Thursday, June 4, 2015
Participate 4.1.3
Working online can be a time-suck. What I mean by that is there is ALWAYS something I can do to continue working, and since I am at home it is hard to always set it aside and do something for myself. I get my emails on my phone and at times, I feel as though I must respond right away - but when you stop to think about it, this is not life or death and I should not feel slave to my email! So, I scheduled a dinner for tonight with some college friends and I put a reminder in my phone to "Put it down!"
We can encourage students to guard their well-being by encouraging them to pace themselves. Over the summer, I tell students they should work for 2-3 hours a day (for an AB course) but thats it. They need to learn to give themselves a break and should still be able to enjoy their summer! I have found that giving myself specific times to do work helps and hopefully that would help my students!
Participate 4.1.2
Digital safety is one of those issues we don't always think about, but it truly should be on our minds at all times. Most people have almost all of their important information somewhere online and keeping it secure is essential. The site On Guard Online shares some excellent information about securing internet security, like putting passwords on your WiFi. One of the best tips I picked up from this site is to avoid using sites that require you to enter personal or financial information while using public Wifi. At times, we forget to think about the danger to our personal information if we are not on our own internet source.
At my face-to-face school we had a speaker out about digital safety and your digital footprint and I really think it was eye opening for some of the students that, what you send on snapchat does not actually disappear! Digital safety could be a part of the Orientation course we discussed for the AUP. This site from MTV has some great information about digital safety and what not to post. I think it would be valuable for students to explore this site to get some ideas about how their actions affect others and themselves!
I made this poster to help remind students of digital safety measures:
At my face-to-face school we had a speaker out about digital safety and your digital footprint and I really think it was eye opening for some of the students that, what you send on snapchat does not actually disappear! Digital safety could be a part of the Orientation course we discussed for the AUP. This site from MTV has some great information about digital safety and what not to post. I think it would be valuable for students to explore this site to get some ideas about how their actions affect others and themselves!
I made this poster to help remind students of digital safety measures:
Participate 4.1.1
AUP's or Acceptable Use Policies are comparable to a classroom teacher's rules. On the first day of class, the teacher goes over what is acceptable behavior in his classroom (i.e. chewing gum, how to ask to go to the bathroom, cell phone use) and students learn to adjust to the varying but mostly consistent rules among most teachers. An AUP for a Digital Learning Community is just that, the set of classroom rules that members of the community must adhere to in order to ensure the purpose of the community is at the forefront.
Having an AUP helps guide the members of the community to make good decisions while members of the DLC. It encourages positive behavior, appropriate Netiquette, and ethical behavior, while discouraging acts such as bullying, plagiarism, or general misuse of the internet.
I think the best way to ensure that members of the community adhere to the AUP is to be sure they are aware it exists. In addition, requiring some sort of Orientation in which each person in the community goes through a small training or course to educate him/her on the AUP would be necessary.
Having an AUP helps guide the members of the community to make good decisions while members of the DLC. It encourages positive behavior, appropriate Netiquette, and ethical behavior, while discouraging acts such as bullying, plagiarism, or general misuse of the internet.
I think the best way to ensure that members of the community adhere to the AUP is to be sure they are aware it exists. In addition, requiring some sort of Orientation in which each person in the community goes through a small training or course to educate him/her on the AUP would be necessary.
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
Participate 3.1.2: Netiquette
Digital etiquette is an important topic for all students, online or face-to-face. They should be prepared to interact with peers, colleagues, bosses, and professors in a digital world and that is a learning process. Here is a smore I made to help give students some guidelines on how to behave in an online world!
Participate 3.1.1: Access to Digital Community
Reading the Exploring the Digital Nation - Computer and Internet Use at Home article, I was shocked to find only 68% of households had broadband internet and only 77% of homes had computers! Internet access is something I have taken for granted since the early 2000's so it was shocking for me to find out there is still a good portion of American's who still do not have consistent access to the internet. One of the most surprising statistics from the article is that 47% of those users without internet feel there is no need for them to have it! I wonder if those people know about all the DLC's they could be joining : )!
Many of those who are without consistent internet usage are those from low socio-economic statuses as well as minority families. Often, these are the students who need these resources the most. Imagine if young adults knew they could get a FREE degree from University of the People or find out more about a topic that could lead to a job from Yale? Increasing the accessibility of the internet could help our country decrease some of our entitlement programs by helping those in need get on their feet through free or cost-effective resources.
