The process of the pilot experience was a very positive experience for myself. It allowed me to take a step back and look at the Technology Support Internship (TSI) course from a different perspective. As my change, I focused on creating an online database that contains troubleshooting solutions for my Technology Support Internship students. Before the guide, students were called to classrooms to help teachers fix a variety of technology issues. The only troubleshooting solutions that were available to students were past experiences. The guide was a collaborative effort created by TSI students and teachers, however, the technology department also provided feedback once they heard about the change.
Completing the pilot experience has made me realize the major need for the troubleshooting guide in TSI. This is a document that we should have started five years ago, however, it's better late than never! The guide has led to consistent troubleshooting techniques, which makes it easier to understand what the students have tried in the classroom when assisting a teacher. The technology department also collaborated on the troubleshooting guide with the TSI students and teachers and offered suggestions that we have never tried before. The plan for the future is to expand the guide and be more comprehensive to include Chromebook repairs and other problems that are seen in classrooms and offices. We have also begun to include daily tasks, such as, checking out/in loaner Chromebooks, how to handle students withdrawing from school mid-year, new students who arrive mid-year and what to do if Chromebooks are beyond repair.
The pilot experience has enhanced my growth as a future technology leader/change agent as it has helped me to see that technology within a school needs to be a collaborative team approach. I have also learned that technology use needs to be meaningful and provide students with authentic learning opportunities. Creating the troubleshooting guide has also helped me to identify areas that do not have a logistical process, but need one. The guide is a great resource for new teachers, substitute teachers, and new students to the course. I am hoping that students who are new to the course can be self-sufficient and rely on the guide to help them through situations, rather than always relying on the TSI teacher.
This was my last course to complete for the Technology Specialist endorsement and I have already completed the Technology Specialist endorsement test. It makes me feel accomplished to complete another endorsement. The courses required for the Technology Specialist endorsement, coupled with a few prior courses also made me eligible for the "Business, Marketing and Computer Ed - Programming" endorsement, which I was issued at the beginning of February. After speaking with my colleague that teaches the entry level coding classes, he is open to me taking a few of the sections as the coding program is growing. I am looking forward to the potential challenge of teaching this new course next year!
Tuesday, February 19, 2019
Sunday, February 3, 2019
Blog Reflection 1 - EDU 781
My perception of a technology specialist has changed dramatically since the beginning of the term. I have come to realize, that depending on the educational setting, technology specialists wear many hats. Not only do they need to understand infrastructure and educational technology tools, they also need to develop plans on how to implement programs and keep them sustainable for the future. I think one of the biggest challenges for a technology specialist is implementing a change within a school. While teachers may always want to improve their practice and provide resources for their students, it can be difficult to create change within a school. Too often teachers are "stuck in their ways." I have realized that technology specialists really have to design an implementation plan before proceeding with any change. I have been most inspired with the text "Switch." Understanding what motivates people and how to make the path to the change "smaller" ultimately will help any change come to fruition.
Keeping these methodologies in mind while implementing my change has helped me to see the big picture. This week I began to implement the change, however, the change has been slow to take off...thanks to mother nature! With three days of school cancelled it has been hard to make significant progress. With the time I did have with my students and colleagues we have managed to identify the five most common technology requests and began to collaborate on the troubleshooting guide. The guide has been typed up with the first draft of troubleshooting techniques. This week I plan on collaborating with the other classes that have not had any input and hopefully by the end of the week the guide will be available to all TSI students and teachers to use out in the field. Hopefully, we begin to see higher success rates with assisting teachers and less tickets being escalated to the Technology Department!
Keeping these methodologies in mind while implementing my change has helped me to see the big picture. This week I began to implement the change, however, the change has been slow to take off...thanks to mother nature! With three days of school cancelled it has been hard to make significant progress. With the time I did have with my students and colleagues we have managed to identify the five most common technology requests and began to collaborate on the troubleshooting guide. The guide has been typed up with the first draft of troubleshooting techniques. This week I plan on collaborating with the other classes that have not had any input and hopefully by the end of the week the guide will be available to all TSI students and teachers to use out in the field. Hopefully, we begin to see higher success rates with assisting teachers and less tickets being escalated to the Technology Department!
Wednesday, December 5, 2018
End of Course Reflection: EDU 774 Coding for Educators
I was nervous to take this course as it was unfamiliar territory, however, this course has taught me that the unknown can be intimidating, but with an open mind and an eagerness to learn, computer science skills can be acquired by almost anyone! One of the main takeaways for me was the idea to make computer science more accessible by introducing it to students through a hands on approach. Starting a course off with command line code can turn potential computer science students off and make it seem intimidating. After speaking with my school’s computer science teacher he has wonderful things to say about Code.org’s curriculum, so I would like to dive deeper into it!
Learning about Scratch and Python, although just the beginnings, has given me the curiosity to keep learning more on my own. There are so many resources available on the Internet to keep me learning. I especially loved the search feature in Scratch, through viewing other projects I was easily able to be inspired to create projects and advance my skills. I am also interested in what students are learning in our AP Computer Science courses and also seeing what student projects have been developed in our Byte Club (after school club).
