EDTECH 543: Curation

After creating criteria to evaluate curation with my PLN group I decided to use the curation platform of Scoop.it to create a curation of my own.  During my creation process I referred back to the content curation checklist.

1) Does the content represent the "best and most relevant" material available?
I searched the resources on Scoop.it for content.  I tried to abide by the current content specific, but found that by narrowing my search results some of my materials were a few years older than I would have liked.

2) Is the content curated in a way that demonstrates an evaluative process?
I tried to keep my focus to interactive learning, so I searched the following key words

• Interactive Learning Education
• Educational Technology
• Interactive Map
• iPads
• Interactive WhiteBoards
• Interactive Learning Middle School

3) Is the content selected for merit beyond title and keywords?
I read through the material and tried to find a variety of sources and media to add to my collection.  I felt that each of the searches connected with what I teach and the materials were things I would like to incorporate or learn more about.  I clicked on each of the articles to see beyond the title and keyword to make sure it had value.  Some articles were shorter than others, but each had something that could be incorporated in the learning style I was focusing on.

4) Does the content encourage the viewer to think critically or analyze the topic more carefully?
After reading the materials I "scooped" I felt that there was enough information so I could analyze whether or not the information presented would be of value in my classroom.  Not every article presented ideas that I would incorporate 100%, but gave me ideas I could use or modify.  My sources are credible and most come directly from educational websites or magazines.  Others are from educators or those who work in technology.

5) Is the content sorted logically? and 6) Is the content organized in a meaningful way for a specific theme?
Where I feel I need more practice is in the sorting or organization of my curation.  I have yet to figure out in the time allotted how to sort my content in a logical way.  It is posted based on which article I scooped first.  I started to work in the edit area and found because I have two pages worth or material it is not as easy as I had hoped to move materials.

7) Does the content's arrangement provide a context explaining why the resource is important? and 8) Does the content outline order of importance?
I plan on searching in more detail on how to sort my information on my curation page.  I do have a specific theme and it is titled at the top of my curation page.  The information is placed by detail (i.e. iPads or Interactive White Boards), but the order of the content could be changed to show importance.

9) Is the content editorialize for key points?
Yes, there are key points and I wrote insights to show the main idea.

10) Does the curator include editorialized comments demonstrating source creditability and relevance to theme?
My insights tend to focus more on the relevance to theme, so I continue to curate I can focus on the source.

11) Are the sources credible?
A majority of my sources come from educational websites and articles.  I did incorporate some blog and teacher posts for idea because I feel that teachers can be a credible source if after the article you feel that it was well researched.

12) Is the content presented in a clear, yet creative way? and 13) Is the content curated using an interactive platform?
I used Scoop.it, so the creativity for my firs time using it was limited.  As I continued to search the editing options I was able to add a little more personality to the page.  There is still a lot for me to learn on this platform.

14) Is the content shared in multiple places?
I was able to share my curation on my blog, Facebook, and Twitter, so it was accessible on many social media platforms.

15) Is the curated content accessible to audiences with similar interests?
Yes.

16) Does the selected platform allow viewers to interact with the curated content?
Yes.

17) Does the curated content invite viewers to ask questions, express interest, and/or join the conversation?
As for inviting others to join the conversation, it depends on their interests.  Scoop.it allows for shared information to be accessible and commented on.


Link to my PLN Group's Curation Criteria Project

Link to my Curation: Interactive Learning in Education

EDTECH 543: My Digital Footprint

After reading about what a "digital footprint" is it reminded me of the term "carbon footprint", no matter what you do, you make an impact.  It seems like I am connected to the Internet a countless number of times per day.  I had a conversation with my students about a month ago about what the Internet was like when I was a kid, or I should say teenager.  It was the time of AOL and waiting for the server to connect.  I still remember the sound of static waiting to connect to the world.  Now a days its every where at every moment.  My own children have grown up in the world of iPads and smartphones.  Waiting even ten seconds now seems like a life time for a page to load.  Therefore our digital impact is unavoidable unless you decide to live off the grid.  The question becomes, how do I want my footprint to look.  Will it be clean or messy?  Will the path be focused or strayed?

What I have discovered about my own digital footprint is very limited.  There must be a lot of Lindsay Hoyt's in the world and I am one of the least exciting.  This could be good or bad.  Good because I have been careful enough in my digital use not to create a negative impact.  On the other side of the spectrum, I have not used the Internet to promote myself as a professional.  As a teacher I am very mindful of what I do online and have very limited social networking.  I do have an LinkedIn account, but I haven't really done much with it.  My personal Facebook is not the most exciting of accounts, for example today I posted an image of my dog and bearded dragon protecting the backyard (documenting my exciting life).  I have a lot to work on as a professional and understand that whatever steps are like walking in wet cement, they are there for all to see.

