Week 7

The essential question to tonights class is what does it mean to be a digital citizen? As educators how do we model for students the rules and responsibilities digital citizenship entails. I think as educators it is our responsibility to model and scaffold for students how to present ourselves online. We have to guide students through the potential pitfalls of the online world. The good, the bad, and the ugly of the digital world. Students need to know how to protect themselves from online predators. What to do if they are being cyber bullied? What is pictures and videos are appropriate to post? Students need to learn the appropriate steps to evaluating online information. Site online sources and to be aware of copyright. All of these matters have to be addressed. It is important that we make the time to address these issues not assume students will figure it out on their own.

We also examined sqool tools a blackboard type site used by the Parkway school district. I liked how it "extends the walls of the classroom." Students can continue classroom discussions, submit class work, and access helpful resources. We discussed how much time it takes to create but in the long run it is worth the effort. I think this digital tool will definitely expand in the coming years as a norm.

Week 6

Well tonight we discussed Web 2.0 in depth and we also explored several "tool site". Some of my favorites I can't wait to use are Jing, linkIN, and flickr just to name a few. We also shared our Web 2.0 wiki project. I chose to create a page about LibraryThing.com. I really find this a great site for librarians and book lovers. It took a little time figuring out how to create my page. I find it a fun experience. All of the Web 2.0 websites other students covered I had never heard before, so it was a great class. So many digital tools that would be great to use for future classroom projects.

We also had a guest speaker Drew Mcallister from the Parkway District. He discussed more indepth Web 2.0. and it's role in education. He used the website Prezi to present presentation which is similiar to Google Docs. I thought some of his points we very interesting. Web 2.0 sites our like an interactive playground for adults and students. They are great collaborative centers. We users can be apart of an online community, share ideas, create, and collaborate with others around the world.

The future in education is using these digital tools to enhance the learning experience. Creating, sharing, collaborating, chatting, videos, and mashing media all ways to expression ideas. What does mean for teachers? Well to keep up a lot of professional development and a passion for creating a new learning environment.

Week 5

The NETS standard we focused on tonight was engaging in professional growth and development. I think as teachers this class has really taught me a lot about technology. I think to grow and develop professionally you have to take the initiative. I think you also have to be a reflective practitioner and accept that you may need improvement. The impact of technology assignment was a real I eye opener for me.

Tonight we shared our group presentations with the class. Some example topics were Inquiry based learning, Howard Gardeners's MI, and Constructivism. All the groups used various digital tools to convey information. I was familiar with all the topics discussed but I did enjoy the innovative methods groups used to convey their information. Unfortunately, due to technical difficulties we were unable to watch videos groups had incorporated into their presentation but everyone adjusted. I am sure not many of us a few weeks ago would have used these digital tools in a presentation. That my friends is a perfect example of growth :)