Evaluation

1. What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?

I realized over the summer how many wonderful things were available to me digitally. To think that all of these "Things" are at my fingertips is awesome. I think my favorite discoveries throughout my two blog experiences were finding and exploring the numerous Web 2.0 Tools. I love writing engaging lessons. I love mashing things together that seem completely unconnected. The Tools on the web that are accessible have the potential to transform my classroom a real life experience where we directly apply our knowledge to what we have to accomplish with the curriculum. 

2. How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?

This program has taught me that in order to take advantage of the abundance of resources out there, I have to not only know where to find them, but also give myself the chance to play around with them. Just like in the classroom, different styles of teaching work better for different concepts. In technology, different applications fill different purposes. Also, I've learned the hard way that I need to know exactly what type of instructions my students need in order to best utilize time and the technology. This program has allowed me to stay current with my students, to accommodate their generation and styles of learning. It has taught me to continue to evolve so that I can do my best to educate my students the way they need.

3. Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?

Besides the ability to navigate through things and find what I'm looking for easier, nothing was incredibly unexpected. I did find out the usefulness of things like online bookmarking and dropbox. A lot of the things that were in the 16 Things will be useful in both my professional and my personal life. But, having done something very similar before, I wasn't surprised as I worked through each "Thing."

4. What could I do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?

I'm a proponent of how the program is set up as it is. There is a TON of information and I love how there are links everywhere to direct you where to go. I'm also impressed that examples were given not only on your blog, Dr. Wilson, but that you also provided us with links to our classmates' blogs. This was useful so that we could see how our peers responded. I think that the program is structured well. The discovery exercises were straightforward and the instructions, easy to follow. And with each "Thing" being a separate blog, the categories weren't all over the place. Thank you for this experience. It truly will make me that much more awesome in the classroom. :)

-Sarah

Thing #16

PhotoPeach was soooooooooooo easy. It was wonderful. Signing up took no time at all, and the website makes uploading photos and adding captions almost effortless. I'm excited about using this thing in my class. It would be a neat way for students to present persuasive essays or provide summaries. It's fast and easy so it could be done in one class period. It could even chronicle their growth in class. Since I have iPad 2s in class, they could use the cameras to take their own pictures to upload. 

Northbrook High School Cheerleading and Stunt Squad on PhotoPeach

Thing #15.5

Twitter and LinkedIn are two social networks that I'm already familiar with. I have had accounts with both for more than a year. Normally, I use a school Facebook for all announcements about homework, practice, and the like. The original Twitter account I have is primarily for personal social networking. I felt that in order to keep a semblance of a private life, I needed to make a new Twitter account for school purposes much like my Facebook account. The thing I like about Twitter is that you can set up your tweets to be sent straight to Facebook by linking the two. I still think that having to keep track of two social networks (Twitter and Facebook) is redundant, but in order to reach my students, I feel I need to be available every way possible. 

As I stated before, I have been "LinkedIn" for quite some time, however I haven't really seen the benefit of it. Since I am solidified in my job and am connected to almost all of my network contacts, I rarely use it, if at all. I feel like I'm repeating myself over and over and over, but at times I feel overwhelmed with the number of networks I have signed up for, social and professional. It's hard to keep up with all of them although I very much see their usefulness. If I ever do decide to move schools, LinkedIn could definitely help me get in touch with people in other districts and positions that could be beneficial in a job search. 

All in all, this half a thing is probably the most popular. The prevalence of social networks and how they are used to communicate is astounding. If one chooses to not be in the loop, I feel they are missing out on opportunities to better themselves not only with their students but in their career as a whole.

Thing #15

These "Things" are starting to make me look bad because yet again, my 54 year old Dad is showing me up. His Skype skills far exceed mine. On a regular basis he Skypes with friends that he has across the country and even at Oxford. The only person that I Skype with on a regular basis is my brother in Arkansas. I like that it's face to face interaction, but I definitely prefer texting or phone calls. I like to multi-task and move around too much to Skype for long periods of time.

On the other hand, I've recently been doing a lot of thinking. Over the summer, my mom went over to Vietnam to talk about Special Education Programs and Modifications. She came back with contacts in Vietnam that suggested starting classes of pen pals. Already, she has delivered a set of letters from a class in Hanoi that is the same age as some of her seventh graders and now her students are working on replies. I think it would be AMAZING if I could get her to put me in touch with a class of kids that are the same age as my tenth graders. After letter writing, I foresee a conversation via Skype using my Activboard. The more that I think about it, the more excited I get. I think that exposing my kids to a different culture on the other side of the world would show them that there is definitely life outside of Spring Branch. It's going to take some effort to get implemented, but in the end if I can get it set up, I think it will be worth it.

