Final Blog Refection

No! Is what I would have told you if you had asked me a year ago if I felt confident using Web 2.0 tools in my classroom. I was still determining which ones to use, how to use them, or even which ones were out there to use. Since I lacked confidence. I just kept using the same two that I knew. Now, my confidence has grown so much. I still struggle with stepping out and using a variety of tools in my lessons. I guess I still worry about it not working like I want them to, but you never know until you try. Learning new Web 2.0 tools was both exciting and overwhelming. Platforms like blogs, YouTube, Hyperdocs, and various multimedia tools opened up a world of possibilities. As I reflect on my journey with Web 2.0 tools, it’s clear that their role in education will only continue to grow. They represent a shift towards a more interactive, collaborative, and student-centered approach to learning. There are some pitfalls that I see. Those are students using AI in ways that are not meaningful and that are not enhancing their learning. AI can be a great tool, when it is used correctly. We as educators will have to model and guide them. For me and my future as a teacher and then a librarian, by embracing these tools, I will be preparing students not only for academic success but for the demands of the digital world.

Hyperdocs?

 This week I was introduced to hyperdocs. Well, introduced is a strong word. I apparently knew what they were, due to using them in PDs and with admin. I was unaware of the proper name for it or that it even had a name. Before this week I had never heard that name before. Just by the name alone, it sounded like a document with a lot of hyperlinks. Don't worry, I know now, that is not what it is. I learned that they are interactive, personalized, engaging lesson plans for students. That can help them be more autonomous. After exploring different hyperdoc tools and templates. I now have a better understanding. I found this week's adventure informative and eye-opening. I was able to learn about a new tool that I will be able to use in my classroom and to be honest, I think hyperdocs can be a tool we can use outside of the classroom as well. 

YouTube Adventure

 I have been a fan of YouTube for a long time. I am trying to remember how I was introduced to YouTube or even what type of videos I started out watching, I think it was music videos. However, I know the videos I watch now are not the same as they were back then. I have only been active on the creating side for a year. Now, when I say creating please do not go to my channel thinking you will find the page of a professional YouTube Creator. I am not that. I have only uploaded videos that I have made for my Masters program. I said all that to say. When I was asked to make a playlist for my channel, I knew that was a thing because I had seen it on YouTube before. On the other hand, I have never done it. It was easier than I thought it would be. The hard part was finding videos that could be put into each playlist. A lot of the videos I found were 10 plus years old. For example, finding videos for using Web 2.0 tools for learning was easier than finding videos for Web 2.0 tech for Special Education. After completing this adventure I can say that I enjoyed learning how to add videos to a playlist. I can also say I still strongly dislike recording myself. So, professional Youtuber is not going on my resume anytime soon.

The skill that I am looking forward to learning is crocheting. That must be a skill that a lot of people want to learn because I did not have trouble finding videos. Plenty of them were for beginners and they are step-by-step instructions. I have used YouTube to learn a skill before. I think it is a great way to visually learn something new. You can go at your own pace.

https://youtu.be/5XKaWHwnCHw

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTQnrfqQtg4abIgocY720HCqVrvCi-Dxb

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTQnrfqQtg4amxOhTSqj_yDhpj13L7VuV

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTQnrfqQtg4ZzpizRW0DRZ0ZTGlkAnPlE

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTQnrfqQtg4ZldOEDZGDrEaefXTgVpVuC

AI Adventure

When it comes to AI, I don't know how I feel about it. On one hand, it can be a great tool when used properly. On the other hand, it scares me. Sometimes it feels like the lines between fake and reality are starting to blur. With that being said, I had fun with the AI exploration that was done for this week's blog post. We were asked to explore different AI tools and report our findings. The first AI I used was Copilot on bing.com. This AI can be used to generate different images from what you type in, giving it what you are looking for. The first search I did was of a Texas K12 teacher. The image it gave me was not very diverse. I could see the bias that it may have, with it giving me all males wearing cowboy hats. 

Since it did not give me any women I decided to search the same thing but added women to it. Again the search was not very diverse. I thought when it said to be as specific as possible, I assumed that meant hair color or if you wanted a certain outfit. I was shocked to see that the results were so stereotypical I am also shocked it didn't stick a bluebonnet on her dress. 

The next AI site I played around with was https://web.diffit.me/. This is a resource for teachers to get instructional materials to use. I had never heard of this website before and I was happy with how user-friendly it was. The topic I searched was "making inferences". This is a topic I teach and every year I am trying to find new resources to use. I like that once you search your topic it gives you a lot of materials that you can use. The next AI that I got a chance to explore was ChatGPT. I asked it to write me a 400-word essay on why reading literacy is low in the United States. The response was fast, and I have to admit it was a good response. It wrote about the lack of reading and access to resources. Now, of course, it is an AI so it lacks the human tone that makes it feel less like facts are being thrown at you. Other than that it gave me what I asked for so I can't complain. 

