676 Artifact Reflection #1

About a year ago, I added a post to this blog about academic integrity that you can read about here. In the time since that blog post, I've significantly increased my awareness and responsible use of digital material. I've also made a more conscious effort to teach my students about using other people's ideas and material in the hope of developing more responsible digital citizens.

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Module 5 was a stepping stone that furthered my understanding of fair use, copyright, and a person's digital footprint. Things you share online are permanent, just like a tattoo! Digital footprints are unimaginably long trails of information that follow a digital consumer everywhere. As a teacher of a Gen-Y society, it's increasingly frustrating to witness a student's careless approach to using digital media and images without permission from the owner. Students (and many adults) go straight to Google and search for whatever they need, copy it, insert it, forget to cite it, and move on.

Terms like public domain, creative commons, fair use, copyright, and plagiarism need to be regularly used in context, no matter what the age, grade level, course or discipline. Far too many students and adults are irresponsibly using digital media and risking hefty penalties and fines for their poor choices. Why take that chance?

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The artifact I'm providing for this blog post includes the copyright scenarios I analyzed. Although educators have a little more wiggle room when it comes to fair use of digital material, a teacher must always ask - is the use of this material TRANSFORMATIVE? If the answer is YES, then in small quantities, digital material may be used for educational purposes. In large chunks, a teacher should seek the permission of the owner before using it in class.

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Here are a few important facts that summarize Module 5:

• Copyright applies for any creation. A teacher or student should generally assume that everything is copyrighted. Using copyrighted material without the owner's permission is illegal. Fine can cost $250 to $150,000.
• If digital material is part of the public domain then copyright law doesn’t apply because it includes lots of creative works that are freely available for anyone to use.
• When people want their work used by others we call these open educational resources (OER); a growing hub of FREE materials.
• Showing a full-length feature film in class is often a violation of the movie’s copyright!
• Just because you bought a song or album doesn’t mean you can use it however you want. Only use small chunks of the media for personal use. 

The copyright scenarios were a unique way to question my use of digital material and challenges me to regularly address these fair use and copyright situations with my students. Everyone has digital rights that promise to protect privacy, property, and speech, but more importantly, every digital consumer is responsible for respecting the rights of others and abiding by the law.

676 Artifact Reflection #2

The artifact created in Module 7, was a collaborative project on sustainable farming that I have used in my high school Earth Science class for the last several years. Before our school was 1:1, everything for this project was written out or done as a (boring) PowerPoint presentation. Since the introduction of student Chromebooks, my students have been able to collaboratively create and manage virtual farms that avoid the destructive pitfalls of weathering and erosion, employ sustainable practices for maintaining fertile soil, and encourage the use of alternative forms of energy.

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Not only do my students manage a "farm", but they also get to practice their digital skills using Padlet, Google Drawings and a screencast platform of their choice (Screencastomatic, Screencastify, or WeVideo usually) to organize and present their entire project. Each web tool has collaborative capabilities and is easy for students to learn and use. I have been pleased with the final products each student group has produced and have been grateful to use technology to make my students look and sound tech savvy. Once the project is complete, students are responsible for adding their project to their digital portfolios for all to see and enjoy!

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The task for Module 7 included a rubric that assesses a student's ability to work collaboratively. The project already included a grading rubric that detailed the project components. I liked how the addition of a student collaboration rubric came together using the resources provided in the module and was pleased with the overall product.

For those teachers new to creating rubrics - my advice is to ask an expert in your building. Don't feel afraid to ask for help generating a rubric for a performance task or project. They are not easy to create, but there are plenty of good resources you can access to help you along. One that was recommended in Module 7 came from the Buck Institute for Education, providing a number of rubrics for presentations, projects, project design, creativity, and innovation. It's definitely a good starting point with plenty of vetted rubrics.

I'm looking forward to using this new-and-improved project at the beginning of the second semester and will ask my students for feedback to improve the rubric if necessary.

676 Course Reflection

With the completion of this course, I'm officially half-way to finishing the endorsement program through the University of St. Francis. It has certainly been a learning process as I incorporate what I already know about technology and learn from the expertise of other classmates and my instructor about collaborative web tools.

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Bill Nye said, “Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don’t.” Words for anyone to live by! To work collaboratively means to interact with, communicate, and learn from each other to reach a common goal. This course has given me a better perspective on collaborative student work and methods to fine tune collaborative student discussion using a variety of web tools.

