Lauren's+445+Wiki+Workspace

__** Seminar 12- TT update (Nov 14th) **__

I am wearing completion of my Teaching Toolkit website, yay!!! I finally figured out how to make one of my top navigation tabs inactive so that just the "drop down" menu was assessable. I've been trying to figure this out for a few weeks now (I broke down and just googled how to do it, hehe). I have a drop down menu for "Units of Study" as well as "About the Teacher" so this was a big win :) I added a unit 5 to my website as well since there are 5 units within the 6th grade curriculum that I will be teaching in the spring. Not sure if I'll use this site while I student teacher since my CT already has her own website and I don't want to confuse the students or parents, but maybe next year, if I teacher 6th grade! I inserted the calendar for assignments and important dates. I can only add 5 "events" to the calendar at a time though unless I pay $5/month.... don't want to do that. I added all kinds of information and images to my web 2.0 page. I plan to add a lot more links to tools as well.

__** Seminar 11- TT update (Nov 7th) **__ Today I decided to add my Resume and Teaching Philosophy to my Teaching Toolkit. I also added some images to these pages, along with a couple example announcements to go on the home page of my classroom website. I think that this is a great way to keep parents in the loop about what is going on in the classroom, and I even added a link so that they can get emails every time I post an announcement to the website. In addition to working on my TT I have been crafting both my reflection on my micro teaching session last class and rubric for the TT. I finished my reflection, however the rubric is still a work in progress.

__** Seminar 10 (Oct 31st) **__ Micro-teaching day :)

__** Seminar 9- TT update (Oct 25th) **__ So today I added info on my unit plan pages. There are 4 units within my page- two for fall and two for spring. I added a image representing each one of the titles, as well as some descriptions of what will be covered within each unit. In addition to this, I also added to the contact info page. This is a page in which my students parents can contact me in regards to any questions, concerns, or comments that they may have about their student in my class. I am currently working on my resume and philosophy of education to add as well.

__** Seminar 8 prep **__ So, after playing around with the Google Sites I decided that I would change my site to Weebly. Yes, I know that I would be starting over from scratch. Yes, I know that it would be more work. However, I want to be able to use this website when I teach so I want it to be fantastic! So today I re-created my website on weebly. I added all of my navigation tools as well as some photos and quotes. My "about the teacher" page is near complete as well. I also changed my theme from travel to puzzle pieces. I noticed that a lot of my cohort was do ing travel, or journey as their theme, and I wanted to be different and thought of this awesome idea of all students being "a part of the puzzle" and went with that! I am excited to see where I can take this website :)

[|Slenker Teaching Toolkit]

__** Seminar 7 Prep **__ After being informed by class readings and by Bethany's video session I feel very comfortable with the technology side of edTPA now. I plan to check out a video camera 1 week before I teach the lesson for edTPA, ensuring that I am able to get my hands on a good camera! I've used some in the past that I wasn't too fond of, so I will make sure to request the one that I am familiar with. I also plan on setting up the camera in the back of my room a few days in advance so that the students can get used to the fact that they will be on camera. They need this opportunity to get all of their silliness and nervousness out before I record the few that will count. Once I finish recording my lessons I will immediately begin to review them, ensuring that I get the best clips to showcase all things listed on the rubric.

I also think that incorporating digital video into my classroom activities would be a lot of fun for the students. I really enjoyed the activity that we did a few weeks ago when we recorded ourselves representing some sort of YA literature theme. The students can have fun and get really creative with this project. Of course I would need to dedicate more time for them to come up with their idea, script, and film time, so it would probably last for 2-3 days. This way they can create a quality video that they will be proud to share with their parents, the class, and even the school. Getting students excited about learning in school is what its all about right?! :)

So far I have posted twice on the Language Today Twitter page, so this means that I have a minimum of five more posts before the end of the semester. I will probably try and post one this weekend... that way I won't be so far behind! I would love to incorporate Twitter into my classroom and think that Language today could be used for both myself as a teacher, and for my students. There are so many interesting article and resources posted everyday that I could review to make my teaching strategies better, and I can also expose my students to some of the articles as well in order to broaden their knowledge on the new ideas that are being presented! My students can even tell me if they read an article on LT that has an activity/lesson that they would like to try and I would totally be pumped to try and incorporate it somehow! That would be cool!

I definitely think you'd need to allow for a lot of time for students to create a quality video. Doing a YA theme would be cool, but what are some other ideas? I also love the idea of sharing them with parents and peers and the school. Any way in which you can widen the audience I think will motivate students to create quality products. I also really like the idea of having students use Language Today to help you plan your lessons. I think it really shows that you're responsive to their interests.

