APA Writing

     The NAEP (National Assessment of Education Progress) test is the largest nationally representative and continuing assessment of what students in America know and can do.  It it given in grades 4, 8, and 12 every 2 years.  The NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) is the primary federal agency for collecting and analyzing data related to education.  The NCES is good for educational professionals because Congress uses it to plan federal education programs and apportion funds among the states.  Educational organizations use this data to plan and research.  The data provides indicators of educational status and trends. 
     For this activity, I visited the NCES website and looked at 8th grade math scores sorted by gender for 2011.  I took this data and exported it to an Excel spreadsheet.  I compared WV with the rest of the country.  I then did the descriptive statistics for gender and scores as well as the ttest.  I began writing my paper which included results, a chart, and a table in APA format.  Here is my paper.
     This paper was easier than the first and I hope I have a better understanding of APA format and writing research results.  It is important to understand APA format because students and teachers need to write and read papers in this format.
     The standards addressed are #3 Model Digital-Age Work and Learning and #5 Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership.  This activity required knowing how to use Excel and perform data analysis.  Also, the paper required exploration of data and the ability to write a research paper using APA format.

Sign up for You Tube account

Signing up for a You Tube account was very simple for me because I already had a Google account.  I went here and clicked sign in at the right hand corner.  Then all I had to do is enter my existing Google account information.  Having an account is nice because you can upload videos and save videos under My You Tube.
The NETS T standards addressed are #2 Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Asessments and #3 Model Digital-Age Work and Learning. Teachers design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning.  They also demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technolgies and situations.

Appropriate a You Tube Video

Above is the You Tube video.  I opened a new blog post and hit the insert video icon.  From there I searched for my video, selected it, and ta-dah, it's in my post.  I can search for videos or open a video I saved in my You Tube videos.  Once I have the videos posted in my blog I can retrieve them without worrying they have been removed by the owner.
You can also open Real Player and download the You Tube video.  Once it's saved to your computer, open your You Tube account (which you must register for) and hit the upload button.  Search your computer for your file and upload your selection.
The NETS T standards addressed are #2 Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Asessments and #3 Model Digital-Age Work and Learning. Teachers design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning.  They also demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technolgies and situations.

APA Writing

Here is my APA writing assignment.

This activity new to me because I have never writtten this sort of research paper.  I did not find the writing itself very difficult, assuming I did it correctly.  The example provided by the professor was extremely helpful as was the OWL website for APA formatting. This writing assignment consisted of studying the Excel data and presenting the findings, along with my two research questions, into APA format.  I think I would need more practice if I was to publish research, but I do have a better understanding now. 

The standard addressed is #5 Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership.  Teachers evaluate and reflect on current research and contribute to the effectiveness, vitality, and self-renewal of the teaching profession and of their school and community.

Hypothesis Testing

This activity took way longer than expected because I forgot to sort my variable before I performed my t test.  I couldn't figure out why my answers didn't match up until a few hours later when it finally hit me.  Fun stuff. 
I already had the data analysis toolkit installed in Excel from the previous activity.  I sorted my variable and then under data analysis I selected the t test option for two-sample equal variables.  I highlighted my other variable and my test was done.  The results that were under 0.05 meant that there was evidence to reject the null hypothesis. 

Here are my tables:

	AGE	Gender	Teaching
Score	0.42	0.28	0.06*
D.Posts	0.00*	0.44	0.06*
MelScore	0.08	0.37	0.01*

P=.05

	Chrome	Firefox	IE	Safari
Score		0.13	0.02*	0.01*
D.Posts		0.15	0.19	0.24
MelScore		0.45	0.62	0.15

The standards addressed would be #3 Model Digital-Age Work and Learning and #5 Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership.  Teachers demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations. Teachers evaluate and reflect on current research to make effective use of digital tools and resources.

Data Preparation

For this assignment we had to develop two research questions from the Excel data.  We had to identify the dependent and independent variables and state our hypothesis and null hypothesis.  I had to refresh my memory and look up the meanings of different variables.  I wasn't sure what a null hypothesis was exactly. 
Here are my research questions:

1.  Does gender affect a person's millennial score?
Independent variable-gender
Dependent variable-millennial score
Hypothesis-If gender is related to one's millennial score, then women will have a lower score than men.
Null hypothesis-Gender is not related to one's millennial score.