Learning about Scratch and Python, although just the beginnings, has given me the curiosity to keep learning more on my own. There are so many resources available on the Internet to keep me learning. I especially loved the search feature in Scratch, through viewing other projects I was easily able to be inspired to create projects and advance my skills. I am also interested in what students are learning in our AP Computer Science courses and also seeing what student projects have been developed in our Byte Club (after school club).
I am planning on applying for the Marketing, Business, Computer Education - Computer Programming (6-12) endorsement as I believe I have finally met the requirements of 9 Business Computer Programming credit hours. This endorsement would allow me to teach the Mobile Apps Creation and Coding class that my school offers. If I was able to teach the class it would definitely be a learning curve, but a challenge I would happily take on. I believe computer science skills are a must for our students and I want to be a part of creating that future!
Picture Credits:
Scratch: https://steamsyouth.org/product/creative-computing-for-kids-scratch-2/
Python: https://www.techworm.net/programming/introduction-python-programming/
Thursday, June 21, 2018
End of Course Reflection
This course, Digital and Media Literacy, has reminded me about the important of teaching students how to navigate, understand and reflect on resources that are available in the 21st century. Being a business and technology teacher I have always found it important to teach students the basics of technology and resources on the Internet. This course has given me a large perspective on the topic. It also helped me realize that I am not the only teacher who should be teaching these skills, but, it should be incorporated into very content area and all grade levels.
I will continue to grow as an educator of Digital and Media Literacy by intentionally teaching these skills, rather than just brushing over them quickly. There are so many resources available to educators, parents, and students I planned to incorporate these resources into my courses.
A few takeaways from this course include the major assignments: Lesson Plan, Issues in Educational Technology and Professional Development Session. All three assignments have application and relevance in my teaching career. They are artifacts that I can share with my colleagues. I also really enjoyed the Cool Tools assignment. I know I will incorporate many of those tools in the future. I am grateful for the opportunity to have learn from my peers and have so many ideas for the future.
Saturday, June 2, 2018
Mid-Course Reflection
The course "Digital and Media Literacy in the Classroom" has given me more knowledge about the skill set all our of students need to be successful in the 21st century. Skills such as, cultural and social understanding, ability to find and select information, effective communication, critical thinking, and digital citizenship, are needed to be a successful student and citizen. Teachers need to intentionally teach these skills as part of their curriculum. Today's student are much different from previous students as they have great experience using a variety of online resources, however, they often tend to be passive users. It is important that educators create opportunities for students to be part of the conversation and contribute to meaningful work with real audiences.
Many of the Cool Tools that were shared among my classmates are great ways to incorporate technology and authentic learning opportunities. A few of the tools I hope to use next year include Nearpod, Glogster and Let's Recap.
I can apply the concepts that I have been learning in this course on a daily basis. First, I can create opportunities for my students to not only gather credible information, but also create a product and share it with others through the Internet in order to gain authentic feedback. I am also considering creating a class Wiki page where students can create and contribute ideas, notes, and anything else that can help them be successful in class. I tend to shy away from using cellphone in class as it can be a distraction, however, I can more open to seeing the possibilities of how they can contribute to the learning environment. There seems to be endless opportunities for students, so as a teacher I need to discover the possibilities and create meaningful experiences for them to apply and share their learning.
Many of the Cool Tools that were shared among my classmates are great ways to incorporate technology and authentic learning opportunities. A few of the tools I hope to use next year include Nearpod, Glogster and Let's Recap.
I can apply the concepts that I have been learning in this course on a daily basis. First, I can create opportunities for my students to not only gather credible information, but also create a product and share it with others through the Internet in order to gain authentic feedback. I am also considering creating a class Wiki page where students can create and contribute ideas, notes, and anything else that can help them be successful in class. I tend to shy away from using cellphone in class as it can be a distraction, however, I can more open to seeing the possibilities of how they can contribute to the learning environment. There seems to be endless opportunities for students, so as a teacher I need to discover the possibilities and create meaningful experiences for them to apply and share their learning.
I can't think of anything to add to the course. I really like hearing about ideas from my classmates and learning about resources they currently use. I have learned about so many strategies and tools from them!
Monday, February 26, 2018
Social Media & Students
This week I chose to focus on articles regarding social media skills that millennials lack. I found the skills mentioned in the article "5 Social Media Skills Millennials Lack" are rather important skills for those entering the workforce today. The article states "they're very good at connecting with people they already know, they often fail to understand the professional opportunities and pitfalls posed by networks like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIN, and Instagram." Being a millennial myself (just barley though), I completely agree with the statement. I typically only use social media to connect with my friends and family. Taking EDU 776 and this course has given me the opportunity to explore professional networks on social media and I have found more value in my social media accounts.
I found it interesting that the article mentioned "because somebody grows up being a social media native, it doesn't make them an expert using social media." However, these social natives' "social media expectations are often higher for millennials" in the workplace. It is important for companies to realize that if you want effective social media marketing and campaigns, employees need proper training, you can't just learn it on your own.
