tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78427521872812001522024-03-13T04:04:03.032-07:00Educator TalkReflections of a Retired Educator educatortalkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16953232960846563380noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7842752187281200152.post-82793672867155265762022-03-09T22:29:00.000-08:002022-03-09T22:29:34.117-08:00My Distance Learning Experience During Covid 19<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhalVObEbFa-P1ysau2xWQ2P9cfxh7QPb04OfxQvSbdFKIxWX6qbd63fRnkus9tXjyJoUTYhOAu8sYFuNxmVK4JePPmcMDimrfCsFymTXP_DZRrtQ8f_hXkEqQp9i4JijKlnUtZqj35jF661Dn1cJMghC5IMeJBW0g2P7MlQ4uq9_J9iSUWVF6m9KEvGA=s368" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="207" data-original-width="368" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhalVObEbFa-P1ysau2xWQ2P9cfxh7QPb04OfxQvSbdFKIxWX6qbd63fRnkus9tXjyJoUTYhOAu8sYFuNxmVK4JePPmcMDimrfCsFymTXP_DZRrtQ8f_hXkEqQp9i4JijKlnUtZqj35jF661Dn1cJMghC5IMeJBW0g2P7MlQ4uq9_J9iSUWVF6m9KEvGA=w200-h113" width="200" /></a></div> I still remember the worry and concern in the leading months before our schools closed to send us into a journey no one had ever traveled before in education. We were worried, confused, and not sure what followed. Nevertheless, I felt safe and reassured to at least being able to stay home away from the unknown and the dangerous when Covid 19 hit back in March of 2020. The months that followed were uncertain and difficult. Even though I have been a teacher for several years, I felt I did not have experience to take on distance learning. A lot of my teaching practices as a language teacher revolved around students speaking up and practicing the language. Language teachers heavily rely on strategies such as choral repetition, pair share, dialogue reading, answering questions, reading stories, walking around the classroom practicing vocabulary cards, etcetera. Being present in a language classroom is vital. In my case, having graduated from a Master's in Educational Technology Program in 2016, I had already been on a journey of integrating technology in my classes. It took some creativity to make distance learning work. <div><b> </b></div><div><p></p><p><b>Creating a New Normal Expecting Students to Be on Line </b></p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiuMdmjoU4TjXX4WR3OurcfOZiNr03PNN4nBjcDz4T9XNlz0Nx8CRbbd_6LvIh4YySrj7ZgjNbU-J_ubTiD6cvjv2fOtR2oYr1KHHJZ_TJWBwacNx1j3A3ZgwfPYS_mABa27aM7y9AtFL-_cZTssAaAIuM_VlPb2CcEShPgHlvnfmpHJQjRaIr5YTEkgw=s2400" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="2400" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiuMdmjoU4TjXX4WR3OurcfOZiNr03PNN4nBjcDz4T9XNlz0Nx8CRbbd_6LvIh4YySrj7ZgjNbU-J_ubTiD6cvjv2fOtR2oYr1KHHJZ_TJWBwacNx1j3A3ZgwfPYS_mABa27aM7y9AtFL-_cZTssAaAIuM_VlPb2CcEShPgHlvnfmpHJQjRaIr5YTEkgw=w200-h133" width="200" /></a></b></div><p></p><p>For several months, students were not expected to show their face on Zoom meetings. Teaching became a daunting task because hardly anyone responded. I did not know who were my students, and there was almost zero interaction between teacher and students. I was not fully knowledgeable on Zoom tools. I got <i>"Zoom Bombed"</i> on a couple of occasions by "unwanted guests" drawing profanity on my screen and by another "unwanted guest" coming in with a plethora of inappropriate remarks and curse words. Those days were days in which I questioned everything I knew and did as a teacher. I have to admit they were very difficult months. I begged my students to show their faces on Zoom, to let me know who they were. Every day I needed to be extremely patient and tolerant of this new learning curve. Every day there was something to celebrate but mainly something to reflect upon in order to improve. </p><p><b>Incorporate the Old into the New </b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjKN-bh_H3BQwbtBQFqdX5vK2UIfmDCLvl5Ie74P3kZfa4osagdF5E4d6raNX-nAijRitBaPKKwoljB_YN0bV0CL0jaTtN69-XgtibkTZCsEJ62vw5nKJQzJ1nzImcEa7S1Cvtpx0EztK2BKJdJreiNCF9plB17Lr-TAkyZitbAm92fae5drX5Ex3Ki9w=s3200" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2129" data-original-width="3200" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjKN-bh_H3BQwbtBQFqdX5vK2UIfmDCLvl5Ie74P3kZfa4osagdF5E4d6raNX-nAijRitBaPKKwoljB_YN0bV0CL0jaTtN69-XgtibkTZCsEJ62vw5nKJQzJ1nzImcEa7S1Cvtpx0EztK2BKJdJreiNCF9plB17Lr-TAkyZitbAm92fae5drX5Ex3Ki9w=w200-h133" width="200" /></a></b></div><b><br /></b><p></p><p>I was very fortunate to have a great school administrator that took the time to listen to my concerns and the concerns of our language department. We also had support from our administrators at the school level. We were all in the same boat navigating uncharted territory. We were given a lot of flexibility to incorporate whatever strategies we thought were helpful. One of our favorite phrases during distance learning and Zoom calls was: "Everyone is a new teacher now". I tried something new and moved on when it did not work. Some of the tools I was already using in the classroom became very useful during distance learning. </p><p><a href="https://www.classdojo.com/">a) Class Dojo </a></p><p></p><p>Class Dojo is a web based platform that allows you to create class rosters and keep track of positive behaviors and behaviors that need to be discouraged in the classroom. Initially, I only used this system as a very low grading category for students to feel encouraged to speak up. I would always show how many points each student had on our Zoom session. With this approach, I needed to come up with some solutions for students to earn points outside class hours. Students could make appointments outside class hours to engage in games, dialogues, and questions.</p><p><a href="https://quizlet.com/" target="_blank">b) Quizlet </a></p><p>Quizlet is a tool that allows students to practice vocabulary individually or in groups of four. Having this tool allowed students to feel they were collaborating with other students. Students were encouraged with the competition aspect of this platform. I awarded points to the winners which motivate them even more to remain engaged.</p><p><a href="https://quizizz.com/" target="_blank">c) Quizziz </a></p><p>Quizziz is another gamified platform that allows for competition when practicing vocabulary. The most useful tool from Quizziz is that it provides a percentage average as a class based on the answers. This is a great formative tool for the teacher to assess whether or not students are close to achieving proficiency on a given set of vocabulary words or terms. </p><p><a href="https://www.blooket.com/" target="_blank">d) Blooket</a></p><p>I became aware of this awesome game platform to practice vocabulary during our distance learning Professional Learning Community. Collaborating with colleagues every week and sharing ideas about what each of us were doing that was working in the Zoom classroom was an amazing tool to get through teaching from home. Blooket turns any deck of vocabulary cards into very fun and interactive games. </p><p>Covid 19 allowed me to experience growth as a teacher. This challenge made us all realize that we did not know everything there is to teaching even for seasoned educators like us. Our bond became even more solid as we listened to each other and encouraged each other. I still remember a well known phrase during these challenging times: " We are learning the art of building the plane while we fly it". I truly believe this rings true today as we learn how to teach post Covid 19. </p></div>educatortalkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16953232960846563380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7842752187281200152.post-44355045301499036492019-04-06T18:34:00.002-07:002019-04-06T18:34:24.604-07:00Beware of Kancho: Sexual Harassment or a Game? Naruto the MovieDISCLAIMER: The following post describes a very inappropriate game. No pictures were included to prevent spreading and promoting highly inappropriate content.<br />
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I have just learned about a horrible prank that some school kids are playing with others. Believe it or not, this game is called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanch%C5%8D" target="_blank">Kancho</a> and it is very popular in Japan and South Korea. As wrong as it sounds, the game calls for kids to put their middle fingers together and shove them into someone else's anal area when the person is distracted.<br />
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Wikipedia describes <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanch%C5%8D" target="_blank">Kancho</a> as:<br />
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<i><b>"Kanchō</b> (<span lang="ja">カンチョー</span>) is a prank performed by clasping the hands together in the shape of an imaginary gun and attempting to poke an unsuspecting victim's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anus" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Anus">anus</a>, often while exclaiming "Kan-CHO!".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-arcademania1_1-0" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanch%C5%8D#cite_note-arcademania1-1" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;">[1]</a></sup> It is a common prank among children in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Asia" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;" title="East Asia">East Asia</a> such as Japan,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Tomo_2-0" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanch%C5%8D#cite_note-Tomo-2" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;">[2]</a></sup> Korea, Thailand and Taiwan. In Korea it is called <b>ddongchim</b> (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_language" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Korean language">Korean</a>: <span lang="ko">똥침</span>)<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Garrido_3-0" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanch%C5%8D#cite_note-Garrido-3" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;">[3]</a></sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Rocket_4-0" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanch%C5%8D#cite_note-Rocket-4" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;">[4]</a></sup> In Mexico and other Spanish-speaking countries, it is often referred to as <b>Saca cacas</b>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanch%C5%8D#cite_note-5" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;">[5]</a></sup> In Taiwan, it is popularly called <b>Qiānnián shā</b> (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_language" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Chinese language">Chinese</a>: <span lang="zh">千年殺</span>),<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanch%C5%8D#cite_note-6" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;">[6]</a></sup> derived from the full Japanese name of the skill "Leaf village's secret finger jutsu: A thousand years of death" (木の葉隠れ秘伝体術奥義:千年殺し Konohakagure hiden taijutsu ōgi: Sennen Goroshi); this term derives from the popular <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naruto" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Naruto">Naruto</a> franchise, where <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kakashi_Hatake" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Kakashi Hatake">Kakashi Hatake</a> uses an enhanced version of the prank on the eponymous protagonist during his ninja training. The word is a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slang" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Slang">slang</a> adoption of the Japanese word for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enema" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Enema">enema</a> (<span lang="ja">浣腸</span> kanchō).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanch%C5%8D#cite_note-7" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;">[7]</a></sup> In accordance with widespread practice, the word is generally written in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katakana" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Katakana">katakana</a> when used in its slang sense, and in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanji" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Kanji">kanji</a> when used for enemas in the medical sense.In Japan multiple people have died or been injured by having compressed air being blasted into their anus"</i></div>
