1. Online classes make education more accessible to all types of students, especially those who would not be able to access a traditional classroom. This fits right in with the first teacher standard of "inspiring and facilitating student learning and creativity". - Alex Kenkelen
1.1. Teachers just have to be sure that the teaching methods they are using are meeting students' needs. Using a lot of these types of tools to collaborate are doing that. -Dr. Fritz
2. I think that is great that you have taught your kids that when they post they should be thinking about who can see it and if its appropriate or not. I am also not surprised by that statistic. I don't have children but I have a younger sister and cousins above that age group and many of them have social media accounts or are just starting to get social media accounts and their parents have similar rules and are very involved with checking in on who they friend and what they post etc. Teaching proper usage and safety on the internet is so important especially today! -Carissa McGuigan
2.1. I completely agree because I do not think kids, or even adults, stop to think about what they are posting. I feel like what you put out there on the internet lasts forever and can be shared with anyone. Even if you have privacy and other precautions set up, I do not think the internet is ever completely private. It is important we teach our children and our students that! M. Krotz
3. To add a bubble, click on the center bubble then click the plus sign at the top of the screen. Then, begin typing in the bubble. Whatever bubble is "clicked on" when you click the "plus" sign is the bubble that your new empty bubble will appear from. (Dr. Fritz)
4. Important Quotes
4.1. From the ISTE draft I though that this was one of the most important quotes: "students set learning goals and advocate for learning approaches and tools that align with their needs, abilities, working styles, and interests." Carissa McGuigan
4.2. It's a intro sentence, but it has stuck with me: "School doesn't look at all like the reality in which we live, and while it is easy for people to ban, block, or filter all these new technologies, what they are doing is not embracing the tools of this generation." -Ann Flynn (Media Literacy Chapter 3) -Shannon Alvarez
4.2.1. I was playing with some of the settings on the right. Cool! -SA
4.2.2. You're right. This is a powerful quote and one that needs to be examined by those making curriculum and instruction decisions for our schools. I think that school needs to look like "the reality in which we live" because the main purpose of school is to prepare our students to work in that reality. This preparation needs to occur at all levels of education because we would be naive to think that students are not operating in Web 2.0 spaces and waiting to consume/produce media content until after their graduation. - Alex Kenkelen
4.3. "This involves a classroom where both teacher and student are involved and participating in discussion, where sometimes the learner is the student, but the reverse is truss so much more often." -De Abreu (p. 33). I chose this quote because I think it is very important that the teacher learns from the students, the teacher includes the students, and the teacher does not stand up in the classroom and "lecture". M. Krotz
5. Can you confirm that the bubble I created was added to the group chart? - Marjorie Rothman
5.1. Did you add the Important Quotes bubble? M. Krotz
5.2. Marjorie - if you can see your bubble, then we can see it too. I see the 1 bubble that you posted - scroll up to the very top of this page and you will see your post about Bloom's Taxonomy and Collaboration - Dr. Fritz
6. General thoughts - Dr. Fritz
6.1. I strongly agree with de Abreu in Chapter 2. Critical thinking is key to student learning. With the constant exposure to social media, students need to be able to judge their own reactions! - Alex Kenkelen
6.1.1. We can use critical literacy to illustrate how certain p.o.v.s have been historically lowered or kept down. Give all students a voice! - Alex Kenkelen
6.1.1.1. I agree with your thought and De Abreu text. However, do you think the lower end students can handle higher learning skill such as critical thinking? I am not sure, but I am observing 4th graders that can not add or use capitalization or punctuation. M. Krotz
6.2. I'm not surprised by the stat you posted that says 50% of 6th grade girls have social media sites and 1/3 of boys. I have kids slightly above this age group. I allowed them to have social media sites before they were 13. Part of it was that I didn't realize quite how man y bad things were out there. The other part, though, was that they were young enough to follow my rules: I got to see their passwords and follow them. Anything they post, I can view. It keeps them remembering that anything on the internet should be something their mother can see! I hope as they get older they follow this guideline as well. -Shannon Alvarez
6.2.1. I am also not surprised by this statistic. I know that my youngest cousins (now 15-17) have been on social media sights since they were about 10, and in fact the baby I nannied for in college (now 9 years old) is on Instagram and Twitter - I'm actually surprised the statistic isn't much higher. I think it's a mixed bag. On one hand, technology isn't going anywhere, so the younger that they learn how to use it, the better. However, it also raises questions about developing interpersonal skills and bullying. Shannon, I think your rule about "if you don't want mom to see it, it shouldn't be on the internet" is great. - Phyllis Cammiso
6.2.1.1. I have a teacher friend who is in the computer department and he doesn't allow his kids to do any social media on the internet because he is concerned about all of the bad stuff out there. That is another valid stance, in my opinion. It's so hard and that's why I have concerns about social media within the classroom. I know of a high school student who got kicked out of his high school and charged with corruption of minors and possessing child porn because he had naked pictures on his phone that he shared. Stupid move, surely...and now he is on the registered sex offender list for the next 10 (or however many) years. Bad choices stay with us longer thanks to all this new technology! -Shannon Alvarez
