The Ability To Visualize Data Is More Important Than Ever

There are so many ways for teachers to help students develop the ability to visually represent information and data. There are a variety of multimedia tools for students to use as well as graphic organizers because today's students are visual learners.

One of the best visual tools I use in the classroom is infographics. Not only do they help students organize their information, but they can take the place of the traditional research paper. The core parts to an infographic are visual, content, and knowledge. For the visual aspect, students need to pick a color scheme and make sure their choose high-quality and relevant graphics. I see students use too many colors that clash and district as well as images that are poor quality and irrelevant. The theme graphic is essential to the rest of the infographic because it is the centerpiece. The content should not only include facts and information, but statistics as well. The knowledge should include facts and deductions. I see students struggle with organizing information often. Students should be taught what information is important to include on an infographic and what needs to be left off.

Students need to be clear about who their target audience is and that the purpose of their infographic is clear so that they do not confuse who is reading it.

Login Register Go Pro! Groups Logout My account Upload Assets Help. (n.d.). Retrieved September 23, 2015, from http://www.easel.ly/blog/top-tips-from-experts-on-what-makes-a-great-infographic/

The Anatomy Of An Infographic: 5 Steps To Create A Powerful Visual - SpyreStudios. (2009, November 17). Retrieved September 23, 2015, from http://spyrestudios.com/the-anatomy-of-an-infographic-5-steps-to-create-a-powerful-visual/ 

How can teachers guide students in developing and practicing effective search skills?

“Can I copy and paste?” That is a question I get on a constant basis from students. My response is, “When have I ever told you it was okay to do that?” Most cases of student’s plagiarism is done unintentionally and for reasons such as not knowing how to properly cite sources, when to cite their sources, they don’t know enough about the topic or they waited too long to start an assignment and panicked (Frey, Fisher, Gonzalez, 2010 p. 59).

First, students do not know enough about plagiarism, copyright and fair use. Copyright and fair use can be a difficult concept for students to understand. Students also have a difficult time knowing how to cite sources. This topic can be simplified for students and citing sources can be made much easier with all the citation tools available online. I found a Google Slide presentation that helps explain the topic of copyright to students (http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/07/what-students-need-to-know-about_24.html).

Students also need to be taught how to summarize their information. Most of the time when I tell my middle school students to summarize or put the information in their own words, I get a blank stare from them. With as many students as I have at their various ability levels, tools such as Text Compactor (http://textcompactor.com/) can help students summarize their information so they are not plagiarizing.

Last, students need to know how to find appropriate resources online for research and what questions to ask when using a search engine. Students should be able to identify a credible resource from one that is not. A checklist such as this (http://www.lib.umd.edu/binaries/content/assets/public/usereducation/evaluating-web-sites-checklist-form.pdf) will assist students in finding these reliable resources.

These simple steps teach students how to appropriately do research on the Internet.

Frey, N., Fisher, D., & Gonzalez, A. (2010). Literacy 2.0: Reading and writing in 21st century classrooms. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.

Image from Referencing & Plagiarism  . (n.d.). Retrieved September 8, 2015, from http://guides.library.vu.edu.au/referencing

How can teachers incorporate literacy into content areas?

When I first started teaching, I didn’t think any of the rules applied to me in regard to literacy in the classroom. I teach technology, which is a project-based course. My feeling was that students didn’t need to spend time too much time learning terms because I use them when I talk. As long as they can show me that they could complete the project, then they had mastered the concept. However, the more I teach, the more I realize how important it is to teach literacy.

In “Literacy 2.0,” (p. 21-22) it mentions that project-based learning is focused solely on the outcome itself. Students are focused on creating a product. I tell my students exactly how to complete the project. While it is important to teach students the skills, they need to learn exactly why they are doing the project. Incorporating literacy is so much easier than I would have thought and vital to student learning.

Front-loading and brainstorming are great ways to get a lesson started. I can quickly assess what my students know and need more help with. I can get great conversations started about a topic with my classes. Graphic organizers and mind-mapping allow students to visualize vocabulary terms and concepts. Cooperative learning activities give students a chance to build off each other’s ideas. All of this allows students to make mistakes along the way and learn from them. Students need to learn the process before they can get to the outcome.

