Playing with GoAnimate

Trying out goanimate due to a recommendation from +Tim Flanagan.  Here it is, an Introduction to health class for the first day of school.

My Final Network Learning Project- Homemade Pierogi's!!!

At the beginning of the ITDML program I decided to venture on a journey to make homemade pierogi's.  A month ago it seemed virtually impossible.  Pierogi's were something I could get out of a bag and make things a lot easier.  But after hours of research and many taste test later I found a recipe and the confidence I needed to accomplish the task.  Even during the final taping I had some complications but this is exactly why they call it homemade!  I knew it would take a little while to make the mashed potatoes, and dough on camera so I took these photos to demonstrate the process.  I used the following ingredients for the dough. 
The ingredients are:

Dough

• Flour
• Sour Cream
• Egg
• Salt
• Water

Filling

 The Mashed Potato Filling:
Potatoes
Cream

Filling

Salt
Pepper
Butter
Cream
Sour Cream

 

Next I rolled out the dough and cut the dough into about 2 x 2 inch squares.  I filled the square with the filling and put an egg wash on the dough to make the sides stick.  I learned if I didn't "glue" the sides all the filling would spill out into the boiling water. 

Adding Egg Wash to the Sides

After the pierogi's were made I put them into a pot of boiling water.  Once cooked (about 3-5 minutes) I transferred the pierogi's into a pan with sautéed onions.  I served the pierogi's with sour cream, scallions and chives. 

 

I cannot believe I did it and they finally came out great! I hope you enjoyed taking this journey with me!  Learning online was not only easy but fun too.  I wasn't afraid to "mess up" but enjoyed researching the different ways to make pierogi's.  I didn't realize online learning was so easy and convenient.  I will definitely encourage my students to try to learn online through videos, tutorials, and discussions.  Even uploading the video I needed to research how to change the file from movie maker to a compatible file for YouTube! I am extremely glad I learned something new and even more excited because now I gained the confidence to use the internet for solving problems or learning new tasks. Hmm...what is next?

EdCampCT

Today I attended EdCampCT with my classmates from the ITDML program.  EdCampCT was not what I expected.  I expected the programs to be interesting but ones I could not relate to in the physical education and health classroom.  Boy was I wrong!  The programs were extremely innovative and there were many applications, documents, and websites I could use in the physical education field as well as bring them back to my school! I was a part of many talks and also led a talk with Stephanie Lavado about the different applications used in PE and health classes.  I really enjoyed the Google Classroom talk, LED name tags, summer course opportunities, and Kahoot! Not only was I able to collaborate with my peers but I was also able to talk with principals, assistant principals, teachers and districts technical supports. Today was exciting and demonstrated many items I would like to take back to my classroom.  Thank you everyone for a great!

So What Now???

There are many different digital literacies that can affect teaching and learning.  I am extremely happy to be a part of the ITDML program because it has calmed my fears that most educators have about technology.  Technology is continuingly moving forward and will be heavily a part of the classroom if it isn't already.  The overall push for technology in the classroom has become more present in the past couple years.  As a physical education teacher there are many applications, programs, and ideas I will remember when moving forward to life after ITDML.  For example, Newsela is a great program I would be able to use during my classes.  Newsela is a database with a variety of articles.  Based on the student’s ability various articles on the same topic can be generated.  Not only have I found programs like Newsela, but there are also applications that can help enhance the classroom setting.  Glogster, skitch, and screencast are only a few I can use in my classroom. With all the excitement revolving around technology there is also a lot of fear and disposition.  I think to ease teachers thoughts about integrating technology in the classroom is it is not going anywhere.  It’s true, technology has proven improvement in student achievement.  The quicker some teachers understand this the easier it might be for them.  Also, teachers need to understand not everything is perfect.  Technology may not work all the time, items may not transfer well from program to program and much more.  Patience is another key to remember when integrating technology into your classroom.  Lastly, I believe the biggest problem is loss of control and fear.  When using technology there is a great deal of fear that pairs with it.  Will it work?  Am I using the application right? Can I understand it?  All those questions have answers, yes.  Once an educator accepts the challenge to educate their students the best they can, technology should be integrated.  Our students use technology all the time outside of school.  Having the ability to communicate with our students outside of school can not only improve our students scores but also have the students be excited to do work are the ultimate goals.  If technology can take us one step forward to our goal then I believe we all should embrace it.    

