Below is my word cloud. This is just one of the six that I did. This is Level 6 of Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: Cognitive Domain.



We have to use the words in each level when we are writing up our lesson plans and learning objectives. I did a word cloud for all 6 levels and I would love to put these somewhere close when I am working on my lesson plans. I may put them in small frames on my desk, or use them on the outside of a notebook for easy reference.

Level 1 has words showing you are expecting the learner to REMEMBER an idea or fact the way they learned it.
Level 2 has words to describe the learner communicating that idea in a new and different way. The learner shows their UNDERSTANDING when they do this.
Level 3 has words that show the learner can APPLY this knowledge to solve new problems.
Level 4 has words that show the learner can ANALYZE, or break down into its steps, this new knowledge.
Level 5 has words that show the learner can CREATE by developing something new based on the knowledge they now have.
Level 6 has words that show the learner can EVALUATE and make decisions using critical thinking skills.

I would have to say that this technology enhances what a teacher can do to help students remember vocabulary words or key concepts. A word cloud is a graphic organizer that is visually appealing. I do wonder if research has been done to show that this tool can help students that have different learning styles.

Powtoon

Powtoon is so much fun to do! I would have to say that in the SAMR model this is definitely a transformation in the use of technology. They are always saying that humans learn things visually and in sound bites. That's why commercials are not longer than 60 seconds!

It redefines how a teacher can communicate important concepts with their students. I am thinking of using this at the beginning of each lesson to stress points throughout the year and to help my students remember key concepts. And just imagine what a student can do with this! Endless possibilities!

Pecha Kucha

I have finished the PowerPoint slides. I did one for a lesson plan I am doing on relationships in ecosystems. There are 20 slides because I am using the Pecha Kucha method. The Pecha Kucha method is using PowerPoint or Google Slides but having only 20 slides, each lasting only 20 seconds.
Unfortunately, in order to link this presentation to my blog, I had to move it into google slides and the sound, fonts and image enhancements I used in PowerPoint were lost. Here is a link to my presentation:

Relationships in Ecosystems Presentation

The first thing I did was to write the rough draft of my script. Then I created the 20 slides. It took quite a bit of time to find the appropriate images and to decide what words to have show on the slide. It is important to have the slides look visually appealing, but also to use few words. The narration should take care of sending the message you want your students to hear.

I did learn more about PowerPoint and I experimented with the edges on images and different fonts. I think next time I will work on changing the transitions between slides to fade into each other.

After the slides were completed, I re-wrote the script to keep it under 20 sections. I also practiced to get it to flow and to follow the animations. Then I recorded it. Turned out to be not as difficult as I thought as long as you plan and practice! Here is a link to my script:

Script for Relationships in Ecosystems

I put the presentation on screencast.com so you would be able to see it on my blog. But I had to download snagit first so I could get the full 7 minutes in. This tool is very useful for online learning presentations. It would be ideal for an assignment on google classrooms. I had difficulty with screencast.com so I posted this on YouTube. It took me all day to figure it out!!! Here is the presentation. Enjoy!


I would have to say that the Pecha Kucha model for presentations has transformed the way we can present information to students. Can it redefine how we use presentation tools? I was thinking that I could put this PowerPoint presentation online for my students. It would help those students who are visual learners and ELL students.

I would then assign them a species to do research on and they would have to report the relationships that particular species has in its ecosystem. They can use the Pecha Kucha form to present it, or they can try a graphic novel or comic strip. This is a new way to get information across to students using an old method. The old method is the way advertisers grab their audience with short sound bites that only last 30 seconds!

Corrections to APA style paper

I corrected my APA style paper. My tables were not supposed to have lines around them. I also cited the NCES in my introduction, which I hadn't done in the last paper. I waited to cite it in the methods section.

Here is the link to the corrected paper.

Corrections to APA style paper

The APA guidelines I used were found on the Purdue Owl site. The link to their website is here:

APA guidelines for tables and figures

The important thing to remember when creating your tables or reporting figures in your text is that the text is clear and concise and the table is clear when you look at it visually.

