Tool #11

1. What are your favorite tools you now have in your personal technology toolbox? Briefly describe a particular activity that you will plan for your students using at least one of these new tools.

Some of my favorite tools include Poll Everywhere, Skype, and Edmoto. I plan to use Edmoto to carry out our project on World War I. I want to get to the point to where all of my students are comfortable using the devices and understand how to use technology effectively. 

2. How have you transformed your thinking about the learning that will take place in your classroom? How has your vision for your classroom changed? Are you going to need to make any changes to your classroom to accommodate the 21st Century learner?I believe that the same learning will take place, just in a different manner. I believe that all of this technology will just facilitate the learning process. It will be hard for me to let the students use this technology in place of the traditional teaching that I am used to. It will be hard to give up class time and allow the kids to start to do some of the learning on their own. I will definitely have to make some changes in order to accommodate all of this technology. I will have to cut down the amount of time that I instruct and allow extra time for the students to develop their own thoughts and theories on particular events in history.

3. Were there any unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?

I did not expect to learn about as many apps as I did. I feel that I am pretty knowledgeable when it comes to technology, but I still learned quite a bit. I learned about some effective tools to use in my classroom and how to create an environment that will allow the students to take control of their learning. 

Tool #10

1. Discuss at least three things you would want to make sure your students understand about being good digital citizens.

I want to make sure that my students understand the right way to use the devices. I would like for them to be able to safely navigate around the unfiltered world of technology. There are so many things out there that are not appropriate for students. I want to make sure that they understand what is an apprpriate app or source of technology for them to use.

2. Share at least one of the resources mentioned above or on the Ed Tech website that you plan to use instructionally.

I plan to show my students that short, little one minute video on digital citizenship. I just want them to understand how much freedom they will be given and what the right and wrong ways are to use that freedom.

3. Explain briefly how you would "teach" the idea of digital citizenship to your students.

I would teach the idea of digital citizenship just as I teach my students how to act in the classroom. They need to understand their expectations and know their boundaries. I would present this information to them and remind them that with all of this freedom comes a ton of responsibilities.

4. Explain briefly how you plan to share the idea of digital citizenship with your parents.

I plan to share the idea of digital citizenship with my parents just as I share my classroom expectations with them. I will present the information to my parents at Back to School Night as well as send a letter home with my students. I think that it is very important that the parents understand what I expect form their child in terms of digital citizenship.

Tool #9

1. Why do you think it is important to tie the technology to the objective?

I think that kids feed off of technology. We can present the same information to them as we always have, but the addition of more technology in our presentation is more appealing to the kids.

2. Why should we hold students accountable for the stations/centers?
I think that we should hold students accountable because they need to realize that although technology is readily available to them, they are also responsible for their actions. They need to realize that when they use these devices, that what they do with them has a reflection on each of them individualy, as well as on me as their teacher, and on Memorial High School as their school.
3. Visit 2 of the applicable links to interactive websites for your content/grade level. Which sites did you like. How could you use them as stations? How can you hold the students accountable for their time in these stations?
I think that there are so many apps out there that I am going to have to slowly incorporate them into classroom use. I may start to introduce apps that I am comfortable using and then start to get some feedback from the kids. I guarantee that they will come up with some very creative approaches with whatever apps they start using. I will hold the students accountable with the "check in " and "check out" method with the devices. I thought that ThinkFinity and Mangahigh were both sites that I could see my kids using quite a bit. I might look at having a game station set up for the students to use as a reward for completing various assignments.
4. List two to three apps you found for the iPod Touch/iPad that you can use in your classroom. What do you see that station looking like? How can you hold the students accountable for their time in these stations?
I found a few apps that would be very appropriate for my classroom. These apps are Skype, Poll Everywhere, and chron.com. I think that these could be incorporated into station learning dealing with current events for that day. I could then poll the students on a number of topics in order to get some feedback on their viewpoints of various events in history. I can hold the students accountable by having them complete a "ticket out" activity that will quiz them over all the apps used on the devices.
5.What about other ways to use the iPod Touch/iPad? Share another way you can see your students using the device as a station.
The iPads can be used just like actual computers can. I feel that students will be able to develop more effective apps that their peers will enjoy. I could see students using the iPads to make flashcards and surf the Internet, as well as communicate with other classes around the world. Through the use of Skype and other apps, I think that the students will really enjoy everything that the devices allow them to do.

