I decided on two sites for my digital portfolio--about.me and vizualize.me. I checked out several sites for this project, and found these two the easiest to use. I had trouble finding a single site that provided everything I was looking for, so I chose simplicity in my presentation. I initially wanted the ability to embed videos and other elements, have room for text, photos, etc. I found it difficult finding a site that allowed me to embed HTML code outside of the Google Sites, and I wanted to try something new, so I settled on about.me for my main page, and also created a link to my vizualize.me. Below is a screenshot of my homepage. I initially used the HTML code provided by about.me to embed into Blogger, but it changed the layout, so I chose to include a hyperlink instead (below).
My greatest internal debate with this project was deciding how much I really wanted to share. For example, I did not link my Facebook as this is a personal site for me. I even debated putting on my resume, however, I figure if people wanted to access information about me, there were already many sources, as evidenced in our Digital Dossier task! I then debated who I was truly marketing to with this assignment. Was it my students, my students' parents, or fellow educators with similar curriculum. Also, with a marketing background, I know the value in continually promoting myself, as I constantly fear that Business Education will be phased out of schools. Therefore, this site would be a great tool for networking purposes and job opportunities, should the need arise. It was with that realization I chose to include my formal resume. I included several links to sites I've used in the past several years, as well as my school website which has a lot of information about my classes and student exemplars. This is a great opportunity to take all of the different pieces of technology we've gathered and created through the years, and give them a home base! Hope you enjoy!!
One major thing to note
here, as Steve Dembo, my professor, pointed out…..TEST, TEST, TEST, AND TEST MORE!! I spent several days testing and the night
before my webinar, I still wasn’t satistfied!!
Lol!!
When given this assignment, I will admit, I was nervous. It's one thing to invite people into your classroom (aka--comfort zone), but to broadcast yourself to the world is a whole separate matter. Especially when you're live, and you can't edit out the mistakes. In addition, I decided to broadcast my entire 6th grade class, and well, you just never know what a 6th grader is going to do or say!! So, I thought this was a great opportunity to challenge myself and try something new!
Getting Ready:
It took a while
to find a free site that I liked to use for my broadcast. I ended choosing Livestream.
After creating an account, I set up my webcam and microphone with ease, and began testing a live feed. This was the easy part. The hard part, initially, was deciding how to share this with others. I asked some students and parents to test the link a few days before our scheduled show. In my first go around, parents and other viewers had to create an account in order to access our videos. The other issue was the videos, as I was not able to get a live feed. We recorded clips, then posted them to a blog of sorts, then the participants could watch them. While I like the "archived nature" of this, I wanted a live feed and a direct link where participants did not have to create an account to view us.
Click here to view one of my Test Sessions (seen above), but know
you'll have to create an account to see it (case in point).
Then, I realized I could download a live version of Livestream broadcasting, and with this, participants just had to click a link to connect directly to our broadcast!! I tested the link with coworkers in my building, in other buildings, and with my family members to be sure they could all simply click on our link and see us live. This being establishing, I told my students to tell their parents about our show, I posted the link onto my Homework Hotline Website, I emailed staff, friends, parents, and relatives the direct link, and I made a bunch of phone calls. We were ready and the kids were excited!
Our Class Webinar:
I picked my 6th grade class because we were in the middle of an Internet & Social Networking Safety Unit. In the classes leading to our broadcast, I shared statistics with my students, then had my 6th graders take a Google Form Survey so we could see immediate results on what was happening with our own kids. We talked about recent cases where kids were getting in trouble with improper usage of social media sites, texting, and online "relationships". I felt this would be a great topic for the parents to hear, and appropriate content for our first Webinar. I took the chance of not rehearsing anything with the students ahead of time as far as Webinar content. I did, however, want them to share our survey results, so I printed out each question and the results and handed them out to the kids. This way, I could involve several kids in the discussion and they could speak pressure-free as they had something to say. At the end of the broadcast, we had the option to save our recording.
(If the above embedded video isn't working, click here to view our archived Webinar.)
Reflection:
This was a GREAT experience!! The kids loved participating and I loved allowing them the opportunity to share their content online. We were so excited when people started appearing in our chat room, especially the parents who joined us! It was great for the kids to see that people were watching, listening and participating. As participants commented on the survey results, I realized this is a great way to educate parents and community, as well as the kids. I really liked how Livestream allowed me to save the video at the end. This way, I could post the video on my website for more parents to view if they were not able to attend live. Also, the kids loved that they could watch the video later.
