Experiences in Technology

My Experiences
The assignments for module 3 have really opened up a world of possibilities for me.  At first, I felt extremely overwhelmed as I read through the assignments we would have to complete this module.  But I took a deep breath and began, taking on the assignments one by one.  They really were a lot easier than they seemed like they were going to be, and I am actually enjoying the creating part, playing with the html on each page and finding new links, pics, and info to plug in.  It truly appeals to my artistic side – a side of me that often gets pushed to the back burner as I plow through my school work.  Making an annotation remix of the “identifying strategies” videos was way more fun than writing a paper about them.  And analyzing actual hoax websites was a great hands-on activity that could definitely be used in the school environment (and even with my own kids) to spark conversations about what makes a source credible vs. what makes a source not credible.  

See my blog on judging credibility for more info:  
http://shawneeedu106.blogspot.com/2014/10/how-do-we-judge-credibility.html

Extending My Experiences to the Classroom
Having students hack a website's credibility would be a great way to show students how easy it is to create your own hoax website – it would be an authentic learning experience that the students could connect with.  Sometimes students get the Charlie brown syndrome – when adults talk, all they hear is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ss2hULhXf04.  Sometimes you just can’t tell kids how it is – you have to let them see for themselves – and these exercises are a great way to do that.  

How Do We Judge Credibility?

Think about how the author came across as credible.  How did the creators come off as experts?  What design decisions make the website seem credible?  

Site C - Computer Tan:
- Home page has a video with a tanned model, as if she has used the
  product successfully herself
- Video and links include scientific-like explanations and terms
- Site offers a free trial
- They also have a mobile app
- The have an FAQ link
     * Uses scientific-like explanations
     * Has specific questions that create connections with the potential
        customers
          - i.e. customers are only allowed 1 session per day to protect
            them from overexposure
          - sends the message "we care about you and your well being"

Site D - Ova Prima:
- About section lends credibility
     * Since 1887
     * partners in field of education
          - "Prestigious teacher's workshops"
- Describes their partnerships - all "experts"
     * In the field of education
     * In the scientific community
          - paleontology
          - oogenetics
          - archaeology
          - ovaprimatology
- The fact that they "fund education and research"
- Evidence of their research with pictures and professional looking articles
- New links with pictures, name drops (Dr. Phillips) and
  scientific terms (ova intra ova)
     * International level
     * National level
     * Personal level
          - Charity
          - Marriage of employees

Site E - GMail Tap:
- Has Google logo
- They give the people in the video official titles, like they are an official 
   part of the Google company
- In one of the videos, they connect the app to the movie I am
     * An "enlightened" kind of movie, so this app must be "enlightened" 
        as well
- They link an employee to a historically famous person
- Inspirational music playing with their inspirational message
- Appears to be connected to the actual Google site - when you click 
  the links it takes you to authentic Google links

How should I judge the credibility of authors online? 
After viewing the above hoax websites, it seems to me that it is quite easy to appear credible.  Judging credibility should not happen at the surface level (don't judge a book by its cover).  One must delve deeper in order to judge whether or not a source can be trusted.  Pictures, names, titles, logos, expert language, or the appearance of a "true website" do not add up to making a source trustworthy.  Who are the people in the picture?  Who is the Doctor, or the experts mentioned on the site - what have they accomplished?  If a site shows an official logo such as the Google GMail one, can you go directly to that source and find the product they are talking about? If a site claims to have a long history, supposedly proving expertise in a subject, can you find other info about this company to back up the claims?  Do the sources listed within the site actually exist?  Are they credible?  


Conclusion
It seems like every aspect of a site should be questioned in order to determine its credibility.  Some sites are obviously hoaxes.  Others are more difficult to judge, Don't take all the info a site gives you at face value - look into it and see if it checks out.  

Online Research and Me: Ready - Go!

Our readings this week made me think about my own experiences with online research and comprehension.  In chapter 15 from Best Practices in Teaching the New Literacies of Online Research and Comprehension, the authors state that “the ability to read and use online information effectively to solve problems defines success in both life and work” ((Leu, D.J., et al, 346).  This sentence gave me an immediate flash back of an incident at work:

I had just arrived at work – the office of a company that makes labels for electronics, medical devices, etc.  Logging into my computer, I could feel the eyes of the girl who sat next to me watching my every move even as she squinted intently at her screen, scrolled, and clicked.  “You’d better hurry up and look at your email!”  she laughed.  My heart started beating.  “Why?”  I wondered out loud as I threw my purse in the drawer and began clicking.  Our boss had sent us an email:

A new customer needs the material in the attached drawing and we don’t carry it.  Our sales guy doesn't know what the material is or where to find it.  Your task is to find out what it is and who carries it. Whoever finds the material first will get lunch.  Ready - Go!

She gave us a price range the customer needed along with the drawing of the part. 

“I just started” my co-worker said gleefully as she picked up the phone.  “I already found one company and maybe another.”  I ignored her as I began my search.  I knew that a lot more than lunch was on the line.  A reputation in the company as someone who could problem-solve not only effectively, but also efficiently was something that could carry you far here.  It could be the difference between keeping your job or losing it when things got slow there. 