2.  Does age affect which browser a person uses?
Independent variable-age
Dependent variable-browser type
Hypothesis-If age is related to one's browser type, then older students will use Internet Explorer.
Null hypothesis-Age is not related to which browser one uses.

The standards addressed in this activity are # 3 Model Digital-Age Work and Learning and #5 Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership.  Using Excel demonstrates fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations.  Teachers also model effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning.

Excel Basics

The first thing I did for this activity was to open Excel and install the analysis tool pack.  I opened the shared Google Doc and saved it in Excel. I changed the variables to numeric codes by using the find/replace options.  I sorted by ascending/descending order and then by levels.  The average for the blog posts was calculated. Apparently I am below average, which is disappointing because I have done the required amount of posts.
This activity was easy enough.  I don't have much experience with Excel but all I had to do was play around with the program to find what I needed.
The standard addressed would be #5 Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership. Using Excel to manipulate data would allow teachers to make effective use of digital tools and resources.

Research Overview

I agree that education is "fad based" not "research based."  Each year teachers and students are asked to use new programs.  Then the next year someone decides these programs aren't working so new programs are implemented.  I understand that there aren't a lot of outside influences to affect the education system in WV.  We are a small state with few universities.  To be a consummate educational professional, you would have to look outside of the state and attend conferences and study scholarly research or you would have to start your own data collection and research. It is hard to pososess all of the skills needed to be a great educator because there is so much to learn and so much is changing.  It seems once you learn something, it changes and you have to learn something new.  Especially in WV there are a lot of barriers because there are few resources available to us.  There is also a lack of funds to support continuing education.
The standard addressed would be #5 Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership because doing research requires teachers to continuously improve their professional practice, model lifelong learning, and exhibit leadership in their school.  Teachers would evaluate and reflect on current research to make effective use fo digital tools and resources.

Self Assessment@Midterm

I did the self-assessment and I feel like I'm keeping up fairly well with the classwork.  It is overwhelming and time consuming but I'm keeping my head above water.  I think it is good to take time and self-assess so you know exactly how you are progressing and what you really need to work on.  I'm praying that this class only gets easier from here but I'm having my doubts.

Pew Millenial Test

  I took the Pew Millenial Survey.  Below is my score.

I'm not sure if I should be embarrassed or what.  I am 28 years old so I guess I don't quite fit in with my age group.  I don't have time for TV and I'm usually a week late reading the paper.  I definitely don't have the time for a Facebook account, nor the desire for one.  I send texts occasionally, I'm religious, and I'm a teacher so a high paying job is obviously not that important.  I just want to be a great mother and wife at this point in my life. 

Personality Profile 2

     The personality quiz gave me a slightly different score than my previous one.  Instead of an INFJ, I received an ISFJ.  The results were still very similar.  I am a protector who is interested in the safety of those I care about.  Family is the center of my life and I want nothing more than to keep them safe and happy.  I have a strong sense of loyalty and responsiblity, especially towards family and friends.  I strive to keep others away from the dangers of the world.  I don't like change, especially at work where practices constantly change.  I value tradition.  My shyness is often mistaken as coldness.  This is one of the biggest obstacles I face.  I am actually very warm-hearted and sympathetic but can initially seem distant.  I am very hard-working, but overworked and undervalued.  I definitely do all the work but receive little credit.  Often I feel unappreciated at home and work.  One of the careers I am best suited for is education.  That's a relief. 
     These results might help me in leading students and teachers.  I think once you understand yourself you can better understand and help others.  Being aware of my shortcomings can help me improve my teaching and mentoring.
     This activity would address standards #3 Model Digital-Age Work and Learning and #5 Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership.  Teachers collaborate with students using digital tools and resources to support students success and innovation.  Teachers improve their professional practice by identifying teaching strategies for their students.