One of the ways New York is helping to eliminate such barriers by researching the best ways to provide Broadband internet to everyone in the state and contribute $500 million to help battle this issue over the next 4 years. The Mayor in NYC is planning to turn old payphones into free WiFi kiosks to help this issue.
Hopefully this is an issue we can resolve within our lifetime. Access to the internet is the new "literacy", one cannot be modern or informed without the internet!
Many of those who are without consistent internet usage are those from low socio-economic statuses as well as minority families. Often, these are the students who need these resources the most. Imagine if young adults knew they could get a FREE degree from University of the People or find out more about a topic that could lead to a job from Yale? Increasing the accessibility of the internet could help our country decrease some of our entitlement programs by helping those in need get on their feet through free or cost-effective resources.
One of the ways New York is helping to eliminate such barriers by researching the best ways to provide Broadband internet to everyone in the state and contribute $500 million to help battle this issue over the next 4 years. The Mayor in NYC is planning to turn old payphones into free WiFi kiosks to help this issue.
Hopefully this is an issue we can resolve within our lifetime. Access to the internet is the new "literacy", one cannot be modern or informed without the internet!
Participate 2.1.1: Reputable Digital Resources
Finding reputable sources online can be challenging for students and adults. Many of us are so used to finding the information we need immediately we often don't check for the accuracy or relevance before assuming the answer is correct. However, this is dangerous to the advancement of learning that we hope is taking place each and every day.
The United Nations posted 5 criteria for evaluating websites. The first of which is Accuracy - should I trust what this site is saying? One of the important things to look for is who is hosting the site. Is it an advocacy group who would have clear biases? Looking at who the information is coming from is the first and foremost thing students must do to evaluate a website. The next criteria is Authority - who wrote this information. We should check the author for validity of his/her comments as well as references to back up the information that is being shared. The third criteria, Objectivity questions if the site is being fair to all parties involved. The UN encourages users to check the advertising and be sure there would not be a bias in information provided. Next, the UN wants users to be aware of the Currency of the site. Look for a place where the site says "Updated on ___" to be sure the information is not out of date. In the last criteria, Coverage, users are implored to check other sites and see if their information matches what is on the site you are evaluating.
During my web walkabout, I was able to review some common website I have been using a find a few new ones:
1. One of my favorite things to do when I am stuck in traffic or going on a walk is to listen to a podcast. I added the TED website to my Delicious page in the hopes of remembering to incorporate these into my online classroom.
2. Patrick JMT is one of my favorite online "tutors" - he often has a humorous way of sharing math and covers all topics in mathematics from 6th-12th grade.
3. I found this teacher in my research about DLC's. This teacher had a student "scribe" each day of his class and then that student had to upload "that day" to the classroom blog. I thought this was so cool and something I want to incorporate in my classroom.
After students are taught how to evaluate a website they can safely explore the web while adding sites and resources to their online collection.
The United Nations posted 5 criteria for evaluating websites. The first of which is Accuracy - should I trust what this site is saying? One of the important things to look for is who is hosting the site. Is it an advocacy group who would have clear biases? Looking at who the information is coming from is the first and foremost thing students must do to evaluate a website. The next criteria is Authority - who wrote this information. We should check the author for validity of his/her comments as well as references to back up the information that is being shared. The third criteria, Objectivity questions if the site is being fair to all parties involved. The UN encourages users to check the advertising and be sure there would not be a bias in information provided. Next, the UN wants users to be aware of the Currency of the site. Look for a place where the site says "Updated on ___" to be sure the information is not out of date. In the last criteria, Coverage, users are implored to check other sites and see if their information matches what is on the site you are evaluating.
During my web walkabout, I was able to review some common website I have been using a find a few new ones:
1. One of my favorite things to do when I am stuck in traffic or going on a walk is to listen to a podcast. I added the TED website to my Delicious page in the hopes of remembering to incorporate these into my online classroom.
2. Patrick JMT is one of my favorite online "tutors" - he often has a humorous way of sharing math and covers all topics in mathematics from 6th-12th grade.
