Week 7 Blog Post #2

Wikipedia or You Tube: For or against?

First off let me say that I try my best to allow my students the freedom to look for "unorthodox" ways to prove they have mastered a learning target. In the past I have allowed a rap, a video, a puppet show, a mural, a written play, a poster and many other things. I believe that students should have the freedom to show me what they have learned instead of just passing a test. That being said, I normally do not allow Wikipedia to be used by my students when they are researching a question or issue. I don't see it as viable simply because there are THOUSANDS of other resources they could use. Wikipedia, to me, seems like a short cut.
As far as You Tube goes, yes I do allow them to use it and yes I have used it myself in many a presentation to my class. I find this site lends itself to many arena. Also, with Wikipedia anyone can add, alter and take way, You Tube is a finished product, a video, that no one can really alter. All that can be done is after the fact of the video. We can comment, share, report but we can't change the actual video.

Week 7 Blog Post

I have selected three blogs that I found interesting enough to follow. Here they are:

1. http://blog.leeandlow.com/2013/09/16/integrating-common-core-standards-reading-writing-speaking-and-listening-in-grades-2-3/
This blog is all about integrating the CCSS in Language Arts. I picked this blog because if you scroll down it gives you examples of how to incorporate various strategies. I liked this because although many sites can give you examples of one or two domains this site lists many, many situations and how you can best capitalize on them.

2. http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network
I picked this blog, well, I think it is a Blog. Anyway, I picked this because it had many different tools that I could use. It has things that I could use professionally in order to keep my options open and it also has suggestions and tips on how to manage my classroom. I especially liked the "How to get a calmer classroom" piece. I could always use more work on that.

3. http://bhpenglish.wordpress.com/2014/02/21/great-ccss-lesson-planning-resource/
I chose this site mainly because, again, it talks about the CCSS. I think I keep picking these blogs because I am concerned with the CCSS and I want to not only learn about them but more importantly I want to learn how others are implementing them in their classrooms effectively

How have I used these tools:
I have not used any of the tools they speak about in these blogs. I have, however, used the CCSS in my classroom last year. It was not a requirement for us last year but it is being phased in and I wanted to get a jump on the competition. I began building my lessons around the CCSS and not so much on the Grade Level Content Expectations. A few years ago they came out with a form that was to "bridge" the two initiatives. I am looking forward to using these blogs and many others when I get back to a classroom. I also am interedted in searching out blogs that could help me in my current role as coach.

I teach middle school english/Language Arts. The four components of SAMR model are: Substitution, Augmentation, Modification and Redefinition. Here are my items:
Substitution: I would use social networking sites to replicate the discussions and subgroups crfeated by the average communication form of speaking. This tool would alleviate some of the "performance anxieties" that some students may have. Using social media to create study groups may also prove interesting. For example, I could give criteria the class would have to search for in others Facebook accounts. I could tell everyone that they needed to have 4 people in their group and each person had to meet a certain criteria such as: one person has to have photos of them in another state. One person has to have at least 10 people designated as "family" in their friends domain. One person has to have posted something in the last 24 hours. One person has to be involved in at least one group. Using this format would allow for the normal caste system to be dissolved.
For augmentation I would use the RSS feed. I would use the RSS feedbecause it can redesign how students hold their bookmarks for research and homework. For example, if my students were researching Othello and they found useful sights at home and at school an RSS feed would be greatly beneficial for them to be able to access their information at school or at home.
I would use a WIKI for the modification part. I would use a WIKI to redesign our task. For example, if my students were working on a book study and they had to remain in groups and create a publication using a WIKI would allow them to collaborate ideas and resources. That way, regardless of snow days or other unforseeable things the students could still work together and be successful.
Lastly, I would use a podcast for redefinition. I would use that tool because it would allow for a creation of a new task. After having done the research on a book involving the Holocaust the students could interview a Holocaust survivor and publish that interview at large via Podcast.
To be honest I had no idea what Web 2.0 tools were. As it turns out, I have been using them in my classroom for a myriad of things for several years now. I used podcasts using video with my kindergarten students to help reinforce numbers and letters so I am very happy to know that I have been using Web 2.0 tools for a while.

Unit 1: Generational Divide

I found many points in Pensky's article intriguing. I liked the way Pensky labeled the two groups as "Digital Natives" and "Digital Immigrants". These monikers helped me understand more readily where Pensky saw people. Using his logic, everything he says makes sense. It makes sense that is why the students do not seem to mix well with the teachers, because they speak two different languages. Although, isn't that what every generation says about the previous generation? At any rate, the idea of an "accent" was also interesting. I can quite readily apply that to my teaching with my middle school students. I am up on many of the "new" things but there are still some areas that I may come up short. Therefore exposing myself to be not that hip to my students. I also drew another connection between the Penske article and my students. Most of my students want to listen to music while they are completing other on-line tasks or assignments. My patented response is "No". Perhaps I am projecting my inability to do so on to my students. Something for me to think about. Another item I see in the article as well as my students would be the gaming scenario. My school district has many web-based educational applications and many of them look like games. They collect items and receive badges for their efforts. Fun. Using these types of interfaces works very well with the students at my school. We are a highly impoverished school and the school has had very low test scores for decades. Since last year we have been using many of these on-line applications and out scores are rising fast. I am not saying it is all due to education games but I do think there is merit in not educating students the same way we were educated simply because it was "good enough for us".
Reading the first article, Close to the Edge, I found myself getting confused with lingo and terminology. I actually had to force myself to slow down while I read so I could better work through what was being presented. I could not find much to attribute or discredit from this article. It was mainly based on a particular generation and what they are all about. There was one point, toward the end of the article, that I can readily attribute to my students. The article says that Generation Edge is not likely to "get on board" and is not very trusting. I have seen these two things play out in real time every day of school. The middle school students do not trust anyone, sometimes not even their own peers. They do not give respect easy. However, when the students in my middle school do decide you are worth it, they will do anything for you. They will defend you to other kids if need be. They are fiercely loyal, one thing the article failed to mention about Generation Edge.
The second article, Generation Edge: An Early Look at America's Youngest Generation, gave much of the same information/opinion that the first article did. There were a few new tidbits that I found to be very interesting. The fact that some research is beginning to show that Generation Edge may actually be able to create an actual relationship through a screen is amazing. The possibilities, right? Also, I agreed with the authors terminology of "switch tasking" instead of "multitasking". Switch tasking seems to make more sense. I have some students who do well as switch tasking but I have many others who really need to focus on one thing in order to be successful.
I am currently involved with TRIG, Technology Readiness Infrastructure Grant. Our coach introduced us to these same videos a few months ago and the "Did you know?" videos are epic! I watched it again the other night and I was still able to get a sense of urgency from it. Very powerful. The video explaining social networking was also very educational.

Opps. Should have read ALL the directions before I pulled the trigger. My name is Matt Wettstein. I am married to my college sweetheart. We have three sons: 10 years old, 7 years old and a 5 month old. Our 5 month old has Down Syndrome so we are spending a lot of time educating ourselves on the various medical/cognitive differences that he may face. I graduated college with my undergraduate degree in 2008. I had another career before teaching, that career was in shipping/receiving. I enjoy working with my hands. I like to take things apart although I cannot always guarantee I will be able to put them back together. One of the reasons I am interested in this field is because I love technology and I see a great potential benefit to using technology in the classroom. Technology allows people to collaborate much more readily from one point to another. It also allows students to see, in real time, what goes on around the world. I am excited and a little apprehensive about my first year at WSU. Have a great night.

Hi world. This is my first blog post EVER. How am I doing?