TED-Ed Lessons

TED-Ed is a platform that allows used to create lessons based off of engaging videos. Users can choose a TED Talk videos, other TED-ed videos, or other videos found on YouTube to create their lessons. Introductions, thinking questions, discussion questions, and closures can be added to supplement the video lessons.

I created my TED-Ed lesson on a question I get asked constantly by my 5th grades; "Why do we have to read?" It's hard to explain question to explain to a 10 year old who would rather be playing outside or on their phones than reading a book. I love John Green and his YouTube video series called CrashCourse. I've used it personally in the past to refresh my memory on certain topics before I taught them. His videos are engaging and straight to the point. Viewers don't have to waste time reading between the lines in order to find the message of the video.

TED-Ed lessons are beneficial for students who have English as a second language. TED-Ed lessons can help students reach certain learning standards. They can help students "listen, speak, read, and write in English for information and understanding." (NYLearns) Like in a flipped classroom model, TED-Ed lessons allow ESL students to control the pace of their learning. They can pause and rewind the videos to better comprehend the lesson. Through TED-Ed lessons, students can learn how to listen with a purpose, thus allowing students to make conclusions about that topic. This falls under the following NYS Learning Standards performance indicator;

Performance Indicator - ESL.I.5-8.1.1.6: Students make and support inferences about information and ideas with reference to features in oral and written text.

Flipped Classrooms

As an elementary and special education teacher, it is hard for me to imagine how a flipped classroom would work. However, Helaine Marshall, author of THREE REASONS TO FLIP YOUR CLASSROOM, gives insight on how a flipped classroom can be beneficial to students, especially English language learners. 

In a flipped classroom, students do their "direct instruction" outside of the classroom through instructional videos. During classroom time, students interact with peers, collaborating on activities geared toward what was watched in the instructional videos. Teachers also use that time to give feedback and ask higher order thinking questions. 

My first thought when reading about flipped classrooms was, "how?" I soon came to the realization that flipped classrooms are probably intended for high school aged and on. Even so, how does the teacher ensure the student is viewing the instructional videos? How does it work in lower-income areas (areas where students may not have that technology at home)? How can educators expect students to do this amount of learning outside of class? What if the student needs to work? Does the student need to view instructional videos for every subject? Where will they find the time?

Trying not to be a pessimist, I decided to read on. Marshall does a great job of outlining why this type of teaching would be beneficial to English language learners. One aspect that I think would be beneficial is the ability to control how you are experiencing your instruction. You can pause and rewind to go over concepts you may not be too sure on. You can also fast forward over concepts you are comfortable with, leaving you more time to focus on concepts you are unsure of. EL learners usually spend most of traditional instruction time trying to comprehend what the teacher is saying. A flipped classroom eliminates this problem. It allows the student to spend more time learning the content, rather than trying to understand the language. 

Overall, I believe flipped classrooms can work with higher-education. Even though I have my doubts, I think that if it were implemented correctly, it would be extremely beneficial to EL learners. 

Twitter in the 21st Century Classroom

Although many people use social media for recreational purposes, certain social media platforms can also be used in the world of education. Twitter, for example, can be utilized by teachers to improve student learning, as well as improve their own skills as a teacher. Twitter is a great way for teachers to get their students to close that gap between "at school" and "at home" learning.

As briefly touched upon in my last blogpost, Twitter can be used as a professional development tool. Personally, I see myself using Twitter as a resource to turn to when I an unsure of something. According to Sarah W. Caron, "Making professional connections via social networking can not only result in a lot of great sharing of ideas and resources, but also combat the sense of isolation that many teachers experience." As a new teacher, I have questions constantly. Turning to colleagues for advice is necessary.  However, sometimes it may be easier, and more appropriate, to seek advice from other educators. Twitter allows me to do just that.

In the classroom, teachers can utilize Twitter in a variety of ways. Personally, I would use Twitter for communication purposes. For example, I could use it to remind students on assignments or homework due. I could also use it to share extra resources to deepen student learning. Twitter is also a great, and safe, platform where my students can go to ask or find an answer to proposed questions. For example, if there is an assessment that my students are studying for and they have a question, they could ask it on Twitter. I could answer them that night as they are studying, as opposed to having them wait until the next day. Twitter's capabilities are not ones that are unattainable by other platforms; however it "can make your job more fun and a little easier." (NEA.org)

Twitchat

I will admit, when I first heard of the use of Twitter as a professional development tool for an educator, I was not convinced. How much can one person say in 140 characters? After attending my very first Twitchat, I was proven wrong.

Twitchat is a feature on Twitter which allows users to have a discussion through the use of a hashtag. Users can share resources, ask questions, and reply to fellow users. This week, I attended the #edtech Twitchat. The #edtech (short for educational technology) Twitchat takes place every Monday at 8:00 pm. In #edtech educators from around the world "gathered" to discuss what is new in educational technology, ask discussion questions, and seek advise. On Monday, there were many discussions about what is new in educational technology. However, the discussion seemed to focus specifically on Open Educational Resources, or OERs. Being that I had a vague idea of was an OER was, I was able to answer some questions and partake in the discussion.