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There is a popular Netflix movie called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naruto" target="_blank">Naruto </a>which is a Japanese anime that describes the story of a boy that wants to be a Ninja, In this anime movie, some of the characters use Kancho. This supposed funny harmless move of sticking middle fingers in someone's but is highly regarded as <a href="https://naruto.fandom.com/wiki/One_Thousand_Years_of_Death" target="_blank">A Thousand Years of Dead</a>.</div>
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I was completely in disbelief to find out about this game which is rather popular on a Japanese anime movie looking apparently so harmless for kids. It came to my knowledge that a child that was played this prank upon was so afraid and distressed when other kids held him down that I started researching this game.I am surprised to find out that while in Japan and South Korea these are frivolous day to day games, in America and other countries this may constitute sexual harassment at least and/or sexual assault, depending on the circumstances. </div>
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According to <i><a href="http://abuse.wikia.com/wiki/Kancho" target="_blank">FANDOM:</a></i></div>
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<i style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #3a3a3a; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">"In certain countries such as the UK, the act of Kancho may be illegal</span><sup class="Template-Fact" style="border: 0px; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 0; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: nowrap;" title="This claim needs references to reliable sources from September 2010">[<span style="border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="extiw" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citation_needed" style="border: 0px; color: #006cb0; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="wikipedia:Citation needed">citation needed</a></span>]</sup><span style="color: #3a3a3a; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"> and considered sexual harassment, or even sexual assault, although children are given more leniency. While the practice is known in South Korea, there have been cases where adults performing it have been arrested. However, in Japan it is considered a childish prank rather than a criminal act. In February 2006, Nanmon Kaiketsu (Solving Difficult Problems), an </span><a class="new" data-uncrawlable-url="L3dpa2kvTkhLP2FjdGlvbj1lZGl0JnJlZGxpbms9MQ==" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="nofollow" style="border: 0px; color: #cc2200; cursor: pointer; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="NHK (page does not exist)">NHK</a><span style="color: #3a3a3a; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"> TV show about social problems, speculated that the long-term leniency of Kancho is an indirect cause of the rampant </span><a href="http://abuse.wikia.com/wiki/Groping#Groping_in_Japan" style="border: 0px; color: #006cb0; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Groping">train gropings</a><span style="color: #3a3a3a; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"> across Japan".</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #3a3a3a; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">Some other blogs greatly expose cultural issues regarding sexual harassment in other countries and the conflict this creates when done in other countries where sexual harassment has many legal aspects to it. Some kids do not realize that the moment they get together and forcibly try to execute this game on someone else they cross a thin line as they attempt to make contact with someone's genitals. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Please talk to your kids, beware of what they watch. I have never thought to be a great idea to have an "electronic privacy policy" with kids. Kids's brains are not developed well and a simple act of fun may become a run with the law. Teachers, remember, as mandated reporters sometimes games like this cross boundaries and we need to act. </span></span></div>
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educatortalkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16953232960846563380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7842752187281200152.post-43667406813871378782019-01-03T17:35:00.002-08:002022-03-09T22:37:13.871-08:00Google Educator Certification Level 1 (UPDATE: I need to renew my Google Certified Educator Level 1) <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-gnWNeAJ94E3ZOlYxbdes0R4j486sgOII68yOEOuSorzRaIcKtLUjA5T-hvUHy8c5z2dYus03PYTEQSbWz4zowWYr0mg8pGhXodhyphenhyphenvv4ouMOc1AeXZLEHxq4N_wB5G0hS8KONKK-Skt_I/s1600/GCE_Badges_01%255B4173%255D.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="962" data-original-width="971" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-gnWNeAJ94E3ZOlYxbdes0R4j486sgOII68yOEOuSorzRaIcKtLUjA5T-hvUHy8c5z2dYus03PYTEQSbWz4zowWYr0mg8pGhXodhyphenhyphenvv4ouMOc1AeXZLEHxq4N_wB5G0hS8KONKK-Skt_I/s320/GCE_Badges_01%255B4173%255D.png" width="320" /></a><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Not a lot has happened in 2018 regarding my teaching or any other topics I am interested in. I continue to teach Spanish at the High School level while trying to always find ways to improve the use of technology. One of the most exciting events of 2018 in my professional development was that I was finally able to pass the Google Certified Educator Exam Level 1 in April of 2018.<br />
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I was very excited about this accomplishment as a way to motivate myself to keep growing professionally in order to better serve my students. In my situation, I tried a few things in order to be able to pass this test.<br />
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<b>Using the Google Training Modules</b><br />
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I decided that I wanted to become a Google Certified Educator in the summer of 2017 when I attended a Technology Boot Camp. There was a session to help participants become certified but the presenter only showed us how to sign on to the training modules and after we practiced we signed up for the test. Even though this presentation ignited my desire to start the process it did not help to become certified. I studied at home and did all the activities in the <a href="https://teachercenter.withgoogle.com/certification_level1" target="_blank">G Suite Training Modules for Level 1</a> on my spare time.<br />
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<b>Using G Suite In The Classroom</b><br />
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One of the best training opportunities for this test was to use all of the G Suite Google Apps in the Classroom as much as possible. I tried to use simple activities with my students using Google and when something I did not know how to do came up, we tried to figure it out in the classroom or by asking questions on Google.<br />
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<b>Taking the Test </b><br />
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After taking all the practice modules and using the G Suite Apps in the classroom I was very excited about passing my test. I took the test in the summer of 2017 and my disappointment was unbelievable. After sitting down for 3 hours, getting a failing result was a blow to my ego. Maybe it was just time to move on and do nothing about it. Nevertheless, goal setting has to be an important part of becoming a life-long learner and I am proud to say that learning has never stopped for me. I decided that I was going to pass this test somehow.<br />
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<b>More Training </b><br />
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<i><span face=""roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 16px;">Albert Einstein is broadly credited with exclaiming “The definition of insanity is </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">doing the same thing over and over again</b><span face=""roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 16px;">, but expecting different results”.</span></i></blockquote>
It was important for me to identify which areas needed to improve in my training. I decided not to re-read all the materials in the G Suite Training Website. Nevertheless, I knew I needed to retake all the quizzes and pass them with more than 80%.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIz8d3pCKpndYfdfXkD-mk2rxruF3pkUMzjVnQJXWgXeISZPSgpUeb4eVPKkbZ-LU5j9cXgxcQua_CVvZvv5gYkJhzMZog5Cp8BolPnYYHtuLTcJUH6AIo060WJZiNkRVEqaRXEECPlyd_/s1600/Brett+Petrillo.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="618" data-original-width="1308" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIz8d3pCKpndYfdfXkD-mk2rxruF3pkUMzjVnQJXWgXeISZPSgpUeb4eVPKkbZ-LU5j9cXgxcQua_CVvZvv5gYkJhzMZog5Cp8BolPnYYHtuLTcJUH6AIo060WJZiNkRVEqaRXEECPlyd_/s400/Brett+Petrillo.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Before retaking all the quizzes I enlisted the help of one of my favorite Google Apps: <i>You Tube</i>. I researched training modules and sat with pen and paper to watch and take notes on the materials I found helpful. I have to give out kudos to Mr. Brett Petrillo for his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fj7M9tfwtTY&list=PLMMcXoWg2jrKOKVx-NpW_VoJqraTkundq" target="_blank">Google Certified Educator Preparation Videos </a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFINNdUgu7sEzMEHLxbAJE7MVR3lk8sNfQzgrRGDE-ILW3VcnAxizkfKrjALDiS0vR2yCzlUvxnQ8jeRz4gnti4X6_06uYFZuV0EhCWwcr6MvmXReVILpdd0y8m6hDBlxJhhmTtXUj_be1/s1600/20190102_174702.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFINNdUgu7sEzMEHLxbAJE7MVR3lk8sNfQzgrRGDE-ILW3VcnAxizkfKrjALDiS0vR2yCzlUvxnQ8jeRz4gnti4X6_06uYFZuV0EhCWwcr6MvmXReVILpdd0y8m6hDBlxJhhmTtXUj_be1/s320/20190102_174702.jpg" width="180" /></a> I watched every single one of these videos and took notes. Every video lasted an average of 40 minutes but I committed to watch them all. I wrote 11 pages of notes and once the test was successfully completed I wrote a nice note to my self in the same notebook where all my notes were.<br />
