Using ThingLink instead of email

Now we can use ThingLink instead of email accounts for children under 13. The teacher can register and list the students under the teacher account. The system works the same with email but without any of the social problems that come with traditional email. Free Tech 4 Teachers blog site by Richard Byrne describes the interactive site that can offer the teacher monitoring. In order to register it is important that you register as a teacher and use ThingLink.edu.
 Here is the slide presentation that Richard Byrne has developed to walk you through the process of forming email with Thinglink.edu. This site is also useful in making interactive pictures and charts with adding video and audio to the pictures from piccollage and picmonkey for tablet use.


References:

Byrne, R. (2014) Using thinglink instead of email. Retrieved from:  http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2014/06/thinglink-edu-your-students-can-use.html#.U6mSWbEvByW

How Taking MOOC's Can Land You A Job

How taking MOOC's can land you a job

    How taking MOOC's can land you a job caught my interest when I viewed T. Falk's blog at Smart Planet. This was particularly interesting to me since I recently learned what a MOOC was.Smart planet blog bulletin shows how taking MOOCs( Massive Open Online Courses) which have been available to the public world wide since 2012 can land you a job.  The MOOC's are courses  usually offered by world renown universities such as Yale and Harvard for free. Yes, free! The catch is you do not receive college credit. These courses are at no obligation and do not require registration.
    In addition, some employers like AT&T are  looking for prospective employees through  the development of a  Nanodegree that is earned in 12 months with it being $200.00 per month or $2,400.00 total. AT&T seeks this method so the material learned applies to the job scope. Tyler Falk continues to note that the nanodegree is heading toward the future in education.  Companies can obtain the trained intern from the nanodegree with out having to invest in the training.



Reference
Falk, T. (2014) How a mooc could get you a job. Retrieved from:
http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/bulletin/how-a-mooc-could-get-you-a-job/

Review of Blog: The power of the lurker

   In the review of Blog: The power of the lurker is not a horror blog with the concern of someone watching you. Lurking is an anonymous viewing of a blog with potential for information and incite. I can not count the times that I have read a blog to gain an others perspective on a topic or problem. I may not have commented on the blog or shared the same ideals but I gained information to continue my search that would have taken more time than I have. The article by Web20Classroom Blog comments much of what I had already been thinking.  People read for information but not always for socialization.
    What we say in our own blogs is our personal opinion not a research project but the website locations that we insert brings the reader to the material faster so they can add to their knowledge sources. I have connected to a variety of subjects through blogs with first starting using the coupon saving blog sites in 2007. I saved my family a lot of money using their tips and gaining access to the coupon sites.  Why not use this in every avenue of my professional life? Teach with a blog. Use this to share outcomes of new theories. We are foolish if we always wait for the researchers information which can take years when we are part of the research ourselves. Sharing what works, our failures and success with those that remain anonymous or lurkers benefits all teaching.  As the article states "happy lurking."


 Reference
Web 2.0 Classroom Blog, Blog: The power of the lurker Retrieved from Teachhub.com http://www.teachhub.com/power-lurker

Student engagement: parents preventing summer slide on a budget

       As a frugal parent I found this article from Edutopia quite refreshing.  Student engagement: Parents preventing the summer slide on a budget by Heather Wolpert-Gawron. The budget friendly ideas of utilizing the skills that the student learned through out the school year could be expanded during the summer break. Preventing summer slide does not need to be expensive.  Plan a trip with several visits to the library gathering information.  Not only will the student gain from reading but the planning of the trip related to the research encourages complex thinking.
       The more involved the student is in the early stages of planning the more input they will give. Investigate sites of interest. Look in your community for great deals on museum, zoos and historical landmarks. Trips to museums or historical sites usually are low cost.  Create travel games utilizing the material found for trips like homemade trivial pursuit using information that you gathered in the trip planning. It's a great  travel award for the coveted front seat. By using these frugal suggestions, students can have a growing summer with a short slide to fall. Enjoy your family time this summer.



