Christmas Freebie from Shutterfly

The holidays are approaching quickly. For those of you who know me well, you all know how much I love getting a good deal. The use of technology and blogging has allowed me to start couponing and living frugally on a daily basis. I read many blogs that are devoted to saving money and getting great deals for free or next to nothing. This year, Shutterfly is offering 50 FREE Christmas cards to bloggers just in time for the holidays!

I have had an excellent experience with Shutterfly. This past year we have made three photo books as gifts. The process is quite simple. You simply download your pictures to the Shutterfly website (http://www.shutterfly.com/) and select a design for your book. Then you drag the photos to the pages you have selected. It is a simple way to scrapbook without having to devote a lot of time or money. The finished products are wonderful! For more information regarding Shutterfly's photo books go here: http://www.shutterfly.com/photo-books.

Creating the photo book was so easy, that I believe creating Christmas cards will be even easier. The process is similar. One simply needs to download potential photos to the website. Next, he or she can browse through the myriad of photo card templates: http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/flat-photo-cards After selecting a template, simply drag the photo(s) you wish to put on the card to the template. Finally, personalize the card with a greeting or your family name and you are finished!

Since I am really into owls this season, I am considering using the Little Bird Branch Holiday template: http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/little-bird-branch-holiday-5x7-photo-card-5x7-photo?sortType=1&storeNode=93480 or the Yule Bough Christmas template: http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards/yule-bough-christmas-5x7-photo-card-5x7-photo?sortType=1&storeNode=93480 in order to stick with my "bird" theme.

So, if you are looking for great holiday cards, love FREEBIES, and are a blogger sign up for this specials promotion from Shutterfly. Bloggers will receive 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly! Sign up at: http://bit.ly/sfly2010

Unit 10 - Technology and ELLs

Even though my future goal is to become a middle or high school librarian, I am also a certified English teacher (7-12) and ESL teacher (K-12). I have had the opportunity to work with ELLs in a high school setting as well as Adult ELLs in a home setting. During both experiences, technology was used heavily in order to teach basic skills.

In the article “The Word and the World: Technology Aids English-Language Learners,” Maya Payne Smart discusses the value of technology in ELL instruction. She talks about an elementary ELL classroom in California:

“ "Mistakes Welcome Here -- You can't learn without them!" That banner, along with brightly colored posters and an impressive array of computers, digital cameras, scanners, and printers, sets a vibrant scene. But it's the students who bring character and action to the fore with their laughter, curiosity, and multimedia productions” (Smart, 2008, p. 1).

ELLs make up more than half of students in any classroom across the United States. With this in mind, teachers need to find effective means of instruction to teach these students. Smart goes on and suggests that the best way to reach ELLs is by using technology. Smart writes that “ an array of technology helps engage students and provides the structured one-on-one English practice they need” (Smart, 2008, p. 1).

While we focus on technology as a tool to help students learn in meaningful ways, we often forget that certain students, like ELLs, benefit even more from the use of technology. There are programs available that help ELLs develop fluent English by providing images to associate with English words and text-to-speech features. Using technology with ELLs is extremely beneficial due to the fact that it provides individual instruction which is often needed for those with limited-English skills.

The article goes on to talk about the authentic connections that technology provides ELLs which corresponds to the idea of meaningful learning that is discussed in Chapter 1 of Ashburn & Floden. According to Ashburn & Floden (2006) meaningful learning has six attributes: intentionality, content centrality, authentic work, active inquiry, construction of mental models, and collaborative work (p. 9). Because ELLs have limited English skills, the importance of making authentic connections and producing authentic work is even more important for these students.

Often, ELLs are able to talk about things, but they cannot put the same ideas into writing. Technology allows them to put meaning behind their words and allows them to make connections to things in their own lives.

Smart’s article (2008) suggests that “Basic Internet, word processing, and presentation technologies can facilitate authentic connections to the world” (p. 2).

Often, educators will find that while ELLs may not understand English, they will understand the technology they are able to use. The technology is just a tool that allows for the six attributes described in Ashburn & Floden to occur during a meaningful learning lesson with ELLs.

All in all, the benefits that surround technology in education are endless. Not only can technology be used to reach those with disabilities, limited English, and “regular” students, it can also be a means of collaboration and communication between educators, parents, and administrators. Therefore, I believe as a teacher and future librarian that it is my responsibility to be lifelong learner when it comes to staying up-to-date with technology.

