Author: lymanmar

Ending with Evaluating

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Website Evaluation

The major ideas shared within the resources of this week’s module were actually pretty familiar to me. As an eighth grade Language Arts teacher, evaluating online sources is something that I work on each year with my students. While some of the information in this week’s resources was a little bit more in-depth than I go with my students, the same message was there.

When going over website evaluation with my students, I work my school’s library media specialist to introduce the specific categories of evaluation to focus on. And, while those categories can vary somewhat from source to source or librarian to librarian, providing students with specific areas to look at helps them to be critical of what they read.

Ultimately, the resources in this week’s module did not make me think differently about web searches or use of online information. But, this module did confirm the importance of exposing my students to website evaluation. The fact that website evaluation is a concept explored and further developed in a graduate level college course confirms its significance. It’s definitely something students should be exposed to early on in their academic careers and should continue to develop and use in the years following.

Additional Resources

If I were to add to this collection of website evaluation resources, I would want to create an evaluation tool/form that could be used by students. Putting together all the most important information from the current resources into one place would give students one central reference for all of this useful information. This one central reference would also be formatted in a way that students could use and organize their own website evaluation notes.

While introducing website evaluation to my students, I have used a variety of different tools to help them organize their website evaluation notes but have yet to find/create a tool that is efficient yet user friendly. Having a tool that is easy to use but also thorough will encourage students to evaluate the websites they use.

Final Thoughts

Handwritten "Hello, Goodbye"
“Hello, Goodbye.” by OFU is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Over the past seven weeks of this course, I was most impacted by the content in our fourth module about the basics of a web page and coding. This information was really totally new to me but has stuck with me the most. Digital accessibility is also a concept that was completely unfamiliar to me. Both of these topics built off some basic understanding I had and took my knowledge and understanding to the next level.

If I were to take this course again, I would want the section about coding to be expanded upon. Coding is such an important yet complex topic. I think it warrants more time because it is the foundation needed for all of the other topics studied. Without coding, we would be unable to study all of the other topics.

In the future, I can really see putting a number of the skills developed during this course to use. When it comes to digital accessibility and mobility, I have already began to rethink my classroom web page and what I can do to make it more accessible for all its potential users on a variety of different devices. My understanding of blogging and website evaluation has been enhanced, and my use within my classroom can now be elevated. And, my exposure to coding has shown me that it’s not such a scary topic at all and has given me the opportunity to build upon my newfound understanding.

Overall, I really enjoyed this course and studying the wide variety of topics that we did. Being exposed to new experiences and applications in addition to simply new information definitely helped to create a lasting impact.

Going Mobile

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Index finger touching screen of smartphone.
“Mobile Content Discovery App” by Alex G. Del B. is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0 
Rethinking Web Content

Based on Pew Research Center’s 2015 report on smartphone usage and the expected increase since then, it is important to rethink web content to provide the best mobile experience for users. According to Pew’s data, “nearly two-thirds of Americans own a smartphone, and 19% of American rely to some degree on a smartphone for accessing online services and information and for staying connected to the world around them.” That percentage has definitely grown with the presence of more and more smartphones, tablets, and 2-in-1 devices on the market since 2015.

Personally, unless I am at work, my phone is my go-to device to access the internet. The thought of lugging out my laptop makes me tired just thinking about it. And, a desktop? Yeah, I’ll probably call someone on the phone before I make the commitment to boot up that guy.

Accessing the internet via a smartphone or other mobile device, like a tablet, is just the norm nowadays. Web content needs to be prepared for mobile users and provide the same quality experience for users despite not accessing content via a laptop or desktop.

Mobile Copywriting Strategies

Here are some ways we can make our web content mobile-ready.

  • People view images more than they view text– The eye is drawn to images–include them!
  • Create short, strong headlines– These are easily viewed in a quick scan.
  • Use short paragraphs– You don’t want readers getting lost in long paragraphs.
  • Optimize everything– Most people don’t have the time or patience to dig through a standard web page on a smaller screen.

To learn more about the tips above and take a look at even more tip, check out “How to Write Content That Engages Mobile Readers” and “Five Tips on Writing Content for a Mobile Audience”!

My Mobile Experience

When viewing my blog and some of my classmates’ on my phone, it was a really pleasant experience! All of the blogs were optimized to fit the size of the screen on my device. The menu on each blog was adjusted to be easily utilized, and the size of the text and images made it easy to read and view.

I looked into this further and found out that WordPress uses special themes to create this pleasant experience for its users. This is all because of WordPress’s mobile themes.

Mobile Learning

Priyanka Gautam of eLearning Industry defines mobile learning as “a broad term used to refer to any teaching and learning that happens with the use of mobile devices and platforms” in her article “What the Advantages and Disadvantages of Mobile Learning Are.”

Gautam includes the following benefits:

  • Anytime and anywhere learning
  • Digital-first thinking
  • Dynamic teaching methodologies
  • Personalization of learning

Gautam also mentions the following disadvantages:

  • Increasing reliance on technological tools
  • Distracted learning
  • Multitasking hurts recall of course material

“Mobile Learning: Pros and Cons” of CEED Learning also shares a number of advantages and drawbacks.

Ultimately, mobile learning is definitely something we as educators need to be familiar with and be prepared to investigate further in the future.

Calling All Coders

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What Exactly is Coding?

From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKIu9yen5nc

Coding in Schools

Popular opinion is clear: we need coding in our schools. It is seen as an essential skill for 21st century learners according to Marianne Stenger from InformED. Stenger also mentions that it allows students to gain a better understanding of technology and its impact on our world. Matthew Lynch from The Edvocate suggests that students will develop an appreciation for what can be built with technology after being introduced to coding.

