My interpretation of CoPs, Connectivism and PLNs using Glogster

ITDML has opened my eyes to looking at my teaching practice differently.  I have looked at my classroom specifically as well as classrooms across all subject areas.  What I found fascinating is communities of practice, connectivism, and personal learning networks all have things in common.  For one, they all have been around for a very long time but might not have had a name attached to it.  Throughout my teaching career, the classroom has changed but the overall concept has not.  The information, although growing, has not changed.  What has changed in the way we not only obtain the information but also look at the data different.  My field of physical education has its own CoP's (Communities of Practice).  As physical education teachers, there are many opportunities for us to stay involved in the every changing subject of health and physical education.  Edmodo, twitter, and Facebook are only a few teachers use along with various other websites.  Connectivism is the way our information is not only presented but learned and shared.  Conferences, books, online readings, websites are only a few ways I connect with other educators.  Then there are PLN's (Personal Learning Networks).  These are online data bases for educators to connect to other educators and learn.  PEcentral is a great website used to share lesson ideas with other educators.  Ideas, critiques, assessments and much more can be found on this website.  As you can see all these areas of education interchange with one another.  Not only are they important, but they can enhance the classroom learning of the educator as well. One thing I have learned throughout my experience as an educator is technology is evolving.  Technology is also a main source where we receive and share our information.  It is our responsibility as educators to keep up with the technology. 

 

http://caricap12.edu.glogster.com/itdml-copconnectivism-and-pln/

Response to Robert Scoble Interview: Online Curation

Robert Scoble intrigued me on online curation and the options it can provide people with.  It is true, the internet can be a very overwhelming place.  There are many ways to get your information, some are credible and others are opinions.  Robert Scoble talked about finding a trend in the information and shifting through to develop a running feed on factual information of people living in the moment.  The example he gave about the earthquake was interesting to think about.  In the split second of an earthquake, people run to their devices to tweet, blog, or share the information for all to read.  I also think Robert Scoble defined online curation the best, "you are like a newspaper editor".  To be an online curator, you must look at the constant updating feed and determine what is useful and factual.  From there you can post or develop your own story for people to share.  The internet is a powerful tool that can help people in various ways.  The overwhelming part for most people is the enormous amount of information and the possible fear of shifting through it all.  As Robert Scoble stated, look for patterns, trends and most importantly, be credible.

Response to Steve Rosenbaum talk on Innovate: Curation!

I really enjoyed watching Steve's talk Steve about curation. 

• Choose your "digital clothing" carefully
• Listen...its a powerful tool
• People enjoy clear information

When the video started, Steve discussed how the web is constantly changing. The web used to be an individual database, "me web".  You might go on the web and look up things for your individual use.  Now the internet is evolving and becoming a "we web".  Each day we go on the internet and interact with people, experts, and friends.  I found this statement power and true.  Many of us go onto the internet to look up information.  Most of the information is generated by experts in that particular field.  Personally, I have looked for many answers through technology.  The amount of useful, practical and helpful information is not only available but also growing.

Cooking with TPACK

Cooking with TPACK: A demonstration of repurposing tools to accomplish a task...in this case, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a mug, plate, and a small whisk. Although it was not ideal, the tools did accomplish the task.

http://youtu.be/1m1iq0UNhBQ

Great article to check out for all those needing help with Twitter.  It's twitter talk 101!

http://edtechsandyk.blogspot.ca/2013/01/how-to-decode-tweet.html?utm_source=feedly&m=1

Response to Personal Learning Netwrok Projects for Teachers

Below are some things I learned after reading the personal learning network projects tips for teachers:

 Connect: Not only connect to the people you are trying to reach but also connect to different networks.  By creating and becoming more connected in the virtual world, more people will follow and connect with the information you are trying to portray.

Contribute: Through research don't be afraid to contribute your thoughts about other posts.  Also, it is important to share and ask questions through the connections made.

Converse: Don't be afraid to converse with other posts and people.  By conversing with other posts and responses learning can happen.

Request: Once the connections are made through contributing and conversing to others online, it would be more likely your questions can be answered thoughtfully and thoroughly.

Blog, Tweet, Classroom 2, Google+: Use various types of sources to get your information out to the public.

Be Patient: Many people try to define themselves on the internet before they actually have an idea of who and what they want to portray.  While trying to find an identity through the internet educators must understand it will not come easy so don't rush it!

Be Authentic: Be you!  Many people are not true to their personality on the internet for many reasons.  The most important tip the article recommended is be yourself.  Do not be afraid to let your true colors shine through. 

Response to PLNs on Pinterest

I looked at all the boards on Pinterest regarding PLNs. One I found interesting the 10 ways teachers can use twitter for professional development. I mainly choose this board to look into because I am not as familiar with twitter as some other people may be. Below are the ten items discussed in the article:

• Well-developed profile
• Be professional
• Use proper etiquette
• Know who to follow
• Don't be afraid to use hashtags
• Use the Twitter tools
• Twitter can be used for research
• Share, share, share •Don't be afraid to use Twitter for teaching and learning
• There are many creative ways to use twitter, look!

As many people do, before learning more about twitter and internet resources I was concerned with what “could” happen on the internet. Unfortunately, twitter as well as other social media networks have been a hub for bullying. Due to this fact, I felt concerned with using twitter as a way to learn and teach; however, reading more articles and discovering what can be done through twitter it seems beneficial when used properly. Most of our students are familiar with the internet but are unaware of how to use the internet properly and professionally. If teachers follows the simple guidelines posted by this article, twitter can be a tool used for learning in and out of your classroom.