__** Seminar 6 Prep **__ So, I think Im changing my mind on the EP and I'm going to complete a teaching toolkit now. I like that we can use it as our teacher website later, and I'm all about creating things now that can be used again at a later date! I will still be including my personal touches via the theme of the website, as well as adding a page dedicated to showcasing my teaching beliefs, education background, and fun hobbies. The theme that I have decide on is travel. I love to travel and I think that I can easily make this applicable to both ELA and SS. For ELA, I can use the travel theme to "explore" different countries and the literature that has come from them. I can also compare and contrast literature from other countries, as well as authors from other countries. I think that travel can be used in a SS classroom for the obvious reasons... teaching geography, history of other countries, and important places. I've created my TT page and have add a few pages. Check out my progress by clicking the link below!

[|Slenker Teaching Toolkit]

__** Seminar 5 Prep **__ 3 takeaways from the reading: Building on my my list... After reading this article, and reflecting on the information that I shared last week about my own EP, I am still leaning toward creating the portfolio. However, I am interested to hear more about what a teacher toolkit has to offer since there hasn't been much shared about it in class or in the readings. Unless the TT blows my mind tomorrow, I will be sticking with the EP and gearing its use toward showing future employers my personality, and samples of work and research that I've completed as a per-service teacher. I will be sticking with the same categories listed below, with the freedom to add any that I might think of along the way.
 * 1) The purpose of the EP is for students to reflect critically on their experiences as a NCSU education student, their experiences in the field, as well as their pedagogical ability and knowledge of their content area. Kudos to Dr. Young for recognizing that previous students weren't putting much effort into their EP's and deciding to make a change. I think that this shows us that he really cares about how we represent ourselves. At first, I was not thrilled about the idea of creating an entire new website, because I remember how much time and effort I spent on creating the one for our online professional identity. However, after reading this article I realized that it would actually be a very useful tool to showcase all of the awesome things about me and my teaching beliefs.
 * 2) The EP should visually reflect our personality and teaching beliefs through a carefully chosen theme. I really enjoyed seeing all of the themes chosen within the article by Dr. Young. The footprints, the trees & leaves, and the "site under construction" gave me a good sense of what my portfolio should look like by the end of the year. I am really excite to come up with a creative theme that is both visually appealing as well as representative of my journey as a pre-service teacher.
 * 3) The EP should serve as a tool you can use for years to come. It should have a good balance of personal information and professional information so that future employers may get an adequate feel for who you are as a person and as an educator. It should also feature sample lesson plans, student work, and unit ideas for future reference.

I like how you focus on personality and teaching beliefs as the core of the portfolio. While artifacts and examples and lessons and tech tools are important, the main point of this portfolio is to communicate who you are, not just what you do. I'm excited to see the theme you use to communicate who you are as well!

__** Seminar 4 Prep **__ After reviewing the two tech tools that we can use to showcase our awesome teaching skills, I believe that an electronic portfolio would better suit my needs. I chose this because of the many options is provides in content, layout, and features. I like to get creative and I feel as if the electronic portfolio will allow me to show my fun personality while talking also talking about serious matters. Within this electronic portfolio I would include things such as my credentials and an annotated list of courses taken at NCSU, so that those viewing would know that I am highly qualified. I would also include examples of units/lesson plans that I have developed, a copy of my teaching philosophy, use of 21st century technology tools, inclusion for every student within the classroom, and of course a page dedicated to me and my personal life! This tool will be great for a principal to view in order to get a good sense of who I am, and what awesome new ideas I can bring to their school.

I think an electronic portfolio is a great tool to use in an interview and also introducing yourself to students/parents (maybe open house?). I also really like that you're specifically setting out to not only show your credentials but your personality as well. Very cool.

__** Seminar 4 Prep **__ Reflection on this weeks readings: This weeks readings were quite interesting. I too, was like Shoffner in the respect that I did not know a lot about technology, let alone how to use it in my classroom beyond a powerpoint. Now I can say with confidence that I am more than capable of figuring out (fairly quickly) how to maneuver a website, or solve an issue. The article by Shoffner also provided a TON of online resources that both I can use, as well as my students. I am always looking for new (free) technology tools that will engage the students. Last year, during my student teaching observations, my CT informed me of an awesome website called Symbaloo, where I can keep all of my online resources perfectly structured in one place. It's free to use and it allows you to make as many pages of "tiles" (links to web page resources) as you'd like! You can customize your tiles by color coordinating them, upload custom photos to represent the tiles, and group them by category. I created one last spring and already have TWO pages of resources...pretty stoked!!

