Thing #19: Digital Storytelling

typewriter-2306479_960_720 The first time I tried Digital Storytelling was when I was an undergraduate at Michigan State University. At the time, Digital Storytelling was still very new and not a lot of people were using it. I immediately loved the end result and could see how using them in instruction would be a great tool. I also saw the value in having students create their own digital stories.

Since I first heard about Digital Storytelling, there have been a lot of advancements and improvements to technology. Today, you have many different tools at your disposal to create digital stories. Some of them are free, while others have a small membership fee. After trying a number of the resources, I decided to use Animoto to create my digital story, as it seemed the easiest for me to use.

Preparing to Make My Digital Story

Since I am currently teaching a program which is not aligned to any specific standards, I chose to use standards with which I am quite comfortable using–the Michigan World Language Standards. I taught lessons aligned to these standards for almost 5 years, and noticed that they haven’t changed since I last used them.

As the standards address the different domains of language learning, I decided that it would be quite easy to apply these standards for English Language Learners. I chose to focus on some of the Communication Standards. Specifically, this lesson is designed for:

1.3.M.W.a: Illustrate and present materials in the target language such as an information brochure or instructions for accomplishing a task
1.3.M.W.c: Present brief written reports about personal experiences, school and community happenings in the target language

I chose to slightly modify these standards and also include spoken language.

Once I had selected the standards to teach, I had to think of an example I could share with students. As one of the most common reasons my students are learning English is for travel, I decided to use travel as our topic. I shared my experience traveling in Poland, and addressed a lot of the main things we think about when learning about a new culture: food, clothing, monuments, language, and transportation.

Screen Shot 2019-03-03 at 16.50.30 — Click here to see my Digital Story!

Reflections

As much as I love the idea of using Digital Storytelling in my practice, it is not currently feasible. We simply do not have the time or the resources in my current capacity. However, I love the idea of at least creating and sharing my own digital stories with students in order to enhance our lessons. I imagine that digital stories are something that most of my students have not seen before.

I know that many of my students currently use programs like Microsoft PowerPoint or Google Slides to create presentations, so why not share another option with them–the Digital Story. I think that this is an excellent way to give students some freedom of choice with their learning, as well as learning new technological skills. For a more detailed reflection, click on the SoundCloud file below.

ISTE and CITW 9 Standards:

Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity: Using Digital Stories is an excellent way to engage students and really get them invested in their own learning. As there is not a right and a wrong way of doing something, students are able to express themselves in a variety of ways.
Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments: The look of presentations and reports has changed significantly over time, specifically with the advancements of technology. Digital Stories are the next step for sharing information or giving a presentation.
Model Digital Age Work and Learning: Again, the freedom of choice is key. Both the freedom to choose what and how. Providing students with various opportunities to use these new technologies will help them be better prepared for the future.
Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility: In giving students the freedom to choose, we are also saying that we trust them. Having reviewed how to be a good digital citizen, students will be expected to demonstrate those traits when creating digital stories.

Thing #18: Dig the Data

I hate spreadsheets. Ever since I was in middle school, I could not stand creating spreadsheets. It’s not that I couldn’t do it, but that I found the task daunting and frustrating. I used to use Microsoft Excel, but found it to be very confusing, even overwhelming. However, with Google Sheets, creating and manipulating spreadsheets does not seems nearly as awful as I remember.

I found the overall design and layout of Google Sheets to be extremely clean and clear. I was able to easily find what I needed in order to sort the document in a number of ways.

Screen Shot 2019-03-03 at 13.06.39 — Here’s the original spreadsheet, sorted by School Year.

Practice Your Skills: Manipulate Data, Part 1

I absolutely love every Google product that I have used so far, and Google Sheets is no different. For me, Google Sheets is much more intuitive than Microsoft Excel. Immediately, I felt more comfortable and at ease using Google Sheets than with my previous experiences using other programs.

As I was making changes to the spreadsheet, I felt confident and comfortable with my skills and ability to do so. Below are some examples of the different ways that I sorted the data.

Screen Shot 2019-03-03 at 13.07.03.png — I loved the overall appearance of Google Sheets and the fact that options opened in new windows.

Screen Shot 2019-03-03 at 13.07.17.png — Now the data is sorted by the number of students who Met or Exceeded expectations.

