Week 4: Tech Play 3: Creativity Tools

• Describe and discuss the various tools you explored: what you liked or disliked about each one. Consider whether you liked or disliked it for your own personal use or for your students’ use. Select one tool from those you explored to continue to reflect on.

I was familiar with a lot of the apps and links presented on the pyramid. I was also familiar with some of the apps from Bloom's Taxonomy for the iPads. I explored a few from there, since I had no idea of where to start. It was hard for me to actually look at the apps because they are for the apple devices that I don't have. However, this is what I got from the following apps (the ones I liked the best): 

ComicBook! (creating) is a great app for the people who like comic books and turning real life into cartoon form. It is a really easy app to use. This app provides many different graphics that are hands-on tools to create a comic of any kind and any thing. 

HootSuite (evaluating) looked interesting to me. This app is an app that let's people manage their social media. Social media is a very popular thing now, so this would be great for students to learn how to use social media appropriately. The app seems like it can be a bit confusing to start up, but once it is set up, it looks as though it should be smooth sailing. 

GoSkyWatch (analyzing) is a favorite app of mine. This app is good for both apple and android devices. It provides students to see the sky in a whole different way. This is a good way of incorporating technology into science, especially astronomy. This app is like a virtual look into the different parts of the sky. 

ShowMe (applying) is an app I have heard of. This app provides students with the ability to learn and teach through an open community about any subject or topic. This app can be used to create and share videos that goes along with the topic. This app also has digital features where you can talk on the videos and add in any other effect of your choice. I will reflect on this app.

Other apps from understanding and remembering seems like useful apps as well. I think most apps are good to use to check for understanding and remembering. AR testing is a good app for remembering. I like all of the apps for personal and student use. I have also heard of the robotics clubs (or something like that). There isn't an app, as far as I know, but it has to do with science and building robots and things of that nature with their hands. Is that considered a creativity tool?

• Analyze how the creativity tool that you selected might support learning, using the TPACK model. Specifically, describe the content goals/objectives, pedagogical approach(es), and technological affordances of some student work that you might design using the creativity tool you selected.

In the ShowMe app, most of the seven areas of the TPACK model are used. The app can be used by the teacher and the students to teach and to learn. Then the teacher could have the students show what they learned or their understanding of what the teacher has taught through the ShowMe app. To me, it can go as like a "I teach, You do, You do, I learn" exchange between student and teachers (they are exchanging knowledge). All of the seven components of the TPACK model can be addressed in a topic using the ShowMe app. 

• Identify other ways that students could use the creativity tool you selected.

The ShowMe app could be used in the classroom for students to help other students who may struggle with a certain topic. Another idea is to let students work in pairs (a low student with a high student) in order to create their idea of a given topic and present it to the class. This will give the students a chance to be teachers. Not only can they use it for educational purposes, but any topic of their choice. 

• Explain why it might be important to know about and use creativity tools? What do they offer that other tools (i.e., drill and practice, tutorials, instructional games, etc.) do not offer? Reflect on any tools that you did not like for your own personal use. Can you find any value in using, learning to use, or allowing your students to use tools that you don’t care for personally?

It is important to know about the creativity tools because using them is a great way to help the students' creativity to be exposed. This also helps them think on their own and be different. Creativity tools has a more hands-on approach to learning rather than just sitting and listening to a tutorial or something of that nature. I believe this will provide a more learning experience from doing this. I think it is a good idea to let the students explore as many tools as they want, even if there are some that I don't care for. The students may find a liking to it, or they may see something in the tool that I didn't. 

Week 3 Tech Play 2: Eportfolio

Eportfolios have lots and lots of different tools that can be applied to a portfolio. From the themes, layouts, pictures, videos, backgrounds, colors, and much more, I got a little overwhelmed while playing around on some off the sites that I went to. I played around with a few portfolio websites. I just Googled some and went from there. The first one that I noticed was called FolioSpaces. According to that link, it is the most popular portfolio site for a lot of teachers, students, and career professionals. I like how this free site was easy to navigate through. Pathbrite was another one that I looked at. I really liked the visuals and tutorials that were provided. It was also a free one to start up an account and easy to follow. Portfoliogen was an easy site to navigate. It had many features to choose from and anyone could use this type of portfolio. FolioForMe was the next one, and I really did not care for that one. To me, it was a bit much and right off, there were not enough visuals for me. After looking at all of the different sites, I decided for my portfolio, I would stick to what I knew and what I was used to using, which is the Weebly.

