Me an Ambassador?  Why not!

Today, I received an email from Seesaw asking me to be an ambassador. This is a one year commitment where, if selected, you test their BETA releases and connect twice a month with other ambassadors via #seesawchats on Twitter or Facebook. I never would have considered doing this prior to taking this class. I now have the confidence and know how to participate in a group such as this. Have have participated in a couple of their PD in your PJ's and have learned so much about how to use this app in the classroom.  I can't wait to get started.

The class project of the webquest was a real journey for me. I was excited to use the skills I learned in graduate school with the new information from this class. I think the combination of writing a lesson plan, integrating technology, and then providing the students with a portal to access online learning materials was a valuable learning experience for me. Attached is a copy of the webquest Jane McCole and I put together. We are very proud of how it turned out and will try it out with our students in January. Martin Luther King, Jr. Webquest with Leap Buddies

When I look back at what I had in place for technology professionally before the class, it was nothing compared to what I have now. I am actively watching Twitter and reading tweets from my favorite Twitter friends, I have my blog, and a full website dedicated to my professional life. I am very proud of what I have accomplished in this class and it makes me want to continue toward a technology endorsement. Unfortunately the timing is not right with two 17 year olds at home getting ready to leave for college. It is something I will have to consider when they are done with their education unless I find scholarship opportunities.

I want to put a special thank you to our teacher during the past 5 months. Nicole, you did a fabulous job and we appreciate how prepared your are and everything you taught us.
   
    

Listen to your mother!

Ever since I was little my mom would say, "Never get a tattoo, it stays with you forever!" I laugh at that now because real body tattoos are the least of my concerns for my own children.  With their digital worlds constantly updating on Facebook, Instagram, Google Plus, SnapChat, and various other social media sites, their tattoos are already rather large.

I came across this video on YouTube that I found interesting. It is a TED talk by Juan Enriquez called Your online life, permanent as a tattoo. I thought I would share the video on my blog and with my children.  :)  

https://youtu.be/Fu1C-oBdsMM

Looking back, I know I did things as a teenager that I wouldn't want people to know about today.  Our teenage moments weren't recorded and are long gone, except in the memories of a few friends.  Unfortunately, many teenager's moments are recorded daily, by them, by their friends, and even their family, sometimes even before birth.  This digital tattoo will stay with them forever and those embarrassing moments, we were able to hide, may be seen by college recruiters and future employers.

This weekend, I worked on investigating a stranger. This assignment was for the Technology class I am taking at Dominican University. I found the digital investigation project to be amazing! I couldn't believe how much information I found on my stranger. I determined the whole process was a little creepy and I was completely sucked in! The poor stranger had no idea I was digging up everything about her life. Now I know her parents, her husband, child, dog, siblings, where she lives, where she works, her phone numbers and how much she makes a year. While I didn't find information about her on most of her sites, I was able to find more about her from her husband's Twitter account and other family member's social media. The whole process brought to light, that no matter how safe you are, you still have others posting about you, and if someone wanted to get your information...they can.

I definitely feel that knowledge is power in the digital world.  Digital citizenship and digital tattoos should be taught and discussed at every age.  In first grade we talk about what we post on our Seesaw accounts.  I believe we need to start young since the digital world surrounds everyone from a very young age.

As for my digital stranger, she has a very positive digital tattoo. I decided to follow her on Twitter. She is a wealth of information regarding technology and I felt I could learn from her. 

I became a Tweeter!  

It's hard to believe, as much as I love technology, Twitter has never been my thing.  Over the last four weeks I have embraced Twitter (@diananeilson), much like a stalker instead of a real active participant.  Why you might ask...time, but I am trying to find a few moments each day for the purpose of educational sharing and collaborating.

So I dabble in Twitter.  Sometimes I like to re-post articles or respond to what others are tweeting. For example, this week I told another teacher I loved the ideas she shared (because I saw someone had written something negative to her and I thought it was uncalled for.)  Us teachers need to stick together, no room for negativity on Twitter!  :)

I participated in an #edchat.  In first grade we have been discussing homework. How much is the right amount?  We teach in a community where parents have homework expectations, even in first grade.  During my #edchat a participant, @NancyWtech, share a great article with me called  Homework is wrecking our kids: The research is clear, let's ban elementary homework.  I read it and immediately shared it on Twitter.  Also, I share the article with my first grade team an we had a great discussion about our feelings on homework.  Also in the #edchat we discussed how demographics and socio-economics changes the expectation. Finally, we discussed technology use and homework on sight words and math facts.

I enjoyed my discussion with #edchat and #Educasic.  My learning curve was definitely on using the hashtags.  I forgot the #edtechchat hashtag on most of the conversation and forgot #edu776nz.  Now I know.  

I will continue to use Twitter, especially with the hashtag #D90Learns.  It is good for our community to see what is happening in our schools.  Also, I would like to open up discussions with other first grade teachers about some curriculum and share ideas. Tonight I asked for input from other teachers on our Holidays Around the World unit.  I can't wait to see what ideas come from talking to others around the globe.

You can find me on Twitter :  https://twitter.com/DianaNeilson  @diananeilson