Reflecting on my Time with EDU 792 - Educational Video Production....

It has been a ride.  A good one and a challenging one.  There was so much stuff that I have been introduced too, exposed too, and tried.  It all started with making a Powtoon.  If you aren't familiar with Powtoon you can check it out here Powtoon.  Then we had to make a "Rockumentary", which was a video made to music.  Much of the focus was on learning video editing.  I made mine about my dog Chance.

                                                                                                                                                            

Rockumentary Assignment

Next, we had to make a video podcast.  I have never made one before. I really enjoyed doing this because I was able to interview my aunt about her adventures with genealogy.

                                          Genealogy Podcast

We next entered into the world of live streaming.  I was not very excited about this one.  I can see my teenage and young adult kids doing this but not a 55 year old woman.  I did it though.  I made an account on Twitch and learned how to use a platform called OBS (Open Broadcast Software) to make the stream happen.  I live streamed myself playing Candy Crush.  Love the game not the live streaming.  Don't get me wrong, it has its educational uses, but it is something you will not find me doing.

Then came learning Green Screen.  I completely love the idea of green screen.  I wasn't very good at my first attempt but it is something I want to keep working on and learning about.  I see a lot of uses for it in the classroom and as a technology specialist.  Plus it's just plain cool!!  I find green screen to be very engaging with students and the sky is the limit with how students can use it for class projects.  Below is a screen shot of my green screen.  I did a bad job, but I don't care.  I want to do more.....

personal YouTube channel

Last, but not least was my final video project.  I really love making videos and putting them to music.  Can I lament for a moment?  Why, W,h why, did Microsoft stop supporting Movie Maker 2012.!!!!? It was the best (in my humble opinion) video editing software.  Okay, I'm done.  Below is my final video project with link.

 

Video Final Project - personal YouTube Channel

The main purpose for this class was to learn how to make videos for flipped classrooms.  But I feel like I learned so much more!!  Thanks Pat (the instructor), it was great!!  I can't wait to put this stuff to use.  On a personal note, this completes my final class for my masters degree at Dominican University.  It has been great, but boy am I glad to be done!  Learned a ton!

I'm giving a shout out to all of my instructors for the past two years and to Dominican for a great educational experience!  I'm out....(she drops the microphone)

Reflections - EDU 781 Technology Leadership Project

(Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Soooo......, I am just finishing my 2nd to last endorsement class at Dominican which is EDU 781 Technology Leadership.  The class project was useful, practical and challenging.   Basically, I had to make a change within my class/school/district that involved technology.  

I decided to develop an internet safety program of instruction for the special education program that I work for.  Why?  Because the state of Illinois requires that all schools provide internet safety instruction for grades 3rd and up and my special education cooperative isn't doing this.  Also, studies show that the special needs population is even more vulnerable to predators or bullying online.

The program that I teach for is the Communication Development program.  My program has six classrooms ranging from grades K to 8th grade.  I teach a 2nd/3rd grade class of 12 boys.  Yep, you heard me right, 12 squirrelly boys that I think the world of.  

NetSmartz - 

Missing and Exploited Children

I chose to use the NetSmartz program. What I liked about NetSmartz is that it has separate presentations for K-2nd grade, 3rd-5th grade, and tweens.  The presentations are fun, covered vocabulary and age appropriate topics.  

I found the whole process of completing the project rewarding and beneficial.  I have actually been wanting to do something like this for quite a while and was grateful when this opportunity came along.  The most challenging part was working with the other classrooms in my program.  The six classrooms in the CD program are located in two different schools that are within two separate districts. It was difficult coordinating with the other program teachers.  I ultimately worked with the program social workers which was very helpful.

It is my hope to keep this program going year to year.  As our students travel through our program they should have a thorough education on internet safety and be better prepared to interact with this ever changing online world.

As I am finishing my Technology Specialist classes, I am hoping to transition to this roll within my cooperative.  I really want to stay within special education and apply what I have learned to my cooperative and the special needs population.  My cooperative is really behind the times and I would really love the opportunity to help bring it up to speed.

To Lead or not to Lead - Technology Leadership EDU 781

https://www.westerncenter.org/domain/75

So my newest course is EDU 781 - Technology Leadership.  I never really thought much about my hopeful, future position as a technology specialist to be a leadership type of role.  I always knew that technology specialist's could run/manage school IT departments, but I never thought about myself in that kind of role. 

The list of responsibilities that a technology leader has is quite extensive.  Here are a few of them.....

• Plans, organizes, and directs operations and school personnel that make up the technology department
• Establishes and enforces policies and standards for use of and acquiring new technology 
• Prepares proposals for the purchase of new equipment
• Coordinates the scheduling of training for support staff in the effective use of current and new technology
• being a "change agent" by helping improve or take the school system in a new direction in regards to the use of technology

The list goes on and on.  The hardest part of all of this for me is the whole idea of being a leader.  I have never thought of myself as a leader.  I like to think of myself as more of a coach.  That being done by providing support, encouragement, and direction to teaching and support staff in how to best incorporate school technology along with district curriculum.  

