Educational Philosophy SWOT Analysis

My Greatest AHA Moments

My greatest Aha moment was when I realized that as a new teacher I am doing “It” right. I didn’t know what “It” was until I took this class and found out that “It” is being an Informator. I also realize that because of the many requests I have made this semester, not only am I an Informator but administrators for my district are becoming Informators, too.

The second Aha moment came when my Technology Director installed Jing on my student’s computers.  We all got together and made her a huge Thank You card for Valentine’s Day and all my students signed it.  All year she has been opening up our world, piece by piece.  Now I won’t be the only Podcaster in the room.  I have students that will be creating How-To Videos for actual class lessons on technology that they are proficient with but that I don’t actually teach to the class. 

Because of the new technology I have been using in your class, at school we now have both a class Wiki and a class Blog. We also have mind mapping software installed on several computers. Little did I know that every time I requested something new, the Principal sent her to a workshop on it to make sure it was safe for the students to use and that she could troubleshoot the program.  When she received her card she said “NO”, I should be thanking you, “I have more knowledge now of what is out there and we are doing exactly what our students need.”  She complimented me for finding Freeware that could easily be installed on the network.  She is excited about next year’s in-service training because she has so much to show the other teachers.

My third Aha moment was the realization that my current Educational Technology Philosophy is very much in line with my classroom’s final results.  The overall good feeling that comes over you so few times in a lifetime has washed over me many times this semester. I wondered last year if I was using too much technology in my classes.  But because not very many of the other teachers are, I think my class gives the high school a nice balance.  If all the teachers were using it like I am, than yes, maybe it would get to be too much.

My final Aha moment came as I was updating my e-Portfolio on Google sites.  I have all of my students create an e-Portfolio each year using PowerPoint.  I didn’t know Google sites was out there.  The problem I have is when I have the students do one as freshmen in Business Information Management (BIM); and then they have me next year in Digital Interactive Media (DIM); and then the next year, they have me in Animation or Accounting, I get the “we’ve already done that” scenario. I tell them that this then will be a great opportunity to update it and to expect to do it again next year, so always save it on a Flash Drive.  This year, I have my DIM students creating theirs in Dreamweaver and now with Google Sites I can have my Animation and Accounting classes do theirs online.  This will give all my students a different technological experience to take with them when they graduate. 

As for me, I took away a great resource in Delicious.  I had been having trouble keeping my favorites at school and at home in sync.  It always seemed like I needed one when I was sitting at the other.  Overall, I have become more organized this semester and with that comes a feeling of being a more efficient and effective teacher.  Thank You!

Google Finance and We Seed Lesson Plan

This week I explored Google and looked at several applications that I could incorporate into a lesson plan. I am even considering changing my home page so I have better access to the tools I use the most. Once on the site, my eye immediately went to the Google Finance link as I was planning a lesson for the Accounting class on the "We Seed" stock market simulation site.  As I explored the Google finance site, I realized the students could do their research, read "Market News", learn the ticker symbols, and create their stock portfolios with Google's Portfolio Creator.  This revelation gave me a definite AHA moment, my first thought was that the kids were going to learn so much and have so much fun doing it.  I am so excited that I almost want to scrap the business simulation they are doing now to get started.  But I won't.  I have my year organized and right now what they are learning is essential for them to compete well at UIL.  Plus it reinforces everything we have learned about the Accounting Cycle.

To see the finished lesson plan, click this link Google Docs "We Seed" Lesson Plan or visit my e-Portfolio at https://sites.google.com/site/lburleigheportfolio/accomplishments

You're probably thinking "How can she get so fired up about such a boring subject?" and two years ago, I would have agreed.  Everything was done with a pencil on a big green Journal register book that took two entire student desks to hold.  Maybe that is where the idea for team work really came into play because it took two students just to hold the Accounting Journal.  Yes, we do still use the big green book but mostly just as another experience.  Most of the financial statements are now either done in Excel or QuickBooks.  I prefer Excel because they have to use more formatting and formulas; QuickBooks has gotten to where it does it all now and the Accountants tend to get lazy and make mistakes.  I like to keep them on their toes.

