Voki

Well, I found this assignment to be a bit more frustrating than I hoped it to be!! 

The reason was, Voki will not publish your avatar, unless you register as an educator, with a free trial, in which you have to give a cc#. Not happy with that. At all. 

Even though I registered prior to creating my educator acct, and I was still signed in, the avatar I created, was NOT saved!! The website also proved to be exceedingly SLOWWWW!

So, I had to re-create her/me!! Then, I needed to record my intro in 60 secs. Well, now I know why we were told to keep our intros to 85 words!! I came in at 90, after editing my copy, down to bare bones!!

Other than the above frustration, I love and have created many avatars before, from online, to Wii. I liked the personalization options, I just found Voki to be very user, unfriendly, in the end of the whole LONG process!

Will I use this in the future? Maybe? I have to check out some of the lesson plans posted, and see how will fit in with my future teaching endeavors.

The NETS-T this relates to is:
1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity.

Link to Self Intro

How Millennial Are You?

What is a "Millennial" vs. What is NOT a "Millennial"? (or Who is Me vs. Who is My Mother!!!! (LOL!!!)-seriously!!!)
-Eager to explore a new device/ Scared of anything new, that they might not understand.
-Digs in and figures out how a device works, simply by using it!/ Fearful of all of the instructions in a manual; often does not learn basic functions, because to do so seems overwhelming!
-Takes chances! Uses GPS to navigate directions/ Plots out directions to a destination using a map book. Or, does not venture out of one own's comfort zone, because of paranoia, which tends to increase with one's age.


What is the Information-Age mindset?

The information-age mindset, differs significantly from the mindset of those who either grew up as members of the silent generation of our parents, or the post WWII baby-boomer generation, both of whom transitioned from the 20th Century/Industrial age. Today's student has grown up with a culture, that only knows what it is like to be instantly connected to others in the world, and have a constant source of digitally based information.

Ten Attributes Reflecting Values and Behaviors Making
up the Information-Age Mindset & am I, In or Out?

• (Related to broad observations of change)

1. Computers Aren't Technology Out
2. Internet Better Than TV In
3. Reality No Longer Real In
4. Doing Rather Than Knowing In (i.e. babies who can't even walk, being able to effectively use a digital device.)

• (How people do things) 

5. Nintendo over Logic In
6. Multitasking Way of Life In
7. Typing Rather Than Handwriting Out 

• (Subliminal needs conditioned by the cyber-age)

8. Staying Connected In
9. Zero Tolerance for Delays In
10. Consumer/Creator Blurring In (i.e. the public is the QC source now)



Link to: Millennial Quiz

My scores:

Relative to last 24 hrs

Typical Day

When I took the Millennial Quiz the first time, my score was lower, than what I thought typical, because I had not sent nor received any text messages on my cell phone. On a usual day, I send/receive between 1 & 5 texts. So, I have included stats for a typical day of texts, which reflects that practice.

I am what I call, a moderate user of technology. I don't have to be plugged in, constantly. But, I do like the convenience of being able to plug in, via my laptop or the my smartphone, that I have had for a year now.

I feel comfortable exploring a new device, without needing to consult the manual. I have gotten used to "immediate gratification"! I could not use "dial-up" anymore, yet I remember the days of, waiting to use my home phone, because the "party-line" (blast from the past-whoa!!!) was sharing the line!!!

I know some of my mindset is because I live in the D.C. area. I also am the mom of a 5th grader. So, I live a "multi-tasking" life, and I know that "cursive writing" is on its way out, in elementary curriculum's  My son began "keyboarding" in 4th grade, whereas I learned how to "type" in the 7th grade!

I also have taken two "distance-based" college classes, and am familiar with new practices in pedagogy. I have worked with rubrics, written reflective essays, and now.....I blog!! 

I like to think of myself, as I am in my lifestyle, enlightened and not afraid to take chances and learn new things!! I plan on extending these characteristics into my classroom.

Word Cloud

I had fun with Wordle! I am an artsy/visual type person, who has fun with fonts, colors, layout..... So it was fun to take both versions of the NETS-T and change them up & play with them!

Then, I had fun with my political views...although I would be careful not to reveal them in a school setting, since I intend to teach Social Science, I decided to do at least one half of the proverbial aisle and do a Democratic Wordle! I really like how this program highlights the words in such a creative style!

So, how have technology standards evolved? They have certainly become more inviting and creative. 