Thing #14

I didn't realize how neat podcasting was until recently. Ironically, I figured it out because of my 54 year old dad who has a podcast every week. He is a preacher at Chapelwood Methodist Church and every Wednesday he and a friend of his have a conversation that is podcasted over the hope for humanity. Gregg and Jerry's  conversations are seen by hundreds of people including myself and has become something I look forward to weekly.

I find iTunes U somewhat helpful. The one thing that I've found and referenced multiple times is a presentation by Victoria Young over the EOC English I, II, and III tests. Since we are going into this new test blindly, any information that we can get our hands on is helpful. This presentation has helped a lot in knowing how to teach our students the different genres they will need to write and the differences in structure. However, I have found that most of the other material on iTunes U is over Math, Science, and geared towards younger grades. 

To be completely honest with you, up until now I didn't have a Pinterest or Etsy account. Because of this "Thing," I am now a Pinterest user, but because I have somewhat of a shopping addiction, I don't think Etsy is wise. The reason I resisted Pinterest for so long was because word on the street was that it had a very addictive quality. However, I definitely see its uses and benefits. I do in fact have a Delicious. I don't use it as much as I should although it would make things easier. I can definitely see the advantages to portable bookmarks, muc like portable storage like Dropbox. I'm worried that with so many Web 2.0 tools to keep up with, I'm starting to lose track of all of them. 

Things #12 and 13

If you asked my students what my favorite way to introduce units and lessons was, they would undoubtedly tell you Youtube. I have used it for years and have found just about anything I have ever wanted. It's amazing the things that people have made available. I have even uploaded my own videos thanks to Professor Donalson and Educational Applications of Technology. However, I have recently begun to use another amazing site to get my students engaged. Ted Talks are unbelievable. If you haven't explored some of the videos, I highly encourage you to go poking around. They are inspirational and some are just beyond belief.  The following Ted Talk was shown at Convocation for Spring Branch in August and was one of the most inspirational things I've ever seen. It made me want to do unfathomable things with technology in my classroom and teach my kids that absolutely anything is possible. 





Like I said earlier, thanks to Professor Donalson and Educational Applications of  Technology, I was able to upload my own video to Youtube last semester. I was incredibly proud of my Poetry TEASe and publishing it seemed to cement the hard work I put into it. It's also pretty cool that as I make new TEASes, they will be saved. Youtube is a phenomenal repertoire for resources. 

I think that having students create and submit videos for class is an awesome idea. My neighbor at school teachers double blocked Algebra I, the kids that need the most help. She constantly has students on iPads looking at other student made tutorials on Youtube and Kahn Academy. Having students upload their own videos gives them ownership and an opportunity to share with other students what they know. It is a wonderful way to collaborate with kids they can't even see.

Thing #11

I'm fascinated with Web 2.0 Tools. Figuring out how to use them in my classroom is my favorite part of writing lessons. I remember the old days when we were assigned projects and we had to figure out a way to make three-dimensional replicas of the solar system. Nowadays, instead of problem solving and using creativity to make hand made projects, students are using Web 2.0 tools to come up with crazy ways to show us, their teachers, how well they can apply critical thinking to concepts. 

Because I teach English, I'm constantly looking for ways my students can demonstrate how well they understand stories and elements in writing whether it be expository, persuasive, descriptive, or narrative. The two Web 2.0 tools that I found that I was completely new to were List N Play and Keepsy. Both of these would be awesome to use with any text. I like List N Play because you can create a playlist of songs and videos. I think it would be awesome if students could create an "Album" of sorts to chronicle a novel or a text. All of the songs and videos would have to relate to or demonstrate themes, characters, settings, or conflicts within the text. This would allow the students to connect something they are extremely familiar with, music and videos, to new knowledge and understanding. 

Keepsy is awesome too. As I went throught the "Keepsy Stories" I thought of my students and how they could "write" essays using photographs. The cool part about these "stories" are that they include a written element as well. This could easily count as analysis or an expository of their picture story. 

The EOC tests is kicking my kids' butts. They are having a hard time finding relevance in what the state is asking them to do. I think these two websites bridge that gap between expectations and real world connections. My department chair and appraiser need to be warned that these things will definitely be making an appearance in my classroom. 