With all the new technology and the integration of virtual worlds and simulations, the business world is an exciting place to be.  There is so much a teacher can do to get the students "fired up".  The main thing a teacher needs to do is take one step at a time and try something new at least once a week.  I would recommend trying it at home first and be sure of how things work before you show the students.  If it doesn't work right or you can't answer their questions, you will confuse them and lose their interest.  That can put the fire out in a hurry!

On the other hand, if you are like me and very open minded, you can tell the students what you would like them to learn, the software and websites you want them to use to learn it, and the process you want them to take to show what they have learned.  You will have students that want to be spoon fed through the project so one solution could be to create teams or small groups and let them brainstorm and find the solutions on their own.  Whenever I use this tactic, I always spend a lot of time over their shoulders learning as they go.

For example, I have the FREE online Audacity audio program on several of the class computers.  I do not know how to use it that well and the kids know it.  I have a few specialists, one is a senior this year and another is a freshman.  Whenever the students have a multimedia project to complete, they have the option of creating narration or a music mix for the background in Audacity.  I provide the computer, the Audacity program, the class time/tutorial time and the names of students that know some cool tips and tricks.  I thought about making it a part of the class lessons and decided that I liked it better if the students just dug in and learned how to use it on their own.  I just keep track of those students who really know and understand the program and make sure to spark the interest in a freshman every year. 

The Freshman I have this year just did the background mix for one of the senior’s Accounting Career Movie. By next year, I will estimate that over 75% of my students will be capable of creating a music mix of at least three songs, and 50% will know how to create a voice overlay.  I am sorry to say, will not be among those percentages.  I just don’t have time to learn it all and I believe firmly in the saying that “whoever is doing the work, is doing the learning” So my motto is: “Let the kids work!”

Podcasts and Online Learning Communities

I have created this lesson series using Jing and have stored them on http://www.screencast.com/users/LBurleigh/folders/MBC%20Flash%20CS3%20Lessons.  I also submitted them to the Education Podcast Network at http://epnweb.org/.

This is an introductory lesson series and students can watch it over and over again at their computer stations. With Windows 7, students can dock the video on one side of the screen and dock their flash file they are working on, on the other side of the screen. Students can pause the lesson, back it up, and rewatch it until they learn the techniques.

This is a link to a completed student sample on the pbworks class wiki I created:
Hannah's Header for her Dreamweaver Site

Podcasts are great to use when you have a substitute teacher. Students can each work at their own pace without requiring any assistance from the sub. They can also work at their own pace without feeling behind anyone else.

The best learning for students comes when the students create thier own how-to Podcasts and publish them to My Big Campus, http://www.mybigcampus.com/, (MBC). My Big Campus is a secure online learning community that is a division of Lightspeed security systems. We use Lightspeed to protect our students while they explore the Internet.

This online learning community is used by students to watch educational videos, email each other, create Blog posts, start discussions, and post their own multimedia projects to their public libraries. As an administrator, I can run a report every evening and make sure the students are staying on task and not submitting anything inappropriate.  I take about two hours each week and visit their Blogs and comment on some of them.  I can create assignments for them and even upload my podcasts to the MBC Public Library so the students can watch them from home.

If I had a magic wand I would make the World Wide Web a safer place for our children so that they could take virtual field trips from the classroom to exotic places like Jamaica or Australia.  I would introduce them to a classroom in Alaska or Hawaii and collaborate with the teacher so our classes could do a cross-cultural group project.  I would help my fellow teachers incorporate technology in all their classes so that students in social studies could create maps using Google Earth or students in English could collaborate with others around the world to write and publish an adventure e-book.  I would even have my Accounting students research web stock traders such as Ameritrade or  Sharebuilder and encourage them to create an online stock portfolio.