Practice Your Skills: Formatting and Applying Formulas, Part 2

In the past, I’ve succeeded in figuring out how to use formulas in spreadsheets. Honestly, I think it was pure luck most of the time. After watching the tutorial video and practicing the skill myself, I feel much more confident formatting and applying formulas in spreadsheets. I think part of my problem was that I was never given a formal explanation or hands-on opportunity to apply formulas. Thinking about myself as a learner, this makes sense, as I know that I am a very kinesthetic learner.

Screen Shot 2019-03-03 at 13.35.18.png — Here’s the same spreadsheet, but with some formulas applied. I liked that I could see the formula that I used in the bar at the top of the screen.

Practice Your Skills: Graphs and Charts, Part 3

After all of my positive experiences with Google platforms, I was bound to find one that I did not like. Let me express my complete frustration with trying to insert a chart into Google Sheets. My Google Sheets looked nothing like the one being used in the tutorial. Perhaps it has been updated, I’m not sure, but I hated this activity. While I was able to create a chart using data from the spreadsheet, I never figured out how to add titles to the x-axis/y-axis.

Screen Shot 2019-03-03 at 14.07.24.png — Here’s my chart. I think I still need more time and practice for this skill.

Applying the Skills I Learned

I compiled the data from a Google Form that I used to assess student understanding of some of the key concepts that we have learned so far. Here’s my original spreadsheet:

Screen Shot 2019-03-03 at 14.44.41.png — This is my original spreadsheet, sorted by Name.

Then, I tried to sort the data based on number of Questions Answered Correctly:

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Then, I applied some formulas to find the averages for number of questions answered, number of questions answered correctly, and number of questions answered incorrectly.

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Finally, I created a chart showing the results of the Grammar Review:

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Future Applications

Based on what I have learned (and done) in this Thing, I believe that using spreadsheets and charts would be an excellent way of representing student growth and learning. I think that gathering data regularly is an important part of teaching, but then doing something with that data is something I think often gets overlooked. Using tools like Google Forms and Google Sheets makes it really easy to create data for any kind of information that you can imagine. When I’m back in a position where I will be able to do this with my students, I plan on using this data to celebrate our learning together, as well as to identify more challenging areas.

ISTE and CITW 9 Standards:

Setting Objectives/Providing Feedback: This is an extremely easy way to check student understanding and learning, as well as to provide almost immediate feedback.
Reinforcing Effort/Providing Recognition: Being able to sort data in a number of ways allows us to find different types of successes to celebrate.
Assigning Homework/Providing Feedback: Creating a quick Google Form is a great way to provide students with some extra practice (as well as to check their understanding).
Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments: Utilizing the digital resources currently available to us is an excellent way of providing students with authentic learning opportunities.

Thing #16: DI and UDL

Since my first year of studies as a university student I remember constantly hearing about differentiated instruction (DI) and how it was going to be the new norm in education. However, there have been many changes since I finished my studies. A new idea that we’re hearing more and more about is Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Honestly, prior to this course, I was unfamiliar with this acronym.

Differentiated Instruction

Recently, I’ve participated in a number of professional learning opportunities focused on differentiated instruction. I think my big take away right now is that differentiation is a process and it is not something that we will do for 100% of our students 100% of the time. After reading a few more articles and reflecting upon my own practice as an educator and differentiating my instruction. After reading the article What is Differentiated Instruction? by Laura Robb, I made a list of some of the steps that I am already taking in order to differentiate my instruction.

Ongoing, Formative Assessment: At least one per month I assess what my students have learned and what we need to review
Recognition of Diverse Learners: I recognize that my students do not all learn in the same ways and are not equally strong in all areas of language learning. For that reason, I am sure to regularly include activities that appeal to different styles of learning.
Group Work: Every single class there is at least one activity where students are expected to work collaboratively, whether that be with a partner or in small groups.
Choice: Depending on the skill being taught, students always have a certain amount of choice regarding how they apply the skills and what types of articles they read.

I also spent time reading articles on ReadingRockets about differentiated instruction. I learned that there are four elements which we can differentiate in our instruction:

Content: the learning goals
Process: what students do (the activity)
Products: what students make/create
Learning Environment: how the classroom works and feels

Thinking about these four elements, I would say that I am already differentiating my instruction in two of the four areas. I have always differentiated my process and products, even without realizing that I was differentiating!

