Blog 7: Professional Learning Network

The concept of a Professional Learning Network is an overall good idea as the constant feeds of new information become more exciting when they are relevant to the individual. Some of these websites such as Facebook, twitter, LinkedIn, etc. offer people a few different ways in which they can interact and engage with other professionals in a relatively safe manner.

During this quarter, I signed up for twitter and (although most of the people I'm following are celebrities) I found that there are many educators and educational groups that utilize twitter on a regular basis to share their thoughts, concerns, ideas, etc. with others. I thought this was awesome because it seems like people are not afraid to "tell us how they really feel" when using media tools like this. 

The RSS feed was interesting at first but, honestly, I was overwhelmed with the amount of results it returned in most cases. It seemed that if my search was more general, I got a TON of responses...but if I was more specific, I got very few responses. After a few attempts, I felt that I had a better luck using google than the Digg Stream. 

Finally, the Blog was probably my favorite tool this quarter. I really enjoy being able to simply write down what I feel and not having to think too much about writing as a process. Having the freedom to write whatever I want because it's my blog is quite liberating and even more captivating for that very reason. 

Blogging is something that I feel can very easily be introduced in the classroom and have students not think about "writing" as a chore. The whole format of blogging is much more laid back and non-traditional, in a sense, which I feel would compel students to engage in the process more easily. For the adults, I do believe that twitter and other PLNs can be beneficial. Unfortunately, I also feel that what is lacking the most is an understanding of the value in these tools as well as a large unawareness of their existence. Overall, I think these PLNs have great value in the accessibility they give educators to resources, information, and other professionals in the field. 

Journal 6: Self Reflection

Although HTML seemed overwhelming at first, it was incredibly helpful having someone break down what all the tags, letters, and symbols mean, as well as how they are all used to create something cohesive. The book exercises have provided really great practice and that has probably been the most exciting part of becoming familiar with the coding process. One of the first assignments, creating the Bistro website, was exciting because it was the first time that I was able to directly see how the see of code that I entered turned into something real in a browser. During one of the earlier labs, I was also excited about being able to create and format the buttons at top of my first website and add the picture background, which helped to solidify the importance of css and how much of a difference the small details will make. 

One of the more challenging parts of all of this, however, has been the css, mainly because it is so time consuming. Especially being a bit of a perfectionist, it is very frustrating spending so much time on the smaller details of these pages such as the "tabs" at the top of the page. It has been great learning that the css can be embedded though, this will definitely cut down on the amount of time it takes to make these pages as visually appealing as possible. 

Journal 4: Project Plan

Site Title: Science with Ms. Cueva!

Developer: Ada C. Cueva

Rationale/Focus: Communicating with students

Main Features: Assignments, Announcements, Contact

Target Audience: Students and parents

Design Considerations: Site will need to be “user friendly” and intuitive as students/parents with a variety of technology levels will have access to it.

Limiting factors: One limiting factor would be that not all students in my classroom have regular access to a computer. In addition, I am not sure that an email submission box will be possible or effective.

About Me...

About Me

My name is Ada Cueva, I was born in Colima, Mexico but have lived in Anaheim from the time I was one year old. I graduated from Katella High School in 2006, received my Bachelors Degree in Biology from Cal Poly Pomona in 2011, followed by my Teaching Credential in 2012. After six years of school I decided to take a couple of quarters off before starting my Masters in EMM. After graduating from high school I was hired as an instructional aide in the same district that I graduated from and have moved into other positions including substitute teaching and now teaching full time. I have also returned to my high school as the Varsity Tennis Coach...so when I'm not in the classroom, I'm on the tennis courts. In the summer I work as the Nature Director for a Day Camp in Anaheim Hills (picture). 

Progress in EMM Program

This is my third quarter in the EMM program. I took last fall off to coach (and give myself a mental break) so I started last winter. I am hoping to complete the program by this upcoming spring quarter. The classes I have had so far were interesting and engaging. I really enjoy the exposure to multiple resources. Although I don't feel that EVERYTHING we use will work for me, it is nice to have the option to use it.