Why would I do these things?

 Because I believe that  the workplace today uses employees from all over the world who can effectively collaborate and communicate using any media that is available to them.  It is so important for students to learn basic social skills and how to work with others from different cultures. If students were really able to expand their learning as much as they are capable of, without us holding them back, I believe we would see that students today are more capable of critical thinking than we ever were.  I suspect the reasons for this are that they are bombarded constantly with stimuli coming from many different directions.  They see in 3-D and they communicate using shortcuts and hotkeys.  Their social communication skills are more efficient because of the different media they are exposed to.  With the right training, I believe that the students of the United States could be the leader once again in Global Awareness.

Flash CS3 Lesson 9

Students: This is the last Podcast in this series.



Your Assignment:

Finish your Header.

Publish and Post it on www.mybigcampus.com under your public library items.

Please comment on this Blog and let me know your ideas. What didn't work for you? What was your greatest "aha" moment during these lessons? Would you like more lessons like this or do you prefer the written step-by-step worksheets? Give me your thoughts and ideas. Did you learn a trick or tip you want to share?

Flash CS3 Lesson 8

Students: This is the Eighth Podcast in a series of nine.



Your Assignment

Practice expanding your name or change the font style or color.

Import a sound effect from www.grsites.com to your documents.
(right click, save target as)

Import sound to the library, create new layer, and drag to stage.

Flash CS3 Lesson 7

Students: This is the Seventh Podcast in a series of nine.



Your Assignment:

Animate your name or GIF using keyframes (Frame-by-Frame animation)

Flash CS3 Lesson 6

Students: This is the Sixth Podcast in a series of nine



Your Assignment:

Change your background color
or
Import a jpeg to the library
and
create a new layer on the bottom of all the other layers
and
drag the jpeg to the stage

Flash CS3 Lesson 5

Students: This is the Fifth Podcast in a series of nine.



Your Assignment:

Use your Publish settings

Have your GIF interact with your name

Stop your Banner, name, and your GIF

Flash CS3 Lesson 4

Students: This is the fourth Podcast in a series of nine.



Your Assignment:

Visit www.heathersanimations.com and choose a GIF to use in your header.

Create new layer for your GIF.

Use the transform tool.

Flash CS3 Lesson 3

Third Podcast in Series of Nine:


Your assignment:

   Create and name your layers.

   Right click and insert keyframes

   Animate your name

   Change your fps

Flash CS3 Lesson 2

Students:
This is the second Podcast in a series of nine.



Your assignment is to experiment with the brush tool and practice with the Pen tool.

You should begin thinking about how you want to design your name header for your Dreamweaver site.

Flash CS3 Lesson 1

Students:

This is the first of nine podcasts that will show you how to animate your Dreamweaver Header.

Flash Lesson 1 will show you how to navigate the Flash interface and work with the line tool. 



Your Lesson 1 Assignment:

     Create a crazy line design and type your name.

    

Final Requirements for your Dreamweaver Header are:

     Use a unique background

     Use one pre-made animated .gif

     Animate your name with a motion tween.

     Add sound

     Publish as a .swf  file

     Publish as a .html file

     Load your published video to your My Big Campus Library.

    Watch and complete assignments for all nine Podcasts. 
    Have fun and email me when your project is finished.

Mrs. Burleigh

Critical Thinking Skills Reflection

After completing the MAPping information activity, what are your reactions to your findings? What will you do differently while searching on the Internet for information now? How confident are you with the information you've used in the past (as part of your college career and/or in your profession)?

This exercise really opened my eyes.  The best thing that I have done so far is added the  easyWhois site to my Delicious bookmarks.  This makes it so easy to verify ownership of the site. 

I have also changed my main search engine to Alta Vista.  I like that I can see other sites that are linked to the research I am doing.  It only takes a second to verify the authority of a website. 

