The Frustrated Teacher

In the information listed, The Frustrated Teacher used to be a teacher (who’s gender is left anonymous), and now is an advocate for students and teachers alike. He/she writes opinionated tweets, and adds a dry sense of humor by justifying it as having an “educated opinion”. Most people that follow this user are also educators, parents or educational organizations. Mostly all of the tweets are educationally based, so it makes sense that  most followers are have educational occupations, because otherwise they might not be interested in this page.

This Twitter user often uses language that I think would be considered inappropriate in the educational field- although the opinions are valid, I do not agree with the means that they come across. This user also tweets about broader topics than education, such as healthcare and controversial topics (slavery, Holocaust). However, other teachers reach out to this The Frustrated Teacher for advice on Union topics, teacher’s rights and preparation strategies. This user also seems somewhat political, and comments quite frequently on working conditions, individual rights and negative teaching issues.

Module Project: Part 2

Digital writing spaces have clearly changed the way we define writing and overall and the concepts of text. Whether distraction free or part of a social network, writing spaces are now allowing the term “writer” to be completely broadened- anyone can become a writer today! If you want more in depth information about has writing has changed, check out my fabulous Prezi!!

Siftables: Not to Be Ignored

      

While watching the TED video with David Merrill, the MIT grad student who introduces Siftables. Small, square, relatively ordinary tiles, Siftables can can virtually change the world of education as we know it. Finally, a manipulative tool for students that favor bodily kinethetic, visual learning preferences has entered the classroom. Upon watching the beginning of the video, I was reminded of the similarities between Siftables and a cell phone- I want to say the Galaxy. The phones/tablets transfer information to each other ones the screens are touched together, which I am assuming provides limits to what is shared for privacy/copyright reasoning.

Siftables resemble this notion in that they can interact with each other, become interested in one another when placed next to each other and can solve problems together. While I was extremely interested in the math manipulatives, I was the most interested in the letters and paint colors. Two Siftables  tiles had two different colors, and when one was poured into the other, the color changed. To me, that was just amazing that each tile can not only sense each other, but completely interact with each other and pour colors.

Additionally, I was very interested in the timed letter changing application on the Siftables. After a specified amount of time, the letters change, allowing the students to create a new set of words altogether. This would be a great tool for students with learning disabilities, as long as the timing on the tiles was lengthened. Differentiated instruction will really benefit from Siftables in a whole new way- whole class instruction can now be an everyday tool if students with learning needs are given Siftables to help them through the lesson.

These tiles are also great for learning centers, specifically literacy learning centers. I would particularly want to implement the story telling aspect, where students can choose which tiles lie next to each other, allowing the characters to essentially interact. Each story is “an open ended story and the child gets to decide how it unfolds.” Musically gifted children would love these too! They can create the exact sound they may hear in their head- right down to the base line!

The Siftables create an entirely different means of interaction via digital media. They also provide more depth to the definition of text, and writing as a whole. These small, computerized tiles have the ability to create words and stories- they are without a doubt a form of text in today’s world.

Final Project-Very rough draft!

This final project has been challenging for me! Gathering all my thoughts together for the narrative and figuring out how to use prezi and what I want to incorporate to best symbolize my narrative has been mind boggling. Below is a very rough draft of my prezi. I want to take more time to edit my narrative before I spend more time on the prezi. Then the voice over with jing is next to come!

Rough Draft Prezi– This program is new for me. I still have a lot to figure out.

Introduction to the Final Project

It took me awhile to get over my initial confusion and a lack of direction, but I eventually found out what I would be focusing on in my final Prezi presentation. In my presentation, I decided to incorporate Facebook, Twitter, WordPress, YouTube and papers as the writing spaces that I would further discuss. I am discussing how writers use these writing spaces in order to communicate with the world and the ramifications of using all these writing spaces. The Prezi is still in the early stages, as I have never really used it. I used it once for a lesson in my Educational Technology class, but haven’t used it since. It is still not my favorite program as I feel it can get easily messy, but I think I will be able to tackle this project.

 

Dear future educators, don’t let Facebook or Twitter be the reason you do not get hired!

Many of us are quickly approaching the end of our college education. Being an education student at Rowan, I know by the time I graduate, I will be full of knowledge, skills, strategies, and experience needed to be an effective teacher. 5 years of lectures, presentations, research, projects, papers, field experience, the list goes on and on. But now the time has come for you to land that job you have been working so hard for.

