Lindsay's+445+Wiki+Workspace

//**10/31**- This week, I didn't get much done on my electronic portfolio, as I was out of town for a funeral. I added some background images and created some pages that I wanted to include, and that was pretty much it.// //**11/7**- This week, I made much more progress on my electronic portfolio. I added text to many of my pages, added my educational philosophy from a previous class, and pictures for a section about me. I officially decided on my theme and explained it. Next week, I need to edit my educational philosophy and change it if I need to, since it's old.// //**11/14**// //- This week, I added a few more pages for content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and a collaboration page. I have started adding classes to my knowledge sections, but have not annotated them or completed the lists. I also made a draft of my rubric for class on 11/21.//
 * Electronic Portfolio Progress**

I have made 3 posts to Language_Today, so I have at least 4 left. I could use Language_Today to use the article I shared with it about languages spoken around the world and incorporate it into world and ancient history. This could help teach students about the most popular languages, where English came from, and how it's changed over the course of history. They could maybe even make predictions for where it's going in the future. You could allow students to browse some of the posts and pick things that interest them to learn more about. It could be the topic of future research personally or as a future class lesson plan. This could also be used for current events - to help them learn about how to find relevant articles and how to evaluate them.
 * Language_Today Twitter Page**
 * My tentative plan for recording my edTPA lesson in the spring is to discuss it with my CT. She has had several student teachers in the past and will probably have some ideas about where to place the camera and how to best get forms back from parents regarding their students being in my video. I have previously used a camera in METRC, a Sony one I think, so I'd like to use the same kind because it worked well and was easy to use.
 * A good idea for integrating digital video into my ELA or SS class would be to allow students to create autobiographies in a video format at the beginning of the year. It would allow students to get to know one another in a fun way, and if they're short they wouldn't be very time consuming.

[please add a reflection on the digital video follow up as outlined in the prep sheet for seminar 7]

3 Takeaways from the article: 1) A portfolio doesn't have to follow along with standards - it's supposed to be personal. 2) It's mostly about reflection - reflection on what you know now and want to know in the future. 3) Supposed to be useful for much of your teaching career - doesn't stop at graduation!
 * MSL Electronic Portfolio/ Teaching Toolkit follow up (10/3)**

While I'm still not entirely clear on what a teaching toolkit is, I think I'm going to pursue one of those. I like the idea of having a reference point to go find ideas and things I know how to use already, before looking for entirely new ideas to try. It could constantly be updated with new tools, which I think would be more practical as a future educator than being able to see my beliefs and thoughts about the profession I don't have a whole lot of experience in yet. __ Toolkit __ Purpose: To start a website that I can use with my future classes as well as somewhere public that I can keep things like my belief statements, teaching philosophy, or a blog. Audience: My future students, parents of those students, fellow teachers and administrators. Possible Categories: Contact information, schedule of events, teaching philosophy, blog, maybe classroom pictures, extra resources, etc.

Great takeaway points. I like that you focus on how it should be personal and doesn't need to fit into a rigid box of expectations but adjust to who you are. Reflection is definitely the point here and also gives future employers a chance to show them that you can reflect on your experiences and glean understanding to improve yourself. I think using this portfolio and continuing to grow it after graduation would be an amazing tool to help you continually reflect and construct your teaching practice. Before you choose a teaching toolkit, find out what it is. Dr. Young went over the basics of it last class. Research the difference between the two, choose one, and then share the purpose, audience, and possible categories for it. Add that detail to this post once you have done that.

