Saturday, September 17, 2016

Sir Kenneth Robinson: How to Escape Education's Death Valley

Image result for TED ED talksHow to Escape Education's Death Valley          
Sir Kenneth Robinson
April 2013
Key Points:
1.       Education in the US is based on conformity rather than the reality of diversity. Sir Kenneth highlights the point that students suffer from “childhood”. He says that children prosper when a curriculum touches and accesses their interest and curiosity. His point that, if you sit a child down and expect them to do 6 hours of office scribing, you get wiggly children is so evident in today's schools. I believe that this is more relevant now than it ever was. With drop-out rates at an all-time high in many areas, we need to be finding ways to excite the interests of students, encouraging them to explore and expand their interests rather than just having them become pencil pushers in classrooms.




  • The Homework Debate

  • Education.com
  • Updated on Jul 29, 2013


  • The key points of this article are focused around whether or not students should receive home work to complete at home, and how much should be given.

  • In this day and age of digital "everything", how important is it for a child to be given loads of homework on a daily basis. Does the completion of rote homework act as a reinforcer for school? Does homework go against what we are trying to teach our students about the actuality of understanding?




Saturday, June 11, 2016

Tech Project, Plickers

I did my Tech Project on Plickers. When you click the link below it will take you to a Piktochart, with a brief review of my project and all the source materials that I used in my project.

https://magic.piktochart.com/output/14461947-new-piktochart-conflict-copy

Saturday, May 14, 2016

Thursday, April 7, 2016

1600's History of Education Timeline


Integrated Timeline created by Group 1 (Claudia, Corinne, Steven and Graham)

2000s Timeline


Hope everyone enjoys our timeline for the 2000's! 


(Timeline made possible by the collaborative efforts of Kailee, Patt, Kyle, Kate, and Alex)

Monday, March 7, 2016

OTEN Conference February 20th 2016

Oregon Technology in Education Network

This conference was absolutely fascinating. We were given the opportunity to listen in and take part in lectures by educators about various ways technology can be used in the classroom. At first, I was nervous yet excited because I feel confident in my technological abilities, however I recognize there is so much more out there to learn. I didn't realize how ignorant and unaware I was until I saw the list of potential lectures we could attend. The first one that caught my attention was Gamification Strategy Guide, led by Chris Hesselbein.

Gamification Strategy guide was a fun, interactive discussion on how games and school relate and how we can educate based on gaming ideology. Mr. Hesselbein broke down the fundamentals of games using examples like Super Mario Brothers and sports. These fundamentals we agreed upon were: A defined goal, established rules, immediate feedback, and the idea that games are voluntary. He then asked us to take a look at school and the education system itself in that manner. Games are fun for everyone to play because they meet the 4 fundamental ideas yet school is a lousy game that nobody wants to play. The idea of Gamification is to turn non-game situations (like school) into game like scenarios but Hesselbein stressed the importance of having a concrete established lesson plan.

Sunday, March 6, 2016

OTEN Conference

OTEN Conference – Graham Bledsoe

            Heading to the OTEN Conference, I really did not know what to expect. To be quite honest, I was dreading the thought of sitting and listening to different people lecture on how to teach effectively. What I left with though, was quite the opposite as I came away with a lot of useful resources that I can implement in my current and future classrooms.
            The first session I attended was the “Fun, Free, Formative Assessment Strategies” put on by Nikole W. Hartman of the Forest Grove School District. I was really impressed with this session overall and thought that Nikole provided a wide range of programs that we can use in our classrooms. I was very impressed with the program, Kahoot, which we were able to play around with by taking an interactive quiz on Shakespeare. I loved how it was both educational and a competitive game, something that I could see a lot of my students being very interested in. Another program we explored was Answer Garden, which could be used as a quick/easy daily warm-up to see if your students understood a reading, a lesson or vocab words.
            Session #2 of the day was the “Podcasting and Video Technologies in the Elementary Classroom: Ideas for creative projects with your students” that was presented by Machelle Childers of the Forest Grove School District. Machelle provided us with a lot of fun ideas that she uses in her classroom that all involve making videos. One of the video projects that I really enjoyed was based on her class’s field trip to a nearby wetland where she was able to show parents and her school exactly what they did/what they learned. I thought that this session was fun to be apart of and it was cool to see what her school was doing with podcasting but I was thinking that she was going to show us how to make these videos or show us different apps that are helpful in order for us to implement it in our classrooms.
           

Saturday, February 27, 2016

2016 OTEN Conf

OTEN Conference

I was unsure of exactly what to expect at the OTEN conference.  The more I read about it and learned what the drive is and all the knowledge and power behind it, I became more and more intrigued.  What an amazing event!  I really feel like I took away so much new information and ideas and got an image of what stages our classrooms are in through this ongoing technology shift that’s happening around us. 

