Make Learning Pop!

     In the article, "Make Learning Pop!" Shaunna Smith wanted to explore ideas and  ways to use technology alongside hands-on art. This is where she found the digital fabrication process which as she explains, "uses design software and personal fabrication machines to trim and perforate paper and other thin media" (26). Smith took this idea of digital fabrication and created her own technology infused lesson on how to design pop-ups for books and to create paper sculptures. All ages, from kindergarten to adult, can use this in order to learn to use technology and see how far their creativity can take them. Smith finds it to be a very beneficial lesson for her students because it challenges them to take an abstract idea and bring it physically to life. She finds that it sparks creativity and that it makes learning about literacy and the arts a fun and entertaining process. With the help of some of her colleagues, Smith was able to have each of her students create 1 to 2 pages of pop-ups that she collected and turned into one book. The students all worked together to make sure that each individual pop-up page worked with the rest. Their book dealt with language arts concepts.
     I thought this was a very unique art/ language arts project. It is a great way to infuse technology into an everyday lesson, and the students seemed to really enjoy it. Smith mentioned that her students even began to use digital design terminology while in class. Not only is this a fun way to use technology, but it also allows students to really push their creativity. They can almost make anything that they can imagine and design. Once I learned how to use something like this myself, I would definitely consider using it in my classroom. I plan on teaching middle school language arts and I think this type of technology infused lesson works really well this age group.
     This lesson and use of technology helps students to create original works, as seen in ISTE Student Standard 1 on creativity and innovation. It also demonstrates concepts of collaboration in Standard 2, and critical thinking in order to make the project all work together, as in Standard 4. Digital fabrication also teaches students how to use technological systems, demonstrating the understanding of Standard 6, technology operations.

Smith, S. (2102). Make Learning Pop! Learning & Leading with Technology, 39(8), 26-28.

Upside Down and Inside Out:Flip Your Classroom to Improve Student Learning

     In Fulton's article, "Upside Down and Inside Out: Flip Your Classroom to Improve Student Learning," the effectiveness and daily process of a flipped classroom is explored. Fulton realizes that fads come and go, and questions whether or not a flipped classroom is just that, a fad. She takes a look into a Calculus I class at Byron High School in Minnesota in order to see what students are getting out of classrooms that are structured in such a unique way. Like many other flipped classrooms, Faulkner's Calculus I class is required to view the video lessons before the arrival of class and then "homework" is done in class to reiterate the lesson. Faulkner walks through the class, observing students working, and offers any help that might be needed to clarify the lesson. He also gives daily quizzes in order to ensure that students are doing their work at home. Fulton explains that Byron High School found itself without money to pay for new textbooks, so the math teachers came up with an idea to get rid of textbooks and make up their own curriculum. They worked together, along with their community, to come up with the flipped classroom. The math team at the school relied on each other to create lessons and tests, and to better their curriculum as they proceeded into the year. Teachers were faced with the challenges of keeping up to date with their videos, classroom management, and time management, but they felt that it was worth it because it was the right thing to do for the kids. Although this type of learning is fairly new, the results have been promising, and achievements of students have been rising. Students and parents have shown liking of this new approach as well.
     I was very unsure about the idea of a flipped classroom. There were so many questions that I had, but many of them were answered in this article and reassured me about flipped learning. I really like the idea of having a quiz on the material that students were supposed to cover the night before. It not only shows the teacher who went over the videos, but what areas of the subject matter need to be recovered or expanded on. Flipped learning allows students to go at their pace as well. One concern I had was about the length of the video. If a number of classes had videos that were a good length, then students would be spending potentially as many hours reviewing videos at home as they do sitting in class. I guess this means that teachers need to keep this in mind when they assign videos. I really like how BHS provided students with a jump drive or CD if they did not have internet connection at home. Also, students that were unable to view the videos the night before are able to review the videos in class while they are working on their homework. Many students liked this type of learning because they felt it was more engaging and was more flexible to the unique needs of each student. I am now very interested in this type of approach to teaching, and I hope to sit in on a class that uses this style in their classroom.
     A flipped classroom uses ISTE Standard 1 where students use models and simulations, or video lessons, to explore complex issues or systems. Students view the videos the night before and then use the videos to work on a series of problems in the classroom. Depending on how the student learns, if they choose to work within groups during class, they will then be contributing to a group to solve problems, ISTE Standard 2. They will definitely be using ISTE Standard 4, problem solving and critical thinking, in order to finish their daily tasks and quizzes that deal with the video lesson content.


