ECOMP7010: Google Reader & RSS Feeds

Google Tools in the Classroom

Directions: Post an entry with one RSS website that you would recommend and examples of three feeds at that site. 

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FreeTech4Teachers

Source URL: http://www.freetech4teachers.com/

RSS Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/freetech4teachers/cGEY

Story Recommendations:

Say Goodbye to iGoogle and Hello to Symbaloo

It is disappointing when a service we get to know and used to using is discontinued by the provider; iGoogle is one such example. Thankfully, Richard Byrne’s blog is an excellent resource for finding alternative resources and services. iGoogle is a popular organizational tool used by both my teachers and students in the 1to1 laptop program, so Richard’s blog post will be a valuable communique to forward to them.

Welcome to Online Textbooks

Guest blogger Cristina Conciatori, a Biology and Chemistry teacher in New York, talks about the the debate between traditional and digital textbooks and how you can make the transition to digital a little bit easier.

21 Must-Read RSS Feeds

Blogger Richard Byrne shares his RSS feed list that he checks on a regular basis and uses as a source for his own blog topics. Richard divides the list into feeds that focus on education topics and those that deal with technology integration.

ECOMP 6101: School Profile

Do you know the “numbers” on your school? 

Please prepare a summary School Profile (your own, your children's, your community's; as appropriate)
including basic descriptive and factual information.


School: Middle School of the Kennebunks

Enrollment: 502
6th = 178
7th = 156
8th = 168

Student Body profile
The student population at MSK is mostly Caucasian (approximately 97%). The remaining three percent are made up of representatives from African American, Asian, Hispanic, and Native American heritage. Of the total number of students enrolled, approximately twenty percent have qualified for free/reduced lunch support. The student-to-teacher ratio is estimated at ten-to-one.

Teaching Staff
MSK employs a total of 47 full-time teaching staff, with an additional 82 staff employed in various rolls from Ed. Tech. to Food Services and Maintenance to Special Education personnel.

Test Scores
In looking at test scores from 2012 for the New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP), students at MSK scored the following:

• In the area of mathematics, 80 to 85 precent of students in grades 6-8 met the standard.
• In the area of reading, 86 to 89 precent of students in grades 6-8 met the standard.
• In the area of writing, 62 percent of students in grade 8 met the standard. No results were available for students in grades 6 and 7.

In looking at test scores from the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA), students at MSK scored the following:

• Students in grades 6/7 made improvements in both those who met the requirements and the number of students who showed growth between 2009-2010 in the area of reading. Students in grade 8 showed a decrease in both meeting requirements and showing improvement.
• In the area of mathematics, students in grade 6/7 showed improvement in their growth between 2009-2010, but showed a decline in the number of students who met their target scores. Students in grade 8 showed improvement in both categories.

Instructional Technology Resources
MSK is equipped with two general purpose computer labs and a third Special Education computer lab; all three are outfitted with Apple iMac computers. Each 6th grade classroom is outfitted with an interactive whiteboard (i.e. SMART Board) including all three computer labs, five special education rooms, and the main library.

Each full-time teacher in grades 7/8 has access to a Apple MacBook via the Maine Learning Technology Initiative (MLTI); teachers in grade six also have MLTI laptops purchased through the state laptop program. The ratio of students to laptops in grades 7/8 is 1-to-1 as a result of the MLTI program. The entire school building is equipped with a WiFi network, which is also provided by the state via the MLTI program. Through a grant, the 6th grade is equipped with two mobile labs in an attempt to bring the entire school closer to a 1-to-1 laptop environment for students across all three grades.

Student computer use at home
It is estimated that about 85 percent of the student population across the district has access to a computer or electronic device at home. This figure is partially inflated due to the presence of the MLTI program in that one of its goals is to provide both students and parents at the middle school level with access to a WiFi-enabled laptop computer capable of accessing the Internet. Students who qualify for the free/reduced lunch program may also qualify for Internet access at a reduced rate through Great Works Internet (GWI). The state program will also provide students with a modem to connect the state laptop to this service.

Why are numbers significant to know and what do yours show?

These numbers are significant because they help paint a picture of the overall population that the school is serving. Student body and staff profiles help to determine what kind of teaching and learning environments are possible and if the current status is even sustainable. Testing numbers can give insight into how effective school instruction and assessment is with respect to student learning and comprehension, although often administrators and/or school boards can add more weight to these numbers than what is appropriate or realistic. Instructional technology numbers can expose inequalities in access across grade levels and schools. For example, when a new elementary school was built in Kennebunk every Kindergarten through third grade classroom was outfitted with an interactive whiteboard. While this was a huge innovation and step forward in technology integration for the students and staff, it created inequity with the elementary school population in Kennebunkport. Hence, the school district spent the next two years devoting budgetary funds to install similar technology until the Kennebunkport school was on par with the new school.

Bibliography

Regional School Unit 21 (2012). March 6, 2012. http://www.rsu21.net

School Digger (2009-12). March 6, 2012. http://www.schooldigger.com/go/ME/schools/1477300800/school.aspx

ZipSkinny (2005). March 6, 2012. http://www.zipskinny.com/index.php?zip=04043

ECOMP 6101: Making Change Follow Up

The intent here is to link the simulation exercise directly to you, and to your experience. Think about the adopter types and the chart on levels of use of innovation (also found under Lab Activities under Making Change Simulation) to reflect on your own experience. BRIEFLY answer the following questions and post your answers on the Discussion board in the designated area. There is a table attached here to also help organize your thinking.

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1. Where were you on levels of use of technology two years ago? 

