Reflective Essay

I have to say that this course has exceeded my expectations, and taught me a wealth of information! I am thrilled to be on track to transform my classroom to a place that motivates 21st century learners. This course has helped me in so many ways, and I feel confident that I will be able to use the knowledge that obtained to educate my, "digital natives," (Prensky, 2005). I have learned how to create a blog, utilize a wiki, and record and develop a podcast. By collaborating with my colleagues I have been exposed to many unique and creative lessons that I can use with my students.

I plan to continue and expand my knowledge of technology by reading and researching to find the lastest information for learning in the 21st century. I would like to sign up for professional development opportunities that my district has to offer in the area of technology, as well as use my own skills with web 2.0 to find the great things out there. I also am pursuing a part-time position in my district as an online instructor for virtual school. I am very excited about possibly having the opportunity to be a support system for on-line learners.

Two goals that I would like to obtain in the next two years would be to first set up a webpage that my students and parents can access on a daily basis. I want the site to consist of my lesson plans, homework, projects, etc. A tool to communicate and a resource to assist my students in their learning. Another goal is to create a wiki for collaboration assignments with my class. This wiki could also serve as a place where students can post questions that they have and express any comments or concerns that come about when they are completing an assignment. I will accomplish these goals by using my knowledge from this course and continuing to use on-line resources and professional books that are available to me. I think that the best way to feel comfortable and get the ball rolling is to play around with the resources and just simply jump right in and get started. I will embrace the technology and hopefully all will benefit from my experiences.

My First Podcast

This was my first experience pod casting. I had some trouble along the way and had to rerecord a couple of times, but in the end I think it turned out nicely. I am looking forward to pod casting with my students in the near future!

Here is the link to my podcast check it out!

http://stacyhetzel.podomatic.com/player/web/2010-04-04T09_24_11-07_00

Evaluating 21st Century Skills

"There is a profound gap between the knowledge and skills most students learn in school and the knowledge and skills they need in typical 21st Century communities and work places,"(Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2010).  Teaching professionals need to embrace technology so that they can prepare their students for the workforce.  After spending some time analyzing the Partnership for 21st Century Skills website I realize that I am taking the first steps to get my students where they need to be.  I am teaching myself to use these technologies through the graduate program at Walden University.  "Today's education system faces irrelevance unless we bridge the gap between how students live and how they learn,"(Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2010).

To continue, I was surprised that I hadn't ever looked at this site before!  What a wealth of information there was, that I had been missing right at my fingertips.  I knew what 21st Century Skills meant, but I didn't know all of the members of the partnership that were involved.  It is wonderful to see all of the stake holders that were contributing to this partnership.  Furthermore, I was pleasantly surprised at all of the articles there were on the site in the resources section.  Any educator could definitely benefit from reading that material, as well as parents and community members too! All in all, I think it is a very useful site, and think it is very relevant and meaningful to educators, businesses, government, afterschool, and parent communities,(Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2010). 

Finally, implications for my students start with utilizing technology in a safe and educational manner.  They need to be aware of what is out there and when using the web search for reliable resources.  They need to continue to read and research and educate themselves so that they can join the workforce and be competitive when they do so.  Employers are looking for those candidates that are trained in the areas of technology, and they are the ones with the higher paying jobs that will last.  As an educator I have to embrace 21st Century readiness, gather appropriate stakeholders, assess where I am today, and then create a plan of action to dive right in,(Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2010)!

References:

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills - Home. (n.d.). The Partnership for 21st Century Skills - Home. Retrieved March 24, 2010, from http://21stcenturyskills.org

1 Week Before Spring Break

The year is quickly flying by and here we are the week before spring break!   The weather is changing here in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and the children are getting anxious for the year to come to an end.  I am trying to keep my sanity, and really looking forward to some much needed time off!  Of course, I will still be doing my own homework for my graduate classes at Walden University, but it will be nice to do in the comfort of my own home:)  I would just like to say to all fellow educators enjoy your spring break!  You definitely deserve it!

Fun With Wikis

Wow!  What a great week!  I have learned so much about wikis and how to use them with my students, and I am very excited!  I was very lucky to have the help of such an amazing group of teachers from Walden University.  I am really looking forward to making our page public, so the interaction between teaching professionals can begin!

Wikis

This is going to be an interesting week.  I have to work on my first collaborative project with my colleagues at Walden University and we are setting up a Wiki.  I have never done this before, so I am feeling all sorts of emotions right now, but I am confident that our group will do a great job!  Anyone out there that has any pointers for me, and my group I would greatly appreciate the words of wisdom you have to offer.

Utilizing Blogs in the Classroom

Utilizing blogs in the classroom is a way to have students become highly engaged in the lesson. Having a global audience is extremely motivating for students and encourages them to be accountable for their work, (Richardson, 2009). I am new to the blogging world, but I am thrilled to jump right in and get my students engaged in this learning experience. I can see many possibilities for using blogs in my classroom that would benefit everyone involved. Initially, I would like to use a blog for publishing student work. I teach seventh grade language arts. My students have been preparing for the state writing test; therefore they have been composing several essays lately. I would like to post a writing prompt on my blog and have my students respond to it by a certain day. I would ask them to comment on one of their classmates ideas, and make a suggestion for improvement to the area of content and mechanics to a classmate using their writing rubric.


I think that this is a great tool for the instructional context because the students will have that global audience, (Richardson, 2009). They will have the ability to read their classmates essays, and foster new ideas based on what they have read. The students will be peer-editing, and can receive feedback not only from their peers, but from myself and their parents too! In Richardson's book Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms he states, "Comments are a powerful motivator of student writing in blogs, especially when those comments come from sources outside of the classroom walls," (Richardson, 2009, pg. 30). Until now, I never realized how useful blogs can be. I am discovering many ways to use them with my students each and every day!

Walden University

Just wanted to tell my classmates at Walden University I hope that you all have a fabulous weekend!  I am looking forward to seeing what next week has in store for us, and am happy to be taking this educational journey with all of you!  Best of luck to you all!

This is fun!

I think that I am really going to like blogging.  I am having so much fun customizing my page!  I can't wait to explore all of my colleagues blogs at Walden U! 

My First Blog

Hi Everyone!

This is my very first blog! I am very excited about learning how to incorporate blogging into my teaching. I welcome any suggestions that you all may have that will help me on my journey! Let the blogging begin!

Stacy Hetzel