Imagine your first interview, palms sweaty, legs shaking, yet you leave feeling like you nailed it! You hope for the principal to call and tell you, “We would like to offer you a 3rd grade teaching position.” Awesome! All that hard work is now paying off! You got the job of your dreams! But wait, before the principal made that call, he decided to stalk your Facebook. Instead, that long awaited phone call from the principal now says, “After our interview and thoroughly reviewing your resume, I believe you would be a great addition to our teaching staff, but after coming across a photo of you boozing it up with a caption saying “white girl wasted!” and a status saying, “The principal I just interviewed was such a tool bag, but I think I nailed it!” I have decided to reconsider.” Well now, doesn’t that suck! All that hard work, time, and money invested is useless if you are not smart about what you post onto your social networking sites. Even if you think you have your privacy settings set to where you think only your friends can see you, it only takes that one photo, status, or comment to be seen by one wrong person who is just waiting to throw you under the bus. Or that one picture of you at a bar throwing back a birthday shot, and that friend is friends with a member of the school board. Now that member on the school board no longer thinks highly of how you made yourself sound from your resume. Your years of education and exceptional resume does zero justice for you when your Facebook reveals so much more.

After reading a few articles online, I can’t help but think it is time to clean up my Facebook, to be more aware of my future posts and photos, or maybe just delete the whole thing all together. After reading the article, “Facebook Faux Pas Leads to Teacher Losing Job”, “I hate their guts-they are all devil’s spawn” and “Teachers under the morality microscope” part of me realizes that I need to have common sense when it comes to social networking, but I am also very frustrated with how teachers are held at such high standards even when going about their every day lives outside of the classroom.

Certain situations where teachers have been fired for posts on their Facebook are a little over the top. For example, A Georgia teacher, Ashley Payne, was vacationing in Europe over the summer. She visited a brewery and when she returned she posted pictures from her trip along with a picture of herself holding a beer in her hand while at the brewery. An anonymous e-mail was written to the principal from a “parent of a student” (more likely a rival teacher or enemy looking to ruin Ashley’s career) (Click here to read the email) Ashley was forced to resign. This situation angers me to no end. After reading the e-mail, it is obvious to me that this “parent of a student” is more likely an envious …(insert horrible, vulgar name here). I hope that envious person who ruined Ashley’s career realizes that what goes around comes around.

Ashley Payne’s photo that got her fired

Some situations where teachers are canned for something on a social networking site, I 100% agree with. For example, a student drowned at the beach during a field trip, and the next day a 5th grade teacher from Brooklyn posted a status saying, “After today, I am thinking the beach sounds like a wonderful idea for my 5th graders! I HATE THEIR GUTS! They are the devils spawn!” What blows my mind the most is that this teacher got her job back. This repulses me. If I ever saw this teacher in person, I would probably slap her for her lack of common sense and then punch her for their lack of empathy for that child who drowned. Actually I take that back, I would not commit any act of violence because that is wrong and I am going to be a teacher held at high standards and promoting violence through my educational blog is silly of me. (Ugh)

Basically, we need to have common sense, zero enemies, and a social networking site of a nun in order to get a teaching job and not get fired. Personally, I think the rules need to be clearer as far as what is acceptable and what is not and teachers should be able to enjoy their lives outside of the classroom without the fear of being fired. Drinking over the age of 21 is legal, if a teacher has a photo with a drink in their hand, that does not mean they are a bad teacher. In the mean time, future educators, start cleaning your Facebook pages today!

Stalker free is the way to be!

Notifications await!

I successfully completed the Facebook challenge! Being without Facebook for the week was surprisingly enjoyable. It is like a sick obsession, an addiction, and being away from it was detoxifying. I find that many times when I am on Facebook, I don’t even realize it. Being on Facebook is like a unconcious act, my finger just taps on the app and before I know it I am scrolling through my newsfeed, stalking away, finding out information about others I could honestly not care less about, yet I can’t stop. I would be lying if I said I did not miss it at all. Well, maybe miss is not the right word. I did not exactly miss being on Facebook, but I missed out on a few thing because I was not checking in on my Facebook. For example; I always know the round about dates to my best friends birthdays. I know as far as the month, and whether it is the beginning, middle, or end. I leave the rest up to Facebook to prompt me on the actual date. Well, this Facebook challenge made me miss one of my best friends birthday. I actually had to call another mutual friend and ask them to check on Facebook for the actual date. Then that friend told me, “it was 2 days ago”. Needless to say, I was in the crappy friend dog house, but luckily my good friend quickly got over it.