Alber, R. (2014, January 15). How Important is Teaching Literacy in All Content Areas? Retrieved September 1, 2015, from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/literacy-instruction-across-curriculum-importance

Frey, N., Fisher, D., & Gonzalez, A. (2010). Literacy 2.0: Reading and writing in 21st century classrooms. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press. 

Incorporating Educational Tools into Reading and Writing

This week, I have had the task of reviewing and responding on two educational tools and how they can be used for reading and writing in the classroom. With so many tools available, it can be a challenge in choosing the right tools. In “Technology to Teach Literacy,”(p. 51) it offers tips for choosing the right tools. First, teachers need to determine what they want to address in the lesson. Next, they should decide what type of tool they would like to use (word processor, spreadsheet, electronic presentation, etc). Last, the objectives need to be matched to the computer functions, such as a mind-mapping tool could be used for brainstorming.

In the text, “Literacy 2.0: Reading and writing in 21st Century Classrooms,”( p. 75-76) it mentions Make Beliefs Comix (http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/) as a tool that can be used to increase reading and writing in the classroom. Make Beliefs Comix is a free electronic comic strip maker that helps students communicate through digital storytelling. A variety of characters and props are provided and students can share, print, and save their comics. Digital citizenship is a topic covered in my course. When introducing this unit, I have students create comics on different topics so that they can “act” out the specific concept.  Storytelling is a great tool for visual representation.

If you are looking for an alternative to Make Beliefs Comix, Toon Doo (http://www.toondoo.com/) and Pixton (http://www.pixton.com/ca/) are great alternatives.  

The other tool I chose to review is Grammark (http://grammark.org/dist/#/ ). What a neat tool! Grammark allows students to paste text and then analyzes what they have written. Grammark provides a variety of categories such as grammar, transitions, wordiness, etc. Students can then see exactly what needs to be corrected and defines the issue for them. Even though I teach technology, there are different writing assignments incorporated into my curriculum. I have a wide variety of students in my classroom and a tool like this helps assist students with writing. This tool is especially useful for students who struggle with writing and need assistance.

I am still amazed at the amount of tools that are available to increase reading and writing in the classroom and can’t wait to utilize them in my classroom.

Anderson, R., & Grant, M. (2008). Technology to teach literacy: A resource for K-8 teachers (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall.

Frey, N., Fisher, D., & Gonzalez, A. (2010). Literacy 2.0: Reading and writing in 21st century classrooms. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press. 

How has literacy changed and evolved for the 21st century classroom?

It is amazing how much technology has changed in the 21^st century. Not only has technology changed drastically since I was in school, but it has changed immensely since my student teaching in 2008. The technology courses I was teaching were based around Microsoft Office only. Students simply sat at their desks and worked out of a textbook or learned keyboarding.

The classroom today has completely greatly evolved from textbook only courses. As it mentioned in “Literacy 2.0,” technology has made its way into the core classes as well. Technology is no longer reserved for the elective courses. It’s amazing to see how much collaboration and communication is going on in the classroom. Students can choose from a variety of devices and programs to find one to fit their personal needs. I have laptops and iPads in my classroom. I also allow students to bring their own devices, which allows students to mostly use their phones. There is an endless amount of apps that can be used on a smartphone. Presentations take on a whole new meaning. Power Point is no longer the only option that can be used. Students can select from a variety of programs!

I have now started screen casting all of my lessons for my 8^th grade classes. Since I have such a wide variety of students, it allows them to work at their own pace. I even create extra lessons for students who are fast workers. It has transformed my classroom.

I plan to keep adapting from literacy 1.0 to literacy 2.0 little by little to continue to keep my classroom on pace with current trends.

Frey, N., Fisher, D., & Gonzalez, A. (2010). Literacy 2.0: Reading and writing in 21st century classrooms. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press. 