Today's standards appear to be focused more on sharing current media and technologies with students, colleagues and the community, as a whole. The whole learning experience available in the public school setting now incorporates digital age technology opportunities, which did not exist when the standards were first established.

The standards written in 2000, were written in a language that remind me of how I worded my lesson plan objectives, way back in the '80's!! (Yup, I'm old!!) They were seemed to use a more formal language style, that does not reflect on the creativity modern technology has provided us with.

The styles of learning and the way standards are now written, invites both the teacher, the student and the school community to participate in the movement towards digital age learning. 

Since my son's principal took the reins of his school 3 or 4 years ago, so much has evolved! He had us moving in a new direction! We went from hard-copies of the school newsletter, to digital format. 

The school website was completely re-vamped, with digital photo albums, etc. We now can "connect" to the site with an app on our smartphones! We also receive "Connect-Ed" calls, enabling us to communicate information more effectively regarding closings, and the like (and we no-longer have to tune into WTOP or Topper Shutt!! LOL!!).

Below are the two versions of the NETS-T standards, for reference.


NETS-T 2000 Word Cloud 

NETS-T 2008 Word Cloud   


The standard this activity represented was:
5. Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership.

CarpeDiem

The first thing I would like to say is:
I love my smartphone!! I get (and got) a whole lot of "hoo-haa" from my husband during Thanksgiving break & to our friends about smartphones! 

Yet, while my husband tried to use an antiquated mobile nav device (yup, even upgrading his nav in his 2004 Prius would cost an arm and a leg in software upgrades), I was able to use my SP as a nav device, and I didn't have to worry about software upgrades, etc.! I found us movies to go to, too, w/ my Fandango app!

I was able to do schoolwork in the car and our hotel, by using my SP as a hotspot, and have added anti-virus & firewalls to both my netbook and SP, so I don't have to worry about logging onto unsecured wifi networks! I have instant access to Blackboard, to Google+, Docs, Blogger, etc., to Quick Office, banking apps, and all kinds of ways of staying connected, when I want to! Gotta love it!!

I have been able to troubleshoot issues w/ my aging parents, in another state, simply by using my smartphone! So yeah, I love technology, new software, the mobility of devices, apps....you name it! 

I kept hearing the same stuff...."we were fine before we had all of this technology...". Ok, do I like that our youth is communicating by texting, while they are standing right next to one another, or the guy who apparently stood next to my husband and was texting & peeing at the same time (sorry, TMI-trying to make a point, here!!) NO! But, my reasoning is: if you don't have it, you don't know what you are missing; and once you do have it (technology), you will never want to be without it again!! "Try it, you'll like it!"

Question? What did people think about the telephone and telegraph a 100 years ago? Times are a changin', and except for a small part of it, (like being able to follow a General's paper trail!!! LOL!!) technology is here to stay, and it is coming on strong in all of our schools, that have the bucks to support it!

LCPS now have electronic whiteboards, such as the Smartboard, or Promethean Board in every classroom! It only the 2nd year for this step-up in technology of learning! I see kids with Kindles & Nooks too. But hardly any smartphones/tablets/mobile devices are being used in the mainstream classroom, for K-12 learning, that is.

So, St. Mary's or Carpe Diem? I hate rote learning. Therefore, I am not a proponent of Carpe Diem methods, of having a kid sit in front of a computer or educator, for hours on end, simply to be "fed" information! I love interactive, hands on, thought-provoking, and problem-solving learning, which I feel the St.Mary's program is using! 

My 5th grader son is not a "self-starter". He wants someone  else to do it for him! That is one of the reasons we have him engaging in a 21st Century program called, Odyssey of the Mind. It engages the K-12 child in problem-solving skills, independent learning processes, and out of the box thinking, in which the parents are not allowed to help!! Yeah!

I have included an example of the Odyssey of the Mind, long-term task, my son will be working on, as an example of how technology is advancing its way into learning. While he will not be using a mobile-device, in this task, he will be learning about the mechanics, importance, presence, etc. of technology in our world and its use in pedagogy. 

I am confident, the use of mobile technologies will become a way of life in schools, K-12. The cost factor, is what is keeping many away! My husband's biggest complaint is the $30 we have to pay for my mobile data plan! We already have an Internet connection through our cable company, but that does not cover our use of mobile devises, and by itself, is as expensive as hell!