Personality Profile

      I read this and then used this to find that my own personality type is INFJ.  I focus on my own inner world which makes me an introvert.  I interpret and add meaning to the information I take in which is called intuition.  When making decisions I look first at people and circumstances which is called feeling.  Finally, I prefer to get things decided when dealing with the outside world which is called judging. 
     I feel like I do seek meaning and connection in my ideas, amongst my relationships, and with material possessions.  I especially have possessions that are very dear to me and have significant sentimental values.  I believe I am very insightful about others and a very good judge of character.  I really want to understand why they act or think as they do.  I am very rooted in my values and will not compromise.  I do have a very clear vision about how best to serve the common good.  I also am decisive when it comes to implementing my vision.  I know what I want and will find a way to accomplish my goals.
     I fall under the category of Idealist Counselor.  I definitely want to reach my goals without compromising my personal ethics.  I always want to act in good conscience.  I would never sleep at night or function in the day with a guilty conscience.  I like to speak of what I hope for and imagine of people.
     So far I agree with the results of my personality type and can apply what is being said to my every day life.

Audacity

Here is my Audacity project. 
This was a vey time consuming and stressful activity.  Every program I used to complete this activty was new for me.  When I finished this project, I was so relieved.
I downloaded music to use for my project and imported the audio into Audacity.  I then edited each track down to 10-15 seconds.  I recorded my narrative and moved the tracks around to complement the story.  I adjusted the volume of the music and my voice and also used effects like fading in and fading out music.  It took me days and days to edit my project.  When I finished, I exported my project as an MP3 using LAME encoder.  I created an account with Podbean and published my podcast there.  Finally I embedded my project into my blog.
This would be neat to use in the classroom, especially if students used Audacity to share their music history.  That would be something I think they would enjoy sharing and others would enjoy hearing.  My only concern would be the difficulty of the task. 
The standards addressed would be #1 Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity and #2 Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments.  Creating an Audacity project would be a great way to promote, support, and model creative thinking.  Teachers would design learning experiences that incorporate digital tools.  The learning activity would be personalized and address diverse learning styles.

VoiceThread

For this activity, I watched a video explaining what a VoiceThread is.  I had never even heard of a VoiceThread before this activiy.  I watched video #1 and video #2 and then responded to the videos by using a VoiceThread. I did not at all enjoy speaking into a microphone and hearing the sound of my voice when I played it back.  I learned that VoiceThreads are ways to communicate around different media by using a telephone, webcam, microphone, text, or file upload.  I would love to use a VoiceThread by allowing students to narrate class created story books  or have students narrate a drawing they created.  I bet they would love to talk into a microphone and then hear themselves narrating.
Here is my VoiceThread comment.
The standards addressed are #1 Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity and #2 Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments.  Using a VoiceThread would promote, support, and model creative thinking and inventiveness.  Students would be engaged in solving authentic problems using digital tools.  VoiceThreads would allow teachers to design relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and promote student leaning and creativity.  Creating a VoiceThread would allow teachers to customize and personalize learning activities to address diverse learning styles.

Benderconverter

This was the most difficult activity for me so far.  It took many hours to figure out something that now seems so easy.  The first thing I did was download Bender Real Player.  Then I used the player to search for a You Tube video. I clicked on my video and a download this video message appeared in the right hand corner.  I downloaded it, converted it to a .wmv file, and saved it.  Next I went to Google docs and selected a new presentation.  I have never used this program so it was pretty tricky.  I inserted my video into the slide along with a title.  Then I went to the share tab, clicked publish/embed, and copied my link into the Edit HTML tab and hit compose.  Low and behold my video finally appeared instead of just my links URL address.  This assignment took hours and hours of trial and error.  I didn't understand what I was doing or why at first.  Then I got so frustrated I kind of shut down.  This is day 3 and I finally got the hang of it.
     When I first heard about this activity, I was so excited because I am always wanting to show You Tube vidoes at school but am denied access.  Benderconverter sounded like the perfect solution.  Now my next step is to download videos and attempt to save them on a flash drive.  I learned a lot about video files in this last couple of days.  Now I hope I can apply them.  I think Google docs is a neat program and I may use it in the future instead of Powerpoint. 
     The standards addressed are #2 Design and Develop Digital-Age Learanning Experiences and Assessments and #5 Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership.  Using videos that teach preschool skills allows teachers to incorporate digital tools to promote student learning.  By learning how to use new programs like Real Player and Google docs teachers improve their professional practice and model lifelong learning.

