ePals - Connection to the world

     While exploring the ePals website I was extremely impressed with the various opportunities provided to teachers and students to connect globally with other language learners.  The first feature that caught my attention was being able to connect with other classes around the country and the WORLD.  This is something that I have always wanted to do with my students but I was unaware of how to do this.  I did not even know where to start looking for other classes to connect with and ePals has made this extremely easy.  You can search by age group, language and even country.  My school is currently planning a trip to Puerto Rico with our students next year and this would be a great way to expose them to Puerto Rican culture before going on the trip.  Students would be able to get a Puerto Rican pen pal and not only practice their Spanish but also learn more about their culture.  It would be interesting to do a collaborative project in which students must evaluate their own culture as well as their pen pal's culture.  This would show students another person's perspective as well as any stereotypes they might have.
     Another great feature that the website has is the "Join a Project" option.  This is where teachers can post a specific project with details so that I can determine if it is something I want to participate in or not.  There were a lot of projects listed, ones that could be used for other classes such as Global Studies or a Humanities class.  One specific project that I would be interested in further exploring is a class from the UK that is learning Spanish and is looking to form a partnership with another class outside of the UK to practice Spanish and discuss various cultural perspectives.  The site also offers resources to teachers as well as has a feature that has online field trips.  I also found a link regarding culture called "Children Around the World" which explores various cultures.  Overall I think the ePal site is a great resource for students and teachers that want to become globally competent members of society!
   

In a Digital Storytelling World....

Digital storytelling is not a new form of storytelling, in fact according to this digital story telling website it has been around since the early 1990s thanks to pioneer, Joe Lambert.  As the name suggests digital storytelling is the art of telling story through technology.  Normally the story is between 2 to 10 minutes in length and the author will use a variety of multimedia in order to further enhance the story.  There are 7 major elements that are needed which include point of view, a dramatic question, emotional content, the gift of your voice, the power of the soundtrack, economy and pacing.  These elements help to make a digital story more powerful for the viewer.  This art form can be used not only by educators but also by students.  Several uses of this tool for student learning include but are not limited to the following:

1. Students can create their own stories in the target language about various topics.
2. Students can work collaboratively with a group to create a chain story (one in which one person starts the story and then the next person continues it).
3. Students can create a book report/prezi based on a teacher made digital story in the target language.  

Twitter...las posibilidades...

     For me, Twitter is a new technology experience that the majority of my students use daily.  On any given day, students will write "follow me @...." on my whiteboard, leaving their twitter handle for all to see.  I believe that Twitter is like a double edged sword because it can lead to endless possibilities for learning to happen; however, it can also function like Facebook and with teenagers this leads to conflicts.  In the article, A Must Have Guide On Using Twitter In Your Classroom, there are a list of various ways you can use Twitter for educational purposes which are broken down into the following categories: communication, organization, resources, writing skills, and twitter exercises.  Prior to the start of this semester I had thought about incorporating Twitter into my classroom and teaching because it is so widely used by my students.  Some possible ways of doing this are listed in the article such as using Twitter as a bulletin board, using it to keep students in the loop about assignments and instant feedback.  When I imagine using Twitter in my classroom I see it as a way to get my students to practice using Spanish outside the classroom.  I have even polled several classes and asked if their homework assignments were to follow me on Twitter and to respond to my Tweets would they.  Every time I ask this question I receive a huge "yes" from students.
     Another use of Twitter is to help me increase my network of resources and other educators.  I had never thought of using Twitter as a means of professional development until I started my account.  According to the article, A Great Cheat Sheet For Teachers, there are numerous hashtags specifically for educators.  These hashtags can help me filter the information I am looking at and also help me to send out specific information to my students if I choose to use Twitter in my classroom.  Within my first few days of using Twitter I started following another Spanish teacher from New Hampshire and she tweeted at me "Welcome to Twitter, the best professional development available".  That statement sums up Twitter for educators.  I believe you can use Twitter for two distinct functions, social or professional.  I can see how the social function can lead to undesired situations for educators/students, although, if Twitter is used appropriately for a professional growth function I think the possibilities are endless.  
  