The final thing that I have done is bookmark Alan November's  Information Literacy Resources, which can be found at:  http://novemberlearning.com/resources/information-literacy-resources/v-find-the-publisher-of-a-website/.   I feel that it is a reliable site because he is a renowned researcher and producer of technological information.  His site is updated daily with academic research and links to other technological websites.

I am also in the process of designing a lesson plan for my High School students that addresses these issues and demonstrates this way of researching information on the World Wide Web.  Thank You!

What are some implications for the future of our students if we fail to teach them these skills in school? After all, the schools may block access to sites, but students still have access at home. 

I think that the schools should open up the internet and make teachers responsible for teaching students about the good and the bad that is out there.  After all, the Internet is thier neighborhood!  We all need to provide a safety net for them.  There are so many parents who are not computer literate that have children who run wild on the streets of their neighborhood (the web).  It is really scary when you think about it.  I am shocked that the demand for their protection hasn't been directed at the local schools.

Do you see any advantages for organizing your information via Delicious? What else did you find when exploring the other bookmarking applications? What are some ways you think you could use tools like these in the future?

I love Delicious.  This is the first time that I have ever used anything like this.  Last week when the electricity kept going on and off, and I was at work in the dark, it fried my computer and so all my Credit Card information (my favorites) was lost.  I was in the process of resetting them up as favorites when you gave us this assignment.  So tonight for about two hours my husband and I bundled all our accounts in Delicious on the private settings.  This is great!

I also put a webpage with vector graphics on Delicious for my students to use to create their Valentine's Day cards tomorrow.  If Delicious isn't blocked at school, I will be able to share websites with them.

I think that Diigo will be a good site for the students to use for their research.  In March, my BIM students start examining different careers and my plan is to have them use Diigo for their research.  I went on the website and clicked on the educator's area.  I like that the students can find what they are researching, highlight areas of interest on the page and attach notes, and the notes and highlights will be there when they come back to the bookmarked page.  I am hoping these features work for the students once I have the educator site area opened up.

e-Portfolio Reflection

Which tenant did you most relate to and why? 

When thinking about Assessment for Learning, the tenet I most relate to, as a teacher, is that it develops learners’ capacity for self-assessment so that they can become reflective and self-managing.  I use a lesson with my students where they create an e-Portfolio in PowerPoint.  It could be the introductory lesson to Web design as the e-portfolio uses an index of topics that are hyperlinked to other pages, similar to how a website is designed. 

Students first create a checklist of important items (artifacts) to include in their e-Portfolio. Then they create an outline of their checklisted artifacts. This teaches them how to create main pages and sub pages.  The one thing that they tell me is this is the best thing they have ever done to learn organizational skills.  

Once they decide on what artifacts they want to display, they create hyperlinks to the pages and subpages that make up the e-Portfolio.  Students choose their own artifacts and decide the theme and design of their pages.  I have certain criteria that they must follow in the rubric but overall the e-Portfolio is their creation.

What potential if, if any, do you see for portfolio assessment?

Because I am a teacher, my main concern is for the children that I teach.  From this prospective, I see the e-Portfolio as a way for my students to express who they are.  I also see them gaining confidence with technology.  Many have told me that when they first came into my class, they felt unsure of what to do.  The felt scared because I talk fast, use keyboard shortcuts, and words they’ve never heard before.  After they have learned their lessons and completed their e-Portfolios they feel like they can sit down at any computer and figure out how to do any task.

What do you think the creation and development of your portfolio will do for your learning?

As for me, I believe that the e-Portfolio that I designed in Google Sites is a viable tool that can be used as an instrument to teach from, learn from, get a job from, store my sample work on, see my growth develop, and refresh myself in the belief of who am I when I need refreshing.

Creating the e-Portfolio has increased my organizational skills and showed me another new place for Free online storage.  It made me go through my work and choose what I feel today is a good reflection of my teaching style, and overall knowledge of the subjects that I teach.

