Thing #14: Powerful Presentations

I remember when I was a student and had to spend hundreds of dollars each year to keep my resources up-to-date. Luckily, students no longer have to do that, as we have so many digital resources at our disposal. What I like about many of the options I just explored was how easy the were to use and how they could be used virtually anywhere. Some of the most common free resources to create powerful presentations are:

Of course, I am now a huge fan of Google Slides. This is not the first Google tool that I am just now discovering, but I absolutely love it. It is so easy and clear to use. Something that I absolutely loved about Google Slides was being able to embed YouTube videos directly into the presentation. This eliminates the possibility of inappropriate ads being displayed and just gives the video an overall cleaner presentation.

For my first time using Google Slides I chose to modify an old PowerPoint Presentation that I had made for my unit on the Civil Rights Movement. In my opinion, the overall appearance of the presentation was so much better in Google Slides. Check it out for yourself by clicking here.

Reflection

I loved my experience with Google Slides and look forward to using it in the future to both update and create new lessons. Thinking about how I am going to use this lesson with my students, I always spend a few weeks each year discussing the Civil Rights Movement with my students, being sure to add as much information as I can about the role of Detroit, both then and now. This presentation really brings this topic to life, especially when talking about Motown. I think that it is imperative that all students have access to appropriate digital media resources to really be able to understand what they are learning.

If I think about the SAMR levels that we talked about in previous Things, I think that this lesson is a great example of how a lesson can Augment student learning. Talking about music is one thing. Being able to experience it — see, feel, hear — is another. Most students think that they have never heard Motown music before, but once we start listening, they realize that they do know many of the songs! I think that the activities that would follow as a result of this lesson would allow learning to be redefined. Asking students to think about the role of civil rights in their country. Does discrimination still exist today? If so, is it the same or has it changed? Being able to use digital resources enables students to take their learning to the next level.

Thing #11: Content Area

I’m currently teaching English as a Second Language to students in France. Unfortunately, there are not consistent standards or expectations when it comes to English instruction in France. I have actually found their system of language instruction to be quite outdated (often using rote memorization). So rather than using non-existent standards, I am going to be using the Michigan Merit Curriculum: World Languages.

One of my favorite lessons to do with students is comparing and contrasting schools in France with those in the United States. This is a great way to learn new vocabulary (which is not only practical, but necessary in the classroom) as well as to learn about the culture of an English speaking country. The Michigan curriculum standard that relates to this topic is: Intermediate Low and Intermediate Mid (M): 2.1.M.E.a: Compare the educational systems in a community or country in which the language is spoken with one or more other communities or countries.

Screen Shot 2019-03-02 at 10.25.26.png Trying to find resources about American culture while living and working overseas seems like a double-edged sword most of the time. I spend a ton of time researching quality resources and materials, and when I think I’ve found a video that will be perfect for my lesson, when I try to open it I receive an error message along the lines of “due to copyright law in your region, you are unable to view this video.” When exploring the PBS Learning Media website I found so many videos that I thought would really enrich my lesson. Unfortunately, none of the videos were available for viewing in France. As this has become a common occurrence, I’ve become quite good at finding videos through a variety of means. However, this also means that I spend a lot more time preparing my lessons.

In order to teach my lesson about American Schools, I would begin with a KWL chart with my students. Then, I would introduce an article describing American schools, such as the one that I found on the ieLanguages website. Here are just a few of the resources that I found which I thought would enrich my lesson.

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Finding an appropriate audio/video support for this lesson proved to be much more complicated. After much research, I stumbled upon the American English website. On this website I found audio files for students talking about their experience in American high schools. In additional to the audio files, there were also documents with the text written (an important support for ESL learners). I liked that students could hear a variety of accents by listening to many interviews.

CITW9 Connections

When thinking about the nine categories of best practice instruction and how these resources could help me to support and meet these best practices, I came to a few conclusions.

Nonlinguistic Representations: I love the idea of incorporating relevant media into my lessons. Adding videos and audio files is especially important when teach a language.
Summarizing and Note-Taking: Students will be expected to organize their ideas using a variety of resources. Creating Venn Diagrams will be extremely important for comparing and contrasting.
Cooperative Learning: Students will be expected to work together and exchange ideas in order to develop a richer understanding of the content.
Identifying Similarities and Differences: Students will not only be expected to identify similarities and differences, but to then add personal reflections and experiences.