Social Networking...

I looked into a few different social networking sites but the one that seems to have the best information for me is Classroom20.  The first post I saw on the site was about using Twitter in the Spanish classroom.  This is an idea that I have been thinking about for a while now. It has great ideas regarding incorporating technology (such as tablets) into the everyday classroom.  I think this site will help me move my classroom away from the traditional and more into the 21st century.

A Learner Needs to be Like a Sieve

A Learner Needs to be Like a Sieve

     Social media has changed not only our society but also the way in which individuals process what is happening in society.  In the article, Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age, George Siemens argues for a change in the way we perceive the act of learning.  He describe the change in the way which we measure knowledge and compares the past to the present.  In the past, knowledge has been measured in decades due to the slow development of information.  In today's society information development is rapid and at times information can be seen as outdated within a matter of months.  Due to this drastic shift he proposes we change our view of learning.  I believe that today's learns must act like sieves because on a daily basis we are bombarded with information/knowledge but it is our task to determine which is relevant or helpful to us.  Siemmens states, "The ability to draw distinctions between important and unimportant information is vital."  As a learner in the Digital Age we must make decisions about what information is unwanted material and what is necessary.  

     In his video, The Network is the Learning, he argues "the way we are connected...is largely responsible for how we stay current".  Staying current in our fields is of the utmost importance today.  Technology is changing everyday and it is being used in new ways, thus, we as the learners/users must adapt on a regular basis.  Additionally, in another video titled The Impact of Social Media on Learning, Siemmens discusses the idea of creating connections in order to promote conversations.  These conversations result in a growth in our own knowledge; however,  an individual learner must choose which knowledge to store and what to get rid of.  I believe that the best tool we can give our students is the ability to be critical thinkers about the information they are exposed to.  Learners must filter the information and knowledge gained by social software.   

Did you see what she posted on Facebook?

     Now that I have provoked you into reading my latest post let's examine some of our favorite websites/networks and their connection with education.  It is clear that technology and social media are changing business practices and everyday life.  One area that seems unaffected is education.  In the video, Educational Change Challenge, Darren Cannell discusses this problem and challenges teachers to make a change.  He argues that if you took a teacher from a hundred years ago and placed them in a classroom today, the teacher would feel at home because nothing has changed.  Additionally, he states that educators must be relevant and innovative.  I agree with everything Mr. Cannell states but one factor he doesn't address is that sometimes teachers don't have the power to make significant changes.  Often enough those that make educational policies have never actually taught in a classroom, yet, they make policies and decisions that affect us educators.  Most teachers that I know and work with push educational boundaries everyday.  Teachers in my building have students create Animotos, complete webquests, use interactive websites to create media, create and publish videos on Youtube and much more.  These teachers have embraced the use of technology in education; however, at the end of the year we still must get our students to pass a standardized test.  Administrators tell us to be creative but mandate that we meet NYS Standards and get results on these outdated assessments.  I want to take on Mr. Cannell's challenge to change my classroom but many of the social media networks that my students use daily are off limits to educators.  I strongly believe that if schools/teachers utilize Facebook and Twitter in their classrooms we would be able to engage 99% of the students but like most schools, my administrator has said that Facebook is not an option.  As per the video, Social Media Revolution 2011, social media has taken over our society.  The video states that if Facebook were a country it would be the 3rd most populated in the world.  Sometimes I think teachers want to embrace the changes around us be feel handcuffed by the educational policies and expectations set by those not in the classroom.
     Another issue not addressed in either video is the necessity for technology and limited resources in many of today's schools.  You can't incorporate social media into your teaching if you don't have access to it.  Many schools struggle to keep relevant technology because of the expense.  In today's economy schools in WNY are laying off teachers by the handful.  So where does the money come from to by iPads for every classroom? People say they want education to change but when it comes down to raising taxes so that schools can buy the technology required, it is a different story.  Two things must happen for education to embrace the technological changes happening, equal/fair distribution of technology to all schools and a change in assessments.