Introduction to Online and Blended Learning

I wasn't sure what to expect when I signed up for this course. I felt pretty comfortable with the level of technology integration in my classroom and didn't know if this course would even be a good fit for me. As I started reading the material for the first module, I found myself thinking several times "Hey, that's interesting" and it has just snowballed from there.
I have found this course to be informative and a great asset to what I already do in my classroom. I have really enjoyed the interactions with the other members and have found their comments, links and ideas to be helpful. I have found tools that I will most definitely be using in my class next year and many ideas on how to get my students more involved in their own learning.
I am excited for the coming school year and I hope to integrate many new concepts to the class. We will have a class Symbaloo that the students will add to throughout the year. I will also make sure they have a monthly lab of adding to/updating our class website. We will also start our own private YouTube channel and they will be posting videos online, not just for the one project we have been doing for years but for multiple projects during the year.
I look forward to the changes and can't wait to get them started. I'm sure there will be some growing pains, but we can get the kinks worked out and have a successful year.

Technology in the Classroom

In my classroom, cellphones are welcome. When I tell other teachers this, they sometimes look at me like I'm a little crazy. To me, this mindset makes perfect sense. I feel that we should use all forms of tech available to us to educate our students. We all learn differently and our children certainly learn much differently than we did in school. Their world is changing faster than most of us comprehend. Information is at the touch of a fingertip at any moment of the day. We can't keep trying to force our students back. 

Technology is more than just using the Internet. Tablets, smart-phones, texting, music, video, and social networking usage show that mobile technology is an integral part of students lives. We need to embrace this aspect of their lives and use it to our advantage.Teaching students to use tech appropriately and effectively should be a major goal in the classroom. We need to create an environment where students are a part of the learning process, not just a witness to it.

Learning the best way to use their devices in class is important to teach students. it isn't all about games and texting. These are great tools to enhance what they learn in a face to face environment. On the downside, they need to be shown that there is legitimate information out there but twice as many places to get the wrong information. Students must be taught how to disseminate all this information to figure what is relevant to their needs. They also need to be shown what types of thing are appropriate for a classroom environment.

Digital Citizenship, in my opinion, is essential for students to learn. They have to learn dangers and drawbacks of their online presence. This isn't a topic that just applies to school, it applies to their everyday lives. Most students do not think about the ramifications of their online actions. They post whatever pictures they want, they say whatever they want, and they talk about whoever they want. These type of posts can come back to haunt you years down the road, long after you have forgotten they even exist. Every school should be required to teach Digital Citizenship course. More attention need to be paid to this topic than just a day or two in class. The things they post now could affect their lives for years to come.

How can you make your footprint positive.

Managing your digital footprint is imperative in this day and age. You must always be aware of how your online activities and interactions could affect you, not just in a personal way but in a professional way as well. People post pictures and videos on their social media sites that can paint them in a negative hue.
Digital Citizenship must start in the schools and at a very young age. Of course they will not be thinking of their futures at this point. There are some key points that must be addressed repeatedly throughout their school years.

Security

Protect your identity, your data and your money. Cyber security should be a priority for everyone. Backup data regularly. Create strong passwords, do not use the same PW for everything and change them regularly.

Etiquette

One of the major weakness among users of technology today is etiquette. imagine the person who spends their whole meal in a restaurant talking loudly on a cell phone and disrupting everyone around them, or the co worker across the table from you constantly checking emails or playing a game.

Communication

Digital communication includes emailing, texting, instant messaging, utilizing cell phones, etc. As digital communication continues to grow and change, it is important that we not forget how to interact in real life.

Literacy

It is our responsibility to develop and enhance our technological knowledge. We should show the positive use of technology for good causes, personal and professional growth and education.

Law

There are laws that apply to our behavior and interaction in real life as well as on the internet. There should be no plagiarism or abuse of others. Many intellectual data laws are violated in this day and age, examples are copyright infringement, cyber bullying and trademark abuse.

What tools could be used in my classroom to help me integrate technology effectively?

Google Classroom is one of the most recent additions to my class. It is a very useful tool that you can use to create and organize assignments, have immediate feedback, and allows for real time communication with classes outside of school hours if the need arises. Google Classroom seamlessly integrates Google Docs, Drive, and Gmail. If you are a GAFE school, this is incredibly helpful addition to your toolbox because it automatically creates a Drive folder for each assignment and students can see what's due on their assignments page. Instructors can see who has and has not completed assignments and provide direct feedback to individual students. 
I  also use online certification testing software for the students in my class. I teach  Computer Repair and Maintenance. My students use Certiport Online Testing to study for and take their certification exam at the end of the year.This is an effective way to measure student comprehension.
Another excellent tool is Camstasia. I have used this video creation/editing software sporadically in the past but plan to to use it in a "Student Teacher" project the second semester next year. Students will create a lesson plan, a comprehension assignment and an instruction video of the topic they will be teaching to the class. they will then edit and post their video on a YouTube channel.

Technology Integration Matrix

1. Where would you rate yourself in each area?
I split my work day between teaching a computer repair class and working in the technology department. Because of the nature of my job and what I teach I feel like I am very easily adaptable to new and changing technology.I enjoy using it in my classroom and constantly see possibilities for future lesson plans. Saying this, I still feel limited by what the school corporation is able to provide in the way of technology. I feel that currently I am in the adaption phase but quickly moving into the Infusion stage.

2. Where do you think you could reasonably be at the end of the next grading period?
Our school will be 100% 1:1 in the next school year. We also just recently switched over to being a completely GAFE ( Google Apps for Education) school. I am already seeing this have an impact in my classroom.In the next school year I can start moving more into the Infusion stage. With the collaborative capabilities of Google and the

3. What steps will you need to take in order to make the growth happen?
I will need to incorporate more collaborative projects in my curriculum. I want my students to realize the learning potential of the internet as opposed to just the gaming/video aspect of it. I will also need to have more labs and assignments that are completely web based.

Changing your Mindset in the Classroom

How could you adapt or change one of your current class/course policies to reflect a moving mindset? Is this a change you are willing to make? 

Why or Why not?

I think it is imperative that teachers change the commonly held mindset "This is I have always done and it is has worked fine."

We are not teaching the same kids that we taught just 3 years ago. The students expect a real time learning environment. They expect to be able to research their work on the device they have in their hands. They expect to have teachers that understand the way they learn today, not 5 years ago. Why shouldn't they? We are supposed to be preparing them for their future, not for a past that is obsolete. These students have been raised with technology. To them, these devices are the same as the calculators, books and watches the we carried around school, essential.

I recently changed the way my students do labs in the classroom. My thought was that when they are in the workforce, they will have peers, they will have various devices and they will have a supervisor to help them on projects. Why should they learn to do it differently now? We now work as a group. There may aspects to the lab that are still assigned individually but it is still a group collaboration. It does take some effort to keep them on task. This is a new concept for our classroom and, as always, there will be adjustments.

I am actively seeking ways to streamline my classroom and take it completely digital. We are a GAFE school and that has started to make this process easier. In my belief, this will be a never ending endeavor.