The article 5 Useful Ways to Kickstart Student Collaboration in the Classroom by Tricia Whenham suggested that teachers embrace a little chaos in the classroom. I've always been a supporter of this statement, not only because I'm a science teacher and we "do" collaborative science every day, but also because students think and work their best when allowed to problem solve with each other out loud! As the teacher, I shouldn't have all the answers. It took me several years after my rookie teaching season to realize it's okay to "not know"; to help students arrive at an answer without just giving it to them. Their confidence as learners grows when you let them do the thinking together. A loud and messy classroom is oftentimes where problems are best solved!

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My school has been 1:1 the past four years, and the level of collaboration since that time has skyrocketed in my classes. Not only are they doing collaborative science together, but they are using the resources at their fingertips through digital devices to enhance their learning experience. The Google Suite (including docs, sheets, slides, drawings, keep, classroom, forms, calendar), digital portfolios, student blogs, and open educational resources (OER) have all increased collaboration among students, both in and out of the classroom.

Another article I read for this course that I found useful for teaching collaboration and digital citizenship skills was 8 Digital Skills We Must Teach Our Children by Yuhyun Park. In the article, it specifies eight skills that make up a person's digital intelligence: digital identity, digital use, digital safety, digital security, digital emotional intelligence, digital communication, digital literacy, and digital rights. As I reflected on each skill and the description the author provided, I felt comfortable knowing that I was making a valid attempt to teach and model these skills, especially the communication and literacy ones. It's important to be the best models for our students to demonstrate how to be responsible consumers and learners.

EEND 676 is my fourth course in the sequence of courses for the Teaching with Technology Endorsement. I didn't learn any new tech tools per se, but it was a rewarding eight-week experience using my curriculum to develop and modify materials to be more collaborative for my students.

#ISTE2018 - Things I Learned, Things I Love, Things You Should Know About...

The International Society for Technology in Education held a massive conference this summer in Chicago, bringing together teachers, administrators, and tech specialists to learn about the most effective and innovative ways to integrate technology in the classroom. The ISTE conference offered sessions on a wide range of topics, where presenters shared ideas, strategies, and tools for using technology to enhance learning.

Apart from the scheduled sessions, the conference brought together 18,500 people from all across the U.S. and 87 other countries. Connecting with other like-minded educators had a whole host of benefits:

• strengthened my resolve to keep getting better with teaching and technology
• established connections that will last well beyond the conference
• provided effective and exciting teaching practices

So how did I, a science teacher from a small high school west of Chicago, find out about this conference and burst onto the scene? TWITTER. Twitter has really been a turning point in my 16-year teaching career. It has become a go-to resource to connect to awesome people who broaden my horizons and inspire me to take risks and be innovative.

I attended the NSTA (National Science Teachers Association) conference when it was in Chicago three years ago. Same location, same setup, lots of walking and LOTS of sessions. My experience three years ago definitely prepared me for ISTE’s conference. Except maybe for the walking tech zombie part...many of us were walking around with our devices, hoping to avoid others who were also looking at their device getting to or from somewhere in our quest to get in line for a session, show up on time for an amazing raffle prize in expo hall, or just find a bathroom!

#ISTE2018 took it to the next level when it came to useful (but sometimes overwhelming) amounts of information. I did my best to stay organized and pull together resources from my sessions that I could use and could also share with my colleagues. My experience was stimulating, productive, and engaging. This graphic (created using one of my new tech tools, Adobe Spark!) offers some buzzwords that summarize my 4-day experience.

Based on this list, an outsider might think I didn’t actually attend a technology conference! But it wasn’t really about technology - it was about how to use technology tools to enhance what teachers are already doing in their classrooms! Sure, the big guys...Google, Microsoft and LEGO, were in attendance but it wasn’t about them. It was about teachers helping teachers be better teachers as they use technology to educate their students.

Innovation, creation, and curiosity were mentioned in the bulleted list above. These words were echoed over and over throughout the four days. Young students traveling from all parts of the nation and even internationally were in attendance to share with attendees their passion for learning. They were excited to share how they were using technology in their classroom to any stranger who approached their table. Andy Weir, the author of The Martian, referred to the problem-solving main character, Mark Watney, in his keynote speech. Kids need to tinker and figure things out (with or without technology). And @TheTechRabbi, Michael Cohen, shared a moving and powerful message to all who sat before him, reminding the audience that “innovation is not achieved by knowledge and skill alone. It’s through having belief in yourself, belief in others and belief in something bigger than us. We need to give our students the courage to believe that they can create incredible things in the world.” The ability to challenge and engage students was a common theme throughout the conference and renewed my spirit in preparation for the coming school year.