Jing Screencast

      In this activity, I learned how to make a screencast video by using Jing.  I made a video to show the parents of my PreK students how to visit the nursery rhyme website we use in class.  The parents will be able to practice and review the nursery rhymes with their children at home.  Since I already had Jing downloaded onto my computer, I only had to find the icon and capture my image using the cross hair.  Then I hit video capture, followed my steps to get onto the website, and shared via screencast.  Here is my instruction video.
      I think making these vidoes is so great.  They are easy to create and such a convenient way to show someone step by step directions.  These videos would be awesome for teachers to use to show parents or students how to navigate online.  Teachers could email other teachers a screencast link showing how to navigate a website.  The most useful video I could think of sharing would be common ways to use the Smartboard.  So many teachers are too afraid to use them or unknowledgable of them, but if someone could provide them with a simple video tutorial it could really help and relieve some anxiety.  This activity would address ISTE standard #3 Model Digital-Age Work and Learning and #5 Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership.  Using Jing to create a video demonstrates a teacher's fluency in technology systems.  The teacher collaborates with parents and students using digital tools.  Information is communicated effectively to students and parents using digital-age media. 
Test Questions:
1. You can create a digital movie using the program, Jing.
2. You may vary the video capture area size.
3. You determine the recording area of your screen capture by dragging the cross hair over the area you desire.
4. You can save a Jing video capture into any of your files on your computer by hitting the save button. You could save it to your desktop, in your pictures, onto a flash drive, etc.
5. The video capture is saved in your history.
6. Jing screencast movies are SWF files.
7. The screencast button uploads your videos to the screencast website and creates a URL for it.
8. There are three prongs on the Jing "sun". One is Capture, which obviously captures the image you want. The second prong is your History where your saved captures are stored and can be viewed. The third prong is More which allows you to finish, send feedback, change preferences, get help, and exit Jing.
9. The address of your Jing screencast is copied to the clipboard when you press the screencast button while viewing your history.
10. To upload an item from your history to screencast.com just view it and hit share.
11. Screencast movies are stored at screencast.com.

Jeopardy

Here is my Matter Jeopardy review.  I used Jeopardy Labs to create this game.

     This acivity was fairly easy to complete.  I just had to go to the Jeopardy Labs website, click Start Building, and type in my Jeopardy template.
     I learned that this website is much easier for me to use than creating a PowerPoint for Jeopardy.  It is also much faster to create a review.  One thing I should have done right away though was to SAVE my template after I typed in some information.  I accidentally closed the web page and lost all of my work.  I didn't really enjoy typing it all in a second time.  I also thought it was great that you could easily printout the web address for your game and also share items with other users.
     I use Jeopardy a good bit in the classroom.  The students love to play it on the Smartboard.  I have found that it is a great way to review information and improve the student's performance on tests.
     The standards addressed are #2 Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments and #5 Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership.  This activity allowed me to design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences by using digital tools to promote student learning.  The activity enabled students to assess their own progress in a technology-enriched learning environment.  As a teacher, I demonstrated the effective use of digital tools and a vision of technology infusion.

Word Clouds

     I used Wordle to create word clouds of the nursery rhymes I am teaching.  I simply had to go to Wordle, type in the words, press go, and I had an image of my words.  I changed the color and saved the image on my desktop by using the snipping tool. 
     This was yet another program I had never heard of but found to be very user-friendly.  I learned that I could cut and paste text into Wordle and it would randomly scramble the words for me.
     This would be a great way to teach descriptive words or synonyms.  Students could create images and display them in the room.  During the first weeks of school, children could create these images for other students in the class by inserting descriptive words for the person.
     Standard #1 Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity and standard #2 Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments would be addressed in this activity.  With this activity students could model creative thinking and advance their learning and innovation in virtual environments. Students design and develop authentic learning experiences incorporating contemporary tools.