Universal Design for Learning

The idea of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is something new for me. Prior to this course, I had not heard this acronym. After visiting the UDL: The UDL Guidelines website, I was able to better grasp exactly what UDL was and how to best implement it in my practice.

I especially found the chart representing the guidelines on the UDL website to be helpful. It made it easy for me to not only understand the guidelines, but also how they are connected to one another. I think in my current capacity, I can easily address the three main goals of UDL:

Provide multiple means of engagement
Provide multiple means of representation
Provide multiple means of action and expression

I found it very helpful that the website not only identified the goals, but also the intermediary steps that must be taken when working toward achieving these goals.

Access
Build
Internalize

At this point in my practice, rather than trying to implement all three goals at the same time, I think that it would be more beneficial for me to focus on them one at a time (and when appropriate, introduce another goal). I would begin by focusing on providing multiple means of engagement. I really like the idea of providing students with the power to make individual choices, as well as fostering community and collaboration. It seems only natural to pair up students who have chosen to complete a task in a similar manner, thus promoting collaboration. Being able to implement this in my practice will allow me to better meet all of my students where they are, as well as providing them with a thoughtful and personalized learning experience. Also, this is a great way of getting students engaged and invested in the activity.

Text-to-Audio Conversion

While I understand the value and importance of text-to-audio for many students, I am not convinced that it is an appropriate resource for English language learners, unless it is a recording made by an actual human being. When I was still teaching in Michigan, I have many non-verbal students in my classroom, so being able to use text-to-audio was an extremely important resource. I also had a few dyslexic students who truly benefited from listening to the text, rather than struggling and becoming frustrated when reading just text.

For this activity, I chose to try a tool with which I was unfamiliar: Natural Readers. I was intrigued by the name and really hoping that the audio was going to sound more natural than most computer generated recordings I have heard. While the audio was better than many others that I have heard, it was not the greatest. One of the most challenging parts of learning English for language learners is getting annunciation, intonation, and emphasis correct. The audio that I heard did not follow the natural flow of English, and my fear is that my students would begin mimicking what they are hearing. We spend a lot of time practicing these three skills, and I think it would be better if I could find a way of recording myself reading the text so that students could listen to it with proper intonation, annunciation, and emphasis.

While this tool would not be very helpful for my students in my particular situation, I am in no way saying that it is not a useful tool. On the contrary! I definitely see many situations where this text-to-audio application would be extremely useful, especially with native English speakers. One feature I really liked with this program was that it highlighted the line that was being read, and then put smaller parts of the sentences at the bottom of the screen so that students could easily follow along.

ISTE and CITW 9 Standards

1. Summarizing and Notetaking: Using resources like the text-to-audio programs is a great way to expose students to the same material, but in a different way.

2. Model Digital Age Work and Learning: In using technology to help differentiate instruction, we are ensuring that students are being provided with the most current tools, as well as learning how to learn in a digital age. I especially like the fact that students would be able to use the text-to-audio resources for any sort of text they like.

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 #13: Digital Images

Using authentic and relatable images is a great way to connect with students and their families. There are a wide-range of tools and resources available to create slideshows, videos, and to edit digital images. What is great about many of these resources is that they are free and very easy to use.

I’m quite interested in photography, so I have used a number of programs to edit my photos. I do not think that there is a best program, but rather the program that is best for you. I recommend that you try a wide-range of editing programs before deciding which you like best. Once you have edited your photos, your possibilities are virtually unlimited.

Screen Shot 2019-03-02 at 12.18.51.png One great way to use your photos is by making an animated slide show. PhotoPeach is one popular tool to do exactly that! This program is extremely easy to use, very straightforward, and has many options available.

https://photopeach.com/embed/4vgquw” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer”>Click here to see an example of what an animated slideshow might look like when using PhotoPeach. The purpose of this slideshow is to engage students and families to talk about their happy places. I was happy to be able to share some of my own photos with my students, as I think it makes the lesson and learning experience more personal.

Voki

This is one great site where you are able to create avatars. It’s a unique way of Screen Shot 2019-03-02 at 12.43.19.png introducing yourself in the virtual world or even sharing content with students in a new and innovative way. While I had fun designing my Voki, I found that it took longer than I expected. Also, the intonation of the recording is not the best, so I am not sure that using this resource would actually be helpful for English language learners. If you want to see what my Voki looks like, click here!

Screen Shot 2019-03-02 at 12.44.55.png — A snapshot of what my Voki looks like.