Thing #10

Thing #9

I already explained in Thing #8 that I was first exposed to Wikis when my department head used them to share information with all of the English teachers. My department head and I are actually partner teachers. We are the only two teachers that teach both English II and English II Pre AP, so our lesson plans looks very similar. Since she had a lot of experience with Wikis, we integrated them in our Pre AP classrooms when teaching Philosophy at the beginning of the year. We each had two class periods of Pre AP classes so we each assigned a philosopher/philosophy to a group in our class. So I had a Socrates group and she had a Socrates group. Then we set up a wiki for them (you can access it HERE)to combine research. During the class period, students would search for information and add what they found and the website to the Wiki. This made the process a collaborative one across class periods and teachers. It was really cool to see them sift through information with students that they couldn't actually see and talk to.

I was thinking about how else I could use a wiki and came up with an idea on a personal level. My mom, dad, brother, and sister-in-law every so often have what we like to call "family meetings." Basically what happens is whenever someone has a day where they don't have much to do (like testing days) we send emails to everyone just to catch up. The result is a full mailbox and crazy conversations. If we had a family wiki set up though, we could have family meetings there instead. I'm definitely bringing up the idea next time we are all in the same room. 

As I said before, I think wikis are a great way for educators to share ideas. I love the Poppers wiki that Dr. Wilson set up. It has a plethora of quick ideas that I can realistically use in my classroom because they are from other teachers. Below is my contribution:

Sarah: I have so many ideas. It's hard to just share one. Recently I've become addicted to Ted Talks. They are inspirational and engage the students. I have used them to get my students to think about thinking. It's amazing to see light bulbs flash on as kids realize the importance of education and how to make the most of the time they spend here. Similarly, the TEASes that we created for Educational Applications have turned out to be great "Poppers." My kids have never been so enthusiastic about poetry than they were when I showed them my TEASe.

Thing #8

Mr. Wiki and I are pretty familiar with one another. I've used them for a little over a year now. I first saw them when my department chair wanted teachers to sign up for what they would bring to the first annual English Department Potluck Friday. Later, we used them again with our kids, but I'll explain more about that in another Thing. I found some of the wikis useful. The Princeton BookLovers Wiki was neat because it divided up books according to genres and included comments and reviews from readers. It would be nice for my kids to see what people are reading and how they felt about it before choosing books of their own to read for Outside Reading. The Middle School Tech Wiki had lots of ideas for Middle School teachers and even had lesson plans. It was nice to see a collective list of teacher wikis on the Educational Wiki. It's always nice to have one place that you can use to find multiple resources.

I think Wikis are a great way to collaborate and share with teachers around the world ideas and lessons. If we expect our kids to use their peers as resources, I think it is important that we do the same. Since teaching takes up much of our day, I think connecting to other teachers via technology like Wikis is an awesome solution.

Thing #7

This was a difficult Thing!! It wasn't difficult because I didn't know how to work any of applications, but because I had used so many of them. We create Wordles and Glogsters often in my class. For my 11 Tools I had to create a Voki. Last semester, in Education Applications, I created a video with Animoto. And so you see dilemma. However, I had not heard of WordSift before. I like it a lot and I actually "sifted" my journal entry that I wrote today with my students. Like Wordle, I have a hard time sorting out how this would require higher level thinking with my students. The only thing I can think of is for them to enter text from something they are reading and then creating a WordSift. From there, I could have the analyze the words that are the largest since those are the ones repeated most frequently and why the author chose those words to use multiple times. I'm going to have to think a little more on how to apply this.

The other tool I had never used before was Flipsnack. This one was way cool and I enjoyed it a lot. I started writing journals with my kids because one day, I was bored at hall duty and I visited my brother's classroom website. What I found there were a collection of journal prompts and his responses to them. It was brilliant and his entries were touching. I went through each of them, and got an idea. I decided that I, too, would respond to the prompts and compile all of them into a scrapbook for my mom and dad for Christmas. The finished product was amazing. However, the scrapbook is huge and it would be nice to have a digital version to share with family and friends, so...I made a Webber Journals Flipsnack. I'm so excited to find a new presentation tool for my kids. This is just another option they can have for presentations and projects. It also makes notes interactive which is good because we all know how much they HATE taking notes. 

Thing #6

RSS and Readers...I had never heard of them before this summer. This is one "Thing" that very closely resembles one of the "Tools" I had to learn for Spring Branch ISD. However, I had never seen Netvibes before. After setting up my account, I was bombarded with all these widgets and tabs. I got very confused very quickly. I played around with it for a little while, but there was a lot going on. Perhaps when I have more time, I can seriously delve into what all it has to offer. I was able to subscribe to blogs and newsfeeds, but that was about it. 