6.2.1.1.1. Shannon and Phyllis both make valid points. Technology isn't going anywhere. It has become engrained into our society that it has become the new normal for how people communicate. However, there is a lot of "bad stuff" on social media that young students should not see. I do not think the answer is to attempt to shield them from the "bad stuff". They will find a way onto social media no matter what we do. So I think the best thing to do would be to be upfront with our students. Tell them that the "bad stuff" exists and how to avoid it. Explain why its bad; maybe fewer mistakes will happen if we can remove ignorance about the consequences. - Alex Kenkelen
6.3. Is anyone else overwhelmed by the sheer size of this map? -S. Alvarez
6.3.1. I am slightly and I am also curious why it is all left aligned for me? In the beginning, I think it was more like a circle surrounding Week 3 Readings Group, but last 2 days, it is aligned weird for me! M. Krotz
6.3.1.1. Yes - it gets overwhelming. Something that you need to think about if you're using it in your class. Take a look at the other group's map - it looks different. You can rearrange or stress the importance of being short and to the point (not writing paragraphs on the map. -Dr. Fritz
6.3.1.1.1. I am so glad you responded to this because i assumed the other map was locked or not open to us and I agree, it is visually easier. I also agree that I need to learn to be more concise and to the point. M. Krotz
6.4. As I was reading M. Krotz Post, I was thinking that students who have issues with math and language arts, would still be likely to have critical thinking abilities. If students are growing up in poverty, attending poor schools, they may have not been exposed to the same learning resources as others. However, if students have some severe disabilities, then I think their critical thinking may be affected. Students who can't read or do math problems can still have opinions on topics. -- M. Rothman
6.4.1. I am having trouble working this on my computer. I responded to Phyllis's post about Kindergarten, and now I don't see my post or her post. I feel that Kindergarten is a time for children to interact together and with the teacher. While computers are great and helpful in many ways, kindergarten students shouldn't feel the need to escape the the virtual world. M. Rothman
6.4.1.1. After writing about this, I found a link to an article that discusses the importance of face to face time. Here is the link: http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2014/08/28/343735856/kids-and-screen-time-what-does-the-research-say M. Rothman
7. Bloom's Digital Taxonomy - ideas for our classroom (short and to the point please) -Dr. Fritz
7.1. Practice each level of the Digital Taxonomy to get a better idea of what we would be asking for our students. - Alex Kenkelen
7.1.1. It is true that we must have the opportunity to actually use Bloom's taxonomy in the classroom to really understand what it can do for students and the learning process. Andrea Santella
7.2. create a concept map with blooms digital taxonomy as the central idea and have students leave comment bubbles branching off of each domain with examples of applications of activities that fall in that domain. -Carissa McGuigan
7.2.1. The cooperative brainstorming would be very effective! The different perspectives each individual can bring to the concept map will only make it better! - Alex Kenkelen
7.2.2. Carissa, great idea! I like the idea of having students think of ideas that would move them further up Bloom's Taxonomy. Are your students familiar with the Taxonomy? I know mine aren't, but the words are easy to interpret. -S. Alvarez
7.3. I do a lot of "Creating" in my STEAM classroom, but not as much in my Math classroom. I am trying to think of ways to include creating without losing much needed instructional time to teach new concepts. If students are spending time creating are they really high up on Bloom's Taxonomy or are they simply completing a project without much thought? -Shannon Alvarez
7.3.1. It depends on your objective and how the learning experience is structured! It can happen....but not if you are having them create appropriately. -Dr. Fritz
7.4. I think there are a lot of great things going on in Bloom's digital taxonomy. Most of it, however, I have a hard time seeing taking place in an early childhood classroom. My kindergarten students are still learning how to use the computer - some of them don't know how to navigate the mouse. How can these students then participate in the resources social media has to offer? - Phyllis Cammiso
7.4.1. I could see how you would have a hard time trying to apply it to an early childhood classroom setting. It is so much easier for secondary education teachers, such as myself, to incorporate Bloom's digital taxonomy into the class. The students in high school are simply just more technologically literate and there are plenty more opportunities to provide them with work that is to take place on a social media tool that is challenging enough to keep them interested and thinking but would be much too complex for younger children. I also think that it is much easier for science teachers of secondary students to incorporate blooms digital taxonomy because of all the applications in research etc. -Carissa McGuigan
7.4.2. I agree that this would be difficult with kindergarten students! You could almost do a real life version of this where you have an idea posted on your board and they can add pictures or words to complete their brainstorming. But completing a project like this on a computer would be way too challenging for 5 and 6 year olds! S. Alvarez
