Reading Reflection: "Fitbit One Teaches Students Benefits of Healthy Living"

In this article the author addresses the idea of using the Fitbit One in a K-12 classroom. Ken Felker used the Fitbit One in his higher education fitness class, and goes on to discuss how it can also be a useful tool in K-12 classes. He discusses how it can help teach students about proper nutrition, and also maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The best part about it though, in my opinion, is that it tracks sleep patterns. Too often I think students don't realize how important sleep is to your nutrition. A good night's sleep can positively affect how well they perform in school, as well as help them make better decisions about maintaining a healthy lifestyle. It's also important for parents to also realize the amount of sleep their child is getting. Especially at a young age, while the brain in still developing, sleep is crucial, and parents sometimes need help in realizing this. The Fitbit One gives a good visual representation that sleep is good for a healthy child. It also helps to make the kids responsible in knowing that they need to get more sleep, if they want to be healthy. I think the Fitbit One could be a great tool to help teach students about healthy living early on in their education. The earlier we can show them how to live a healthy life, the better habits they will create. This is a great way to incorporate technology into a subject area where technology would not usually be.

I believe that this article demonstrates standard 3 from the ISTE Standards for Students. Particularly it pertains to standard 3d, "process data and report results" (ISTE Standards for Students, 2008). The Fitbit One allows students to track and record all of their fitness data. This also means that students can report the data acquire through the device, interpret it, and come up with a conclusion about how they can maintain a healthy lifestyle. The Fitbit One allows students to easily record their data using technology. It may not be the typical way to record data and do research, but it gets kids more involved in knowing how they treat their body and what benefits it.

Felker, K. (2013). Fitbit One teaches students benefits of healthy living. Learning & Leading with Technology, 40(6), 32-33.

Reading Reflection: "Blogging in Ancient Rome"

This article is a perfect example of how to integrate multiple subjects using technology. For this assignment students were asked to post on a blog by pretending to be the characters in a book they were reading in their Latin class. Along with Latin, the students worked on this blog in their history and literature classes. Each student was assigned a character, with the stronger writers having the lesser role,s so they can expand their imagination and writing, and the weaker writers with the main character roles. Each role was set at the writing level of the student so that they were not discouraged from participating. The students were asked to give thoughtful blog comments to the biographical posts of the others. In the beginning of the assignment the comments failed to be thoughtful and were quite vague, but toward the end, and with some help of the teachers, the comments became more thoughtful and detailed. To integrate history the students were asked to study the culture of the book, which was set in Ancient Rome, and use that knowledge in their posts and comments. The students became actively involved in their learning, and toward the end the authors said the students were participating for the fun of it and not just for a grade.

I think this is a great idea to get students actively learning in our classrooms. Studies show that students learn and retain more when they are actively engaged in their learning, instead of just listening to a lecture. What does this mean for technology and education? Like the example from the article,  technology has given teachers a variety of ways to integrate subjects to get kids involved, as well as given educators access to new forms of activities to be done in the classroom to help promote learning. I believe the students from this article learned a lot more than their peers who just listened to lecture. Especially with subjects like history, where most kids find the subject to be not enjoyable, I think it is up to teachers to show students how fun it can be to learn and ways they can apply the knowledge they are acquiring. Although the students may not realize it, through this process they learned great writing strategies as well as conflict resolution strategies, all of which are beneficial in the real world. With the use of technology in the classroom, educators can have a better opportunity of achieving this with today's generation of students.

I believe this assignment represents standard 1 of the ISTE Standards for Students, which involves creativity and innovation. Particularly I think it shows standard 1c, "use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues" (ISTE Standards for Students, 2008). I believe it follows this standard because it demonstrates the students using the blog to solve the problems provided through the history and culture of Ancient Rome. The students use technology to explore the issues during that time, while being actively involved in that process. Therefore, the students are portraying fluency in standard 1c of the ISTE Standards for Students.

Barrett, J., & Goldsby, C. D. (2013). Blogging in Ancient Rome. Learning & Leading with Technology, 41(3), 34-35.

Creating a Personal Learning Network

I was a little hesitant about creating a Personal Learning Network because I did not think I would find it helpful to my teaching or classroom. After further investigation, I discovered that having a PLN could be extremely helpful to me, as long as I allowed it.

