Survey ~ About Me

Journal #4: "One Size Never Fits All"

Courduff, J. (2011). One size never fits all. Learning & Leading with Technology, 38(8), Retrieved from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/20110607?pg=18&pm=2&fs=1#pg18

[NETS 1, II, IV, V]

I was blown away from this article because of its message and overall outcome. As a future special education, myself and all other educators have the same goal. To find alternative ways of getting our students to succeed in spite of challenges they face in the academic setting. As a new teacher this lofty goal seems overwhelming at times. I loved reading the short anecdotes of students who suddenly flourished once they were introduced to assistive technology and found creative ways to release their creativity. It inspired me to know that it is possible to positively change the academic lives of our students and give them the confidence to continue to learn that all children should have.

Q: What do we do with students who challenge the authority to try traditional methods such as writing with pen and paper?

A: A hybrid technique is a must in this situation. I refer back to the article when I answer this question and the example of Shannon. The teacher first allowed her to get her thoughts into story and narration format on the computer. Then using this tool as support she was able to go back and write the story long hand to continue to practice her writing skills. The difference was that she now felt confident enough to try to his without feeling the anxiety and frustration she must have experienced before using this technique. It is our obligation as teacher’s to find ways for our students to complete their assignments that meet the standards necessary in order to succeed and continue to grow as a student. I like to look at it this way: we are teaching the traditional methods of learning with a new “twist” on the method. Technology takes us away from traditional a – b- c method which can be a change that is uncomfortable for some teachers, but if it helps our students, why not give it a try?

Q: How do we find ways to bring this technology to all classrooms?

It is obvious to me that the wish all teachers have to bring creativity and technology to all classrooms should be a given, in reality it is never that easy. It starts from the top – and unfortunately the “top” is usually where they are cutting programs and funding for education rather then finding ways to keep it and increase it. Instead, it really falls into the hands of each individual teacher. Technology can be simple and it can be complicated. We may not all have the funding for some of the more complicated or expensive tech gadgets, but if a teacher has access to a computer that she can share with her students, she can start to make a difference. Some forms of assistive technology (AT) don’t even require a computer. For some students, it might mean letting them illustrate their story first instead of writing it. Once they have the pictures in a storybook format, they can go back and write captions to accompany them. Its all about finding the “twist” that I wrote about above that leads to the same outcome – a student accomplishes the assignment successfully.

Journal #3: Abracadabra–It's Augmented Reality!

Raphael, R. (2011). Abracadabra-it's augmented reality!. Learning & Leading with Technology,38(8), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/digital-edition-june-july-2011.aspx

[NETS 1, II, III]

Journal #3: “Abracadabra—It’s Augmented Reality”

The funny is, when I started reading this article I was clueless what the term “augmented reality,” meant. I quickly realized though, as the author Raphael started pointing out examples, that I did know what AR is, and I had seen examples of it in real life. Most notably, that pesky “yellow line” that appears on the screen during football games. The idea of incorporating AR into the classroom setting with my future students is an exciting prospect, if not a little overwhelming to think about. One of the best features of this article is the in-depth look at Zooburst that Raphael treats the reader too. He makes it sound so easy to use, but my brain immediately starts to think, is this really doable for a novice tech teacher? I assume like anything else, if I can  find the time to learn  the program, it would go a long way in enhancing the way any student, but especially students in special education learn.

Q: What do you think about the fine line between access and privacy as related to the portion of the article entitled “Social Networks?” 

A: Another interesting topic of interest related to this article corresponds with topic of social networks. Soon, if not already, Raphael points out that with the flick of a wrist, we will be able to point our phones at another human being and pull up their FB status, recent tweets, etc. I always feel like this type of access is a catch 22. We want to be able to connect with the human race at the touch of a button, but more important to me is the privacy we lose from this simple action. I like the idea of being able to keep this information public for professional reasons, such as connecting electronically with other schools and classrooms, but it also makes me think my students as well as my own personal accounts and how we lose our privacy if anyone can just look us up by walking by. There has to be a balance, more like settings, that keep the students safe, while gaining knowledge from these tools.

Q: How would this technology help students in special education?

I see this being a tool that bridges the gap for students who have a hard time sitting and putting pen to paper day after day as they learn to build on writing and storytelling. It could be motivation to start the writing process by mapping out their thoughts and then transferring and molding their story using the techniques accessed in Zooburst. Once a teacher is proficient in the material, the prospect of using this type of technology could go hand in hand with the daily learning calendar and be a true education changer in the way students in special education process and retain what they are learning, as well as their interactions in a classroom setting. 

