Final Project - My Narrative

    Hi. Check out my Pecha Kucha here. My name is Emily Shea. I teach at Alfred Lima Elementary School in Providence. This past year I taught 2nd grade ESL and this coming year I will be teaching in an EL integrated classroom. I am excited to have a mixture of ELs and mainstream students. It is hard being the only English speaking model in the room.

     After taking this class, I have been reflecting on my beliefs about how students learn. There are many things about my classroom that I have thought about changing. I need to think about providing daily opportunities for my students to work collaboratively because this is when the best memories of learning happen. Wesch says learning happen

    I am also thinking about routines and rituals. I believe  it is so important to be consistent from day one with how you want your classroom to function. How will you line them up? How will you assign lockers? How will you explain morning procedures? How will you establish a positive reward system? How will the students quickly transition from one center to the next? 

    All of these questions lead me to my idea for this project. My classroom is lacking a computer/ technology routine. We go over how to handle the computers and how to put them away but this is not enough. My classroom has one to one technology so every student has their own classroom computer.  Like Robinson, I believe learning should be individualized and computers help us do just that.

    I want to be able to reorganize the way my students access assignments and applications on their computers. I believe that  students learn best on computers when navigation and access to assignments are easier.  They can spend more time doing work and less time figuring out how to navigate through the technology.

    I want a more seamless approach. My goal is for them to use technology independently so there are less disruptions and we both are not stuck pulling our hair out in frustration the first weeks of school. Who wants stressed out students? I want everyone to know what they are expected to do, how to do it, and how to get there. 

     Here is what I used to do. I would prepare for the coming school year by writing down their student identification numbers. I would look up all of their information and passwords. Put them on index cards and place them into a box. And let me tell you, I needed that box! GOLD. 

But guess what happens with those cards? The cards get destroyed and lost. Now, what!? I have to remake them. 

    So the students finally get logged on and they start to learn how to type in their passwords. Then, they don’t know where to go and what to click on. They have all of these online programs they are expected to use and they need to go to each page and bookmark. Now, the entire class is crying, frustrated, confused and it begins to be an awful experience. I am one body in a room of twenty-six. 

     I can’t continue this way. Distance learning was so difficult because their computers were not set up to use google classroom. I spent weeks just teaching them about the technology. I don’t want my students and parents to have to deal with more stress than they already have. Next year, I need to be more prepared for whatever comes my way. 

     Here is my plan for next school year. I will create a technology bookmark, a Symbaloo account, a storage area,  a google slideshow for centers, an assignment checklist/playlist, and spend time setting up their computers so they can be successful.

    First, I will create a technology bookmark with picture icons and their login and password information. I will print them out and laminate them so they can’t easily be destroyed. To make sure they do not get lost, I will attach a pocket to the top of their chrome books so they can insert their bookmarks when they are done. Then, the computers will no longer need labels and they have their bookmarks whenever they grab their computers. 

     I will also need to create a space for their headphones to be stored neatly. There is nothing worse than tangled and messy headphone cords! My headphones are always getting broken or stepped on. Since my students do not have desks, I am going to label an over the door shoe holder to fix this problem. 

    Then, I will create an account on Symbaloo and bookmark it on their computers. The online description is as follows, “Symbaloo is a customizable start page tool that lets users add all their most important links in a format that is easy to use. The user’s webmix appears as sleek buttons with icons or logos. The user can drag and drop items to organize them in a way that is convenient and practical. The items, or tiles, can be searched so users can find those that are most relevant to the items they are adding.” I will make it their  home page so the second they log on they will see icons of their online programs all in one place. Symbaloo is great for younger students who have issues navigating on computers. All they need to do is click on the correct icon to get to where they need to go. From Prensky, we know students or digital natives read pictures more than words.

    The next thing I want to do is create a google slideshow for centers. I want to have a twenty minute timer on each slide and a 1 minute song for transitions. I will need to make sure I have a student responsible for controlling the technology. The student can go to the computer after the twenty minute block, click the play button for the one minute song, and then hit the space bar to advance the slide.

     Each slide will have student names in groups and where they need to go.I will project it on the smart board for the class to see. No more writing out groups every few weeks. It will help me stay organized and I can quickly change the groups on the computer without having to recreate a whole new chart paper.

    I also want to create a checklist/ playlist of weekly assignments that the students must complete. For my students, a paper copy would work best. This way they can physically check off with their pencil what they have completed. It will allow them to be responsible for their own work and progress. While I am taking individual reading conferences, the students can go to their checklists and make sure they are completing their assigned tasks. After they complete their work, I can give them a stamp or a smiley face as a reward. For older students, you could make the checklist virtual and have them fill it in with x’s. 