Self-Grading Form

Below is a self-grading form I created:





Here is the link to the spreadsheet I created that will auto-grade the quiz.

spreadsheet showing results

Here is a link that can take you to the form if you want:

Relationships in Ecosystems Quiz

Here is a link to show charts and graphs of the data

Data Analysis

This is definitely a useful tool to use. I was surprised at how easy it is to do. The ISTE NETS for teachers would address the following: I, A; II, E; III, D; IV, A, B, C; and V, C, D. The tool can be used to assess your students, to see how certain questions were answered correctly or incorrectly which can be used to modify your teaching or your assessment, and the tool can also be shared with parents and administrators.

I also feel we need to teach the students themselves to use this tool because it is a great way to collect and analyze data. They can use this in the workplace.

Google Forms Survey

I have created the following survey. I did have some difficulties, but I was able to figure them out and adjust (see notes below).



Here is a link to my spreadsheet:

How Social Are You spreadsheet

I will try next to see if I can put the form on a page and link to the page...

I cannot put a link to the survey because I took the survey and it recognizes my email so only the above screen shows. I should not have clicked on the check box that states you can only do the survey once. I will try to see if editing that makes a difference.Yes!!! I was able to edit and change the requirement so the survey can show above! I also created a page on my blog that anyone can go to and take the survey.

If you would like to take the survey, you can click on the link below:

Link to Survey

I can use these surveys for Girl Scouts and in the classroom. Sometimes I need to find out how many are going on a camping trip and what equipment they have at home. These surveys would also be useful to set up meetings with colleagues when you are trying to come up with a date where everyone can attend. I think I would like parents to take a survey also to see what their expectations are for the school year. I would do a survey at the end of the year also.

Some of the questions were not clear (the list option, for example) and I would probably not use some of the questions. I found useful the question that gave a scale, the check boxes, and the multiple choice. With parents, it would be useful to give them room to write a paragraph or so.

I embedded the survey in the blog, added a link and a page on my blog, so there are multiple ways you can get folks to view the survey.

This looks like the survey is a tool of the spreadsheet that collects and reports the data. In a way, it is a portal that links directly to your spreadsheet. The results show up directly into your spreadsheet. 

APA Paper with Discussion and References

This part of our assignment was to discuss the results and bring up any limitations we saw with the data used in this study. These questions make you think about your study and also encourage you to dig deeper into where the data is actually coming from. It is important to understand the parameters used when compiling the data.

The reference page was quite difficult to put together this time. When you are using data and articles from the Web, it is difficult to get a clear picture from the APA guidelines on what exactly you should be putting in your reference information.

I think it is important to keep in mind that the reference section should give anyone seeing it the information they need to find the article or data again.

Below is a link to the final paper. This was a good practice activity for me, especially doing the tables. It is good to know that APA format guidelines are online and accessible to everyone.

Final APA Paper

APA Paper with results

I finished the APA Paper with the results section. The link is below:

APA Paper with Results

It was difficult to keep it short, but I think what I said is clear. I look forward to the critique.

Natalia Beardsley critiqued my paper and gave me constructive feedback. Click on the link below to see her suggestions. She also sent me an email outlining her suggestions and why. It was extremely helpful and clarified so much for me.

APA Paper and Results with suggested corrections

When reading through the APA guidelines it was often difficult to understand their examples. You really have to pay attention to the details and read through it all more than once. Natalia obviously has a knack for noticing the details and it helped me to have her check my paper. I was glad she pointed out that my hypothesis sounded like it was based on opinion rather than any study and she suggested I look for an article or paper to back it up. Good idea! Even if it is someone else's "opinion," it would help to show researchers why we came up with the hypothesis in the first place.


Click on the link below to see the corrected copy of the APA paper with Results.

Corrected APA Paper with Results

APA Methods

This assignment took longer than I expected! When I went on the APA website, they had a note on there that they had some errors printed in the the 6th edition. I wasn't really sure I had all the correct information.

I printed out the pages I thought I needed for the APA guidelines and they were somewhat helpful. The link to my APA paper with the "Method" section added is below:

PMcBrideResearchPaperAPAMethods


This is extremely useful information to know. As educators, it is important for us to be able to guide our students on the correct format for research papers.

APA Format Examining State Differences

For this assignment, we had to write a title page and introduction for a research paper in APA format. We looked at the 2013 NAEP 8th grade mean math scores for all 50 states. We had to compare the mean scores of states that had Republican governors to the mean scores of states that had Democratic governors. We had to come up with a question, propose a hypothesis and indicate the independent and dependent variables.

