Millennial Survey #2

America's newest generation, the Millennials, is in this coming-of-age phase. Who are they? How are they different? How are they being shaped by their moment in history? And how might they reshape America in the future? The Pew Research Center constructed a survey that is designed to identify the distinctive characteristics of Millennials, the generation of young adults (ages 18-29) who are coming of age in the new millennium. The types of questions within the survey predict whether a respondent shares the same values, attitudes and behaviors or a typical Millennial. Generations, like people, have personalities, and Millennials – the American teens and twenty-somethings currently making the passage into adulthood – have begun to forge theirs: confident, self-expressive, liberal, upbeat and receptive to new ideas and ways of living. The survey asks 14 questions pertaining to:

-Demography
-Identity, Priorities, Outlook
-Technology and Social Media
-Work and Education
-Family Values
-Lifestyle
-Politics, Ideology, and Civic Engagement
-Religious Beliefs and Behavior

After you've answered all the questions, your will be given a numerical score as well as a full report summary based on your answers. My Millennial Score was 89. Any score above a 73 falls into the "Millennial" category. This would be a great activity to bring into the classroom for digital age learning and experiences. I could compare my scores with my students scores and then encourage them to do the same with someone at home. We could then discuss and take a look at the different scores everyone received and talk a little more in depth about how our scores were generated. Then, maybe if have them create a little quiz of their own using Google Forms? :)

How Millennial Are YOU?

Excel 1 (Updated)

I wasn't happy with the way my scatter plot turned out yesterday so I decided to make another one today. My scatter plot shows the reading scale scores for all states and all students (both male and female). The National Public was 220.0259116 scale score. West Virginia falls below average and 41 other states with 214.3860242 scale score. My state is not doing so well considering WV is only above 9 other states in the US. The NCIS website is where I obtained the information for this assignment. And just because I love Jing so much! - Total Score Data Statistics Summary for All States:



From this assignment, I learned how to install an add on in Excel, the Data Analysis Tool, and I generated Descriptive Statistics with just a few clicks. (Imagine doing this all in your head or on a calculator.) Data and Statistics are SO important in today's world. With almost anything you do, you need data to back it up. I've learned this is just the short amount of time I've spent as a special educator. The total score data statistics shows that the average score was 220.4150705, the minimum was 200.6279879 and the maximum was 236.7738666. For this assignment, I was able to model and facilitate effective use of current digital tools to locate, analyze, and evaluate information about my home state and all other states in the US. I gained global awareness of reading scores and was able to compare the data to my home state in which I am employed.

Google Sites

For this assignment, I created a Google Site for my classroom to be used this coming school year. My students will be creating a website that they will use in my classroom too. On my classroom site, I think it would be very helpful to add instructions on how to go about creating your own Google Site so students can refer to these instructions as they are working on their own site. All of my other sites have been very teacher like and kid friendly. Since I am working with older students, I feel that the basic, simple tabbed navigation kind of template is a better choice for this site.

Self Grading Form

One of the books I plan on reading with my 7th grade students is by Gary Palsen called Hatchet! I loved reading it when I was younger and I think my students will enjoy too! For the self greading form assignment, I've created a short quiz about this book.

Google Forms

There were SO many ways to share this google form! All quick, easy, and right at your finger tips! I had the form sent to my email, shared it with friends, embedded into my blog, and linked it to my blog!

Rubrics

Ever since I started working with blogs, I have wanted my students to create and use blogger in my own classroom. Since I was hired in January of this year and it was crazy enough being my first time teaching, I didn't get this accomplished. This August I am making it happen! And already will have my rubric ready for grading! My 7th grade English students will create a blog and add multiple information and resources to it through out the year. For my rubric, the grading categories consist of layout, content, learning of material, and work ethic. This should be a good general rubric that could be used to assess a lot of the work students will be putting onto their blogs.
How much more engaging and creative than a regular ol' journal book the students keep in my classroom? This will promote students reflection by implementing their discoveries, ideas, and attitudes towards the information being covered in our classroom. This is also a great way to involve the parents to collaborate on the work being done in their child's English class. I thought about adding a "Copyright" category for grading but thought that it would be best to discuss the copyright laws and appropriate documentation of sources with students before adding it onto rubric. When ready, I can make edits to my rubric! Since I saved the file as an Excel document, I can print out the information for students and parents to see just how students are getting graded for their blogs. Another great use of collaboration! Before starting the blogs, students will be given a copy of this rubric so that they may become active participants of their own learning and work as well as manage and assess their progress through out my English class!



7th Grade English Blog

Power Restored!...Self-Assessment #2

After a very long and hot weekend, I finally have power again! I'm a little bit behind on my assignments but should be caught up in no time.

