PLN Reflection Essay

            Personal/professional learning networks are a great tool for educator. PLN is used to communicate and collaborate with other educators through a social network. For our class (ED 452), we had to choose 3 PLN to be a part of. During my research for a PLN, I followed a criteria that I created. My goal for my PLN is to find other educators with ease while given the ability to contribute and grow. In the end, I decided on Pinterest, Instagram, and Livebinder.

          Pinterest is a great place for teachers. It's free and easy to use. You're able to view Pinterest through your mobile device or laptop. Through Pinterest, you're able to search for pins while sorting them into your own boards. We are able to obtain ideas for our lesson plans and classroom. I also use Pinterest to gain insight on the SPED program. One of my favorite things that I enjoy about Pinterest is that it connects to other teacher's blogs and teacherpaysteacher. Anyone can participate in Pinterest. You do not have to be a teacher to enjoy the benefits of Pinterest.  Because of this, it's harder to be a significant contributor to Pinterest. Although we are able to grow by inspirations from Pinterest, we have a harder time planting our own seed. 

Instagram is a popular social media that filters searches through hash-tags (#). Just like Pinterest, it is free and easy to use. The app provides easy navigation. Anyone can participate and collaborate in this PLN. By using a hash-tag, educators have an easier time finding each other. Since Instagram is sorted by members, we are able to keep track of each other progress. I love how we have the ability to contribute. I am able to post pictures of what I am doing in the classroom. By doing this, I will be able to receive support and criticism from teachers around the world. We are also able to connect through comments or private messages. For some teachers, they're able to link their Instagram to their blog and TPT. My only issue with Instagram is the inability to hyperlink on posts. What if we wanted to share ideas? I would also desire a better layout for their comments.

My last PLN that I will be discussing is Livebinder. Livebinder is an online binder for professionals and students. Prior to this class, I was required to use Livebinder by my administrator. I did not realize that we were able to use Livebinder as a form of PLN. Livebinder is a great tool! Just like Pinterest and Instagram, Livebinder is free until you research a certain limit. Although it may take some time, Livebinder is fairly easy to use. You're able to create a binder with your own specific topic. Within the Livebinder, you're able to set up tabs and sub-tabs with different forms of media. How does it become a PLN? Livebinder is used to collaborate with other educators. In my case, I used Livebinder to collaborate with my counterparts. We shared ideas and samples. We also discussed different ways to improve for next school year. Teachers are able to share their binders with other teachers, as long as they provide a link while remaining public. On another note, it may be difficult to find active teachers through Livebinder. I think this is a tool that you would need to share with educators that you found elsewhere. 

Technology Tool Assessment #2

Today, I will be assessing the different technology tools. I was able to play with these tools during my time in ED 452. I hope this post will be informative and beneficial for you. 

1. Moodle

Moodle is a learning community forum. It's great for online or hybrid classes. This rating is from a student perspective.

Pros: 

• Very clean and organized layout
• User friendly (students don't need formal training before using Moodle)
• Password requirement is strict (great for security!) 
• Forum design welcomes discussion
• Free to use 
• Good way to keep track of grades

Cons:

• I would like for their tool bar to be more expansive. 

How can teachers use this tool?

• Teachers can use this tool as a form of discussion. Students will be able to write about their opinions and thoughts through Moodle. 
• Teachers can encourage students to use their Moodle to view additional resources from the lesson.
• Teachers can use Moodle to assign homework.

2. Chrome

Chrome is a web browser by Google.

Pros: 

• Faster than Safari
• Built in Flash Player and PDF Reader
• You're able to personalize your home page
• Layout is simple and efficient
• Free to use and download

Cons:

• Although I am still able to use Google Chrome, I am no longer able to update it. They are also accepting newer versions for Apple.

3. Google Apps

Overall discussion of the different applications that Google offers for teachers and students.

Google offers great resources for teachers. Out of these tools, I choose my top 2 to review and discuss.

1. Google Docs works well for teachers and students. As a teacher, I learned that we are able to review and edit important documents like WASC profiles. As a student, I used Google Documents to review classmates' essays. It was also a form of communication. This is a great alternative to Microsoft Word. I like how it is free and user friendly.
2. Blogger is a weblog publishing tool. I would like the tool bar to be more expansive like providing more fonts and options to increase/decrease our paragraph. Other than that, the features provided are simple to use.

4. Livebinder

Livebinder is an online binder. My work requires that we use Livebinder to store our lesson plans, work samples, and other important documents. It's also a way that we collaborate with our colleges. For this reason, I also use Livebinder as my PLN.

Pros: 

• Livebinder is free to use.
• Ability to upload different type of files (videos, web pages, PDFS, and images)
• Great alternative to the traditional binder for educational and professional reasons
• Clean and organized layout

Cons:

• Practice makes perfect. You would need to play around with the website before becoming proficient.
• It may lag.
• You're only able to create a certain amount of binders before you would need to upgrade your member. This is the same issue with uploads.

5. Quizizz

Quizizz is a multiplayer review game. We used this tool during our digital safety presentation. 

How did it earn 5 stars? We absolutely enjoyed Quizizz and its feature. Similar to Kahoot, Quizizz is a multiplayer game. Students are able to play the game through a laptop or tablet. Both applications display the scores of the players. Quizizz does have some features that are different from Kahoot. I enjoy how Quizizz shows you the real-time progress of the students. You're also able to control the time of each question. Speaking of questions, there are great animation during the game that inspires excitement. I definitely recommend this tool to teachers! It's a great form of assessment.

Differences between Kahoot! and Quizizz

6. Emaze

Emaze is a presentation tool. Instead of using the traditional Microsoft Word, Emaze is a great alternative as it provides templates and user friendly options. 

