevere and achieve more."
-Sal, Founder of Khan Academy
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Meet the new Google Drive
Google's video on the new Google Drive:
Screenshots taken from Drive's tour:
11 new things from the redesigned Google Drive (@TheGoogleGooru video):
Monday, August 11, 2014
Wonder Grove Kids: Educational Animated Videos for PK-2nd
Wonder Grove Kid's is a website dedicated to areas of learning that are not always supported, such as citizenship, fitness, health, home skills, nutrition, and safety. Their YouTube channel contains numerous videos on these learning areas and feature cute animated characters and stories.
Here is their YouTube channel trailer:
Saturday, August 9, 2014
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Saturday, July 26, 2014
Grammar Activity with Docs Story Builder & Twitter
This video showcases a grammar activity that integrates Twitter and Google's Docs Story Builder website.
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Maybe One Reason Why There Are Few Females in STEM
"66 percent of 4th grade girls say they like science and math. But only 18 percent of all college engineering majors are female."
Friday, June 13, 2014
Cyberbullying Intervention Plan
The use of the Internet among young people has grown every year due to the increase in the number of homes’ that have Internet access and the development of engaging online applications, such as social media websites. Among all eight to eighteen year olds, homes with Internet access increased from 74 percent in 2004 to 84 percent in 2009 (Rideout). 96 percent of students who have Internet access were found to be using social networking technologies ("The Use of Social Media in School"). With the increase in the use of the Internet and social media technologies, a new type of bullying has emerged called cyberbullying. 17 percent of students reported that they were victims of cyberbullying in 2013 ("Technology, Teen Dating Violence and Abuse, and Bullying"). This intervention plan was developed to provide teachers, parents, and students with:
- an overview of cyberbullying.
- a cyberbullying prevention plan.
- a procedure for reporting cyberbullying.
- an example cyberbullying lesson plan.
- online cyberbullying resources.
The ultimate goal of this plan is to prevent cyberbullying and decrease the amount of cyberbullying incidents in schools.
What is Cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying is the use of information technology to carry out hostile and abusive behaviours towards another individual. These behaviors can focus on an individual’s gender, religion, sexuality, appearance, or race. Cyberbullying can occur through communication tools, such as social media sites and messaging platforms. What makes cyberbullying contrastingly different from bullying is that victims can be harmed at any moment, even when they are alone. Examples of cyberbullying includes defaming victims with humiliating pictures and videos on social media sites, sending threatening text messages, spreading rumors of a person via email, creating a website to ridicule a person, and impersonating individuals with fake profiles.
Cyberbullying Prevention
Parent Technology Program
Parental involvement can be a crucial component in a cyberbullying prevention initiative. One way parents can help is being aware of what their children are doing online ("Prevent Cyberbullying"). This includes knowing what sites their children visit, how to use these sites, and what types of online activities they take part in. However, many parents are not capable of observing their children’s online activities. For this reason, schools should provide parents with a program that will teach them these important skills. This program, led by a qualified instructor (ex. ICT teacher), can educate parents in operating their child’s communication devices, monitoring their online activities, having discussions on online issues, and setting up boundaries and rules for technology use. These rules involve what sites their children are allowed to visit, what they can post or publish, and keeping their passwords secure from strangers and friends.
Information Communication Technology (ICT) Class
Another possible method for cyberbullying prevention is providing students with an Information and Communications Technology (ICT) class that includes lessons and units on cyberbullying. This class can educate students on how to operate online technologies safely and securely, use effective strategies that reduce the chances for cyberbullying, and how to report cyberbullying. For example, students would learn that they should not respond to an harmful emails, messages or comments, block any communications with the cyberbully, document the abusive messages, and contact an adult (“Cyberbullying”). They would learn to protect their passwords, think before they post, strengthen privacy settings, log out of their accounts, delete messages from unknown individuals, and practice proper netiquette ("Prevent Cyberbullying: Top Ten Tips for Teens"). An ICT class also promotes discussion among students on the topic of cyberbullying. Building a shared understanding around the issue of cyberbullying can be the basis of all prevention initiatives. Educating students with these skills will create a safe online culture where students can learn and socialize without the fear of cyberbullying.
Establishing School Technology Rules and Policy
All schools should develop and implement their own Appropriate Use Policy (AUP). This specialized policy contains a set of rules that regulates how technology is used at school and advocates for effective, safe and responsible technology practices. Students should be required to sign a contract agreeing to school’s AUP in order to use technology at the school ("Why Have a Technology Policy in Your School or Library?”). The AUP should include an explanation of what cyberbullying is so that there is a school-wide understanding of the concept. It should also list technology rules that help prevent cyberbullying and make it easier for students to respond and report cyberbullying incidents. Last, the AUP should describe the consequences of students violating the cyberbullying policy.
