Stepping Through the Looking Glass and Into the Digital Age

Image Source: https://cdn.thinglink.me/api/image/413467334112444418/1024/10/scaletowidth The SAMR model framework is something that I have learned a little bit about in the past, but wanted to spend some more time exploring it so that the concepts could be solidified. From my research, I have learned that the SAMR model is comprised of 4-levels that provide teachers with a guide to help them make effective use of technology in their instruction. The four levels include substitution, augmentation, modification, and redefinition. As you move through these levels in the order mentioned previously, technology moves away from just enhancing a lesson and towards completely transforming instruction. This website link that Nicole shared with us helps to explain in more detail what the 4-levels of the SAMR model are. According the the SAMR ladder image posted at the top of this blog post, substitution refers to situations in which technology acts as a direct tool substitute with no fun

I began my data mine by conducting a simple Google search on myself. I typed my first and last name in between quotation marks for a more accurate search. I was not very surprised with what I found because I have actually googled myself many times before, just because I was curious what I would find. I don't have anything to hide, I just wanted to know what was out there. About ten pages pop up when my name is searched through Google. As I have discovered in the past, the links that pop up mostly connect to articles that mentioned my name in them from high school sporting events. I was a varsity diver, gymnast, and pole vaulter, and I remember newspapers interviewing me at meets and having pictures or articles in the paper about my performances, so I was never shocked to see some of those appear on a Google search. Some other links that pop up in the Google search are links that connect to apps that I currently use or have used in the past, such as "Happier", "

I read the article, "A Teenager's View on Social Media" because I was curious to see what teens would say on the topic. I am 26 years old myself, still not too far out of my teenage years, so I felt like I would possibly be able to relate to some of the points made in this article. Some things that I have "heard through the grapevine" before reading this article are that teens don't really like or use Facebook and Instagram is the social media application that they seem to flock to more now. This point was addressed in the article, so I now know that the rumors are true. I never understood the reasons why, though. When I was a teenager, Facebook was created and was really one of the first forms of social media to take flight in popularity, well other than MySpace, which I never had an account with. In my high school years, Facebook was "all the rage" and everyone had an account, and you had to be friends with everyone. In fact, just recent

This week, I chose to explore the topic of the makerspace movement. Makerspace is another one of those education buzzwords that I have been hearing for a few years, but haven't had the chance to explore the movement further. This was the perfect opportunity to do so. Before looking into the topic of makerspaces by reviewing the sources that Nicole provided as well as researching independently, my understanding of makerspaces consisted of the fact that the movement was all about students using creativity and collaboration to produce a functioning creation of some sort or complete a certain task. I was unsure of what the true purpose of makerspaces were, though, other than allowing children the opportunity to participate in hands-on learning experiences. This video link is a great introduction to what makerspace is. While exploring the topic, a concept that seemed to be emphasized in terms of the purpose of the movement is that makerspace is designed in order to teacher studen

It was exciting to be able to choose your own learning path, or "adventure" this week. Since Nicole mentioned that she is well versed in the topic of media literacy and has done many presentations on the topic, I was intrigued to look into the topic further. The word, "media literacy" sounded familiar, but as I went through the sources I was refreshed on what is meant by media literacy. If you need a refresher too, click on this link ! From this source, I was reminded of the definition of media literacy. The source states that, "Media literacy is our interaction with media and the message(s) that we take from it, as well as our ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and create media messages." From my understanding from the sources that I viewed, media literacy is teaching students, as well as adults, about the purpose of media. As stated in another source by Nicole, "The purpose of mass media is not to educate, inform, or entertain, it's p

I reviewed the Project Tomorrow Speak Up 2016 infographic. The Speak Up Research Project for Digital Learning asks K-12 students, parents, and educators about the role of technology for learning in and out of school. You can find out more about the Speak Up project in general by viewing this website . The infographic in which I am focusing this blog post on compares responses of teachers in their first year of teaching to teachers with elevan or more years of experience on the topics of how technology is used within their classes. You can view the infographic by clicking on this link . (http://www.tomorrow.org/speakup/speak-up-2016-first-year-in-the-classroom-april-2017.html) When viewing the first section of this infographic as shown in the image above, I was surprised at the fact that when responding to prompts such as, "Use digital games with my students," "Customize digital content that I find online to meet my class needs," and "Create investigatio

screenshot of Danielle Goebbert's internet mapping project When setting up my internet mapping chart, I created four sections for personal, professional, visitor, and resident. From my understanding, the visitor end of the map represented internet sources that are not often used, while the resident end represented internet sources that are used frequently. The professional end of the map represented internet sources used throughout my professional life, while the personal end represented internet sources that used primarily for my personal pleasure. When beginning this assignment, I copied Nicole's strategy of writing out a list of internet websites and applications that I use in my personal and professional life. When I couldn't think about any more, I looked at my phone for any that I missed. I then took this list of internet sources and applications and placed them where I believe they fall on the four-sectioned map that I created. Here are a few of the icons tha