Week 16: Your Tech Makeover

Well, here we are. The end of another semester of school. However, this semester is special, it's the beginning of the new tech you. That's right, you are all graduating to nerd status from this point forward! Cash in your cool points because I'll be handing out pocket protectors once you finish your NETS narratives. . .

Tonight, don't forget to bring the hard copy of your Emerging Technology Checklist. You will be completing it and submitting it to me for a your grade. I want to walk everyone through Task Stream and how to get the links to your Symbaloo TPE 14 webmix, your class blog, and your Google Docs narratives for NETS I-V. If you have submitted your NETS narratives, I will take a look at them in class and give you feedback. Everyone else can work on missing assignments or revising old assignments.

I have gone through the gradebook for the fourth time and there are still quite a few people who are either missing assignments or have yet to make revisions. Remember, that my expectation is that you complete every assignment. Use this time today to ask for questions or clarify the expectations while I still have you face-to-face. The due date was set for May 6 (to try and motivate everyone to complete before class tonight). I will be giving feedback this weekend and early next week. You will need to have your revisions completed by Wed, May 15. In order for you to revise, I will definitely need your first draft by Friday at the latest. If there are no revisions by May 15, I will be forced to either give you an incomplete or a less than passing grade. . .please don't make me do this. You need to treat the narratives like your final exam. Look at the examples provided, use your color-coding, and give me your best effort.

This Week's Question: What has been your favorite assignment in this class and why?

Week 14: Waiting for Your Technology Guru?

Our Fierce Guard Dogs, Sunny & Frances

It is always an exciting time for me when I look at student blogs towards the end of the semester. I see amazing examples of work using technology. If you would take a moment to look over all that you and your peers have accomplished so far, I think, you too, will be both excited and amazed. You are approaching the point where you don't need a tech guru. . .you can do this all on your own. However, we are not finished yet.
Tonight, we will be learning how to use iMovie! You will be making public service announcements about our wonderful university. As I told you all last week, please remember to bring headphones and if you decided to use your camera to take some images or video of the campus, that would be great too. Ideally, we will complete the entire project this evening, but there will be time next week to work on them too.
There are a lot of assignments that are still in progress, the most important of which will be the writing of your final TaskStream Narratives. These will be written with the same color-coding as the NETS I collaborative narratives. To receive credit for the course, your narratives must be almost perfect (meaning I have changed almost all of your narratives to black!). Some of the other assignments are the Symbaloo Webmix/Portfolio that will be placed into TaskStream. Your two artifacts per NETS will be color-coded and labeled. If you do a good job with your NETS-T Mind Map, you should have a great graphic organizer to assist your writing. And don't forget your Journal 6-10 and Emerging Technology assignments. On a positive note, the next two weeks will be spent polishing up your blogs, TaskStream narratives, and Symbaloo portfolios!

This Week's Question: What is your current favorite thing to do when you aren't taking care of school work. . .

Week 13: Gaining Confidence?

My friend Mark on top of Cowels Mountain

Wow, we only have four class meetings left! Crazy, but true. Besides the final NETS narratives, we only have the Mind Map and iMovie assignments left. Of course, you still have to finish past work: your Journal 6-10 (PLN & Adaptive Technology), Cybersafety Collaborative Website, Emerging Technology Checklist, and completing your Symbaloo Webmix Portfolio (plus any past revisions). To that end, it's important that you look at your Edmodo notifications and/or progress to see what you need to revise. If you have any questions please check in with me either before or after class.
Today, I have to do a Web Tool Wednesday presentation for the San Diego Country Office of Education. It's from 3:30 - 4:30. I will probably hit traffic on the 15 N, so I may be a few minutes late in arriving. I'm sure you have plenty to work on. It would be a good time to help your peers with any questions they might have about your collaborative website. Yu can also begin to put more of your work on your blog if you haven't already (this is when you refer to your Emerging Technology Checklist). When I arrive, we can discuss the websites and what and how to complete your page. We will also begin the Mind Map assignment, revisit Symbaloo and TaskStream. If there is enough time, I will have you create the new Google Doc that will be the final NETS-t Narratives. Remember, this is the closest thing we will have to a "final exam," and you cannot receive credit for the course if the NETS Narratives are not in order.

This Week's Question: As we are working on a competency/mastery based type of course, where you do not receive credit for your work until you have reached mastery, I wonder what, if anything you have discovered about yourself as a learner? Did you find yourself looking at the assignments differently? Do you like this method or would you rather just submit your assignment, receive a grade, and move on?