Thing #7: Productivity

Technology is amazing! I’m always fascinated when I learn about new ways that we can use technology in the classroom. While technology has proven time and again that it is a useful tool in the classroom, there are still some difficulties and frustration which arise as a result.

Shared Calendar

With everyone being so digitally connected it seems like a simple datebook is simply, well, outdated. Don’t get me wrong, I use both an electronic and a paper planner, but when trying to communicate with a large number of people, I definitely see the appeal in using digital calendars. I’ve already mentioned that I love all things Google, and it’s no different with Google Calendars. What I love about Google Calendars is that I can create different calendars for different purposes (professional, personal, birthdays, holidays, trainings, etc.). The color coding makes it very easy to read and interpret the information being displayed on the calendar, and you can choose to view as many or as few calendars at a time as you want.

Additionally, your Google calendar is easily synced with all of your devices. It’s also super easy to share the calendars with other people. What I really like about Google Calendars is how intuitive it is to make changes. Because of this, it’s not a hassle to update them regularly. With that being said, I think an electronic calendar such as this is a great way to communicate information with both students and families. If there’s a last minute change, no problem. Everyone is alerted quickly and easily. I also really like the reminders that you can set for upcoming events.

Here’s an example of what a Google Calendar might look like for one month.

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Shortening URLs

Screen Shot 2019-02-24 at 11.33.59.png As wonderful as the internet is, correctly copying it from the board to the search bar can prove to be problematic, regardless of age. There are many great tools that we can use to make this task easier for our students. Tinyurl.com and Bitly are two great examples of how to create shortened web addresses.

To give you an idea, I used tinyurl.com to create a shortened address for my students.

The original address was: https://www.internationalstudent.com/study_usa/way-of-life/american-culture/

The tinyurl became: https://tinyurl.com/y37dmmm8 Screen Shot 2019-02-24 at 11.35.38.png

Converting Files

Screen Shot 2019-02-24 at 11.51.06.png One of my biggest pet peeves is that all file types cannot be opened using the same program. How incredibly frustrating it is to create a document and then try to open it using a different computer, only to realize the file type is not supported! As a Mac user, this is something that happens all too frequently to me. Luckily, there are a number of resources now available to quickly and easily convert file types. One great program is Zamzar. You simply upload the current file, select the file type you want to create, click ‘convert’ and boom! Your new file is there for immediate download.

Imagine this: you created a file using Pages but need to modify it on a Windows based computer. Normally, this task would be impossible, but with programs like Zazmar, the task becomes super easy.

Honestly, I was quite surprised by how quick and easy to use Zamzar was. This is definitely going to be one of my go-to websites from now on. I can also see how this website could be very useful for students who are in a similar situation — not having the appropriate program on their home computer to open a file is no longer a problem.

ISTE and CITW 9 Standards Addressed:

Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity: All of the resources discussed in this post truly make learning easier for all students. When technology is able to be simplified, especially for young learners, it is a good thing.
Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments: Teaching students about time management, organizing appointments or meetings, and modifying documents as necessary are all essential skills.
Model Digital Age Work and Learning: Each of these resources will prepare students for the future, as well as any other technological advancements that may occur.
Assigning Homework and Practice: I love the idea of using a shared calendar to communicate homework and assessments with families. While students still have a paper planner, it is not always the case that all necessary information is written down.

Thing #6: Communication

I still remember AOL Instant Messenger being an essential part of my being when I was growing up. I remember the awful sound of dial-up as your computer connected to the internet. Back then, I thought it was the best thing ever and there was no way that anything better would ever exist.

Screen Shot 2019-02-24 at 13.33.07.png It’s funny how time and experience really change your perspective and expectations. AOL Instant Messenger seems like something that existed 100 years ago. With the integration of Social Media and messaging, our lives are constantly becoming more and more connected.

Today, living half way around the world is not nearly as scary or intimidating as it used to be (in my opinion, thanks to technology). I’m able to call and see my family and friends regularly thanks to a number of applications or resources which make communication much easier. Screen Shot 2019-02-24 at 13.32.27.png

I used to use Skype quite frequently, however, in recent years, I find myself rarely using it. I find that I am relying more on FaceTime or WhatsApp for video communication. For that reason, I decided to take some time to explore and reconnect with Skype for this Thing.