            The first session I attended was Nikole Hartman’s who works in FGSD.  She walked us through multiple apps and websites she uses in her classrooms to do everything from formative assessments to prompt classroom discussions.  Answer Garden was the first one she presented.  It was quite brilliant.  Like all of the others she discussed, it is interactive so the student can be an active participant in whatever the teacher is doing - whether it be an exam, survey, or just note taking.  Answer Garden focuses more on one question to get an idea of the class response.  This would be a great way to practice vocab or brainstorm for creative writing topics, among many other uses.  As the students answer, their responses appear up on the main screen where everyone can see.  Padlet was another similar tool, used more as a piece of scratch paper that you never have to throw away.   It could be used as a discussion forum, or just a large note pad.  She also uses Socrative, Kahoot, and Quizziz, which are variations of ways to assess their learning, or how well the teacher is doing at delivering material.  The competitive spirit keep the learning fun and engaging.  I truly think it's one of the most brilliant ways to keep the students engaged in the current material.  

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

OTEN Conference

I was unsure of exactly what to expect at the OTEN conference.  The more I read about it and learned what the drive is and all the knowledge and power behind it, I became more and more intrigued.  What an amazing event!  I really feel like I took away so much new information and ideas and got an image of what stages our classrooms are in through this ongoing technology shift that’s happening around us. 

            The first session I attended was Nikole Hartman’s who works in FGSD.  She walked us through multiple apps and websites she uses in her classrooms to do everything from formative assessments to prompt classroom discussions.  Answer Garden was the first one she presented.  It was quite brilliant.  Like all of the others she discussed, it is interactive so the student can be an active participant in whatever the teacher is doing - whether it be an exam, survey, or just note taking.  Answer Garden focuses more on one question to get an idea of the class response.  This would be a great way to practice vocab or brainstorm for creative writing topics, among many other uses.  As the students answer, their responses appear up on the main screen where everyone can see.  Padlet was another similar tool, used more as a piece of scratch paper that you never have to throw away.   It could be used as a discussion forum, or just a large note pad.  She also uses Socrative, Kahoot, and Quizziz, which are variations of ways to assess their learning, or how well the teacher is doing at delivering material.  The competitive spirit keep the learning fun and engaging.  I truly think it's one of the most brilliant ways to keep the students engaged in the current material.  

Monday, February 22, 2016

I was unsure of exactly what to expect at the OTEN conference.  The more I read about it and learned what the drive is and all the knowledge and power behind it, I became more and more intrigued.  What an amazing event!  I really feel like I took away so much new information and ideas and got an image of what stages our classrooms are in through this ongoing technology shift that’s happening around us. 

            The first session I attended was Nikole Hartman’s who works in FGSD.  She walked us through multiple apps and websites she uses in her classrooms to do everything from formative assessments to prompt classroom discussions.  Answer Garden was the first one she presented.  It was quite brilliant.  Like all of the others she discussed, it is interactive so the student can be an active participant in whatever the teacher is doing - whether it be an exam, survey, or just note taking.  Answer Garden focuses more on one question to get an idea of the class response.  This would be a great way to practice vocab or brainstorm for creative writing topics, among many other uses.  As the students answer, their responses appear up on the main screen where everyone can see.  Padlet was another similar tool, used more as a piece of scratch paper that you never have to throw away.   It could be used as a discussion forum, or just a large note pad.  She also uses Socrative, Kahoot, and

Sunday, February 21, 2016

2016 OTEN Conference

The 2016 OTEN Conference on Saturday, February 20th, was very interesting and informative. I feel that I was able to learn about several accessible resources that I will be able to use in my future classroom.
At the beginning I was overwhelmed with the number of options that were available to choose from. I wanted to be sure that I was choosing the appropriate sessions that would work for me. But I feel that I chose very well, and that I gained something from all of them. However, two stood out that I feel I would use their resources in the future.

The first one was How to Flip Your Class: A Feasible Guide to Flipping Your Content. I found this interesting because she gave us a number of ideas of how to change a boring lesson to a fun and interactive lesson that students will be engaged with,

Saturday, February 20, 2016

OTEN Conference 16'

This conference was informative and very inspiring. I was very pleased and touched to see former coworkers presenting in this year's conference. Among the many passionate educators presenting today was Mrs. Nichole Carter. As a former language arts teacher at Neil Armstrong Middle school, Mrs. Carter always greeted us with a smile and much enthusiasm. Today, she met those who attended her session with the same attitude. She presented an array of innovative tools and technological ideas that could enhance student achievement and induce student engagement in the classroom. Her ideas and motives were aligned with Common Core Standards. I felt she did very well with addressing concerns that "newcomers" to this field of technology might experience. However, with every concern and possible setback, she had a come back. Ultimately, she encouraged us to learn with the students and to not back down if set backs occurred. In all, learning technology and implementing it in curriculum is about balance. While she is certainly advanced in her use of technology in the classroom, Mrs. Carter assured us that she is still learning the ropes and learning how to use these tools in new ways.  She shared various resources with us and made herself available in case we had questions post-conference. This was the most beneficial session I took today.

I attended a session that gave us examples of podcasts and videos. It tickled me to see such young minds do powerful things with technology. One of the presenters was a second grade teacher in the Forest Grove School District. There is a pride in knowing my district has talented and passionate teachers going as far as they can to allow students be in charge of their own learning.