Week 12: Flipping for Technology. . .

My daughter Zoe (left) and her friend Taylor in Mammoth

Hopefully, you all missed our class so much over Spring Break that you cannot wait to get going this evening. I'm sure than many of you decided to forgo any fun Spring Break activities to concentrate on technology, right? Well okay then. . . The Prezis should be completed and the assessment should be well on its way. . .I will ensure you all know how to get both of these on a blog page with the formatting adjusted to fit the width of your blog post. You will be presenting these to your peers in small, grade range groups. This is why it is so important that you are finished with your project. If you already published your assignment as a blog post instead of a page, you can either try to fix it or wait for my help. I believe that everyone is finally enrolled in my TaskStream container (except for one person), so I will show you all how to request feedback from me. After our presentations have been completed, we will move on to the cybersafety collaborative websites and the NETS-T Mind Map assignment. Of course, you have plenty of assignments in progress: Journal 7 (PLN), Journal 8 (Adaptive Technology), the other jornals, and some are still completing the Excel, Symbaloo and a variety of some older assignments. Considering that we only have four more meetings, please be mindful of your time and how much you will need to complete the rest of the course. And take full advantage of the extra help available before and after class.

This Week's Question: Do you see yourself integrating technology into your future classes? How do you see this happening?

Educational Chat/PLN

Week 10: If Your Spring Breaks, Do You Have Insurance?

Spring Break on the Mountain!

As we get ready to meet for the last time before spring break, take a moment to reflect on all that you have accomplished so far. There has been a lot of great work and effort going on in our class. I hope you all can appreciate the progress you have made. I know I do!
Don't forget that we are starting out the evening in an educational chat on Twitter. The time is from 5pm to 6pm and the hashtag is #ntchat, which stands for new teacher chat. All but one of us was present last week, so I believe everyone knows what to do! I will be in class early as well to help. This is a great way to get part of your PLN assignment completed.
You should have a fair amount of work in progress: Journals 6-10, the PLN (Journal 7), Symbaloo, NETS narratives, and your Prezi.  Tonight, we will do the educational chat, work on the Prezi, learn how to use Google Forms to create an assessment of the Prezi, discuss Journal 8 (also the Adaptive Technology assignment), and receive an introduction to the Emerging Technology Checklist! I have graded everything that is due so far. I have even received a few Symbaloo certification email forwards, so I'm glad to hear that is going well.
Looking at the rest of the semester, we only have four more assignments: a collaborative cybersafety website, an iMovie PSA (public service announcement), a NETS-T mind map, and the writing of your complete narratives (NETS-T II-V). Easy, right? 

This Week's Question: If you could go anywhere you want for spring break, where would you go? And realistically, what are you doing next week?  (I will be going snowboarding in Mammoth with a large group of friends again this year!)

Week 9: Time for a Pre-Zen-Tation!

Wow, we are clearly reaching the end of our experience. I want to commend you all on your willingness to take chances and to also support your peers. Our small group really allows me to do things that I haven't been able to do in awhile. The collaborative narratives went better than they ever have and I had time to explain in much greater depth. This gives me hope for the rest of your narratives. . .no pressure, though ;-)
Tonight, we are going to look at a PowerPoint alternative - Prezi. It's a non-linear web-based presentation tool that is just getting better and better. We will be creating a presentation looking at the NETS for students (NETS-S) and how you might be able to integrate technology for your particular grade level. Don't forget that we still have many other assignments in the works. . .There are the Journals 6-10, the PLN, Symbaloo Certification, NETS-T narratives, and any other project you haven't finished.
I will be in class early to help anyone who needs assistance! This would be a great time to get some quality one-on-one help if you need it!

This Week's Question: What has been the hardest course you have taken in school at any level and why?

Week 8: It's Time to be Great!

My Lily Rose blowing bubbles. . .

Okay, couldn't help the rhyme with the week number. However, I am feeling like everyone is making great progress toward their technological competence. As a small group, we will definitely share the drafts of the NETS-I collaborative narratives. I am optimistic that we can get these perfected by the end of class tonight. . .I never said I was a realist. . .

Tonight, we will take another look at the NETS-I collaborative narratives, work on your Excel assignment (Bring those headphones!), and get an introduction to Symbaloo and the PLN assignment. . .This is a very unique opportunity for this group as the Computer Using Educators Conference is this week. The hashtag for the conference is #cue13. I suggest you put it in your TweetDeck and then you can participate in the conference virtually. . .This is a great opportunity to see some of the most current technologies in CA and beyond. . . It will also count as an educational chat on Twitter if you are able to grab at least 10 awesome tweets and reflect on what your learned or why they spoke to you. . .