    This individual conferences allow me time to building relationships with my students just like Wesch did during his lunch bunch sessions. I want to be able to have academic conferences and conferences that are just about our daily lives. If I have the technology piece organized and well thought out, I can make more space for one on one time with my students. Students learn when they feel connected to their learning and they feel they have a purpose.

    They can bring it home to their parents to show them they completed their weekly tasks. I have done progress reports before where I have the parents sign it and return it but I am always rushing to fill them out on Fridays. I think this checklist will put the responsibility on the students and motivate them to want to complete their work. 

     I am excited to see how my plan will work out this coming school year. I think it's important to spend time organizing and thinking about how students learn and  function best in a classroom.  I hope you enjoyed my presentation and have found ideas you can use in your own classrooms. Thank you!

Wesch and Turkle

What is the relationship between Turkle and Wesch? Do you see them as allies or opponents in this discussion of new media and technology? 

Wesch talks about taking the emphasis off grades and putting more emphasis on good questioning. He wants us as teachers to formulate good questions and have students to start learning how to do the same. He says that the best learning usually happens without the teacher. We need to focus more on learning and less on teaching. He says our job needs to be to encourage the students. He also mentions the importance of their learning environment and how it must align with your beliefs and what you want them to do. He wants the students to see themselves as “future shapers”. 

Turkle recognizes the problems with technology and how it leaves people feeling lonely and like no one is listening. Our relationship with technology does not allow for self reflection. When we are bored, upset, alone, we reach for our devices as a way to not feel anxious. We aren’t giving ourselves time to sit quietly and process our thoughts and feelings. We don’t know how to have a conversation without being able to edit our thoughts and ideas first. She mentions that it is good to stumble upon your words and think on your feet. Face to face conversations are important for one’s development. She says it’s important for us to make spaces where we can just sit and talk to ourselves or others. Getting rid of the devices is not necessary but making sure there is a balance between the face to face connections and technology connections. I think Wesch is trying to embrace the technology as it relates to our evolving world. I think Turkle isn't against technology. She just wants us to be more aware of how it shapes us and changes as human beings. 

Sugata Mitra- A School In the Cloud

How does this Ted Talk make you think about your role with young people in an online environment? 

I know children are curious. When we spark their curiosity, learning starts to happen. I was perplexed by Sugata Mitra’s  ideas at first because I felt like he was getting at the elimination of teachers. Let’s just use computers to teach students and teachers are not needed for learning to happen. But in a way, it is true. The students will learn with or without us. The technology peaks their interests and to learn they need a question and encouragement. He goes on to discuss how teachers are mediators and guides. Teachers are there to encourage like the “granny” and pose questions. A question begins an investigation and the students, without the teachers help, go off and try to answer it. The teacher is watching over for health and safety. Learning happens when the students collaborate. In all of the video examples he showed us, we see this. 

I know when I was evaluated the administrators were looking for less teacher talk and more student collaboration. They wanted me to just teach a mini lesson, compose a question, and allow the students to come up with an answer. I remember planning math word problems and the students had to work together to solve them as I was walking around the room monitoring and questioning groups. Our job is to allow them to explore and not just to give them all the answers. 

The one thing I think that Sugata Mitra is missing is that human connection piece. A computer and a teacher as a guide is not enough to meet all the needs of a child. They need to be nurtured, learn social skills, learn to have conversations with others, and learn to be kind. I think just giving them words of encouragement is not going to fill that need. 

Moana

How does it feel to think about Disney through the critical lenses posed by Christensen and my slides? How did these frameworks help you think about Moana?

Disney movies are tools to manipulate youth. Children develop distorted views of children outside of their race because they do not have exposure to experiences of other cultures. It is the secondhand exposure to things like movies and cartoons that shape their thinking. They begin learning stereotypes and hidden messages/secrets about who and what is important.   The children think it's acceptable because they are not learning about it in an unsafe space. They feel comfortable sitting on their couches watching a movie with their parents. It is important to teach children to question and critique what they see. It gives them more power to teach others about the inequalities and stereotypes they see. Princess culture is all about the dress, the hair, the makeup, being thin, finding a man, whiteness, and those who are not white have a difficult time feeling beautiful/ good about themselves while watching. People are making a lot of money marketing princess branded items to children.  Sometimes producers of movies or cartoons will change the race of the characters but other injustices still remain. I think this is where Moana falls. Moana is not the typical princess. She is not white, tall and thin. She doesn’t wear shiny extravagant clothes.  She stands up to the men in the film with so much sass and she is not out to get a man, rather she is out to accomplish a goal of restoring the heart to the island. I think she takes on stereotypical manly roles and fights against what she is “supposed to do”. However, her father is placing her into this leadership role and he doesn’t respect her wishes of going beyond the reef. She wasn’t supported by him unless she did what he wanted. The men in the film were large and muscular. They acted full of themselves and seemed abusive in nature. Maui believed Moana couldn’t do anything he could do. He treated her as if she was not important and literally threw her around. She had animal sidekicks and her Gramma was this motherly figure who pushes her to do what she wants. This reminds of Cinderella when she has the Fairy Godmother there to assist her on her journey to the ball. Cinderella also had the little mice to help get her ready. The movie ends in a “happily ever after” moment  with the heart of the island being restored. There was also an evil character, Te Ka which is typical in Disney movies. The setup of the story line and how things play out are similar to other Disney movies. This is why I think some injustices/stereotypes still remain and need to be discussed.

