Virtual Reality

 I had yet to hear of virtual reality entering the classroom. I was surprised to read that Google engineers created Google cardboard and released a kit including a tablet for teachers, a device for students, and a class set of viewers. “This focus on children and the classroom experience from the initial development forward has created an experience very different from immersive technologies created for gaming (Craddock, I.M., 2018. p.7). This way of teaching would benefit EL students because it’s a visual experience that could have audio narration in their language that shows a visual experience they might be able to see on their own. I could see how this would bring a “WOW” factor to my classroom, and if I were a student, I would be so excited to be so engaged and would probably never forget this lesson. Craddock (2018) mentions that for our ELLs, it helps them concentrate on the content of the visual scene without the stress of decoding written language, and that resonated with me because I sometimes really struggle with language barriers (p.8), and this would be an excellent way for them to experience their learning. This virtual reality is beneficial because it enhances real-life experiences and makes learning more exciting for students. Unfortunately, I do not expect to see it in my district anytime soon, but if we could get it, I know I would need lots of training! I found this interesting video on teacher training:

Craddock, I. M. (2018). Immersive Virtual Reality, Google Expeditions, and English Language Learning. Library Technology Reports, 54(4), 7-9. https://journals.ala.org/index.php/ltr/article/viewFile/6669/8958

Ribeiro, R. (2020). Virtual reality in remote language teaching. Cambridge. https://www.cambridge.org/elt/blog/2020/10/27/virtual-reality-in-remote-language-teaching/

Social Media in the Classroom

 

 

“Social media is computer-based applications that facilitate the sharing of ideas, thoughts, and information through the building of virtual networks and communities” ( Hosler, A. 2022). There are many platforms of social media, Facebook, and Instagram, just to name a few, and they give students free access to online information beyond their textbooks and ways to communicate. There are mixed feelings about using social media in the classroom, as most things there are good and bad reasons to use it.  In my opinion, some of the advantages are research work, participating in group work, and as an educational tool.  As a research tool, it helps your students find information and produce a final project they can be proud of. My first graders just did their first research on their favorite animal, and it was the most engaged I have seen them all year. Some finished their first report and asked to do another one! Using social media is an excellent tool for communicating if assigned group work. I see this with my children, who are both in high school. Anyone reading this knows that our students learn more about technology than most of us. My first-graders are always telling me how to fix things on my computer, and my children laugh at me trying to do things on my phone. I won’t upgrade because there is no longer a home button.  With all advantages, there will probably be disadvantages. My biggest gripe is no internet. It has been an ongoing problem this year. Our connections in the district are so spotty. Another concern is cyberbullying. It is an easier way for students to be mean to each other. They feel stronger behind the screen.  

 

 

 

 

 

Hosler, Ammy. 2022, https://kiiky.com/how-social-media-benefits-students/

 

 

 

Using Screencasting in the Classroom

 

I remember hearing about screencasting when I reached my first year virtually in a public school in 2020. When we first shut down, we thought it would only be two weeks, but I’m sure you were in the same boat as me. It just kept going! As a team, we decided how teaching would continue. So we each took a subject and made uploaded assignments to our district’s platform Schoology. I remember being so overwhelmed, I’m not tech-savvy, and this was all new. Screencast wrote,” as educators scrambled for tools to make distance learning and hybrid classrooms less burdensome.” The parents had many questions, and I needed to be more helpful. How am I going to teach first graders how to read through zoom?
Each week I could feel myself getting more confident. There are benefits to using screencasting for students. I know my district used it to help students from falling behind. Using screencasting, the students could continue accessing learning materials, watch at their own pace and catch up to their in-person peers. Screen casting allows students to communicate in a safe, comfortable environment. It was good practice using their speaking skills and a chance for me to share using feedback. I have used modeling instructions for parents, especially for virtual learning. As I looked through the ten ways to use screencast, I noticed parent conferences. I feel that meetings are essential for a student’s success and let parents know important information and ways to help at home and allow them to ask questions. That piqued my interest, I have them next week and only have about 5 out of 20 students signed up, so I think I might make these and send them out.

Digital Storytelling with ELLs

 

Storytelling has been handed down through the times, such as fairy tales and fables, being told aloud or written down. As Alrubail (2015) discusses, Digital storytelling uses digital media (photos, audio, video) to create a story. Digital stories are an excellent source for younger learners in the technology age that is upon us, but for teachers, it is a way to make lessons easier and better received by their students. Digital Stories are replacing traditional storytelling because it is a modern way of speaking and can easily find its audience through the spread of cell phones. "Digital storytelling has profound benefits for students’ communication, critical thinking, creative and writing skills" (Alrubail, 2015). For English Language students, that is:

    1. Communication~ Digital storytelling allows students to communicate an experience, and the meaning and feelings behind it, in a short timeframe and to express themselves in ways they might not be able to while writing an essay or report. 