Two years ago I was two years into my new roll as a technology integrator at the middle school and witnessing the decline and eventual demise of our 21st Century Classroom program due to a lack of funding. I was overseeing the deployment of “Round III” of the MLTI 1-to-1 laptop program and continuing to develop my computer literacy course with little to no input or feedback from the administration with respect to curriculum.

Upon reflection, I find that my level of technology use leapfrogs all over the place, depending on which aspect of my job I focus on. I was in the mechanical stage with respect to the 21st C.C. program due to the decline in support from the administration and growing discontent and lack of interest from teachers in the program. If I look at the MLTI program, I think I had a foot in the refinement level as I was overseeing the initial deployment of new technologies and I wanted the transition to be smooth and successful for both students and staff. I wanted them to know what new tools they were going to have at their fingertips and how to successfully integrate them into their teaching and learning. Upon reflecting on my teaching through my computer literacy course, I think I was finally moving into the integration level as I wanted to make deliberate connections between the content I was teaching and the projects students were being asked to create in their other classes. 

2. Where on this scheme are you now? 

Today, while they have changed my job title from integrator to coordinator, I feel that I have been able to maintain a strong presence in the refinement and integration levels. From time-to-time I am able to get a foot (perhaps only a toe) into the renewal stage as I try to find alternatives to achieving goals by way of integrating new technologies. However, each time a new technology comes along I revert back to the orientation level in order to define what this new innovation is, how it could be integrated, and where could I coordinate its introduction into the classroom.

Where on the chart do you see yourself when you finish your degree program?

I don’t see myself really changing where I am when I finish this degree program. I think by the very nature of being an integrator/coordinator of technology, you have to have the flexibility to travel up and down the levels in order to be successful. However, my hope is that in the future I will be able to motivate students and staff to make these treks with me and collaborate at each level, thereby developing concrete and worthwhile strategies for technology integration and innovation.

ECOMP 6106: 21st Century Skills

Assignment: Are you a 21st Century Teacher? Respond to following questions.


In what ways do you consider yourself a 21st century teacher?
I consider myself a 21st century teacher in my openness to new and different ways to teach and learn material. I am aware of the traditional tools and skills used to teach content but also keep a look out for new tools and see how they can be integrated with traditions. I believe that a synthesis of traditional and 21st century tools can create a rich and beneficial learning experience for both student and teacher.

Are you collaborative? If so, provide some description of how you collaborate and with whom.
As the technology coordinator for my building, it is central to my job to be a collaborative teacher AND learner. I ask questions of teachers about what they are teaching and how, so that I can present them with new resources that they could integrate into their lessons in order to enhance the student experience. A key part of this process is finding teachers who are willing to collaborate and take risks. It is these teachers for whom I will “go to bat for” freely and give 110%. After all, are we not asking students to be risk takers as they learn about new things and try different ways to express their knowledge and comprehension?
As a life-long learner, I freely admit to my students that I don’t everything and get excited when a student teaches me something new.  I love it when I can place a student into the role of teacher because I think teaching someone something is a great way to cement comprehension, plus it can provide a huge boost to a students’ self-esteem and self worth.

How do you use technology in your classroom and in your professional teaching practice?
In my classroom, which is a computer lab, technology is driving force as the goals of my course is to provide students with the skills to use computers effectively and safely with creativity.

How do you use technology to assess students?
I am constantly experimenting with different technology tools to assess my students. I’ve used rubrics, online quizzes, and oral presentations. I’d like to look into having students create digital ePortfolios. I’ve also helped other teachers implement technology-based assessments using social networking vehicles, such as WallWisher in language arts and an Edmodo classroom in social studies.

Do you use technology to communicate with parents and the community? What technologies do you use and how do you use them?
Technology for the purpose of communicating with parents and the community is become a critical issue in my school. All teachers are accessible via email from the school website, and administrators are pushing more and more for each teacher to have (and maintain) a website. We communicate grades and assessments via a digital grade book, PowerSchool, and provide a portal for both students and parents to use to view this information at any time. This year my school is using a Twitter feed and a Google Calendar widget to communicate important news and events to the community. And next on my To-Do list is to setup an Apple TV to a display in the main lobby of the school building so that we can stream images of field trips and events while also providing visual documentation of all of the wonderful projects and products students are creating in their classes.

ECOMP 5004: Biopoem Project

Assignment #1 - Biopoems in the Classroom


The biopoem project can be used in classes and courses across the curriculum, as we did, as an kind of ice breaker activity where students have the opportunity to learn some basic facts about their peers. For students, this will kick off the making of connections between one another. For the teacher, this will help foster the development of the classroom culture.  Biopoems also provide teachers with the opportunity to integrate a potentially new piece of technology, like Glogster, as a possible choice for students to express their knowledge and understanding. 

Teachers could also use this concept with students so that they will construct another biopoem, but this time the students get to do a little role-playing. In language arts class, for example, students chooses a character from a book they're reading for class. In social studies, students do their writeup on a pharaoh they've been studying from Ancient Egypt. When we get to science, students must create a biopoem based on an element form the Periodic Table. Teachers could also use the biopoem project and turn it into a game of "Guess Who?" where students must use of their detective skills to figure out who the poem is about. The possibilities may be limited only by one's imagination.

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Biopoem.ME

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Biopoem.TEACHER

Demonstrate Branching with PowerPoint/Keynote

ECOMP 6016 - Assignment #4: Create a nonlinear slideshow where the user can view the slides in any order they choose via a built-in table of contents.

Troubleshooting Technology

More PowerPoint presentations from Nick Shuman

If there are problems viewing the Medieval Help Desk videos, you can access them here:

• w/English subtitles
• In English

The In's & Out's of a Personal Computer

ECOMP 7100: Assignment #3

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A Binary Lesson

ECOMP 7100: Assignment #2

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