Student Career Mindmap

This mindmap was created by one of my Accounting students.  I always try to incorporate what I learn into my class lessons.  This turned out to be a fun part of the overall project.  The overall project is to create a video, based on the student's career choice.  Not only was it fun to do but it also helped the students focus more clearly on what they want to do in their career and what it will take to get there; such as skills and college requirements.  This student completely changed his minor to accounting after researching careers in this field. The mindmap was one requirement that they had to include in their movie.

Wiki Reflection

Well...I think I like the Blog better for use in my classroom.  It is laid out a little better, has design templates for the students to use, and it also has HTML editing, which they get excited about because they know how to change color, font, video player size, etc.  I am still working out the kinks before I have the students start designing and publishing to either one. 

The wiki I created for two of my classes is working better than the Blog only because I was able to upload a Flash Video that one of my students created (see Eric's Tech Stuff, under the Audio Video Technology class folder, http://axtechnews.pbworks.com/w/page/35578984/FrontPage). When I uploaded it at work, in the classroom, I only saw a white box.  The technology director checked all filters and can't figure out why it didn't upload...BUT...when I got home, it was on the wiki.  Since then we have not had any power at the school so I can't see if it shows up there.  My suspicions are that it won't.  I think I need some sort of video command to make it work and I have to learn how to put it on Blogger or PBSworks, and have no idea of how to do this.  We are still trying to figure it out.  It's really great that the students and their friends and family can see the videos from home but it is disturbing for them to upload their work and only see white boxes at school.  Kinda hard to teach design principles when the layout is entirely a blank page.  If anyone has encountered this problem and knows how to fix it, I am all ears.

I really see the benefit of using both a wiki and a blog with my students.  My only concern at this point is that there is a level of frustration and doubt that comes when technology doesn't want to work right.  I don't want my students frustrated and I don't want them to loose faith in what I am teaching them...so for now, just until things start working as they should at school, I will have to just keep this lesson on hold.  We are still creating websites in Dreamweaver and learning how to put the Flash animations in the HTML code.  This is a great learning experience for them and so far is satisfying their need to put something online.  Of course they don't have a web hosting site but they can save their Dreamweaver file to a flash drive and open the HTML site from home.

This is my Animated Flash Header

 The students and I are making these in class to go on our Dreamweaver websites.

 Most of theirs are much better than mine. 

I created instructional videos with Jing to do this if anyone would like to try it. 

It is really very easy and fun to do.

                                        Click to play. Bird gif borrowed from http://www.heathersanimations.com/

The Meaning of Educational Technology

Educational Technology is the constant improvement of education in today's society.  It focuses on the potential educational impact of today's learner.  Can we teach digital natives how to learn or can they teach us how to teach them?  Educational Technology is exploring the reality of what education is today and the technologies that can change what it ought to be, or what it can be tomorrow. 

Below is a mindmap that shows characteristics of today's learner; the organizations that support Educational Technology and today's learners; the reality of education today; and the potential impact of education in the future. 

After researching these variables, I have come to determine that my educational technology philosophy is closely aligned with the meaning of educational technology.  

For instance, today I played a digital game with my Accounting students called: The Case of the California Con.  We are researching Accounting Careers and I had them play the game to find the embezzler.  What was the real object of the lesson?  To experience the art of Forensic Accounting and give them a real life account of what this career choice entails.  Objective successful!  Immediately after playing the game, all students researched further information on Forensic Accounting with no prompt from me.

AICPA, American Institute of CPAs. Start Here Go Places. Retrieved 1/24/2011 at

         http://www.startheregoplaces.com/games/catchme-california-con/.

Mindmeister. Mindmapping Software. Retrieved on 1/24/2011 at

       http://www.mindmeister.com.