3. I found this teacher in my research about DLC's. This teacher had a student "scribe" each day of his class and then that student had to upload "that day" to the classroom blog. I thought this was so cool and something I want to incorporate in my classroom.
After students are taught how to evaluate a website they can safely explore the web while adding sites and resources to their online collection.
Participate 1.1.3 Ideal Digital Learning Community
The ideal Digital Learning Community would be the following things:
1. Organized & User-Friendly: Being able to find what you need... quickly! When I go to check out a Digital Learning Community the first thing I do is look at the headers and see where I need to navigate to. Sometimes its "About Us" to figure out what this site is all about, sometimes its "Course Offerings" to figure out how I can utilize this website. Being able to quickly see these items is paramount to me spending time exploring a website.
2. Participatory - I would want my DLC to have some sort of aspect where students/teachers/people can participate in what is being presented. Whether they can submit articles, share stories or help one another - there needs to be something that encourages the digital community.
3. Encouraging - The purpose of most of the DLC's I explored was learning or helping one another to some sort of goal. So having "badges" or "trophies" and recognizing those accomplishments is a valuable aspect of a DLC in order to encourage people to come back and accomplish what they set out to learn in the first place!
1. Organized & User-Friendly: Being able to find what you need... quickly! When I go to check out a Digital Learning Community the first thing I do is look at the headers and see where I need to navigate to. Sometimes its "About Us" to figure out what this site is all about, sometimes its "Course Offerings" to figure out how I can utilize this website. Being able to quickly see these items is paramount to me spending time exploring a website.
2. Participatory - I would want my DLC to have some sort of aspect where students/teachers/people can participate in what is being presented. Whether they can submit articles, share stories or help one another - there needs to be something that encourages the digital community.
3. Encouraging - The purpose of most of the DLC's I explored was learning or helping one another to some sort of goal. So having "badges" or "trophies" and recognizing those accomplishments is a valuable aspect of a DLC in order to encourage people to come back and accomplish what they set out to learn in the first place!
Participate 1.1.2 Join a Digital Learning Community
This quest had two parts. The first was to set up a social bookmarking site in which I can share cool sites/tools/articles I see with others. Its almost like a Pinterest for Websites! The second part was to explore some of the Digital Learning Communities (DLC's) that Jeff Giddens had pulled together. The idea of a social bookmarking site in which like-minded individuals have a place to share their "internet finds" is really cool and helps to develop the digital community that we hope to cultivate at GA Virtual.
The first DLC I explored was the Free Technology Academy, this site allows anyone to take various programming courses in the hopes to make the understanding of technology more accessible. Next I explored Khan Academy. Most educators know about Khan Academy - but it is such a valuable resource I felt as though it was relevant to put in my post. Khan Academy is a site that has help videos for students in many different topics. They are even partnering with Bank of America to help students (all people...) understand finances! Next I went to Open Study and I think this one is my favorite so far! This is a site where students studying similar topics can collaborate and help one another. I was fascinated to read that this site was developed by a formed Dean of Students from Emory University as well as a Georgia Tech professor of Artificial Intelligence. The only worry I have with this site is students cheating rather helping one another learn. But I think that can happen at any time and Open Study seems like a cool way for students to get together.
Next, I went to University of the People and I was amazed to find free online post-secondary educations programs! This University offers free (almost!) degree programs in Business Administration & Computer Science, both of which are fields that are increasingly important in our era. The University charges a $10-50 processing fee and a $100 end of course exam fee. Can you imagine going back to college and only spending at most $6000! I never would have found out about something like this without exploring Jeff's Delicious page - how cool!
Many of the rest of the sites listed are those that allow students to take online courses for free. At a recent professional development I attended, the speaker discussed the encroachment of free online education on our traditional educational model. While it is true that students can probably take our math courses online without paying for them, they are lacking the teacher presence (as well as the ability to earn credits) and digital community that make Ga Virtual or even face-to-face schools relevant. However, I do think being able to enrich any type of course with a free online course from Harvard or Yale is awesome!
I have to say Open Study is still my favorite site. What a great way for students to connect!