In the future I realized a few things. First, if I use this type of format again, where the only video seen is us and the only communication is in a chat format, I would designate someone to be in charge of the keyboard to respond more efficiently to the participants. I was trying to facilitate the session on video and respond on keyboard, and it was too much.
Also, I would like to run a Webinar where participants are also seen via Webcam. Christopher McCaffrey, the Instructional Technology Coach for my school district, watched our Webinar and stopped in to see me later in the week to provide feedback. He recommended using Google Hangouts for a future Webinar, enabling all participants to be seen and heard. With this technique, participants need a Google+ account, which is something they would need to create ahead of time. At Wilson School District, all staff and students are using Google, so this would be a great way to connect our two Middle Schools in a future live discussion. I suppose it depends on the purpose of the Webinar....I will use Livestream again when the focus is to share out, and I will use a Google Hangout when the focus is to collaborate.
I am excited to conduct another Webinar, and so are the kids!!
I initially had trouble
finding a Webinar that was being streamed at a time that worked for me, that
had applicable content for my subject-matter, and that I didn’t have to pay for
a subscription to view. I finally I
found edweb.net and signed up for Game-Based Learning which was aired from
4-5 pm on Mon, Dec. 2.
Easy to sign up and easy
to log on. I was signed in about 20
minutes ahead of time, and thought it was great that a representative from the
site came on 15 minutes early to say hi, do a sound check, welcome
everyone. She asked if anyone was new,
and I chatted that I was, and was kind of excited to see her and hear her say,
“hi Kristi, welcome”! I noticed all the
participants joining and saw people from all over the US as well as other
countries and cities like Romania, Ecuador, and Rome. I’ve often thought this, but suddenly the
point was truly driven home, that this is the future of education. I truly see traditional schools becoming more
hybrids in our virtual world. The
session promptly began at 4 pm when Jeff from Hershey, PA introduced himself and
began his session. I liked how I could
see him speaking and also see his computer screen. He showed slides, videos, and charts. It was also engaging to read the stream in
chat area and to also participate. The
hour flew by.
Pros/Strengths:
I truly believe people
can find a free Webinar on anything. I
was able to interact live via a chat room.
I was not connected via webcam or audio, but I actually found this as a
plus because I could focus on the instructor and not what everyone else was
doing. Also, I felt comfortable taking
notes during the process. At the end, two instructors came on to conduct Q
& A addressing questions from the chat throughout the session. I thought this was great.
Cons/Weaknesses:
The content was not
quite what I was expecting. The show was
literally using “Off-the-Shelf” games in the classroom, such as SKYRIM, Assassins Creed III, Bioshock
Infinite, and World of Warcraft. Being a High school History teacher, Jeff is
able to incorporate this into his curriculum and justify it with Bloom’s
Taxonomy and 21st Century Learning Skills. For example, Jeff has kids conduct population
statistics in SKYRIM to see if the
characters can sustain life with available food during the Mid Evil time
period. With Bioshock Infinite, students analyze Social Darwinism in the
Futuristic society. Students write
essays about the impact and influence of race and gender in the game World of War Craft. While this was very interesting to hear,
there is NO WAY my school district would approve these games in my middle
school classroom! I thought the content
would be how to create games to be used in the classroom. Also, my previous pro is also a con regarding
the fact that I, as a participant, could not be seen or heard. While I liked that I was at a comfort level
to take notes and could focus on the presenter, I also feel not being seen can
takes away from accountability and participation. For example, I caught myself thinking of my
to-do list for the evening a few times!
Incorporation
in the Classroom as Attendee:
I like this type of
webinar for my middle school students, if it was shorter. The hour would not hold their attention,
especially if they can wander off without being “caught” because there is no webcam on them. This is a great way to add enrichment to my
curriculum—allowing students to find a topic and further their knowledge. I see many benefits for my Career Concepts
class, such as connecting with businesses, entrepreneurs, and even learning
concepts. The format of my show, with
only the instructor being seen, is great if I want the kids to pull information
for further learning, especially since they can take notes at their discretion. For students to collaborate ideas, however, I
feel a 2-way web cam experience would be even better for them for
accountability and interaction as they share ideas and hear others. I love how the entire webinar is archived for later viewing, as is the chat log and presentation slides. This is great for students to refer to and as a teacher, I could log on and verify via the chat log if my students were active participants.
Incorporation
in the Classroom as Broadcaster:
Webinars would be a
great way for the kids to share out what they are learning and connect with
parents and local communities, which gave me the idea for my own classroom
Webinar experience, as seen in my next blog post!