I have had a Twitter account for a long time, but have never thought to use it to gain access to other educators, blogs, articles, data, etc. I began my educational twitter account by following educational magazines or websites, like TED Talks or Huffington Post. I then decided to find some popular educators because I felt I could learn more from them. I first began by following the creator of Classroom 2.0, Steve Hargadon, since I knew his Twitter account name. I then looked at his followers and found, Nicholas Provenzano and Erin Klein. They are both well-respected educators and are supporters of technology in the classroom. I was able to learn a lot from them about ways to get your students engaged by using technology in the classroom. I only tweeted a couple of tweets, but was surprised that other educators favorited my tweets. It was interesting to see how using hashtags in my posts sent my thoughts out to a large audience of people, and getting a somewhat response from them. Although I did not have any twitter conversations with someone, I still felt connected to the other educators on the site.

I used my twitter account to sign up and make a Feedly account. From there I was able to access any blogs made by the educators or websites I follow on twitter.  I followed Erin Klein’s blog, Nicholas Provenzano’s blog, TED Talks videos, Education Week, and Education- Huffington Post. Just to name a few I enjoyed looking at. I thought it was a great site that I could use to access all the articles and blog post I want to read in one place. It is nice to be able to see all the different perspectives of what people think about certain topics, and also gain new ideas and inspiration from the different articles. I think I will continue to use Feedly in order to keep myself connected to the educational news of the world and ways to inspire myself and help inspire my students. 

I joined Classroom 2.0 which is a website used to help educators interact with each other, ask questions, share blog posts and articles, and in general help each other become better educators using technology. I was able to read a lot of great articles, blog posts, and discussion forums pertaining to a variety of things but specifically to technology in education. I joined a discussion forum dedicated to elementary school teachers and found many great ideas to use in my future classroom. I found an article through that forum discussing how to use your SMARTboard to its’ best potential. Also, I was able to find a great post about how to integrate timelines into a CCSS classroom.

Overall, my PLN experience was a good one, although it did not come without any difficulties. At first it was extremely difficult for myself to navigate through some of the sites, like the Ning group and Feedly. After I got the hang of the websites it became easier to find what I was looking for, and to navigate around the site. In my opinion, I think Feedly would be a better resource to use than Twitter and Classroom 2.0 because it is easier to access exactly what you are looking for. Although I would not object to using Twitter for instant access to data, or Classroom 2.0 for advice from other educators. I think PLNs can help teachers by staying up to date with material, and constantly finding new ideas to incorporate. There are many creative and seasoned educators around the world that we can all learn from, and PLNs give me the opportunity to learn from someone I would not normally have the opportunity to learn from.

Here is my badge from the Ning group!


Visit Classroom 2.0

Reading Response: "PE: Bring Your Sneakers, Rackets, and iPad?"

This article talks about how there are many apps available to help with a variety of subjects; in this article it specifically discusses apps to help health and PE teachers. I thought it was interesting that the author,  Ken Felker, had the idea to use iPads for health and PE class. My initial thought was, "doesn't that defeat the purpose?" Felker made a great point that these apps are available to help aide teachers when they have to teach in many different environments. For example, he uses the WebMD app to help teach students about the bad side effects and consequences of drug use. I thought this was a great idea for a health class because most students have difficulties believing what they see on a PowerPoint made by a teacher, but if we show them a source that is reliable they may be more inclined to believe it. Another app was the Fast Food Calorie Counter app. I also thought this could be a great lesson to show kids what exactly is in all the fast food they are eating. In elementary school, I know teachers are required to teach some nutrition during PE, this would be a great app to help aide the teachers in teaching about proper nutrition. These apps are also great because they are easy for the children to explore themselves; give them an iPad and they can explore the app on their own. It's a great hands-on way to get kids excited about PE,  and they are also learning standards at the same time.

This article demonstrates standard 3 of the ISTE Standards for Students. Specifically standard 3b, which requires students to locate and organize information for research from a variety of sources. I believe it fits with this standard because children must be able to find information using the apps on the iPad. Especially for a lesson involving fast food and calories, a fun project might be to research and organize an alternate healthy meal one can purchase at a fast food place. Therefore children must use their knowledge about what constitutes healthy and select different choices to answer the question. This type of assignment could be done in many different ways and using a wide variety of apps. This is why this article follows standard 3, which looks at research techniques using technology.

Felker, K. (2011). PE; Bring your sneakers, rackets, and iPad? Learning and Leading with Technology, (38)7, 32-33.

Reading Response: Implementing Universal Design for Learning using an Assistive Technology Toolkit

Using Assistive Technology in the classroom is a great way of implementing a Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Assistive Technology (AT) is technology that is used to personalize learning for a variety of different learning styles. This goes along nicely with UDLs because the purpose of a UDL is to help create a curriculum that teaches to a diverse group of students. In order to do this a teacher must think about the different learning styles in their classroom. Then the teacher needs to develop an individualized AT plan for each student that will help them all learn the same material at the students' own pace, or by adhering to their learning style. Students can use their computers to help them read books, create concepts maps, or help navigate the computer; all used to help make sure students learn the material they need accommodated by their learning style. This also helps students and teachers represent the curriculum in many different forms, express themselves using many different forms of technology, and become engaged in the material. These are the three bases of UDL, and can all be met by using AT in your classroom.

