RSS in Education

The EDTECH 501 has provided me with exposure to a variety of digital tools that are proving to be invaluable. Feedly is perhaps the most valuable thus far though. RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is an easy way to keep up on news and information on the web. What makes RSS unique and user-friendly is the fact that the individual maintains control over the content they are exposed to. This means there isn't the normal email spam that comes when subscribing to a website. Feedly supports the idea of RSS by allowing the individual to follow given websites and then categorize those sites into folders. Since the user monitors what they see on Feedly it creates flexibility, freedom, and individualizes the experience for the user ("What is RSS?", 2014).

  Creating folders

Creating my Feedly account was a very simple task. It took time figuring out the options for creating folders for the different feeds I decided to add to my RSS feed. For the EDTECH501 course I create a folder with the required websites and for the EDTECH 501 Small Group folder I added all my group members' blogs. This can be seen in the image below. 

I like the fact that I am able to easily access my small groups' blogs through Feedly. On Google+ I felt frustrated at having to navigate to their profile pages to find the latest posts to comment on. However, on Feedly the links to my classmates' blogs are already linked to my account making it very manageable to browse though their posts and comment directly through Google+ on Feedly. 

Searching

I found the accessibility of the sites great until  I selected the "All" option. I became quickly overwhelmed by the below image. 

Seeing all of the latest articles and news information posted in this format was more difficult for me to work through. I prefer having visuals attached to articles because it contextualizes the piece a bit more. I came to the conclusion that the best way for me to search through and find the things that interest me is to click on the individual site pages.

Feeds for English 9

When I finished completing the requirements for EDTECH 501 course I began thinking of how I could use this tool in conjunction with my English 9 class. I incorporate current events frequently and want quick and easy access to news sources. The below picture shows the sites I decided to add to my feed for this purpose.

 Feedly for me

As I mentioned in my initial introduction post, I love to run. I coach cross country and track and I am always looking for new things to add to workouts to help our runners. Next to running, cooking is my second favorite thing to to. Baking and cooking both act as therapy for me after long days. I share this because this assignment bleed into my personal life. I am enthusiastic about how easy Feedly is to navigate that I want to use it for personal use as well. Thus, I began adding my favorite fitness sites and baking/cooking blogs to my Feedly RSS feed.

Classroom Application

I see the benefit in Feedly for educators, but had to ponder how it can effectively be used to better my students. After much thought the following are three ideas of how I would use RSS in my classroom:  

1. Career Search

One of my primary objectives in English 9 is teaching students life skills. Beyond learning and studying meaningful literature, I desire to see my students grow in professionalism and their abilities to apply strategies for living life successfully. Thus, one of the class projects I would like to implement is the development of a job search. In this project students would conduct a research report on a potential career field. They would also develop a portfolio that holds a resume, cover letter, and letters of recommendation to be submitted in a job application.  Feedly would serve as the backbone of this project. Josh Catone suggests in his blog that students could sign-up to follow job search sites (i.e. CareerBuilder, SimplyHired, Monster, etc.)(2014). Students would then search jobs in the career field of their choice and save their searches into Google Docs (or Evernote if they choose to upgrade to Feedly pro). They would monitor jobs that are of interest and would analyze the number of jobs available, dominate locations where the jobs are offered, and develop a clear understanding of what is required to meet the criteria for that position. Overall, this would teach students invaluable skills about the adult world and searching for jobs. 

2. Current Events

 In maintaining the idea of teaching life skills, I would like to see students in my classroom become more knowledgeable about world events. Thus, Feedly, again, can serve as the backbone for monitoring current events. Students could add major news sites such as CNN, New York Times, L.A. Times, and others to their RSS feed. On a weekly basis students would then find an article of interest to them. Throughout the semester students would have to find at least one article related to world news, local news, sports, business, art, and any other categories that are deemed appropriate by the teacher. Feedly provides easily access for students to navigate news sites to find appropriate articles without the inconvenience of dealing with junk mail, subscriptions, or other nuisances that would keep them from wanting to engage in such an academic assignment. With every article there would be a different Common Core reading standard attached. Students would then read the article and answer the assigned question in the comment section when they post their chosen article on Google+. Students would then be responsible for commenting on other classmates articles. This would ultimately lead to the development of potential Socratic Seminar topics. 

