Hello? Hello? Are you out there? Oh – now we can see you! Zoom. Just like that. We shared our partI of Virtual teachingSOS!
Before going any further, take a breath and know that you can do this! Then, watch this Youtube video: I Will Survive, Coronavirus version for teachers going online
What to do now that you have taken a much needed deep breath? We want to share some incredible ideas with you as you charter these educational waters virtually. Tossing some lifesavers your way to help you and your learners navigate the virtual waters of learning. We asked our teacher educator colleagues from the SMSU School of Education and across campus to contribute resources to share out with you. A quick shoutout to our talented SMSU colleagues for responding to our request: Drs. Rhonda Bonnstetter, Sarah Huseby, Kandy Noles Stevens, Frankie Albitz, Kris Cleveland, Debbie VanOverbeke … thank you for your efforts to support our teacher candidates and educators everywhere! Before checking out the list of resources, we want to share our support and thank all the healthcare and emergency workers on the front lines and all essential workers who cannot stay home with their families in order to care for the greater good. Thank you and our continued prayers go out for your safety!
What awesome ideas do you have to share? Please let us know! We need each other and our creative ideas now more than ever. Take care!
This site is great for elementary teachers and reads books in English & 43 different languages!
This site, much like Rosetta Stone, teaches students new languages – set the language to English and our English learners can continue their language learning.
Great for a variety of subjects – and for our English learners with a primary language in Spanish, Kahn Academy in Spanish!
Great for a variety of subjects! For English learners, use the English Language Arts tab.
A site that allows you to create quizzes – both for individual practice and for a game-like atmosphere.
This post is the final installment of a 3-part blog highlighting technology in education.
Web 2.0 tools can be valuable assets to the classroom at any level. Educators need to be purposeful with their selection of tools to implement in their classes. They need to consider the content and what tools best match the pedagogy style needed to meet the needs of the learners – regardless of their age and level. This applies to school or the workplace… be intentional.
Without further ado – here are some WEB 2.0 Tools for you to consider and intentionally select to use in your classroom or workplace:
Poll Everywhere – Find out who your audience is or what your learners know about a topic. Easy tool to survey a group and have instant, live results to share. www.polleverywhere.com
Twitter – This may be considered the #1 professional development tool out there. Follow others to find out. www.twitter.com
Instagram– Have your class post pictures from classroom activities to work samples to share out with their families to see the dinner conversation grow. www.instagram.com
Kidblog– Blog to share information and learn from one another. Learners can share what they have read and discussed to have their own PD sharing. www.kidblog.org
Glogster – Glogster can help share information with others in an engaging, interactive poster-kind-of-way. Embed videos, incorporate pictures, share text, and include graphics to share your information. www.glogster.com
Voki– Have your voki share your thoughts. This makes engagement fun for your students and challenges them to consider closely what they want to say. www.voki.com
Animoto – Who doesn’t love a good movie?! Showcase who you are… be authentic! www.animoto.com
Wordle – Mean what you say and say what you mean. Wordle will present your words in a graphic way! http://www.wordle.net
Check them out and see what they can do for you and your learners/colleagues.
This post is the second installment of a 3-part blog highlighting technology in education. Read on and stop back to learn more.
Communication, collaboration, critical thinking and problem solving, and creativity and innovation are considered the 4 Cs in education today. They are the expectations for learners for life beyond the classroom. “Using the 4 Cs to engage students is imperative. As educators prepare students for this new global society, teaching the core content subjects must be enhanced by incorporating critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creativity” (NEA, 2015, p. 3). Implementing the 4 Cs into the teaching and learning process is critical. It is required. According to President Obama, “I’m calling on our nation’s governors and state education chiefs to develop standards and assessments that don’t simply measure whether students can fill in a bubble on a test, but whether they possess 21st century skills like problem-solving and critical thinking and entrepreneurship and creativity” (NEA, 2015, p.5). National and international leaders are counting on learners, or rather, citizens to be engaged and possess the skills to aid in society’s success.
