Portfolio

d. Model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments in a global and digital society. Goal: Learn how to use blogs to connect to other educational bloggers sharing ideas and resources.
 * Final Portfolio- Goals, Reflection and Evaluation **
 * Goal 1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity **

Evidence of student learning: Throughout the semester, I contributed to my own personal blog as seen below, which allowed me to explore blogging as a means of professional development and technology use. In my exploration, I connected with blog such as [|Mrs. Cassidy's Classroom Blog] and [|Scott Synder's Tech Integration Blog] which were two different examples of examining my goal. The majority of this goal was focused on not only contributing to my own blog, but using it as a tool to share resources and gain confidence in my editing and contributing. I spent many days connecting and critiquing classroom blogs other than my own by reviewing the class blog list found on TheEdublogger.com which became a great resource for me that was not previously known. This blog lists the country and date of the class blog which allows for easy access to blogs of interests based on classroom grade and title. Grade: B+ I really wanted to tag my blog to other blogs, however due to the nature of my underdeveloped first classroom blog (with both professional ideas and basic exploration of bloging) I did not want to put an unedited blog on other classroom blogs. I did however work actively to contribute and explore other blogs and learned a great deal in the process about the unlimited access and resources found in educational blogging.

a. Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity Goal: Use webtools promoted in online class discussions such as Glogster, Shelfari, Animoto and reflect on their relevance and accessibility in the classroom.
 * Goal 2. Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments **

Evidence of student learning: Glogster Use Shelfari Use Google Groups Epals Animoto Use

The above tools were used to share ideas, resources and reflections in support of student learning. As a student myself, I was able to focus on the tool as a vehicle for learning and manipulate each tool to promote relevant learning experiences for myself and my hypothetical students. Each webtool provided a different means of virtual communication that could be used with peers, parents and students in an educational setting. Most importantly, learning each tool as a user allowed me to become the expert in that tool prior to having used it with my students. As Will Richardson states, "Before you attempt to bring these technologies to your students, first be selfish about their use in your own learning practice." (2010)

Grade: A+ I thoroughly enjoyed my participation in each of the mentioned web tools. For me, these were all new resources that I was able to identify a purpose for in my own learning, and communicate why they would work for my students. Through discussion and consistent usage of such tools, I was able to complete my goal of identifying their relevance and accessibility in the classroom.

c. Communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital age media and formats Goal: Create a hypothetical classroom blog that would essentially be used to share with parents and students to share events, curriculum and educational news and resources.
 * 3. Model Digital Age Work and Learning **

Evidence of student learning: My personal use project served as one means of completing this goal. Not only was I able to become slightly mastered in blog.com, but I decided that a blog should be used as a vehicle or portal for sharing. More speificaly, I realized that I wanted my classroom blog to house information that would effectively lead parents and students to explore technology on multiple sites. For this goal, I created a shelfari and shared that through my blog which allowed me to use both sites. I came to the conclusion that my shared book shelf would promote a home to school connection by providing suggestions on books to read with their young students. As I began adding some books for young readers, I found myself as a literacy leader wanting to promote a parents professional knowledge and sharing one or two of my favorite professional books such as David Layne's Igniting a Passion for Reading. Sharing books and professional knowledge through Shelfari also prompted me to realize this tool could be used for book clubs between parents and children as well as have teacher involvement. Grade: A I effectively reflected and established a process that would work in my own learning. Through its usage, I was able to adapt and manipulate my original goal to extend past personal hypothetical use and really create a way of sharing ideas through a variety of tools.

d. Develop and model cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with colleagues and students of other cultures using digital age communication and collaboration tools Goal: Follow global blogs or virtual classrooms that promote cultural diversity and allow for engagement and collaboration by me or my students.
 * 4. Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility **

Evidence of student learning: Once again, having using my personal choice project blog to be a vehicle or portal for my learning, I shared my new found favorite, Epals.com. My goal was to explore virtual culture and as a firm believer of classroom community, critical literacy and diversity, I wanted a tool that allowed to cross cultural communication for my students. I understand that due to many factors, my students may not be presented the opportunity to travel, explore and become consumers of the vast world they live in. So what better way than to explore with what is at our fingertips. Epals is an online sit that hosts thousands of classrooms looking for pen pals from a variety of countries. I signed up using a "Student" log in to become a student in that tool. My "teachers" could share and initate projects for me, assign me to a student from a classroom in Australia, or simply upload a culture collage. I first created a culture collage using my Iphone to create my template. I then uploaded it to Epals, on a collaborative page that allows comments and collage shares by students. See my collage below, and visit Epals Culture Collage pageto find out more. Grade: A+ I felt very strongly about exploring this goal. I was able to contribute and share with a variety of audiences and explore Epals as a tool to communicate outside the walls of my classroom as a leader and a student. I also explored various youtube accounts that showed classrooms contributions in video format that would lend themselves to student learning in my own classroom.

c. Evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practice on a regular basis to make effective use of existing and emerging digital tools and resources in support of student learning Goal: Use current research and professional knowledge to contribute to blogs, wikis and other sources of technology to share relevant information in support of student learning.
 * 5. Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership **

Evidence of student learning: Google Groups Wordpress Discussion Prompts

Although the above two artifacts were our classroom portals, they were new to me as a tool for sharing. I have limited exposure to all that Google has to offer, and have never used a blog or wiki as a classroom portal. My contributions in each tool allowed me to share professional knowledge and contribute, while still using these tools as a source of information for class and information from peers. Another artifact is my contribution through Imovie to youtube, where my work in another class was shared after my new found love of technology as a classroom tool. My videos which were made public for this purpose, have allowed me to share my professional beliefs with new student teachers, as well as use youtube and Imovie for book chats and personal usage. Another important part of this goal for me was learning how to effectively communicate through the use of web tools. I used bubbl.us to create my digital literacy brainstorm and also used it again to create a compare and contrast learning choice assignment for another class. Grade: A+ I feel that I chose to explore a few tools that would lend themself to sharing my professional knowledge. I wanted to step outside of my comfort zone of having Word as the only template for me to formulate my thoughts and share what my standard was of "professional communication of ideas." The above tools served to be more effective in my own learning process.

Personal Use Project: Create a classroom blog that would represent my ideas, share research and reflect on professional work for my future classroom through use of varied mediums.

Overall grade for learning: A- I think due to my somewhat inconsistent blog use, my personal choice project did not meet my personal expectations of what I had in mind as far as content. My other learning tools however, sincerely changed me as a student and a leader of digital literacy. The continued use and exposure I sought out allowed me to rethink my teaching approach and adapt new tools that best meet the needs of all students.

Future Goals: Create an indepth classroom blog that serves multiple audiences by having a parent, student and peer portal. This blog would connect to sites such as Debate.fm and shelfari where multiple collaborative projects would be taking place. I would also be able to share further professional knowledge and connect with blogs and other classrooms through Epals and Edublooger. This in turn would create my idea of a blog being one host or portal in a digital connection for many purposes.