My last session was consisted of three teaching candidates who are successfully using applications like Schoology and Nearpod to engage student learning. I find that the applications that I am interested in are the ones that will allow me to monitor progress and keep track of what students are accomplishing.

I was able to attend sessions from educators who taught various grades including the collegiate level. It was fascinating to see so many people gathered with the purpose of enhancing student achievement through the use of technology. Throughout the day, I could not stop thinking about the common denominator we all shared today as we gathered for this conference- the students. It is nothing short of amazing when such a conference is given with the sole purpose of enriching this world of education.

Collectively, I felt that all of my sessions were suitable for me.  I know the true results will appear when I have the opportunity to use them when I step into the classroom.


D.J. Arce

OTEN Annual Conference 2016





OTEN 2016 Conference

OTEN 2016 Conference

What an informative day! There was a lot to be inspired by today, beginning with the very first session. I came to the conference with a schedule all worked out. It was neatly typed, very beautiful, and precise. I knew exactly where I was going and what I was going to see, until I heard the opening speaker. He spoke of a program in Pacific University being run by Aja Appel and Kylee Oshiro. I sat and listened to this man on stage describe the way I would teach; letting the students lead the way. That was it; I immediately decided that was the talk I wanted to hear, and a classroom I wanted to see. This was a classroom that was, for the most part, student-lead. I really enjoyed seeing the different technologies and hearing how they are used. Tons of notes and great ideas. Brava, teachers. Can I come to play, too?

The second session was run by Chris Hessilbein; Google Drive: Tools for Collaborative Learning. I had seen Chris in Hillsboro recently at a Google for the Classroom conference. That was, of course, the day that Google decided to crash. Today was a little better. Chris went through Google Docs and showed us some tips and tricks that will come in handy. I use the Google environment a lot, and anything I can learn that will make my life easier is worth the time to learn. It really is a powerful platform, although Google Sheets could stand some upgrades. But, I digress. I did not take too many notes during this class because we were interactively busy almost the whole time. Of course, as with any course of this sort, where something is trying to be demonstrated, there were connectivity problems. However, we muddled through and learned something. They should give better explanations on connectivity issues for classes like this. I felt we were just cut adrift. 

Lunch! Not having eaten breakfast, lunch was a lifesaver! My little tummy felt much better afterward and I was all ready to listen to a very interesting keynote speaker, Linda Samek, from George Fax University. She was surprising in that she seemed very unassuming, but she was easy to listen to. It can't have been easy to get to where she is now, knowing that, to date, tech has been a man's world. She is a pioneer and an example to our young women. I imagine Ms. Samek would be a fun person to hang out with.

After lunch, we flew through an hour with Patrick Brittenham while he talked about 21st Century Formative Assessment Toolkits. He told of some fun websites where different assessments could be accessed. Some of these were:


They all did essentially the same thing, but with tweaks and twists. I can see myself using some of these fun interactives. They would be as much for for me as to use as for the students.

A shorter session was next, with a presentation about Exploring Apps for Differentiated Instruction, presented by four Pacific U students: Courtney Fisher, Eric Weinbenden, Julia Barrett, and Zachary Blinkerd. However, one of the young men was not physically present, but I am not sure which one attended. These students talked about apps they had used to support differentiated instruction, describing the pros and cons of each app. An interesting talk, but, at this point in my journey, I am not sure I can utilize this information.

The last session was presented by Jennifer Hardacker, and was entitled Gamification-lite of a Film History Class. We were told to go to a session that challenged us or that was outside our sphere. This one certainly was, but I found some real nuggets of info contained in this small session. I liked the way the instructor allowed the students  to pick the things they want to work on, up to a certain point. I also liked the different ways students could earn points toward their final grade in different ways, i.e. watch a film and write a report, or make a film, etc. It was one class, but it could be tailored by the students to fit their own style and inclinations, working with their strengths and interests.

In all, it was a very long and interesting day. It seemed to pass quickly. By the end, the others in the cohort were lining the hallway like limp marionettes. I think we were all a little wrung out and very glad to be going home.

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

CHECKING IN



I created this screencast using as web-based app called Screencastify. In it I provide a quick overview of  the G+ community in both the new and old [classic] versions to review how to access the links to the Program Google Calendar and the Flex 2016 Blog. I also revisit what you should be doing for the upcoming OTEN conference and homework for March 12th. See you on Saturday!

Sunday, January 3, 2016

Welcome to the Flex 2016 Blog!


Hello everyone!

This blog has been created to support our exploration of technology integration in educational practice, as well as to share some of the work you will be creating in the courses that you will be taking with me throughout the program.

In addition to this blog, I have created a G+ Community for updates and social networking as well as a Program Calendar using the Google suite that is available to us through Pacific's Boxer Apps. These will serve as the core for the Flex Virtual Learning Space [VLS] but our online environment will also continue to grow as we add to it over the next months. Here are the links, and you should note that I have also added these links to the navigation bar on the right side of this blog:
TIP: It is recommended that you get into the habit of logging out of all other email accounts and then logging into Boxer Apps using your PU Net ID in order to avoid problems accessing and using these tools.