We have also moved into Journals 6-10, so there is always going to be something on your plate. Thanks for all of your hard work and support as you become technology ninjas!!

This week's Question: Do you think the CAHSEE (California High School Exit Exam) should be required to graduate high school? Why or why not?

Week 7: Getting Back on the Saddle

After a week off, I sincerely hope we can gallop through the rest of the semester without anyone falling off her/his horse. I appreciate all of the kind words and thoughts many of you posted on Edmodo about the passing of my father. He was a funny man who is often credited for my dry sense of humor ;-)

Last week, you were to have completed the rough draft of your NETS-I collaborative narratives. Even though we didn't have class, you were to have had those completed in order to receive feedback from me. As we didn't have class, I had to postpone the feedback from me, but all of your rough drafts should have been written. Most of you did not complete this. Hopefully, you can get this completed before class begins this evening. Please pay close attention to the format for writing the narratives. I created it in order to make the writing, clear, concise and easier to write. If you can understand the format, it will make the writing of NETS II-V much, much easier. I expect to go over these in great detail tonight.

I have graded all of the work that has been submitted and was due. Please check Edmodo to find your grades and/or comments recommending what needs to be submitted/revised. I will be closing week 2 and 3 soon. . .please pay attention to your grades! Also, I sent everyone an Edmodo Alert requesting that you bring headphones to class tonight. . .I hope you all got the message. Tonight, I will introduce the Microsoft Excel assignment where you will do a fun project following a video tutorial.

I look forward to seeing everyone this evening!

This Week's Question: What is something you have learned well without formal teaching?  How did you learn it?  This could be a sport, hobby, musical instrument, etc. .

Week 6: In Loving Memory of Joe Heil

This is the last picture I took of my father. It was my parents' 50th wedding anniversary last May.

Week Five: You Can Never Step into the Same TaskStream Twice

Okay, so the inspiration for the title of the post comes from an ancient Greek philosopher, Heraclitus who was a proponent of the ever-changing nature of the universe. . .His actual quote:

"No man ever steps in the same river twice"

This, of course, is reference to TaskStream and the nature of your TPE 14 narratives. I will spend a lot of time this evening discussing TaskStream and how to use Google Drive to write your narratives. While you may not love the narrative writing necessary for TaskStream, you will love the features and possibilities of Google Drive. The power of Google Drive might even be referred to as "life-altering," but that will be determined by you. .

I am trying to finish the grading for the School 2.0 assignment. I only have about three  students who need to either revise or submit. And don't forget about your Journal 1-5 assignment. We are actually on week 3 of 4 so you should try to keep up.

I will ensure everyone has submitted the classroom newsletter and answer any question from the Diigo/social bookmarking assignment. We will also revisit the use of Twitter as an educational tool. (Would someone remind me of educational chats. . .) And let's not forget to talk about Google+

This Week's Question: Who was one of your favorite teachers at any level and why??

Week Four: Getting Social with It!

My oldest daughter Zoe (r) and her friend Taylor

Here we are at week four. It seems that you have begun to get the hang of the pace and the expectations of the class. We have already had to overcome a website that disappeared and did so without much issue. There should be nothing we can't handle, right? 
The School 2.0 assignment should be complete. I have already archived the week 1 assignment, and everyone received full credit! Don't forget that your journal articles are a week in progress and it is definitely best if you can keep up with the weekly journals so that you don't have a crazy amount of work to do the weekend before they are due. Also, your ISTE and TaskStream subscriptions should be up and running. I will need to send a class list to my boss in order to get everyone enrolled in my TaskStream group.
Tonight, you will learn about a few social tools, Diigo and Twitter. We will use Diigo to save our bookmarks and share them with a global audience and Twitter to connect to a vast network of other social media using educators. . .Please reserve judgement on Twitter until after class. . .trust me.

This Week's Question: What is your current favorite musical group or musician?

Week Three: Finding Your Peaceful Place. . .

Have I mentioned how much I love our small class? I'm sure I have, but it's worth mentioning again. I can tell the we have a variety of technology skill in the class. With a class this size, it is the perfect opportunity for those of you who feel confident to help your peers. Not only does it help the community, everyone feels better when they are contributing, and helping others deepens your understanding of a topic. I am reminded of one of my favorite Einstein quotes:

"If you can't explain it to a six-year-old, you don't understand it yourself."