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<b>Committing to Professional Development </b><br />
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As educators, I consider it to be extremely important that we set goals to continue growing as professionals regardless of how many steps we need to climb in the pay scale. We need to set goals for our development regardless of what the system tells us we ought to be doing. I sadly come across many teachers who do not like attending conferences or presenting to others. Too many of them are too tired and too overwhelmed. Many believe there is not much further learning in their content areas because they have seen it all and taught it all. I hope this post encourages you to pursue learning beyond what is required of teachers.<br />
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<b><br /></b>educatortalkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16953232960846563380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7842752187281200152.post-90330790018322360022017-11-02T14:34:00.000-07:002017-11-02T15:02:59.428-07:00Presenting at CVCUE Fall 2017 <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigxpvjZF2OSo9rnkGmDteUUa0XoU6dgnh75DjfmhUNrAhmeoM7YquDqjV3S48uq2tfMRGM-4A-cS7rUtn8SP4leXz1e3V4Q93GCAQPXBTZYBOZn3YLOB1SXRweRHNhFGSew73TdCwlnSOB/s1600/CVCUE+Fall+2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigxpvjZF2OSo9rnkGmDteUUa0XoU6dgnh75DjfmhUNrAhmeoM7YquDqjV3S48uq2tfMRGM-4A-cS7rUtn8SP4leXz1e3V4Q93GCAQPXBTZYBOZn3YLOB1SXRweRHNhFGSew73TdCwlnSOB/s640/CVCUE+Fall+2017.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I am so excited to present at <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cvcue-fall-2017-steam-powered-education-tickets-37231093202" target="_blank">Central Valley Computer Using Educators Fall Conference</a>. The CVCUE conference provides with some of the best technology integration tips for teachers, administrators, and anyone else working in the field of education or interested in applied technology. Educators from different content areas share their expertise about technology integration, issues regarding educational policy, and tools and tips to make technology use an enjoyable experience. As an avid technology integrator in a language class, I know that there is never enough I can learn about tools and ways to make my teaching experience more rewarding. From the novice teacher to the super techy educator, there is always something exciting to learn at CVCUE. Come and join us in Visalia this Saturday November 4th. I will be presenting a project based learning experience my language classes engaged in while researching a Spanish speaking city. </div>
educatortalkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16953232960846563380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7842752187281200152.post-18622321909522419412017-09-24T23:13:00.000-07:002017-09-24T23:13:54.233-07:00Technology in the Midst of Tragedy: Thumbs Up to WhatsApp Messenger <div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAHv7yaxOA_M66OI0x0xK6Jlvrcw6kYWD0pZASUN-i14vp3gBeyDWfErIvi9EYNY1tZZmM7GyJ3L1-_JEmZzedx9LVxW3QDjTEYjSmpeE22l15sf57gLHgK5s7zD8hXnauZbWkCWexiixU/s1600/APProved-+Whatsapp+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="747" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAHv7yaxOA_M66OI0x0xK6Jlvrcw6kYWD0pZASUN-i14vp3gBeyDWfErIvi9EYNY1tZZmM7GyJ3L1-_JEmZzedx9LVxW3QDjTEYjSmpeE22l15sf57gLHgK5s7zD8hXnauZbWkCWexiixU/s320/APProved-+Whatsapp+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I became familiar with <a href="https://www.whatsapp.com/" target="_blank"><i>WhatsApp</i> </a>messenger several years ago on a trip to visit my family in Mexico City. I noticed that my relatives insisted on communicating through this app which sparked my curiosity. People explained to me that <i>WhatsApp</i> messenger was a way they could use instant messaging without the cost of expensive cellular plans and SMS services.</div>
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My family convinced me that this tool would allow for us to communicate internationally without expensive charges. Through this app we were able to have small groups of connected people. <i>WhatsApp </i>soon became one of my favorite apps. I started using the app when it was free but continued to pay for it when it became a paid app for only 99 cents a year because I saw good value in it. Through this app I have been able to chat with several family members at once while receiving pictures, videos, and audio. The latest version also allows for video calls when people use high end phones. </div>
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In the past two weeks, <i>WhatsApp</i> became the tool of choice for people affected by tragedy. On Tuesday September 19th, several regions of Central Mexico were struck by a strong earthquake. Even before I was able to sit down down at home to watch the news or listen to the radio, <i>WhatsApp</i> allowed me to be informed about the severity of this crisis. Message, video, and audio conveyed the story of pain, suffering, anguish, and relief by connecting families little by little. Land lines were down, electricity and water gone. Despite the chaos, families affected by this tragedy were able to track their loved ones to make sure people were safe. <i>WhatsApp</i> is also being used to host important community services platforms such as a neighborhood watch.<br />
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The way social media and other connecting apps are being used in the midst of tragedies reminded me of the great uses of these tools available for free or for a small cost. People's lives have been spared by the ability to communicate with the entire world. Aide has been deployed where it is most needed and families can have peace of mind connecting with loved ones online. </div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAHv7yaxOA_M66OI0x0xK6Jlvrcw6kYWD0pZASUN-i14vp3gBeyDWfErIvi9EYNY1tZZmM7GyJ3L1-_JEmZzedx9LVxW3QDjTEYjSmpeE22l15sf57gLHgK5s7zD8hXnauZbWkCWexiixU/s1600/APProved-+Whatsapp+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAHv7yaxOA_M66OI0x0xK6Jlvrcw6kYWD0pZASUN-i14vp3gBeyDWfErIvi9EYNY1tZZmM7GyJ3L1-_JEmZzedx9LVxW3QDjTEYjSmpeE22l15sf57gLHgK5s7zD8hXnauZbWkCWexiixU/s1600/APProved-+Whatsapp+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a>educatortalkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16953232960846563380noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7842752187281200152.post-70616610196813171492017-09-03T13:11:00.000-07:002017-09-03T13:11:00.264-07:00A New School Year Begins: A Kagan Approach to Classroom Management It has been some time since I sit down to write a post. Once I finish a school year I need to take a break to rest, reevaluate priorities, spend some time with my family exploring places, and taking time to remind myself who I am, what I want in life, and what is my plan to make my teaching experience better for the next school year.<br />
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Summer is gone... <img alt="Image result for free clip art good bye summer" height="408" src="http://clip4art.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/goode-summer-hello-autumn-we-heart-it-in-goodbye-summer-clipart-goodbye-summer-clipart.jpg" width="640" /><br />
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We are almost a whole month into the new school year and I am excited about my Spanish 2 classes. My district invested in professional development this summer and offered some training in the <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><a href="https://www.kaganonline.com/" target="_blank">Kagan</a> </span>model for cooperative learning. I have found this model to be very easy to implement in the classroom. I have had group settings for the past 3 years in my classroom but the way Kagan structures work in getting everyone in a group involved has been a great addition to my classroom management skills. Some of the most useful structures that I have found from the Kagan method which I am currently using in the classroom are:<br />
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<b>Management Mats </b><br />
When a group of students are seating together, there needs to be a way to assign tasks and responsibilities within that group. I used to ask volunteers to help pass and gather materials. I used to rely on students who liked getting out of their seats. Sometimes it was frustrating to not have any volunteers and have non enthusiastic students do the work. It was time consuming. With my management mats, I just call a number and the student knows they have a task to complete. No questions asked and they do it more willingly.<br />
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<b>Positive Team Work & Class Management </b><br />
As simple as it sounds, creating a positive classroom environment has to be intentional, planned, and implemented accordingly. Kagan materials do an excellent job in providing activities for students to get to know each other and feel they are part of something bigger and better. I love the non academic for fun concept of short activities that students engage in to feel welcome in the classroom. It makes them feel that the are valued in the classroom and that their learning is important to others.<br />
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<b>Pair Share </b><br />
As a language teacher, my students need to spend a lot of time practicing the language and interacting with others in non-threatening and comfortable ways. Kagan training reminded me that learning happens when students are the ones doing the work, not me being the one that takes the stage and magically transfers knowledge to students by just talking.<br />