Network Learning Project Update

Making pierogi’s has not been as easy as it seems! I have been researching different things to add into the pierogi’s and have become a little intimidated. Not only have I been reasearching different recipes on the fillers but also found myself debating what casing I should use. One recipe discussed using wonton wrappers as the casing whereas other recipes said pierogi’s can only be made through original dough. My end result was heading over to my Polish neighbor’s house and asking what she would use...homemade dough it is!!! Per request of my husband and my seven year old daughter, I have also decided on trying to make two types of pierogi’s. One will be a dessert pierogi and one will be savory. Since my research and neighborhood help, I have tried making homemade dough but has been unsuccessful in the texture. I think it is back to the drawing board on this one.

Response to Reading Digitally like a Historian

As a physical education and health teacher, I try and use multimedia texts through various units. I can understand the importance of learning through different texts. The article by Manderino discusses how reading, learning, and thinking through different texts can help enhance comprehension and retention rates for the students. In contrast, the texts also states learning through multimedia sources does not guarantee comprehension. I agree with this statement. Through a great deal of research, educators have discovered not all students learn one particular way. The way I look at it is, the more information and different angles you can present the information to our students the more apt they are to not only learn but comprehend the material. Differentiated instruction has been a driving source in our classrooms. By using multimedia sources, differentiated instruction not only is possible but also evident through observations. So why not give yourself and your students the best possible situation to succeed? Let's face it, sometimes it is a struggle for some students to learn due to a lack of motivation while others it is poor retention. Learning through multimedia texts as stated in the article can only enhance the process of learning which in turn can only benefit the students.

Response to Educational Leadership: Navigating the Cs of Change

Educational Leadership:Teaching for the 21st Century: Navigating the Cs of Change http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept09/vol67/num01/Navigating-the-Cs-of-Change.aspx As stated in the article: Internet Reciprocal Teaching Promotes the Five Cs Creativity, Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking and Comprehension. The article mentioned an urban school and how they became more interested in the activity through the use of technology. I have found in my classroom (also and urban setting) students do collaborate through the internet and seem to retain information for longer periods of time. I feel it is our job as teachers to not only educate the students in our content area but also provide them with technological experience that is out there. As the article stated "If school leaders want to keep students afloat, we must prepare them to navigate these new waters. As the tide shifts from page to screen, students must learn to comprehend evolving texts."

TPACK 101

TPACK is the future of education. Our classroom is constantly changing and updating. TPACK pairs the common balance between content, technologies and pedagogy. All three must be in balance to fulfill the optimal learning for students. Let’s face it, kids do not learn through a pen and paper like most of us were taught by. But imagine learning about history when computers cannot only inspire you about learning but also take you back in time to be a part of history. Imagine learning about architecture when you can actually see what you are building through 3D images!!! TPACK is growing in classrooms and is a way to help teachers better understand content and pedagogy can be taught in tandem with technology, so embrace it!

Network Learning Project: Step 1

A passion of mine is cooking...well ok and eating too. I have always been comfortable in the kitchen and love trying new things. With that said, one thing that absolutely scares me in the kitchen is making one of my favorite foods, pierogies. I am not talking about the frozen kind. I am talking about homemade, from scratch pierogies. I have always wanted to learn how to make my favorite (and my daughters) dinners. Some sources I will be using during my journey is the foodnetwork website. I also have been searching other websites and this one seems to be the most interesting. http://video.about.com/easteuropeanfood/How-to-Make-Pierogi.htm I also want to learn how to make various kinds of pierogies such as dessert and savory ones. I am very excited to start on my journey and I think my husband and daughter are too!

TED Talks for Teachers

http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2014/04/03/50-ted-talks-every-educator-should-check-out-2014-edition/#at_pco=smlre-1.0&at_si=53c708facd01f538&at_ab=per-2&at_pos=3&at_tot=4

My Teaching Philosophy

Schools are going through dramatic transformations.  Things are changing and technology is constantly updating.  In my physical education and health classrooms many things have changed much like any other subject areas. Some teachers have become resentful to all this ever changing world but I believe we must embrace the change. There are many guidelines our school lives by but here a few I live by:

• All students are fully capable of learning
• Once given the tools , all students are capable of amazing tasks
• Health, safety, and an enriched learning environment are the first priorities
• Technology is the future of education
• A quality education is a privilege, what you do with it is a choice
• We should embrace the changes in our classroom as well as out of the classroom
• Flipped classroom can lead to more engagement
• Identifying with students on a personal level is a necessary part on the journey of education

And lastly but most importantly....education can be done at all times, for all ages, in a varieties of ways.... so have fun!

Our anniversary dinner

The life of a student, dreamer, and wife..... celebrating our two year anniversary with dinner? Nah... at the Microsoft store buying a new laptop, going home to a boat load of work and getting take out :-)

2 Years and Counting

I am so proud and happy to share in this wonerful day. Two years ago today I married the man of my dreams! Here's to everyone lucky enough to find their sole mates!!!

Take a walk in my shoes: Personal Reflection

My name is Cari McKee. I am a daughter, sister, granddaughter, mother, aunt, and now a student. I am attending the University of New Haven to study technology. I am a teacher at Maloney High School in Meriden CT. I am also a soccer coach at the school and therefore was deeply engulfed in the World Cup this year. I have a beautiful seven year old step daughter who keeps me on my toes. I am married to a wonderful man for two years and we get along very well with his ex and their family. My life is complicated but exciting. I would not change it for anything in the world. My passion is exercise, food and travel!!! I was born and raised in Berlin CT and graduated from Berlin High. Springfield College was called my home after high school. I was lucky enough to get a job when I did due to the limited space of Physical Education teachers. I have been working at Maloney for the past 7 years and LOVE it!!! I also attended CCSU for my graduate work. I hope to continue my education during the 6th year program at UNH. Hold on this will be a fun ride!!!