Duolingo Tutorial

I looked at many of the tools before deciding to do my tutorial on Duolingo. This tool is right up my alley! I love learning languages and you really have to practice. This application makes it easy and fun. Instead of jumping to the basics, I took a quiz in French. I was surprised at how much French I remembered since high school. I love how the lessons are in labeled categories and you receive rewards. I chose to practice for 10 minutes a day on the app and it will even remind you on Facebook to practice. I am excited to try this out to learn a new language. My students could also use this to get some practice learning English. They could do this on their parent's phones, their tablets, or their computers. Best part, it is free! Check it out! 

Chapter Summary - My Year With Nike- Rachel Blouse

In “My Year with Nike” by Rachel Clouse, she talks about how her fourth grade class was asked by Nike to attend four field trips. The deal was if they attended these field trips they would receive funding for items the school needs. Title 1 Schools like hers really rely on outside funding and often get sucked into these types of partnerships with big corporations. The students would get free things like t-shirts with the iconic Nike swoosh logo. She felt uncomfortable about the situation because she believes marketing has no place in schools. Her uncomfortableness wasn’t noticed because of the excitement of the kids and other teachers. She felt as if she wouldn’t be heard and would be criticized for speaking out against it. She really wanted to emphasize that if Nike has all this money, why not just donate it to the schools? Why do they need to advertise to the children? On their first field trip, they made the students watch Nike commercials and after a health discussion they gave the students soda to drink. Nike appears in the children’s eyes as this great company when in reality they are running exploitative sweatshops and not paying their workers a livable wage. So many students in urban districts take pride in the way they dress. This marketing was directly targeted to them and how to get this population to buy more Nike products. She wants to get her students to focus on the messages the media is sending them. She wants her students to question the media but she’s unsure of how to go about teaching it without receiving flack from administrators. She decided to do an advertising lesson about where their sneakers were made to try and get them to realize the influence the media has on their choices. Rachel mentions how she would much rather have enthusiastic Nike workers come into her classroom and read to the students. This is more beneficial to her than giving the students free Nike products.

Simon Sinek

What do you make of Sinek’s theory of The Golden Circle? How does this resonate with the work you have been doing about your own beliefs? Do you have a WHY?

Sinek’s Golden Circle is composed of what, how, and why. Sinek explains that when we start from our “what” and end at our “why”, we lose meaning/ feeling. No one cares and most people think this way. It’s the people who don’t that begin to stand out.  We don’t stand out when we start with what we want. When you start from your “why” and end with your “what”, people start to believe what you believe. They want to follow your lead not for you but for themselves. It takes a few people to try this before it actually works and people follow along.  

When I think of my classroom, I think of the content and curriculum being the what. It’s what we have to teach, we teach it using strategies (how), and we do it because that’s our job. The students don’t really care because the work is meaningless. It doesn’t connect to anything they care about or their lives. When you teach from your beliefs and your “why” you begin to make a difference. It shapes your teaching and shows the students why you love learning and they should too. The students will then not just show up because of you but show up for themselves.  We have the power as educators to inspire our students to take pride in their own beliefs. You will love what you do, when you do what you believe in. Always go back to your “why” when planning for a lesson. If you can’t answer questions about why you are teaching it, then maybe you shouldn’t be teaching it. If you believe students work best when in groups, do not put them in rows. 

“People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” 

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Project Ideas

I want to be able to reorganize the way my students access assignments and applications on their technology. I believe students learn best on computers when navigation and access to assignments are more user friendly. They can spend more time doing work and less time figuring out how to navigate through the technology. (More learning, less teacher involvement, work at your own pace, fostering independent learners, less disruptions, everyone knows what they are expected to do and how to do it...)

This past year, I implemented a new reading curriculum called American Reading Company. It took me all year to get myself organized and actually understand the program. I have to do a lot of individual conferences with students, set up centers for group work, and allow for 30 minutes of independent reading time a day. I think all of those steps are important for their development. They need to be able to have time with me alone, work in groups, and have time to read quietly. I am thinking of creating a virtual schedule with symbols to click on, a progress board, and a way for them to access all of their applications they need in one place.