Disoriented by the whir of my thoughts – all a jumble from being thrown into this task without even having had my coffee – I scrolled through the info that came up in answer to my search, trying to quickly evaluate it to make up for the few minutes head-start my coworker had.  It took me longer than her to locate sources – longer to evaluate the incoming info, which means she was able to communicate her findings first.  I have the basic literacy skills necessary to complete the task, but they were less practiced than hers where – perhaps out of date and therefore not fully adapted to the new technologies that had evolved since I first learned my skills. 

Of course, I use my computer all the time for my class assignments, but that’s about it.  My coworker uses her technology all the time for everything; she is constantly creating and participating.  I brush off that part – who has time for that when you attend classes full time and are a full time mother?  But the truth is, it wouldn't take so much of my time up if I would practice it and interact with it on a consistent basis.  Then I would be there for the evolving process – I would be there to learn the changes as they come along and they wouldn't be so intimidating – or time consuming for that matter.  It is worth the time – my success depends on it.    

Why Am I Here?

Why am I here?  That is a good question.  This class is not one of my requirements.  In fact, I am pretty much done with all of my requirements, which is part of the reason I am here.  I argued with myself for a good month about how many classes I should take this semester.  There were pros and cons to both sides.  The pros for remaining full time won, so here I am.  But I only needed two more classes to complete both of my majors – one class for my education major, and one class for my Spanish major.  So what to fill the rest of my schedule with?  I poured over the classes available:  Fun classes, useful classes, interesting classes.  I've spent the past four years working my butt off here at SCSU – I wanted any class I took to be something that would enhance my education – something I could use in the future.  

So I guess “useful” was my main focus – I came across EDU 106 in the list of Education classes.  Technology was definitely a class I could use.  I wouldn't say I’m computer illiterate, but I wouldn't say I’m fluent in technology either.  And as a teacher, I need to stay on top of the technology that is available – especially because it is constantly changing.  I want technology to be an asset to my classroom, not something I dread having in it or decline to have in my classroom because I don’t understand it. And anyway - who says "useful" can't be fun.  For me, any class related to my Education major is fun because it contributes to my passion.  I want to be a teacher that can change with the times - not one that gets stuck in the past.  I've seen how that can turn out.  This class is definitely more work than I thought it would be, but it is also definitely worth my time and effort.  

#1stchat - Twitter Analysis

Intro

It took me awhile, but with a little help, I was able to find a twitter chat that sparked my interest: #1stchat.  This chat is for first grade teachers specifically, and for primary grade teachers generally.  All of them collaborate and interact to share ideas and tools which can improve their lessons in the classroom.  Although I was not able to participate in the twitter chat, I learned a lot from reading the archive and was able to see collaborative inquiry in action.

Collaborative Inquiry

According to the ASCD, collaborative inquiry in the education field is defined as "teachers working together to identify common challenges, analyze relevant data, and test out instructional approaches in order to increase student learning."  It is a slightly new twist on Vygotsky's theory that social interaction plays a fundamental role in the learning process; instead of the social interaction being focused on child development, this social interaction is focused on adult learning.  By communicating with their peers, teachers are given access to a wider base of knowledge than they possess individually, which enables them to see their students in a new light.  Through this collaborative inquiry teachers instruction can become exponentially more effective than if they were to continue to stumble around in the dark by themselves searching for the answers to their students’ struggles.

ASCD - Educational Leadership article on Collaborative Inquiry

#1^st chat #edtech chat

During this chat, the primary grade teachers collaborated, bringing together their knowledge of a variety of technology tools to use in the class and what to use them for.  Many took this a step further, not only revealing their uses for technology, but also including links to their blogs for teachers who wanted to learn more about the particular type of technology or those who wanted to collaborate further regarding a certain topic.  Needing help in this area myself, I took notes on the programs the teachers used for each question posted, and by the end of the chat, I had filled up several notebook pages of resources to use in my future classroom.  To keep the collaboration going, I will share some of these tools with all of you as well J

Whole Group Instruction Tech Tools:

Document Camera                   Projection devices 

Padlet                                      Planbook.com

Evernote                                 SMART board

AirPlay on iPad                       Team Doceri with Apple TV

iPad                                         iMovie

Mimio                                     Elmo

Class Dojo                              brightloop

Tools to document student learning, conferencing, and portfolios:

Kidblog.org                             educreations

Evernote                                 weebly

Confer app                              Easy Blog Jr

iPad                                        Scootpad

Padlet                                     ShutterCal

iMovie                                    brightloop

Reader's Workshop Tools:

RAZ kids                                iMovie

Spelling Monster                     Drawing Pad

Popplet                                   Audioboo

educreations                           ScootPad

Storyline online                       MeeGenius

Tellagami                                Scholastic Teach

SonicPics                                Brain Pop

Math Tools:

educreations                            Operation Code Squad

Xtra math                                Hyper Blast

Dreambox                               Ten Frame Fill app

Teaching table                         Quick Math

Pic Collage                              Show Me 

Explain Everything                  Cyberchase Quest

Draw & Tell                             30 Hands

motionmath                              Quick Clock

edmodo

Morning Meeting Tools:                      Tools to support writing:

SMART board                                      Kidblog

ActivSlate                                            Brain Pop

Corkulous                                            edmodo

Mimio Teach                                        Storybird

Class Dojo                                            educreations

#stchat - education technology chat 9/14/14