When #TeachersBecomeStudents, amazing things happen in our quest to be lifelong learners. A little professional development goes a long way in rekindling our passion and love of learning.

679 Artifact Reflection #2

In Module 4, I had the pleasure of creating three progressive science assignments and designing my own badges. I enjoyed learning more about badges and the incentive they seem to have when students earn them. Many things are tied to badges these days--when you reach a certain exercise level you earn a badge; when you reach a new level on a mindfulness app you earn a badge, etc. Badges have a lot of power to engage learners and keep them coming back for more.

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I came across a badge maker website when scrolling through my Twitter PLN and used it to make my three badges. Pixaby is my go-to image site to grab “free” stock photos. I’ve also used Google Draw and Canva for other infographic and design projects in the past and both of these platforms could be used for creating badges too.

Assignment #1 Goal & Badge Earned: Identify & convert standard units commonly used in science.

Assignment #2 Goal & Badge Earned: Use evidence to support & explain different sphere interactions that exist on Earth.

Assignment #3 Goal & Badge Earned: Classify minerals based on their physical & chemical properties.

You can find the assignment specifics here. In discussing with several of my colleagues, we struggle with the administration and maintenance of a badge program. How can we virtually share the badges with students? How can students proudly display their badges virtually? I feel a bigger discussion needs to occur with our building's technology specialist in order to see this project really take off. I'm excited about the possibilities and appreciated the opportunity to use my creativity to drive student learning through these badge assignments.

679 Artifact Reflection #1

In Module 3, I compared two digital tools and designed two formative assessments for my high school Earth Science course. My first formative assessment (link) was made with Google Forms about stars. My second formative assessment (link) was made with Formative about groundwater resources.

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I use Google Classroom in my classes, so for most formative assessments I push out the links through Classroom then collect and review responses once students are completed. Most of us know that formative assessments are meant are meant as a check-in for students to demonstrate their learning at a certain point in a unit and helps a teacher to ascertain their current understanding of skills and concepts. Teachers need to plan each assessment so that it provides direct evidence of student proficiency on learning standards.

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Any of my science lessons could be 1-3 days. Through daily questioning and discussion, I’m constantly assessing my students. I give entrance or exit slips every few days and formative (practice) assessments (or quizzes) once a week. Sometimes I release the answers as soon as they complete the formative assessment, other times I show the responses from the whole class as a discussion, and still other times I assess on an individual level to look closely at each student’s progressive mastery on a learning goal or standard.

I like using Google Forms because it’s easy, quick, and intuitive. Google Forms works well with Google Classroom and I like that the assessment results go straight to a Google Sheets page. It allows me to analyze data and give students quick feedback on their performance. With certain add-ons, grading is a cinch. I used Formative for the first time in completing the module 3 assignment. I liked Formative because it was also easy, quick, and intuitive. The biggest positive difference was the ability to link NGSS standards to each question. Because this was my first time using it, I don’t know how the student’s results will look, but I’m convinced I’ll be using Formative as another tool in my assessment toolbox.

679 Course Reflection

That’s a wrap for EEND 679!  There were many takeaways from this course and several great discussions that helped me get better at using and implementing technology. I’d like to thank the instructor and my classmates for an informative and beneficial course on assessment and improving student learning.

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At the midpoint of the course, module 5, I had the chance to dabble with Genius Hour/Passion Project. It’s definitely a concept I’ve heard and read about, but haven’t found a way or a reason to “fit it in” with my science courses. After being given time in class to learn something new and to learn new things from others, I’m thoughtfully reflecting on how I might start to incorporate this project with my students. I enjoyed being given the freedom to choose a topic to research more about, but I struggled to settle on a topic. Based on other classmate’s experiences and feedback, I feel more confident attempting to start a Genius Hour/Passion Project with my students and plan to do some more research to prepare for next school year. I like the idea of passion projects and hope to find success with it in the near future.