We also compared the mean scores of states that banned the open carry of firearms to the mean scores of states that required a license to carry firearms in the open. Below is the link to my title page and introduction.

Examining State Differences

What I found difficult to do using the header/footer tab in word was that you cannot put "Running head" on the title page and NOT on the pages to follow. If anyone else has figured out how to do that, please let me know! I tried different ways and finally ended up making the top margin .05" and typing in the header and pages for each page. The APA guidelines were easy to follow. They give you examples, also, which really helps.

It was difficult to whittle down the introduction to 250 words!

Peer Review Activity

Well, this was an eye-opener for me! I reviewed Stephanie McLain's Blog and it was done extremely well. She made me realize that I did not hide my URLs in a hyperlink, and I probably should have done that because it looks better.

Here is the link to the google document of my review:

Stephanie's Blog

I went through the google document with the assignment and instructions, but also looked over the blog rubrics to make sure I was paying attention to the details. I do plan to go back and re-do my URLs to hide them with a hyperlink.

This peer review was a good idea because it requires all the students to pay attention to the details of the assignment.

Natalia Beardslee reviewed my blog and she pointed out that she was unable to view some of my documents. I had to go back and make sure I shared them with everyone at Shenandoah University.

The google map we did, I learned you have to go in and make sure the map itself is shared in google maps. Natalia was extremely helpful with her insights and suggestions.

Prezi Presentation

Natalia Beardslee and Stephanie McLain were my partners in this Prezi presentation. We decided to do a presentation on ecosystems and the impact of human activities on them. I have to do a complete lesson plan on ecosystems and this topic is something I can use in the classroom for direct instruction. My topic was water pollution. Natalia did soil pollution and Stephanie did air pollution.

I know I learned a lot by doing this assignment. Once you watch the tutorials, it was not difficult to work with Prezi. This is a visual explosion compared to PowerPoint! My only concern with using this format is being cautious with how much you put in your presentation. Sometimes you can get caught up in the "bells and whistles" and the students will lose sight of the information.

I have seen Prezi presentations that had too many words and a background color that made it difficult to read. I would say that Prezi is definitely a transformation in the SAMR model compared to PowerPoint. Students using this will be able to do things with this program that they cannot do with PowerPoint (redefinition).

The layout is more like a road-map where the student can make stops along the way and show what they know in new and exciting ways. They can rotate and zoom in and out and add a music score if they want! This is definitely a tool that can be used to motivate students to learn and I look forward to teaching my students how to use it.

Below is the link to our Prezi presentation or you can click on the presentation below the link.
 
Ecosystems Prezi

Prezume using Prezi

Prezi is a free site that allows you to create a presentation that is very visually appealing and it moves! You do have to pay if you want your presentations not to be available to the public.

You can click on the link below to visit the site:
Prezi Site

Prezi definitely transforms the way we can present information to an audience. New goals can be achieved with this software if you are comparing it to PowerPoint (SAMR model).

This was actually quite fun to do! I will be playing with it more to see how to change the colors and such. I like that you can rearrange the slides and you control how it is viewed by double-clicks on the page.

Numbers 1.6 Ethnicity and Reading

I was able to export the information from the NAEP website. Here is a link to my excel worksheet:

Excel Worksheet McBride

Here is a screen shot of my use of the online tool.






The p value is less than .05 which means we must reject the null hypothesis. There is a statistically significant difference between the NAEP mean scores of Black and Hispanic students on the 4th grade reading assessment.

Learning to export information from another source enhances and improves what we used to have to do by hand. I would not say we are modifying the task in anyway, just doing it more quickly and easily. (SAMR model).

Teachers need to use this skill for their own assessments and evaluations, but students need to know how to use these tools also. (ISTE, NETS-t, IIIC, IVB).

Google Maps

The link for google maps is below:

Google Maps

Below is the link to my website where I show how students can use their new knowledge about animal behaviors by observing those behaviors on a trip to the National Zoo.

Trip to Smithsonian National Zoo


Below is a link to my Google Map for the Smithsonian National Zoo:

Map for Smithsonian National Zoo Trip

Click on "Open Original Map" and then you should be able to zoom in and see the sites listed. There is also a walking route planned out so the students stick to the itinerary. I have also put an attachment on the page showing the chart the students should use for their observations.