The main project for this course is to bring about a "change" within my classroom/school/district.  The change that I decided to make has to do with the special education cooperative and program that I teach for.  Basically, the state of Illinois mandates that all schools are to provide internet safety instruction for grades 3 and above. The special education cooperative that I work for has not provided any kind of direction in terms of making this happen.  I have a two fold plan:

1. Meet with the cooperative curriculum and technology directors to inform them of the mandate and to suggest the need for a staff technology specialist to help carry out the mandate cooperative wide along with a multitude of other potential responsibilities.

2.  Set up resources and units of instruction to be implemented by the program that I teach for.

So far, I have initiated a meeting with the directors, as well as, gathered resources and units of instruction to be carried out by the teachers within my program.  This week I will distribute the resources to the teachers and follow-up with them to see if they need farther help with implementing the units of instruction.

This project, and others like it, that I have had to complete in my graduate courses are a lot of work but very helpful.  They make me push myself and have experiences that I would most likely run into when working as a technology specialist.

To Code or Not to Code - My Adventure in Coding with EDU 774 Coding for Educators

FabLabCoventry

Well a lot has gone on since my last foray into blogging.  My education at Dominican University has continued and I am almost done with my classes for my Technology Specialist endorsement.  After I am finished with my tech ed. courses, I am going to continue on to get my masters.  I will say that I have hit burnout mode and I will be glad to be finished with the whole thing.  Here is a little bit about my current adventure in my tech ed travels.....

I am currently finishing up my fall semester with EDU774 Coding for Educators.
I was not looking forward to this class.  I had absolutely no interest in coding.  I thought coding was for nerds, involved a lot of math, was very difficult, and definitely wasn't for me.  I was pleasantly surprised and I learned some intriguing, surprising, and important  things about coding.

First, you don't have to be great at math to be good at coding.  With this class I have learned that coding involves creativity, logical sequential thinking, and good problem solving skills.  I found that I can do that.  It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

Second, there is a great need for coders/computer programmers.  As we venture more and more into the technological era the demand for computer programmers will sky rocket.   Did you know that by the year 2020 about one million coding positions will go unfilled?  That's huge!  It's so huge that there is now a strong push to start teaching coding at all grade levels.  

This new coding push is posing new challenges for our schools.  How do we teach coding in our schools when there is barely enough time to address all of the academic demands?  Very few high schools have computer programing classes.  There are very few high school teachers able to teach coding.  How do we introduce coding at the elementary level?  There are very few girls that pursue coding at the college level.  How do we broach the gender gap in the industry.  The list goes on and on.

Well, at least part of the solution falls on those that are or going to be Technology Specialists such as myself (hence me taking this class that I was not looking forward to). The going thinking is to embed coding within our regular academics.  Tech specialists' help the general education teacher introduce the basics of coding to students and then students use beginning programs like Scratch to complete class projects.  The cool thing is that kids are not afraid to experiment with technology like we older folks are.  They almost magically catch onto this stuff with little help. I think that's hope and the whole idea.

So, I bet you are wondering how I feel about coding now after taking this class.  Surprisingly, I like it.  Don't get me wrong, it's stressful trying to learn and figure out how to write the simple code that we learned to complete assignments.  I didn't catch onto it as quick as I would have liked but I find myself wanting to learn more. The take away from this class is that you don't have to be an expert to introduce students to coding.  It's my job to introduce it to students, teach them the basics, and let them take it from there.  In the mean time I need to keep practicing and learning.  There are tons of stuff on the internet to teach coding like Hour of Code, Scratch, Computer Programing with Khan Academy.  Don't be afraid to give it a try.  I'm glad I did.

Kids & Social Media: The Good and the Bad

Facebook/Think, Grow, Create

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat.  The list goes on.  Social media is everywhere.  Kids today seemed to be consumed by it. My thoughts about kids of all ages using social media is mixed. 

On one hand, it's not going away and I think it is a losing battle to try and limit kids viewing and posting about their lives online.  I understand that it is their way of hanging out with their friends. It's how they learn about and explore the world around them.  On the flip, side I believe social media negatively affects kids ability to focus and attend to school work and life in general.  As a parent, I find it much more difficult to engage with my teens at home. Their noses are constantly pointed at their phone or laptop. 

I just read an article called "The Pros & Cons of Children on Social Media" and I want to share some interesting tidbits the article points out. Here is the run down:

The Cons

• kids are exposed to a lot stuff like bullying, and potential predators.
• kids and often with the help of their parents lie about age to get an account

The Pros

• proficient social media users are able to discern between the fake stuff and what is fact
• they are more passionate about social issues
• they are more likely to engage in politics
• they are able to more easily connect with others that share similar beliefs and opinions
• allows those that are more introverted by nature to engage with others in a safe way

When you think about it, the pros and cons of kids and social media balance out like in most things.   The article states, and I agree, that the difference is in giving kids healthy boundaries and supervision.  I would also add that teaching our kids about media literacy (how to discern what is safe and accurate info opposed to what are scams, and "fake news") and how to protect their online reputation ensure their having life long beneficial social media experiences.