Why EMM?

I definitely do not consider myself a technology genius but I would not say I am clueless either. I enjoy learning new ways to use the technology that is available. I chose to earn my Masters in EMM because I teach Science to junior high students who were born into a world submerged in technology. I feel that technology is something that comes extremely easy to them and if I can incorporate it into our lessons, it will help to keep them engaged in a variety of ways. It's relevant, dynamic, and readily available to most students and I want to take advantage of that to help them learn our science content.

Journal 3: Social Media in Schools

The Case for Social Media in Schools

The use of social media in schools seems to be an ongoing controversial topic among educators, parents, and students. In the article, “The case for Social Media in Schools,” several valid points are presented for why this is a good idea.

I especially agree with the first point discussed in the article: Social Media is Not Going Away. This is the very reason why I chose this Masters program as opposed to anything else in education. Our world is overrun with technology and our students were born into a society that competes for bragging rights of the latest and greatest developments. This generation of students was born into a rapidly advancing world and they are completely surrounded by technology in their everyday lives. Social media such as facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are essential in the way they communicate. Therefore, instead of trying to deny them of something that is very much a part of who they are, we need to embrace it and find ways to incorporate it in an educational manner.

Another important point made in the article was that Cell Phones Aren’t the Enemy. I also find this to be true, as I have seen it countless times in my own classroom. While modeling direction for a speed lab, I asked students to raise their hands if they had a calculator; only two students raised their hands. Then I asked students to raise their hands if they had a cell phone; I got nearly an entire class with their hand up. As long as students know what the expectation is, they will use their cell phones in the appropriate manner. There are also many applications such as “Remind 101” which can help the teacher maximize student productivity by sending out reminders about class assignments that go directly to students’ phones.

Overall, I thought the article made a good case for the use of social media in the classroom. I think that if it is implemented appropriately, students will become engaged and increase productivity simply because they are enjoying the learning, especially when it does not feel like “work.” 

Journal 1

Robbins, J. (2012). Learning web design: A beginner's guide to html, css, javascript, and web graphics. (4th ed., pp. 3-45). Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly Media, Inc.

As I read through these chapters, I found it to be both comforting and slightly alarming. My oldest memory of technology is probably using an Apple Computer with a floppy disk slot to play Oregon Trail…not exactly historically accurate, but engaging just the same. Technology, however, continued to be a presence in my life as I developed typing skills and realized that the Internet had a plethora of ideas and sources to support my own learning and educational growth. This exposure and constant access to a computer helped me recognize many topics in the reading, such as HTML, JavaScript, and the importance of using adequate software.

Unfortunately, there were also MANY more topics covered that I have never even heard! I thought it was great how the URL was broken down to explain each part; I noticed that I am paying much more attention now as I navigate between web sites. Figure 2-5 (p. 31) was also incredibly helpful. Although I was familiar with terms such as browser, server, HTTP, index.html, etc., it was rather helpful to see them utilized in a visual representation like this. I was also unaware of the Web Accessibility Initiative that provides access to the web to people with a variety of impairments.

I am hoping that through this class, I will increase my depths of knowledge and become more familiar with the implementation and inner workings of these resources.

Q1: How will the emerging HTML5 technology be different from the current system?

A1: HTML5 has been “designed to better handle web applications” but it is not currently widely accepted by common browsers (Robbins, p. 26). The most common version of HTML currently in use is HTML version 4.01.

Q2: How does the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) help designers create a world wide web that is accessible to those with physical and even mental limitations?

A2: WAI provides guidelines that help designers create websites for individuals with a vision impairment, mobility impairment, auditory impairment, and/or cognitive impairment to access the information on the web, despite their disability, in a variety of ways including the use of a “screen reader, Braille output, magnifiers, joysticks, foot pedals, and so on” (Robbins, p. 41).