This was an interesting assignment for me. I had just finished a lesson plan on animal behaviors for another class. This went very well with that lesson. It would be great if I would be able to take the students on a field trip and have them see these behaviors in the field.

This tool is definitely transforming the way we use maps in the classroom. Students would probably be able to get this on their phones or tablets and could just follow the path that way. Easy and they don't lose a piece of paper along the way! I would consider this a modification of map technology according to the SAMR model.

Google Maps is definitely a tool that allows a teacher to "apply technology to increase productivity." Though it was difficult for me to realize when I was saving the map I wanted, I finally figured it out. (ISTE, NETS t V, C).

Google Sheets and Hypothesis Testing Revised 02.20.15

Below is the link to my Google Sheets page showing how we performed a t-test on data collected from a survey given to students on the Ebola virus.

Google Sheet McBride

The hypothesis (or question) being asked was "Did a presentation given to the students on the Ebola virus have an influence on (or change) student responses to a survey?"

It should be noted here that only 6 questions (they were really statements) from the survey were analyzed. There were 103 students that took the survey on the Ebola virus before the presentation and then they were given the same survey after the presentation.

Each of the statements only had 4 possible answers ranging from "strongly agree" to "strongly disagree."

The independent variable in this experiment was the presentation. The dependent variable was the post survey responses.

The null hypothesis in this analysis would be that there was no statistical difference in the responses of the students to the survey after they saw the presentation. Any difference seen would be due to error in measurement or chance.

If the P value is less than .05, the null hypothesis must be rejected which would mean that there was a statistically significant difference between the survey given before the presentation (pre) and the survey given after the presentation (post). It was not chance or error. The presentation did make a difference in survey responses of the students.

If the P value is greater than .05, the null hypothesis cannot be rejected which would mean that though there is a difference between the pre-presentation and post-presentation survey results, that difference was caused by chance or error and is not statistically significant.





The results show that only questions 29 and 31 showed a statistically significant difference in the pre and post responses which would mean that the presentation did influence the students on those two questions.

Google Sheets are not as easy to use as Excel, but they are easier to share so that is a plus in education. Besides, it is easy to calculate in Excel and just copy and paste to Google Sheets.

I did learn how to add formulas in Google Sheets. When I put the equal sign in the formula line, and the first letter of the formula I wanted to use, choices showed up and I was able to choose most of the actions allowed in Excel.

Because we can cut and paste from Excel into Google Sheets which allows us to share our work, this would be considered an enhancement according to the SAMR model.

This would also be a useful tool when you are trying to analyze your data and share with your colleagues or the administration. (ISTE NETS t, IV B).

Jeopardy Labs

Jeopardy Labs is a great free website! It is difficult to get used to wording the answers correctly but I am sure a teacher would get the hang of it with practice.

It would be a good idea to write down your jeopardy answers as you go through a unit. I am working on an Ecosystems Unit for my curriculum class. I had assessment questions, but they weren't always usable in a Jeopardy format.

Here is the link to Jeopardy Labs: Jeopardy Labs

You can go to my Ecosystems Jeopardy Game with the following link:

Ecosystems Jeopardy

Jeopardy Labs is an augmentation (SAMR model). This makes it easier to use than designing the template by hand so it improves function, but there really isn't any transformation going on here.

This is a great way to assess and evaluate whether or not your students understand the material or not, but I do feel you have to be very clear in your "answers" for this. Not an easy task for teachers. (ISTE, NETS t IV, C).


My Jeopardy Template

Self-Portrait by Phyllis McBride

The site I went to for the self-portrait was Picasso Head. When I saved it, they sent me an email to my link on the site.

Phyllis McBride Self-Portrait

Next I clicked the Share button and had it posted to my blog, but that didn't seem to work. If you click on the link, it is a portrait someone else created! I wrote the following and the link below it is what showed up on my blog post:



Below is my self-portrait I created on www.picassohead.com!

Self-Portrait by Phyllis McBride

I do not think I will use this with my students, but it is good practice to learn to link and embed items. I am going to use  Jing to embed the portrait so you can see it. That seems to be the easiest for me to do.