Fulton, K. (2102). Upside down and inside out: Flip your classroom to improve student learning. Learning & Leading with Technology, 39(8), 12-17.

My Personal Learning Network Experience

The RSS feed that I chose to explore was through the Feedly tool. I subscribed to a number of different feeds so that I could read up on more events and issues going on in education with a wide range of variety. A few that I enjoyed the most were Free Technology for Teachers, Cool Cat Teacher Blog, Edudemic, TED Education, and Edutopia RSS. I really like the TED Education feed of videos. These are fun little videos that are interesting for students and can take a topic like bad breath and make it somewhat fun to learn about. I also really liked Edudemic because it had a number of articles that were on a variety of subjects. It didn’t just focus on teaching or just the students, but it also had articles on tips and tricks in the classroom and news in education. One article that I really liked was about teachers allying with parents. It definitely is true that as a teacher I will be dealing with students and their parents, so it is smart to communicate effectively with parents.  I really liked some of the articles and podcasts I found on Cool Cat Teacher Blog because they were very insightful and got you thinking. One article was about the need to teach according to the time, and to provide students with the technology and creativity to learn and not be controlled by the fear of failure. I thought Feedly was a great tool. It organized all my RSS feeds on one page and I could see how many articles had been posted by scrolling through my home page. I found many of the feeds by searching education, or by clicking on suggested feeds. It was easy and straight forward to use. I will probably use this tool while I teach to keep updated on news and to keep my classroom and lessons relevant for the students.

            You can find me on Twitter at @kendylleann6. I followed a total of 18 people/groups.  I followed We Are Teachers for inspiration and ideas for becoming a teacher. I followed a first grade teacher named Kathy Cassidy because I wanted to see the way a teacher was using Twitter along with her elementary classroom. I also followed Education Week to stay updated on things that were going on in the news that were centered around education. I learned that not very many children have access to preschool and that many teachers aren’t giving students that test their knowledge appropriately.  I followed discussion hashtags #education, #edtech, #teaching, and #teachers. From these I was able to read many interesting articles and to get new perspectives on teaching and educational issues that I would never have thought of on my own. Although I like following some teachers and groups on Twitter, I do not see myself really using Twitter in my classroom. I enjoyed seeing posts of other teachers’ projects on here though.

            I requested to explore both Ning groups, but I was admitted to Classroom 2.0 much faster than The Educator’s PLN so I started exploring that one. Classroom 2.0 is basically an area where you can find many helpful resources on how to incorporate technology into the classroom and have discussions with other educators. One discussion forum that I followed was about the use of interactive white boards in the classroom. Many teachers suggested to start out small by having students write down their lunches, and then move to bigger projects on the board. I really enjoyed using Ning because it opened me up to many new ideas that I could see myself using in my class.

            Overall, I think I learned a lot of great things by using these different networks. I found Feedly and Ning to be very helpful as a teacher, while not seeing how I would use Twitter in my classroom. I think Ning has a lot of resources to offer. Once you get over the amount of information shown on the homepage of Classroom 2.0, there is a lot to look through and use in a classroom.  I liked the organization of Feedly. I thought it was very easy to use, not intimidating at all, and it was clear on how to get from page to page and view articles and videos. I liked Twitter for viewing other people’s projects that they had done in classrooms, but I thought it would be hard to go back and find something that you thought was interesting later on. Like many other social networks, you also have to scroll through a lot of unwanted feed in Twitter.