3. Flipping the Classroom 

Another way Feedly can be effective in the classroom is to use it to support student discussions. The concept of flipping the classroom refers to a method whereby students are assigned readings and asked to read and analyze them outside of class in order to come to class prepared for discussion, which is part of the English 9-10 Common Core Standards. I would implement this by posting certain articles, Podcasts, videos, and other resources on my classroom blog. Students would then locate these sources via their RSS feed and bookmark them. The effectiveness of this would be that on day one of a unit students could bookmark all the appropriate resources. This would be creating a digital folder for the material that would be used through the course of the unit. With that students could move ahead if they so desire or keep the pace of the class. Either way it pushes students to be responsible for their own learning. When it comes time for in-class discussion students would then have quick access to the resources used to prepare for the discussion. This would make it more manageable for students to call on evidence to support ideas and opinions. 
 Feedly would simply make the material easier to access, navigate, and use to support meaningful learning experiences for students.

Conclusion

In continuing to navigate Feedly it is clear that their are many potential uses for this tool in the classroom. It serves as a user-friendly tool for research, reading, and maintain one's knowledge of the newest and latest events in the world. Moving forward I look forward to continuing to explore the use of Feedly in my own classroom and hope the ideas above prove to be of benefit to others.

References

Catone, J. (2014, May 28). 7 things you can do with Evernote and feedly [Pro]. Retrieved July 1, 2014, from http://blog.feedly.com/2014/05/28/evernote-feedly-uses/

What is RSS? (2014, June 23). Retrieved July 1, 2014, from http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Reference-

Shelf/Libraries/RSS-Library/What-Is-RSS.shtml

Week 3 Reflection

What I am enjoying most about this class is the fact that everything we are using and learning is going to be easily applied in my own classroom. I was worried entering the EDTECH program that I would find us studying lots of concepts and theory without any practical application. This class has done just that in providing practical application. Another aspect that I am greatly appreciating is how nicely this is coinciding with our district wide English department approach to Common Core. California is just now entering the full transition into Common Core and with that we have had a series of trainings. In these trainings we have been developing units and at the end of every unit we are coming up with summative assessments called "Engaging Learning Experiences." In many ways I see these as synonymous to PBLs, but it is out districts' twist on it. Thus, the abundance of PBL resources we have been exposed to in this class have been extremely thought-provoking. I find myself now constantly thinking how I can teach standards, novels, and big ideas in alignment with the unit PBL topic that allows students to creatively demonstrate their understanding.

This is greatly beneficial as our approach to teaching is now going to require that students engage in levels 3 and 4 on the depth of knowledge chart, and not remain at level 1 where they are simply held accountable for memorization of material. More specifically, with my project, I am looking forward to seeing it fully developed. I believe this project will create student "buy-in" for learning, which is something I wrote about in my week 1 log. The series of assignments I will be creating leading up to the final presentation of this project all allow for student freedom and creativity. There isn't a set right or wrong way to complete these assignments. Rather students will have the flexibility to innovate and create. To do these things students will have to apply critical thinking skills, which is my main objective in my classroom.

I also like the fact that my project will teach students life skills in regards to communication, collaboration, logical reasoning, and making educated judgments. No matter the professional field students chose to enter one day, all of these skills will be required. Lastly, I have very much enjoyed learning more about how to facilitate Google sites and other technological resources. While I have been acquainted with these tools I am not extremely well versed. There are a lot of small things that I have always wondered"How do I do that?" This class is forcing me to answer those questions that I have put off for so long. This is huge because I intend to take these tools and teach my students how to effectively use them in class. I already have students maintain a digital learning log, but next year I intend to have them use Google presentation, blogger, Google+, and even some of the mind-mapping tools we were referred to this week. I know that once literate in how to use these devices students will find themselves engaged and excited about whatever project we are working on in class.