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I was pleasantly surprised to find a lot of changes to Skype. Firstly, I found the appearance to be much cleaner and clearer. Secondly, I liked the ability to make group calls and create group chats. This was a feature that I often felt was lacking. I also liked that you had the ability to make either a video call or a normal call.

Screen Shot 2019-02-24 at 13.31.45.png Overall, I was pleasantly surprised to discover all of these changes, but still feel like Skype is becoming a slightly outdated resource. I still prefer the other platforms with which I have become more comfortable and familiar in recent years.

LinkedIn Experience

I have used LinkedIn for many years. I love how easy it is to connect with professionals from all over the world. I’ve been able to make many great connections over the years, many of which have created new professional opportunities for me.

Not only is it an excellent place to make great professional connections, but it is also a great environment to share ideas and experiences–essentially, to collaborate with others.

For example, I was able to find this great resource from another teacher to help improve my students’ fluency. I commented on the usefulness of this video, which then connected me with other resources which I might find helpful.

ISTE Standards/CITW 9:

Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership: Using these platforms allows teachers to interact with people all over the world in a time and cost-efficient way.
Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity: Using these platforms will give students ideas of new ways to use technology, both for educational and personal purposes. With the variety of platforms and uses available, students are encouraged to find personalized ways of using them.
Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility: When communicating in a virtual manner, it is essential that all students understand and follow the expectations for online citizenship. Using backchannel chats and video conferencing technology is an excellent way to reinforce these skills.
Cooperative Learning: Using things like Google Hangout or Chatzy encourages students to work together and exchange ideas.

Thing #5: Collaboration

I’ve never really been a traditional classroom teacher. My only experience as such was during my year as a student-teacher-intern. My passion was never to teach students the traditional subjects, but rather to enrich their education with languages. Being an auxiliary (or ‘specials teacher’) is an entirely new experience. You realize how much you do not matter. You realize that you are always an afterthought (and sometimes not even that). You feel isolated and alone. No one quite knows what to do with you or how to help you. This is especially true when you are the only person in your department, and it is your sole responsibility to make decisions, as well as create the curriculum.

While this might make being an auxiliary teacher sound awful, it was a truly rewarding and enjoyable experience that I would not trade for anything. However, all teachers, but especially auxiliary teachers, have to become resourceful when it comes to finding a team and creating a support system in the school. I was very fortunate because I quickly became very good friends with a handful of teachers in each of my buildings.

Even in my current role, I feel very isolated, but am still thankful for the connections I have with so many former colleagues and teacher friends. I can’t imagine living and working overseas without being able to use technology to keep in touch with them. During my first year in France, my students were digital penpals with students in my best friend’s class. Being able to use Google docs to exchange letters and create authentic learning situations and interactions was essential. Being able to see first hand the collaboration that was taking place between students on two different continents, who did not speak the same native language was truly fascinating.

I’ve also used Google docs to collaborate with former colleagues and to improve my teaching. We’ve often used various platforms to talk and exchange ideas–Google Hangout, Skype, FaceTime, etc..With technology, the possibilities are virtually limitless.

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Creating a Collaborative Lesson

It used to be that distance was a restrictive factor in communication. Today, that is no longer the case. With technology, you are able to easily communicate with people around the world. As I am still working without a department or cohort, I still rely on friends and colleagues in the United States to help with with lesson planning and brainstorming. Now, there is a six hour time difference, which can complicate things from time to time (especially with video conferencing). However, with collaborative documents (such as Google docs) sharing ideas has become much easier.

I recently contacted three of my friends who are also teachers to get some feedback regarding an upcoming lesson I am preparing. I typed the lesson in a Google doc and then shared it with them, and gave them editing rights. This is a quick and easy way for everyone to not only share ideas, but to interact with each other. I also created a Padlet where we could share other resources we found that might be useful. With both of these examples, we are able to have asynchronous collaboration that is beneficial for everyone.

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Collaborative Lesson Reflection

I love exchanging ideas with other teachers! When I first started my career I was very hesitant to accept any sort of feedback (positive or negative). Luckily, that is no longer the case. What I really like about my self-created cohort is its diversity. I love getting perspectives from a wide-range of levels and backgrounds, as well as learning about resources other teachers use that I may be unfamiliar with.