Personally, I can find myself using Twitter and Twitchat for personal professional development. It is a fast and easy way to connect with educators all over the world. I love how just in the first 10 minutes, I found great resources to use within my classroom. It also provides new teachers, like myself, a comfortable and safe way to ask questions about topics we may not be too sure about. I can see myself using Twitchat in the future. I can't wait to see what other hashtags have to offer! 

Facebook and Filter Bubbles

Back in 2011, Eli Pariser gave a TED talk on how websites are using algorithms to create a personalized internet experience, in which he called, filter bubbles. Like shown in the picture above, filter bubbles are algorithms in which websites use to filter content in and out of a user's internet usage based on what they've previously done or what they've associated themselves with. This is a controversial topic that many people believe to be intrusive and dangerous. 

One of the most prominent companies to use filter bubbles is Facebook. Being one of the most popular social media websites, Facebook is where a majority of people go to find current events, or even to read news articles. It shocked me to find out that not only does  Facebook admit to using filter bubbles, but also finds it acceptable due to our own "echo chambers." According to Mariella Moon, Facebook claims that users create their own "echo chambers" on their Newsfeeds because they tend to only friend people who share similar beliefs. However, they then go on to claim that they do in fact use filter bubbles, but that is okay because we also unintentionally filter our feeds based on our friend list. As a user, I can see both sides of this. I can admit, most of my Newsfeed is full of friends who have similar beliefs. In fact, I have unfriended many people because I did not enjoy seeing what they would post. However, I do not believe this warrants Facebook to control what they think what type of news I should be exposed to. Like Pariser states in his Ted Talk, I believe that should be left up to the discretion of the user, not Facebook. 

Nonetheless, it is reassuring to read that Facebook is taking some measures against filter bubbling. Eliminating filtering from Trending Topics is a start. Yet, I still believe they are doing more than they say they are, especially when it comes to suggested articles and posts shown on Newsfeeds. 

E-Pals

ePals is a website where educators from around the world can visit to connect with other classes from around the world. Through ePals, students and teachers can create a unique learning community where students can experience life in other countries and cultures. On ePals, students can complete pre-created projects cooperatively by connecting with another class. Teachers can also create their own cooperative projects that align more closely with their curriculum. Once posted, other teachers can read the project description and then choose to connect with that class to complete it. Teachers can also choose to use ePals to connect with other teachers in order for their students to become pen pals.

I can see myself using ePals in my 5th grade classroom. I love the idea that students can be connected with other students in order to learn about each other's countries and cultures. In our 5th grade curriculum, we do a unit on Puerto Rico and how it became a US Territory. I would love to incorporated ePals into this unit. My students can connect with a class in Puerto Rico to learn more about their culture and heritage. I feel that those personal connections would be more meaningful than if they were to just read it from a textbook. 

Social Networking as a Teacher

Social media can be a great resource for teachers to use to better their practice. Through the website, The Educator's PLN The personal learning network for educators, teachers can find an endless amount of fellow teachers' social media networking profiles. Connecting with fellow educators from around the world can allow teachers to give their students the best education possible. One social media network that I would find useful is the Best Practices and Differentiated Instruction group from on The Educator's PLN. This group has a numerous amount of forums with discussions about special education and differentiated instruction. As a special education co-teacher in an inclusion setting, I can utilize this network to connect with fellow special education teachers to discuss methods and strategies to use in my classrooms .

A learner is like a ...

We've all heard of the same old smilies, "A learner is like a bridge," or, "A learner is like a tree." However, learning now is not the same as it was 10, 5, even 2 years ago. The technologies we use and the world we live in impacts the way we learn and teach. With that being said, it may be more accurate to state that, "A learner is like a road trip."

How is a learner anything like a road trip? It has been said that during a road trip, the journey is more important than the destination. The same concept can be applied to Connectivism. Connectivism is a learning theory created by Stephen Downes and George Siemens. This theory seeks to explain how learners learn in a ever-changing socially digital world. The basic idea of Connectivism is that learners learn best through making connections with other learners. Downes and Siemens stress that connecting with people from around the world can being different perspectives. This in turn can increase critical thinking skills and in-depth learning.

Connectivism states that the content of what is being learned is not the most important aspect of learning; rather, the connections made to gain that knowledge is. In other words,  just like the journey is more important than the destination during a road trip, "The pipe is more important than the content within the pipe" (Siemens, 2005). Those connections made when learning new material are the most important because those connections can be used to gain knowledge at any time. With our ever-changing world, it is important to be prepared to evaluate and understand new information as it comes, and those connections can allow us to do just that.  In fact, Siemens states that, "What we know today is not as important as our ability to stay current." In other words, making new connections and using already created connections allows us to better understand new concepts. In turn, this will allow us to become better learners.