Considering the advancement of technology and the call for improved life skills, what changes are needed to meet the needs of the learners and the society? Education must support, sustain, and improve technology and likewise, technology must support, sustain, and improve education. With the tech savvy generation growing up, the dilemma is “as students are more likely to express themselves through texts and tweets, schools must find a way to keep up with this new tech-savvy generation” (Kirton, 2015, p.11). Educators must acknowledge and respond to the changes in technology in our schools.
According to John Stocks in a National Education Association publication, we need new tools to support educators in the classroom as they implement new strategies to enhance the 4 Cs – communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity (NEA, 2015). What are these new tools supporting the teaching and learning process of the 4 Cs? Web 2.0 tools are considered a possible solution. “Web 2.0 is about revolutionary new ways of creating, collaborating, editing and sharing user-generated content online. It’s also about ease of use. There’s no need to download, and teachers and students can master many of these tools in minutes. Technology has never been easier or more accessible to all” (Discovery Education, 2015, para 1).
Although some may question if Web 2.0 tools are replacing teachers and teaching, they are enhancing student learning and engagement. According to Todd Conaway, an instructional designer at Yavapai College, “None of these tools can replace the passion you have for your content or for teaching, but they can help you demonstrate that passion and carry it forward to your online students” (Bart, 2009, para 4). To improve student learning, educators need to demonstrate and live out their passion in their teaching. “Your passion will also help you become absolutely relentless in the pursuit of excellence” (Burgess, 2012, p.10). Web 2.0 tools can truly enhance teaching and learning. “When technology works well in the classroom, it does so because it doesn’t really change anything. It just allows teachers to do the things we already do, but in an easier and more streamlined way” (Kirton, 2015, p.15).
Even with active support for Web 2.0 tools in the classroom, critics continue to speculate that technology is taking over the profession of teaching. It is the responsibility of educators to integrate technology in purposeful and meaningful ways. “Educators need to strike the right balance between incorporating devices into lessons when necessary and keeping students focused on the task at hand” (Kirton, 2015, p.17). With existing criticism surrounding the use of technology in education, educators should consider the right balance and make conscious decisions about the integration of technology into their teaching. According to Killory “Technology is fantastic and embracing it is a good thing, but it shouldn’t necessarily be a juggernaut that dictates the learning process. Don’t discount seemingly ‘old school’ methods just because the latest technology is flashy and modern. Just as a teacher should ask students to develop a questioning attitude, it is paramount for teachers to question their choices, too” (Kirton, 2015, p.17).
Technology, in particular Web 2.0 tools, can benefit the teaching and learning process if integrated in mindful and intentional ways. With thoughtful implementation, technology can serve as a valuable tool in the classroom, aiding in the teaching and learning process to allow learners opportunities to grow in ways not even imaginable to the school setting of the past.
Sorry if this blog seemed like a research paper; it is an occupational hazard for us at times! Stop back for Part III to find out some practical Web 2.0 tools and ideas to implement in your classroom or workplace.
Dunn, J. (2010). The 35 best Web 2.0 classroom tools chosen by you. Edudemic: Connecting education &
technology. Retrieved from: http://www.edudemic.com/best-web-tools/
Kirton, H. (2015, September). Is technology taking over teaching? IB World issue 72, p. 11-21.
Haymarket Network, UK
postermywall.comThis post is the first installment of a 3-part blog highlighting technology in education. Read on and stop back to learn more.
Education as we know it from years ago has changed. It is changing. It is no longer the “sit and get” theory based on a society of the past with focus on reading, writing, and arthritic only; education instead is focusing on communication, collaboration, critical thinking and problem solving, and creativity and innovation.
One big player in the classroom today is technology. Technology is a major focus in education, and it is shaping our society and schools. The impact of technology is far reaching, encompassing lands, cultures, genders, and ages from young children holding iPads in efforts to learn their ABCs to senior citizens utilizing iPads to stay in touch with distant family members. With the increase of technology usage and advancements, people are continually growing in knowledge and comfort with technology, including learners in schools. Considering the integration of technology in life and in education, students attending schools in the 21st century are tech savvy. Now the question is – are their schools?
What implications does this have for education? How does technology impact the 4 Cs previously noted – communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity?
Let us know your thoughts! Look for more in Part II of this series, but until then –
Stay Calm & Lead On!
Profs Dr. C. & Dr. V.
edUconnections 