Digital Divide/Digital Inequality

REFLECTION

1. What did you learn about multimedia principles in creating this artifact?

This project was extremely interesting to me because it was so hands on. The week's overview video was extremely helpful. I appreciate the actual application of the tools in this assignment and having to navigate how to use them. I also enjoyed the fact that there was a great blend in media sources to create one culminating project. This helped me to envision how I intend to use multiple technologies to build assignments in my class in the future. Rather than doing a bunch of small assignments I like the idea of having portions of a project focus on using different forms of media. This assignment not only increased my exposure to these tools, but helped me to think critically.

2. What did you learn about digital divide and/or digital inequality that was new to you?

I think the biggest thing I learned in regards to digital divide and digital inequality is that the gaps that exist have massive effects in multiple aspects of life. I found it extremely interesting to think beyond the world of education. The divide that exists impacts people's abilities to do business, contribute to society, communicate globally, and can ultimately limit an individual's opportunities to succeed in life. This is because society has become extremely dependent upon technology. Therefore, if a person doesn't have access or use then they will struggle due to society's reliance on technology.

3. What do you plan to do with this knowledge in the future?

I'm far more motivated to write a grant to find a way for funding so our school site has more technological devices on campus and available for students. In addition, this assignment has me thinking about how I plan to use multiple technological tools to build and create a portfolio of assignment for my students. I want to be sure I pick meaningful tools for students to learn about. I want to be sure that they are tools that can be applied to their future careers. The tools we are using in this course now are preparing me to educate my students on the powerful things technology can do in the world when used correctly.

4. How might you change/improve this artifact if you had more time?

With more time I would have investigated all of the resources posted on the Moodle site. I was a tad overwhelmed by the number of reading options given to use for this assignment. With so many choices it was hard to narrow down the information that was most valuable. I finally had to just chose a few resources and go with them, so I guarantee there was valuable information I missed.

A minor thing I would do to improve my artifact is slow down when speaking. I realize in playing the entire presentation back that I rushed to speak in my presentation. I get excited when I speak and tend  to be very dynamic. I am learning how to speak at a more moderate pace to assure my audience can hear and understand what I am saying.

VOICE THREAD, PRESENTATION, TRANSCRIPT

Here is the link to my Voice Thread. 

Here is the link to my Google presentation.

Week 2 Reflection

This article discusses the goals of the PBL model for all students. The primary objectives are to create “authentic self-knowledge, diverse local and global interdependence, adaptive critical thinking, and new media literacies” (Heick 2013). The beauty of the PBL model is that students can achieve these objectives through an individualized path, hence capitalizing on the diverse and unique learning styles of each student. Moreover, this article pushes the idea of students moving from “students” to “learners.” As learners students can accomplish the same tasks and goals but through various modalities and with that freedom the teacher can create flexible differentiation (Heick 2013). 

As an Honors English teacher I believe this model will be extremely effective in my classroom. The practical application behind the PBL will be a motivating factor for students and the creativity and collaboration will be enticing and engaging. My classroom is centered on discussion based learning and students teaching students to create meaningful learning opportunities. Through the PBL model students will be able to accomplish the objectives I already have laid out for my current classroom, but have more freedom to be creative. 

All of my research on PBLs has me very intrigued about using this model in my classroom. My district is already moving in this direction creating units with a culminating project at the end of each unit that holds real world application and requires students to engage in critical thinking skills. When reading Of Mice and Men and To Kill a Mockingbird my students discuss the idea of the American dream. We look into expository texts such as FDR’s First Inaugural Address and historical documents that relate to the Great Depression. I would like to create a PBL where students act as marketing executives presenting to a public relations firm the attributes of the current generation’s perspective of the American dream. Students would use a form of digital media to develop a presentation and persuade the company of what the modern version of the American dream looks like. 

References

Heick, T. (2013, June 27). The Difference Between Learners and Students. Retrieved June 17, 2014, from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/difference-between-learners-and-students-terry-heick

Project Search

Identify some common features among projects that you examined.