Tool #8

1. After watching the videos/tutorials, list two to three things you learned about the device(s) that will be in your classroom this fall.
- I learned that I am completely responsible for all of the activity that goes on with all devices.
- I learned how the devices work and what the best practices are to keep them charged and ready to go all the time.
- I learned about all of the various apps that can be downloaded on the Ipads.
2. How do you plan to manage the device(s) in your classroom? Do you have ideas/suggestions that others may find useful?
I plan to keep a close eye on each student that uses the devices. I plan to have the students "check out" the devices as well as "check in" the devices. I believe that I will be able to monitor how they use them just as I monitor any behavior in my classroom. It will require me to gain more knowledge as to how the devices work, but it should be very enlightening along the way.

Tool #7

1. After visiting the resources above, design a collaborative project with another classroom.
Each of my classes will be paired with another World History class at MHS and Skype to complete the project.
2. Post the following about the project:

1. Content objective - Students will demonstrate an awareness of the effects of World War I by answering questions which I post on Edmodo about different World War I experiences .
2. When you plan to implement - I plan to implement this project at the end of the 5th six weeks.
3. What tool(s) you plan to use - I plan to use Edmodo.
4. A brief description of the project (plan - two or three sentences) - "What affect did your World War I event have on your country?" Students will research the various events of World War I and develop an understanding of the effects the war had on people around the world.

Tool #6

1. Choose at least two of the tools from the above list. Create an account for each (if required) .
I created an account for both Today's Meet and Poll Everywhere.
2. Use each of the tools you choose to create a sample of how you would use it in your classroom.
I have created samples using both Today's Meet and Poll Everywhere.
3. Embed the sample (preferred) or link to the URL.
Here is the URL link for my Today's Meet online World History class. http://todaysmeet.com/Jasek
I also used Poll Everywhere to create a few polls. Here is the link. http://www.polleverywhere.com/my/polls#!/my/polls
4. Share your thoughts on how you see the tools being integrated into your classroom. How do you see them encouraging participation?
I think that the kids would really enjoy the Poll Everywhere tool. This is a way that they can interactively give some feedback to start class as a warm up. This could be used after certain pieces of the lesson have been presented in order to get a grasp of what the students have learned or may be confused about. I like the idea of Today's Meet as a tool for kids to share their ideas after reading the text. This will allow students to share what they think and develop some thoughts on the material to share with their peers.

Tool #5

1. Use at least two of the tools above to create products. Think about your content. Create a “set” for one of your lessons! Or, consider providing the site as a choice for your students to create products. Make a model for a student created product.
I used Wordle and Glogster. Since we are about to begin World War I, I chose that as my topic for each tool.
2. Then, embed both products in your blog or link to the products from your blog. 
I embedded bothe the Wordle Document and Glogster page below my posts on my blog.
3. Describe for your readers how you think each tool can be incorporated into your classroom - how you could see the tool being used by you instructionally and your students to demonstrate their understanding of a concept or topic in your classroom.
I think that each tool can easily be incorporated into my classroom. I might start off each lesson by taking a look at the page I created on Glogster. That will allow us to discuss specific events leading up to World War I and answer any questions that need to be cleared up. Once we get started, we could incorporate Wordle into the lesson. Each student can create their own Wordle document on a specific part of Wold War I and develop the main ideas and key events that led up to their particular topic. Once they define a few key points, they can create their Wordle document. This approach will be great for those kids who are visual learners. I think that they may enjoy creating their original document and presenting their ideas to the class.