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In my artifact blog post, I made reference to the digital badge assignment and the formative assessment design assignment. I also found the infographic assignment and the student portfolio/self-assessment assignment to be useful for my students. After reviewing infographics of others in our class, I was blown away by how professional, clean, and informative they were. I had never used Piktochart or Canva before, and I certainly didn’t need much convincing to use it for myself and my students during the school year. It takes classes like these to introduce me to some really great ideas and I’m thankful to my colleagues for their infographic examples. Module 6’s student portfolio discussion and self-assessment assignment were also great learning experiences for me as I related to other’s background with student portfolios. I also found value in organizing several different student self-assessment forms. The practice of student self-assessment is an important piece in their education, no matter if they are a kindergartener or a 12th grader. I’ve been pushing my students to perform more self-assessments and reflections of their work. By the end of the school year, they really start to appreciate their achievement, progress, and growth. It’s easy for me to plot their progress over time, but there is more value when they can appreciate their journey over the course of a school year.

EEND 679 is my third course in the sequence of courses for the Teaching with Technology Endorsement. I've gotten a lot out of this course and intend to incorporate some of the new things I’ve learned from the instructor and my classmates/colleagues next school year.

713 Course Reflection

As my coursework in EEND 713 comes to an end, it's time to reflect on my learning. Each of the last eight weeks I learned something new that pushed me to step outside my box and try new ideas in my classroom. Through my work with the Next Generation Science Standards and my department's quest to redevelop units that align to these standards, I found the evolution of an e-learning unit moderately easy to create and manage for an Anatomy & Physiology unit of the muscular system.

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In modules 1 & 2, my group developed the initial phases of our muscular system unit. Identifying outcomes for learning and finding important resources to support weekly lessons was valuable time spent with my group. It was important for us to find a variety of online tools and resources for the students because, unfortunately, high school students lose interest quickly if it's not new and/or engaging. In module 3, we began developing our assessments and rubrics. This unit has two assessments: a cat dissection practical and a summative exam.

In the weeks that followed, we learned about open educational resources (OERs) and multimedia resources. I was introduced to multimedia resources in EEND 675 but had never understood the value of OERs until this course. My classmates provided some great resources as they worked on their e-learning units and I look forward to using OERs regularly as I continually develop and improve my units.

The remainder of the work on our muscular system unit centered upon our creation of a roadmap - a hyperdoc that laid out the specifics of our unit and communicated how students could get from point A to point B. Hyperdocs are a great tool for sharing information with students, parents, teachers, and administrators because it organizes everything in one spot. The development of our hyperdoc was time intensive, but the final product was ready to roll out to our students immediately.

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I'd like to thank my classmates for offering great feedback and resources. Our weekly discussions were enriching and enlightening. The discussion I found most rewarding was week 2's discussion about technology tools for engagement. Classmates suggested some great tech resources, and as I progress through this endorsement program, I continue to add to my educational technology toolbox.

I've really worked hard at becoming a connected educator. My participation on Twitter has increased, as I've followed many people that I think will suggest ways to be a better educator and individual. The more my PLN grows, the more tuned in I feel as an educator. To think that I could reach out globally to other educators was not something I envisioned when I first became a teacher 16 years ago. I'm glad for the technology and will continually strive to use it regularly in my classes.

EEND 713 is my second course in the sequence of courses for the Teaching with Technology Endorsement. I've enjoyed this course and the information it provided. I'm continually looking to improve my curriculum and my educational philosophy as it pertains to science and technology, so I look forward to continuing my work in this program.

713 Artifact Reflection

As I reflect on the class, Engaging e-Learning, I am excited to think of the new opportunities for organizing my curriculum and presenting it to my students. This course provided many useful tools and resources that enhance my science curriculum and support my goal of incorporating more technology into my units. Working on the unit plan for the muscular system helped me to see which parts of the unit were supported and where gaps existed. By adding multimedia and open educational resources, the gaps were filled and the unit was more robust.

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In module 4, I learned how to research and incorporate OERs (open educational resources). I have found "free" resources in the past and have used them as extension activities for a lesson or unit, but I didn't really comprehend until this course, just how many great OERs there are. For the muscular system unit, I chose a case study through http://www.oercommons.org titled Wearing on Her Nerves Exploring the Interrelation between the Nervous and Muscular Systems. To facilitate their learning, students will be asked to analyze this case study related to their study of the muscular system. Most of my high school anatomy students plan to major in pre-med/dent/vet/nursing. Continual exposure and review of muscle content is a must for success in a post-secondary program. A case study like this would lend itself to the type of learning they would get in college. The more I can prepare students for real-world scenarios, the more successful I hope they will be.

