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Reflection on the past few weeks:

We are two weeks into the Leading Edge Certification and I am really enjoying both modules we have worked on. As I have been transitioning over from a traditional classroom to a blended classroom it has been nice getting a clear definition of what I am working towards and all the different possibilities that the transition entails.

 

 

The biggest advantage I have noticed in my classroom in these first three weeks of school as been the level of knowledge that I know about my students. Checking for understanding has never been easier with Web 2.0 tools like Socrative and Formative. I have used Socrative exclusively for ELA and Formative for Math. Even though I haven’t set up my traditional grade book yet, I have a wealth of knowledge already in both of these free tools. My next step is to set up ePortfolios for my students to showcase their writing. Working together with my group this week (here is a link to our shared Slide presentation and my reflection), I have learned about an awesome and free ePortfolio tool that I can try with my students called Seesaw.

Google+:

I’ve been more active in the Google+ community this past week. I’ve enjoyed browsing the posts and hearing about different things members in the cohort are doing. I liked Jennifer Diaz’s flipped Back to School Night post. I would definitely do that if we had a more traditional BTSN where I was expected to talk about the year with parents. Ours is much more laid back and almost like a Meet the Teacher Night where I let kids show-off the classroom and I chat and take questions as they arise.

I also shared an article that Jon Corippo posted on Facebook, it was a Time article titled “Screens in School are a 60 Billion Dollar Hoax”.  This led to a good back and forth with Laura Blake discussing how pedagogy comes first, and technology is definitely not a hoax when it is utilized by a good teacher.

Project Status:

Everything is in a holding pattern. I think my next step will be to create a Google Sites template for what I did. I would like to either set up, or help with getting a Kings County EdCamp or Tech Day  for Kings County teachers since that is what the KC Ed Collective is all about.

Elective Status:

Twitter is done. Web 2.0 has still not been started. I am almost starting to think that my final two electives (Web 2.0 and Cloud Computing) will be completed after the Mobile Technologies class. That way I can focus my full attention on the two electives and really give my best effort.