The only times I really missed having Facebook was when I got home from work late at night. I am a bartender and don’t get home till 1am-3am. After running my butt off all through the night and into the wee hours of the morning, it takes me awhile to wind down, and Facebook is usually my go to app. Usually every night (or technically morning) after work I lie in bed, my body exhausted but my mind still running, and I scroll through my news feed until I relax and fall asleep. At first I hated twitter as my Facebook substitute, but it got the job done, along with my buddy Pinterest. Many people use Facebook to pass time, but everyone complains that they need more time, so why waste it on Facebook? Maybe I am still stuck in my detoxified stage and may have a relapse, but I have to admit this was a good experience.

Even when I logged in for the first time tonight, seeing those 22 notification, 2 friends requests, and 1 message, I knew it was most likely nothing important. The only time I am actually curious about  a notification is when it is a picture tag. I know I am speaking for many girls when I say this, but when you see you are tagged in a photo, you have to check to make sure you approve! If not, you will instantly do everything you can to get that tagger to take the photo down to save yourself the embarrassment of the horrible photo, even though you are probably just being picky and you look totally fine. But luckily for me, I knew that none of those notifications were picture tags because my email would have notified me. I also do not go out as much as I used to so I was not worried about a potential embarrassing photo being tagged like I used to in my party days! Although, I did rap “Baby got back” on the mic at work the other night, so I could have possibly been tagged in a video! Now that would be super embarrassing!

The only other time I felt like I needed Facebook was for work. Like I said, I am a bartender at a local bar in my town. The bar uses Facebook to promote events and drink specials which is usually part of my job. It was hard not seeing upcoming events, the live entertainment, and posting drink specials to try to get my friends to come up. So instead I had to find out the old school way, you know, like text or call my boss and ask a few simple questions. That was totally, like, such an inconvenience! (Kidding)

Overall, this week away from Facebook felt like rehab for my addiction. I think my addiction has been cured, and I honestly may not even download the app back on my phone. Maybe just log in from a computer here or there to upload pictures or post a status; or to untag an embarrassing video of me rapping! You never know when someone is capturing a moment of you acting a fool!

Project Part 1

Upon discussion in class, I was aware that there are many different writing spaces that students have access to that can make the writing process a little bit easier and a bit more less distracting. Through the next few examples, there are may programs that help with these areas, but also some that are just more natural.

1. Paper

 Writing on paper is one thing that we have done since we were able to writer. Since then our letter shape and style has changed however the legistics of writing is still there. It is what we grew up doing and it is the most natural.

2. Microsoft Word

  This form of writing space is one that I am most familiar with when it comes to school. All papers are written using Microsoft Word in my life. This was the most natural for me to write on because I was aware of all of the tools and all of the tools were and meant.

3. JDarkroom

 This was very different. A black screen took over my computer and I was left with green writing as I typed an assignment for Creative Writing. This writing space was very unusual because I was not used to the black background, and even the green writing threw me off a little bit. However, the plus side of this was that I could not see any icons on the bottom of my screen which would normally be very tempting for procrastination or distraction.

4. Ommwriter

 This was by far one of my favorite writing spaces. Ommwriter allows you to play 3 different types of music, 3 different background colors, sizes for text as well as different fonts. I usually listen to music when I write, so this was right up my alley. I love that you could personalize it so I could find what fit my mood most so I was ready to write.

5. Writer

 This writing space was very similar to JDarkroom however you had a little bit more freedom with this one. You are given some prompts so you can word count, save it, send it, download it. Again, just as with the JDarkroom one, the black and green writing was hard for me to get used to.

6. GoogleDocs

 This writing space was very similar to Microsoft Word. The tool bars, the layout, background, etc. I do however like how with google documents everything is right there for you. From documents, to presentations, and all of your work is easily accessible.

7. WordPress

 The writing space of WordPress is one that I really enjoy. The layout and easiness of this website is one that is very helpful. When wanting to save a draft, who you want to be able to access it as well as the type of audience you want to see it. This website is definitely one that only a blogger would really use, however for that blogger it is very well laid out.