Thing #12: Interactives

Seriously, what did we do before the Internet?! There are so many great resources available for students and teachers. Interactives are one example of how to truly integrate and technological experience into a lesson. Of course, some interactives are better than others, so it is critical to verify the quality and appropriateness before having your students use them.

I learned that interactives can be divided into five main categories:

Study/Practice Websites and Apps
Lessons with Multimedia
Simulations
Mapping and Timeline Interactives
Virtual Worlds

I chose to focus on intercatives from the categories: Mapping and Timeline Interactives and Study/Practice Websites and Apps.

Remember, when thinking about how to use technology in the classroom, we as educators must ask and be able to answer a number of questions. One way to verify that we are using a resource appropriately is the SAMR Model.

Screen Shot 2019-03-02 at 11.29.07.png — Image from Schoology.com

National Geographic MapMaker

My first reaction to this interactive is that it is very similar to Google Earth. However, as I began trying to manipulate the map, I discovered some features that were pleasantly surprising. I could imagine asking students to explore countries based on languages spoken, agricultural products produced, or personal interest. Of course, they would be expected to create a product in the target language–English. They could also use this program to help them better understand distances between countries or cities (using the “Draw a Polyline” Tool). My one complaint is that I was unable to find a way to learn more about each individual state in the United States. As we focus on American culture, I think that this would have been a great feature for my students to use.

Screen Shot 2019-03-02 at 11.15.31.png — On this map, students can see Language Diversity in all countries, as well as learn about different countries by clicking on them.

Thinking about how this resource addresses the SAMR Levels, I would say that this resource could be used to Redefine the Task (learning about agricultural production with a visual representation that is also interactive) and to Augment student learning (rather than using paper maps, students are able to use interactive maps).

Grammarly

I have always loved the Grammarly website. As a teacher, I often reference it when preparing my own lessons (to verify that I have an accurate understanding of what I am going to teach my students, as well as a clear and concise way of explaining it). Unlike other study websites that I have found, Grammarly is very clear and gives examples of both what to do and what not to do. This would be a great way to extend the learning of a topic discussed in class. Sometimes, students need to learn the content in a number of ways before they are able to remember and apply it. I think that the topics included on this website are topics that are commonly challenging for English language learners. I think that using these resources would allow students to check their own understanding, as well as fill in any gaps in learning.

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I think this resource addresses the SAMR Level of Augmenting the Lesson. By using technology, students will be able to verify their understanding, as well as interact with the information in a different way. I like that students are able to choose what they study, and the information is not too long or detailed.

Thing #10: Search Strategies

The Internet is a magnificent tool. It’s hard to imagine a time when we couldn’t simply look something up online. However, we must teach our students how to use online resources responsibly. One of our roles as educators is to prepare our students to be well-equipped to use the almost endless resources that are available online.

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I first discovered MeL when I was still in college, and I immediately fell in love with all that it had to offer. I loved that I was no longer limited to the resources available at my local library. For years I advocated for students and colleagues alike to use this amazing resource. Thankfully, I am still the proud owner of a local library card, so I am able to use the resources no matter my physical location. While there are seemingly countless resources available on MeL, I am going to focus on one that immediately stuck me as extremely practical and relevant for student learning, Britannica School.

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On this electronic resource two things immediately caught my attention: Compare Countries and Tour the U.S.A. I can only begin to imagine the fun my students could have using these resources to improve their learning. Both of these tools feature the focus of my curricula–America and comparing/contrasting cultures. I think this would be a great starting point for students who are unfamiliar with the United States, as well as to learn about cultures of different English speaking countries.

I’ve added a number of links to resources that I found on the MeL website which I think would be especially helpful to my students to my classroom website.

Critical Evaluations of Websites

One important thing to keep in mind when using the internet is that anyone can create a website or publish information. For this reason, it is critical that we teach students how to evaluate the authenticity of different websites. One strategy was designed by Joyce Valenza, called the Elementary (Basic) assessment. What I liked about this strategy was how easy and clear it was, especially for students who are just beginning to learn academic or scholarly English.