What I appreciated most about this collaboration was how easy it was to organize and the thoughtfulness of the feedback I received. I loved the idea of adding a kinesthetic element to the lesson. I also had no clue about Coogle, but it seems like a great resource to use since all of my students already have Gmail/Google accounts. Prior to this collaboration, I was unfamiliar with the idea of using inquiry based hooks, but thanks to the example that was given, I believe that this activity would be extremely beneficial and enable me to do some slight differentiation with my students.

We also used Padlet to exchange ideas. I like this resource, but if I were to do it again, I would have chosen a different format. I didn’t like that I wasn’t able to directly reply to posts from other people.

Even though we’re over 3,000 miles apart, technology made this collaboration super easy and super meaningful. I think that this is an activity that all teachers should try to complete at least once per year in order to push themselves beyond their comfort zone.

ISTE Standards Connections:

Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity: Using tools that allow collaboration, such as Google Drive, Padlet, etc. not only encourages collaboration, but truly facilitates it in a way that is engaging and enriching.
Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments: Preparing students for the future means giving them the opportunity to use programs that are currently being used in the workplace. Authentic learning experiences are key to student success.

Thing #4: Cloud Initiation

It’s hard to imagine a time in my life when the digital cloud was not present. Unfortunately, I do remember a time, and I remember the moment when I became forever grateful for the cloud. I was a traveling teacher, so organization was key. That being said, I was far from perfect, and often felt scatterbrained. I remember the day when I went to plug in my USB key to my laptop, only to find that it was missing! I practically burst into tears and was unsure what to do, as I had a class scheduled to begin in only a few minutes. Needless to say, I was forced to get very creative that day, but once my USB key was located (phew!), I talked to my tech-savvy friends and learned about the cloud. Ever since that day, I’ve never looked back.

I’ve loved using DropBox for many years, but find that the space restrictions for free accounts is quite limiting. Once my DropBox became full, I began using Google Drive, which comes with significantly more storage space, and I love that it is connected to all of my Google accounts. I honestly don’t know what I did before Google!

Here’s a sampling of my current Google Drive account. I love putting documents into folders (probably a little bit too much), so I create new folders almost weekly.

Screen Shot 2019-02-23 at 18.03.31 — Here’s a screenshot of my Google Drive homepage. I love keeping all of my documents organized by using folders and sub-folders.

Screen Shot 2019-02-23 at 18.03.47 — This is an example of what one of the folders looks like. This folder was designed to organize my documents for teaching verbs.

Screen Shot 2019-02-23 at 18.04.08 — This is another example of what the contents of one of my folders looks like. This is for all resources related to my current position as a Cambridge English Teacher.

Screen Shot 2019-02-23 at 18.04.25 — This is the folder I use for anything related to administrative documents at school.

Symbaloo:

Prior to this course, I had not heard of Symbaloo. However, after watching videos and reading about it, I found it to be a very valuable tool. I am a very visual person, so I love that you can customize each website with whatever image you see as appropriate. Below is an example of what my Symbaloo page looks like. It is just getting started, but I’m looking forward to adding more websites as I discover them.

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Personal Reflection:

I found this Thing to be extremely useful and informative. All of the information I learned will really help me to stay organized and enable the sharing of resources with other educators. While I was already familiar with a number of the tools discussed during this course, I also learned about new tools, which I will share with my students as well as colleagues.

I really like the idea of creating a class Symbaloo so that all students have easy access to resources related to course work. I have also used Google Drive in a number of ways with my students. I find that using Google Drive and Google Docs is a great way to collaborate and quickly provide feedback to students.

CITW Connections:

Cooperative Learning: Using Google Drive or DropBox is an excellent way to promote student collaboration. Best of all, the resources are free and very easy to use!
Summarizing and Notetaking: I really liked learning about the different things that Diigo can be used for. This is a great way to teach students a variety of methods for notetaking, as well as summarizing.

Thing #3: Visual Learning

There are so many great (and usually free) resources available not only to teachers, but everyone! In my experience, I often find a program or website that I really like and find easy to use, and then stop trying to find additional resources. This is something that I am actively trying to change about myself.

With Thing #3, I was forced outside of my comfort zone, and as a result found myself becoming frustrated with the websites that I was trying to use. In the end, I persevered, and as a result, now have many other tools in my belt to help integrate technology into my teaching.