Ashburn, E. A. & Floden, R. E. (2006). Meaningful learning using technology: What educators need to know and do. New York: Teachers College Press.

Smart, M. P. (2008). The word and the world: technology aids English-language learners. Retrieved December 8, 2009, from http://www.edutopia.org/technology-software-english-language-learners

Unit 9 - Professional Development

Throughout this entire course we have talked about technology and its role in education today. We have discussed new tools that can be beneficial to students in the classroom. In addition, we have also acknowledged the fact that our administrators want to try all of these new tools, but rarely provide training or professional development regarding technology.

Chapter 9 of Ashburn & Floden discusses the need for professional development regarding technology in order for meaningful learning to occur. While professional development may be encouraged and discussed constantly, Ashburn and Floden (2006) state “This has been a goal often stated, but seldom articulated, however, with clarity and detail” (p. 181). They go on to discuss the importance of meaningful learning using technology and point out the fact that the skills educators possess regarding technology are often ignored:

“The discussion seldom progresses to consider what knowledge and skills teacher would need to teach for meaningful learning, much less to teach for meaningful learning using technology. Even more rare is consideration of how teachers might acquire such knowledge and skills. Unless teachers are expected to acquire such knowledge and skills in college or on their own, school systems must begin to offer such professional development in order for their investment in technology to enhance pupils’ understanding of key academic subjects” (Ashburn & Floden, 2006, p. 181).

As I have realized, districts can talk about professional development and actually provide in-service days; however, unless these days actually focus on the needs of the teachers, they are pointless. This has been the case in my school district. Often, the in-service days are a waste of time since they do not focus on topics or training that need to be focused on. So, it truly does come down to whether or not teachers are willing to learn technology in their spare time. With this in mind, I can see why many educators are unwilling to give up any additional time to learn a new technology since trends constantly change. However, I also see the value in meeting student needs by appealing to their likes and skills. In the past, I have allowed students to use new forms of technology in order to complete a project with the stipulation that they show me how to use the tool. This has worked with my honors students, and I have found that I have learned a lot about technology from my students.

However, if professional development is not available, I believe that educators should consult the Internet. There are many useful tutorials, websites, and general information regarding new technology available online. In the article “ProD web sites you might have missed,” Joanne Troutner provides a list of websites that educators should utilize for professional development in technology.

Troutner reviews Route 21, http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/route21. Here, she says you can find examples of lessons using technology, curriculum surrounding the use of technology, and video examples of projects created using technology.

She also acknowledges the shift to project-based learning and cites the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)Learning Journey site as a tool to reference. (http://www.iste.org/) Here, there is discussion of how to utilize tools such as blogs and wikis in the classroom.

Since my district continues to pay for 12 graduate credits per year, I plan to take courses that focus on technology in order to provide me with training and professional development opportunities. I may have to sacrifice my time during the summer in order to take these courses, however, not only will I be doing what is best to meet the needs of my students, I will also be gaining additional graduate credits which will eventually result in a pay raise!



Ashburn, E. A. & Floden, R. E. (2006). Meaningful learning using technology: What educators need to know and do. New York: Teachers College Press.

Troutner, J. (2008). ProD web sites you may have missed. Teacher Librarian, 35(5), 35-37. Retrieved December 7, 2009, from Academic Search Complete database.

Unit 8 - Kindle

I have decided to research Amazon’s Kindle for my Wiki project. As an avid reader, I wanted to learn more about e-Readers and eBooks. I was paging through Oprah’s “O Magazine” a few weeks ago and saw an advertisement for Amazon’s Kindle. While I have heard about e-Readers previously, I have to admit this was the first time that I saw what one looked like. I am sure I have seen a picture of one in the past, but the image did not stick with me. Upon first impression, the Kindle reminded me of the first palm pilots that were released years ago. With this in mind, I am not sure that I would enjoy reading from a Kindle. I am the type of person that needs to print everything out even when it is available online so that I have a tangible copy that I can write on. Typically, reading from a computer hurts my eyes, and I find it hard to focus reading in this environment. Also, there is something about being able to turn a page and house a book on a shelf that appeals to me. However, I still wanted to find out more Amazon’s Kindle for my Wiki project.