Journal #2: Join the Flock

Ferguson, H. (2010). Join the flock. Learning and Leading with Technology, 37(8), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/digital-edition-june-july-2011.aspx

[NETS III, IV]

I love the underlying simplicity in this article. Hadley Ferguson does a wonderful job of explaining what a PLN is and really gives novice tech users piece of mind when it comes to diving into new internet experiences. I had previous experience using twitter before starting this class but I think if I was brand new to the site this summer it will feel a bit overwhelming considering the amount of knowledge we are learning in a very short period of time. After reading this article it was calming to take a step a back and remember that I can use twitter in many different ways, taking “baby steps” as I become more comfortable with the site. Ferguson relayed lots of useful information from relevant hashtags to some of the pertinent educators she follows. Twitter can be fun and informative if you learn the tips of the trade. The best thing about it is realizing you can tweak to your taste so you don’t feel overwhelmed with information you don’t want or need.

Q: What ways can Twitter be used to connect class members who might not otherwise work together?

If the class has access to computers in the classroom, use Twitter as a means of mediating group discussions. I think this could be a fun and functional way to evolve a whole class discussion (like we did in class with the question about our favorite children’s book) or assign groups to chat using a hashtag so every member can participate. This will include the kids who might normally be to shy to raise their hand and give students who need to time to think before they construct their answer a few added moments of thought before they have to respond. This type of discussion will bring together students who might not otherwise work well together or bring together different personalities and get them away from the “clique” of friends they prefer to work with all the time.

Q: Im still overwhelmed from the information/tweets I am receiving. What can I do to change this?

I would refer back to Ferguson’s beginner steps of learning to minimize what you receive by only “looking” at first before you take bigger steps to visualize yourself in the Twitter world. If you originally followed a lot of people go back and take a look at their profile’s and see if you really find what they tweet to be pertinent to your interests. Also, if you are using Twitter for work as well as personally, it might be a good idea like Ferguson did to set up more than one account so you aren’t mixing business with pleasure. It is easier and more pleasant to tweet and retweet when your tweet stream isn’t so congregated with mixed messages. Cleaning up your stream helps streamline your thoughts. If you are at school, don’t check your personal account because chances are you won’t have a lot of time to respond and it will only distract you. 

School 2.0: Technology Self Assessment

School 2.0 is a reflection tool that allows educators to answer a questionnaire designed to help you reflect on your skills in technology and gives you a good idea of how well and how often you integrate technology into the classroom. For new and seasoned teachers this is a great way to get ideas for creating lessons using technology and gives educators a way of keeping track of strengths and weaknesses using technology in the classroom. The best part? It lists many great links to resources for technology that can easily be incorporated into daily lessons. [NETS-T II, V]

My School 2.0 screen shot

Reflection results for NETS-T Module: Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity

3. I engage students in reflecting on and clarifying their own thinking, planning, and creative processes, in correcting misconceptions, and in using meta-cognitive thinking strategies with collaborative tools and environments.

I chose to focus on this particular section because I love to learn and explore sites that will help students find different routes of being creative in the classroom. For me, my weakness is art. I love it, but I don't have an artistic bone in my body. I am the girl that relies on stick fingers when it comes to sketching and my best form of coloring is using a crayon to stay inside the lines! ha! I am quickly lowering my artistic stress though, because I am realizing there are many ways to express your little or big artistic abilities and creativity. "Creating Art All Together Now" by Google is way of bringing a new perspective to art by using Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. The best part....the finished masterpieces can be displayed with an "online art show," something that could be displayed on an overhead, (ex: during parents night). 

Keep in mind it doesn't always have to be about art. Going back to the standards, I loved the resources attached to this sections because they allow for creative strategies that can be applied to any subject. Google Groups would be a social, interactive way of chatting and discussing school related subjects and finding a connection with students from various cultures. (another way of forming a multicultural classroom). The similarities, differences, and new ideas will bring fresh air into what might have been a limiting or stale discussion. Google groups is also handy for uploading files, getting rid of those pesky storage drives and a teacher could ask students to upload docs here to save paper! 

iCollaboratory would be a great way to teach students how to work together well on group projects. There are always students who want to work by themselves but its important to be able to work in groups because it won't be the last time both in school and at work that we have to collaborate with each other to make a better finished product! iCollaboratory is a wonderful tool to connect with group members, teach responsibility, and see how all group members are participating. This site also works with Moodle which we am learning about in ED 422. 

Journal #1: 100 things that make me happy :)

in no particular order....

1. my husband Adam

2. my twin sister Vanessa (V)

3. the family crew: mom, dad, aunt, & best in-laws ever!!