For my 11 Tools,  played around with Google Reader. This seems much more manageable. I can have all of my blogs and sites that I want to keep up with in one place. It's an awesome way to stay current with educational happenings as well as news. Below is part of my blog post of "Tool #2) complete with blogs that I subscribed to in Google Reader.

On another note, I think I just fell in love...with Google Reader. I had no idea such a thing existed. I have a delicious account and am familiar with what Diigo does, but Google Reader is a new one for me. The major reason why I have not followed particular blogs up to this point is because I don't always have time during the week to sit at my computer and just look at blogs I'm interested in. Google Reader is AMAZING because I don't have to search for new blog posts. Google does it for me. Come to think of it, if Google could cook dinner and do my laundry, I'm pretty sure my search for a mate would be over.

Lastly, the blogs below are ones that I have found useful in the past. 

www.philosophybro.com is a great source if you're trying to put really difficult philosophical primary texts into language your kids can understand. WARNING: The material is not school appropriate, however, I emailed the author of the blog and was given permission to edit his material in order to distribute it to my pre AP students. If you're looking for something to make you smile, go read his version of the "Allegory of the Cave." It's hilarious.

www.secondaryworlds.com, like 11 Tools, has helped me see all of the different ways technology can be used and updated in the classroom. Because my Masters work is in Curriculum and Instruction with Specialization in Instructional Technology, this blog is incredibly useful.

www.scholastic-scribe.blogspot.com caters to English teachers and adds an AP element. I find it intriguing to see others ideas and to feed off the wit and word play of my peers. Seeing others in my position have fun in the classroom is reaffirming. It ISN'T at all strange to love your job as an English teacher. :)

Thing #5

It seems as though my students and cheerleaders are experts when it comes to photo mash-ups. On my "teacher" facebook, I always see crazy pictures on my newsfeed that my kids have taken and manipulated using different apps. I, on the other hand, had never used a mash-up app or website so I wasn't prepared for how AMAZING they can be!

I went to Big Huge Labs and found tons of options for changing and creating photo mash-ups. The first one I created was their "Motivational Poster." Everyone has seen them. Most of the time, I think of them hanging on a wall in counselor's office. They're those posters that have pictures of a mountain or something and at the bottom have one word like "DETERMINATION" or "PERSEVERANCE." Below that word is a little saying, usually a cliche, like "Keep on keeping on." At Big Huge Labs you can make your own using a personal photo. Below is the one I made. I started Crossfit three months ago and every single time I go (about four times a week) this is what I end up looking like afterward.

I love it. I think I'm going to print it out, take it up to my gym and post it on the bulletin board. 

I also made a Mosaic at bighugelabs.com. I've already explained how close my brother and I are, so I decided to compile some pictures of the two of us. This was the result.

I absolutely loved working with this website and these pictures. Photo mash-ups will certainly be changing the decor in my classroom and condo from now on. I'm enthusiastic about seeing people I know in picture frames from now on rather than the random people that are in there now because I haven't bothered to take out the sample pictures that came in them.

 

Thing #4

I think Instagram has probably gained more popularity than Flickr these days, but I'm pretty sure they do the same thing. Either way, it is nice to have a repository of images that are available to use. If there is one thing that should be pointed out about online communities, it is that they like to share. One need only to type in a word of what they are looking for and hundreds of images appear straight from the personal lives of internet users from all over the world. This TATTOO is an example of one of the many I looked at before deciding on where and how I wanted my own literary tattoo. I searched tumblr and Instagram and Google Images and after searching high and low, finally figured out what I wanted, Eventually, I figured out what I wanted. On my birthday, August 28th, I got fourteen lines from my favorite book tattooed on me. It not only chronicles my journey over the last year, but it embodies the relationship between my brother and I. The two characters in the book parallel the two of us so much so that I had Bradley write the quote out and then had my tattoo artist copy his handwriting onto my ribs. This might be my favorite tattoo to date.

Thing #3

I love using pictures in my classroom. Quite a few times last year I used personal photos and pictures found online as journal prompts. Also, because of the EOC test, visual images are used to help students think about certain subjects and topics. Like I have mentioned in a previous "Thing" I always respond with my students to the journal prompt for the day. The following is an example of a prompt with my response, in both written and pictorial form. 

Whether it is somebody famous or a best friend, we all have

somebody that we can relate to. There is somebody who goes through

similar situations as ourselves and who we can talk to. 

Describe the one person you relate to best in your life.  What makes

that person different than everybody else?  When have you used them

as a listener?