I will say that this tool could be a transformation for many students, especially those students with disabilities. I can see where they could be successful here but not in a standard art class (SAMR model).

This tool would fall under II of the ISTE NETS t standards - "Teachers plan and design effective learning environments and experiences supported by technology."

Creating a Poll

I don't think I saw the email in time to vote. I would have voted for common core standards!

I did sign up and create my own poll. It will only be up for one day.


Poll McBride

Not sure if this link will work or not. It does work if you copy and paste in your browser though. And I did see where you can put it in a PowerPoint Presentation. You can also email the link which would work well with parents.

Hypothesis Testing

The hypothesis we were testing for this assignment was: Is ethnicity a factor in 8th grade reading performance?

The Null Hypothesis in this case would be that there was no statistically significant difference between each ethnic group of students' test scores. If the P-value is less than 5 % (0.05), it signifies that there is a statistically significant difference in their performances and we must reject the Null Hypothesis.

This means that if we were to do these exams again, all things being equal, we would get the same results. The differences would not be from chance or from an error in the measurement of their reading performance. I think people need to understand that when you are measuring values, you are just measuring numbers and how the numbers relate to each other. This does not answer the question of WHY there is a difference.

Below is the comparison between White and Black students. The P-values are shown to be zero which is less that 5%. This means that the difference between the values recorded for the two ethnic groups were statistically significant and could not be attributed to chance or an error in measurement.





The next two charts show the same results for White/Hispanic comparisons and Black/Hispanic comparisons. The difference between the reading performances recorded for White and Hispanic and the difference between the reading performances recorded for Black and Hispanic students was statistically significant. The difference in their scores was not due to error or chance.







I had always used Excel at work but never used the formula functions. My husband is an engineer and he said he used the functions often to let Excel "do the math" for him. I plan on teaching Middle School Science so this is a useful tool to use and introduce to students.

In the SAMR model, this tool is an augmentation that substitutes for what we used to have to do by hand or with a calculator when conducting experiments. This Excel tool definitely enhances the final product (looks professional) and the improvement is the speed. Excel saves us time!

If students want to go into the STEM fields, they will need to know how to use this tool (ISTE NETS, IB). The tool is also useful for teachers especially if we conduct our own studies of student performance in the classroom (ISTE NETS, IVB).

I did find out that you can reference a blog post in APA style. For this post, it would look like this in the text (PMcBride, 2015). The reference section would look like this:

PMcBride. (2015, February 10). Hypothesis Testing [Web log post]. Retrieved from  http://phyllismcbride.blogspot.com/.

If you are going to reference data from a table or graph in another publication, you have to be sure to put the page number where the table is located.

Google Sites

I did create a Google Website for my portfolio for another class. This one is open to all students at Shenandoah University. I did create another one for my professional portfolio that only my professors can see.

I put my website as a gadget link on my blog. I have not been able to link my blog to my web page yet, but I am working on that to see if it can be done.

I did learn that in order to upload a document to a page, you have to change it to a google document. My resume, professional reflection paper, and philosophy of education paper were word documents. They would not link unless they were changed to google docs.

It was not really clear what was meant in the assignment for item 4, but I did add pages and uploaded documents to those pages. Below is the link to my Google Sites:

Google Sites McBride

This is the link to my website:

Website Phyllis McBride

Google Sites really is a very easy tool to use. Teachers should be guiding High School students to create professional websites that have their resumes and exemplary school work they would want colleges or employers to see. This is the future and they need to know how to create a personal web site.

I would consider Google Sites as an enhancement of the old portfolio idea where an artist or other professional would have a book of their works to show. Same idea but more people can have access to it.

Having students create a portfolio site is a good way for teachers to assess and evaluate their students also (ISTE NETS IV). These sites can also be shared with parents.

Screencast-O-Matic

This was one of the more challenging assignments for me! I am not comfortable recording anything because I always seem to mess up. I think I have to do the phone message machine 5 times before I get it right!

So this time, after I designed the PowerPoint and got the visuals to work, I wrote out a script. I had to practice it numerous times, but also had to practice with the PowerPoint presentation at the same time so the timing was right.

Creating instructional videos can be time consuming, but it is fun. I suppose it is like anything else - easier the more you practice.

So what does a teacher do if their voice is horrible or they don't speak clearly enough. Perhaps, for future teachers, we will be required to take a class on speaking and voice modulation!