4. my dog Oliver (better known as Ollie, dog, sweet face, doodle bug and about a million other ridiculous names that Adam and I have made up for him)

5. wedding

6. honeymoon in Italy

7. our house 

8. Apple stores & products (aesthetically pleasing!)

9. green apples w/ crunchy peanut butter

10. traveling

11. swimming

12. tennis

13. getting flowers

14. date night

15. watching The Big Bang Theory

16. sushi

17. hiking 

18. watching SD Padres baseball games

19. iPhone 4

20. king bed

21. flowers 

22. my monthly magazine subscriptions

23. soft clean sheets

24. boating 

25. flip flops

26. salad

27. cheese-less pizza

28. volunteering with the SD Humane Society

29. organizing

30. baking

31. the beach

32. warm weather/the sun

33. diet pepsi

34. sparkling lemon water

35. the Westie Rescue of CA

36. Taco Surf in PB

37. seeing a movie on opening night

38. movie popcorn 

39. broadway plays

40. Dave Matthews Band

41. scrapbooking

42. hot showers 

43. wireless anything :) 

44. bare feet on shag carpet

45. palm trees

46. laughing so hard my cheeks hurt

47. the Eiffel Tower

48. girls night

49. Wine Steals

50. Facebook

51. Twitter

52. email

53. my friend Tommy & Jen's artwork

54. watching our dog Ollie splash in the pool

55. recycling

56. Starbucks black ice tea 

57. chocolate croissants

58. freshly picked lemons

59. days when everything goes right. :)

60. being productive

61. working out

62. the smell of the ocean

63. fresh cut green grass

64. air conditioning

65. big comfy sweatshirts

66. Dammit by Blink-182

67. tea with honey on a cold day

68. getting my passport stamped

69. watching Rookie Blue

70. when my husband and I talk in funny voices to each other & giggle at ourselves

71. our Ketubah 

72. working/volunteering with kids

73. eating junk food at the Del Mar Fair

74. riding roller coasters & screaming :) 

75. getting a tan in the summer

76. food carts in Portland

77. Seal Beach

78. being an identical twin (you always have someone to play with!) 

79. graduating & receiving my bachelor's degree

80. curly fries

81. farmers markets

82. San Diego Chargers

83. visiting family & friends in Winnipeg Canada

84. boating

85. fresh grip on a tennis a racket

86. spending hours browsing in bookstores

86. public libraries

87. free shipping

88. sour gummy worms

89. Whole Foods

90. Encinitas village

91. Ono Sushi in Hillcrest (first date with my husband) 

92. my Toyota Prius

93. Sunday afternoon drives with the top down

94. finding packages at my front door

95. lots of crushed ice in my drink (you take it for granted until you go to Europe!)

96. post it notes

97. taking pictures

98. cutting coupons & saving money

99. getting pampered at a spa

100. when my husband calls just to say hi :) 

Hi, I'm Michelle!

I am a San Diego native! Born and raised in SD, I went through school out in the east county. For those familiar with the area, I attended K-6 at Fuerte Elementary, 7th grade at Emerald Junior High, 8th grade at Hillsdale Middle School, and high school at Valhalla (V-H-S Norseman!) I went to Grossmont College for a  year after high school as a business major, before deciding it wasn't for me. I spent the next 5 years working and figuring out what I wanted to do with my life.....teach! I went back in 2006 and spent 2 years at Mesa College before transferring to San Diego State. I just graduated and received my bachelor's degree this past spring in Liberal Studies and will start the Special Ed. credential program at San Marcos this fall. A little bit about me....I am an identical twin, and currently connect with my twin sis through a variety of technology (Google voice, Skype, email, facebook, twitter) while she is living in Switzerland! Its hard being away from her so Im super thankful that it is so easy to connect across an ocean! I have been married to my wonderful husband Adam for almost 3 years, and we are currently parents to our 4-legged child, Ollie, a west highland terrier (westie)....and yes, we are those crazy dog people. ha! I like to hike, take Ollie to dog beach, play tennis and swim, volunteer with the San Diego Humane Society, go out for sushi and love going to the movies.

As I mentioned, I do use a variety of technology to communicate with my sister so I am familiar with the computer and social networking. I do have a personal blog, that I am horrible at updating, so Im hoping this class renews my motivation to post some new material. I mostly post about our life in SD to keep friends and family out of town in the loop. I love the computer, but feel like I still have much to learn so Im very excited about this class! I am an avid Apple fan, and made the switch when I started school again about 6 years ago. My husband and I like to joke that we keep Apple in business...anyone else feel like that? I try to draw the line with how much time I sit in front of the computer/play on my phone! Its easy to be sucked in!....and yes Im still trying to figure out where the line is...maybe when I start go go cross-eyed :) So to sum up this paragraph, I heart my computer.

I really connect with the Mission Statement when it talks about "educational equity and social justice." Every student deserves a chance at a fair and free education. Unfortunately we all know in reality that life isn't fair. It is my goal, and hope, that as future teachers, we give our students every opportunity to succeed. We must hold the bar up high for them, and stand up for them, when they cannot speak for themselves. CSUSM is very different from San Diego State. I really like the feel of a smaller, friendly community from what I have seen so far in my interview, on campus and from our first class meeting. I know I made the right choice when I decided to accept an invitation to the credential program at San Marcos.