Reflection on the past few weeks:

The past few weeks I have been learning all about mobile technologies. This was a rough month for me–I missed two classes. One was due to my illness, the other due to an illness of one of my young children. I had to experience them via recording and go solo on the projects. I still learned plenty but it wasn’t as fun as it is live.

The three things that I found most transformational for my classroom would be as follows:

1. In Andy Losiks’s Advanced Tips and Tricks course, there was an anecdote about a teacher using the ShowMe app. This teacher used it in a very simple, but transformative way. She gave each of her students a long division problem and then had them record themselves using the whiteboard solving and speaking through the problem. This was a major lightbulb moment that I implemented in my classroom immediately using Educreations and our iPads.
2. In Jody Green’s Learning and Education Apps course, I was able to get a firsthand perspective of the ePortfolio app SeeSaw. It was intuitive and easy to use but it cannot embed a Google Doc like Kidblog can. This is my next step in my classroom and something I am excited about doing.
3. in JR Ginex-Orion’s Mobile Learning in the Classroom workshop, I learned about the Elevator Pitch idea. This idea of a short pitch could be used in my classroom when I ask them to do opinion writing–it would be a great way in combining an oral presentation and opinion writing in my 5th grade classroom.

Google+:

I shared an article from Edutopia titled “Pen Pals 2.0: Can Technology Foster Global Tolerance?” This seemed fitting with the heated presidential race and how people view each other on this planet. Building empathy and making the world smaller and more connected will go a long way in uniting people–why not start a small movement in my classroom? I have been toying with the idea of setting up my class with  another digitally. I remember connected through letters with a class when I was in 5th grade and liking the experience.

I also enjoyed this article that Jamie O’Hara posted on allowing students to take home tech. I always wonder how equitable it is if the student takes a tablet home but still doesn’t have access to the internet. Sure, it’s better than no tech–but it still lags behind those with tech+internet access. I was wondering if some school districts actually pay for data plans for those in need, or provide free internet in some other way.

Project Status:

Everything is in place. I will be working on the Elevator Pitch assignment later this week. Still in the early planning stages for an EdCamp for Kings County upcoming in the spring. The Kings County Educators’ Collective will be my main priority once my certificate and electives are wrapped-up. I am getting excited for the prospect of being able to dedicate more time to the project.

Elective Status:

I am signed up for Web 2.0 and Cloud Computing. My plan is to start Web 2.0 after we wrap-up our project presentations. I will then complete Cloud Computing. My goal is to be finished with both electives by the end of January.