In my research, I kept coming across the fact that Amazon’s Kindle lacks assistive technology features for those with disabilities. In the article “The E-Book Reader Lacks Features for the Blind and Mobility Impaired,” author Suzanne Robitaille discusses the fact that Amazon failed to include assistive technology in the Kindle 2. Robitaille (2009) shares that while the Kindle 2 does include a text-to-speech function; it is inadequate due to the fact that there are only two voices available, male and female. In addition, the Kindle 2 only includes 6 fonts that go up to 18 points, certainly not a large enough text for those with visual impairments. Robitaille (2009) concludes by stating “Overall, Amazon missed a huge opportunity to market this new device to people with disabilities. Perhaps Amazon doesn't think the disabled can afford the $359 price tag, but people with disabilities are apt to spend twice as much on technology that will improve their lives. Unfortunately the Kindle 2 isn't one of them” (p. 1)

When thinking about technology, it is usually those with disabilities that benefit the most. After all, tools have been developed to aide those with disabilities using technology for years before they were available to the general public. Most of the time, these assistive tools cost more than what we pay for a mediocre computer. So, as a future librarian, it makes me think about whether or not e-Readers are something that I want to include in my library. Or, if I do include them I will need to make sure that I find a comparable tool for those with disabilities to use.

Robitaille, S. (2009). The e-book reader lacks features for the blind and mobility impaired. Retrieved November 7, 2009, from
http://assistivetechnology.suite101.com/article.cfm/amazons_new_kindle_isnt_very_accessible

I also researched ways in which different schools are using Kindle in classrooms and libraries. Here is what I found:

Cushing Academy, Massachusetts
Cushing private boarding school has recently picked the Kindle to replace its current 20,000 book traditional library. It has even gone to the extent of turning the old circulation desk into a cafe bar. There has been a lot of controversy over the decision which is mainly focused on loss of intellectual independence. The school is defending this citing most students use currently use the Internet and electronic resources. Consequently, this is the best resource the school can offer. Of the 20,000 books that the library once contained 10,000 now remain, and the rest are due to be donated to other institutions by the end of next year.

Toppo, G. (2009, October 27). School chooses kindle; are libraries for the history ‘books’? USA Today. Retrieved November 7, 2009, from
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-10-26-kindle-school-library_N.htm

University of Wisconsin
Recently the University of Wisconsin - Madison terminated its experiment with the Kindle device. The university stated that the reason for the termination was that the device was not able to be used by blind students. They did say that the device offered text to speech; however, a sighted user was required to select and download literature. Amazon has stated that they are working on problem. The University of Syracuse recently terminated its program for similar reasons.

Graef, J. (2009). University of Wisconsin-madison drops classroom kindles. Retrieved November 7, 2009, from
http://www.collegenews.com/index.php?/article/university_of_wisconsin_madison_drops_classroom_kindles_11131252009383/

Unit 7 - Filters & CIPA

The topic of filtering and blocking of certain sites in schools keeps coming up in my reading and discussions with my classmates. I thought it was only in my district that sites such as YouTube , Facebook, MySpace, Skype, etc. were blocked; however, I am finding out that this is the case in many districts. This is very discouraging considering the amount of new technology that is available and beneficial to student and their learning. So, for this week I have decided to focus filtering. One of my classmates mentioned CIPA, Children’s Internet Protection Act, as one reason why schools must filter content and programs available online. Thus, in order to find out more about CIPA, I consulted Wikipedia for a brief overview. Here if what I found:

Background
The CIPA is one of several bills that the U.S. Congress has proposed in order to limit adolescent's exposure to explicit content available online on school and library computers. Senator John McCain was responsible for introducing the bill that would later become CIPA to the U.S. Senate in 1999. President Bill Clinton is credited for signing the bill into law on December 21, 2000 and it was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court on June 23, 2003 (Wikipedia, 2009).

CIPA in a Nutshell
CIPA requires schools that receive federal funding from either the E-Rate program or Title III, to enforce Internet safety policies with technology protection measures. Failure to adopt a policy that implements a protection measure on technology could cause a school to lose federal funds. District are free to select filtering or blocking programs, however, there are no specifics about whose access must be filtered and what types of material must be blocked/filtered by schools receiving federal funding (Wikipedia, 2009). In addition, the ALA decided to challenge CIPA in 2001.

While I understand that legally something must be in place in order to protect students and provide guidelines for school districts, CIPA does NOT select which programs and sites must be blocked or filtered. With this in mind, I question why schools are going to the extreme when it comes to blocking and filtering. I understand the need to protect themselves from lawsuits, but having heavy filters and extreme blocking is NOT allowing digital natives to engage in meaningful learning. Consequently, there needs to be an advocate for students in regard to proper Internet use and instruction. To me, this job should be fulfilled by library media specialists.