The article by Hannah Hudson called //10 Surprising Ways to Use Instagram// was quite informative, so much so that I forwarded the link to my husband and mother-in-law, who are also teachers. I think that the idea to have a classroom Instagram is fantastic! Adolescents these days live on social media, particularly Instagram, and I think that this connection to their personal lives will make them interested in the lesson being taught. My favorite ideas from the article were items #2- feature a student of the week, #5- Imagine what your favorite character would post, and #9- discover ideas for writing. Starting with #2, I believe that its always a great idea to showcase a students abilities and ideas, and this activity does just that! For an entire week that student will feel as if they are in charge of the classroom and it also gives you a peak into their daily lives, which can help understand a students background. In regards to #5, I believe that this will promote student interest in a book since it will require them to take on the role of a certain character, making the story more personal. And finally, #9 will allow students to go to their favorite social media outlet, Instagram, in order to find topics for writing. This can be used in many different ways. For example, you could give all students access to the Instagram page and have them all continuously post inspirational photos whenever they find one, then tell the students to visit the class Instagram page whenever you require them to do a free-write, pick any photo from the page and write (this could also be used at any given point as a "go-to activity" when a lesson runs shorter than expected and you need something to fill the last 10 mins of class). As a teacher, I would just have to continuously monitor the photos that the students were posting to ensure that they were all appropriate.

I really enjoyed how Dr. Young (along with his two other University peeps, haha) wrote that education now has an emphasis on a multiliteracies approach, and that any text that you are teaching can come in multiple different modes. The way that we learned as grade school students isn't going to work with the 21st century students. I loved the paragraph that stated, "To become fully literate in today’s world, students must become proficient in the new literacies inspired by 21st-century technologies, including the Internet and other forms of information and communication technologies. Together, these new and emerging digital technologies are redefining the ways we read, write, think, and learn. In turn, they must also inform the ways we teach." So with the technologically changing times, one must adapt to an entire new way of perceiving instruction, and how their lesson plans should look. I also thought that the reference to the inclusion of film in the classroom was great. When I was a student, watching a film was like a vacation from class, and it was the ultimate method for student engagement as everyone was glued to the T.V.. I'd compare watching a film in the 1990's to being able to use social media in the classroom today. Both can be used for educational purposes, the teacher just has to ensure that these tools are used properly in order to guarantee that students learn something as opposed to just turning their brains off. Last semester, I took a course call "Writing in Film" as my last English credit needed to graduate and let me tell you, it was no walk in the park. I learned so much about how to look at, analyze, and critic film that I do it for every movie that I watch now. Imagine what would happen if we taught our students to think critically about film while they were in middle and high school! It would be a whole new world for film makers.

I think it's super awesome that you can noticeably see and feel a difference in your confidence with using technology in the classroom. I also love that your CT is someone who is providing you with new ideas and tools to use. Sometimes it can get overwhelming, so I think it's important to latch onto the ones that really speak to you and become an expert in them. I like the Instagram activities you highlighted and think they would really enhance student learning as well as relevancy to students' lives. In all honesty, in five years Instagram might become a thing of the past and you'll have to use a different tool, but as long as you are tapping into what students are using outside of the classroom, I think you are using facilitating work around their interests. Finally, I totally agree about teaching students to analyze and critique film. I can't even imagine what it would be like to send a whole generation of students out into the world who cannot be easily manipulated by advertisements or propaganda because we have taught them the strategies that directors use to evoke emotion, etc. I really hope you take what you learned in your writing in film class and implement it into the classroom next semester. I'm looking forward to seeing it!

//*I attended the edTPA bootcamp on September 17th, and plan to attend bootcamp in the spring semester as well.//

__** Seminar 2 Prep **__

Online Identity Reflection: The experience of creating my online identity website was great! IT was so much fun to find all of the social media outlets that I have been a part of over the past few years; some that I had completely forgotten about or even disabled. I mentioned in my online identity website that I have been purposefully hidden from social media for years simply because of privacy. I am a very private person and not one to flaunt or vocalize my opinions in a public way. I do feel that after creating this website however, that I am more open to sharing myself with the world. I should be proud of my accomplishments and not try to be so darn humble all the time, haha.

