Learning Network Task

My Learning Network task was very simple considering I didn't even have a Twitter Account until last week, so I completed two task for this assignment. My two Learning Network Task That I completed were: Getting Started With Twitter and Engaging Others Through Twitter Chats. First let me start off by saying that learning to navigate Twitter and the Twitter Chats was probably the hardest thing for me throughout the entire task; because I had no idea what I was doing. Creating an account was very simple and didn't take much time at all, but adding 20 people was the most time consuming part. I didn't want to just follow a ton of random people or groups just because I needed to follow 20, so I actually spent some time trying to find people that would benefit me in the long run. Most everyone already has a Twitter, most of the time I feel like the only one in the world who doesn't but I just can't get into some things. The only time I post on Facebook is usually just pictures, so for me to interact with Twitter and sit down and put time into it was a task within itself for me. Considering there isn't much of anything to say about creating a account on Twitter, I figured it would be best if I went to the next task so I could have something a little more interesting to write about.

My next and more interesting task was to participate in a "Twitter Chat" in which I had never heard of until I watched videos and tutorials on "How to". First thing I had to do was create a Tweet Deck Account(which synced with my newly created Twitter Account) so all I had to do was log in with the same information. Once on my Tweet Deck (pictured below ) I had to go and add a couple of different groups.
As you can see the 2 groups that I followed were #EDTeach and #resiliencechat. I found these two chat groups from this link provided by my teacher . I was doing all of this on a Monday night so I chose my "Twitter Chat" by picking a group that chats on Mondays and because it was after 9pm I chose the next time of 10pm, So my picking narrowed itself down fairly quickly.  The chat that I participated in was the #Resiliencechat hosted by Sara Truebridge. Throughout the chat she asked a total of 5 questions for others to respond to.  As you can see from the screenshot above and below I answered each question and also replied and favored others responses.

I think that this assignment was very good for my personal growth in social media and even in my life. I would of never gone on, create an account or participate in anything like this on my own. It was a huge learning experience for me and I really hope that Twitter can become a active tool for  communicating with other teachers all over the world that can help and inspire me in my future teaching career. The major topic for this particular chat was " Being Grateful". Being Grateful is so very important and I think it is very much something that everyone should think about daily. There are so many things to be thankful for and hearing from so many other teachers from all over was what made me realize what I am most grateful for. I hope to continue learning through Twitter and I hope to use it in my future in teaching.

 

TPACK or SAMR

    First let me start off by saying that this is my first public blog post ever and I am extremely excited! Over the last week in EDU 451/617 we have read and watched a lot of material on both the TPACK and the SAMR models. Although both models seem logical and impressive, I would like to choose the TPACK model for this discussion. TPACK stands for the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge , but we will just call it TPACK because that is a lot more simplistic. The "T" stands for technical knowledge or the ability to use technology such as a computer, tablet etc. The "C" stands for content knowledge or subjects like science, language arts, math and social studies. Therefore it is what the teacher is teaching the students. The "P" stands for pedagogical knowledge which is the ability to teach something. Although you might be a "math person" and would say that you are good at math does not mean that you have the ability to teach math.

 

TPACK Explained

     The way that each circle overlaps within the vin-diagram represents the way that teaching, technology and subject knowledge should overlap in the classroom. I like this model because it makes more sense to me than the SAMR model, the way it is drawn and displayed. In 2006 Mishra and Koehler combined their models together to create TPACK. In a classroom it can be very difficult to find a balance with technology integration; when to use or not to use the iPads, laptops, games or even smart boards or projectors for note-taking or research. It is hard to find a peaceful center where the teacher is still comfortable, the students can handle the responsibility and get the work done. Sometimes using too much technology, or not fully understanding the technology you are using inside the classroom can make or break the entire lesson. Although technology is rapidly growing and advancing, if used incorrectly it could end up hurting the student later down the road.  

       One way of using technology and integrating the TPACK model would be to use Google Docs, Notes or any other note taking application that allows each student to take their own set of notes, but it can be quickly and easily accessed or share between others.  So, in this Note Taking Example, he/ she is taking notes for her science class. The teacher can easily access those notes by the link or they can easily be shared or emailed to the professor or anyone else in the classroom. Applications like google docs allows multiple people to edit and work on the same document at once all around the world. 

 

A Google Drive Tip for Starting the School Year

This picture is an example of groups or folders that allows a person to share multiple files to multiple people in seconds. So the picture above is a classroom of students sharing their notes or documents with the teacher directly through Google Drive. Having this technology integrated into the classroom is very helpful and it can be a lot easier to come back to. Things like note taking or journal writing can easily take up a lot of paper and being a teacher and trying to keep up with 25+ papers at a time can be hard, so having the ability to use technology in a way that is helpful is important. And, also a lot more organized! 

     In a recent assignment I was asked to choose a content area and come up with a list of my own "newer" technologies or inventions to integrate into the curriculum. There was a three column chart which I will display below: In the chart we were asked to change the third column and find our own tools to help teach our chosen standards.

Marcela TPACK Model

So, just like my above example of using a tablet or certain applications to enhance note taking, the table represents a TPACK example of teaching a "World Language Activity". I find this model or chart as a "chart on a cart" in which it can be easily revised and altered to fit the rapid rate of technology growth. It took me the most time actually searching all over for the "possible technology" sources. I wanted to find things that were going to be helpful and assist me in teaching and not hurt or complicate what I was trying to get across.  This activity defiantly make me think and dig a little deeper into thinks that I have never really given much thought before now. The TPACK model holds my vote because it is easily edited and gives actual examples of possible technologies to use and go off of.