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Even though I have been a teacher for over 20 years, I realize how easy it is to take teaching for granted and feeling that my experience is good enough to do my best in the classroom. Nope, not true.... a fallacy. Complacency in the classroom starts with me. When I stop challenging myself and continue to do things the same way over and over and pretend that time in the classroom equals best practices, I deprive my self and my students from engaging and rewarding learning experiences. <br />
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If you have not had a chance to explore the <a href="https://www.kaganonline.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kagan</span> c</a>ompilation of best practices and cooperative learning suggestions, I highly recommend that you take a look at it and see if this is something you can use in the classroom.<br />
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<b><br /></b>educatortalkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16953232960846563380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7842752187281200152.post-26509075710349390642017-07-23T10:58:00.000-07:002017-07-23T10:58:32.939-07:00Using Class Dojo in High School Settings <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNzT9A8wHYKElVr9_dd4P6et133fMqUA7KiEiyWjNV2vj08bpzIikkaqp-qeuIu9HGDnMzeaS_Ty0D3agim8DPOjVfWTKFSgZ_C4yPjHkYVuf3hsCitwhvNYCAhP6_6Y1JdfORwDwezHv6/s1600/Classdojo+Mentor+Badge+2017-2018.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1330" data-original-width="972" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNzT9A8wHYKElVr9_dd4P6et133fMqUA7KiEiyWjNV2vj08bpzIikkaqp-qeuIu9HGDnMzeaS_Ty0D3agim8DPOjVfWTKFSgZ_C4yPjHkYVuf3hsCitwhvNYCAhP6_6Y1JdfORwDwezHv6/s320/Classdojo+Mentor+Badge+2017-2018.png" width="233" /></a></div>
I was very excited to receive this cute <a href="https://www.classdojo.com/" target="_blank">Classdojo</a> mentor badge in my e-mail. I have been using this website platform in my high school classes for over 3 or 4 years now and I am proudly considered a Classdojo mentor. Classdojo is mostly used in elementary settings as a behavior and participation tool that allows the teacher to reward students for positive behaviors and discourage behaviors that interfere with the learning process.<br />
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Many teachers consider ClassDojo to be a tool that better suits the needs of elementary students due to the cute monster characters and stories. Nevertheless, I decided to integrate it in the classroom due to its great tracking functionality. Students have actually welcomed this tool in the classroom because Classdojo gives them immediate feedback about some areas of their social and academic performance in class.<br />
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The positive behaviors encouraged in my classroom include participation, teamwork, speaking in the target language (using Spanish as much as possible), helping others, being prepared with classroom materials, and demonstrating digital citizenship. Some of the behaviors that need to be discouraged in the classroom focus on talking out of turn, using electronic devices for non educational reasons, unwelcome and unnecessary disruptions, and disrespect. As controversial as it might sound, the points that students accumulate every 6 weeks become part of their overall grade. Academics and citizenship are an integral part of the educational process as we aim to prepare students to not only meet academic expectations but social norms and conventions.<br />
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I encourage other teachers to take a look at <a href="https://www.classdojo.com/" target="_blank">Classdojo</a> or other tool to incorporate an element of character education in the learning process. Some times I bring small treats to class and actually give students a choice to get a treat or Dojo points when we play educational games. Needless to say, many times class ends with lots of treats at the table and several Classdojo points on the screen!educatortalkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16953232960846563380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7842752187281200152.post-6821904671481701492017-03-26T15:55:00.001-07:002017-03-26T15:55:44.986-07:00Modeling Good Behaviors in the Classroom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Recently I came across this image on my <i>Linkedin</i> feed. I liked the content in the image so I gave it a thumbs up and reposted it without thinking twice. It looked good and the message kind of resonated with my personal experience of being a High School teacher. Often I find myself reflecting on my role in the classroom and I realize that I do a lot of parenting along with teaching. Students come with multiple home experiences and teachers often become role moles during the time they spend with students. This made me rethink the concept that even though teachers will never replace good parenting, our role in the classroom allows us to model behaviors that may have a lasting impact in the life of students.<br />
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How do I think I have modeled good behaviors in students?<br />
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<b>1) Using kind words.</b> Even in the midst of the most challenging situations, I always try to treat students by using respectful words such as Sr., Mss. sweetie, honey, or other ways that tell my students I respect them and I expect respect in return. Not only do I respect my students but I care about their future as responsible citizens of society.<br />
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<b>2) Setting boundaries and clear expectations for behavior or academic work. </b>Many of our families are led by a single parent, a foster parent, or another family member. Discipline and expectations for behavior may be unstable or unclear to our students. Children need stability and consistency in their lives; it makes for safe places. Despite the conflict that high expectations for behavior and academics may create in my classroom, students know that there is consistency.<br />
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<b>3) Allowing opportunities for non-academic interactions. </b>Just as students need clear expectations for behavior and academics, they need to know that someone cares about them. Getting to know the students, asking questions and opening classroom spaces during no instruction times allows students to feel welcome. It makes me so happy when my classroom door is open and I get students from other years come to say hi and share their new endeavors or accomplishments in life.<br />
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Often I find myself eating breakfast during instructional hours. I allow students to eat in the classroom as long as they clean up after themselves. It makes all of us feel more relaxed. One of my favorite breakfast items is a greek protein yogurt with added cereal or a peanut butter sandwich with almond milk. It is amazing to see some of my students replacing the morning chips and unhealthy food items with yogurt, cereal, and peanut butter sandwiches! I know students are watching and it makes me feel good to model good behaviors.<br />
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<br />educatortalkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16953232960846563380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7842752187281200152.post-42658663758915619322016-12-08T23:18:00.000-08:002016-12-08T23:18:24.497-08:00My Student Journey Comes to and End<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFsoLmzVyUt7unfFXvviRYzf_igblX24wTFYaLhy_EQs9HOftCltwnsVs9N3s6cAco0pogheIZLQGUnbehTK4m4sFWuWzkRJoWygEwqWlxKNt7s_GfLgUPD9VOKDfasCuj4iOfeMoqGivX/s1600/Look+It%2527s+Me.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFsoLmzVyUt7unfFXvviRYzf_igblX24wTFYaLhy_EQs9HOftCltwnsVs9N3s6cAco0pogheIZLQGUnbehTK4m4sFWuWzkRJoWygEwqWlxKNt7s_GfLgUPD9VOKDfasCuj4iOfeMoqGivX/s200/Look+It%2527s+Me.png" width="200" /></a>I am only one week away from finishing my learning theory class in the master's for technology program. I know that many students feel a sense of relief and joy when a class is about to come to an end. This is my case to a certain extent as I know that hopefully some peace will come to my life as my days will not be as hectic. Being a high school teacher, a mom, a wife, and a student has proven to be a challenge. One of my colleagues that wrote a letter of recommendation to join the master's program was concerned about the workload coming my way balancing these many hats for two years.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgK1rwXKyWHf1qLa2FkGvQLCdZCcnH9bKVUq8GjbdCy2gdVT3GcGoGwQAh4o_v2rCa2Jt218B4p4frxpttQjtrkJ6sozJK7DHNx3h1-RyZvdNAM3u92E5SFcPMhT0lRL5zP4pxXD9w1K9i/s1600/Adriana+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgK1rwXKyWHf1qLa2FkGvQLCdZCcnH9bKVUq8GjbdCy2gdVT3GcGoGwQAh4o_v2rCa2Jt218B4p4frxpttQjtrkJ6sozJK7DHNx3h1-RyZvdNAM3u92E5SFcPMhT0lRL5zP4pxXD9w1K9i/s200/Adriana+.jpg" width="168" /></a>It has been two years already... On December 16th 2016, my journey through the Master's Program comes to an end. I am graduating in a week and this completes a 17 year old dream in the making. When I decided to get married and move to California (I am a Mexico City Native) in January 1999, I was unable to complete my thesis project to graduate with a master's degree in Latin American studies at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). I never finished my thesis project therefore I never got a Master's degree. Seventeen years later, this dream comes to a completion. I am supposed to write my last reflection about learning theorist Paulo Freire and his pedagogy of education. Paulo Freire reminds me of that journey I started in college as a sociologist of education. Back then, I studied several of his concepts for popular culture, theology of liberation movement, and breaking the culture of silence. I was a dreamer with strong opinions and a desire to use education to change the world. Seventeen years later, my dreams have not changed, they have only become clearer. As Paulo Freire states, education is a vehicle to transforming the world. I would add that education transform us (Piaget), impacts our environment (Dewey), and gives us a sense of identity through the communities that we get to interact with (Wenger).<br />
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After two years involved with great people and great educational endeavors, I feel empowered to become a servant leader. I am not sure where the next journey starts and ends, I only know that just as when any other cycle in our lives closes, there is learning and sadness, joy and fear, expectations and disappointments. I will have to find a passion in education to continue moving this blog along. I will try to continue setting high standards and expectations for my own critical thinking and professional development to hopefully continue making an impact in the real and the virtual world of education.<br />
