Since I am training to teach either Spanish or English as a Second Language I have been struck with the importance of helping language learners organize what they are learning. I am not talking about how to properly conjugate verbs or what category the words fall in but rather how to organize story plot lines, history lessons or any academic content they learn in their second language. This applies primarily to ELLs (English Language Learners). I was in a school where ELL students spoke limited English and had an ESL class only twice a day. During the other periods they had Social Studies, Science and Math all in classes with native speakers. For these students the content vocabulary was difficult to understand let alone organize it and remember how it all works together. For them if the teachers would have provided graphic organizers it would have helped them a great deal. I found a website that gives teachers, for free, many different types of graphic organizers. There are story maps, timelines, venn diagrams, KWL charts and many more. Click here to be connected to this site. I think any teacher will find this helpful, especially because you won't have to spend time trying to create the charts yourself. Happy organizing!!!

So I was looking through my Twitter feed and someone had linked to a blog by a Spanish teacher and I am glad I checked it out. This teacher, José Picardo, teaches Spanish in England and has used a website called Mentor Mob that you can used to create learning playlists. How cool is that?!?! Get it Playlist, like your playlist on your iPod? If that doesn't reach the students where they are at I don't know what will. Anyways, you really should check out José's blog, Technology and Education, he discusses how he uses it and even lets you go through one of his playlists. From what I can tell this has a lot of potential and I definitely will want to try it out when I am student teaching.

Ohio Technology Standards
There are seven technology standards that have been developed for Ohio.  They are broken down into grade level and there is a great deal of detail given for each standard by grade level.  If you want to read those in depth you can click here to find them.

1) Understand the nature of technology.
2) Understand how technology and society interact today as well as how they did in history.
3) Learn how to use technology for productive applications.
4) Use technology to communicate with multiple audiences, share information and collaborate in
    learning.
5) Use technology to promote and expand knowledge (information literacy).
6) Use technology to problem solve.
7) Understand how technology is used in the world in business, medicine and other fields and that by knowing how to use technology well they will be better prepared for their careers.

I think these standards are closely related to the ISTE standards but they are more focused on just the students and not how educators can fulfill these.  I think I could do standards 1, 2 and 3 and 5 at this point.  I hope that by the end of this class I will be better prepared to meet the other 3 standards.  I think the hardest standard for me to accomplish will be number 7 because I am not aware of how technology is used in many professional fields or how I will even teach this to my Spanish or ESL students.  

Ohio ETech Office and Programs
This is a site which can give teachers guidance as they attempt to use technology in the classroom. Teachers can find advice on how to apply for grants and funding for new technology.  Through this group teachers can also get continuing education classes via the annual conference, webinars and workshops.


There are a several categories of grants which this program has:

• Quality Matters Competitive Grant
• Supporting Transformation Efforts Competitive Grant
• Blended Learning Grant
• Mobile Assistive Technologies Grant
• Multimedia Production Grant
• Telecommunications Services Operating Grant
• Subsidy Administration
• Ohio K-12 Network
• Transforming Teaching & Learning Grant

Ethics or Netiquette
When looking at the first two topics of standards for internet use there was a common refrain found in all of them, teaching students to be good digital citizens. This section on netiquette digs deeper and looks at how not only to be a good digital citizen but also how to be safe online. I think for most parents (I count myself in this group) it can be a bit scary to think that our children can come in contact with strangers online who may want to harm them OR just as worrisome they may be bullied by other children. We all, parents and educators, want to keep children safe so it is important that schools not only teach students about online safety but that they also have policies in place to actively promote and protect that safety. To that end schools need to have an AUP or Acceptable Use Policy.


What is AUP?  
The Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) for Internet use is one of the most important documents a school will produce. Creating a workable AUP requires thoughtful research and planning. Education World offers food-for-thought and a few useful tools for educators faced with developing a workable AUP for their school's students.

The National Education Association suggests that an effective AUP contain the following six key elements

• a preamble,
• a definition section,
• a policy statement,
• an acceptable uses section,
• an unacceptable uses section, and
• a violations/sanctions section.

A typical AUP has a section where students and parents sign the document, in acknowledgement that they are aware of students' restrictions to network access and releasing the school district of responsibility for students who choose to break those restrictions. 

For more on AUP’s click here



Online Safety for students:

It is imperative that we discuss online safety with our students, and how important it is to know how to be aware.  
Technology has brought a lot of really cool things to our lives: We use e-mail, Instant Messaging, message boards and blogs to stay in touch with our friends, keep up with what’s happening in the world, and just have fun. But being connected all the time leaves us open to a special kind of bully: the online bully.