Resources

What is Digital Footprint? Webopedia Definition. (n.d.). Retrieved June 16, 2017, from http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/D/digital_footprint.html

EDTECH 543: Twitter for Professional Development

This week I created my first TweetDeck and it only took me using to online tutorials to figure it out.  Looking at the options to chose from I chose the following hashtags to follow on my TweetDeck:

#EdTechSN
#socialstudies
#history
#lessonplans
#teachers
#bullying
#edtools

After scrolling through the TweetDeck and looking at the new resources I have on hand I learned quite a bit.  As a history teacher I am drawn to historical events, but especially those of injustice.  My hope is not only to help my students understand the historical timeline and its impact, but to help them grow in compassion and sympathize with the tragedies in history.  With all the media available to students it seems that they are becoming desensitized too soon.  On #lessonplans one of the first links that popped up was for the Equal Justice Initiative.  I clicked on the website link and it connected me to a fantastic source about Lynching in America.  It is mature content and as a teacher it there is always a need to filter depending on your audience.  I believe its important to see the mistakes of history and educate students on how to bring about positive change.  Without this hashtag I might not have found this resource.
Lynching in America - https://lynchinginamerica.eji.org/

Another resource I found in the #edtools was from curriculum.org.  There was a posted link for creating animated videos for teaching.  The link sent me to educatorstechnology.com's article on Animaker.  It gives a video explanation on how to use it and I thought it was a good resource to keep in mind.  I have used multiple animation creators during my EdTech courses, but I haven't used this one yet.  It could be a great resource in my middle school classroom for my students to create presentations in a creative way.
Link to Source - http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2017/06/here-is-awesome-tool-for-creating.html

On the #socialstudies feed there were great positive tweets about what is happening in social studies classrooms around the world.  There was an article that came up that explained what every social studies teacher believes - history matters!  Using the TweetDeck I am able to find educational articles about my content.  This particular article came from Education World and was written by a professor who discussed the importance of social studies and how to engage students in the content.
Education World - http://www.educationworld.com/blog/positioning-social-studies-center#.WUFKwUUEFeM.twitter

As I mentioned before I was not one who saw much value in Twitter.  I always thought it was a way to following sports heroes and celebrities, but now after filtering through the information I was interested in and creating a TweetDeck I have found that the resources are endless.  I am interested in looking at the other hashtags I started to follow, including #bullying.  It seems like at any level there are forms of bullying at school and as a middle school teacher hopefully I will find resources to help the students at my school.  It is a valuable professional development tool that is available whenever a teacher decides to search.

EDTECH 543 - Social Networking Creative Expression

I created a Padlet presentation to express creatively how I view Communities of Practice (CoPs), Connectivism, and Personal Learning Networks (PLN).  As a teacher, my life seems to be full of sticky notes to remind me of all the things I need to remember.  I thought Padlet was the perfect platform for organizing my thoughts creatively.

I started my viewpoint with a tree to symbolize the roots or foundations a teacher must have to grow.  I guess you could think of it as the "Tree of Knowledge".  Looking beyond an individuals foundations, there are links between Communities of Practice, Connectivism, and Personal Learning Networks.  According to Lave and Wenger, Communities of Practice are the processes of social learning that allow people with similar interests to communicate and problem-solve as a group (2016).  This shared passion crosses over into personal learning networks and the learning theory of connectivism.  The Internet has allowed people to connect across the globe in various forms - blogs, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other social networks (2017).  Peer communication in education is an important part of growth in our profession.  Sometimes within a school there is limited groups to share information with, so using social networking allows teachers to connect with teachers in similar content to share information.  Personal Learning Networks is the tool that connects the communities of educators.  It uses social media and technology to link people together communicate, collaborate, and create together in an online community (Whitby, 2013).  The result or final link in this connected chain is the results that educators can see in their classroom and how they meet their professional objectives.

The links between Communities of Practice, Connectivism, and Personal Learning Networks are constantly changing.  No link looks exactly the same, but if educators take the time and put in the effort to connect to the different social networking communities they will connect with the world community.

Link to Padlet Creative Expression: https://padlet.com/lindsayhoyt/vqenh2ekotdq

References

Communities of Practice (Lave and Wenger). (2016, June 29). Retrieved June 12, 2017, from https://www.learning-theories.com/communities-of-practice-lave-and-wenger.html

Connectivism (Siemens, Downes). (2017, February 04). Retrieved June 12, 2017, from https://www.learning-theories.com/connectivism-siemens-downes.html

National Center for the Dissemination of Disability Research. (n.d.). Retrieved June 11, 2017, from http://www.ncddr.org/cop/whatiscop.html

Whitby, T. (2013, November 18). How Do I Get a PLN? Retrieved June 11, 2017, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/how-do-i-get-a-pln-tom-whitby

EDTECH 543: Social Networking

I had mixed feelings about the thought of registering for a social networking course.  Social networking is important to business and is a part of most of our student’ lives and I am currently a member of Facebook.  I use Facebook to stay in contact with my college and current friends, but have a limited list of contacts.  I like my privacy for the most part and knowing that my personal information is available for the public eye is sometimes an uneasy feeling.  I was glad to see that the Facebook account needed to be with my Boise State account and that the group was private.  I am not a twitter user, but I had an account once, but didn’t use it much.  I have used Diigo for other course for BSU so my account was all set.

I have not used social media for my professional development.  Although I use a variety of technology as a teacher I have not used social media in any form in my profession.  As a teacher I worry about my social media presence and what might get posted or connected to my name.  Even my personal Facebook account usually is fun photos of my family and pets, therefore I’m not the most excited person to follow.  As for instructional strategies in learning I again have not used social media.  I am looking to integrate Google Classroom next year to enhance my communication and explanation of my class to students and parents.  As a middle school teacher I use a Promethean Board, laptops, iPads, Microsoft programs, multimedia, games and simulations.  At the private school I currently teach there are no personal devices allowed during the school day.  Students are not even allowed to use their phones in the car line or bring them on field trips.  I chaperoned a trip in May to Mackinac Island where my seventh graders stayed at the Grand Hotel.  Even on the trip phones were not permitted and students had to bring a separate camera. 

I expect this course to give me valuable ways to use social media, not only as a professional, but in my classroom as well.  I know there are important privacy concerns that I should be aware of and have researched a bit on what my digital footprint can look like if using certain social networking tools.  I hope to learn the positive impact the tools can have and the direction that social media is heading.