While it should the job of ALL educators to model and encourage proper Internet use and safety, it is ultimately the role of the library media specialist to TEACH it. In the article “The Library Media Specialist’s Role in Teaching Online Safety” the author suggests that “As a technology leader in the school, the Library Media Specialist must also take a leading role in teaching students and classroom teachers about online safety and privacy issues” (Schmidt, 2009, p. 11). The article goes on to express the notion that librarians must strive to meet the standards set out for 21st century learners including learning how to use information technology responsibility, ethically, and safely (Schmidt, 2009, p. 11). Also, the idea of CIPA is discussed and in regard to that the author writes “If our professional standards state that students need to be able to use technology responsibly and safely, it is our responsibility to ensure that students have the knowledge and skills necessary to do so” (Schmidt, 2009, p. 12).

With this in mind, librarians will have a larger role to fulfill as the use of technology increases in school. On one hand this is exciting and a step in the right direction in order to provide meaningful learning to students. On the other hand, this requires additional pressures regarding keeping up-to-date with professional development, resistance from colleagues and administration, as well making sure that Internet guidelines are put in place district-wide, monitored, and followed by both teachers and students.

Children’s Internet Protection Act. (2009). Wikipedia. Retrieved December 1, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children%27s_Internet_Protection_Act

Schmidt, C. M. (2009). The library media specialist’s role in teaching online safety. Library Media Connection. 28(1), 10-13. Retrieved December 3, 2009, from Academic Search Complete database.

Unit 6 - YouTube & Digital Storytelling

In Unit 6 our technology exploration focused on digital storytelling. Digital storytelling is something that I am somewhat familiar with as my students often like to submit their “book talks” in a digital storytelling format. In addition, we were also required to create a YouTube video for a previous course in this program that focused on two books with similar themes. I have to admit that while creating my YouTube video, it seemed as though nothing could go wrong! I created what I had thought was an EXCELLENT book talk that was about 18 minutes long. I tried to upload my video to YouTube only to have it rejected. After some research, I found that videos submitted to YouTube needed to be 10 minutes or less. So, I had to redo my entire project, cutting out many important aspects in order to be able to post the video.

The fact that YouTube would only allow videos that were 10 minutes or less was annoying to me simply because I wanted to have my project finished; however, I started to think about the benefit that this time limit may have with my honors students. For some reason, I have found that honors students believe that the more they submit for a paper or project, the better their grade will be. Perhaps they believe this because if they submit more than the required amount, it shows that they put more effort into their presentation. However, as the teacher, I have found that “more” is not always better. Most of the time the added work takes away from the purpose of the assignment and hurts the final grades assigned. With this in mind, I have recently started putting restrictions on my honor students. I am trying to teach them that “less can be more” and “to make their words count.” For writing assignments, I tell them that the paper must be three pages in length. If it if over three pages, I will not grade it. At first, they didn’t take me seriously. It wasn’t until I handed the papers back and told them three pages or less that they got the point. Doing this truly made them think about their writing and whether or not they were “making their words count.” In reality, it was and editing strategy that I was helping them learn.

Having a limitation of 10 minutes on YouTube is another way to keep students “in check.” Often, I allow students the option of creating a video to go along with their projects and book talks. The majority of the movies are typically 30 minutes or more. Having students submit a project via YouTube would make them revise their projects until they met the 10 minutes or less stipulation. However, I will first have to convince my district to allow access to YouTube if I plan to use digital storytelling in this manner. At this point, all YouTube videos are blocked to teachers and students and cannot be accessed on any computer throughout the high school.

Perhaps presenting success stories from other schools may soften their opinions about YouTube in general. In the article “YouTube Comes to the Classroom,” the authors discuss how students “have a desire to be heard and this site gives them that opportunity” (Adam & Mowers, 2007, p. 22). Interestingly, Adam and Mowers go on to suggest that educators can turn their heads and ignore YouTube or “can use it motivate students” (2007, p. 9). The article goes on to explain that while YouTube may contain inappropriate material, it allows students to explore their creativity and gives them a forum to express their opinions. Finally, the article encourages educators to use YouTube and start by visiting the site’s education group: www.youtube.com/group/K12. Here, in a safe searching and viewing area, videos submitted and created by educators and students can be found. Thus, the entire site does not need to be blocked. Instead, districts need to look at ways to access YouTube and digital storytelling in a manner that is safe and acceptable to district guidelines.