Screen Shot 2019-03-01 at 20.35.34.png

So, I decided to try and use this website evaluation strategy myself. I visited the following websites:

All About Explorers

NASA for Students

At first glance, both of these websites seem legit. They are both well organized and easy to navigate. Visually, they are appealing and seem very professional. However, when you begin to read the content on the websites it becomes clear that one is not at all accurate (All about Explorers). The years are completely incorrect. The locations are not even close to correct. Even with a very quick reading of the information and utilizing other websites, it should be extremely easy to prove that this website is inaccurate. This evidence immediately decreases, if not eliminates, all credibility of the website.

Additionally, the website is extremely biased, as it only presents the positive side of the story. While Christopher Columbus did many great things, he also did many horrible things, none of which were addressed on this website. Based on my evaluation using the criteria above, I can say without a doubt that this website is a hoax.

On the other hand, the NASA website is very clearly an authentic/real website. We can see that a wide-range of topics is presented in a variety of ways: graphically, textually, etc. Additionally, everything is very well organized, making it easy to find what you are looking for. (Content and Usability/Design)

Additionally, we can see that this website is owned and managed by the US government, and that it is updated regularly. This addresses the authority/credibility of the website.

Of the links that I clicked on, I found the information to be well rounded, often addressing both sides of an argument (when applicable). Overall, when you begin reading the content on the NASA website it becomes apparent that it was designed by experts in the field.

Citation Makers

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I remember when I was a college student and had to master both the MLA and APA style of citation. I spent hours trying to correctly cite any sources that I used in my papers. Oftentimes, I felt like I spent more time working on the citations than I did writing my papers! However, with today’s amazing technology, we have tools and resources which can make this daunting task much easier. Two common resources are BibMe and LandMark Citation Machine.

I’m currently reading The Zookeeper’s Wife, by Diane Ackerman (which I highly recommend). It’s historical fiction and is set in Warsaw before and during World War II. If you’re interested in historical fiction, I definitely recommend giving this book a try. I decided to try and create the citation that we would use in the MLA style. I used BibMe to create the citation. It looked like this: Ackerman, Diane. The Zookeeper’s Wife. W.W. Norton, 2007. While this tool might be useful when citing well known works, I found it to actually take more time than simply creating the citation myself, as I had to enter all of the information about the book.

ISTE and CITW 9 Standards Addressed:

Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity: All of the valuable and appropriate digital resources discussed would be invaluable to a wide-range of students. Teaching students how to utilize and assess these resources is key to student growth and achievement.
Model Digital Age Work and Learning: With tools like BibMe and LandMark Citation Machine, students will be better equipped to ensure that proper credit is being given where it is due.
Generating and Testing Hypotheses: With the tools to assess websites, students will be able to make their own decisions about validity based on their own analysis.

Things #8: Digital Citizenship

Our world is constantly changing, and that means that our expectations and responsibilities are changing with it. From the time that I began using technology to today, there have been huge changes and advancements. I remember when I first began teaching I participated in a training on digital responsibility. It was extremely interesting, and I learned a lot about my role as an educator. However, since relocating to France, I have come to the realization that expectations are not at all the same as what I learned in the United States. Digital citizenship is something that is not discussed at all. Anywhere.

Thinking about my students and the world in which we live, I believe that all 9 themes of Digital Citizenship are worthwhile and ought to be discussed with them. Unfortunately, this is simply not done in French schools, and I know that it is especially not my role as I am expected to follow a very rigid curriculum using only one specific program. However, when I have conversations with my students either before or after class, I don’t see why I could not introduce these themes to them.

For a variety of reasons, I have chosen to focus on Digital Etiquette. I think that this is the first topic that needs to be introduced to my students, then we can build on it by adding the other themes. As with most things in life, good manners are essential in today’s digital age. We must be aware of appropriate and inappropriate ways of interacting with others. For this reason, I am in the process of adding a page about Digital Citizenship to my classroom website. While this is still a work in progress, it does contain great information and resources about one of the nine elements we must consider when talking about digital citizenship. I hope that you find these resources to be helpful!

ISTE Standards Connections:

Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity: Discussing Digital Citizenship is important because it allows students to discover both appropriate and inappropriate ways of interacting digitally. Without formal discussions, we often assume that students already know and understand something, without ever verifying.
Model Digital Age Work and Learning: This is extremely important as our world becomes more and more technologically advanced and connected. By providing students with authentic and appropriate examples, we are encouraging them to emulate what they are learning.
Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility: Above all the other standards, this is the standard that is most directly addressed when talking about the 9 themes of digital citizenship. This is the entire foundation of Thing #8.

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 #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.