Blog #3 Digital Citizenship

Who is a Digital Citizen?

If you are reading this blog, then YOU are! Now more than ever technology is everywhere we go, we carry it in our pockets and its in our classrooms. As teachers we use our online communities to connect with other educators to enhance, extend and enrich our lessons.

Why is being a Digital Citizen important?

You may be thinking that students in your classrooms are too young to have digital footprint, however, many kids have a digital footprint before they even start school! Having technology readily available is an amazing opportunity. With each wonderful opportunity a child is given there is a need to teach a responsibility.

According to Mike Ribble District Administrator for the Ogden-Manhattan School District in Kansas:

"Digital citizenship focuses on using technology in an appropriate way while enjoying its vast capabilities and becoming more productive."

Digital Citizenship in Schools, 2nd Ed., identifies three main categories—respect, education and protection (or REP)—to guide the use of technology in schools, at home and in the community. These are broken down in three ways and a total of nine underlying areas of focus:

Respect: Digital etiquette, access and the law.
Educate: Digital communication, literacy and commerce.
Protect: Digital rights and responsibilities, safety and security, and health and wellness.
A great way to start teaching digital citizenship through Google apps, such as Google Docs or Google Slides. Using these apps is a safe way for students to work with others on a project that is monitored by the teacher. Using these apps also are a great way for students to navigate the internet while collaborating with a group.

How would I use this?
I would use these apps as a tool to teach Digital Citizenship while simultaneously having the students present Social Study presentation on a group Google Slide about their state

Blog #2 - Standards and PLNs

Connect and Share With Me

Twitter handle @dhanuvu
Symbloo
UEN

3 Resources
English Language Arts
Read Write Think

Math 
 Math Shorts Videos

Science - 4th Grade
A Drop in the Bucket- USU Water Cycle

Blog #1: Equity and UDL.

If you put any group of people together, chances are that they will all have strengths and weaknesses when it comes to learning. This is very evident in a classroom. Classrooms are now and always have been diverse. Research says that the different ways that students learn are as unique as their fingerprints. How does a teacher address the diverse needs of her students to ensure that all are learning no matter what barriers that are present?
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a tool that can break down these barriers and build a foundation for all students  to learn, no matter their strengths, no matter their weakness. A UDL curriculum is made to be flexible and accommodate all kinds of learners. I can integrate UDL concepts into my classroom curriculum by identifying what I want my students to know, do and care about. When doing this I also need to address any barriers in my classroom that may get in the way of this goal.

UDL is made up of three categories:

1) Representation - show the information in different ways. 

2) Action and Expression- give students options for showing what they know. 

3) Engagement- give students choices that engage their ideas and interests. Encourage taking risks. 

UDL = Learning opportunities for ALL

I am excited to incorporate the UDL concepts into my curriculum so that all of my students will have a level playing field when it comes to learning. If I can do this than my classroom will be a place where students take risks, share ideas, and love learning. 

1. What does the research say about this?
2. How can this be effectively integrated into your teaching?
3. How will this help your students?
4. What are your goals with regard to this topic?
5. How does this shape your vision for empowered learning for your students?

A Bit About Me

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Destiny Hansen, I am from Payson Utah. I'm married to a pretty good guy and I have four gorgeous and wonderfully talented children ranging in ages from 7-16 years old.

• Being accepted into the El Ed program at UVU has been a goal that I have worked to achieve for the last four years (which seems like forever). I LOVE to learn so forever is okay with me. 
• Music makes my world go round. I am always listening to, singing to, or dancing to music. None of these things are what you may call 'talents' but I enjoy doing them none the less.
• Some other things that are right up my alley are television, pop-culture and puns. I'm not sure how they are related, but in my mind they all go perfectly together.
• Reading is something that we do as a family. A good book series brings people together like nothing else can.
• My friends are some of the sweetest, most talented and hilarious ladies you could ever meet. We love going to thrift shops. You can always hear us yelling "That's a BARGAIN!" We love to take our thrift store treasures and up-cycle them into amazing Halloween décor. 
• I could go on and on about how excited I am to be in the El Ed program and to learn how to introduce technology into the classroom for my students. Whatever tool can be used to engage a learner is a tool worth having. Lets do this!!

Utah! Still the Right Place

Animoto

         How cool is Animoto? This is a wonderful tool that provides an engaging way to learn about new content. Animoto can be used for businesses and in many other fields, using Animoto in the classroom enables teachers and students the ability to share pictures and facts about a topic in short 30 second video segments with music.

         Animoto is so easy to use. There is a variety of music to select from or you may add your own. With Animoto all students or teachers need to do is add pictures and create! 