Jing Image

http://screencast.com/t/YOIB43sX4N

     Jing is a very neat program.  I wondered how Dr. Pierce sent videos to show us how to do things.  Now I know. Jing was simple to download.  I just clicked on the link, hit install, and then I watched a short instructional video.  Once I found my image, I used the arrow tool and the text tool.  I shared my link through Screencast.
     I had never heard of this program but I had seen it used without even knowing it.  I learned how to capture images and use different tools to describe the image.  My only problem was that I couldn't figure out how to edit my image once I already captured and saved it.  I ended up just capturing my image again to edit it.
     This program would be great to show others how to use technology.  I could show another teacher how to create an account or visit a website.  Instead of having to demonstrate to a large group, I could send the Screencast link to everyone and let them experiment with step-by-step directions.  Students could use this tool to label images of plant parts, body parts, or the solar system.
     The standards addresses are #2 Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and #5 Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership.
     The file types that come out of Jing are PNG files.  The images can be saved on your desktop. Artifacts are stored in the history section of your Jing icon.  I imported my Jing object by saving it on my desktop and then adding the image in my blog.  By providing the Screencast link to others, they can access your artifact. 

Self Portrait

     In this activity, I used Picassohead to create a self portrait.  I used the snipping tool to display my creation here in my blog.  Luckily, I found this activity fairly simple although I did not realize I should use the snipping tool until I read some posts in the discussion board.  Originally I saved my portrait by emailing it to myself.  This didn't work of course.
     This would be an awesome place for students to make a self portrait.  Especially at the beginning of school, students could create their portrait and write about themselves.  I am thinking about showing my PreK class my self portrait on the Smartboard and then letting a few of them try to create their own.  They are pretty good at dragging icons, so with some guidance it could work. 
   ISTE standard #1 Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity would be addressed using Picassohead.  Standard #2 Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments would also go along with this activity.

Snipping Tool

     The first step in using the snipping tool was to go to the start panel and search for the tool.  I created a shortcut to the snipping tool on my desktop.  Then I used the tool to snip an image I'm using in my classroom.  I saved the image on my desktop.  It took me an hour to figure out how to upload my image into my blog.  When I realized it was right on the toolbar I felt like a pretty big idiot.  I guess it was one of those days...again. I decided to snip an image of the nursery rhyme I'm teaching this week.  I project it onto the Smartboard.
    

   I have never heard of this tool but it was surprisingly simple to use. I could definitely get some use out of the snipping tool.  My only problem was figuring out how to get the image into my blog.
This tool would be ideal to use in the classroom because it is so user-friendly. Students could snip images to include in their projects and papers.  When the prek teachers and I were going over our planning guides, it would have been awesome to have this "snipped" onto our papers so we wouldn't have had to show each other the web site with our laptops.
     The standards this activity address would be #1 Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity and #2 Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments.

Diigo-Social Bookmarking

     Social bookmarking is a research tool that allows online users to organize, display, and share information.  Users can highlight and annotate pages on the web.  Using social bookmarking makes it possible for you to connect and engage with other users and get content that is personalized.  Web 2.0 allows people to share information on the web instead of just viewing the information that someone else created. 
     This was my first experience with Diigo.  I registered for a regular Diigo account even though I wanted an educator account.  Hopefully I can figure out how to upgrade at a later time.  I installed Digolet by adding it to my Favorites bar.  It took me a couple of tries until I realized I had to click on the toolbar to get it to stay down while I dragged the link.  I then added a few Gadgets, which was easy enough.
     I learned some new technology terms while doing this activity.  Social bookmarking allows people to share their favorites or shortcuts.  Tagging is similar to a keyword when doing an internet search.  Web 2.0 is a research tool that allows you to participate in information sharing.  Gadgets are your favorite links.  Diigo would be a great tool for teachers.  They could join groups of other teaching professionals and share resources online. 
     Diigo could be used in the classroom.  Students would love to find people with the same interests as them.  Then they could share their favorite educational websites.
     The ISTE NETS T standards addressed with this activity would be #1. Facilitate & Inspire Student Learning & Creativity and #2 Engage in Professional Growth & Leadership.

Introduction

Hey Everyone!
My name is Cassity Ours.  I live in Moorefield, WV with my husband and two year old son.  I am currently teaching preschool and working on a Master's Degree.  My undergraduate degree is in Elementary Education from Radford University.  I am so excited to learn new ways to integrate technology in the classroom and scared to death at the same time.