Digital Citizenship-Reflection#1

November 25, 2018November 27, 2018 themcdanielview

Week one for Digital Citizenship was eye-opening. I didn’t know there was a such thing as digital citizenship or that there is so much information out there. Digital citizenship is a necessary component for everyone, especially students to know and understand who engage in the digital, virtual world.

Ribble discusses the nine elements of digital citizenship in his book: Digital Citizenship in Schools as well as on his website-http://www.digitalcitizenship.net. I thought it was interesting that Ribble categorized technology users into two groups: “digital natives” and “digital immigrants”. These are such interesting terms and pretty accurate categories. Digital natives are individuals who have been born into technology and use it in their everyday lives. Digital immigrants are individuals who have to learn how to use technology. Ribble discusses, “digital citizenship is not a new concept in the field of digital technologies.” As I read on in the book, I understood what he was conveying. It is about the social norms and ways to behave appropriately when using technology. The internet is by far not the first technology. It is however, the technology that is heavily relied upon and used across the world for a plethora of means. Ohler’s article speaks volumes when it comes to digital citizenship. He asked the question, should students live two lives or one? When I first began reading the article, I thought to myself, what is he referring to? As I read on, I thought, “Wow!” Students should definitely live one life. Students need to be taught the importance of behaving appropriately online at school as well as at home. I think it is unrealistic and unpreparing to have kids totally unplug at school. Schools should have the responsibility of teaching students how to behave appropriately online and why it is important. Most schools have Acceptable Use Policies as Ribble discussed, however they fail to create curricula that help students understand acceptable behavior and norms. I know at my school we have an AUP, however we don’t teach students about acceptable behavior online and why it’s important. I believe there are many people out there who feel these norms are common sense and don’t see the need or importance of teaching such curricula. This is a terrible assumption to have, and I will admit, I was in that bunch until reading the materials from this week. Ribble (2015) said it best, “Technology leaders should not assume that their policy, simply because it is in place, is helping students.” Cyberbullying, illegal content, scams, and other inappropriate behaviors are not going anywhere anytime soon. We can help our students recognize these things and how to stay away from them.

With digital citizenship, that is the focus, helping students. The development of the nine elements was created to help schools help students. The nine elements are a proactive approach versus a reactive approach. Students can be susceptible to many behaviors in the virtual world if not taught how to avoid, respond, or act appropriately online. The digital world is full of awaiting opportunities from sharing information, research, commerce, and so on. It is our responsibility to make sure those opportunities are reached in a safe manner. Now that I am aware of the importance of digital citizenship, it is my responsibility to bring this knowledge to my school and our students.

Here are some resources to better understand digital citizenship:

http://www.digitalcitizenship.netMike Ribble’s website really delves into what it means to be a digital citizen. There is a page dedicated to the nine elements.
iste.org and search the tag digital citizenship. There are some great articles listed that discuss how teachers are teaching digital citizenship. There are also articles about students becoming successful digital citizens.
Youtube-searching digital citizenship. There are so many videos out there about digital citizenship. This would give them an opportunity to see it action.
https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-citizenshipThis is a phenomenal website with a plethora of information about digital citizenship. This website also has free lessons for each grade level about digital citizenship.
Brainpop.comSince our school already has a subscription to brainpop, this would be a great resource for teachers. I know brainpop is supposed to be for students, however I have found that I am able to learn a lot from the videos as well.

References:

Ohler, J. (2012). Digital citizenship means character education for the digital age. Education Digest: Essential Readings Condensed for Quick Review

Ribble, M. (2015). Digital citizenship in schools: Nine elements all students should know. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education

Blended Learning-Our Future

November 11, 2018February 11, 2019 themcdanielview

Blended Learning is a trending learning model to help students succeed in their learning. Today, as educators we are tasked with engaging the 21st century learner. Direct instruction and lectures are not enough. We don’t get rid of those traditional models, we enhance them with technology and other tools that we now have access to. I have ascertained that LEARNING is the primary focus for students. There are many tools out there to help meet this goal. Dr. H has drilled this concept and I think I finally got it! 🙂 Thank you! Check out this short video to peak your interest!

I am proposing some pretty innovative concepts for my school. I believe these models will be extremely beneficial to our students, parents, and teachers. I hope you enjoy reading this proposal.

Because I really believe in this proposed project and this is something that I want to see happen at my school, I really dove into researching supporting articles for the Flipped Classroom and Station Rotation. These are concepts that our school has been interested in for awhile, but had’t had success in follow through. My goal is to make sure this project is carried out and given time to be successful. Click on the image below to experience my Literature Review. The information provided in the review is a mere piece of the supporting information for Blended Learning. Enjoy!!!!