Twitter Chat

I have participated in two Twitter Chats in the past week. I was not very thrilled about participating in a Twitter Chat. I assumed it would be a fairly large audience and I hate drawing attention to myself. I would rather sit there quietly and take in the conversation and information whirling around me.

The first chat was blog chat (#blogchat) and it focused on the best practices in blogging. Most of the conversation focused on which sites are the best to use for blogging, how to write a blog, and how to grab your audience’s attention. While there was a lot of helpful information, I was overwhelmed by the chat. There were a lot of education students in this chat making it quite crowded. The tweets were coming in so fast that they were really hard to keep up with. I had a hard time following the conversation and didn’t really know what questions to ask because there was not a whole lot of time to think.

The second chat I participated in was Class Dojo (#classdojo). This chat was run much better than the first chat and was based on the classroom management tool, Class Dojo. It was organized and the moderator asked a variety of questions. The educators participating in this chat had so much more to say than the previous chat I was sitting in on. They seemed like a much more experienced and knowledgeable group. They talked about a variety of ways they used Class Dojo in their classroom. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised at how positive this conversation was (not that the other one wasn't) and how student centered these educators were. This chat was even more popular than the previous chat! This made it even more difficult to keep up with.

There were definitely some positives to take away from this experience. I did end up following several people from both chats and got a lot of beneficial information to assist me in the classroom. However, I think it is going to take some time to get used to Twitter Chats. I used TweetChat to filter the chat, which was helpful. Even though I could pause the conversation, there were still so many tweets to keep up with and it was hard to pick and choose which tweets I wanted to focus on.

It is rare that educators get to collaborate with other educators from around the country and world. I really enjoyed being able to hear other expert opinions and ideas in the education world. For that reason, I’m not ready to give up on Tweet chats just yet.

While Tweet Chats are not for everyone, it is something that I think everyone should try at least a few times. It doesn’t matter what field of study or career you have chosen. There is something for every flavor!

A Guide to Twitter Chats:

https://blog.bufferapp.com/twitter-chat-101

My Professional Learning Network

Creating a Professional Learning Network has been an enlightening experience for me. I am truly amazed at the network I have created in 7 short weeks, considering where I started from. I was a teacher who refused to use social media in any form because I found it irritating. However, I never realized how much information and support there was for teachers outside of the classroom. I have connected to educators from every walk of life and already started to create a professional network that continues to grow every day.

Feedly is where I started with this new networking experience, which was a good starting point. I have found a lot of good articles and information pertaining to education. I also have a Diigo account, which I started at the beginning of the school year. I continue to use Diigo and add to my list of websites. Additionally, I created a Pinterest account. I found that Pinterest is one of the easiest ways to organize information into different categories.

However, the tool that I found the most useful was Twitter. I did not expect to like Twitter. I was someone who had a Twitter account for approximately a year and a half and sent out exactly zero tweets! In the past 7 weeks, I have now sent out almost 60 tweets. I have found Twitter to be a great tool to connect with other educators. I am astounded with all the information that is available beyond gossip. My comfort level with social media has skyrocketed. I am still a little overwhelmed with Twitter Chats. There is so much going one at one time, but I'll get the hang of it. I believe all educators need to get signed up to a few social media sites, and Twitter is a great place to start!

Here is why and how educators should use Twitter:

http://images.pcmac.org/Uploads/MCPSS/MobileCounty/Departments/Forms/Twitter%20for%20Educators.pdf

A glimpse at my Professional Learning Network:

Visit my Symbaloo:

http://www.symbaloo.com/home/mix/13eOhDb1ef 

So far, my professional network is small. But, I'm off to a good start!

Branching Out Beyond Twitter

I stepped out beyond the Twitter world and decided to give Pinterest a try. I hear about Pinterest all the time. Everyone and their mother is using it! One of my friends told me, “It is a mixture of pictures, step-by-step instructions, recipes, lists, quotes, crafts, and more rolled into one!” You could say my friend is a bit of a Pinterest enthusiast. Me on the other hand, not so much.