This is a great rule of thumb for future teachers! My favorite teachers were always the ones who could explain any concept or topic simply and thoroughly without making anyone feel unintelligent! Anyway, we are off and running for week three. Wednesday night, tomorrow, we will be working on the classroom newsletter assignment. If time permits, we will even begin to look at how we could use social media to connect with other educators.

If you didn't notice, the School 2.0, etools, website is unfortunately down. . .perhaps it will be renewed, but maybe not. Such is life when you are dealing with the Internet. I posted an alternative way to meet the expectations of the assignment in Edmodo.  One thing I noticed in the first assignment was that some of you were not using the actual assignment area to submit your assignment. Some posted on the weekly subgroup and some on our home stream. Remind me to go over this in class.

Lastly, don't forget to get your TaskStream and ISTE subscriptions taken care of before class on the 6th. As usual, I will do my best to be in the lab an hour before class if anyone needs extra assistance.

This Week's Question: What is your all-time favorite or current favorite teacher movie?

Week Two: Getting Ready to Stretch Yourself!

My Daughter Lily (R) and her friend Toria

Technology classes are often a challenge. I think you all did an amazing job last week.  I mean, you left the class with a blog! I can also selfishly say that I am fairly excited that we will have a small group this spring. We will be able to do things that classes twice our size won't be able to do. . .which might be both scary and exciting from your point of view.
Tonight, we will ensure that everyone has a picture on her/his About Me page and that you can find and comment on each others' blogs. Somebody remind me about Photobooth and we'll have some fun! We will also go over the Journal Article assignment(s) and the format for writing them. You will be introduced to the Citation Machine. With this size group, I also hope to get through the School 2.0 assignment! If time permits, I'll show you how to put globes on your blog.
Don't forget to comment of the weekly blog posts. I noticed only a few of you commented last week. I will show you how to change your blog setting to make it easier for people to comment on your blog as well.

Week Two Question: What should every teacher know about you?

Welcome to EDUC 422!

Welcome to another awesome experience of Education 422 – Technology Tools for Education. By the end of this course you will learn a lot about how to integrate technology into your classroom, as well as a few tricks and tips for how win friends and influence people!

I will use this blog to keep everyone updated on the weekly requirements for the course, as well as model for you how to create a blog for your future classroom!  I need you to read each entry v-e-r-y carefully, I will be giving away $50 tonight to the person who finds the hidden gnome in this very post. . .Okay, not really, but I do need everyone to read each entry please ;-)

Technical Requirements. . .
First order of business:  If you do not have a Gmail Address/Account, you need to get one!  (and no, your CSUSM email does not count).  Don't worry, I have worked it out with Google to give you free email accounts!

You will be asked to join and/or participate in a number of web-based tools, publications, etc. . .I recommend that you find a user name that identifies you, is appropriate for school/parents, something unique enough that you will be able to use it for multiple tools, and one that you can remember. . .

While this course has no required text, you will be required to subscribe to ISTE, the International Society for Technology in Education (see link on the Clickable Goodness page on this blog), as well as purchase a semester subscription to TaskStream, an online portfolio generator.  
For TaskStream (also linked in "Clickable Goodness"): 
You will need to self-enroll in the Local TPE.  Here are the code you will need:

                                               Local TPE: 6SG3BA

Move over CougarCourses, welcome to Edmodo!
For the last 8 years, I have been using the university-designated LMS (Learning Management System).  We started with WebCT/Blackboard and moved to Moodle a few years ago.  While I think both tools are fine, I have been eager to try out a LMS that my students (e.g. YOU) could use free and easily in a K-12 environment.  I have decided upon Edmodo, a free LMS/Social Network hybrid that I think  you will all enjoy. . .My only caveat is that you need to be patient with me as I work my way through the use of the tool for the second time as the sole LMS of my ED422 course. Go to Edmodo and sign up as a student.  One big benefit for those in elementary schools is that you do not need an email address to sign up for Edmodo. . .a huge plus!
Our group code is:

w1s953
or click here

I will also ask you weekly questions on this blog that you will need to answer in the form of a comment. Some questions are related to education and most are related you your lives. . .It allows me to build community while ensuring that you are reading the weekly posts! To answer the question, you simply need to be logged in to your Gmail account, which also doubles as your Google account, and you can click on the word "comments" at the bottom of the post. . . .


This Week's Question: What is the one technology that you cannot live without? 
 I would have to say my iPhone. . .I'm addicted to music, audio books, and social media. . .all of which I can access from my phone. . .and make calls too