The night before his wedding, I read my brother, Bradley, a letter I had written. Sitting in Room 122 of the Hampton Inn in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, a letter that should have taken 5 minutes to read, took nearly 15 because of the many pauses it took for me to choke down sobs. Looking around, my mom, dad, and brother were experiencing similar emotional reactions. You see, Bradley is my best friend. There is no one else in this world that I feel completely and totally myself around. Around him, all masks are shoved to the side, all pretenses forgotten, and only the true Sarah remains. I realized in college that Bradley was the only person that had experienced the same upbringing, the same rules, and the same expectations as me. We lived our childhood together regardless of the different choices we made. I realized when he was in college that I didn’t feel like a big sister. His decisions were more rational, more goal-driven and when I figured out that we were equals and the sibling rivalry was meaningless, I realized that I’d had a true best friend beside me my entire life.

10 sentences

Thing #2

I feel like I am becoming a blogger extraordinaire. In her introduction to the 16 things, Dr. Wilson mentioned that certain school districts were implementing similar projects with their teachers. Spring Branch ISD, where I am, is one of those districts. This past summer, I completed "11 Tools" training which also required me to set up a blog and explore different ways to use technology and Web 2.0 tools. Because of that experience, creating this blog was actually incredibly easy. I am now familiar with Blogger and how to create a new post as well as link websites and embed videos and pictures. Don't get me wrong, those things took practice. I wasn't an expert in July when I was looking at every blog I could find and reading instructions at least 5 times. 

I can confidently say now that I am very comfortable with blogs and blogging. Looking at the blogs of my colleagues and other more "professional" blogs, I am able to get ideas on how to improve my own.  And while I have never personally commented on another person's blog, I can see how comments can prove to be useful. With that said, whether it be 16 Things or 11 Tools, I think I've got this down now and am very much looking forward to creating a blog for my classroom as a place where my students can discuss with one another concepts we are covering in class and other relevant topics.

-Sarah

P.S. If you're curious, my 11 Tools blog can be found at twelvetoolsminusone.blogspot.com. 

Thing #1

One of the first things I tell my students at the beginning of the year is that I'm never going to assign something that I'm not willing to do myself. When they write journals at the beginning of class, I write with them. Before I have them work on assignments in groups or individually, I always use a model that I have created or written. Not only do i do this to be an example for my students, but also to challenge myself. It keeps me fresh and on top of the material I teach. It's a way for me to continue to be a life-long learner.

I can't be an effective teacher if I don't believe in the product or service that I'm providing. In this case, I provide knowledge and learning. Just as I wouldn't trust a Toyota salesman that didn't drive a Toyota, I can't expect my kids to trust me that they will learn in my class if I don't want to or know how to learn myself. For this reason, I constantly reference my HBU Grad School experiences. Being on the other side of a classroom has been invigorating. I missed soaking up information and new knowledge. And even though I sit in professional development every year and go to conferences, there is something about going to class, having homework, and following a syllabus that satiates my desire to learn.

From the list of 7 1/2 Habits of Lifelong Learners, I am most efficient at Habit 7, teach and mentor others. Besides teaching English II and English II Pre AP and coaching Northbrook High School's Varsity Cheerleading Squad, I also am an instructor at Region 4 in their Alternative Certification Program. For five years, I have taught people (adults) how to be teachers. I have talked them through the lesson plan cycle and given them pointers on how to set up a classroom management system. Basically, I have been a direct line to a classroom. I answer questions, give advice, walk them through an interview, and share my experiences. More than anything, this has helped me to learn and grow as a teacher. It has taught me to truly believe in what I'm teaching regardless of what type of classroom I am in. Teaching and mentoring those teacher candidates reaffirms what I do for a living and reminds me of how much I love my job.

The habit that I am the weakest at is Habit 3, view problems as challenges. I can honestly say that I deal with normal, everyday stress pretty well. I am a good problem solver...for the most part. However, much of the time, I don't have a normal, everyday schedule. Even before Grad School, life was hectic. I would go from after school tutorials to Region 4 or a pep rally to a football game in Waller, Texas. Fourteen hour days are my normal. And at times it becomes overwhelming. It's hard for me to look at my schedule and not see problems and conflicts. A lot of times I feel like I am running full speed at a wall or driving way above the speed limit towards a road block. I don't know how to turn those problems into challenges. In order to push through, it usually takes some serious encouragement and prodding from those close to me. Eventually, the grading gets completed and football season ends. The problems get solved, but I come out exhausted. If I looked at those conflicts more as challenges, I have a feeling I would feel a lot more accomplished when they were over instead of just wanting a really long nap.

One challenge that I am looking forward to, however, is the project I have decided to take on in my Learning Contract. You may view both the objective and the contract in a Google Doc HERE.

-Sarah