Additional Assignments Week 1

In addition, discuss how this exercise can/will possibly assist you in identifying future technology projects for this class and in other areas. In other words, how is having your philosophy down in writing helpful to you?

I think that writing your beliefs down in the beginning of a journey helps keep you focused and true to your beliefs.  I think that writing down a reflection at the end of the journey also enables you to compare the beginning and end, enabling you to see your growth during that time frame.  I do this each year when school starts and ends, not only for me but for my students as well.  They cannot believe all the stuff we have already learned and we still have a “whole nother” semester.

At this point, what potential uses do you see for blogging?  Stephen Downes' article on Educational Blogging was written in 2004. Have we met this potential? What's preventing us from doing so?

I am using a Blog with my students as a class project. Our blog is turning out to be a school newsletter and students are compiling information about what’s going on at school in all classes, athletics, band, etc and blogging about it weekly.  I have set it up as a private blog with security permissions to satisfy our district policies.  I know I am breaking ground here and raising eyebrows but I am monitoring and teaching both the good and the bad of online uses so maybe we can continue to move forward in this area, at our school.  Fingers crossed.

November's article, Creating a Culture for Teaching and Learning outlines six areas to think about and changes on the horizen with technology and education. Which one stood out to you the most and why?

First off, I went Alan November’s BLC10 conference this past summer and met and talked with Mr. November.  If you get the chance to go to it, in Boston this summer, you will be amazed at what opportunities teachers in America let pass by them everyday.  I met a 12 year old teacher, Adora Svitak, and went to her workshop on writing and publishing on the internet.  I bought her book Flying Fingers.  She is amazing; she made me want to be an English or writing teacher just so I could come back to the classroom and do all the stuff with the students that she talked about (I did some of it anyway).

The main theme of the conference didn’t seem to be technology, even though every new gadget and concept was presented.  The theme of the conference seemed to me to be…Opening up the channels of communication: America’s public schools are so tightly closed (blocked) to protect the children.  Is keeping thier eyes closed really protecting them?

I agree with everything in Mr. November’s paper.  Nothing stood out as being more important than the others…so if I may, I will touch on how I feel about each.

1. If it’s on the Internet, is it true?

What stood out to me:

Arthur Butz: The question is: who is this guy and what Web site is he on? Well, it turns out he’s a tenured engi­neering professor, and the Web site is Northwestern University.  This really stood out in my mind…How scary that he’s a professor from a University site.  I would have taught my students that in all probability that would be an authentic site with accurate information. Thank you Mr. November for providing the little known command that you can use on Alta Vista, the search engine, called “link.” What link does is to tell you what other sites on the Internet are hot-linked to the site you’re looking at. It gives you a backward map. If the student had run the link on the URL, he would have found that the Maryland State Police Association has something called “The Hate Directory,” and this site is listed on The Hate Directory. That might have rung a bell for this student.

My Solution: I will include a lesson plan this year to teach students to use this link command.

2.  Coming attraction: live video cameras in every classroom

  

I believe this is already here.  I know I have a video camera in my room that can be viewed from the Principals office at any and all times.  I think it is just a matter of time that parents will want to be able to link to it too.  I am personally for this action because I want the parents to know what their child is learning.  I am so proud of my students accomplishments and I want to be able to share that pride with the parents. 

Am I crazy??

3. We need to tell our stories!

  

I agree with this but I also find that most other teachers don’t want an openness.  It’s like what they are doing is so secret only they have the key to open it.  Even the students do not dare question the validity of it...and then here I come...encouraging them to reflect on the validity of everything they see and hear.  I tell my stories to anyone who will listen.  I post it on my blog, create samples of what we do in class on my website, send letters home to parents with updates on their child’s progress.  I want to share my knowledge and I want my students to share their knowledge in everything they do.

My Solution:  Keep telling my stories and keep an open door to other teachers who want to learn how to use the technology resources available in my lab.  I have some who already visit and use audacity for song mixes to create event videos.  Yeah!