8. Twitter

  Twitter allows status updates that are to be under 140 characters, keeping the message short and sweet. These are usually direct statements that could eaither be directed towards a certain person, your entire following or the public. It would include things like what you are doing, where you are, who you are with or how you are feeling.

9. Facebook Status Update

A Facebook status update is a little bit more in depth then a Twitter status. This example, doesnt really show that, however with facebook there is not that limit to 140 characters, so you have more freedom to express. However, the topics are pretty much similar as to what people use Twitter for.

10. Cellphone

 The writing space in a cell phone comes very natural. In this day of age we are constantly tied to our phones, texting, writing reminders, adding things to calendars, and so on. Therefore this writing space is one that I feel the most comfortable with when it comes to writing short things, and not assignments. Autocorrect is a very great thing, very similar to spellcheck.

In conclusion, there are writing spaces everywhere that we look. All different layouts, styles, etc. Each one that fits every person out there, you just have to get out there, explore and see which one fits you best.

Will Siftables Become a New Tool in Schools?

I was really intrigued to see this TED video featuring David Merrill who introduced Siftables. While I am sure these little blocks can be used for many things, he focused on using it in education, which as a future educator was really enlightening. I am always intrigued to learn about new tools that I could potentially use in my future classroom, as students really love to use technology and often thrive when using technology. Granted, this seems to be still in the development phase, it was certainly something to look forward to and support as I thought it was a great concept and seemed to show a lot of the benefits and really took into consideration all the new findings in education.

Technology is highly used in schools today and students genuinely get excited when something is hands-on and involves some sort of technology. Certainly this is very innovative and it is taking something that could have been rather boring, like going over math problems or creating words, and making it something that would be intriguing for students and children. What I liked about the Siftables was that it was so interactive and that it really gave instant results. Our brains today race all over and students really need to have instant answers.

In my education classes, I always learn about children becoming the leaders of their own learning, also known as student-centered learning. By using the Siftables, children are really taking that control. This was exemplified in the section, where the little boy was basically creating his own story. By making all the characters interact and having different objects come through the screen, this little boy was creating something that he may not have even intended, but was certainly in charge of his learning. There would have to be some sort of guidance or help in the beginning, but children nowadays really pick up on things quickly. Pretty soon, children really work alone and will work through problems and scenarios on their own, further showing their role as a leader in their learning.

I was also intrigued that Siftables can be used through a variety of subjects. When thinking about a standard classroom, there are many old-fashioned materials that perhaps can only work with a few subjects. But this really pertains to so many different subjects, which really helps different types of learners and will help enforce their interests as well as helping with specific needs.

Many of the activities shown in the video were geared towards younger children and I was very intrigued to see how this could be used with older children. It seemed like all the stories were showing a lot of introductory information and I would be interested to see what other things Merrill has planned for this technology.  If this were available on the market, I would definitely try to get some for my classroom.

 

How addicted are YOU?

I think I have withdrawals- not using Facebook for a week has driven me crazy. I thought I would be able to control myself, whereas I didn’t think I would actually have to delete the shortcut off my computer and the app from my phone. WRONG. I woke up on that Wednesday morning, checked my email and clicked on the Facebook icon! After catching myself, I immediately deleted it to avoid further mishaps.

Am I crazy? Surely I should not feel this strongly about a social network. But I found myself wondering whose birthday it was, how everyone’s weekend went and what others had to say about my weekend pictures. Which made me wonder if I like Facebook because 500 of my closest friends can talk to me, or because I can see what everyone and their mother is doing. And that made me feel just plain creepy.

I know we were supposed to tweet each time we were tempted to go on Facebook, but I think I avoided my phone a lot more this week just because I really had nothing to do on it. After reading a couple articles on Facebook with relation to psychology, I found there was more than one mental test out there to see how strong your addiction to Facebook really is! Some people (…and myself) need to go on every day, maybe just to check their notifications, which I will admit make me happy when I have them. I guess part of it is the validation of “Yes, I did have a great time this weekend with my beautiful friends and if you like it, then you agree!”. I also wondered if people would think I was rude by not responding, even though I posted a status about being away for a week. Is that what’s blanketed under manners now, Facebook etiquette?

But I do know something for sure- Tuesday at 6 PM, this girl is re-downloading the Facebook app and immersing herself back in the Facebook world.