Google Profile/Reader

For today's assignment, I created a Google Profile and a Google Reader page. I subscribed to two blogs that appeal to new teachers, since I am new to the teaching field. The first blog that I chose is called Reality 101: CEC's Blog For New Teachers. This blog provides a glimpse into the classrooms of several special education teachers. Due to reading this blog (thus far), I have gained a better perspective of what happens in the classroom. The second blog is titled Tweenteacher.com, which provides discussion about topics such as teacher layoffs, teacher responsibilities, and the history of education. I learned about some of the professional issues that teachers encounter outside of the classroom from this blog.This activity can be used in the classroom to help students develop organization skills and become involved in the virtual world. The ISTE NETS T standards that mostly relate to this assignment are 1.d. and 3.d. By using Google Reader, teachers/students are able to model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students and colleagues in a virtual environment, and teachers can model and facilitate the use of emerging tools (Google Reader) to locate and analyze information resources to support research and learning.

Diigo-Social Bookmarking

Today, I learned about Diigo, which is a social bookmarking website. I created an account and installed Diigolet for my web browser. My assignment is to reflect upon my experiences with web browsers. I usually use Internet Explorer and Safari. I have used Internet Explorer for years and I am partial to it due to it's familiarity. Recently, I have started using Mozilla, which I am starting to like. Mozilla is very useful for organizing information and juggling multiple pages. It has proven to be helpful when completing my coursework. Browser add-on is also a term that is new to me. Basically, a browser add-on is a tool that can help with browsing the internet and organizing information/downloads. These add-ons usually appear on your toolbar and can help keep track of the sites you've visited, link/share information with other sites (Facebook, etc.,), and provide useful tools that can help manage information. StumbleUpon is an example of an add-on, in which you can rate sites that you like/dislike and recommendations can be made for more sites that you may enjoy. I have recently started using this site and find it to be interesting. It was easy to download this add-on and I had no problems. I did have difficulty when installing the Diigolet , as I was dragging the Diigolet button to the wrong place (the bookmarks tab instead of the toolbar). Diigo can be useful in the classroom by providing students with a tool in which they can compile a collection of information from other websites and organize it in a meaningful manner. I think that the ISTE NETS T standards that most closely matches today's activities are: 1.d. and 2.c. Teachers are able to model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in a virtual environment (gathering and organizing articles, journals, etc.) and teachers/students can personalize learning activities to address abilities using digital tools and resources (using Diigolet to aid in gathering information and Diigo in organizing the information).

Philosophy

Today, I created a document, Philosophy, using Microsoft Word and learned how to obtain  a Flesch-Kincaid readability score, mine rated a 10.4. I then uploaded this document into Google Documents and published it.The second part of my assignment involved creating an avatar through Voki For Web. I inserted text from my second question into the avatar and my avatar will actually speak the text  that I entered. This activity could be used in an English classroom by having students evaluate their writing abilities through Flesch-Kincaid. Using Voki For Web could be used in students creating a character from a novel and using the text box to speak passages or quotations from the novel. The ISTE NETS T standards that relate to this assignment are: 2.a. and 2.c. This is because teachers can promote creative thinking and inventiveness (creating a speaking character through Voki) and promoting student reflection using tools to clarify students understanding and creative process (by applying a visualization of a character and text).

Publish/Make Your Resume

Today, I created a document (resume) using Google Documents for the first time. Google Documents is a free online word processing program which seems to have a lot of interesting features. First, I went to my g-mail account, selected documents, and then selected the template for my resume. I completed and saved my resume and then published it. I was a little apprehensive about completing this assignment, but it was actually simple. Google Documents can be used in the classroom as a universal word-processing tool. The ISTE NETS T standards that reflect this assignment are: 2.a. and 3.a. By utilizing and sharing Google Documents, teachers/students are able to design/adapt learning experiences that incorporate digital tools (Google Documents) to promote student learning, and teachers are able to demonstrate fluency in technology systems (Google Documents) and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations (such as using a Word Document and applying/transferring this information to a Google Document).

Locus of Control Survey

This assignment is the Locus of Control Survey. Locus of control is a term used to describe one's sense of empowerment. According to the site, the higher the score, the more likely one has a strong sense of empowerment and optimism. The survey consists of twenty-nine questions that contain two answer choices. The results are scored as follows: 

• 0- 4; Very strong external locus of control
• 5 - 9; External locus of control
• 10 - 14; Both external and internal locus of control
• 15 - 19; Internal locus of control
• 19 - 23; Very strong internal locus of control

I went to the website and answered the twenty-nine questions to obtain my Locus of Control Score. My score was 14, which indicates both external and internal locus of control. I agree with my score, as I do believe that thinking positive and accepting responsibility for one's decision making to be very important. However, I do occasionally let negative thinking guide me. I feel that I am more on the positive side. I find self-diagnostic tests to be fun, but also difficult at times due to their subjective nature. This activity can be used in the classroom to promote self-reflection. The ISTE NETS T standards that relate to this assignment are: 1.a and 2.b By using this survey in a classroom, teachers can promote innovative thinking by encouraging self-reflection. Teachers can also develop technology enriched learning environments that enable students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals (by providing insight into their own sense of empowerment).

Introduction

My name is Amber Haller and I am a graduate student at Fairmont State University. This is my second semester in the M.Ed. Special Education program. Blogging is new to me and I am creating this blog as part of my EDUC 6305 course. I work as a Service Coordinator/Counselor at an outpatient behavioral health clinic. My clientele consists of children and adolescents and I hope to (one day) teach this population in the classroom.