In module 5, I learned how to use Pear Deck as part of a multimedia lesson for muscle identification. Having Pear Deck as an add-on for Google Slides really convinced me of its usefulness in class. It raised the level of student engagement and I found better retention of muscle groups as demonstrated by their performance on a formative muscle review several days later.


Labeling diagrams can be tedious, but in an advanced elective class such as Anatomy & Physiology,  students require constant review of muscle names, while connecting origin and insertion points on bones. This activity certainly challenges the student - if they can label muscles in this activity, they are on their way to successfully mastering the muscular system.

675 Course Reflection

As my coursework in EEND 675 comes to an end, it's time to reflect on my learning the last eight weeks. Each week I learned something new that engaged me and improved my level of understanding in educational technology. Being introduced to the ISTE standards was one of the bigger takeaways from this course. Not only am I responsible for my content standards, but I should also take an active role in teaching my students and modeling the technology standards in order to make them "future ready".

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The collegial discussions that took place each week were interesting. Gaining new insight and understanding people's perspectives definitely enriched my learning experience. The discussion I most enjoyed was the 5th C. Every "C" that was suggested made me consider how it would impact my teaching and my student's learning.

My favorite assignment was the Multimedia Project from Module 4. I enjoyed creating the activity because it incorporated many resources in one location and it's ready to be used in my Earth Science curriculum for next school year! The project made me reflect on how important it is to have a variety of lessons that incorporate technology and make them engaging enough to draw students in day after day.

As I mentioned in a previous blog post, I've really worked hard at becoming a connected educator. My participation on Twitter has increased, as I've followed many people that I think will suggest ways to be a better educator and individual. Twitter is there when you need it; you shouldn't feel compelled to check it every day like other social media platforms. A quick 10-minute stream scroll or search is all it takes to make sure I'm plugged into my PLN.

Path to Success

Professional development in educational technology can sometimes be absent within a district or building, yet it's a necessary form of education that all teachers should regularly participate in. This course is my first in the USF Educational Technology Endorsement program and I look forward to continuing my journey of understanding and incorporating technology as it relates to me both personally and professionally.

675 Artifact Reflection

As I reflect on the class, Foundations of Educational Technology, I am compelled to consider how this introductory class has impacted my teaching and learning. When first introduced to the ISTE standards, it resonated with me how important the technology standards were. If ISTE standards are not taught in conjunction with content standards (for me its NGSS), there is a gap in understanding! That gap hinders my students from practicing, refining, and mastering the 21st-century skills needed to be successful. In recognizing this gap, I shifted my perspective and hope to implement more ISTE standards that correlate with the current science standards I address throughout the school year.

The two artifacts I'm choosing to highlight in my reflection post include my Collaborative Assignment from Module 3 and my Multimedia Project from Module 4.

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In Module 3, I learned to create a collaborative assignment that included student perspectives on a topic related to glaciers. After watching the movie trailer for Chasing Ice, the assignment asked each student to respond to the question "How are portraits of people’s faces and portraits of ice the same thing?" Students were directed to a collaborative tech tool called Lino where they posted their responses and were asked to share their favorite glacier portrait. In posting to Lino, students could see each other's posts and compare pictures. In creating this assignment I had to be aware of the ethical use of other's pictures and plan to use this lesson with my high school Earth Science students to demonstrate fair use, copyright, and plagiarism.

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In Module 4, I added to my collaborative assignment by creating a multimedia project that incorporated a variety of media to enhance my lesson on glaciers in the United States. Within Google Slides, I was able to embed a topographic relief map of Alaska, add a YouTube video of Glacier Bay National Park, and hyperlink text and photos to various website links to create a multi-day activity that studied glacier formation and movement. In creating this project, I again had to be aware of the fair use of media in education. I liked how this project turned out because of the variety of multimedia tools I incorporated to engage my science students.

In looking ahead at future courses within this endorsement program, I'd like to continue to explore and implement the TPACK framework, and SAMR and RAT models to create, develop and enhance my units and lessons. In order to cross the threshold between substitution/augmentation and modification/redefinition, I need to study my science lessons closely to see how they tie to the ISTE standards and carve out some time to reflect and make changes to those lessons when necessary.