Assignment: Student will get into small groups of 3-4 and create an Animoto about a county in Utah. Student will add facts with a picture to accompany each fact. Include county name, main exports, agriculture, county size as well as interesting facts. What are fun things to do in this county? Are there interesting geological features in this county?

Links

Animoto

Mrs. Hansen’s Examples

Utah County

San Juan County

Cache County

Carbon County

UEN- Social Studies 4th Grade

Objective 2

Analyze how physical geography affects human life in Utah.

Identify population concentrations in the state and infer causal relationships between population and physical geography.

Classify the distribution and use of natural resources.

Compare the development of industry and business in Utah as it relates to its physical geography (e.g. mining, oil, agriculture, tourism).

Make inferences about the relationships between the physical geography of Utah and the state's communication and transportation systems (e.g. trails, roads, telegraph, rail lines).

Examine the interactions between physical geography and public health and safety (e.g. inversions, earthquakes, flooding, fire).

UEN Ed Tech- Standard 8

Use technology resources (e.g., calculators, data collection probes, videos, educational software) for problem-solving, self-directed learning, and extended learning activities. (5, 6)

ISTE- Innovative Designer

I solve problems by creating new and imaginative solutions using a variety of digital tools.

What Should I Eat?

Brochure
          Brochures are a fantastic way to share an overview of information, using pictures and text to highlight main points in an organized and visually pleasing way. They can be used as an alternative to book reports, state presentations or be adapted for any subject matter or criteria. The great thing about making a brochure is that there are templates that are readily available through most software and even accessible on Google Docs.

          How do I know what to eat? We are going to learn how to make healthy choices to fuel our body. We will learn about how different foods are used in our bodies; fats, proteins,carbohydrates, etc. We will talk about portion sizes, how to read nutrition labels, activities that keep us physically active and discuss how being healthy impacts our families and communities.

Assignment: Students will work in small groups of 2-3 and create a brochure outlining things we have learned in class. There must be a minimum of 6 pictures and 6 health related facts used in the brochure. The more colorful the better! Have fun sharing what you have learned.

Here is an Example

Link
Mrs. Hansen's Brochure

UEN-Health Education 5th Grade

Standard 6

The students will understand how a healthy diet and exercise can increase the likelihood of physical and mental wellness.

Objective 1

Predict the impact of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans on health.

Know the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Relate how following the Dietary Guidelines for Americans may impact the health of individuals as well as communities; e. g., obesity, heart disease, cancer, insurance rates, missed work days.

UEN Ed Tech-Standard 7

Use telecommunications and on-line resources (e.g., email, online discussions, web environments) to participate in collaborative problem-solving activities to develop solutions or products for audiences inside and outside the classroom. (4, 5)

ISTE- Knowledge Instructor

I critically select, evaluate and synthesize digital resources into a collection that reflects my learning and builds my knowledge.

'Tis Always the Season for Edpuzzle

EDpuzzle
         Contrary to the name, EDpuzzle isn't actually a site for puzzles, but EDpuzzle is a wonderful way for teachers to introduce new topics to their students. Through the Ed Puzzle site teachers choose videos that support their content and are able to edit those videos to fit their students and classroom needs. Teachers can choose when to pause the video clip and insert questions into the video clip, this helps to reinforce student's comprehension on new or difficult topics. It is a fun and engaging way to introduce new topics and ask questions that involve higher order thinking.

• EDpuzzle is a free site! Hurray!!
• EDpuzzle site does not allow feedback from students, it is more of an answer aloud tool for the classroom.

Assignment: We will be studying weather and  seasons in class and will begin with an overview of the four seasons. The students will watch  The Four Seasons EDpuzzle video, answering the questions, and then will pick a season they would like to learn more about. They will work with others that have chosen the same season and 3 share facts with the class about their chosen season. Have fun!

Watch Mrs. Hansen's The 4 Seasons Edpuzzle

More Links

Why Do We Have Seasons?
Four Season Vocabulary


UEN- Science 1st Grade

Objective 3

Identify characteristics of the seasons of the year.

Identify characteristics of weather, e.g., types of precipitation, sunny, windy, foggy, and cloudy.

Observe and record weather information within each season.

UEN Ed Tech-Standard 7

Use telecommunications and on-line resources (e.g., email, online discussions, web environments) to participate in collaborative problem-solving activities to develop solutions or products for audiences inside and outside the classroom. (4, 5)

ISTE- Global Collaborator

I strive to broaden my perspective, understand others and work effectively in teams using digital tools.