Fostering Creativity and Innovation through Technology

     Sheen Vaidyanathan, in "Fostering Creativity and Innovation through Technology," explores the idea of teaching core subjects simultaneously with creativity and innovation. She chose to do so by teaching digital art and design. The Los Altos School District in California provided their fourth through sixth grade students with a 12-week digital design program that focused on using computers for creativity. This art class encourages students to try new things without the fear of failure (because you can undo any mistakes). A lot of what is learned in digital designed is based off of STEM subjects, especially math.  This type of class is relatively low cost. The software is free and the school recieves donations in order to pay for computer lab maintenance. The reactions and responses from both parents and students have been positive. Students are excited to come back to digital design class, and some even go home to spend more time creating using digital design programs.
     I think this is a very beneficial and fun type of program for students. This is the type of thing that will get them excited about learning and will encourage their creativity. I like how students are given tasks, such as build a computer game, and are able to create a game of their very own. They are also able to make any modifications after the project is done. This is something that I would love to incorporate in my class with projects on books, where kids might make a story out of a book we read, or a game based off a book we read. Vaidyanathan explained how is is low cost, which I hope encourages teachers and schools to include this type of learning in their curriculum. I think budget has a lot to do with what is available for schools, and this article shows that we can still find ways to reach out to our students creatively without spending too much money.
     This type of learning incorporates ISTE Student Standards 1 (creativity and innovation), 4 (critical thinking), and 6 (technology operations and concepts). Students are encouraged to think creatively while designing something digitally. The create their own original works though technology, and through expression. Students also are required to think critically and figure out ways to best fit the desired project results. They use standard 6 by learning to use the digital software and understanding what each tool does, along with the outcome.

Vaidyanathan, S. (2012). Fostering creativity and innovation through technology. Learning & Leading with Technology, 39(6), 24-27.

Assistive Technology Toolkit and Universal Design for Learning

     In Kelly Ahrens's article "Build and Assistive Technology Toolkit," Ahrens explains the importance of assistive technology for students with special needs. She explains that many of these helpful tools are free, and with some exploration, you can build your own toolkit for your students. Many tools are already built in on your computer, and others are low cost tools. Ahrens suggest that teachers should join the local special education budget or technology advisory committee in order to advocate for AT (assistive technology). The incorporation of AT tools in the classroom should help students of all learning types and abilities, and it should help students gain confidence.
     I think this article is a great tool for teachers. I think a lot of teachers don't know what is out there for students who need extra help, and they don't realize what helpful tools are already installed on their computer. I really liked how Ahrens provided the reader with specific tools to look at, but also encourages teachers to work with their IT department to get these tools put on school computers and used in the classroom.
     The video "Universal Design for Learning" is about teaching a diverse set of students. UDL (Universal Design for Learning) is a curriculum that is made for all types of students, and is designed for every type of learner. This means that the buildings people learn in are built with wheelchairs, biikes, and pedestrians in mind, and that online learners have closed captioning; essentially it is a flexible curriculum for a diverse group of students. This curriculum requires teachers to provide multiple means of representation, action, expression, and engagement. As the video puts it, "universal design for learning equals learning opportunities for all."
     This video is similar to the article because it is about setting students up for success, no matter what type of learner they are, and no matter what type of learning needs they may have. I think the approach to UDL is very simple, but effective. It requires teachers to give multiple representations and ways to explore learning, which helps students of all learning abilities to apply themselves and understand subject matter. This is definitely the type of teaching I want to have going on in my classroom because I think it is more effective and engages students better.
     Ahrens's article and assistive technology makes use of ISTE Student Standard 6. The use of different technological tools will help them to learn subject matter more effectively and students will be able to demonstrate their understanding of the use of the tools themselves. They should also be able to use their knowledge of one system to learn a new system of technology. UDL  should help students to achieve ISTE Student Standards 1, 2, 3, and 4. Students will be able to be creative with their learning and the use of technology should also help them to collaborate with other students and to build better communication. UDL will help with research on subjects and a better process od critical thinking and problem solving among students.