7.5. I think the revised Bloom's Taxonomy is relevant. The thing I found most interesting was adding Creating after Assessment. I think it is excellent that the learning simply does not end after the assessment. M. Krotz
7.6. It is a very ordered and relevant tool to use in the classroom. It does seem to me that often times teachers do not go beyond evaluation because of time constraints. Students often do not have the opportunity to use this new information creatively. Especially those classes preparing for PSSA's. - Andrea Santella
7.6.1. I think teachers save going beyond evaluation for students who are classified as gifted as a way to challenge them - at least I know that's how I've seen Bloom's implemented in the classrooms I have been in. With the pressure for students to perform on the PSSAs (or other standardized tests) - especially in Philadelphia, I can understand though why teachers feel the need to move on quickly. The problem is this not only conflicts with Bloom's, but with the CCSS. CCSS focus on building fluency and automaticity, especially in mathematics and moving on too quickly prevents students from gaining that. Keeping Bloom's as a priority in the classroom could definitely help change that. - Phyllis Cammiso
8. In a few words (short and simple with graphic organizers!) tell how we are meeting the teacher standards (or administrator) through this class!!! -Dr. Fritz
8.1. we are learning about new social media tools that we can incorporate into our own classrooms to encourage collaboration and enhance learning and creativity. -Carissa McGuigan
8.1.1. I think it is important to stay up to date with technology. I don't like my son, who is 7, to have too much screen time, but he has been exposed to some great websites. First in Math and Pebble Go are some of the best sites I have seen for kids. I think that this type of website could be helpful to children if they have an adult guiding them while they are using it. -M. Rothman
8.2. By staying up to date on the latest technologies, we will be aware of methods that we can use to meet the ISTE standards for teachers. -Shannon Alvarez
8.3. I think this is definitely an example of modeling digital age technology and learning - this entire class is conducted online, something that is becoming more common and will continue to do so in the future. - Phyllis Cammiso
8.4. As widely and consistently as technology is used today in the social, educational, and professional world, we have an obligation to our students to prepare and educate them on how to best utilize the tools available to them. - Andrea Santella
8.4.1. This goes hand in hand with what I commented above. It is absolutely our obligation to our students to educate them on how to utilize the tools that are available and being widely used in todays society and in this class we are learning about new social media that we can incorporate into our classes with our students to better prepare them and enhance learning along the way! - Carissa McGuigan
8.5. We are meeting teacher standards with this class because students love social media and are constantly learning and using the tool. It is important that the teachers know what is going on, how it works, and know it well enough to use it comfortably in the classroom! M. Krotz
8.5.1. I absolutely agree. Teachers need to stay current in order to keep students interested and engaged. There are so many ways to bring technology in to create an interactive lesson. Andrea Santella
9. How could you use a tool like mindmeister in a classroom? (Think Collaboration - harness the power of the social media!) -Dr. Fritz
9.1. For elementary students, mindmeister would be a great tool for collaborative brainstorming. It could be used for a lesson on adjectives. With the noun in the middle, students can tack on their own descriptive words. Being able to access them at home would also make the learning more engaging! - Alex Kenkelen
9.1.1. Great idea - I have had high school science teachers use it too - they post a map of a process (photosynthesis for example) and delete certain words. The children have to go in and insert the words that are missing and add detail on the "lines" to help describe the process -Dr. Fritz
9.1.1.1. I love the science ideas, both with chemistry and photosynthesis as an example! M. Krotz
9.1.2. I think this is a great idea and it would be awesome to incorporate something like this with elementary students! collaboration is important among all grade levels and so is the use of technology in the classroom. It would be interesting to see how elementary students would react vs. how high school students would react to this tool. I also think that by having the students only responsible for tacking on single words is very appropriate for the age and keeps it simple yet effective. -Carissa McGuigan
9.1.2.1. A mtg to brainstorm - good idea! Word study, a new unit, etc. -Dr. Fritz
9.1.2.2. One word is a great idea for elementary students1 M. Krotz
9.2. Mindmeister would be a fun tool to use in a chemistry classroom. My next unit that I am teaching focuses on states of matter. I would like to see if I can use this and make the central idea properties of matter and branch off with three "sub" bubbles labeled forms, observable properties, and measurable properties. The students could log on during class using the classroom laptops and work in dyads to contribute their original ideas to the concept map. -Carissa McGuigan
9.3. I could also see using this in elementary math for things such as reviewing number bonds and fact families, especially with multiplication and division. Having the number in the middle and having students brainstorm out different ways to create the number. I wouldn't try it lower then third grade though. - Phyllis Cammiso
9.3.1. It can be done if structured properly. If you have a basic map with one circle in the middle, any level student can add bubbles. Using it as a word study tool, students have to add words that have the short a sound, and put their name in their bubbles - what a great way to assess if they can come up with these words!