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A forever thanks to all my professors and colleagues at Fresno Pacific University. I will be looking forward to our paths crossing again.... may God bless!<br />
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<br />educatortalkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16953232960846563380noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7842752187281200152.post-27476383416923893592016-11-30T23:29:00.003-08:002016-12-22T19:12:06.500-08:00John Dewey & Paulo Freire: A Common Core Standards Approach When the <i>Common Core Standards </i>were introduced in the educational field, there was an immediate reaction to new ways of teaching and learning as many teachers were not familiar with a model of inquiry, relevant learning, and student centered instruction. For more seasoned teachers, the integration of <i>Common Core Standards</i> were kind of a return to a teaching approach where creativity and student thought were seriously taken into account during curriculum planning.<br />
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As I continue to engage in reading the work of educational philosophers who have impacted teaching approaches in the Century 21st classroom, John Dewey and Paulo Freire offer similar perspectives that I believe influence <i>Common Core Practices</i>. Both of these philosophers believe in a student centered approach with freedom of action and thought. They are critical of students being "repositories" of information and advocate for an active, relevant, and authentic approach to learning where students are engaged in designing educational experiences. Dewey and Freire advocate for knowledge to be the key component to a transformative power that comes from every learner and the way they impact their world through critical attitudes and dispositions. This is certainly true for the 21st Century classroom where technology serves as a vehicle to expand, refute, recreate, and promote new ways of thinking. I have created a simple comparison chart of the main ideas between educational philosophers and thinkers John Dewey and Paulo Freire.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihTbMU6-CMNaNFg2O82NcNsYlnOxYhWZjX5L4jngKNHaFDyEN4MQPUVPLxWDtlBXiRi8jLkDvlWnPMDSYqz8HoEt4Y48wXaYQQArXfthG1WP7sox4RQC7HJGpnfKbY4OXPdx-lxlVLLxcq/s1600/Dewey+%2526+Freire+.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihTbMU6-CMNaNFg2O82NcNsYlnOxYhWZjX5L4jngKNHaFDyEN4MQPUVPLxWDtlBXiRi8jLkDvlWnPMDSYqz8HoEt4Y48wXaYQQArXfthG1WP7sox4RQC7HJGpnfKbY4OXPdx-lxlVLLxcq/s640/Dewey+%2526+Freire+.png" width="540" /></a></div>
© Chart created by Adriana Castillo November 2016<br />
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<br />educatortalkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16953232960846563380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7842752187281200152.post-92184450585011852412016-11-24T23:03:00.000-08:002016-11-24T23:03:40.297-08:00Communities of Practice: Places To Find Identity, Meaning & Purpose <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Have you ever been tired, stressed out, depressed, and feelings as work demands more of you that what you can possibly give? Do you come home and find yourself lost in papers, projects, grades, and lesson planning to do which just represents an extension of long and challenging days at work? I found myself in that position last week. I so desperately needed a break and a reason to find joy and peace after hectic days at work in my teaching position.<br />
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<a href="http://prblog.typepad.com/strategic_public_relation/images/2007/07/19/postit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://prblog.typepad.com/strategic_public_relation/images/2007/07/19/postit.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a>I highly recommend that as teachers we make an effort beyond our work duties and personal duties at home to search groups in our communities that share the same passions and goals in life through fun and interactive ways. Finding a club, a collective hobby, a community that we can join who can bring a sense of belonging, understanding, joy, laughter, and a place where we can grow our passions to fulfill longings and desires is vital for our wellbeing.<br />
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As I am reading John Dewey's (1938) philosophies for education, I agree that many times what we learn in formal educational settings does not compare to what we can learn through worthy experiences that have an immediate connection and application to real life. Communities of practice allow us to grow in very natural and personal ways.<br />
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Connect your passions and desires in meaningful ways through a club, a networking community, a group of people to share your passions and goals. Communities of Practice can be local or global, face to face or virtual, they meet regularly and have set goals and a common vision in mind.<br />
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educatortalkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16953232960846563380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7842752187281200152.post-63310446087211672112016-11-20T01:49:00.000-08:002016-11-20T01:49:13.893-08:00John Dewey: Practical Applications for Technology Integration<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As part of my coursework for my Masters in Educational Technology, I have been reading the work of American philosopher John Dewey. In the first few chapters of his book <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Experience-Education-Kappa-Delta-Lecture-ebook/dp/B00120954O" target="_blank">Experience and Education The Kappa Delta Pi Lecture Series</a>, </i>he focuses on issues of traditional and progressive learning theory and practice in the context of educational endeavors. He comments on the disconnect that may exist between the knowledge that adults impart to new generations and the practical applications and relevance that the new generations attribute to such knowledge. According to Dewey (1998), neither traditional nor progressive education can address the dilemmas that arise in the learning process as these are connected to the context of new and relevant experiences. It is in the process of new experiences that knowledge acquires meaning and purpose for the new generations.<br />
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The old is made new by a process of interpretation and adaptation within practical contexts. This is an area where teachers have a great responsibility because <i>"teachers are the organs through which pupils are brought into effective connection with the material. They are the agents through which knowledge and skills are communicated (p.18)"</i>.<br />
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Some of the current issues with technology integration in classroom settings can be understood through the lense of Dewey's work. Technology functions as a bridging gap between adults and young learners to make the knowledge practical, relevant, and accessible to the new generations through platforms that revamp old textbook material and lengthy boring lectures into interactive adaptive materials that students can enjoy and engage with. Dewey (1998) proposes to focus on experiential contexts to make learning relevant to the youth. Nevertheless, he also offers a word of caution in regards to experiences as not all experiences offer quality in the learning process. <i>"An experience may be immediately enjoyable and yet promote the formation of a slack and carelessness attitude (p. 25)". </i>This rings true when we as teachers, allow students to carelessly use electronic devices in the classroom or allow the use of technology without an adequate pedagogical approach or learning objective in mind. It has been proven that the use of technology for the sake of technology does not provide students with adequate experiences to successfully apply learned skills in the real world. It is imperative that teachers strongly rely on their content area pedagogical training and best practices when choosing digital experiences for their students in the classroom setting.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Dewey, J. (1998). </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Experience and education</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">. Kappa Delta Pi.</span>educatortalkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16953232960846563380noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7842752187281200152.post-25377119689050594082016-11-11T22:05:00.000-08:002016-11-20T20:55:01.922-08:00Untaught Technology Skills: The Hole in the Wall Experiment Have you ever wondered why children cannot resist touching everything when they are little? Theories on the process of learning and knowledge acquisition in the early stages of development confirm that human beings start learning the day they are born. Newborn babies start learning by watching, feeling, smelling, and hearing. Even though formal language is not understood, babies learn to communicate to have their needs met. We learn through our senses and our sense help us understand the world around us.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJENtGKuNAXH1OKAnjqKgFnMr5l0zHZGJFpYAX6jxg7eJFg13y8QXcWP3e_fTAYLzhxZqKov9nP2KeIvXzrLAqtXtr3B7ngQT05TiaYRHFFBSZzSh7jjr4xCCj6m4sJL1NejyKKz55gLgh/s1600/Hole+in+the+Wall+India+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJENtGKuNAXH1OKAnjqKgFnMr5l0zHZGJFpYAX6jxg7eJFg13y8QXcWP3e_fTAYLzhxZqKov9nP2KeIvXzrLAqtXtr3B7ngQT05TiaYRHFFBSZzSh7jjr4xCCj6m4sJL1NejyKKz55gLgh/s320/Hole+in+the+Wall+India+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
As I am reading about the <i><a href="http://blogs.worldbank.org/edutech/searching-for-indias-hole-in-the-wall" target="_blank">Hole in the Wall</a></i> experiment in India back in 1999, I make a strong connection between the theory of natural learning and the reasons why it amazes me to see babies and toddlers find electronic devices to be fascinating tools.<br />
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In the <i>Hole in the Wall</i> experiment, Professor Sugata Mitra conducted an experiment in which a computer was placed inside a man made hole in the wall. There was also a camera installed to record activity near the computer. No instructions were given in any language. The location of this whole in the wall was in the slums of India with high populations of kids with no formal education or English language reading and speaking abilities. The findings of Dr. Mitra's experiment gave rise to the the concept of <i><a href="http://wikieducator.org/Minimally_invasive_education" target="_blank">minimally invasive education </a> </i>as it was observed that children learned basic computer skills on their own as well as curriculum content through games and other engaging activities. Kids just explored on their own and started to build knowledge structures that eventually allowed them to engage in more complex tasks.<br />