Pros: 

• Templates are beautiful! The templates stand out while being very creative. I really enjoyed their educational themes. 
• User-friendly. Most users found their way around Emaze easily.

Cons:

• Not free. You're allowed to use Emaze for 14 days but afterwards, you would need to start paying $9 a month.
• Difficulty uploading Powerpoint to "Emaze" it
• Tool bar needs to be upgraded as there is a limitation in font size and style

7. PowToon

PowToon is another presentation tool. It is similar to Emaze.

Pros: 

• PowToon offers a variety of templates that are professional looking. These templates would work well in the school or business setting. They are also clean and attractive.
• Great animation features
• PowToon's toolbar is more impressive than Emaze. They include a variety of fonts, cliparts, and animation.

Cons:

• They advertise that their website is free to use but you have to pay premium for a lot of their features.
• It is not user friendly. You would need time to understand how the website works. Unfortunately, I was becoming impatient and moved back to Emaze.
• PowToon tends to have slow navigation. They also failed to have an auto-save so your work will most likely disappear if the website crashes.

8. Wix

Wix is a tool used to create a website. 

Wix is a user-friendly website maker. The navigations are wonderful. Although they provide templates, it is very easy to create a design from scratch. Wix offers a variety of fonts, backgrounds, and elements. You're only able to attach other forms of media, such as, a video from Youtube. I highly recommend this tool for teachers and students. A website would be great as a form of communication between teachers and parents. It's also an alternative way for students to conduct presentations.

STEM with assistive technology

One of our biggest responsibilities as teachers is to create a lesson plan that accommodates the diverse learners in the classroom. Our lesson plans are formatted to have accommodation for those in the ESL or SPED program. Teachers are also mandated to follow SPED laws that require them to follow the child’s IEP (individual education plan).  

The participants in the video were advocates for their STEM education. The student would communicate with their teachers about the best strategies for their learning experience. One of my favorite testimonies is Alex Mackenzie, who is a research scientist and is legally blind. By advocating her situation, she felt more confident as others became comfortable with assisting her. She was not shy to work in the STEM field.

Based on the students’ testimony, their communication resulted in a positive learning environment for both parties. In the video, the teachers explained their different accommodations, such as, modified assessment or assistive technology. Steele-Carlin (2011) interviewed Pat Linkhorn, who is a parent of two children with special needs. Linkhorn states, “The devices that help the least, especially in classrooms, are those that the teachers don't understand.” A negative attitude was indicated as the largest barrier for those with learning disabilities. It is crucial for educators to work effectively with their students.

I had experience with formatting my lesson plans to accommodate those with learning disabilities. In the future, I would like to follow the essence of the video. My goal is to collaborate with the student about their learning experience, rather than relying on their IEP. One of the promising assistive technologies is the iPad (Marcinek, 2012). He states “Beyond the simple flip of a switch in the accessibility options, Meaghan soon found many new opportunities for her learning on this one device.” In his article, he lists the different application while explaining how they are used in the classroom. This is a great tool for students. Since I am able to request an iPad, I plan to use this strategy for the following school year.

Speaking of the iPad, I can testify to the benefits of this tool. In the past, she would have to write her thoughts for us to understand her. My sister, who is hearing impaired, uses the iPad and its applications to communicate with us. Since she is able to read lips, she talks by using an app.

Resources

Marcinek, A. (2012, November 28). Assistive technology and the 1:1 student. Edutopia.

Steele-Carlin, S. (2011, June 15). Assistive technology in the classroom. Education World.

Digital Safety Reflection

The Digital Safety group project was a great refresher for the alarming issues in the Internet World. Although I had completed this project as an undergraduate, I found it beneficial to experience this activity as an educator. As I was reviewed through their beautiful and informative presentations, I am reminded of my responsibilities as a teacher. All of the topics are important for this unit. Teachers need to be aware of the different laws involving the Internet especially the fair use policy.

At the same time, teachers also need to be informed about the various scams that are living in the technological world. I agree with your sentiments about a group presenting on online gaming. This is an issue that would relate to my 6^th grade students relating to the most.  Another topic that I would like to explore is how to educate our students to be safe on their social media. It does not only have to be pharming and phishing. Students also need to be aware about what they post while learning how to avoid predators on the Internet.

It is my goal to teach about digital safety during the first weeks of school. Students will learn about cyber-bullying and the effects of this action. Throughout the last school year, I assisted numerous students that struggled as they deal with their own cyber-bully. This is a topic that I sympathize for the most. In Scientific America, the article links depression to cyber-bullying. It also states that the victim tends to suffer in silence due to fears of being punished (Pappas, 2015). These sentiments are shared in another article. Victims tend to feel that their school cannot help them. As a result, they develop depression, panic disorders, and the likelihood of suicide with males (Landau, 2013). It is my hope that as we educate students about cyber-bullying, it would create a comfortable environment that allows them to share their concerns. My plan to accomplish this goal is through team-building exercises while using tools like Nearpod. Nearpod is a great way to incorporate technology but at the same time, it also allows all students to participate in the lesson. Throughout the school year, I aspire to continue this goal through my team time class. 

So far, I had learned and gained a great deal of resource from this course. My group (pharming and phishing) enjoyed the interactive tools. I am used to lecturing with powerpoint so I found it satisfying that Emaze was fun and easy to use. I also enjoyed Quizizz as we are able to assess students in a fun but organized manner.

Landau, E. (2013, April 15). When bullying goes high tech. CNN.

Pappas, S. (2015, June 23). Social media cyber bullying linked to teen depression.LiveScience.