I've created several portfolios throughout my time in the college of education, so I am more familiar with those than with a technology toolkit. I wasn't very fond of the portfolio's though, as they were in google sites and I found it was hard to navigate and adding pages and subpages became weird and difficult to find when needed. I think a portfolio might be fun if it's in a different format than the past ones I've done, but I'd also like to try a toolkit since I haven't done something like that before. It would be helpful for myself to have a place where all different kinds of technology tools to use are located. It would also be beneficial for future employers to see that I've done a lot of work in technology and am prepared to use it in my own classroom, as well as for other teachers who are maybe looking to use technology but not sure of where to find good tools.
 * Technology Toolkit/ Portfolio Initial Thoughts (9/26)**

I have chosen to use Weebly as the platform for my portfolio/toolkit. So far, the categories I have planned on including are a home section, an "about me" section, contact information, teaching philosophy, and I am considering adding a blog section. I like the idea of having a blog, so I can add new things I've done or share resources with my students and their parents. I'm not sure if a blog is the best way to present that information though, so I haven't decided for sure about that section. I also think I will add a section that overviews the general and tentative schedule for the school year so parents and students can sort of see what's planned to happen throughout the year.

I think it's super cool that you are willing to try something new, like the toolkit, and think it speaks a lot to the type of teacher you're going to be. Also, I don't think there's anything wrong with moving away from a Google Site if it's something you don't feel like works for you. I think using either tool for future employers and fellow teachers is a great idea. What are some categories in either of the tools that you think would be important or help to break up the content? Please add more detail.


 * edTPA Session: I plan on going to the Lesson Plan edTPA session on January 19th.**

From this weeks readings, I think I've gained a little bit more insight into using technology in the classroom. I've never been anti-technology, so it's not news to me that it's good for students and it should be used; I always planned on it. In Dr. Young's article, he talks about using film only as a second rate literary source, and using it to compare it to a written text. I connected with that, because thinking back though my schooling I can't remember a single time that we watched a film to gain knowledge from it, it was always a reward, a means of watching something we read, or watching a movie adaptation of a piece of literature that was complex and we struggled to understand, so the movie can "dumb it down" for us. No one watches movies in real life for that reason, at least I don't, so why do we show that's alright for students? I also enjoyed the 10 ways to use Instagram article, as I hadn't really considered it's classroom benefits before. I think all of the ideas on there were interesting, and it seems like a fun way for students to display their work and learn from each other, in a relatable and fun way. It's also a way parents could keep connected to your classroom without traditional emails. It could allow you an opportunity to keep up with your students via their personal social media sites too, without having to use your personal account. Following them would give you insight into their lives, passions, and interests outside of class, but in an appropriate way.
 * 9/19 Reading Takeaways**

From Shoffner's article, I agree that technology should not be the basis of everything. It's important, but if something works just fine without it, we shouldn't be forcing technology for that particular thing. I think about it in the context of just basic technology. I spend a lot of time on technology between my cell phone, social media on the computer, and school work. But I also really enjoy reading from a physical book, and making to-do lists with pen and paper. Physical to-do lists work for me, so while I could find a technological way to achieve the same thing, I don't. Some forms of teaching just don't need a technological aspect, but some will be more effective with a technology component.

Excellent summary of the main points from Dr. Young's article. I especially liked where you talked about watching a movie to dumb something down and how that sends the wrong message about video to students. I think if we can teach students to critically analyze videos in the same way we teach them to deconstruct traditional texts, we just might be sending off students in the world who are not as easily fooled by gimmicks and manipulative tactics in media. I also like the idea of using Instagram in the classroom and think it's a cool way to infiltrate social media in a positive way. Good job! Please add a few more lines about takeaways/thoughts from the third article.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1HsP-StedLUEKPAaPdADNhEAAlgIfjvO1c5hHRhUg7Lk/edit#slide=id.p https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pzLbNi914aAer84aSWKxbg1qHmQv-f8yElsYubmWs4k/edit
 * Professional Identity**
 * Presentation:**
 * Rubric:**

