Professional Learning Network

Twitter was an app on my phone that I occasionally would look at to see photos administrators, teachers, and some students would post to #mundypride. I felt like it would keep me "in the know." I did not realize how many useful tools, resources, and people were available at my fingertips! Thanks to the Twitter Chat assignment I now see the value in Twitter and the endless possibilities.

I was a little nervous to participate in my first Twitter Chat, however, I read the "How to Participate in a Twitter Chat" and took the author's advice. I signed up for a Hootsuite account and played with that for a couple of days, then I felt prepared to actually be an active participant in a chat. I tried to participate in a couple of chats, but seemed like their wasn't much action and realized that the chat didn't seem to be happening! But, I didn't give up. I was finally able to join the #gafechat and had a great experience. I loved the structure of the questions and answers and really appreciated people adding A1, A2, etc. before their response, so it was easy to follow and understand which question they were answering. I left the chat not only feeling proud of myself for participating, but also had useful tools to consider using and access to Kelly Fitzgerald's website (#gafechat moderator) to utilize for future instructional coach inquiries.

Q6 Answer

Q1 Answer

Q2 Answer

Checkout the complete #gafechat on Lesson Design in a Digital Age here!

Twitter is now going to be a resource for me to stay connected to my school, but also to connect to other business teachers all over the country and even the world (Currently following 77 people, have 9 followers and counting 🙌). I am looking forward to participating in more chats and expanding my PLN.

Connect with me on Twitter: @mrsamber10

Interested in a Twitter Chat? Find a chat to join here: Twitter Chat Schedule

Educational Technology Research

As educators it is important to understand our students on a personal level, but also to look at data and research about their generation. This week I enjoyed looking at a variety of statistics about my students' generation and technology use.

Statistics that jumped out at me from the Speak Up "Social Media Use In and Out of School: Students, Parents and Educators Speak Up!" report were regarding communication. I find it interesting that high school students tend to use Instagram and Snapchat rather than Facebook and Twitter. However, social media that most schools use are Facebook and Twitter. In fact, 77% of administrators use Twitter to communicate to parents and students. There seems to be a disconnect between the channels students use and what schools use. I know at my current school we are always struggling with how to communicate information to students. We tend to communicate how we (adults) do...through email and Twitter. Looking at the useful data Speak Up provides, we need to meet students where they currently are and switch communication channels. 

Checkout the complete report here
Source: Speak Up!

I loved seeing that 55% of parents want to receive text messages from their child's school or teacher. Again, we tend to use phone or email blasts to reach parents, why not text message them? It would be great to know a parent's preferred method of contact, so it is easier to connect to discuss their child's education. Having parent contact with every student can only help the student's overall academic experience.

I also found it interesting that 76% of high school students use YouTube, however, only 27% of teacher either use or plan on creating videos to supplement content taught in their courses. YouTube would be a great way to help support students through the learning process. 

This valuable research is important to review every year, as students and technology change so rapidly. I am definitely going to keep these reports in my "toolbox" to ensure I am meeting my students needs.

Interesting read: Do smartphones have a place in the classroom?

Active Learning

What is active learning? “Active learning is a process whereby students engage in activities, such as reading, writing, discussion, or problem solving that promote analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of class content” (http://www.crlt.umich.edu/tstrategies/tsal). Students are learning by doing. What I love about active learning is that it is student centered. The learning is relevant to their lives, they have choice, and are able to use their voice and creatively to actively engage in the learning process.

This week I explored an active learning activity that Coonley students were asked to participate in. The activity was titled “One Year Told in Six Words.” Students were given the following prompts: “Tell something you like about Coonley,” “What activity did you really enjoy this school year?,” “Write about yourself,” and “Give advice to others.” Using those prompts the students wrote six word memoir to capture their thoughts. The results were wonderful and were compiled into a large slideshow available to view through the school’s Twitter feed. This is a great example of an active learning experience as it is student centered, students had choices and were able to use their voice to be creative, while also making meaningful word choices.

Checkout my Padlet that also explains the “One Year Told in Six Words” and also includes more information about other school that have created “Six Word Memoirs.”

Active Learning Padlet created by A. Amber
Check it out here

Active learning is a powerful way to educate today’s students. Students do not want to “sit and get” information, they want to be active participants in the learning experience. It is extremely important that teachers incorporate active learning into their lessons. Exploring active learning this week has given me a new perspective and useful tools I can use to actively engage students in business topics.

For more information on active learning check out the following resources:

• Active Learning Strategies: https://teaching.berkeley.edu/active-learning-strategies
• https://www.brown.edu/about/administration/sheridan-center/teaching-learning/effective-classroom-practices/interactive-classroom-activities
• https://www.edutopia.org/classroom-student-participation-tips

Mapping My Digital Spaces

As David White stated, "Visitors and Residents is a simple way of describing the range of ways individuals can engage with the Web. It’s a continuum of ‘modes of engagement’ not two distinct categories."

I found mapping my digital spaces and analyzing my mode of engagement (visitor v. resident) a very interesting task! I was very shocked at the final product. I have always been one to be cautious of my digital footprint, however as my map shows, my digital footprint has grown in recent years. Every year there seems to be a new digital space to explore whether it is professional, personal or both. As an educator, I want to be aware of the digital spaces my students are interacting with and try to incorporate those spaces into my classes. Before creating my map, I though most of my digital spaces would have fallen under "Personal," so I was pleasantly surprised to see it was about a 50/50 split. I guess I never realized how may digital spaces I use in my professional life.

I believe that I would have more engaging interactions on the Internet if I was more of a resident in digital spaces. Often times I find myself searching for information, lesson ideas, and resources, however, I just "take" what I need, and never contribute to the conversation. My goal for the future is to get involve with the conversations and be a productive resident!

My Digital Spaces Map

For more information on Visitor and Residents visit the following:

• David White: http://daveowhite.com/vandr/
• Visitors and Residents: A new typology for online engagement: http://firstmonday.org/article/view/3171/3049

Self-Evaluation of Framework

Prior to my school going 1:1, the staff received professional development on integrating technology into the classroom. The school chose to focus on the SAMR model. "SAMR is a model designed to help educators infuse technology into teaching and learning. Popularized by Dr. Ruben Puentedura, the model supports and enables teachers to design, develop, and infuse digital learning experiences that utilize technology. The goal is to transform learning experiences so they result in higher levels of achievement for students" (http://www.schrockguide.net/samr.html).

This image defines each stage of the SAMR model:

Source: https://www.showbie.com/using-showbie-with-the-samr-model

As I think about where I fall on this spectrum, I believe I would be at the modification stage. In my accounting course, we used to use an old-fashion paper workbook and pen. I eventually switched to using Microsoft Excel (Augmentation). Finally, I was able to use the functionally of Excel in order to generate immediate feedback to students. This increased in functionality of the task and, I believe, is at the modification stage. There are courses I have taught where I was able to reach the redefinition stage, for example, students advertising their businesses on social media (i.e. Twitter and Facebook). However, I have not been able to consistently stay at the redefinition stage. But, maybe one doesn't always have to live at redefinition and can fluctuate between the stages. I think it is important to think about the purpose of using technology in your lessons. Will it increase effectiveness? Will it make learning more efficient? Will it increase student engagement?

Additional Resources:

8 Example of Transforming Lessons Through the SAMR Cycle

A Guide for Bringing the SAMR Model to iPads