Of course with any project, there must be a plan to follow to get the ball rolling in the right direction. Planning must be thorough and include steps to monitor goals and adjust if necessary. With all that said, we must keep our eye on the target, which is student learning. Of course there will be hiccups and readjustments, but a well thought out plan will have room for growing pains. Check out my plan to implement the Flipped Classroom, Station Rotation, and Individualized Homework. Implementation Plan-Final

NEXT STEPS…..

Once I began researching, I felt like I couldn’t stop. I am amazed at how much information is out there about blended learning and the insane results that are being generated. My goal is to be a resource to my campus as we implement this project. How can I do this? This is only possible by keeping myself knowledgeable of the vast amounts of information that is available at my fingertips, whether it is from videos online or more literature.

Here are some more videos about blended learning and how elementary schools are currently using the flipped classroom and station rotation.

This video focuses on the why and how of the flipped classroom model.

This video shows you how the flipped classroom has worked in an elementary school.

Another model of blended learning, focusing on station rotation.

I like to learn from others, there is so much research out there about blended learning. I am learning that this is really not as new of a concept as I originally thought. Here are some books that I plan to read or listen to the audiobook if available. I have become a audiobook fanatic!

Blended Learning in Action: A Practical Guide Toward Sustainable Change

I am really intrigued about this book. Tucker is also featured in the youtube video about blended learning above. She discusses the station rotation model. This book focuses on increasing student engagement through the use of blended learning, using technology as a tool.

Getting Smart: How Digital Learning is Changing the World– October 18, 2011

Who doesn’t want to get smarter? Ark discusses why students should be exposed to digital learning. This is where our world is headed. We need to be on the side of preparing our students for the future. It appears he shares stories of success as well.

Just Ask Us: Kids Speak Out on Student Engagement (Corwin Teaching Essentials) 1st Edition

What better way to find out what students expect in school! This book is full of student quotes and what they want in a learning environment. It will be interesting to see the different perspectives of the many students surveyed.

group of people raising right hand — Photo by rawpixel.com on Pexels.com

Professional Developments I would like to experience:

ISTE 2019: https://conference.iste.org/2019/

JUNE 23-26, 2019: This conference seems like a digital educator dream. ISTE is responsible for digital learning standards and is a great resource in the digital education world.

Blended and Personalized Learning Conference: https://blendedlearningconference.com

APRIL 4-6, 2019: An entire conference on blended learning! This would be a great opportunity for the pilot teachers of the blended learning program to get some valuable information and exposure to how blended learning is working across the nation.

We have the ability to truly engage our students with authentic learning experiences. Keeping our focus on student learning will greatly benefit all stakeholders involved. We want to be able to plant in students the capability of true problem solving and critical thinking. We also want to prepare them for the future. Technology or school are not going anywhere anytime in the foreseeable future. Let’s use these two tools to increase student learning!

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The Wrap-Up (5303)

September 30, 2018 themcdanielview

text on shelf — Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

I am not sure where to begin! This class has really had a dramatic effect on me. I guess that is the point of the class. In our last class, 5302, I was introduced to CSLE and COVA. Now I can truly say, I appreciate these concepts. I feel like I have learned so much in a short period of time. The guidance provided seemed a little challenging initially. Being given a choice in how I demonstrate my learning is priceless. Failing Forward, the book by John C. Maxwell, was not a required read for this class, but it was referenced in either the 1^st or 2^nd class conference. The ideas that were shared from this book, inspired to me actually read it. I am glad I did. The principles discussed in this book help embrace the COVA model. When I began, I was unsure of how I was going to accomplish creating an Eportfolio, especially because I didn’t know what it was or how it would benefit me. Fast forward a few weeks later, I am constantly thinking about what I can blog about or what I can add to my site.

The connections that have been in this class, I feel are going to be professional collaborators and partners even after we finish this class and program. I only wish other classes focus on collaboration and networking, I believe this component made all the difference. We were able to share thoughts, fears, give advice, and just be an ear to each other. We were also encouraged to give each other meaningful feedback, this was quite beneficial. Reviewing other Eportfolios gives me inspiration and new ideas.

There are things in my Eportfolio that still need fine tuning. I am still trying to figure out how to add tags and I just learned that I don’t have the capability to add videos directly from a file. In order for me to add a video, I have to upload it to YouTube and then share it to my page. Not sure how I feel about that yet.

I have designed and established a place that belongs to me where I can share, document my learning, and revisit ideas. This is definitely just the beginning!