Let me first start off by saying that I am new to Pinterest. I have quickly discovered that there are a lot of ways teachers can use this as a resource for the classroom. My account was easy to set up and I got going on it pretty quick. I found various ideas to use in the classroom. I can always find ways to integrate technology into the classroom and found a great section on “bring your own device.” I allow students to use their own devices in the classroom because it helps meet technology requirements that my classroom lacks while helping meet the needs of diverse learners (https://www.pinterest.com/esheninger/byod/).

I have such a diverse classroom, that it is essential for me to meet the needs of every student. It is such a necessity, that I decided to start a board dedicated to diverse learners (https://www.pinterest.com/kimdecarli/diverse-learning/).

I am totally amazed at all the information that is available about diverse learners.  Since I have so many special needs students in my class, my first hurdle is to make the classroom more conducive to them. There are apps for them to use, reading strategies, lessons, etc.  You name it, Pinterest has it.

Pinterest really seems like a great tool for educators to use.

Additionally, I decided to try out Google Plus since I already have a Google account. Google Plus was one of the tools I saw with my Google account, but decided to overlook because I didn't want to take the time to learn it. So here I am, giving it a second chance!

Google Plus is another social networking site that is run by Google, as I am sure you can tell. Google Plus has a lot of benefits such as an easy to navigate interface, which is the feature I like the most. I actually like the interface and navigation in Google Plus better than Pinterest.

I can use Google Plus for photos and videos, mobile apps, group work, and hangouts. However, the search options seem limited. I searched for diverse learners and did not find a whole lot. Additionally, when I searched, I found specific profile pages, not pages on the topic I was looking for.

I still plan on using Google Plus so that students can collaborate with each other. I like to be able to give all learners a voice in my classroom and allow them to have input. There are some really great Google Apps to be used in the classroom (https://plus.google.com/communities/101802680117484972712). However, I think Twitter and Pinterest are much better resources for teachers to use to find ideas and collaborate with other educators.

Networked Classrooms Endless Possibilities

Social networking is changing the landscape of education. The role networking plays is increasing at a rapid pace. Networked classrooms are paving the way to fit the needs of diverse learners. Chapter 3 of the book Professional Learning Networks states that a networked classroom is transparent, collaborative, learning centered, accessible, community based, supportive of inquiry-based learning, and driven by authentic assessment.

This website highlights some of the pros and cons of social networking (http://campustechnology.com/articles/2012/01/19/pros-and-cons-of-social-media-in-the-classroom.aspx). For me, I think the biggest positive of social networking is education is that it gives every student a chance to collaborate and participate. Not every student gets a chance to participate in class. With social networking, every student is giving the opportunity to contribute and voice their opinions that might otherwise go unheard.

While some of the negatives of social networking include it being a distraction and cyberbullying, I think the biggest negative is that it takes away the face-to-face interaction. As a student, I do better in a traditional classroom setting. I have an extremely hard time in an online class losing the face-to-face interaction. Additionally, as a teacher, I really enjoy being able to have conversations with my students and seeing the expressions on their faces and hearing the tone of their voices.

Social networking can be utilized in the classroom in a variety of ways. I currently do not use a whole lot of social networking in my classroom, but I am looking at more ways that I can incorporate it. I have used a classroom management system called Schoology. Students can view and submit assignments, have class discussions, and take quizzes on it. Students can also view all of this from their home or anywhere else they have an internet connection. This transformed my classroom into a more blended classroom as opposed to a traditional classroom.

I would also like to start having my students display their work through the use of social networking. So many students are already on Twitter or have a YouTube account. I think this would be a good way for students to get a more authentic audience. This website gives some other ways teachers are utilizing social networking in the classroom (http://dailygenius.com/social-education/).

Diverse learners can greatly benefit from social networking. Students will all be able to voice their opinions and use the tools that best fit their individual needs. These students will be allowed some flexibility and be able to work at their own pace. Social networking will let students choose the program that is in their best interest and what they are comfortable with.