During this unit, I learned about many resources to help improve my instruction for visual learners. I learned about a number of resources to help me to organize lessons and ideas in a visual format. Some of the ways I learned were:

-Graphic Organizers -Infographics

-Word Clouds -QR Codes

Graphic Organizers:

There are many, many great mind mapping resources available. I chose to try Bubbl.us because it was a resource I had never used or heard of. What I liked best about this website was how easy it was to manipulate and make changes once you got started. I think this website would be an excellent tool to organize brainstorming sessions during class. Here’s an example of a mind map that I would use to help introduce the idea of verbs to my students. We would then work together to add more information.

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Word Clouds:

I absolutely love using word clouds! I have used them for many years, not only for teaching, but in my personal life as well. I think word clouds are engaging and fun and can be used for so many different reasons. Students also love making word clouds. In the past, I used the online version of Wordle to create word clouds. Unfortunately, the online version no longer works and you must download the program. This has some potential drawbacks, especially limiting when and where it can be used. Here’s an example of what a word cloud might look like when talking about why English language learning is important. I’ve also shared this visual on my class website, as I think it’s an interesting representation of languages in the world.

Infographics:

I also love infographics! I have used them on countless occasions and find them to be very easy to use and understand. While I love reading infographics, I find creating them to be less fun. I became very frustrated when trying to create an infographic using Piktochart. While I absolutely see the value of this for some content areas and students, I do not think that this is a visual representation that I will use regularly in my instruction. Here’s an example of a inforgraphic representing the results of a class survey:

QR Codes:

For many years, I’ve been seeing QR codes everywhere I go. When I finally downloaded the application to scan them, I was quite intrigued. I thought this was a genius way of using technology to quickly and efficiently share information with a very large audience in a very short period of time. I find the available websites to be equally user friendly and easy to use. For this activity, I tried QRstuff.com. Unfortunately, this has not caught on in France. In fact, I can’t remember ever seeing a QR while living in France. So again, I think this technology has a very important place in learning, but not in my current situation. To get an idea of how QR codes worked, I made one to reach the website of the company I work for (the website is in French). If you’re interested in learning about the company I work for, scan the QR code below!

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I love the idea of incorporating things for all learner styles into my teaching. I think that the websites I mentioned in this post could be very useful for helping me to use more technology in my teaching.

Connections to ISTE Standards:

Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity: As the possibilities are limitless with these resources, students would be given the opportunity to express themselves in countless ways.
Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments: As technology is constantly changing, so are the resources which are available to us. Employing these new technologies will ensure that students are being given authentic opportunities to learn and explore.
Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility: Remembering that once we create something on the internet, it is there forever (even if we delete it). Helping students learn appropriate ways of questioning and disagreeing.

Thing #2: Face of Your Classroom

Screen Shot 2019-03-03 at 17.34.23.png — Link to my Website

When I was a teacher in Michigan I had a class website that was invaluable to my school community. As I was a traveling teacher, without a classroom to call her own, the website provided me with a space to call my own. It also allowed me to communicate with students, families, and other staff clearly and regularly.

Since my transition to teaching in France, I have noticed many stark differences between how technology is used in America and in France. France has been slow to jump on the technology bandwagon, and it is still a very, very slow rate of progress. It is my hope to be able to use a class website with my students, however, I am not sure that this is something that will be approved by the small, private company where I work. I have started my website, with an optimistic outlook that I will one day be able to share it with my students.

I feel like the movement toward incorporating technology into every level of learning has been a long time coming. I remember using blended classrooms when I was a student, and eventually only web-based learning platforms. While these tools are important, it is equally important to remember that all learners are not the same. While technology is a great supplement to traditional classroom instruction, I think that we must be careful not to use it as a replacement, but rather as a complement.

CITW Connections:

Assigning Homework and Practice: Using a variety of technological platforms (blogs, websites, etc.) teachers are easily able to communicate with students and families any homework, as well as resources for additional practice or explanations.
Cooperative Learning: Depending on the selected platform, students could be able to interact with each other through discussions and comments. Teachers could also post discussion questions for students/families to ponder.
Setting Objectives and Providing Feedback: As a way of documenting learning goals and progress, teachers could dedicate a part of their platform to documenting this progression for families. Additionally, this could be a space for teachers to respond to comments and promote deeper thinking.