Online Professional Identity link:
 * Site:** https://sites.google.com/a/ncsu.edu/lauren-slenker-s-professional-identity/
 * Rubric:** https://docs.google.com/a/ncsu.edu/document/d/1DzagajoMChPcuZsi5qPGAFNF8KPXy2_ezyCDGni0Msk/edit?usp=sharing

__** Seminar 1 Prep **__ Response to: An Educator’s Social Media Guide

As many of you know already I am a bit older than your average college student. I had a career in the medical field for seven years before I decided to return to college and follow my dream of becoming a teacher. With that being said, I am not as hip or into all of the technology apps as an average college student might be. I joined Twitter about five years ago only because someone told me that I could follow "airfarewatchdog" and get the inside scoop on cheap airfare, which is definitely true, so if you need to book a flight make sure you check there first! Anyway, after reading this article I do feel a bit better about using Twitter in more educational ways. I'm not a big "poster of things" on any sort of social media anyway (facebook/instagram) mostly because I like my private life to remain private, however I do feel like I'd be more comfortable posting professionally on Twitter, especially with the techniques provided in Aaron Hogan's article. I did not know that there were times on Twitter where people get together to chat about education... that sounds like it would be pretty cool. I'd love a place gain and share ideas about lesson plans, classroom management, projects, etc and Im excited about the opportunity to gain the insight of people nationwide! This is a unique resource that teachers didn't have before, so I think that idea sharing just got 100x easier for us all! I'm not sure if I will use the other apps mentioned in the article simply because I am not on his level yet; maybe with time. I am excited about the possibilities that this new avenue of communication might afford the world of education.

Haha, thanks for the cheap airfare tip! I really appreciate your openness to rethinking social media tools as educational resources. I totally respect your desire to keep your private life private, but I think you're right in that that doesn't have to stop you from using social media to improve your practice. There are so many educators who have ideas and experiences that can serve as inspiration and encouragement for your own classroom and this is just one easy way to get at them. Teaching is best done collaboratively. Have you found any people or groups to follow on Twitter that might serve as resources during student teaching? Have you joined in on any of the chats?

Response to: The Secret Language of Girls on Instagram

This article was very eye-opening! I had no idea that girl relied upon "likes" and "comments" for social status confirmation. I think that it is great that the younger generation is using technology with ease, however I feel that this is taking the importance of the app a little too far. What happened to the good ol' days when you just told/showed each other how much you cared about them, or how someone was your best friend. I am thankful that I did not have to deal with this when I was growing up... it sounds pretty harsh. Growing up, we didn't have social media, it was all face-to-face interaction. If you wanted to know how someone felt about you, you'd simply walk up to them and ask... not saying that it happened very often because you know how adolescents are, but there were definitely instances where friendships were formed or broken over something that was verbally said or physically done. I feel like these young adults are able to hide behind a screen now, which can mean harsher comments with longer lasting effects. For example, girls throw out honest opinions about each other in exchange for "likes??" I can see how this would be a good thing if the comment were a positive thing but to me it seems as if these girls are playing Russian Roulette here, not knowing if they will get a praise or torn apart. Is this an issue with males as well, or is this strictly a female born and driven monster?? As far as counteracting this in my classroom, I'd have to say that all I can think to do it to promote positivity. Maybe have the students use their Instagram account for a project in class, researching the positive and negative effects it is having on their generation, and have them write a paper of journal entry on how they could be the change for those on Instagram that need some positivity shown toward them.

Good question about how boys use Instragram - I'm not sure. Definitely something to look out for in your classroom. I also think that using this particular platform for social status confirmation is new, but not the principles that underlie it. How did your school show social status? How is it similar to or different from this article? With recognizing how harsh students' experiences can be on social media, what are some ways in which you want to go about preventing or counteracting those negative impacts of social media? What can you do in your classroom either directly or subtly? Please add more detail.

Response to: Online Professional Identity

My online professional identity is nonexistent. I have a Facebook account and an Instagram account but that is all for social media. All of my accounts are private and I do not post often... and only with photos of my family and I or pets. When I first joined the College of Education here at NCSU I deleted many of the photos that I thought were not appropriate as an educator to have posted for the world to see. I do have a Twitter account but have not used it for over five years. I was surprised to find that after googling my name you can find many photos of me, including my old wedding website as well. I never thought about a student being able to google my name in order to find information. I may continue to look deeper into what exactly is public information, and what is not. Overall, I believe that social media can be used for educational purposes, as long as you conduct yourself in a professional manner when exposing yourself in that fashion. In the future, I plan on revamping all of my social media accounts. This would entail updating personal information such as the company I work for, the city I reside in, and current education status. I would also ensure that all photos posted on my accounts portray me in a good light, and show a little bit of my quirky personality. I do not want to lose my identity and have all photos of me sitting perfectly, head tilted with a big smile on my face. I want to make sure that some of my adventurous, humorous side can still be seen as well. I also plan to use social media, especially Twitter in order to post interesting articles related to education, and positive thoughts for all to see.

Nice forethought to delete photos you didn't think professional as soon as you knew you were going to pursue this profession and good summary of your current online status. What are some things you want to change or improve about your professional online image? What are some ways in which you plan to do that? Please add more detail.