Trends in Technology #6: Twitter

Lately, Twitter has taken on a new meaning in my life. I tweet what goes on in my high school science classroom. I tweet reminders about club meetings. I retweet interesting science information from people and organizations I follow to use as a kickstart to classroom discussions in my Earth Science class. Twitter is a representation of my professional life. It allows me to follow a variety of people, organizations, professionals, and groups without being bogged down by lots of personal information.

Twitter is unlike other social media platforms in that it shares information instantly with thousands of followers. There are no frills, no extras - just up-to-the-minute information about things you want to know about. Twitter is being used by schools, districts, students, teachers, and parents to inform and stay informed.

I personally like Twitter for the connections I've made with educational professionals the last several years. I've been able to expand my understanding of educational technology, grow as a science educator, and increase my global awareness and appreciation of science.

I also like Twitter for the #hashtags. Hashtags act like filters to siphon the extra stuff and help find you the information you need. If I want to search #STEM, I might find tweets about educators who are implementing STEM lessons in their classrooms. If I search #eclipse, I might read about all kinds of eclipse stories from the August 2017 event or #CaliforniaWildfires from the December 2017 outbreak.

I wasn't instantly won over by Twitter when I first got started. My advice is to get yourself a Twitter handle - that's tech talk for a Twitter identification - and start exploring. Follow some groups, organizations, or people that know their stuff. Retweet a few stories that you like and want others to see and know about. When you're ready you'll know when to tweet your first time. Plus, you shouldn't feel compelled to check it everyday like other social media platforms. Twitter is there when you need it!

Trends in Technology #5: Blendspace

Blendspace, which is now called TES Teach, is an interactive dashboard that allows an individual to organize resources related to a certain chosen topic. The grid style of the dashboard allows a user to pull a collection of resources together that can be either web-based or self-created.

Let's say I want to create a lesson on Greenland's melting glaciers. To enhance my lesson, I might want to search YouTube videos, find related web articles, locate pictures or add my own documents. The menu/tool bar allows me to search for content, click to review the content, then drag and drop onto my gridded dashboard. The tiles can be moved around and ordered in whatever way a user likes. From the tool bar a user can do the following:

• search YouTube
• search Google
• search Google images
• search Flickr
• insert a Webpage
• insert from Google Drive
• insert from Dropbox
• upload Media/File

A completed dashboard can be used as a teacher's central lesson area or the dashboard can be shared in its entirety with students via a shared link, Google Classroom, or a QR code. TES Teach also allows for Common Core standards to be linked to lessons based on grade level.

I have used this for two lessons in my high school Earth Science course and have found it an easy one stop shop educational tool. I've also had my students create their own gridded dashboards in preparation for a Socratic discussion related to a specific topic. I really like this educational tool and find my students do too. This is another great educationl technology tool that more teachers should try!

Trends in Technology #4: Classroom Screen

There are so many _____ educational technology tools that enhance both a teacher's instruction and a student's learning. You can fill in the blank with your best adjective...good, useful, amazing, helpful, interactive, fun, etc, etc. My ed tech toolbox started about 5 years ago and it continues to grow steadily each school year. I have my colleagues, my PLN, and social media to thank for suggesting new resources that make my instruction more engaging and my lessons more enriching.

Wowza! Do I love Classroom Screen! Classroom Screen is a classroom management tool that has a bunch of widgets that help to maintain the flow of your class. You can keep time with a stopwatch or countdown timer, write instructions in a text box, monitor the sound level in the class, display work symbols or the stoplight to communicate what the students should be doing, QR codes can be added that link to outside resources, you can roll dice, generate random names, and draw images. You can add any or all of these widgets all from one screen! Here is a screenshot of my Classroom Screen. This tool is a game changer...having all of these widgets working together and displayed in one place is genius! The only negative about this tool is that it doesn't save the information you have on the screen once you close out the program. If you hit refresh or close out the tab, all the information disappears and you have to start a blank screen and add widgets all over again. Despite this small flaw, Classroom Screen is a very useful tool for teachers to maintain some sense of organization in their class. I highly recommend it!