I uploaded the video to You Tube, but honestly I have not viewed it yet. Hope you find it amusing.



Screencast-O-Matic is great because you can pause it as you record. That's the best tool ever for me! I did just review the video and it wasn't too bad! I listed the link to Screencast-O-Matic along with my other favorite websites.

I did have difficulty getting screencastomatic accepted by You Tube but I finally figured that out, but then I realized that I had to embed it. It turned out that YouTube allows you to do that when you click on the SHARE button. I was pretty proud of myself for stumbling onto that one!

The more I think about this the more I realize that this tool is a modification in the SAMR model. It allows teachers to create instructional visuals that help your students understand the material in a manner that is an improvement over watching a lecture or reading a text book.

This tool will also help if used by students and screencastomatic is an improvement over screencast.com. You really do have to plan ahead before filming begins though and expect to edit and redo your video a number of times.

Engaging students and teaching them to use this tool is a great way to "use technology to support learner-centered strategies that address the diverse needs of students" and have students "apply technology to develop students' higher order skills and creativity." ISTE NETS III BandC.

I would use it in a cooperative learning setting where students learn a section of the science material and then use this tool to teach the concepts to the rest of the class.

Numbers 1.3 Scatterplot Chart

I have Excel so I did download the add-on and it was easy to use. It appears that the average score for males across the country was 261.5 and the average score for females across the country was 271.6 which appears to indicate that girls scored higher than the boys on this reading assessment. I really wonder if it is just that girls read more on their own time than boys do at this age.

In Virginia, the stats show that we did better than the national average. The male average was 262.5 and the female average was 272.9. Virginia ranked 24th from the top and 29th from the bottom. I would be curious to learn what Massachusetts and New Jersey do differently from other schools across the nation.


Here is my scatterplot chart:

 
 

screencast video

This was a fun thing to learn! It was great to be able to show students how to use the computer and accomplish a certain skill.

What I chose was showing students how to use the animation tool in their PowerPoint presentations.

I re-did the video 3 times. Jing is very user-friendly. You can re-do things after you review it to make sure you are creating the effect you want and making sure what you are showing is clear to the students.

I really wish I had a microphone on my computer. I wanted to be able to do a video on food webs and I was going to discuss them by using graphics and being able to point to different sections of the graphic.

This is a great tool for the classroom especially if you have students learning from home because they are ill or we have snow days.




Within the SAMR model, it appears that this ability to show a video online of what you are doing on your laptop is a transformation. I would consider it a modification. This is huge, but most students are used to using their own laptops. You are just able to show them your laptop and teach them how to  do certain tasks.

Here is my video on animations in PowerPoint presentations:

Jing Image

This was quite an amazing assignment! The tutorials were extremely helpful.

Her is my screencast image link:

Food Web


For the screencast image, I added the arrow. The texts are easy but you need enough room in the image for the text boxes. I could not figure out what the frame was and how it worked.

I am thinking that Jing is an enhancement technology that augments and improves function. Most images you download cannot be manipulated in any way. This lets you add to the image to a certain degree, but more importantly is how convenient it is to share the image.

I'm not sure if you can consider this a modification tool because the image is modified but the "task" itself is not really. The task in this case is copying an image and sharing it. We were able to do this with other programs. This just makes it easier and allows us to improve the task a bit.

Now I am going to try to embed the image and see if it works.

Numbers 1.2

This exercise was assigning letter grades to students' numerical scores.

The instructions and Excel help were very confusing.

Finally figured it out on my own by using the logical formula tab. It is neat to see it work after you enter the formula in just one cell.

However, I did notice that the grade given was not quite accurate because I did not round off on their numerical scores. One of the students had a score of 82.33. If I had rounded off, the numerical grade would have been 82 and the student would have received a C. Since I had not rounded off the grades, the formula gave the student a B in the class.

So I went back and rounded off their scores. I will try to upload the Spreadsheet on my blog. We'll see if I can do it!

If you click on the link for Numbers 1.1, you will go to my Google Drive. Click on the PhyllisMcBrideGrades2.xls to  see the assignment.

Google Docs

I was able to upload my resume on Google Docs. They made it very easy! It was also easy to link it to my blob, but I had to do it twice because I saved it before hitting the link button.