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The <i>Hole in the Wall Experiment </i>serves as a reminder that when it comes to technology integration in the classroom, children need to be given the opportunity to explore and learn through technology even if the adults in the room do not feel capable to handle or integrate technology. Fear of technology integration is more pervasive in adults rather than in children. A word of caution when allowing minors to freely learn and explore on electronic devices is the need for an internet filter. Children are capable of finding amazing things online, however, material not suitable for children needs to be kept out at all times. I believe that allowing students to learn with an electronic device has valuable implications for English Language Learners. ELL's can learn valuable concepts and skills by freely exploring an electronic device that has access to age appropriate pre-loaded resources. <br />
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I have included one of the only creative commons picture I found on the internet for the <i>Hole in the Wall</i> experiment. The computers depicted in the picture resemble the original one but the first computer and setting looked different.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mitra, S., Rana, V., Campus, I. I. T., & Khas, H. (2001). Children and the Internet: Experiments with minimally invasive education in India. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">British Journal of Educational Technology</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">32</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(2), 221-232.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Trucano, M. (2010, June 18). Searching for India’s hole in the wall Retrieved from http://blogs.worldbank.org/edutech/searching-for-indias-hole-in-the-wall</span></div>
educatortalkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16953232960846563380noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7842752187281200152.post-83379704803795187662016-11-05T17:31:00.000-07:002016-12-22T19:12:52.229-08:00Communities of Practice: World Language Fair April 29th 2017 <br />
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As many people would think, every time I think about the learning process images of books, lectures, classrooms, and structured environments come to my mind. I am a teacher and have been a teacher most of my life. The word learning evokes everything related to my profession. I have never stopped to reflect upon the actual process of learning and how people learn. However, recently my time has been occupied with several readings for my <i>ET-715 Foundations of Learning Theory materials</i>. It has been challenging but intellectually stimulating reading.<br />
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One of the books I am currently reading is called <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Communities-Practice-Cognitive-Computational-Perspectives/dp/0521663636/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1478390423&sr=8-1&keywords=Communities+of+Practice%3A+Learning%2C+Meaning%2C+and+Identity.+Learning+in+Doing%3A+Social%2C+Cognitive+and+Computational+Perspectives." target="_blank">Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning, and Identity. Learning in Doing: Social, Cognitive and Computational Perspectives</a> </i>by Etienne Wenger (1998). There are many theories for learning including the social learning theory. According to Wenger (1998) we are social beings that acquire knowledge through <i>active engagement in the world</i> as well as our ability to experience the world in meaningful ways. We learn while interacting with others, learning about their practices, values, and beliefs, and by having an open mind and attitude towards existing differences.<br />
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One component of social learning theory is the sense of community: "<i>Community as a way of talking about the social configurations in which our enterprises are defined as worth pursuing, and our participation is recognizable as competence (Wenger, 1998, p.4)</i>". It is in the realm of learning through community experiences that the <a href="http://www.worldlanguagefair.com/" target="_blank"><i>World Language Fair 2017 at Central High School on April 29th</i></a> will allow for fun and engaging learning opportunities.<br />
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Attendees at he World Language Fair 2017 will have the opportunity to learn by direct observation, by engaging in language and culture experiences from different regions in the world, and by direct participation pursuing personal interests through games, sampling of multicultural foods, as well as performances from different regions in the world.<br />
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Learning does only happen within the walls of a classroom. Join us April 29th 2017 at Central High School East Campus for the <a href="http://www.worldlanguagefair.com/" target="_blank">World Language Fair</a>!<br />
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<br />educatortalkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16953232960846563380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7842752187281200152.post-83231684237077081852016-10-30T00:32:00.000-07:002016-11-10T21:35:29.143-08:00Learning the Untaught <div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 1in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">About a week ago I was ready to go to bed. It was a late night and I was exhausted. I wanted to go to bed as soon as possible but my 13 year old refused to go to his room and get ready for school the next day. I kept uttering all sorts of motherly arguments</span><i style="font-size: 14.6667px;">: It's too late, you have school tomorrow, we are going to be late, you are going to be tired, don't you realize what time it is? </i><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">I could not get my son to go to bed, just like tonight. It is past midnight and he is still there.... There he is, in this messy, chaotic, and dusty room, there, in a room where I dare not to go into, afraid I will have a panic attack. I need to control the environment in order to feel safe. Not him, not my 13 year old son in that room.... the Lego room. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.6667px;">On some late evenings, when I can barely keep myself awake, my son comes in rushing into my room with excitement: </span><i style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.6667px;">Mom, look at what I just built! </i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.6667px;">Out of his hand comes a tiny Lego white car. It looks amazing. My immediate question when he shows me a Lego product is:</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.6667px;"><i> Did you build this from scratch or is this a model? </i>His frequent answer: <i>Mom, I built this from scratch....</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/8jgPSTtzdDXYcua4r6JV8gAEGAAQ2D_raMmo4TgfgfsmChb8pb5iL3VU0-CdM5J7HeEAcW68Yg1XqZKBnypXFxbJiDI=s400" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">As a mother I am amazed and excited. It is obvious that my son has a talent. But how did he get there? My son received a set of Legos when he was young. Throughout the years his collection grew. He wanted more, he wanted bigger and more complex models to build. He read the directions and put those models together by himself. No one ever taught him how to create with Legos. It was truly a self taught skill. Out of his love and passion for building blocks, he learned about spatial relations, shape and form. He learned to create structures that worked well together with a sense of functionality and purpose. By using existing models, he learned to transfer those skills to new contexts to create new products and fascinating models using Legos. With technology, he has self taught how to build castles, couches, microwaves, pantries, ships, cars, planes, and any other product he is interested in to complete a project. That fascination with building structures has transferred to the virtual world through </span><i style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Minecraft. </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.6667px;">As I reflect upon how children learn and read about theories of learning, my son's ability to build with Legos reminds me of what Papert (1993) states about learning from a Piagetian perspective: "Children are builders of their own intellectual structures. Children seem to be innately gifted learners, acquiring long before they go to school, a vast quantity of knowledge by I process I call learning without being taught (Papert, 1993, p. 7)". </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For teachers, this could apply to encouraging learners to express their passions and interests, to find ways to relate knowledge and create learning tasks in meaningful, relevant, and practical ways. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 13px;">Papert, S. A. (1993). </span><i style="color: #222222; font-size: 13px;">Mindstorms: Children, Computers, And Powerful Ideas</i><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 13px;">. Basic Books.</span></span></div>
educatortalkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16953232960846563380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7842752187281200152.post-38147766458475527752016-10-16T00:26:00.000-07:002016-10-16T00:26:41.883-07:00Assess & Engage: Tools to Liven Up The Classroom Since last year I have been interested in using online tools to conduct formative and summative assessments in the classroom. I also want to use more tools that promote collaborative learning without necessarily becoming a multiple day group project assignment. While <i>Google Drive </i>offers excellent platforms for collaboration, I was more interested in using something that was quick. In the past few months I have been using two tools I highly recommend to teachers as they can be adapted with any content.<br />
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The first tool I started using was a paid component of the traditional flashcards game <i><a href="https://quizlet.com/" target="_blank">Quizlet</a>.</i> Quizlet is a online learning platform that uses descriptions and meanings to create several activities that allow students to memorize content. The new added component, <i>Quizlet Live</i>, is a <i>paid</i> feature that allows students to learn while working together as a team to score the correct answer. <i>Quizlet Live </i>uses any flashcard learning game from the <i>Quizlet</i> platform and creates random or customized teams and forces students to rotate in different teams to score points for the games. The platform randomly assigns different answers to a question and only one of the members of the group has the correct answer. Students are forced to interact and talk to their classmates to get the correct answer. If the answer is incorrect, the whole point value of points resets to zero and the team has to start all over again.<br />
