Wikies are they good for us?

            I would not let my students use Wikipedia as a source for any research I would encourage them to use it as a tool to help them to get ideas of topics that they would like to explore further or to narrow down their search. As a legitimate source, I would not have allowed them to use Wikipedia. The reason for this is because you don’t know where the information came from or who wrote it. Mainly I don’t know who wrote the information like the podcast said if someone does not like all they do is delete it and write their information in its place. There really no time for other people or scholars to look at the information and verify the information validity. If I was giving them a research project of some form I would demonstrate to them how I would use Wikipedia to come up with search ideas, but I would strong suggest that they not use it as a resource on any formal research that they do. If I was in the middle of a lesson and need to look up something and did a quick search for information I might use the information, just because Wikipedia is the first thing that would pop when searching for information. Telling my students that further research is going to be needed on the topic.

            YouTube on the other hand I would feel comfortable with my students using it as a source. It is true that anyone can post just about anything on YouTube, but you know who is doing the posting by looking at user name with a little research you can find out if the person posting the information is legitimate. I use YouTube videos all the time in my Health lessons when I was doing a long term as the PE/Health teacher for the elementary schools in Fraser. You still need to be able to back up the content with in the video with facts from a reliable source, but feel more comfortable with using YouTube as a source then Wikipedia. 

PLN Additions

Blogs

The Joy of Literacy

http://thejoyofliteracy.blogspot.com/

She goes into detail about how she set up her reading intervention room and the materials she uses in a small space.

Hello Literacy

http://www.helloliteracy.com/

The author is a literacy professional development speaker on the blog she gives advice on how to incorporate 21^st century reading strategies into the classroom.

RTI Action Network

http://www.rtinetwork.org/

Response to intervention (RTI) provides research and procedures on how to effectively implement an intervention program.

Twitter

George Couros

@gcouros

George post about issues that relate to the teaching world and the why in which as educators must change their mind sets so that we can our students mind sets.

Reading Rockets

@ReadingRockets

Reading Rocket is a website that focuses on reading and provides tools and strategies to help improve you reading instruction and help those students that are struggling.

Steven W. Anderson

@web20classroom

Steven tweets about the use of technology in education. He holds chats on his hashtag #edtechtips were they talk about using technology in the classroom and pedagogies behind them.

WeAreTeachers

@WeAreTeachers

The tweets on this twitter account are about giving teachers idea and inspiration to do what they do best teach. They talk about the things that all teachers need to know as well as showcasing teachers that provided inspiration to keep going on the hard days.

Monica Schroeder

@schroederpage

This second-grade teacher’s twitter page is fill with many helpful activates, classroom ideas, and lesson plans with in all subject area.

Reflection

            I have not really used any of these tools with in my instruction mainly because the opportunity has not come up yet. I am gravitating towards more of using the blog in my classroom as a way for me to keep my classroom parents up to date on what is going on with in my classroom. Being able give my students extra help outside of the classroom by providing instructional videos so they can rewatch any lessons to gain clarity and so the parents understand what they are learning as well. I would like to work on able to find information that is relevant to the topic that I am researching. Learn better ways of narrowing down my searches. 

RAT Model "There is nothing to be afraid of"

I am a second-grade intervention specialist at Eisenhower Elementary in Fraser. As such I work with students are below grade level in reading and math many in small groups and sometimes individually. I don’t get a lot of time to incorporate technology into my line of work, although I do use technology to monitor my students by giving a program call Amis Web to progress monitor each student that is on Tier 2 and 3. In a way the Amis Web program could be at least for me fit in the A of the RAT model (Amplification). By using this program to do our testing and progress monitoring I am able to get information that I need to help each one of the children that I teach. The program lets me compare how they are doing to national norms it even breaks down the areas that each child is struggling the most in, so am I can differentiate their learning to those particular needs. When it comes to Web 2.0 tools for amplification I would have to go with Class Dojo it is a classroom management tool that teach are able to create a classroom then invite parents and other teacher to the class. The classroom teacher and the teacher that were invited can give and take away points based on a student’s behavior. Plus, the teachers are able to communicate how their child is doing though out the day in real time as well as give important information and reminders to parents. The points collected can lead to rewards for the students or class. amplifying classroom dynamic to a more positive in environment. Seesaw is another example. Students take or draw pictures of different land forms for science then add labels and captions to the pictures. Other students can make comment or even guess what land forms they are looking at add more information that the student might have missed.

When it comes to replacement of Web 2.0 tools which is the R in the RAT Model. I go to using Prezi to give presentations over the traditional PowerPoint. I can see my students creating book report presentation for a book that they just have read. When I was a 3^rd grade intervention specialist during one of social studies units on Michigan the students had to draw a timeline about the progression of Michigan becoming a state with pictures that they drew themselves. I on the other hand help with the creation of timeline by drawing my own, but I also created one with Prezi where I was not only able to add picture but videos as well. With the Prezi you were able to move about the timeline freely moving in to focus on the important information, show a picture and add voice to explain, or show a video for clarification.

The last part of the RAT Model is Transformation. Integrating a Web 2.0 tool that will change how we educate our children. One is Khoots an online quiz/polling program. I would use it to introduce new concepts with in my classroom am going to teach using what Khoots call a Blind Khoot. It like a pretest but you are not trying to find out what the students knows you are actually teaching them concepts through a series of questions. At the same time the teacher is getting real time information on what they know and what concepts they might have to go into more depth on.