Online bullying can take many forms:

• Sending threatening, taunting or teasing e-mails to someone.

• Using a computer or any other tech to spread gossip or rumors, or to make someone’s private information public.

• Pretending to be another person online so you can post or e-mail things that will  embarrass or get that person in trouble.

• Being a “pretend friend” online so you can later hurt or humiliate someone.

• “Ganging up” on someone in a chat room or on a message board.

• “Griefing” someone in an online video game by constantly picking on a new or inexperienced player.

• Texting hurtful or rude comments to someone’s phone or Blackberry.

• Using chat, IM, or a blog to exclude people, pick on people, or divide the “populars” from the “unpopulars.”

What can you do?

If you feel like you’re being bullied online, try these strategies:
Don’t retaliate. If someone is mean to you online, don’t hit back. It might seem natural to give them a taste of his or her own cruelty, but this will just keep the war going.
Ignore it. Face to face, it can be very hard to “walk away” from an insult. Online, it’s actually much easier. Turn off your computer and walk away. Do not go back to Web sites or chat rooms where you’ve been bullied.
Tell an adult. Let a parent or guardian know that someone is bullying you online.
Block the bully. If someone bullies you through e-mail, block that person’s e-mail address or ISP address. If you don’t know how to do this, ask an adult to help.
More tips:

• Don’t go to Web sites that you know are unsafe or are favorite hang-outs for bullies.

• Never share private or personal information with someone you don’t know or don’t trust.

• Never post your e-mail address on a public message board or in a chat room. E-mail is only for people you absolutely trust.

• Don’t be a victim, but don’t be a bully either. Never post a comment or send an e-mail when you’re angry.

For more great tips click here

I really liked this list of rules for teenagers to remember as they are online:

1.   I will not give out personal information such as my address, telephone number, parents’ work address/telephone number, or the name and location of my school without my parents’ permission.*
2.   I will tell my parents right away if I come across any information that makes me feel uncomfortable.
3.   I will never agree to get together with someone I “meet” online without first checking with my parents. If my parents agree to the meeting, I will be sure that it is in a public place and bring a parent along.
4.   I will never send a person my picture or anything else without first checking with my parents.*
5.   I will not respond to any messages that are mean or in any way make me feel uncomfortable. It is not my fault if I get a message like that. If I do I will tell my parents right away.
6.   I will talk with my parents so that we can set up rules for going online and using a mobile phone. We will decide upon the time of day that I can be online, the length of time I can be online and the length of time I can be online and ood online citizen and not do anything that hurts other people or is against the law.
10. I will help my parents understand how to have fun and learn things online and teach them things about the Internet, computers and other technology.


Finally what exactly is digital citizenship?


Digital citizenship can be defined as the norms of appropriate, responsible behavior with regard to technology use.  There are 9 elements:

1.   Digital Access:   full electronic participation in society.
2.   Digital Commerce:   electronic buying and selling of goods.
3.   Digital Communication:   electronic exchange of information.
4.   Digital Literacy:   process of teaching and learning about technology and the use of technology.
5.   Digital Etiquette:   electronic standards of conduct or procedure.
6.   Digital Law:   electronic responsibility for actions and deeds
7.   Digital Rights & Responsibilities:   those freedoms extended to everyone in a digital world.
8.   Digital Health & Wellness:   physical and psychological well-being in a digital technology world.
9.   Digital Security (self-protection):   electronic precautions to guarantee safety.

Netiquette /net-i-ket/, Noun: 1. The social code of network communication. 2. The social and moral code of the internet based on the human condition and Golden Rule of Netiquette. 3. A philosophy of effective internet communication that utilizes common conventions and norms as a guide for rules and standards.

1. Spell check
2. No All Caps
3. Tell the truth
4. Be yourself
5. Do not flame
6. Do not spam
7. Be conservative
8. Do not send email at night
9. Shop secure sites
10. Use discretion

Copyright Law
Copyright issues can be tricky for teachers.  Part of the difficulty is that there is so much information available to teachers and thanks to technology it is is easy to find and use.  The term fair use is helpful in thinking about copyright issues.  It is not just are we using the information for educational purposes but are we diverting money away from the creator by our use.  I think that is the most helpful way of thinking about copyright issues.  Fair use also encompasses the following four principles: 1. The purpose and character of the
intended use  2. The nature of the copyrighted work  3. The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole  4. The effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.
 
Another helpful thing to remember is that if something was published before January 1, 1923 it is not under copyright law.  For teachers of literature and history this is important because some much historical work is being digitized and therefore available for use.  With any works after January 1, 1978 there is a copyright because they will not be a part of the public domain until 95 years after they have been published. For works done between January 1, 1923 and January 1, 1978 if the copyright has not been renewed then it can be used.