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<a href="https://cf.quizizz.com/img/dash/quiz-placeholder-sm.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://cf.quizizz.com/img/dash/quiz-placeholder-sm.png" /></a>The second platform that I am using often for assessment is<i> <a href="https://quizizz.com/" target="_blank">Quizziz. </a> Quzziz</i> is a multiple choice question creator. <i>Quizziz</i> has the option to use questions from other public quizzes and recycle your own questions. It takes just minutes to create a desired quiz by putting together existing questions. Users also contribute to the open access question bank by creating new material. Images can be added to the questions to make it more visually appealing and meaningful for each content area. This platform can be used as assessment or checking for understanding for material that needs to be memorized in order to execute higher thinking application tasks in a subject area. The most valuable aspect of the Quizziz platform is the reports section. In the reports section the teacher can analyze problems regarding the content that students are having a very difficult time learning to allow for a reteach. It also provides a detailed report of each students' score.educatortalkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16953232960846563380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7842752187281200152.post-21369057525744248312016-10-10T11:44:00.002-07:002016-10-15T15:22:03.088-07:00Disruptive Technologies <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">I recently read about the concept of <i>disruptive technologies</i>. I was curious about the term after reading it in a research journal article. I have always thought of the term disruptive with negative connotation and meaning, something we don't like. I am a non-native English speaker and most of the time I understand the meaning of words from a different cultural perspective or I take words literally.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Disruptions in our life, our environment, our plans, and the way we plan to do things are always perceived as negative events that come our way. Disruption defined as "the </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;">disturbance or problems that interrupt an event, activity, or process" (Google, 2016) follow within this category. When I saw the term </span><i style="color: #222222;">disruptive technologies, </i><span style="color: #222222;">I thought the researcher was going to talk about the way technology negatively impacts the learning process. However, as I kept reading it became clear that <i>disruptive technologies </i>are those that transform the way we have become accustomed to do things in an industry. <a href="http://www.dictionary.com/browse/disruption" target="_blank">Dictionary.com </a> offers a third definition of disruption: <i>Business. A radical change in industry, business strategy, etc. especially involving the introduction of a new product or service that creates a new market: Globalization and the rapid advance of technology are major causes of business disruption </i>(Dictionary. com, 2016). Even though the concept of disruptive technologies emerged mainly in the area of business, the field of education has been fertile ground for changes in the way we do things. Teaching and learning are no longer the same after the arrival of disruptive technologies. Te integration of iPads, phones, tablets, online learning, blended learning, distance education, and other assistive technologies have disrupted and changed the way we do things in education. </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;">As an educator of 20 plus year, I have seen first hand the way technology has changed my pedagogy and my teaching skills. The following digital story introduces the basic concept of disruptive technologies. </span></span></span></span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="500" src="https://spark.adobe.com/video/jaVDuQlBWEw4D/embed" width="800"></iframe>educatortalkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16953232960846563380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7842752187281200152.post-2486103081863972422016-09-18T11:10:00.001-07:002022-07-06T19:52:31.981-07:00Grit: A Personal Story <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnupRssQX02sxyf8V_mNk1tNIeJIL4UYNAyJjbvz9UGN8tOQ1QWZb1ovOWrNyy7GusL9DWn2J1su1V6065BG86kUrG1BLvs4pYre3a3PQz7m4PV1B_IuTBHjX4yumropt2fick6M3x6t6O/s1600/grit+bench.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnupRssQX02sxyf8V_mNk1tNIeJIL4UYNAyJjbvz9UGN8tOQ1QWZb1ovOWrNyy7GusL9DWn2J1su1V6065BG86kUrG1BLvs4pYre3a3PQz7m4PV1B_IuTBHjX4yumropt2fick6M3x6t6O/s320/grit+bench.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Recently I have heard the word GRIT as something that education professionals should be teaching to students. It seems to be a buzzword that people are writing about, talking about, and marketing as one magic pill to make students succeed in the classroom. As part of one of my projects for the Masters in Educational Technology, we were asked to create a digital story using a digital media platform of choice as well as a topic we could use for educational purposes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I thought about it several times. I really did not know what to do. I did some research in digital storytelling and I came across <i><a href="https://www.adobe.com/express/create/video">Adobe Express</a></i>. I had used <i><a href="https://www.adobe.com/express/create/video">Adobe Express</a> </i>briefly on my Ipad just to try it out. I really liked it back then. I explored it again and I realized that <i><a href="https://www.adobe.com/express/create/video">Adobe Express</a></i> can be used on any device. I tried it on my Chromebook at work and I like how user friendly it is. I can use this tool when we get a Chromebook cart in the classroom. Students can use digital stories to create content in all subject areas through fiction, historical narratives, personal stories, the teaching of a new concept, comic strips, or to explain processes in Math and Science. <i><a href="http://www.storycenter.org/stories/" target="_blank">Story Center. Listen Deeply. Tell Stories</a> </i>is a free online platform that offers access to many stories created around the world. It is worth checking if you are embarking on a digital storytelling project. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This is an example of a personal story I created using <i><a href="https://www.adobe.com/express/create/video">Adobe Express</a></i>. This is my personal opinion on GRIT. The transcript for the presentation can be found at <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MLgI1bueQAtrNn-M4sJp2UUtAi35YJWUGocJl3Q212U/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank"><i>Google Docs Grit: Personal Story Transcript. </i></a></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Disclaimer: This video contains a couple of religious references. Please watch from beginning to end. Showing religious content in a public school setting might not be acceptable under school district policies. Please reference your school policies if using this video in public school settings. </span> </i></div>
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educatortalkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16953232960846563380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7842752187281200152.post-848559970731522402016-09-11T21:51:00.000-07:002016-10-15T15:21:14.917-07:00Cellphones Out Instruction In <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Before we started the school year, I made
sure that I would not forget all the changes that I wanted to implement for the
new school year. I love being a teacher, it hardly ever gets repetitive. New
students, new challenges, and new ways to make the learning relevant. One of
the changes I could not wait to implement was my cellphone use policy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">For the past two years, I
was so excited about technology integration that I wanted to use whichever kind
of technology was available. The school tablets that we were using were slow
and would block a lot of helpful websites for classroom activities. In my
desire to utilize technology in meaningful ways I had a very relaxed policy on
cellphone use. Students were instructed to use their phones with instructional
purposes only….</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">That did not work well in
the classroom. I spent an entire school year competing for my students’
attention. Their interest was always divided between trying to do their work
and having a peek at their phones to conduct personal business. I felt lost. My
“put away the phone” routine soon became old. Students would justify their use
by pretending they were looking for class information. It was an uphill battle,
one that I did not win. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Even though my cell phone
policy has not changed, my monitoring of it has. Here are the incredible benefits
that I see now:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Engagement
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In the past, when there
were a few minutes of down time, students would pull out their phone and engage
with their phone. Now, students even bring book to read while they are waiting
on others to finish an activity or they engage in conversation with others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Collaboration
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In the past, Google was
the to go place to have questions answered. Now, students are actually forced
to work together, ask questions, help each other, and use their knowledge to
solve problems. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Effort
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Allowing phones in the
classroom provided a tool for students to engage in cheating and plagiarism as
they would copy the work of others through pictures. Even if I was monitoring
the classroom, having a phone on the table at all times created too many
distractions and negative behaviors.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">My policy now allows for
cellphone use only for a structured learning activity. Students pull out their
phones during the activity and have to put them away once we finished. I know
it seems like a “no brainer”, but it took me a whole year to refine my
cellphone policy. I see too many teachers nowadays taking the lay back approach.