My resume link is Resume Phyllis McBride

Learning to link a document and share it with everyone is pretty amazing. The only way we used to be able to share documents with others was through email and Blackboard. At least on Blackboard, you could allow anyone at Shenandoah to view the documents. But the cloud opens this up to potentially everyone on the planet!

I think this skill relates to standard 3a of the ISTE Nets T. Teachers need to show their knowledge and skills as "innovative professionals" in a global and digital society and also to transfer our current knowledge to new technologies.

E-portfolios for professionals is the future and it's here!

Standard 5 appears to relate to everything we are doing in this course. I am improving myself as a professional, participating in lifelong learning, and plan to promote and demonstrate these new skills to my future students and to their school system administrators.

The cloud idea is amazing really because it can be accessed from anywhere. You cannot take your desktop to a different computer.

This technology also allows you to share, either to a limited number of people or it allows you to allow the public to view your information. I do like the idea that we can open a dialog with others around the world.

Diigo

I am going to try to use diigo this weekend to search for information for a middle school science unit I have to do on ecosystems.

I still do not quite understand what the "Diigolet" is...

My browser is Firefox. For searching stuff, I prefer to use google over all the other search engines.

I enjoyed reading the article on using this site for students in the classroom. This would be a great tool to teach students how to research and understand science writings. It would help students going into science, technology, and engineering.

It is important to remember that teachers need to teach students how to have substantial conversations with their peers and this is best done by showing them appropriate examples.

If I were to use Diigo in the classroom, I would need to come up with a Tagging Language. I haven't come up with a tag language for my bookmarks yet.

I also really liked the roles a teacher can assign to the students for bookmarking and for the annotations. My only question would be, do you allow the students to choose who gets those roles by their interests and abilities, or do you rotate them to make sure they all get a taste of what is required in all the roles. It might make sense to do this in middle school and then, by high school, allow the teams to choose their own roles.

Social bookmarking - what a great idea! To be able to share with others your interests and save time in the process! I also love that this is a global idea. Would we be able to have our students share a dialogue with students in another country? If so, that would be eye-opening for them.

I have to work with the site to see if it really is a good way to store and organize my bookmarks. Right now, I have no way of organizing my favorites, so I look forward to being able to do so!

Numbers 1.1

Wow! I really enjoyed this assignment! The visuals were the most helpful. The exercise made me go through more of the menu options so I learned where a lot of things were.

I used the help button also. Nice to know it is there and I need to get used to this tool and just use it!

I saved it in the shared folder I created on the google drive, but I am not sure if you can access it or not. It's titled PhyllisMcBrideGrades1.

I realized after taking the numbers the quiz that I do not know as much about Xcel as I thought!

I rarely used the number's functions and it showed!! I look forward to learning more.

Phyllis

Millennial Quiz

My result for the Millennial Quiz was 39. Below is the link to my result:

Millennial Quiz McBride

To tell you the truth, I am not certain what the results mean in relation to my teaching or student learning...tattoos or piercings or age for that matter. Being familiar with available technology and using it effectively to promote student learning should be every teacher's focus. Caring about each student as an individual and guiding them so they learn skills needed to survive in the world is every teacher's responsibility.

As to Frand's 10 characteristics of a millennial, here are my thoughts:

1. Computers aren't technology - meaning that if it's not new, it's not technology. I have to agree that most humans feel this way! I remember when they first came out with video cameras! It was amazing to me that we could record ourselves with sound and that future generations would be able to hear and see their ancestors. But that turned out to not be the case because the tapes did not last forever. Then they came out with CD's that would save the data for a longer period of time. Science Fiction comes alive!

2. Internet better than TV - I have to agree. It is interactive whereas TV is so passive. My mother used to call it the "idiot box". And that was in the 60's!

3. Reality no longer real - I do agree with this statement. We need to teach students to be careful about the information they see and use on the internet. I never would have thought that there would come a day when pictures and videos would no longer be admissible as evidence in a trial!

4. Doing rather than knowing - I see it every day in the working world. We need people that can think and use the knowledge they have or the knowledge they can find to solve problems. We need them to get around any roadblock and come up with a plan B! They will only learn this by doing!

5. Nintendo over logic - I agree that you need a balance between trial and error and "reading the manual." But experience tells me that reading the manual saves time.