Yes, I will definitely
use this in the future with my kids!!!
I LOVED this challenge!!! Photo editing is one of my favorite tasks to do on the computer, and I loved having the starting point of a daily idea from the site Project Life 365.
In addition to taking a photo for the daily theme, I found myself looking deeper into the meaning of the task, and even trying to be a little abstract in my photos and my ideas. Reflecting on the picture and justifying its connection would be a great activity for my students. I would really like to complete this same kind of week-long immersion with my students and really push the reflective aspect of this project. This would be a great way to introduce design elements,patterns and textures, etc, by giving one challenge per day. The students could evaluate each other's photos and it could even become a class challenge. I will definitely use this in the future.
Example of Pattern
Example of Texture
This is also a great opportunity for photo editing. Students could be challenged to use editing from apps like BeFunky, Photo Editor, or Tadaa if they are using their smart phones to take pictures. They could justify why they chose the particular effect to create or enhance the mood or emotion. I found editing my photos to be part of the fun of the project.
BeFunky
Tadaa
Photo Editor
Finally, it was so easy to work with the smartphone and upload pics right to my Blogger Post using the Blogger App. Students could work on this at school or at home. Again, I LOVED this project!!
Admission....I have resisted using Twitter up to this point. I had to create an account in a past course and Tweet a few things and follow my classmates, but that was it. I entered this not understanding the world of Twitter, not understanding hashtags, and very resistant to learn. That is why I forced myself to undertake this challenge.
Below you will find my log of the seven days. My favorite thing about this project was finding really cool things to share with my students to generate discussion in class. Also, some great resources to use in the future. The greatest challenge was just finding time on Friday and Sunday to pay attention to Twitter, as they were busy days from start to finish. If it weren't for having a smartphone, I don't know how I'd always have time to "immerse" myself. I will continue to use Twitter primarily for education and school connections. Still resisting using it for personal sharing, but I love having access to the resources provided.
I can see the value in using Twitter with students, but I don't think I could get all of my parents on board teaching Middle School. I always poll my classes to see what social networking they are actively using, and I still have many students whose parents do not allow access to these sites. I think I will benefit more from using something like Edmodo with my students, but I will continue to check out Twitter for my own professional development.
Day 1: Logged into my account, followed lots of people and organizations, never thought I could Tweet 6 times a day. What could I possibly Tweet about? Already annoyed by Donald Trump (thought he would be an interesting entrepreneur to follow), but still following. Went to see who it was suggested I follow, and picked several people. Then searched categories for ideas of who to follow. Also, went into settings so I had to approve followers--still not so sure.
Day 2: Realized retweeting articles for my students (well, future students...not sure how incorporating this into middle school will work yet), and using hashtags. I'm starting to get it, and realizing they allow for my students to find my tweets quickly. Also searching hashtags to see what others with my same thoughts are posting. My favorite so far is #lifeofateacher. Realizing that strange people are requesting to follow me--not sure I want to be so public yet, and wondering if they're finding me because of hashtags or who I'm following. Hmmmm. A little annoyed with Wall Street Journal--can't see their full articles unless I login or subscribe--they might have the same fate as Donald. I'll wait a few days. Got my first "Favorite"!
Very excited. Also, shared info learned with my Career Concepts students. We study entrepreneurs--lots of cool info. Found a cool article on 100 Best Websites for Entrepreneurs.
Day 3: Still enjoying Twitter. Actually Tweeted some personal things deciding it doesn't ALL have to be educational. Decided to learn a few things. FINALLY understand hashtag and its concept as a searchable term. Searched for one I keep using to connect with others--#lifeofateacher. Now I know I can follow what others are saying with the same hashtag and find people with the same interests.
Also learned how hashtags are now being used for advertising to get people to spread positive press on Twitter. Virgin America put #nerdbird on its new plane for this purpose.
Photo above is screenshot from the video tutorial below.
Day 4: Finding more resources today!! Like this great Edmondo cheat sheet that I am going to check out for this week's project:
Also, great compliment today!!....Several of my colleagues are paying attention to my Twitter and replying to my posts!! Very cool. Today, Chris McCaffrey, our Instructional Technology Coach, is paying attention!! Also, as he is implementing our district's first 1:1 initiative, I was excited to follow my school's 1:1 Twitter page!!
