Networked Learning Project Update

I have the guitar ready to go.  I have started using the pic and using YouTube I am beginning to learn the basic cords.  YouTube has been a HUGE help.  I have been searching using "how to play the guitar for kids" it's very basic but breaks it down into manageable steps.  I'm still not sure what song I'm going to learn but I am beginning to narrow down my choices!

Image Courtesy of: Anne Marie Lanning

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PNL and Classroom 2.0

What I really liked about the Wagner article were the ideas/suggestions about building a Personal Learning Network for educators.  I also found it interesting that it many if not all of his suggestions we are doing in the IT&DML program!  I am planning to focus on discovering Classroom 2.0 and of course being patient with the learning process, sometimes that can be the hardest part!

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PLNs on Pinterest

I "lost" myself on Pinterest yet again!  Having PLNs on Pinterest is a great resource.  The best part is they is free! They also help educators with their own guided professional development.  Side note: I need to start using a timer when I go on Pinterest because I spend way to much time discovering new ideas. :)

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Response to Personal Learning Networks by Will Richardson

Richardson brings up a good point about Personal Learning Networks (PLN) by emphasizing that the learner is in control of his or her learning.  Rather than in a traditional classroom where you interact with those around you, with PLNs it's an independent function.  You need to be the one seek out others that are interested in what you might be interested in as well as engaging in those conversations.  Richardson also says that students today are engaging in PLNs by using MySpace, Facebook,etc. but no one is guiding them through this process.  Students today need to learn how to do this safely, ethically, and effectively.  He suggests that we as educators need to first do this for ourselves and then we can teach our students how to create their own PLN "the right way".

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Cooking with TPACK

Cooking with TPACK

This was a first for me, making a fruit salad using, a plate, bowl, and pair of chop sticks.  The plate worked well as being my cutting board and the bowl was used as a bowl and then "repurposed" as a knife of sorts to cut the fruit.  The chopsticks worked out, which was surprising to me.  I was able to use the set of chopsticks to cut.  I wasn't able to get the "perfect" cut but I was able to break the fruit into parts and then "cut" the fruit into smaller chucks using my hands.  I think this was a pretty successful "Cooking with TPACK" lesson!

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Five Cs/Three Phases of Learning

Educational Leadership:Teaching for the 21st Century: Navigating the Cs of Change 
The article highlights: Internet Reciprocal Teaching Promotes the Five Cs Creativity, Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking and Comprehension. As I read this article I tried to think about how I incorporate the Five Cs into my daily teaching using the three phases.  As a Kindergarten teacher I constantly "starting with the basics" (Phase 1) and using technology is no exception.  Students in my class learn basic computer skills, how to use the keyboard and mouse to navigate the computer.  They then use this skills to access the programs that they need to use.  Students are always collaborating (Phase 2), as the teacher I model for them what they will be doing and then using the gradual release model students take the responsibility of their learning by doing it on their own.  Student-Center Learning (Phase 3), students in my classroom take an active role in their learning by communicating with myself and their peers about their learning, sharing their questions and their new understanding about their new found knowledge.  I think that the Five Cs are embedded into good teaching as well as part of the three phases of learning.

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From Page to Pixel

John McVerry's 'Cornerstone of a New Literacies Curriculum' (2012) highlights "the ever-shifting nature of learning as we shift from page to pixel" (Hartman, Morsnik, and Zheng, 2010.  McVerry says how EACH DAY new digital texts and tools emerge. Students that are entering Kindergarten this year do not know the world without iPads, tablets,etc.  In the four+ years these pieces of technology have become integral parts of our daily lives.  Some students may not have ever held a traditional book instead they may have only been exposed to e-books and turn pages with the swipe of their finger.  With these students entering school today teachers need to include three pedagogical cornerstones in their daily teaching.  Using these cornerstones will help students become successful learners and prepare them for the ever changing world.

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"The most important thing for kids growing up today is the love of embracing change"

John Seely Brown brings up a good point at the very beginning of his video, "The most important thing for kids growing up today is the love of embracing change".  It is such a powerful statement!  Instead of saying "kids" it should be people of all ages.  I have found it is much easier to "go with the flow" rather than fight what is changing.  I think back to 2006 when I began student teaching.  My cooperating teacher was one of the first people to have "new technology" aka the smart board.  During the first few weeks when I was observing the class I noticed that she didn't use it all.  I thought "How can she not be using this amazing resource?"  When I asked her about it she said she hadn't received any training and using the chalkboard was much easier.  So I decided that it was going to be my mission to learn how to use the smart board for myself and teach her how to use it.  It was rocky at first, the cart with the laptop and projector would move, the smart board needed to be calibrated,etc. but as time moved on I began using the smart board daily.  The students LOVED it and so did my cooperating teacher!  She finally "embraced the change"!  I'm happy to say she continues to use it everyday all these years later and enjoys sharing this resource with her students.  I wonder if she would have used the smart board if I hadn't been there or would it have continued to take up space on the wall?  "Embracing the change" can be difficult but it can also be rewarding for all involved.