All projects had clear objectives that are focused on mastering given skills. In addition,

PBLs require a “team” atmosphere that demands students to work together, coach one

another, and act as teachers for each other. The projects also clearly require essential

questions and big ideas for students to focus in on. Without these guiding tools students

are left with too much freedom, but with the larger themes students are given the ability

to be creative within boundaries. Another surprising factor is the fact that most require

students to engage in an activity that requires professionalism, something that sets the bar

and expectations high for all.

Share one PBL project that you were able to locate during your search.

A project that I saw and found interesting is titled “Peeps, Playas, and Apple Bottom

Jeans: how Teens Influence Pop Culture.” In this project students are to pretend that they

work for a marketing firm. This firm has undergone changes and is looking for new

expert advisors since majority of the staff is out of touch with the current pop culture trends.

This firm acknowledges the fact that teenagers have a heavy hand in influencing pop

culture trends and wants to know how they do so. The task is to create a video that

documents the research findings and present the findings to the board of executives. In

the presentation the task is to persuade the executives of the authenticity and validity of

the research through the implementation of a five page paper utilizing proper

documentation (Richardson 2009).

Explain why you like this project, and how you might be able to adapt it for your own use.

There are several appealing aspects of the project:

• It seeks to help student master Common Core Writing Standard 7.
• It places students in a real world situation where they are forced to use their communication, critical thinking, and collaboration skills, which are the three main objectives of PBLs it seems.
• It will force my students to develop their persuasion skills not just in writing but in speaking, listening, and through evaluative research.
• It will require that students practice research skills and the process of evaluating various sources in order develop a well-rounded, logical, and intriguing argument that can persuade an audience.

I believe this project presents a creative and realistic opportunity for students to master this

standard. I would like to use this approach, but change the marketing team’s essential question.

Rather than students providing information about how teens influence pop culture, I would like

to see them research what society today says the American dream is. This would tie in nicely

with our Of Mice and Men, To Kill a Mockingbird, and other short units taught throughout the

year.

References

Richardson, S. (2009, June 10). Teach21 Project Based Learning. Retrieved June 16, 2014, from http://wveis.k12.wv.us/teach21/public/project/Guide.cfm?upid=3308&tsele1=1&tsele2=110

Elements of Educational Technology

What I find so fascinating about the world of technology is that it is ever-evolving, always growing, and continuously influencing the way people live their lives. When placed in the context of education technology holds a profound weight and influence if used correctly. I greatly appreciate the dissection of the 13 elements that make up the world of educational technology because they show that it is more than just using a projector or SMARTboard, but figuring out how to properly engage student minds and use technology as a tool to promote critical thinking skills. I find myself in awe of how complex this tool is, but look forward to using it more efficiently in the classroom. Below is the link to my Elements of Educational Technology paper. 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/18coQ-VyiSHXU3soUdJMA9z_nh2eFWulhx96TelMgju0/edit?usp=sharing

Welcome!

Hi all!

My name is Megan Poindexter and I am currently a 9th grade English teacher in central California. I told myself I never wanted to be a teacher growing up, but we all know how plans change. I studied Mass Communications Journalism in college hoping to become a professional sports writer or publicist. After dabbling in that career field for a little while I discovered my passion for teaching. I moved to China and taught English for a year before returning state side to earn my credential. Last year I moved back to my hometown and now teach at my alma mater, Clovis High School, and absolutely love it! I’m so thankful for the opportunity to be a cougar. 

At CHS I also coach cross country and track and field. Running is a huge passion of mine and coaching is incredible blessing. Most of my time is spent traveling to meets up and down the west coast when we are in season. Out of season I enjoy hiking, we aren’t to far from Yosemite; baking, I’m gluten and dairy free so I like to experiment; and spending time with my family. 

My desire for the future is to act as a resource for my school district when it comes to embracing technology. California is going through a huge shift with Common Core Standards being implemented, and with that shift there is always a learning curve. I believe this learning log will act as a great resource for not only myself, but my colleagues in the future. As educators our goal should be to constantly be learning new ways to teach and better the classroom environment for our students. My hope is that this log will remind me of what I want to accomplish with students to help them think critically and also to prepare them for life in the real world. 

I’m looking forward to a great semester!

Megan