Response to the Educational Researcher Articles

The article by Lei, O'Byrne, Zawilinki, McVerry, and Everett-Cacopardo talks about the internet being a direct link to the 21st century learning. As my professor previously stated, "the internet is the digital text of the future".  This article struck me because it also discussed how some communities with less resources are expected to raise scores.  I work in an urban school with limited resources in comparison to other schools.  So what happens to the students who are less fortunate?  Does the internet close the gap or make it bigger?  In my experience, technology is a great tool to be used in classrooms.  But I believe in schools it should be used as just that, a tool.  It should enhance the educational process but should it define it?  So how then can we "even the playing field"? How can learning happen at home for those who do not have access to technology? There are many issues associated with integrated technology in schools.  Do schools have a budget for the technology?  Do the kids have access to it? If not, who provides access to it?  What do teachers do with the students who do not have access to technology?  If the schools provide the technology, who is responsible if it gets lost or stolen?  I do not believe I am in a position to answer all these questions; however, I do believe it is a barrier we would be able to get past.  Education itself has evolved and will continue to evolve, technology is just the next step in the process.  In the article Greenhow, Rogelio, and Hughes, one concept it discusses the evolution of the World Wide Web and technology.  One part that stood out to me was "researchers should continue examining learners online inquiry practices, especially how they navigate, understand, evaluate, trust and critically evaluate".  By collecting the data on social networks as well as other websites researchers can analyze how people "use the internet". Once experts understand how people use the internet they can continue to make it better.

Response to ORMS and MOOC

The ORMS (online research and media skills) and MOOC (massive open online class) readings talk about developing and analyzing strategies with technology based learning.  The readings also discuss the common core and how it is calling for an integration of online research and media skills.  The benefit of ORMS is the ability to communicate with others, share your own ideas and showcase your knowledge in that particular field. Common core is trying to integrate higher order thinking.  Well what better way to do this then to use technology as a tool to share, collaborate and explore knowledge from yourself and others.  One issue I believe teachers will face is teaching the students not only how to navigate around certain technologies but more importantly how to use it appropriately.  Many students use technology for social reasons.  Imagine, you enter your classroom and rather than saying, "put away your phones and get off twitter" you say "it is ok to use twitter but this is how it will be used in our classroom".  Imagine your classroom atmosphere?  Using technology appropriately and teaching our students how to do so is a big challenge but one worth taking on.

Response to Connected Learning Principles

The article Connected Learning Principles discussed how connected learning should follow three principals:

• Interest-powered – Individual have an interest or liking to the topic and therefore are seeking knowledge about it. 
• Peer-supported – Shared feedback can be a powerful tool and can help enhance the education of a person.
• Academically oriented – Not only should the learning have academic relevance but also provide growth to individuals.

The article also stated that connected learning is "real-world. It’s social. It’s hands-on. It’s active. It’s networked. It’s personal. It’s effective." This statement reminded me of student engagement. In my school as well as others, many teachers struggle with students engagement.  Our periods are only 45 minutes long compared to other schools with blocked scheduling.  Based on this article and others I have read during the ITDML curriculum, I think by using different techniques and technology into the classroom more students will become engaged in the subject.  One hurdle I believe I will face is control.  Control of being right, having one way to do things and one avenue to get there.  My focus needs to stray from that and concentrate more on the end result.  Are the students actually learning what I want them to learn?  Once I can get past that hurdle, I believe the students will be more engaged and feel like they are in charge of their own learning. Not only can students learn from each other but I'm sure I will learn something as well!