This concept goes along with Standard 1 of the ISTE Standards for Students. Specifically 1c which states that students "use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues" (ISTE Student Standards 1). By using AT in a UDL the students must use the technology provided to them to explore the different ideas and concepts presented to them. The students must do this by using different model such as a concept map, a digital narrator, etc. These different technological tools are there to help students explore ideas and come up with their own while also learning using a style that fits them best.

Ahrens, K. (2011). Build an assistive technology toolkit. Learning & Leading with Technology, 39(3), 22-24.

http://www.udlcenter.org/resource_library/videos/udlcenter/udl#video0/

Reading Response: "Powering up Homemade PowerPoint Games"

In the article “Powering up Homemade PowerPoint Games” Jason Siko and Michael Barbour discuss a creative idea of using PowerPoints to create games. They allow the students in an environment chemistry class at Clarkston High School in Clarkston, Michigan to make a game on any topic related to environmental chemistry. The students were not allowed to create a simple jeopardy style game, but were encouraged to make more adventurous games.  The students were guided in creating these games over a period of time, and results showed that the games helped boost these students’ scores. According to the authors, the students who were once at risk were now testing well on their assessment. I believe this is because the students had the opportunity to be involved in their own learning.

I think this is a cool idea for older kids, as a possible research project. The students could do research on a topic, and then create a game based on what they learn. It would be a fun way to get the students excited about learning, as well as learning technology skills. I would like to learn more about how to create these games, and determine if there is an easy way to implement in lower grade levels as well because I think the process could be beneficial to students’ achievement in school.

This process goes along with standards 1, 3, and 6 of the ISTE Student Standards. For Standard 1, which represents creativity, the students are able to come up with themes to incorporate in their games. The themes make the games more fun, and allow the students to “create original works as a means of personal or group expression” (ISTE Student Standards 1b 2008). Also the students have to research their topic, which falls under standard 3. The students have to “evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks” (ISTE Student Standards 3c 2008). In order to do this the students must pick a topic, and then research the appropriate information that will be included in their game, and also making sure the information is factual. The students must also “understand and use technology systems” (ISTE Student Standards 6a 2008). Since this project looks like it can be somewhat complicated, the students must have an understanding of the product they are using. Without this knowledge the project would be difficult for these students.

Siko, J. & Barbour, M. (2013). Powering up homemade PowerPoint games. Learning & Leading with Technology, 41(3), 26-29.

Reading Response: "First Graders Create Math Story Problems with Video"

In the article “First Graders Create Math Story Problems with Video” we can see a creative way to get our students involved in their learning. In this experiment conducted by Elm Elementary in Ohio and the University of Cincinnati, the students used their creativity to create a video based off of a math problem they got to make up. The students first started out by brainstorming a math problem that had to do with either adding or subtracting. Once the students had determines what their problem and solution was, they then had to create a story that incorporated the math problem. Once the students had determined their story they were given blank printed out slides of a PowerPoint to draw out their storyboard. From there the students made their props and rehearsed their lines. Then, it was show time! The students recorded and edited their videos on a free iPad app. Once the videos were completely edited the students were able to sit and enjoy all of the videos their classmates had made.

This is a great way to get students excited about math, as well as developing new skills with technology. This would be a perfect activity for any age group, and I would happily incorporate this activity into my lessons. I also think it is a great idea because it shows students that math is used in everyday life. Most students become bored with a subject because they feel like they will never need to learn the material.  With this project, I believe we can show our students that what we are teaching them is prevalent in the real world, and that it is important for them to learn it. Also, it shows them that learning can be fun, and it doesn’t always have to come from a textbook.

This article goes along with standard 1 of the ISTE Standards for Students, pertaining to creativity and innovation. This activity allows the students to “create original works as a means of personal or group expression” (ISTE Student Standards 1b 2008). It also allows the students to “apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes” (ISTE Student Standards 1a 2008). It also allowed the students to follow standard 2a, “interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media” (ISTE Student Standards 2008). They worked with professionals to develop a story using PowerPoint, and then recording it on their iPads using apps. They employed different techniques, and then the students shared their masterpieces with their peers.

Schaen, R. & Zydney, J. M. (2014). “First graders create math story problems with video. Learning & Leading with Technology, 41(5), 30-32.