I loved this article! I have mixed feelings about twitter because I feel like it's sort of fading from the list of "popular social media sites" because it's more about words and students today or all about the pictures, but this revitalized my feelings. I'm not totally sure that twitter is something that I want to use in my classroom (if most students don't already have a twitter, is it really making them feel like I'm catering to their passions by using a social media site they don't care for?) but I will definitely become more active on twitter for myself to get good ideas for my future classroom. It seems like a relatively fun way to use spare time for something productive. I will by no means because a twitter- expert overnight, but i plan to start finding educators and pages to follow so I can actually check the app more than once a month to see what I'm missing. I have started looking on Facebook for pages to follow, and one of my favorites so far is Free Technology for Teachers. It's an educator ran page that frequently posts different websites and apps that teachers can use in the classroom. While some are common ones I've seen, many are new tools I'd enjoy looking into, and I like that I can always go back and find them.
 * An Educator's Social Media Guide**

I really like how you are already starting to think about what you will do in your classroom and what you won't. I totally agree with you that it is important to use social media tools that students are already using and repurposing them instead of making them use something older. I also agree that Twitter can, however, be really useful to you as a teacher. Have you found any educators or pages to follow yet?

This article breaks my heart, but is so relatable. While Instagram didn't really boom until I was out of high school, I can easily see the kinds of things on it that the article mentions, even for college aged students! There are still the lengthy "omg ilysm bff" posts, the intense need for hundreds of likes - mostly by people you don't even know. Imagining how amplified those things must be for middle school aged girls makes me want to go hand out hugs and compliments. You don't need your shady "best friend" to post a picture gushing about how beautiful she thinks she is, but girls do feel like they need those sort of reassurances and it becomes a big drama. My generation saw that on Facebook by writing on walls, or even further back on MySpace where you could rate your top friends- how hurtful is that to see yourself as number 5 on someones list that's number 1 on yours?! The same viciousness in girls has always been there, social media outlets just allow a better platform to participate. There is a lot of bullying involved that, to outsiders, doesn't look like bullying. Is there anything that we as teachers can do other than encourage students to realize those sorts of things are hurtful to others? Since most of those forms of torment happen outside of classrooms and schools, do we have any ability to try to intervene if we find out about something negative taking place? I'm not sure where my place as a teacher comes in handy for online bullying. It's not happening in school where I have the authority to intervene, but I do hope that I have a connection to students and that I may be able to speak openly with them about cyber bullying and it's harms. Maybe we, as a class, could set up some rules regarding it and they can discuss with me what they think I should do and if I should be able to intervene if I see it or a student brings it to my attention. Negative comments toward others, shaming peers on social media, or threats would be the only thing I can really think of that I could get away with intervening. As tempting as it may be to tell girls to cover their bodies or boys to post less douchey pictures, that's not necessarily harmful to other students and should be dealt with by parents if need be.
 * The Secret Language of Girls on Instagram**

Great connection to MySpace - I didn't even think of that! I think a lot of times we get caught up thinking that the generation after us is so much "worse," but we just have to recognize the different forms it took during our lifetime. I think you raise some really good questions, but I want to hear your thoughts - in what ways would you address this in your classroom? What things would you feel are necessary to report if you saw them?

Internet makes meeting people easier... but is it better? The internet is NOT a separate place from real life
 * Instant Message, Instant Girlfriend**

My last name makes me easy to find, so I need to make sure everything is expressive of who I want to be seen as. All of my social media pages come right up, so I have to be aware of what pictures are associated with my pages. My Facebook, twitter, and pinterest accounts pop up when I search my name, along with a LinkedIn account that I never use. My entry in the NCSU student directory also appears pretty high on the list, which contains my parents address as well as my past position working for New Student Orientation. While none of these are professional, they are all positive and reflect well on my internet usage. I would like to work on my LInkedIn account, as it is more of a professional platform that would show administrators and parents that I'm qualified and have connectionism the field.
 * Professional Online Identity Reflection**

Definitely true. What social media pops up when your name is searched? What kinds of impression do you think people get when they see them? Are there any positive/professional things that come up? In what ways do you want to change your online identity? How do you want to go about it? Please add more detail.