First Blog!

What tool I use to create my artifact and why?                 I used SlateBox, a concept mapping cool tool that I reviewed previously. I chose it because it is user friendly and helps me to organize my thoughts. What was my largest take away from the class?                 My largest take away was the understanding of how it applied to my situation. During many of the classes and assignments I had a hard time seeing how I could possible use this technology and methods in my classroom with the constraints of working in a JCF. Over time, the (now obvious) realization started to dawn on me. I am not the only teacher with restrictions. Where I have kids with some of the most difficult behavior issues, other teachers must turn out the cushions for money for pencils in their classroom. Where I have to deal with students yelling at me other teachers have to deal with parents yelling at them. To be an effective teacher you have to view these restrictions as challenges to be wo

TPACK is a structural tool to help teachers, new and old, to understand how to effectively incorporate technology into their classroom and lessons. Why do we need it? Because, technology has progressed from being a luxury to a necessity in modern life. To relate to the modern student we as teachers have to be well versed in the same technology they are using outside of school. All of this technology is begging to be used with new apps and programs being built specifically for classroom use. But sadly it is missing from many classrooms around the country. The common excuses are: schools aren't adequately funded, teachers aren't trained in how to use them, and teachers don't want it in their classrooms. In some cases these are true, but we cannot let them stand in the way of improvement. Many of my peers have said similar if not the same thing when it comes to integrating technology into classrooms. It isn't a question anymore of whether or not we should use technology

Finally it is done. The forge is up and running and I've even created a few things.... but there's a twist. Watch to find out!

Hello all, It looks like I'm going to have to build a place to work. Burning a coal forge cannot be done inside my garage due to zoning laws, and I can't leave the forge out in the elements to rust away. So, enjoy the video where I go over making a smithy!

Hello all, Productivity is something we all want to have more of, but seem to have a hard time accomplishing. I often struggle with having enough motivation to get through everything that needs to be done. However, the key is not to rely on motivation. It is to rely on structure. Structure is what is going to allow you to finish your tasks consistently and in a timely manner.  So, how do we develop this structure? One of the ways is through tools that help reinforce our rules. It can be high tech apps that log how much time you spend on social media rather than work. Or, it can be as simple as sticky note lists on your refrigerator that keep you on task throughout your day. I have found checklists and other forms of writing down my tasks to be very helpful. Often times, when I have a full day ahead of me, I find it much more daunting to get through it without writing down what it is I need to accomplish that day. Once it is on paper, it's not as scary and it becomes very rew

Hello all, This post we are talking about digital learning spaces. Digital learning spaces are designated zones that are equipped with educational technology that allows teachers to break up the monotony of  full classroom instruction. Classroom instruction is not a bad thing. It is necessary to drive certain core information. However, application of that information and demonstration of skills and learning can take place in multiple ways. Digital learning spaces are powerhouses for this kind of expression and application. In the video " Not Old School " 3 schools in New Hampshire were renovated to have learning spaces dotted throughout them. While watching the video I found myself thinking, "I wish I went to that school as a kid." I then thought of how cool it would be to teach at a place like that. The teachers and students alike had a very positive look on the schools' improvements. Interestingly, many of the learning spaces didn't have actual technol

Hello all, This time we are looking at digital citizenship. Digital citizenship is your identity as it stands on the internet. It can be thought of as what comes up when someone Googles you. For example, my digital citizenship is affected by this blog, and my Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube accounts. Whenever I make a profile that includes personal information, that information is forever put onto the internet for people to see. Sounds pretty scary, right? Sadly, for younger generations, many times their digital citizenship is created before they are even born. How many pregnancy, gender, and baby name reveals have you seen in the past year on your social media accounts? Each one of those put out information of a (soon to be) person. Shortly following those posts, we see the baby pictures, first birthday videos, and numerous posts about the child before they can even talk. I know I'm painting a pretty bleak picture on technology and digital citizenship, but that is only to stress

Hello all, For Instructional Technology Application we have reviewed a lot of things in relation to how they effect teachers in the classroom and how communities around our schools are effected by various views on education and the changing technology that we use every day. Today I'm going to talk a little bit about social media. In my opinion, social media has helped teachers come together and share ideas and curriculum in a way that was regulated to annual workshops and training seminars. Instead of hotels and guest speakers, we can now learn new teaching strategies and share with each other new tips on everything about education while lounging in our pajamas drinking lattes on the weekends. There are a few groups that I am a part of on Facebook that constantly post new tips on things like classroom management and new lesson plans for hands on activities in all subjects. They have helped me more than once to screw up my courage to try something new in the classroom. Specifi

Hello all, Open education ties into the sharing topic we covered. Open means accessible and in a classroom that means sharing knowledge with your students and fellow teachers. David Wiley spoke at length on the importance of sharing and how so many people these days are so scared to. Their sense of possession is at a reckless level. He quoted Thomas Jefferson and in paraphrasing said, I can light a man's candle without my flame being taken away from me." This is a way of thinking that is crucial if we are to see growth in our schools.  This doesn't stop at the doors to our schools. We need to encourage the communities around our schools to participate and become networked with our teachers. They need to know what is going on in the classroom so that they can know exactly what their child is doing for 8 hours a day, Monday through Friday, for the better part of a year. That kind of knowledge helps to strip away the stigmas that form when schools are shut off from the