Their thinking is that students should know what to do and not to do even if
their phones are out. I disagree. As I explained to parents during Back to School
Night: <i>“My cellphone policy might be strict
now, but rest assure that when your students are in my class, they will not be
taken care of personal business on their phones”</i>. As a parent, I want the confidence
that if my child is in school, there are learning opportunities taking place. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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educatortalkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16953232960846563380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7842752187281200152.post-46625053525933175742016-08-28T14:54:00.000-07:002016-08-28T14:54:19.609-07:00Kahooting a Syllabus <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.psi-solutions.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Sept15_B-e1445901158546.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.psi-solutions.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Sept15_B-e1445901158546.png" height="228" width="320" /></a></div>
The new school year is now well into three weeks of instruction already. As a high school teacher, the first few weeks of the school year are an interesting parade of new names and new faces. Students come and go as they decide if they are in the right classes. I have decided that handing out a syllabus on the first few days of the school year is futile. I end up using up half my paper allocated for the semester which in turn results on full garbage cans at the end of the day as students move to other better suited classes for the school year.<br />
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<a href="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/cc/53/cb/cc53cbf098b9bbc3e555279aea269064.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/cc/53/cb/cc53cbf098b9bbc3e555279aea269064.jpg" /></a>Nevertheless, it is imperative that students understand and abide by classroom expectations since day one. Otherwise, the school year will become a senseless battle ground to abide by expectations while maintaining sanity and a conducive learning environment.<br />
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I am on the student side on this one, going over a syllabus is extremely boring...... That is why I needed to do something new. After a few days in class, I handed out the students a copy of my 3 page syllabus. I asked students to read it silently. We went over a few questions and I clarified any concerns. After that. I told them we were going to play <i>Kahoot </i>to review if they understood expectations. <i>Kahoot</i> is a gamified platform to assess knowledge and understanding in a fun and engaging way.<br />
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I created my Syllabus Kahoot in a situation like scenario. My question prompt was imaginary scenarios like this one: <i>"Maria was too tired to do her homework last night..... ". </i>For the answers, I created four possible options with only one or two being correct. Example:<i> a) That's ok, Maria can turn in her homework any time (incorrect answer), b) Maria won't be able to turn in her homework because she doesn't have an excused absence (correct answer). </i>I hope you get the idea. Students had to to try to match a situation and possible answer depending on the expectations they had read on the syllabus. I threw a few funny statements in my answers that made students laugh. We had a lot of fun. Students were able to take home a printed copy of the syllabus after a few weeks into the semester and once we knew which students were staying. If you would like to see a sample of my syllabus Kahoot please go to <a href="https://getkahoot.com/" target="_blank">https://getkahoot.com/</a> . After creating an account or signing in, search on public Kahoots by author and type <i>educatortalk . </i><br />
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<br />educatortalkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16953232960846563380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7842752187281200152.post-86128371186977819182016-04-10T21:12:00.000-07:002016-05-22T20:08:05.899-07:00Digital Citizenship 101<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj6cIYp7MBq3-9QrpaDOzqaQv8xZkb8aKspclANbP4UcBW3Y2zDjH_ef4oE7UaCQFS8z3NoU17RXnItBGFGatgpJ-vWLAXj6CM9_idvDqyLRs302ZOpPElhDEywbuM1UxrU5k-Ax0ZlW_Y/s1600/Screenshot+2016-05-22+20.06.57.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj6cIYp7MBq3-9QrpaDOzqaQv8xZkb8aKspclANbP4UcBW3Y2zDjH_ef4oE7UaCQFS8z3NoU17RXnItBGFGatgpJ-vWLAXj6CM9_idvDqyLRs302ZOpPElhDEywbuM1UxrU5k-Ax0ZlW_Y/s400/Screenshot+2016-05-22+20.06.57.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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In the Spring of 2015 I started my Masters in Educational Technology. A year later I am in the process of writing the methodology section of my research project and a few weeks or months from testing a project in a high school setting. I am passionate about helping students use electronic devices and access the internet from a legal, ethical, and safe perspective. The work of Mike Ribble has been fundamental in directing my research efforts to the right places and for the right reasons. </div>
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Out of my desire to help teachers and students find more digital citizenship resources, I have created a blog called: Digital Citizenship 101. The title came to me as I was doing my literature review and found out that teaching digital citizenship in schools should not be an added curriculum tasks for educators. Schools have traditionally been a place where citizenship is expected to be taught for citizens to become active participants of democratic societies.<br />
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It is no longer a matter of choice to teach or not to teach digital citizenship in the classroom. As we move on with technology integration plans in school districts, it is our obligation to ensure that students will be protected from what it can be the devastating effects of careless use and exposure to online access. The foundation of <i>www.educatortalk.com</i> is to promote 21st Century skills in a responsible and ethical manner. Please check my new digital citizenship project and comment on it. </div>
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<br />educatortalkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16953232960846563380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7842752187281200152.post-127578874620611742016-02-16T09:10:00.000-08:002016-02-16T09:10:06.060-08:00TPACK Model <br />
<b>TPACK Model </b><br />
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<a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/Tpack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/Tpack.jpg" width="316" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">TPACK is one of the technology models available to educators in their
quest to learn how to use a framework to evaluate and balance skills and
knowledge for technology integration in the context of their current ability to
use content and pedagogy as interrelated elements of instruction. The strength
of the TPACK model resides in the fact that it looks at the complexities of
teaching from the perspective of content, pedagogy, technology, and the
intersections of each one as part of the instructional process. It is in the
practice and application of these interrelations that technology cannot be
integrated as an add on or a with a one size fits all approach. </span><br />
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<b style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Recommendations</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Revolution in
education continues to be the work and the task of human beings, not the work of
technology tools that are randomly used to plan and deliver instruction. The
TPACK model teaches us that revolution in education occurs when we skillfully
look and balance the cognitive process and interactions occurring between what
we know and want our students to know, how we want our students to know it, and
how technology can support and transform the learning process. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The TPACK model
should not be promoted in education circles as a model to learn and follow but
rather as a framework that helps teachers visualize and intrinsically balance the
elements of instruction that come into play when designing and providing digital learning
experiences for students. Technology
should be looked upon with critical eyes and an open mind when finding its
practical application to specific content areas. The existing literature
regarding TPACK suggests that we are on a discovery process for content and
pedagogy transformation processes as new technologies change and determine how
different subject areas are constantly being redefined and reinvented by the
use of 21<sup>st</sup> Century digital resources. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It is imperative
that educators continue to focus on mastery of learning objectives and the
creation of authentic experiences through the use of technologies that promote discovery,
creativity, connections, collaborations, as well as learning experiences that
address existing global issues.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>educatortalkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16953232960846563380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7842752187281200152.post-65148924737717829142015-10-17T02:05:00.000-07:002015-10-17T02:05:11.907-07:00Vlog#8: Multimedia Learning Reflection <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />educatortalkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16953232960846563380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7842752187281200152.post-3748222885396416602015-10-15T23:25:00.001-07:002015-10-15T23:29:22.856-07:00Vlog#7 Multimedia: Gamestar Mechanic <div style="text-align: justify;">
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This week I was introduced to Video Game creation in my multimedia class. As soon as I read the assignment for this week, I panicked: "Students will be creating a 5 level video game using <i>Gamestar Mechanic</i>". <i>Wow, I thought. This is going to be challenging</i>. That was an understatement. In order to be able to publish a game in <i>Gamestar Mechanic</i> you have to complete 5 different missions with multiple levels each. Well, here I go, <i>how difficult can it be to play video games</i>? What's all this fuzz about video games?! </div>
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I am not a game video game player. I am not that old but let's say that <i>PacMan </i>and <i>Mario Brothers</i> were a must when I was growing up. I tried video games and I was never proficient at them. Since I did not experience success, I quit. I saw no purpose. Well, my opinion about video games has changed. There is actually a set of skills, knowledge, and abilities required to be successful at playing video games. My 12 year old summarized it: I told him I was frustrated because the evil spirits were too fast and my avatars were getting killed. "<i>They are too fast"</i>, I said. My son responded: "<i>Mom, I think you are too slow!" </i>He is right. I am officially considered a <i>digital immigrant</i>. I have a <i>digital accent- </i>there are certain skills I lack and in regards to video games, and just like with spoken language, there are certain sounds my tongue just can't and won't pronounce right. My digital accent in video game playing is my inability to quickly do <i>eye- hand coordination motions </i>to achieve proficiency in gaming. </div>
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<b style="font-style: italic;">How is this important in technology integration? </b>It seems to me that in the 21st century, it is important for teachers to remember who we are in the digital world. Don't force it. Approach technology with lots of practice, practice, practice. Be willing to recognize that you have a digital accent and others will notice that you are not a native. Accept with pride that there will be things you will not do right and that others might have a hard time understanding your point or your frustration. Nevertheless, just like when speaking a foreign language, accents are beautiful and identify you for who you are. Admit when you need help from others and don't take the corrections or feedback too personal. Integrate technology to the best of your abilities and show grit. <i>Keep at it and have fun in the process!</i></div>
educatortalkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16953232960846563380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7842752187281200152.post-14458260988517253472015-10-06T23:01:00.001-07:002015-10-06T23:01:13.270-07:00Vlog #6 Multimedia: Playing Around with Virtual Reality <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It is truly amazing to realize how much there is to discover in the area of Augmented Reality (AR) and its uses in the classroom. This week I played around with several AR apps that are fun and that can be educational. My professor Joe Marquez showed us how to use Anatomy 4D, Quiver Vision 3D coloring, Elements 4D, and some other fun apps to create special effects such as Green Screen Apps. There is so much to discover that I decided to try out two apps in my classroom: Anatomy 4D and Quiver Vision Coloring.<br />
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I recommend that teachers explore AR apps in the classroom for fun and then decide which ones may have a practical application in the classroom. I believe learning has gotten more interactive and engaging with all that AR apps have to offer. Here is a Vlog I created to show my excitement about AR apps and a sample of students' excitement when they were playing: around with AR in the classroom.<br />
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<br />educatortalkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16953232960846563380noreply@blogger.com0