6. Multitasking way of life - I saw this in my children's generation (they are in their early 30's) and I used to tell my son and daughter that I felt their multitasking was keeping them from observing the nuances of life. A movie director works painstakingly to get across a message through the performances of the actors. That includes their facial expressions at any given moment. The subtle looks and background information that tell part of the story. My kids would be looking at their computers or texting their friends and tell me they "saw" the movie. They didn't really see it or get it or learn from it because they didn't really FOCUS on it. They miss so much.

7. Typing rather than handwriting - Their are two reasons children need to learn to write. They need to be able to sign their name on legal documents and they need to be able to use a pencil and paper in case we are without electricity for an extended period of time.

8. Staying connected - I have to agree that staying connected with family and friends is a good thing. However, humans need to learn to like being alone with themselves and their own thoughts. They need to learn who they are and be comfortable with, and learn to "know their own mind." We used to call this "stopping to smell the flowers." Humans need to learn this skill, too.

9. Zero tolerance for delays - Humans are always impatient. This is no surprise to me. No matter how fast the internet is, we always expect it to be faster! I volunteer with the American Red Cross in Disaster Services. When a disaster occurs, it can take time to get help where it is needed because the reality is that roads are destroyed and impassable and rescue teams are stretched to the limit. But people think help should arrive as soon as they need it because it looks that way on TV. The real world has its own timeline...

10. Consumer/creator blurring - I see it and I am probably guilty of it. The internet does make us feel that if it's free, it's ours. We need to teach students to pay attention to this detail and give credit where credit is due.


So what is a millennial? We are a global community now and information is fast and accessible. If you are living now, you are a millennial.


 My daughter is 32 years old. She took the quiz and got an 86!

SAMR model

The SAMR model is one way to look at how a new technology will impact student learning. When you are introduced to a new technology for your classroom, or you are looking at existing technologies but delving deeper into what they have to offer, ask yourself if the technology offers tools that enhance learning or does the technology transform learning.

Technology that enhances learning by replacing old technology but not changing what that technology can do is considered just a substitute technology. But a substitute that adds to what that technology can do is considered an augmentation technology.

Technology that transforms learning by allowing new goals to be attained by redesigning how the technology can be used is considered to be modification technology. But a technology that makes it possible to do things that have never been done before is considered to be redefinition technology.

Definitions:

enhance - to make greater in value or usefulness.

substitute - one that takes the place of another.

augment - to make greater in size or quantity; increase.

transform - to change in appearance or form.

redesign - to invent again.

redefine - to give new meaning to.

Free Education Websites

I did look over the 50 or so websites that are free to educators but some of them look like they have a fee if you sign up for the year.

The only sites that were familiar to me were twitter, Pinterest, and Weebly. I have never used these myself, but have heard others who have and liked them.

I had signed in to ClassDojo, though I didn't remember doing so, which makes me think it was for one of my previous classes! The site is really for elementary school students.

I will be teaching middle school science so a few of the sites won't be suitable for me.

However, after looking over the list, I think I might use the following sites:

 Thinglink - definitely makes the lesson eye-catching and interesting. You can add sounds and videos and notes to sections of a photo. I think it would help to keep the students engaged.

Kidblog - reading and writing in content area is being stressed now in the classroom. Instead of using a journal, a blog would be the way to go for many of these students.

Schoology - might use this. The fee is nominal but it looks very useful for creating lessons for students.

Animoto - would love to introduce this to the students for their projects. It's an online video maker.

Remind101- free text messaging for teachers to contact students and parents. Good idea.

LessonPix - you can search for sounds in words. This is good to know that this site exists, especially if I have a student that needs this resource to help them with vocabulary words.

Canva - this is a graphic design tool. Very important for students to learn - for the business world and for the academic world.

Photopeach - this is a site that creates a slideshow of pictures to music. Though I first thought of it as  a personal thing, students might be able to use this in the classroom...

Haiku Deck - again - this is presentation software and an important skill for students to learn.

Read & Write for google would be a good site for students with learning disabilities.

Any of the sites that dealt with quizzes, tests, or exams did not impress me. I thought we were moving away from those types of assessments?

First Post!

This is my first post on my blog. I am not even sure if this is the right way to say it but I look forward to learning more.