There are a number of videos online that explain in detail this idea of fair use and are helpful in clearing up any questions. Click here to view them.

Imagine you have a class of 30 high school freshman who are beginning their first foray into learning a foreign language. You know that some of them may think that it will be fun and are wanting to learn but there will probably be students (more than you want to admit) who are only there because it is required and they could really care less if they know anything more than Hasta la vista baby or hola.  How can you engage them?  How can you tailor some of the language they learn to their interests?  I think one small way is by using a Google Doc, a form to be specific to grab their attention and find out about their interests.  

In class we created a form and then our classmates filled it out for us.  It was amazing to get the real time information from them and have it all summarized for me.  Not only was it easy for me to get the information I needed but it was in a simple, easy and interesting form for them.  Many of today's students are more comfortable with technology than paper and pencil so by having them communicate their interests in a digital form will be more natural for them.  Plus Google will tally the responses for you and give them to you either in a grid sheet with each students' name or with pie graphs.

I would post my form here but after it was working for an hour or so in class it is not working right now.  I am communicating with Weebly about this.  So of course technology is great but isn't perfect!

We also worked on using Google Power Point.  I think what I found coolest is that if I make a presentation in Google drive and then link it to my blog any time I change or update it will automatically send the new presentation to my blog.  That way if I have my students read information I have already prepared and posted online but tweaked I know they are getting the most up to date information.  It seems to me that this will eliminate the need to reinvent the wheel.

The final beauty about using Google for documents is that you can collaborate with anyone, anywhere in the world on your work.  In fact right now a friend from class and I are collaborating on work for next week's blog.  I am able to type my notes and then she can view them or correct them.  This has endless potential for students and teachers.  As teachers we can collaborate with experts in our fields and other teachers to provide our students with the most up to date information.  For our students they can easily collaborate on projects for class or even work with experts too.  


Here is a link to my form online.  It is a corrupt form!

This week we were introduced to sites like diigo, wolframalpha, instagrok and spezify and I cannot help but think how much the way we access information has changed since I was a student. When I was in high school in the 1990s computers and the internet were gaining in popularity but they were not a regular part of our lives. In fact I remember spending hours at the school library and the public library looking up keywords in the card catalogue and trying to find books or magazines with the "right" information I needed to write my term paper. Then I had to take notes on my index cards and hope I copied the citation and information correctly. It was time consuming and hard to fit in trips to the library with all my extracurricular activities. Now students can access the whole world anytime on their computers, phones or tablets! This really is amazing.

What does this mean for those of us who are aspiring educators or are currently classroom teachers?  I think it means that we must know how to most effectively use the technology to teach our students how to find information and then use this information. If we can show our students sites like wolframalpha and instagrok then we can begin to show them how to effectively find the information they need to know. We must teach them how to use the tools because once they can use the these tools well then the entire world is open to them. They will be able to find information quickly and then in turn spend more time analyzing, elaborating and extrapolating what they are learning or in other words engaging in high order thinking. They will not be caught up as I was in the tedious search process and then scrambling to regurgitate what they read. Instead they will be able to truly learn and take in the information. Of course we must teach them to do this. It is not enough to give them search engines or even the "how to" of searching. We must show them how to organize, analyze and elaborate on what they learn. This is where diigo comes into the picture. As the teacher we can have a classroom diigo site where we have saved searches, highlighted the important information the students must read and use and even have sticky notes written with our thoughts for the students to read at the site. This site even allows you to tag a site in any category you wish to give it. And you know what this means right? No more index cards with a bunch of facts written down that are easy to loose or get out of order!!!!

So here is how this can work, if the students are studying the surrealist movement the information can be tagged as surrealism and art and literature and saved to their diigo so that both subcategories of the movement are represented and easily found. Finally, here comes when the students move into higher order or metacognitive thinking about the information. This can be achieved by having the students write blogs (which is what my professor is doing for this class) about what they read. Writing a blog is certainly less stressful than having to write a paper but it can be just as enriching an experience. Students today view blogs as a place to not only document their life but a place to spout off and give their own thoughts and views on the world around them and what they are learning. How awesome would it be to have a class of 11th graders blogging about surrealism in Gabriel García Márquez's books or in Salvador Dalí's paintings. Sure some of what surrealists did may appear weird to students but in a blog form they will be more likely to express that but within the context of interacting and thinking about the information in the format you as a teacher requires and of course engaging in the ever important skill of metacognitive thinking. 


I think using technology this way will instantly take some of the stigma out of research and traditional paper writing for our students because it will all be in a format that is easier to use than we have had in the past and let's face it technology is more fun!