Day 5: This is my admission day...It's Friday, I took a personal day off of work to go to the settlement of my grandfather's house, then visit my daughter's school, then spend the day with mom as we all felt the bitter-sweet emotions of selling the family homestead, then time with friends at happy hour, then time with hubby relaxing. Made the realization last Friday night that I didn't even really look at Twitter. In fact, didn't even do my photo of the day project and suddenly grateful for the capabilities of my smart phone. I quickly checked out Twitter to find articles beneficial for my curriculum to retweet, downloaded the Blogger App to complete my entry for the day on my phone, searched for my photo of the day topic, took and edited my picture, posted my photo blog entry, and added to this Twitter blog entry...and I didn't even have to get out of bed to do any of it! Loving technology at the moment--good night!
Day 6: One of my favorite followings on Twitter = Edudemic, "Connecting Education and Technology" (screen shot below). Great article on the power of infographics!! I think I like this site so much because most information they share is in an infographic format, so it comes as no surprise that they would post and article about the power of presenting information in this way. Click here for a great example of their presenting social media shortcuts through the use of infographics.
Wanted to try something different today, so signed up for Tweetdeck. Talk about Social Immersion!! As if keeping track of one list wasn't enough, now I can watch multiple ones at the same time. I can see my life getting lost in Twitter! lol!! I'll be honest, this is too much for me--I am a bit overstimulated right now. However, if there are a few favorite followings on Twitter accounts, and people want a quick snapshot of just those account feeds, versus all, I can see the value in this tool.
Day 7: A busy day for soccer mom, but 6 tweets later....I am glad I took this challenge!! Found some GREAT resources throughout this, and will continue to do so. Feeling like a #twitterfan!
Today, my daughter's soccer team won first place in their tournament, and last week they won first place in playoffs for the season. Very proud mom moment.....and all possible due to the teamwork and hard work of the girls as they strategically "relayed" the ball!!
The following lesson is for my 7th Grade Web 2.0 Career Concepts class. I feel an age-appropriate social networking experience could be achieved through edmodo.com. This way, students could get the posting experience and also learn how to appropriately respond, communicate and collaborate with classmates, while still under my "watchful eye". A lesson I have had since the creation of the course is studying Entrepreneurs and what makes them so successful. I feel this would be a great opportunity to incorporate social networking and the kids could learn about many entrepreneurs instead of just one!
Entrepreneur Lesson
Goal
Using Edmodo and it's collaborative features, students will learn about various entrepreneurs and how to interact and collaborate using social media.
Objectives
Through the use of a Social Networking Site, students will learn and share information about a chosen entrepreneur. This will include the following:
Good/Service Created
Biography, Personal Background
Career History
Famous Quote or Saying
Successes and Failures
Questions about other Entrepreneurs
Videos/Photos/Audio/Web 2.0 Sites to Enhance Learning
Instructions
1. Join Mrs. Zep's Entrepreneur Group on edmodo.com: Group code = zcga4b
2. Students will choose an Entrepreneur, and make a post with their person and why they want to research this person. Classmates will respond to two other student posts with a question and a compliment.
3. Students will complete Assignment #1--the Glogster.
4. Next, students will embed their Glogsters in a Post, and all classmates will evaluate at least 5 classmates' Glogsters with comments and questions. Students are all expected to reply back.
5. Students will complete a Blabberized Entrepreneur with Quote. This is Assignment #2 in Edmodo.
Click here for Mrs. Zep's Sample Blabberized Kroc.
Students will embed or link their Blabberized characters in a Post, and all classmates will respond to at least 2 classmates' posts. Student responses should include why they think that quote is significant. Students are expected to reply back.
6. Mrs. Zep will Post multiple links for the students to read throughout the course to simulate a "Twitter Feed". Students will pick one of the posted sites, and they will complete a Reading Prompt in a Google Doc summarizing the post, and also responding to why they think it's important. They will share the prompt with a classmate and allow for commenting for peer editing before submission.
7. Each Students will Be Responsible for Posting 3 links to articles and/or videos pertaining to Entrepreneurs throughout the lesson time, and commenting on at least two other classmates' posts.
**Grading:
Glogster Grade--50 pts. Glogster Response Grade--10 pts. (2 pts. per response)
Blabberize Grade--15 pts. (5 pts. for working link, 5 pts. for image, 5 pts. for narration) Blabberize Response Grade--4 pts. (2 pts. per response) Reading Prompt Grade--30 pts.
Posts--15 pts. (5 pts. per post--any topic about entrepreneurs will count) Post Response Grade--4 pts. (2 per response)
Profile Update--2 pts. (This is a "freebie"--Students need to fill in some info.) **Rubrics are linked, and all rubrics are from Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything. Total Unit Grade: 130 pts.
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