    2. Critical Thinking & Creativity~ This process helps the students think about why this experience is essential to them. While analyzing their own story, they can reflect and use critical thinking skills.

    3. Writing~ Since writing can be difficult for most students, especially ELs, digital stories allow ELs to express themselves using fewer words.

 

Alrubail (2015) shares the story of Oleksii, an ELL student from Ukraine who had come to Canada a year before he attended my class. He was very self-conscious about writing and speaking in English and sought out extra help from me whenever he had the chance. When I introduced digital storytelling, he was hesitant because of his accent—he even mentioned this in his video.  However, after experimenting with digital storytelling, he saw it as an opportunity to share a bit about Ukraine and his cultural background with his classmates. After seeing his classmates’ reactions to his story, Oleksii beamed with pride: He made a powerful digital story that he could share with others.

    

While I feel that this could be beneficial in older grades, I'm not sure how I feel about using it in first grade because of my own technical difficulties, I could have my students watch stories than read and write their own, but I like how these digital tools make it easy for these emerging writers to create and publish their own stories with practice. My emerging language learners will have time to practice fluency.

Alrubail, Rusul. (2015). Empowering ELLs with Digital Stories. Learning for Justice. https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/empowering-ells-with-digital-stories

Personal Learning Environment

 

    A personal learning environment (PLE) offers a new approach to understanding learning processes with information using technology and knowledge. It refers to what the student is learning and how, where, and with whom they learn. “PLEs goes far beyond technology and involve profound changes in our usual, personal, and collective educational practices” (Adell and Castañeda. 2010). To start this learning environment, teachers need to understand that each student has their learning environment, so it’s not a tool but an environment they are learning in. As Linda Castañeda (2010) explains, you must know how to manage different personal and digital tools and your learning opportunities. “PLE is a set of tools, data sources, connections, and also activities (experiences) that each person uses habitually to learn.” (Adell and Castañeda. 2010). PLEs, in their role as educators of the teaching and learning process, not only make students enjoy collective and public knowledge but also promote citizen participation by sharing and supplying new knowledge. 
    To be honest, I have not heard of this environment before taking this course, but after looking at some examples, I apply some of these strategies with my students. My district uses iXL, and I can go in and set their work with Math strategies that each individual needs. I also use Iread and Amira, both reading programs. Iread is used for my struggling readers, while Amira is used for readers.  I also go into all laptops and bookmark helpful websites for each student. I look forward to learning more about this topic and implementing it in my classroom. 

Here is a link I use to help use Amira:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Hx3o1CsrNv7xTx89GcdlrHvHvYeCsH9V8XSmeCuYA3c/edit#slide=id.g13dd2b7c4fa_0_0

 

 

Adell Segura, J y Castañeda Quintero, L. (2010).  What’s a Personal Learning Environment (PLE)?  https://youaremom.com/parenting/raising-a-child/personal-learning-environment/

 

 

 

 

Technology Use in my First Grade Class

 

 The article I chose discusses how technology can be helpful in the classroom. Robinson (2022) says that minimizing screen time and maximizing student interactions is worthwhile, but there are still good uses of technology in the elementary grades. This statement is exactly how I feel; this is the first year since Covid that I think we are returning to normalcy. As a person, I'm not very tech-savvy, but teaching virtually really changed all that, especially teaching first grade. "When using technology in the elementary classroom, be judicious and intentional" (Robinson, 2022). Before implementing technology, the younger grades need to address many expectations ( this is what I find to be the hardest). I want to use technology to improve their skills but still have hands-on, engaging activities, because using technology in my teaching allows students to connect with the world.

Technology can be used as an instructional tool, "Teachers can create short audio or video clips to supplement and extend classroom instruction" (Robinson, 2022). I do this using a rotation model for Math and ELA. I appreciate how I can differentiate instruction for my students. Some unique apps I like to use are boom cards and xtraMath. Then my district uses HMH, and I take advantage of Iread and Amira. Both programs share data with me, and then I can create more lessons for them to strengthen the specific skills needed, and because of this, it is easy for me to monitor their progress. Another section of the article I liked was about using technology to provide choice and spark students' creativity. I agree, and I do this every Friday. My first-grade students can pick websites they like, and many chose abcya.com, where they can make something and print it. They love it! When I taught fourth grade about 6 years ago, I used an app where my students made comic strips using vocabulary words, so many students told me how it was their favorite memory from my class. 

Here are a few of my favorites:

Here is a link I use to help use Amira:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Hx3o1CsrNv7xTx89GcdlrHvHvYeCsH9V8XSmeCuYA3c/edit#slide=id.g13dd2b7c4fa_0_0

Robinson, A. (2022) Effective Uses of Technology in Elementary School. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/effective-uses-technology-elementary-school