#3 - ELA Standards, Teaching in the Age of the Internet, and Newsletter Design

   Currently, I think I am most prepared to teach the things in ELA standard SL.2 "Integrate and Evaluate” (Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats including visually, quantitatively, and orally.) For the elementary-aged students, this entails teaching any kind of information in many different formats and having the students summarize the information/find the key details. A standard that I do not think I am prepared to teach is what is covered in ELA standard RI.7 "Multimedia:” Informational Text." This standard wants me to be able to teach things like making animations or interactive objects on a webpage. I do not have the skill set to do that myself, yet alone teach it to young students.

    When I was reading through chapter 9, I loved the different ideas of how to use online resources. I will definitely be keeping up with a monthly (or weekly?) newsletter, and will use an electronic mailing list to distribute information to the parents. We all know that physical copies of paper can be put directly into a child's backpack and still somehow never make it home. :) This would make important information be relayed directly to the parents, and not leave young children in charge of acting as messengers. But, my favorite is video conferencing software, such as Skype, and I would love to try using Global Schoolhouse like the textbook suggests. While reading, I had the idea that it would be such a cool experience to have a classroom "pen pal," where instead of pairing each student in my class with another student somewhere else in the world, I would find another classroom that would like to collaborate with my students. We could have a Skype call every few weeks, and project it on the screen so it is like they are in our classroom. It would be such an eye-opening experience to both the students and myself to see how classrooms are set up in other parts of the world. It is very important to open students' eyes to diversity while they are still young, and if done correctly, this idea could be such a neat experience.

    As you can see from my newsletter below, it is extremely colorful and I think the different colors make the important sections stand out more. I like the header I used because it is both bright and bold, and it catches the viewer's attention. The color makes it a little more fun for a young student to read, hopefully alongside his or her parents! I used many fair use graphics and clip art photos with the young student in mind to make it easier to visualize the important points I was trying to make. The newsletter design assignment taught me how to use space in a Word document efficiently. I switched from one column to two columns, and back to one column. With the amount of content I have, it would probably use ~4 pages without columns, but this design compiles the information into 2 pages, making it more compact. It is very helpful to know how to do because a class newsletter is definitely going to be used in my future classroom. Because of this assignment, I also learned how to embed a file into this blog. In the future, this will be helpful to know if I have a class blog and need to post documents! The only thing that went wrong is when I saved my .docx file and uploaded it to Google Drive while trying to embed the file. It messed up my graphics and the overall layout of my newsletter, so after doing some research and exploring file types, I ended up saving it as a .pdf to keep the layout changes minimal, and it ended up working much better than my .docx file.

#2 - MS Word, Copyright, and Personal Learning Networks

    I have been exposed to MS Word since I was little. When I was young, I decided to create a weekly newsletter for my family by using Word, and I would print it out and distribute the copies. Eventually I grew out of that and began to use Word for more practical purposes. I took a computer class in 6th grade that taught me how to use many features I wouldn't have otherwise discovered. Since then, I have probably had to use MS Word as often as I use my Internet browser. My teachers have used it in so many creative, innovative ways. My teachers used Word to send letters home, make worksheets, create lists for us and for themselves, make class newsletters, and so much more.

     Personally, I was also taught about copyright at a very young age. My mom is a librarian, and I can remember her always stressing to my sister and me the importance of not copying someone else's work. In school, most of my teachers used the website turnitin.com to make sure we were not plagiarizing work from online or from other students. When we used someone else's work, we always had to make a works cited page, and I have been making both annotated and non-annotated bibliographies since early middle school. I had to sign my name on the bottom of many tests pledging that I did not cheat. When I took a few classes online during high school, I had to take many of my tests supervised in a public place, and an instructor had to sign off that I did not cheat. When I am a teacher, I will have to keep a close eye on things I am using. The Conditions for Fair Use will make me be sure to only make copies of things that are allowed, and only in limited quantities. If I make a worksheet, I will have to be sure that any graphics used are cited at the bottom and that credit is given where it is due. Because I want to teach very young children, I would stress to them the importance of not copying the work of others. Older children can be taught how to legally protect their own work, but my elementary school kids will know that it is not alright to copy other people.

    Already from this class, I have learned a lot about personal learning networks. Personal learning networks include things like Twitter, blogs, webinars, and other communities. I have loved being able to communicate with classmates through our Twitter accounts, and being able to get a feel of keeping up with this blog. In the future, I will be using personal learning networks just like these to stay innovative and connected with my students. I will likely have a class blog or website, and have social media accounts for the parents to keep up with what their children are doing in my class.

#1 - Computers, ISTE, and "Digital Native"

    Computers are such an integral part of both the learning and teaching processes. Chapter 1 of our textbook states that students in today's classrooms have been immersed in technology their entire lives - it is up to teachers to catch up with them. Many standards, specifically those set by NCATE, make teachers integrate technology into the classroom for the benefit of the students. So, not surprisingly, a study in 2009 found that 99% of teachers (that were surveyed) had computers in their classrooms, or had access to get one when needed. The many uses of computers make them vital tools to teachers, in that they help with presenting to the students, classroom management and grading, lesson planning, communication tools, enhancements to teaching (e.g. online activities, puzzles), and so much more. Computers are so necessary for use in the classroom, but they do have their drawbacks. One of the biggest concerns is that it is hard to finance a school filled with up-to-date computers. Everyone in the education world knows that many states and districts have had to cut much of their funding, and have to cut programs that are truly necessary for the students. However, it is up to both current and future educators to make sure that technology is continually integrated into classrooms, despite its challenges.

    My favorite ISTE standard is standard #1 ("facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity"). Children are the most creative people, and most kids learn best when they can have hands-on, creative activities. I have seen it first-hand, and I know for a fact from personal experience that children need to communicate through creative collaboration with others. The standard that seems out of my current skill set is standard #5 ("engage in professional growth and leadership"). Personally, I don't see myself as of much of a leader as this standard states teachers should be, and I do not participate in anything like a global learning community.

   I definitely agree with the idea of today's youth being "digital natives." Digital natives are people who were born into this era of modern technology and computers. They did not have to modify their personal methods to keep up with the times, it was simply the first thing they learned to do. Personally, I was born into the world of technology. I can remember playing with Paint on our home desktop computer when I was about 4, and I loved to go on the websites with games for little kids. I made up my own method on how to type on a keyboard, and then had to change that method in my 6th grade typing class. My teachers taught technology to me that they had only recently learned how to use. In high school, I had many teachers who didn't understand how to make PowerPoints that actually looked appealing - everything was on a white background and the text was all black, point 12, Times New Roman. But I also had some teachers (who were usually younger) who loved to use websites like Kahoot, Edmodo, and Glogster to communicate with us and enhance our learning experience. When I teach, I anticipate to use similar apps and websites to help my students have the most innovative, positive learning experience possible.