I am hoping my 75 yo mom will finally move into the 21st Century, & purchase a computer this year! 

The cloud technology is moving us away from independent learning, (ie. non-sharing experiences) and towards being able to effectively use programs, such as Google, and work collaboratively on projects while in our classrooms!

The NETS-T standards related to this assignment are in fact, all of the standards:
1. Facilitate Student Learning and Creativity.
2. Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments.
3.Model Digital Age Work and Learning.
4. Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility.
5. Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership.

Excel 1.3

For for this assignment, I utilized the same data population as was used in Excel 1.2, taken from the NCES website. The criterion was the same, Grade 4, Reading w/ Accommodations, 2011. However, the analysis was done in the form of a t-Test, using data samples to determine if reading score differences were gender dependent.

I performed the t-Test and found that, although significant differences existed when comparing male and female scores, influences from independent variables should be considered in outcomes. 

Finding the 1 tail P Value measurement greater than .05; resulted in my conclusion that  4th grade reading scores were not influenced by gender differences and I therefore, accepted the null hypothesis. The t-Test statistical analysis may be viewed in the chart below.

If I used this statistical analysis in my future Social Science classroom, a possible research topic might include, comparing early presidential elections, when women were denied the right to vote, to the modern election process of including the female vote; thus examining what influences might be directly dependent on the participation of females in election outcomes.

The NETS-T standard related to this activity is:
2. Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments.

Excel 1.2

I have been using Excel for around 15 years or so. It is probably my favorite MS program, because it is so "orderly" and versatile. It is "the" tool for spreadsheets! I once used MS Access, and did not find it as user friendly!

However, I used my SS for database purposes, and although I used the SUM function, I have never been well versed in other functions, such as the one we used for this activity, statistical. So, this was a huge learning curve for me, pardon the pun.....

The first obstacle was figuring out if I could add-on the data analysis tool pack, using Windows 7 Starter, to find my descriptive statistics. I couldn't! I still may decide to buy W7! I thus, did my statistical analysis the manual way, and I hope it is accurate! I tested, and re-tested, so I think most is accurate!

I went through the steps on the NCES website, for the data analysis, then downloaded it to Excel on my netbook, and worked manually to get the descriptive stats in place, and saved all of my stats, including the scatter chart, on one worksheet. I found Excel to be very helpful in annotating my chart, w/o having to use my little buddy Jing! Although, I love Jing! 

The only issue I had, is when I uploaded my final document to G-docs, it kinda messed it up, dividing it into three different sheets, and my scatter chart is not formatted to what was in my original document. So, I am going use Jing to capture the chart and embed it in my blog.

I included male/female in this first activity, because it represents part of the whole of the stats, even though I will be isolating the m/f stats for Excel 2.

In a nutshell what I found was, Virginia ranks quite high in comparison to the other states! We rank 84%. There are only 7 states above us, and 44 states below us! Mass. ranks highest, and Washington, D.C. ranks last! (Sorry, D.C.) 

The NETS-T standard learned in the activity is :
5. Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership.

State Comparisons, 4th Grade, Reading w/ Accommodations

Rubistar

I was subbing for a 5th grade teacher last week, and happened upon a rubric she had, for her class, on writing. My son is in 5th grade, in a different school, and he has had some issues with Language Arts, specifically, with writing skills.

I saw this as a wonderful opportunity to re-create her rubric and apply it towards helping my son with his creative writing. While it is not the most intricate of rubrics, since it is for 5th grade levels, it suits my purpose for both this class, as well as a real-life requirement that I can apply in a practical manor!

I liked Rubistar, and found it very helpful, but I seemed to have issues with formatting. I wanted everything left-justified and numbered 4-1, with each item on its own line, e.g.
4 - The student has.....
3 - The student has.....
I was not able to do that with Rubistar, nor was I able to fix it, once I downloaded it to an Excel SS.

While I will be linking to all of my examples, I re-created my rubric in Excel, with the formatting I preferred to use.

Nonetheless, I found Rubistar to be a helpful tool that I shall probably use in the future when creating rubrics for a higher grade level. Thus, NETS-T standards this activity relates to are:
2. Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments.
5. Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership.
Rubistar Rubric: 5th Grade Writing Rubric
Excel Format 5th Grade Writing Rubric
I had an issue uploading the Excel upload of my Rubistar to GDocs, but will attempt to link to it, although I linked to my own Excel rubric above. Rubistar Excel format