The last article that I read regarding YouTube and digital storytelling was entitled “Avoiding the Digital Abyss: Getting Started in the Classroom with YouTube, Digital Stories, and Blogs.” Here, authors, Mullen & Wedwick, discuss the use of YouTube, digital storytelling, and blogs in middle school language arts classrooms. They explain that using any of these new technological tools helps minimize the digital divide. Also, they suggest that it is not about the end product, but the process that students use to create their projects using these new technologies. Furthermore, they go on to state “Educators must rise to the challenge of closing the digital divide in education. The resources are available and the information is at our fingertips” (Mullen & Wedwick, 2008, p. 69). As technology increases throughout the world, students must become comfortable using it. What better way to encourage technological growth and exploration than by promoting it and using it within the classroom!

Adam, A., & Mowers, H. (2007). YouTube Comes to the Classroom. School Library Journal, 53(1), 22. Retrieved December 1, 2009, from Academic Search Complete database.

Mullen, R. & Wedwick, L. (2008). Avoiding the digital abyss: Getting started in the classroom with YouTube, digital stories and blogs. Clearing House, 82(2), 66-69. Retrieved December 1, 2009, Academic Search Complete database.

Unit 5 - Video conferencing, Skype, & Meaningful Learning

For Unit 5 we read about video conferencing in Chapter 4 of Hendron and explored Skype. Thinking about video conferencing took me back to my childhood. I can remember my grandparents ordering two telephones from the Home Shopping Network that allowed the users to see each other during their conversation. Now, the other person had to have a phone that transferred the image as well, but I can remember calling my grandparents and flipping the mini-television screen of the telephone and seeing their faces while talking to them. As a small child, this was simply fascinating to me. Now, 20+ years later, video conferencing and tools like Skype seem second nature.

In Chapter 4 of Hendron the benefits of video conferencing in the classroom are explored. Hendron explains that programs such as Skype can be used in order to have two classrooms “meet” from anywhere in the world using video conferencing. He explains “To connect two classrooms, both need Skype installed on one computer, high-speed Internet connections, a Web video camera, and video projectors with speakers attached to each computer” (Hendron, 2008, p. 82). While this may sound like a lot of required components, the majority of schools already have all of these items, but they are not utilizing them to their best potential.

Hendron goes on to talk about the success video conferencing is having in the classroom with students. He writes “Having an audience and the interaction of peers is, by itself, a great motivational factor in the learning environment that is provided by this new class of easy-to-use video conferencing tools” (Hendron, 2008, p. 84). Imagine being able to have students give speeches not only to their peers, but to students in another classroom from a different country. A collaborative lesson could occur where students critique one another’s presentations via video conferencing.

I simply love the idea that such programs exist for this type of learning to occur. Upon returning to the classroom in the future, I believe that I would like to find another willing teacher from a different state or country in order to create an assignment where video conferencing can take place. Not only will I be able to use Skype to collaborate with that teacher, the students will be able to use Skype to work with students from another classroom. In fact, they could work together on a project and be paired with a student from the other classroom and have to complete the entire assignment by video conferencing!

Which brings me to the idea of meaningful learning that is discussed in Chapter 1 of Ashburn & Floden. According to Ashburn & Floden (2006) meaningful learning has six attributes: intentionality, content centrality, authentic work, active inquiry, construction of mental models, and collaborative work (p. 9). While I believe that all of these aspects are important to learning, it is my belief that “digital natives” need to learn how to work collaboratively and produce pieces of authentic work in today’s learning environments. To me, video conferencing is a grand step in fulfilling these two aspects. Not only are the students learning how to communicate and collaborate in a new way via video conferencing, they are producing something that has purpose to them.

What most lessons lack nowadays are connections to students. Many students are not interested in content because they can’t see the big picture and how the content applies to them. When teachers are able to make those connections and present content in ways that appeal to students, perhaps through new forms of technology, meaningful learning takes place. When meaningful learning occurs, I believe all six attributes described in Ashburn & Floden are present.

All in all, it is hard to walk away from an opportunity that a program like Skype can bring. Not only is the software FREE, it can be accessed from any computer. I find it hard to believe that districts would be willing to turn down FREE tools that enhance the learning environment. As an educator, I look forward to the future of video conferencing in the classroom and the types of lessons and projects that can be shared.

Ashburn, E. A. & Floden, R. E. (2006). Meaningful learning using technology: What educators need to know and do. New York: Teachers College Press.

Hendron, J. (2008). RSS for educators: Blogs, newsfeeds, podcasts, and wikis in the classroom. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.