Self Assessment

Short Presentations

Learning Literary Genres

I was excited to see that we got to work with PhotoStory on one of our assignments because I am very familiar with this software. I first worked with Microsoft Photo Story in Dr. Lindstrom's class and fell so in love with it that I've used the program not only for in the classroom but for personal stories, my sister's bachelorette party, and other festivities. This assignment modeled digital age work and learning. Teachers can no longer present their information through text book assignments and lectures, our 21st century students need something more. By presenting information in digital age media and formats, this makes our digital learners become more engaged in the information presented to them.
I've never been a fan of hearing my own voice being recorded. One thing I would of changed about the assignment would be the 20 seconds per slide. Some slides I felt rushed, others I felt like I was talking turtle speed...but I get the whole 20 on 20. Without these guidelines students would either make a 3 or 30 minute presentation.
The information in my presentation follows the WV CSOs for learning literature genres in 7th grade RLA so this video would be great to present to my SEE 7th grade RLA class this coming year.

PP1

I thoroughly enjoyed the Presentation Zen blog. Shawn Cornally's video was definitely enlightening. At the high school I currently teach at, I had students worried about classes being too hard, or too demanding, that may not be able to pull off an A. Heaven forbid they get a B! I'm afraid we are in for a rude awakening if we continue to let (and heack, even encourage?) students to have this outlook for their education. Forget the letter grades. Give something more meaningful! The Jedi master of data visualization, Hans Rosling, is the man. Hands down. I really enjoyed viewing all of his information, and even taking a close look at his life and how he got involved in what he does. This is my favorite kind of education stuff. This is what I feel should be involved in "graduate studies." Forget reading long and boring text books. This is the real world stuff that matters and what is going on in today's education systems.


DropBox is Awesome!

Lesson Plan

Inappropriate Behavior

Stackin' up resources for next school year. Lesson plan to be used for my social skills class I am teaching.

Google Earth

Differences in Google Maps and Google Earth: (1) Google Maps is an online application. Google Earth is a standard application. (2) Google Maps can be used in just about any operating system, Google Earth is restricted to only a few. (3) Google Maps is free. Google Earth has a pro version that requires a fee.
Google Earth gives a user better control to navigate and view the earth from 3D. Displays satellite images of varying resolution of the earths surface on virtual globe. Google maps is a website used to access online maps.

Google Maps can read KML files, this kind of file formats Google Earth uses for the exchange of geographic information. You can use this feature to plot multiple points of interest, draw lines, and mark regions on Maps. Since Google maps can read KML files, this allows you to upload the file to your computer and then you may open it in Google Earth.

GE Lesson Plan

Google Maps

I am teaching a self contained class for 7th and 8th grade history. Before school was out we had "Step Up" day. This is a day for the 6th grade students to come up to the high school, get their schedules for the next year, and meet their new teachers. On this day, I got to meet my students who would be in my history class. I did introductory activities and also asked them a few questions. (One being if you could go to ANY place in the world, where would it be?) New York City was a popular answer. So, next year I plan on using this map I created using Google maps!
Virtual Field Trip

BatchGeo

View EDUC 6305 in a full screen map

Map lots of locations instantly! Think of all the possibilities for an educator to use this with their students in the classroom! I had a few speed bumps with copying the information but these were resolved quickly. When I clicked "map it," I thought BatchGeo had used my information incorrectly when I saw a mapped location in Texas. After reviewing the pasted information a little closer, I saw that this was the correct mapped location. I am teaching history to 7th and 8th grade students next year and I'm on idea overload of what I can do using BatchGeo.com. A lower level activity- have the students use spreadsheet to fill their information on the place that they would like to visit one day (outside of WV, outside of US, etc.) I would tell students not to tell anyone about their place, and as a class, we could see if any students wanted to visit the same place? A further extension to the activity would be supplying information prepared by the student about that particular place once you selected the location on the map. An upper level activity- discuss current news. One topic that comes to mind in today's age, gay marriage. Students could prepare a spreadsheet with information from all 50 states on whether or not they agree or disagree. Have the spreadsheet generate a map that could be used for students to see how the US stands with states that agree with gay marriage vs states that do not agree with gay marriage. With BatchGeo involved, students creating (or researching) their own data, and creating a map with the results...talk about an engaging activity! :]

EDUC 6305

Jing Video

Students would LOVE creating videos, using their own voices behind them, and being able to share their work with teacher and peers. Jing offers students to do this. And in a non-frustrating, easy kind of way! Also, as a teacher, image you covered a new concept in your class today. I am a math teacher so I will use my own classroom for example. We just started working with one step equations. I could create and share a video with my students of the steps you take to solve one step equations. I could show the video that day in class and students could view the video at home while doing their homework and it would be serve as a rewind for the introduction of the concept for when/if they run into troubles doing these problems!

Jing Image

Jing is a tool that has endless possibilities. Anyone that turns on a computer could benefit from using this tool. This is the tools that today's children want to utilize in that classroom.


This could serve students with an explanation of how to solve one step equations. I love how this tool offers the text box and arrows to be added to image. Really helps with the explanation!

Use Jing to create something for your classroom!