4. Don’t do technology plans!

Our school does have a technology plan.  We mainly keep the community abreast of the increased amount of technology offered students every year.  As for the teachers, each teacher is encouraged to use technology in the classroom.  If they need a new tool or software, the district is real good about supplying it.

5. Automating vs. informating

I agree with informating and bringing education and communication into the communities and homes.  I think that the educational system is capable of doing that but I am not sure that communities are designed to handle it…yet.  My reasoning behind this is that this year we implemented a flex schedule and students were home an extra week at Christmas.  Well, this was hard for parents with jobs.  Finding daycare for all the children in a small community was difficult.  

With homeschooling, Daycare will not be the only problem.  Education for adults will also be a problem as many are not computer literate and reject technology.  To force this on the families could increase their stress levels and cause resentment between the home and the school. Everybody should learn but not everybody enjoys learning.

Personally, I look forward to having high school students in online classes.  I plan to continue my education so I can be in the forefront when these changes come into effect.

And finally, what are some of your expectations for this class?

·         I expect to learn about something new.

·         I expect to learn what new thing that old thing can do.

·         I expect to research something I haven’t heard about before.

·         I expect to open my eyes to a new concept.

·         I expect to make at least one new friend. 

My Educational Philosophy

By Lynn Burleigh, M.S.

Because the workplace today uses employees from all over the world who collaborate via telephone, email, Skype, and other means, I believe that it is important for students to learn basic social skills.  Collaboration with other cultures, compromise amongst learning groups, dealing with deadlines, and communicating via many different technologies are the many skills needed in today’s global workplace.

Today’s students are different in the way they learn.  Everyday new information explodes from the fingertips of a cell phone, ipad. computer, or television screen.  Instant gratification in communication is all around us.  With hand held devices carrying all the world’s information, at the press of a button, it is important to guide our students in the correct use of gathering and sharing this information.

As a Business and Technology teacher it is my responsibility to teach my students the rights and the wrongs associated with digital communication.  I believe that how and where they find their facts is just as important as the facts themselves.  For this reason, I am dedicated to providing authentic tasks in my classroom that simulate real world settings.

I use mixed methods of Constructivism and Pragmatism as my teaching style.  Students are exposed to lesson plans that have been developed according to research in the philosophy, psychology, and sociology of education.  I use methods that have been proven to work.  I believe that classroom management is not an issue in my class because students are focused on real world problems and the solution provides an intrinsic reward of accomplishment.  Students take control of their learning by deciding how they want to share what they have learned.  They may want to make a video depicting a topic; research and design a documentary about someone or their business; construct a step-by-step PowerPoint slideshow, showing a procedure they learned; create an animation of how a procedure is performed; or start a blog or wiki and maintain a discussion or opinion about some interesting subject. 

In class, students are informating; collaborating as a team and sharing learned knowledge with others.  For every problem they solve or project they complete, I believe the real gratification of learning comes when their new knowledge is shared.  For this reason, I provide an environment that emphasizes group knowledge that can be constructed and changed into more meaningful context, and then published or produced for sharing with others.  I believe that by sharing knowledge learned, students really use thoughtful reflection about what they have learned and how best to share that information.  

My classroom is very flexible in that each student may be working on a different task in varied software programs.  Students have one-to-one computer use with industry standard software and web 2.0 tools to choose from.  I believe that because the tools are available to the students, they are naturally motivated to explore and learn using those tools.  Because each child is different, learning styles vary and options must be available for creating the finished product.  I find that allowing both group work and individual work allows students to find and share their strengths.   

Throughout each year, I require reflection and feedback from my students.  We explore what projects they enjoyed, which ones didn’t work, any lessons that were confusing, and deadlines that were too long or too short.  I compile their reflections and review their feedback and make changes accordingly.  Each year I change my lessons to incorporate new technologies that will enhance the learning process, engage student learning, and expand communications to others.