Media Literacy

Stripes OKINAWA

What is media literacy?  Is it important?  If so, why?  This is the definition of Media literacy, according to the Media Literacy Project.  "Media literacy is the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and create media".    

As teachers, we are very aware how accessible social media is to our students and at how well many are at creating it.  I do not think that teachers are very savvy at evaluating/analyzing media and I don't think that most of our students have a clue.  We are so bombarded by media everyday that I think we have all become numb to it.  Our students are great consumers of social media.  It's how they connect with their friends and are exposed to the world today.  

Howard Rheingold wrote an article in 2010 called, Attention, and Other 21st Century Literacies which I think is still applicable today.  He says that there are 5 different social media literacies.  They are: attention, participation, collaboration, network analysis, and critical consumption.  Here is a quick rundown of all five according to Rheingold......

Attention - is how individuals think, how create tools, teach each other to use     them, how groups socialize, and how people transform civilizations

Participation - it basically applies to the growing extent of individuals use of all    the forms of social media on the multiple forms of technology available

Collaboration - attention and participation allows people to work together in        ways that were too difficult before the use of social media and it gives us more power than doing things alone

Network Analysis - it is having an understanding and awareness of the use of      social media and how they function in regard to online networks

Critical Consumption - it is trying to figure out who and what is and isn't trustworthy online

I believe that in todays classrooms we have the attention and participation literacies covered.  Most teachers in the upper grades see their students attend to and participate in social media constantly .  In fact, I bet most teachers would agree that their students are distracted by their use of social media.  In education, we are just now venturing into using social media as a collaboration tool. I find it exciting in how these mediums are now being used in a constructive ways in education.  I do not believe that network analysis is a necessary literacy for functioning as a student.  Critical consumption is where we are lacking as teachers and if we are lacking in this area how can we educate our students on this literacy.  I believe that some are venturing into bringing this awareness to others in education but as our students continue to engage in the use of social media, we as teachers, need to be educated in this to help bring this awareness to our students.

My Thoughts on CIPA & COPPA

TES.com

What is CIPA & COPPA you ask?  I just learned more about them myself.  They are laws that are intended to protect our children/students on the internet. The laws are also very important to know and understand at length if you want to be a Technology Specialist for a school system one day.  Here is a quick overview of both:

CIPA (2000 & updated 2011) - Children's Internet Protection Act

In a nut shell - If your school system receives government funding through E-rate, the school system must provide filtering and monitoring software on all school devices and educate students on cyber safety.

COPPA (1998 with provisions in 2013)  - Children's Online Privacy & Protection Act

In a nut shell - This law protects the privacy of children under the age of 13 by not collecting their personal information.

For more info on both: CIPA & COPPA

Before I wanted to give you my thoughts on the laws I wanted to get some other perspectives about them.

In CIPA & COPPA Controlling the Internet "For the Sake of the Children", the author Audrey Watters stated that she is not a fan of filters.  She does not want to be restricted in what she views and reads and does not believe that children should be restricted either.  She points out that there is a "hypocrisy" in the tech world where: "we embrace freedom, open access for everyone, except kids."

In Dana Boyd's post titled How COPPA Fails Parents, Educators, & Youth, I took away a couple of interesting points.

1. Parents and kids believe that age requirements are there to protect their           safety instead of their privacy.  

She elaborates by saying, "Not only does COPPA fail to inform parents about the appropriateness of a particular site, but parental misinterpretations of the age restrictions mean that few are aware that this stems from an attempt to protect privacy."

2.  COPPA is well-intended but its implementation, practice, and impact have          been a failure

• The key to making COPPA work is not to make it stricter   
• this is not possible without violating privacy at an even greater level
• Parents want to be able to parent and to be able to decide what is and is not appropriate for their children.
• Not all parents parent and we don’t want that to keep kids/students from being able to access great resources available online
• The way to improve COPPA is to go back to the table and think about how children’s data is being used

So what do I think.  I think that there needs to be federal laws in place to provide basic protections for our children.  I think that the current laws don't quite do the job.  The depth and breath of the digital world are ever changing and expanding both for the good and the bad.  This also makes it very difficult to keep federal laws up-to-date and comprehensive.

With CIPA, I do believe that schools need to provide filters for their networks and devices and that students need cyber safety education.  I also believe that inappropriate content still gets past the filters.  It is my opinion that teachers need training in how to provide appropriate supervision, screening, and be the final filter for the content that students are utilizing.  Lets face it, kids will be kids. They can be crafty, clever, and full of mischief when the opportunity provides itself.  Just ask my husband who happens to be a tech specialist for an Indiana school system.

With COPPA, I believe that there should be privacy protections for students.  To what extent, I'm not sure.  I do believe that parents need to be more informed  and/or educated on what the current law really means for their children.  Ultimately, parents need to parent, but we as educators know just how often that does not happen. Which in-turn, places that responsibility back on the schools.