9.4. I think using mindmeister in a classroom could be incredible. One could use it for projects, assignments, and even homework. Like my peers, I am concerned about deleting or changing someone else's posts. There needs to be like a "lock button" or something. M. Krotz
9.4.1. I think that would be a concern of mine as well. Older students deleting things on purpose, or changing the name on a portion to take credit for it and younger students deleting or changing things accidentally because they are not full sure how to use the platform. I wonder if there is a similar program that is designed for the classroom which would allow a lock feature or a "last edited" feature of some sort. - Phyllis Cammiso
9.5. This tool could definitely be used for literature. Students have literature circles where they discuss parts of the book in small groups and this could certainly add to that discussion in a new and interesting way. - Andrea Santella
10. ISTE Standards for Students
10.1. I really like the new draft of the new ISTE standards. I feel like they grant more agency to the student by saying what they can become, not just what they should do. - Alex Kenkelen
10.1.1. As I was looking for an article to find a link between students using technology and building students' confidence in learning, I came across this article that discusses the importance of technology in today's classroom. http://www.ijhssnet.com/journals/Vol_4_No_1_January_2014/20.pdf M. Rothman
10.1.1.1. Thank You for the article! M. Krotz
10.2. I think that it is excellent that the new ISTE Standards draft for Students enables students to control their own learning as they choose what to research and what tools to use according to their own personal needs and interests. It gives so much power to the students and enables the students to strive for something they are likely passionate about. -Carissa McGuigan
10.2.1. I completely agree with you. Through this practice, they will not only become more knowledgeable, but they will develop the skills needed to eventually expand professionally. Andrea Santella
10.2.1.1. I am having trouble getting the bubble in the right spot on the computer. In response to Shannon Alvarez's post about creating in the classroom, I would recommend finding simple opportunities for students to use the information they know to create something new. If students can write a sentence and draw a picture they can be creative. If students can play a few musical notes and record them in different ways, they can be creative. I think students can learn that they are creative in the way they organize their work. Providing different simple opportunities for creativity, I think, is a great starting point that will lead to more creative projects. - M. Rothman
10.3. The standards also ensure that students are competent and responsible users of technology and are aware of how to properly and appropriately utilize media and the internet legally, ethically, and safely which is crucial for success in the real world today as it is almost expected that individuals in the work force are knowledgeable not only in how to use the internet but how to use it correctly and especially with respect to copyright laws. -Carissa McGuigan
10.3.1. Being capable with technology is a true necessity in our modern society. To not teach students how to navigate the internet and interact with media would be to not prepare them for the real world. Isn't that our job as teachers? - Alex Kenkelen
10.3.1.1. I agree that it is important for students to understand how to use technology. People learn and communicate exponentially faster and with more people through the use of technology. People have networks of friends, peers and co-workers through technology. From medicine and science to creative artists and musicians, people of every profession have a need of understanding how to use technology, Learning technology early in life will give students the confidence and skills to learn technology as they progress through school. M. Rothman
10.4. I like how the new ISTE standards give the students a name: a computational thinker or an innovative designer. I like these identities and how the students can take them on as their own. Also teachers can use these descriptors to remind students of the goals. -Shannon Alvarez
10.4.1. I agree that this is one of the strongest components of the new ISTE standards. It lets our students feel empowered and capable while also allowing them to develop skills that they see as important. It almost reminds me of Gardner's multiple intelligences in that way. - Phyllis Cammiso
10.5. I had never heard of ISTE and I had to start with what the abbreviations stood for. I enjoyed learning about the standards and I think the new draft is excellent. It includes what they should do and what they can become. I understand common core and standards and completely agree with equality and standards. But, being honest, I still struggle with all the "rules" and expectations because I feel like there is not enough time in the day to get everything in. I also would like free time to run creative and fun lessons that possibly aren't included in the assessments, but are still relevant to the students. I think standards and common core is leading teacher to "teach toward the test" and taking away some of their flexibility which is leading to taking away their creativity. M. Krotz
10.5.1. There are definitely aspects where teachers need to teach to the test, especially in math where students either know a skill or do not. However, I do appreciate the problem solving skills that are associated with the core. -S.Alvarez
10.5.1.1. I see your point about knowing a skill or not. I also understand having all students learn the same curriculum at the same grade! But, I still wonder if there is a better way? M. Krotz