Response to Cyberbullying
According to Digizen.org, a website dedicated to the development of responsible digital citizens, the response to cyberbullying involves the support of the victim who was bullied, an investigation into the cyberbullying claim, intervention for the bully, and the issuing of disciplinary actions.
The support for the person being bullied involves:
- letting the victim know that he or she did the right thing by reporting the cyberbullying incident.
- providing a school culture that has a zero-tolerance policy for cyberbullying.
- providing online safety strategies and advice.
- containing the cyberbullying situation by (1) identifying the culprit and taking down the hurtful content, (2) contacting the online host and have the content removed, (3) having the culprit delete the content on their device, and/or (4) contacting the police if illegal content is involved.
- blocking the cyberbully and enable comment-moderating feature on social media sites.
The investigation into the cyberbullying claim involves:
- the collection of all harmful content sent or posted by the cyberbully (messages, videos, images, etc.).
- identifying the cyberbully.
- finding out whether the cyberbullying act is a criminal offence.
The intervention for the cyberbully and the issuing of disciplinary actions involves:
- providing services that will help cyberbullies alter their attitudes and behaviors.
- determining whether or not the cyberbullying incident might have been a misunderstanding.
- determining if the cyberbullying incident was retaliation for a previous act.
- making the victim feel safe and believe that they will no longer be cyberbullied by the culprit.
- showing students that the school has a strong and effective zero-tolerance policy for cyberbullying.
- applying sanctions that are listed in the school’s AUP for the breach of contract.
Cyberbullying Lesson Plan
Here is an example of a 1st grade Cyberbullying unit:
Unit Summary
|
The goal of this unit is to inform students about online safety issues, specifically online safety and cyberbullying. Students will learn strategies that will empower them to be safe online. It is crucial to prevent dangers and to protect children in an online setting. Students will create digital comics based on these online safety topics.
|
Understanding(s)
|
Students will understand
|
Essential Questions
|
|
Technology Standards
|
I. Creativity and Innovation
1. apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes.
2. create original works as a means of personal or group expression.
II. Communication and Collaboration
2. communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.
V. Digital Citizenship
1. advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology.
2. exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity.
3. demonstrate personal responsibility for lifelong learning.
4. exhibit leadership for digital citizenship.
VI. Technology Operations and Concepts
1. understand and use technology systems.
2. select and use applications effectively and productively.
4. transfer current knowledge to learning of new technologies.
|
Knowledge
|
Students will know...
*from iTunes app description
|
Skills
|
Students will be able to...
|
Assessments
|
|
Performance Task (GRASP)
|
|
Learning Plan
|
|
Resources
|
|
Online Resources
- Digizen.org: Site devoted to helping children, young people and adults recognize, prevent and respond to online challenges.
- Learninglab.org: Provides videos of Professor Garfield teaching different life skills.
- Cyber(Smart): National cybersafety education program created by the Australian Communications and Media Authority
- BrainPop: Cyberbullying: Animated video that explains cyberbullying
- National Crime Prevention Council: Nonprofit organization dedicated to educating people to create safer communities.
- Cyberbullying Research Center: Site provides information on cyberbullying important to adolescents.
- Stopbulllying.gov: Site provides information on cyberbullying, including prevention and response.
Works Cited
"Cyberbullying." National Crime Prevention Council. Web. 12 June 2014. <http://www.ncpc.org/topics/cyberbullying>.
"Making Reporting Cyberbullying Easier." Digizen. Web. 12 June 2014. <http://old.digizen.org/cyberbullying/fullguidance/preventing/reporting.aspx>.
"Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8- To 18-Year-Olds." Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18-Year-Olds. Web. 10 June 2014. <http://kff.org/other/report/generation-m2-media-in-the-lives-of-8-to-18-year-olds/>.
"Prevent Cyberbullying." Stopbullying. Web. 11 June 2014. <http://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/prevention/index.html>.
"Prevent Cyberbullying: Top Ten Tips for Teens." Cyberbullying.us. Web. 11 June 2014. <http://www.cyberbullying.us/Top_Ten_Tips_Teens_Prevention.pdf>.
"Technology, Teen Dating Violence and Abuse, and Bullying." Technology, Teen Dating Violence and Abuse, and Bullying. Web. 11 June 2014. <http://www.urban.org/publications/412891.html>.
"The Use of Social Media in School." Best Masters in Education. Web. 13 June 2014. <http://www.bestmastersineducation.com/social-media/>.
"Why Have a Technology Policy in Your School or Library?" Scholastic. Web. 12 June 2014. <http://www.scholastic.com/librarians/tech/techpolicy.htm>.