Social media can be used by those entering the workforce to broaden their networks, make connections, and hopefully find a fulfilling career. A feature mentioned in the article, InMail, was one I had not heard of before. It sounds like a very effective way to reach employers and people who may have felt out of reach before.
Piggybacking on this article is another article, Social Media and Literacy. Social Media and Literacy explores the reasons for the lack of curriculum surrounding social media literacies. If these skills are so important for 21st century workers, why don't we teach them in school?
I agree with a few of the barriers mentioned, especially the idea that "teachers feel they can't keep up." Many teachers are technology immigrants and realize their student are farther advanced in technology use. As a teacher, I want to ensure that the tasks I ask my students to complete are meaningful and engaging, adding a social media component may not keep the task meaningful and engaging. If schools choose to incorporate teaching social media literacies, I believe it needs to be intentional. Too often we are quickly addressing topics that we think students already know. It's time to stop and teach students social media literacies as we know they are not properly prepared when they reach the workforce.
I found it interesting that the article mentioned "because somebody grows up being a social media native, it doesn't make them an expert using social media." However, these social natives' "social media expectations are often higher for millennials" in the workplace. It is important for companies to realize that if you want effective social media marketing and campaigns, employees need proper training, you can't just learn it on your own.
Social media can be used by those entering the workforce to broaden their networks, make connections, and hopefully find a fulfilling career. A feature mentioned in the article, InMail, was one I had not heard of before. It sounds like a very effective way to reach employers and people who may have felt out of reach before.
Piggybacking on this article is another article, Social Media and Literacy. Social Media and Literacy explores the reasons for the lack of curriculum surrounding social media literacies. If these skills are so important for 21st century workers, why don't we teach them in school?
I agree with a few of the barriers mentioned, especially the idea that "teachers feel they can't keep up." Many teachers are technology immigrants and realize their student are farther advanced in technology use. As a teacher, I want to ensure that the tasks I ask my students to complete are meaningful and engaging, adding a social media component may not keep the task meaningful and engaging. If schools choose to incorporate teaching social media literacies, I believe it needs to be intentional. Too often we are quickly addressing topics that we think students already know. It's time to stop and teach students social media literacies as we know they are not properly prepared when they reach the workforce.
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| Source: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/5-social-media-skills-millennials-lack-gianfranco-capozzi |
Sunday, February 25, 2018
Media Literacy
This week's topic of media literacy is very timely for me. The past couple of weeks have been very trying times at my school in regards to social media. We have had a handful of incidents where students used social media and the result of their participation has had a very negative impact. Howard Rheingold's article "Attention and Other 21st-Century Social Media Literacies captured many of my same opinions. I believe that the five literacies that need to be addressed with current students include attention, participation, collaboration, network awareness, and critical consumption. Although Rheingold's article was written in 2010, it is still very valid for today.
I think participation and critical consumption are key for students to be literate in. Thinking about the past couple of weeks and the events that have occurred in my school, I have realized that student do not fully grasp the implications of posting, Snapchatting, or tweeting a "joke." These jokes are extreme in nature and have caused fear and panic within the school, community, and surrounding communities. Student need to be taught how to productively participate in social media. It is also important for students to realize who their audience is and who has access to their profile, information, etc.
Critical consumption is also extremely important. Students needs to be able to filter all the information that is coming to them on social media. They need to know what to do with information and when to report an inappropriate or potentially harmful message. Messages spread like wildfire on social media amongst our students and it is necessary to teach them what to do with the information.
I hope that the unfortunate events that have occurred will result in teachable moments with all of our students. I also believe that all students should receive formal training in media literacies, I believe it is a necessary skill now and in the future. I realize that students returning to school tomorrow will still be anxious, stressed, and feel uneasy about the events that have occurred. It is my responsibility as their teacher to help them feel safe and to help them process through the events that have occurred.
I think participation and critical consumption are key for students to be literate in. Thinking about the past couple of weeks and the events that have occurred in my school, I have realized that student do not fully grasp the implications of posting, Snapchatting, or tweeting a "joke." These jokes are extreme in nature and have caused fear and panic within the school, community, and surrounding communities. Student need to be taught how to productively participate in social media. It is also important for students to realize who their audience is and who has access to their profile, information, etc.
Critical consumption is also extremely important. Students needs to be able to filter all the information that is coming to them on social media. They need to know what to do with information and when to report an inappropriate or potentially harmful message. Messages spread like wildfire on social media amongst our students and it is necessary to teach them what to do with the information.
I hope that the unfortunate events that have occurred will result in teachable moments with all of our students. I also believe that all students should receive formal training in media literacies, I believe it is a necessary skill now and in the future. I realize that students returning to school tomorrow will still be anxious, stressed, and feel uneasy about the events that have occurred. It is my responsibility as their teacher to help them feel safe and to help them process through the events that have occurred.
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| Source: SIGNIS |
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Prior to my school going 1:1, the staff received professional development on integrating technology into the classroom. The school chose to ...