Reference

Wolpert-Gawron, H. (2014). Preventing summer slide on a budget. Retrieved from:

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/parents-preventing-summer-slide-on-budget-heather-wolpert-gawron

Teaching Leadership

Teaching leadership development is adapting for the student. According to Joshua Blocks Edutopia article Teaching is adapting, he discusses a few of  the Center for Teaching Quality campaign outcomes. The most significant thoughts on teachers responses are focusing on having a thoughtful voice in drawing in the student to the learning. The student is given equal power in the learning relationship. This development of the student voice creates critical thinking instead of rote learning.  Facilitating in the classroom discussion by encouraging the students to discuss their belief with the class instead of the instructor to student discussion. This creates the multilevel learning where the students use resources and quotes to refer to their deeper inquiry. Resolving conflicts is not a teaching tool but a needed leadership skill.  As in any area, conflicts occur. Resolving them  properly requires patience and understanding. Taking time to hear what the conflict is, set a step for resolution and require the interaction of the students in conflict will ease the classroom tension teaching the students how to deal with conflicts in the future.  Mentoring and modeling is student centered learning with the teacher guiding the inquiry. This approach is more time consuming than a quick answer or opinion but  results in critical thinking. The modeling gives the student with an example or start. Consulting develops learning by  peer/instructor evaluating the students teaching plan and developing a plan for instruction can be applied to the dental hygiene student.
 There are more possibilities of adaptive teaching sources which the author of the original article Teaching is adapting  encourages you to add is his review.  You may add to his review by linking to
http://www.edutopia.org/blogs/teaching-is-adapting-joshua-block.
References
Block, J. (2014).Teaching is adapting. Retrieved from:
        http://www.edutopia.org/blogs/teaching-is-adapting-joshua-block

Learning the social web

The social web is the newest way to connect to new people and develop friendships. I recently submitted a photograph to National Geographic and was connected to three people around the world that showed appreciation. It made be think about sharing more photographs instead of keeping them to myself. While doing this I created a social web with these new people.  Richardson's book of "Blogs, Wikis and Podcasts" brought to my visualization that "...this network of individual nodes of people connected by ideas and passions, constantly shifting and changing as new connections are found and old ones are reconsidered."( Richardson, p.85) It was through the passion of photography that we were connected. I continued to peer into the lives of those that appreciated my submission and realized I would have never met them since one was from Turkey, second from Kazakhstan and the third from Minnesota.
 This is an example of the effect of the social web. I have used Facebook, email, text and blogging but it took putting a photo out there in cyberspace to really realize the power of social media. All other venues brought old connections. According to Richardson " Because of these tools, we can build complex networks of resources to tap into allowing us to find more information, more teachers, and more learning."(Richardson, p.86)

Reference

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis and podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. 
Corwin: Thousand Oaks, CA

Edutopia: "Teachers need to follow their own rules" by Dr. Curwin

   

     The Edutopia article by Dr. Richard Curwin states that "Teachers need to follow their own rules." He didn't imply that the teachers need to set their own rules he meant that the rules for the students should apply to the teacher as well, otherwise don't have that rule. We all teach others by example even when we are not teachers. Or are we all teachers? The answer is yes, we are all teachers in everything we do. Society is constantly watching and treats us according to the rules we follow. So, should we follow the rules we give our children to demonstrate the importance? Absolutely, children need to know that the rule is followed by all. Especially by the adult so the children can distinguish the importance of the rule. Dr. Curwin also states that  the choices of behavior follows values and they are the best indicators of your values.
     Dr. Curwin suggests that for those teachers that need to follow their own rules should start with two easy ones at first.
Be professional. Be on time for meetings and classroom work.
Be a good role model.  Don't do it if it's not what you want them to do.
I find that it is important to remind ourselves that we are the professional not the student. In order for them to achieve professionalism they need to know what it is. How it had been modeled is up to us.


 References     
Curwin. R. (2014). Teachers should follow own rules. Retrieved from: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/teachers-should-follow-own-rules-richard-curwin