Reflect on your understanding of “folio thinking.” 
Folio thinking is a reflective practice that situates and guides the effective use of learning portfolios, defined as a purposeful collection of artifacts that characterize the learning experiences of the portfolio owner. Folio thinking, to me, means the collection of work that a person has spent their time on in order to broadcast what they have learned or what knowledge they have gained over time. Folio thinking reflects on what a  person may believe, think, act, etc. I like that there overall is not a wrong or right thing to say or do when it comes to your own personal portfolio. I think portfolios are better than the other forms of assessments because those assessments are graded more on a numerical bases rather than production bases. With portfolios, you are able to see growth overtime more accurately and visually. With the other forms of assessment, numbers are all we have to compare, and we really can't see the person's actual work that way, just their grades.
Out of the two options, I wouldn't mind either choice (I mean we are bound to have to do both at some point in time). However, I would prefer choice B. I like the idea of a teacher giving me a prompt, and allowing me to use what I know or learned to come up with an ending. I think I have more leeway and freedom when I am able to think based on what I know. I also like to be creative with representing and showing off what I have learned in many forms besides the regular assessments. This will give me a chance to reflect on my own learning and growth.

Identify technology affordances. 
Physical portfolios are too much to handle. If you have a ton of collections of work, you wouldn't want to keep it in a folder to clutter and build up. Having an electronic portfolio is easier to save and handle. If there were any updates or changes to be made, it is easier to just go to the computer and edit the change that needs to be made. With the world of technology we have now, technology is a more appropriate manner for presenting any work or collection of work. The digital/electronic portfolios are easier to carry around too (just keep it on a flash drive). With an electronic portfolio, you can add more features to a portfolio so that it doesn't seem so boring like a paper one. Size is the main thing that makes the electronic portfolios better than the paper portfolios. I will be using Weebly for my portfolio. 

Shift context/perspective. 
I would allow my students to do as we did in this class. I would (depending on the grade level) give them a list of choices or let them browse different eportfolio websites and tools. I would allow them to choose the one they think they could handle. I would not want to choose a particular one for them, that takes the fun out of the process of creating their own eportfolio. I would only set the guidelines of what I will look for in the portfolios-almost like a rubric. The students can take what I give them and set up their own portfolio.  

Create something. I am working on this
http://kenyastandokes.weebly.com 

Kenya Standokes Tech Play 1

Tech Play 1 Blog

Definition of a Blog: My initial thought of blogging had to do with people writing posts about their opinions on a certain topic. I thought of it more of a book club type thing among a group of people. I didn't think of blogging as a method of learning before now. I thought it was more of a free time thing, as well. After reading and a doing a little more research, I see that there is so much to blogging than what I thought. Blogging serves many purposes. After looking up definitions, I see that my initial thought wasn't far from the actual definition of what a blog is and its purposes. The actual definition is, "a regularly updated website or web page, typically one run by an individual or small group, that is written in an informal or conversational style." Anything and everything can be written about in a blog, just depending on the author, and at any time, as much as possible. Also, blogs offer places where the readers or other authors may post comments to a blog. In a blog, the author may add pictures, videos, links, different themes and backgrounds, and much more. I have never used any type of blogging cite, so I am still learning how to use it. 

I would use blogging in the classroom for my students (depending on the grade level) to stay connected with classroom lessons and objectives. Not only will it be for the students, but for the parents as well, if I am teaching elementary. I would want there to be a blog for every unit we cover in the classroom, where the students and parents may ask questions or give their inputs to the unit. I would also want to add in tutorials or examples and activities the students may use or play that relate to the unit.  

Blog Sites: I looked around online for different blog sites (blog spot, blog.com, etc.), and they seem to have all of the same information and features for the most part as blogger. I decided to use this blogging site because I am using it in my other technology class, and I figured it would be easier to keep up with both class bloggings this way. Blogs are more casual and informal in some cases. With a blog, the author can write whatever they want to and there is no limit as to what they say.  

Affordances: Blogging is a great way to connect with other people. For me, starting up a blog was a little hard, since I have never used one before. Once I finally got the hang of it, I thought it was an alright tool to reach other people and get feedback from the readers. The blogging features allow me as a learner to develop my writing skills and be more open. I also like that I can make blogs with other people about a relatable topic and compare our thoughts. 

For My Lessons: Since I work in a high school (classroom assistant), I think the students would like blogging as a way of texting and using blogging as a way to talk to their peers. I would think that blogging could be incorporated with all content areas in some way. I pretty much like the idea of class discussions or class assignments through blogging. It seems that high schoolers tend to like more technology than pencil and paper. 

   I would try to present the blogging in a way that reaches, touches, and engages the students. All students and classes have a certain way or method of them becoming engaged students. Therefore, whatever works best with a group of students is what I will use. I will have to be sure it is student-centered. 

   Technology with the pedagogy in this case would be to show the students how blogging can be used through different forms of technology and all that blogging has to offer. Now to add to it, I would present them with the features and filters (because that is what they are in to now). I would have demonstrations of the different blogging usages and allow the class to do a group blogging session. I just had the idea of using the Freedom Writers' theme/idea and turning it into a blog form in some way, since I am working with SPED students in high school. 

Obstacles: For some students, they may not like the idea of blogging and it can become overwhelming to some. I like the idea of having different groups when there are lots of students in a class (like in my other technology class). For the students that I work with, setting up the blog would be the hard part for them to comprehend, but once we go step by step slowly, they should be able to start blogging.