Posts

Final reflection

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Well this is it. The end of the semester and the close of this class. It has been great blogging and reflecting on our learning. I have enjoying getting to know all of you through your blogs and your work. I am hoping to continue getting to know many of you through our social media connections and to continue to have those network connections. It has been a crazy summer and a tiring one. This class has provided me with more than I could ask for and each of you have influenced my learning in your own way.  Some of you gave me confidence and encouragement without even knowing it (and some of you straight up said it). Some of you challenged me through your work ethic, your words, and your passion. And some of you touched my soul with your openness and candor.  Thank you Dr. Dennen for being an amazing professor and being there for each of us. You are a leading example of how to teach online and still have connections with your students. Thank you Omer and Bruce too, you have been amazing!
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Writer's block

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I am really struggling with completing my PLN paper. I know I have a PLN and I have some/most of the paper written, I just can not get it finished. I have never in my life found myself trying to meet a page or word requirement, but I am finding myself pushing for this assignment. It is weird. Why? Why am I having so much trouble? This should be so simple. This should be such an easy task at the end of the semester. Something that ties the whole semester together and yet I am struggling to write this paper. I feel defeated and overwhelmed with the fact that I just can't find anything else to add.  I have written, walked away, come back, re-read, and tried again. I have used every strategy I can think of to end this writer's block and nothing is working. I am running out of time......
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Procrastination

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I'm trying to get the last of all this semester's work done. We have the PLN assignment, participation logs, and blogs. I have another class that has a big technology project due this week also. I've been teaching an online class that ends this week so while I'm teaching all this week, I am also closing out that class. On top of that, as odd as it feels, emails are trickling in for the start of the new school year. I just saw a preliminary roster/schedule today for my classes and I have more meetings this week than I want to deal with (I'm on too many committees and do too many things).  I'm excited and exhausted all at the same time. I like being busy but at the same time, I have no interest in doing any work. It's a weird feeling. I've been doing some reading too, at first I was reading some books that I have been previewing for my book club idea (the one I used for my Produsage assignment) and now that I have read most of the books I was previewing, I
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Twitter and Ed Chats...

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At the beginning of this semester, I was tasked with an assignment in my other class that frightened me a bit: a Twitter ed Chat. First , I was new to Twitter and wasn't a big fan of it to begin with. I had no idea what a Twitter chat was and was afraid of the unknown. So like anyone, I put off the assignment until I couldn't anymore.  This past week, I realized I needed to face my fear and get this done. The assignment was due soon. I had actually attempted to do this assignment for a few weeks, however every chat I attempted to do seemed to be on a hiatus for the summer. This didn't help my fears and anxiety. I was also trying to schedule doing this chat around my children's bedtime and my husband being on shift. This limited my time frame. I found a feature on Twitter, where I could be notified of each day's chats three times a day. This way I could see what was on the agenda for the day and plan. It also included #hashtags and handles to each chat to help me see
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International perspective...part of my PLN?

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If you read my blog often or scroll through my Twitter feeds, then you probably already know that I am a Global Ambassador for Pen Pal Schools . If you have not heard about them, they are an amazing platform that connects students from around the world to practice writing, collaborate on projects and make friends. The platform has also become a space for educators to connect and collaborate. We are able to connect via the platform and via social media platforms. The platform is growing and transforming and with the new features coming this school year, we will be able to connect our classrooms to collaborate on projects and students will be able to seek answers to specific topics and questions from students and classrooms in locations around the world. I have the honor of being a Global Ambassador for this platform and this means that I get to meet monthly with the other ambassadors virtually. Being able to meet and discuss the platform, collaboration, curriculum, ideas, and more is an
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No Talking?? Could you DO it?

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So I am teaching an online class to 4th and 5th graders right now and we are reading the book "No Talking" by Andrew Clements together. I've been really thinking about the whole concept of the book and childhood and school and growing up and everything. I asked the students if they thought they could do the experiment from the book. While most thought it might be challenging for school, they didn't think it would be too hard around their friends or family. The reality is, the majority of society can function without talking nowadays. With the use of cellphones and emojis along with body language, we can all communicate without even saying a word. And while we may not think about it, our children are very capable of doing this. Don't believe me? Tell a class of students that they can't talk the whole class period. I promise they will find a way.  During midterm exams, students have to be silent. I am not allowed to dismiss students until the exam period is over
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Google Earth and other technology tools in the Social Studies classroom

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As a Geography teacher, Google Earth becomes a valuable part of my classroom. Beyond using Google maps personally though, I had not used Google Maps in the classroom until two years ago.  When I was working on a National Geographic Educator Certification  , I discovered some awesome resources, one of which was Google Earth.  The use of technology has expanded the Social Studies classroom. In the past, students looked at globes or standard maps and read pages of textbooks. Without any experience, any visits to any places, the content was simply that, content and information. Students were unlikely to make connections.  Now with technology, students CAN visit places. They CAN have experience and make connections.  With Google Earth, we can take students anywhere in the world. They can drop into street view and walk the streets of Paris.  With Virtual Field trips, we can take students to museums and they can experience paintings and historic artifacts up close and have guided tours. We ca
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