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My Definition of TPACK

Teaching with TPACK 

TPACK to me is how to integrate technology effectively in a classroom/learning environment.  Using technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge together to build a solid foundation for learning that is constantly evolving.  In my classroom TPACK can be seen as-

T-Technology- Through the use of a smartboard, computers, iPad, and internet my students are surrounded by what is digital technology.  Technology can also be the use of the whiteboard to teach correct letter formation or using math manipulatives to teach new mathematical concepts. Example- In my Kindergarten class I may teach addition as using a number line on the wall or as an interactive game on the iPad or smartboard.

P-Pedagogy- Looking at the larger picture, the content that needs to be taught and breaking it up into pieces that can built together to create to the larger picture for students to understand.  Example- Most students in Kindergarten do not come in knowing how to read, instead as a teacher I give them the skills needed to become a reader.  First they learn to recognize letters.  Then letter sounds. Next they learn to blend the sounds together to make words.  Finally they put the words together to make sentences that they can read.

A-And- I think that the A in TPACK can be "and" using technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge, as it is the glue that keeps them all together.  Using all of these conjunction is what makes it a solid foundation for learning.

CK-Content Knowledge- The content that needs to be taught or understood by the students as well as using the teacher's prior knowledge about how to best teach for the learner to understand.  Example-Teaching students basic phonological skills. As a teacher I know that there are different types of learners, kinesthetic, visual, auditory learners so I need to include each of those modalities when teaching a lesson.  I have students trace the letters while saying the sound, looking at the letters, and giving an example of that letter sounds "A-apple-a".

Overall TPACK is constantly evolving and is unique in each application!

I found the video by Punya Mishra to be extremely helpful in helping me better understand TPACK.  I also got a few laughs in as well!

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Networking Learning Project

Using the internet as a teacher is something that we do each day without even realizing it.  I personally am always "googling" one thing or another and looking up a new way to do something.  I have never thought of using the internet to teach me a specific skill but here goes nothing...I'm going to learn to play the guitar, doubt I will be the next Jimi Hendrix or Eddie Van Halen but I'm off to start this learning process.  I have a guitar next step is how to use it! :)

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Philosophy Statement

“My goal is to provide a positive, social, learning environment, where ALL students will overcome challenges to achieve success.”

Educational theorist Lev Vygotsky stated “Children learn higher psychological processes through the social environment when an adult or more literate other plays an active role in that social content”.  The school environment is one of the first places that students learn with peers and see an authority figure outside of the home.  In my classroom I prioritize cooperative learning and shared learning with equals who like themselves are contributing in building the classroom community and discovering values and character traits for life.

The education that students receive in elementary school is the foundation for life long learners.  Each student that I work with has the potential to be a better learner, citizen, and person in the community.  As a teacher I am challenged daily to awaken this potential.

The first goal is the students’ safety in the classroom.  When students feel safe they will learn to trust others and learning happens. It is important for students to be safe in the classroom and that we share the classroom.  My goal is to create a welcoming environment for both my students and parents who are my partners in this process.  Parental involvement is vital in my teaching; when there is a parent/teacher connection a partnership is forged.  Throughout the year I have classroom newsletters and welcome communication among students, parents, and myself.

My commitment to my students, parents and staff is to provide a positive social, emotional and academic environment; where each student matches their strengths and learns to work through their weaknesses, and become better students and productive members of society.

With the multi-cultural population of students in today’s classrooms, the teacher’s challenge is to meet the needs of all their students, despite their cultural differences.  Each day and each class brings new challenges that the teacher must face; the key to facing these challenges successfully is to be flexible and positive, knowing that in the end you will have helped every student to reach their fullest potential.  There are various resources and tools that will create life long learners.  One of the most important and ever evolving resources is technology. 

There is nowhere you can go where you aren’t surrounded by technology.  I would like to think that I am ahead of the curve when it comes to utilizing technology or at least with the curve.  Technology can be a powerful teaching tool, taking students on virtual field trips, giving them hands on experience to their learning on a smart board, computer, iPad, etc. and showing them various ways to do something can unlock their budding knowledge.  At the same point students should not be totally focused on just their own learning or not interacting with peers.  Technology is interactive and students should inter act when using it.

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First Post

Miss Lanning has finally created a blog!  I'm a bit of a "blog-aholic" and now I'm hoping on my own blog train.  I have been teaching for nine years and for the past two years I have been lucky enough to  teach Kindergarten.  I'm creating this blog for my Sixth Year Program in Instructional Technologies and Digital Media Literacy (IT&DML) at the University of New Haven.  I'm looking forward to being a student again and learning lots of new things!!

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