Ahrens, K. (2011). Build an assistive technology toolkit.Learning & Leading with Technology, 39(3), 22-24.
UDL Video: http://www.udlcenter.org/resource_library/videos/udlcenter/udl#video0/

Fitbit One Teaches Students Benefits of Healthy Living

     In "Fitbit One Teaches Students Benefits of Healthy Living", Ken Felker, a physical education teacher, explores the ways to incorporate a technology driven society and staying fit into his class for his students. He used the Fitbit one to record each of his students' physical activity and made a behavior change project out of it. Students were able to collect data about themselves and analyze it. They found the project to not only be fun, but very useful and accurate. The device logs the students' physical activity, sedentary activity, sleep, and nutrition. It is able to be synced to a computer to upload the data and to display the data in a way that is easier to understand and analyze. This tool has a lot to offer students, and it helps them to learn the very basics of nutrition and how important it is to be physically active. It teaches them about weight gain and the importance of sleep as well. If students decide to purchase one for at home, they are also able to access meal plans and fitness plans with the permission of their parents, and for an extra cost.
     I think this is a great idea for teaching students the importance of a healthy diet and lifestyle. Many schools skip the part about nutrition, which is key to being healthy. I personally own a Fitbit and love it! It makes tracking your activity and sleep super easy. I could definitely see how the results could be used for students to collect and analyze data. This is a great project for students in middle or high school levels. The only bummer about the Fitbit is that you have to go onto the computer to log in food consumed, and not all students have access to computers after school hours, so some arrangements or alternatives would definitely have to be made. The other cool thing about the Fitbit that I could see some students using and enjoying is that you can share results with friends and make a competition out of the amount of physical activity you have completed per day. So it will send you a notice saying that you need to do more cardio, or something physical, in order to beat your friend for the day.
    This use of the Fitbit in the classroom demonstrates standard #1 where students explore complex systems and issues through technology. It also correlates with standard #3, research and information fluency. The projects that you can do with this activity tracker would work standard #4 with decision making based of analyzed data to complete a project.

Felker, K. (2013). Fitbit one teaches students of healthy living. Learning & Leading with Technology, 40(6), 32-33.

Beyond the Gallery Wall

     In "Beyond the Gallery Wall", Jason Ohler explains that an ARt gallery is an augmented reality art gallery where real life is blended with virtual reality. It involves using a mobile device or tablet to look at something in real life, like a piece f art, which triggers a digital overlay of to show up on the device's screen. This basically means that you can hold your device up to a piece of art and a video or sound clip could pop up and explain why the artist chose that subject, or a new piece of art could show up on your screen and merge the two pieces together. There are a number of possibilities with this combination of real life and virtual reality. This type of art was created with the intention of reaching out to a generation of technologically reliant people. After downloading the software to view artwork from an ARt gallery, the access to the art itself is easy. Viewers then point their devices at art and nameplates, and the ARt overlay is triggered. This type of art offers new and unique opportunity for artists to express themselves.
     I think this new type of art is amazing. Some of the things you can do with it are unbelievable. It would definitely be something I would love to go see and try for myself. This could be something that, if your school had the money for it, you could create for your entire school to participate in. It is a great way to get students involved in art, through technology. It is also connects with students in a way that a lot of art does not. It uses phones and ipads that students love so much now of days.
     ARt pushes students to think creatively while using their devices and viewing art. It also encourages them to be creative in their own art. This definitely hits the ISTE student standard #1, creativity and innovation. ARt requires students to create original works and apply existing knowledge to make new art. It also follows standard #2, communication and collaboration. Students use a variety of media and formats to an audience. ARt requires thinking critically about the types of audiences and the different types of devices, and how to adapt to different types of devices. This touches standard #4 and standard #6 is also fulfilled through this art.

Ohler, J. (2014). Beyond the gallery wall. Learning & Leading with Technology, 41(6), 16-21.