The first DLC I explored was the Free Technology Academy, this site allows anyone to take various programming courses in the hopes to make the understanding of technology more accessible. Next I explored Khan Academy. Most educators know about Khan Academy - but it is such a valuable resource I felt as though it was relevant to put in my post. Khan Academy is a site that has help videos for students in many different topics. They are even partnering with Bank of America to help students (all people...) understand finances! Next I went to Open Study and I think this one is my favorite so far! This is a site where students studying similar topics can collaborate and help one another. I was fascinated to read that this site was developed by a formed Dean of Students from Emory University as well as a Georgia Tech professor of Artificial Intelligence. The only worry I have with this site is students cheating rather helping one another learn. But I think that can happen at any time and Open Study seems like a cool way for students to get together.
Next, I went to University of the People and I was amazed to find free online post-secondary educations programs! This University offers free (almost!) degree programs in Business Administration & Computer Science, both of which are fields that are increasingly important in our era. The University charges a $10-50 processing fee and a $100 end of course exam fee. Can you imagine going back to college and only spending at most $6000! I never would have found out about something like this without exploring Jeff's Delicious page - how cool!
Many of the rest of the sites listed are those that allow students to take online courses for free. At a recent professional development I attended, the speaker discussed the encroachment of free online education on our traditional educational model. While it is true that students can probably take our math courses online without paying for them, they are lacking the teacher presence (as well as the ability to earn credits) and digital community that make Ga Virtual or even face-to-face schools relevant. However, I do think being able to enrich any type of course with a free online course from Harvard or Yale is awesome!
I have to say Open Study is still my favorite site. What a great way for students to connect!
Participate: 1.1.1 Character Traits Quest
From my research about Digital Citizenship, I have come to find the three most important traits of a an exemplary online citizen.
The first is the ability to communicate respectfully and appropriately. I learned about this from the article What should I teach my kid about online and safe behavior? So many times I have received emails from students that are not well composed or have "txt lingo" in them. I chose this trait first because the digital world is all about communication which brings me to my next trait.
The next trait is to be able to collaborate with community members in the pursuit of success. Collaboration has proven to be valuable for me as each online semester passes. I have always been thankful to have connections with other online educators when random questions pop up, or to just share the workload. Helping students learn to collaborate appropriately with one another will be paramount as their future jobs will most likely involve a high degree of collaboration.
The third trait exemplary members of the digital community must have is the ability to seek out and identify high quality online information. The plethora of information on the web can be overwhelming and for many students, frustrating. So being able to pick out the informative, trustworthy websites is helpful when doing research for papers, trying to find help for a math problem, or just looking up movie times!
Being an exemplary member of the digital community is the first of many important areas Ga Virtual teachers and students must excel in order to promote online learning and development!
The first is the ability to communicate respectfully and appropriately. I learned about this from the article What should I teach my kid about online and safe behavior? So many times I have received emails from students that are not well composed or have "txt lingo" in them. I chose this trait first because the digital world is all about communication which brings me to my next trait.
The next trait is to be able to collaborate with community members in the pursuit of success. Collaboration has proven to be valuable for me as each online semester passes. I have always been thankful to have connections with other online educators when random questions pop up, or to just share the workload. Helping students learn to collaborate appropriately with one another will be paramount as their future jobs will most likely involve a high degree of collaboration.
The third trait exemplary members of the digital community must have is the ability to seek out and identify high quality online information. The plethora of information on the web can be overwhelming and for many students, frustrating. So being able to pick out the informative, trustworthy websites is helpful when doing research for papers, trying to find help for a math problem, or just looking up movie times!
Being an exemplary member of the digital community is the first of many important areas Ga Virtual teachers and students must excel in order to promote online learning and development!
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Creating a Blog
Welcome to my blog - I am excited to journey through TOOL. I found the creation of the blog to be fairly intuitive, although there were a few things I had to figure out. Like what a "Gadget" is - but I believe it to be similar to a Widget in our online classroom. And the blog posts are like News Announcements! When I am learning something new, it helps me to relate it to something I already know!
TOOL seems like it will be quite a bit of work, but hopefully useful work that I can apply to my online classroom. I am nervous about the amount of time I will need to devote to complete this, but I am sure it will be worth it in the end.
I hope you enjoyed my first blog post : )
TOOL seems like it will be quite a bit of work, but hopefully useful work that I can apply to my online classroom. I am nervous about the amount of time I will need to devote to complete this, but I am sure it will be worth it in the end.
I hope you enjoyed my first blog post : )
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