In conclusion, even through AI has started to make its way into different spaces in different ways such as images and text. I feel that I could have more use for the text form of AI. I feel that there are improvements that can be made for AI and images. 

W1: Vanity Search

20 years ago a question like "have you googled yourself"? Would have been considered strange. Now in the year 2024 the answer to that question, depending on how you answer it would be the strange part. Before this assignment this week I had googled myself once or twice. I may or may not have googled my husband when we started dating. For this assignment, I went to Google and searched "Shatara White". Immediately my Facebook and Instagram pages popped up. I was able to find the website for the school I currently teach at. When I looked at the photos I was shocked that it took me a while to find pictures of me. There were a good number of pictures of different Shataras around the country, but it took a while to find myself. Now, of course, some websites say they can give you information on the person you are looking for if you pay them, those are kind of scary because you can get someone's parents and spouse's name without paying, Imagine what you could get if you did. I think doing searches like this is important and I also think it is good for students to know that what you put out there can be easily found but simply typing your name. 

Tech play 3 Creativity tools

 For this tech play, I explored 3 tools. Goodreads, Canva, and 123 apps. Goodreads is an app that is used for books. Book reviews, book descriptions, and ratings. You as a reader can make an account and track the books that you have read or are currently reading. You can track your progress with the book and when you are done you can give your thoughts. It also has a feature where you can make a challenge for yourself and choose how many books you would like to read. This past school year the librarian at my school made a book challenge for the school and we were able to pick the number of books we wanted to read. We kept up with it by writing them down on paper. The students did the same and some of them drew pictures of the tiles that they had read. After playing with this tool I think it would be good for upper grades in elementary to keep track and to collaborate with other students and the teacher. The app allows you to friend people and they can see your progress and you can discuss what you are reading. The second app that I played with was Canva. Canva was not easy for me to use at all. I saw a lot of templates and I saw that you can customize what you are working on. I could not figure it out. I am not sure if it is me or if the site really is not user-friendly. I feel that if the students are able to figure it out it would be a good tool to be creative with. They can make posters, graphics, and other visuals for class projects. The third o one is 123app.com. This website allows you to record your voice and when you are done you can download it to your computer. I see the pros and cons of this one. The pros are if you are doing an assignment and you want your students to do a recording it is very easy to use you just go to the website the button to start recording is right there, you do not have to find it. Downloading and saving are easy as well. For Chromebooks, it can be saved in the browser for easy access. The con is that most classrooms have ipads that come with a voice recorder app already instead it could come down to preference. To be honest I had a little bit of trouble finding tools this week a lot of tools are not free and some districts may or may not pay for them. 

Tech Play 2 eportfolio

 Explore: Sites

The sites that I played with this week were Google Sites, Wix, and Dreamweaver. First I looked a Wix and from my first post I shared how I did not like their layout but I thought I would give it another try and nope it is still not for me. Dreamweaver seemed like it would be great but for 20.99 a month that was not for me either. So Google Sites was the winner. It was so easy to use and to set up. I was nervous at first about setting up a eportfolio but it was easier than I made it out to be. 

Folio Thinking

A portfolio is a collection of work that someone has done over time. Eportfolios are digital collections of work. This is a way to show how someone is doing and learning that goes beyond the standard pen-and-paper assessment of understanding. It is a way to see where someone is having difficulties and how to better help them understand.  For my graduate degree, it is more meaningful showing what I know and what I am learning and provide artifacts about that learning. Even though it is meaningful for me and I prefer it. It did cause me some stress at first. Prior to taking this course, I had never made an eportfolio. I saw it as a place for my failures to be seen. However, it has been easier than I thought and I find it meaningful to see what I have created. 

I am a resource inclusion teacher and at first, I did not see the value in using folios for my learners. I see them for a short amount of time and some of them I only see once a week. Upon some reflection and thinking outside the box. I now can see how this can be of value to my learner. Expecly my learners who only do their work on their Chromebooks and my learners that have anxiety when it comes to taking assessments. Creating folios could be a great measure of progress. It is something that they are creating and adding to and it gives them a way to grow and a way for me to track growth and progress. 

Create something

The way that I see eportfolios working for my learners is for them not to only upload what they are doing when they are with me but also to upload the work that they are doing when they are in the general education classrooms as well. Google Sites would be the application that I would have them use to create their eportfolio. It is easy to use and since they have Chromebooks that are assigned to them this is the best way for them to do this.  An example of this is when they are doing writing assignments. The class as a whole uses google docs to write and edit their drafts and their final papers. The learners can upload their drafts which is substitution/augmentative. This aligns with my classroom as well because most of my learners have IEP goals in writing. Having them upload their work as artifacts is a way to track growth and for them to be able to see their growth as well.