As I read on this website, (http://www.edutopia.org/pdfs/blogs/edutopia-finley-tips-help-all-learners-succeed.pdf), the aspect of social networking I like the most for diverse learners is that it allows them to create their own network. So many of these students struggle socially and have a hard time interacting with their peers. Social networking puts these students on level playing ground and allows them to establish their own personal network.

The possibilities are endless with a networked classroom!

Twitter-Outside My Comfort Zone

Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Yes, I have an account for all of them. However, this week’s assignment with Twitter made me feel pretty uneasy. While I am fairly tech savvy, I do not like social media. I can go days without looking at any of my social media accounts. I can't remember the last time I was on my Instagram account. I check Facebook because I get irritated seeing a bunch of notifications on my phone. Then there is Twitter, or as I call it, my “sports app.” I have had a Twitter for approximately a year. I follow a handful of sports writers because I love to get the latest sports updates and breaking news. Yet, I have never tweeted!

One of the main reasons I do not like social media is because I do not like to see the mundane details of people’s everyday lives. More importantly, I am an extremely private person. I do not like to be the center of attention, share my opinions, or put any aspect of my life on display. As you can imagine, hearing I was going to have to actually use my Twitter and start tweeting was quite unsettling for me. Having to share my opinions on a discussion board or blog is difficult enough. But, to have to actually start tweeting for the public to see…yikes!

I decided to create a new Twitter account that I could use for educational purposes. I was shocked at how easy it was to find educators who teach in the field I teach in. As stated in the text book, Twitter is popular with educators. I have heard this before, but I clearly had no idea about all the resources Twitter has to offer.

I teach technology and have a hard time finding new programs, tools, and lessons to keep up with all the changing trends. I am constantly looking online and exhausting every resource I have available to keep my class up-to-date.To say I had low expectations for Twitter would be an understatement. However, I was amazed that I found technology teachers who teach the exact same programs and courses that I teach. I am starting to realize that this may become a huge asset to my technology courses. As this graphic organizer states (http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/08/10-reasons-why-teachers-use-twitter-as.html), I can collaborate with experts in my field and find out what makes other teacher's classrooms effective.

I realize students today are changing with tides of technology. If I am going to be an effective educator I am going to have to change and adapt my practices too, starting with Twitter. I know this will not be easy for me. There will be a transitional period where I have to get accustomed to the different routines of Twitter and other social media. But above all, I know that once I step outside my comfort zone and get settled in, I will be able to take this resource and run with it.

Twitter Username: KDecarli

Fighting the Online Monster

But, it really is not so much of a monster as it is a convenience.  While some teachers grew up with a rotary phone, the transition from the quill and ink was a lot slower. We are now faced with a more rapidly advancing technology.

One of the biggest sticking points from the reading was when it mentioned that technology is not scarce anymore. Any resource we need is at our fingertips. Web browsers are free. We are not even limited to our computers anymore. There are tons of free, open-source, software available for anyone to use. Beginners can look online and find tutorials to teach them how to use and utilize a new program.

As I am constantly talking to other educators in the district I work in, I am amazed at how often I hear Twitter being used as a resource. I often hear that it is the “go-to” resource for many teachers. I started to ask myself, “ How can I use Twitter in the classroom?” Here is a video that I watched about how to use Twitter in the classroom and how it works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQv1PR2BKk8

In order to keep students engaged, classes need to relate to them in the world they live in. Not only can we include resources that are free to us, peer learning networks can also be used to improve classroom collaboration and facilitate group learning as well as extending the classroom beyond school. In order to do this, teachers need to be willing to adapt their instructional strategies to meet the needs of every student.

While face-to-face interaction is still important, social networks and online communities are becoming the go to way to connect to students in a new way.  Group assignments are no longer as limited by the time that class provides.  Social media can give each student more of a voice in their own learning and helps ensure participation.   

The flip side to this coin is teaching students about credible knowledge sources. While someone on Twitter may be entertaining, the posters opinion may not be based on many facts.  Luckily, there are much more beneficial ways to utilize those resources.  For instance, you can look up the latest and greatest products on Twitter and research them on Google.

Don't fight the monster, write it.

(Professional Learning Networks Chapters 1 and 2)