Trends in Technology #3: Thinglink

I had seen Thinglinks on Twitter and on a really good ed tech email list that I subscribed to, but never really considered the benefits of using one for my high school science classes. So I created an account and made a generic thinglink about glaciers that ties to a unit for EEND 675. It was easy to upload a background photo and even easier to add links and edit the word bubble that pops up when you hover over the bullseye marker with your mouse. I liked this tool for its ease of use, its potential to engage students, and its ability to pull resources together for a lesson or activity. I made the assumption that this tool was better suited for K-8, but I've changed my opinion and feel this could be a good tool every now and again to change things up and bring variety to my day-to-day instruction.

Trends in Technology #2: Lino

As part of my EEND 675 Module 3 assignment, Collaborative Technologies in the Classroom, I used Lino for the first time. It's similar in some ways to Padlet, a collaborative technology tool that I've used regularly in my classroom, but Lino has some differences that make it a bit more versatile.

You can access Lino at http://en.linoit.com/. Lino is a sticky note and photosharing site that displays everything on a canvas posting board. Here's a screenshot of my sandbox Lino below. You add sticky notes in the upper right corner of the canvas. The base colors are yellow, green, blue, and pink, but there are 10 colors to choose from. In the bottom right corner you see the calendar for the canvas displayed. The lower left corner displays all of the user's canvases.

A user or collaborative group of users can post ideas, draft plans, add photos, create lists, upload documents, set reminders, add due dates, and add videos from YouTube or Vimeo. Some of the benefits of Lino include:

• The size of the sticky note can be altered, the color of the sticky can be changed, the font size can be big or small, and emoji icons can be added for a dash of creativity.
• Tagging posts allows a user to create their own personal library of resources and it can be searched relatively quickly. The tags are displayed right on the sticky (see above).
• The calendar and assigning of due dates is useful. This could help scaffold larger projects for students and break it down into smaller parts with due dates attached. Lino automatically sends reminder emails.
• A user can switch between canvases with relative ease and move or copy sticky notes between canvases. The sticky can also be emailed to an individual for a quick shareout.
• Lino canvases can be shared to Twitter or Facebook. This gives the user an opportunity to share out to a larger audience, get some feedback on a project and/or increase collaboration among a PLN (right upper sidebar).

I find both Padlet and Lino to be user-friendly and intuitive. Here is a comparative table analyzing the features of Lino and Padlet.

As with any collaborative tool, it's beneficial for the user to find something that works for them. As a classroom teacher, I see the benefits of both web tools mentioned in the table above. I had never used Lino until recently and I'm excited to incorporate it into my classroom activities. Students get bored when teachers use the same tech tools repeatedly. This versatile platform has some bells and whistles that I'm confident will grab student's attention and get them working collaboratively.

Trends in Technology #1: Academic Integrity

Does your school have an academic integrity code? Do students and teachers at your school sign an AUP (acceptable usage policy)? As I read through some resources related to ethical technology dilemmas it triggered some thoughts about my own school's academic integrity code and the AUP form students are expected to sign before being issued their Chromebooks at the beginning of each school year.

What kinds of measures are put in place by other schools and districts to ensure a safe social learning environment for all while also teaching students and teachers how to properly use information found on the web? It seems few students and teachers realize what "borrowing" information entails and the potential legal consequences it could bring to the district, the school, and the individual.

Our school's academic integrity code describes copyright infringement as "unauthorized use of any work fixed in tangible media such as books, articles, websites, art, music, photography and video" and plagiarism as "presenting the distinctive ideas, facts, or words of another (in part or in whole), or imagery without appropriate acknowledgement of the source as one's own."

Students and teachers need to engage in training courses to review acceptable expectations in regards to plagiarism and copyright infringement. A regular routine review is essential to promote and support learning. This is something my school lacks but clearly needs.

What kind of training modules are out there? Well, I came across some information provided by Common Sense Education. On their website, they succinctly organize training modules that are leveled by grade. The modules can be taught by teachers and serve to develop digital citizenship skills in all students. What impressed was how easy and intuitive the lessons were. The lessons were easy to understand and aligned by topic:

• Self-image and Identify
• Relationships and Communication
• Digital Footprint and Reputation
• Cyberbullying and Digital Drama
• Information Literacy
• Internet Safety
• Privacy and Security
• Creative Credit and Copyright

Common Sense Education is my starting point. I hope I can convince administrators in my building that training modules similar to what Common Sense Education provides are necessary to educate, support, and protect students and teachers in the Age of the Internet.

What kinds of measures are put in place by your school/district to ensure a safe social learning environment for all while also teaching students and teachers how to properly use information found on the web? I welcome any comments about your experiences below.