Learning Resources narrows down the importance of coding to five reasons:

  1. Another language
  2. Fosters creativity
  3. Helps with math skills
  4. Improves writing academic performance
  5. Helps create confident problem solvers

While there is overwhelming support for teaching coding in schools, there is some resistance. Ben Tarnoff from The Guardian suggests there isn’t actually a need for more coders. Tarnoff also mentions that this increase in coders would force wages down for this profession and would create a source of cheap labor for the tech industry. Joe Morgan from Slate, a developer himself, does not support the teaching of coding. Instead, Morgan encourages teaching problem solving skills, celebrating creativity, and embracing curiosity. Although I can see Tarnoff and Morgan’s points, their thinking is in the minority.

Resources for Teachers

Take a look at a small sample of the many resources available to help get started introducing coding into your classroom!

No Coding For Me 😦

Personally, I have never had any formal coding instruction, and this week’s assignment was my first time ever experimenting with code. I really wish I would have had some exposure to coding prior to now because it really does feel like a whole new, unfamiliar world to me. But, by taking advantage of some of the resources above, I hope to change that!

HTML Remix

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Close up of fingers typing on keyboard.
“I’m Typing” by pirate johnny is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Take a look at my remixed back-to-school postcard!

I definitely started off this week’s reading feeling a little intimidated. As much as I am interested in technology, the coding/back end of the technology world is very familiar to me. I have never had any experience coding myself. But, I have heard others (my husband and some of my students) talk about coding, so I did eventually recognize some of the terms I ended up reading about.

Playing around with coding via Thimble was definitely helpful. The tutorial Thimble included provided a nice safety net. I definitely felt comfortable taking risks because that tutorial was there along with the undo button.

Because I am a Language Arts teacher, I can’t really see myself incorporating coding or Mozilla Thimble into my classroom. I do think that being familiar with coding and Mozilla Thimble will allow me to better connect with my students though. I feel like now I might be able to hold a conversation with some students who are interested in coding as opposed to being unable to contribute because I was so unfamiliar with the concept.

I definitely think this was a valuable experience!

Preparing a Google Doc to Follow MLA Formatting Requirements

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I recently used Screencast-o-matic to create a short video to show my students how to prepare a Google Doc to follow the formatting requirements of the Modern Language Association (MLA).

I was inspired to create this video because I have students who struggle to properly format their documents year after year. As a Language Arts, I go over the MLA formatting requirements, but I have noticed that students are unaware of some of the features within Google Docs that would help them with these requirements. I’ve had students manually double space their documents before and even use the space bar to add indents or center align something. For some of my students, following the MLA requirements became such a hassle simply because they had never been shown the most efficient way.

I would share this video with my students on our Google Classroom page. This would allow students to go back and re-watch whenever needed. Students could follow along and pause the video as they complete each step. Having this video at the start of the school year would have saved all the time that was spent going over these features for a second or third time. I am looking forward to using this video in the future next school year!

Creative Commons to the Rescue

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Two letter Cs in a circle (Creative Commons logo) next to the word Creative Commons
“Creative Commons logo” by Peter Leth is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0 

While I had heard of Creative Commons before, I had never used it before and was really unfamiliar with the specifics of its mission. This organization aims to create a community for users to legally share their creativity on a global scale.

Creative Commons provides free, easy-to-use copyright licenses to make a simple and standardized way to give the public permission to share and use your creative work–on conditions of your choice.

About page of Creative Commons

Going forward, I think my search strategies for digital content will be forever changed. Like most people, I have been a loyal Google Images searcher, and I never really thought twice about if I was allowed to use the images I found–I just used them. I would never think about using someone’s written work without permission or a proper citation, but I never thought about images in that same way. Now that I am more aware of copyright and the purpose of Creative Commons, I have no reason to continue that habit. I can take advantage of all the images Creative Commons has to offer and feel confident that I am allowed to use them and can provide proper attribution. I can also maintain my loyalty to Google Images but use its search tools to be shown only the images I have a right to use.

“Google_Images_Search” by The Daring Librarian is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 

I would definitely be willing to share the work I create and use Creative Commons licensing. Although I wouldn’t really consider myself a creator, I understand how important both roles of Creative Commons users are. If people aren’t willing to share their own work, there will be nothing for users searching for images to find. Maintaining that balance between creators and users is extremely important for the success of the Creative Commons organization as a whole.

Upgrading the Banner

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While I had loved spending time scrolling through all the theme options and later header image options when initially creating my blog, my banner needed an upgrade. Despite choosing a different header image than the default that accompanied my theme, my banner still did not represent me. And, so, I began the banner creation process.

I started by finding one of my favorite photos that I took while away with my husband on our honeymoon in Bora Bora a few years back. Whenever I see photos from this trip, specifically of the beaches, I instantly feel relaxed and calm. I also incorporated an image of my Bitmoji lounging and reading (following Bitmoji’s Brand Guidelines for non-commercial use) on the Tahitian sand.

To create this banner, I had to do some prep work with my Bitmoji image to eliminate the white background that initially was part of the image. I used the video below to help with that.

ITFs of GCS’s “Making Transparent Background Graphics for Google Drawings” from YouTube

Then, using Pixlr Express, I put it all together. I uploaded my Bora Bora beach pic and resized it to reflect the size of my theme’s header image within the adjustment menu. I used the “Add Image” option within the adjustment menu as well to add my Bitmoji image. I chose to not use any options from the effect menu to avoid severely altering the natural colors of the landscape. But, I did use the overlay menu to take advantage of the “Color Correction” option which only enhanced the original image’s colors and helped make them stand out even more. For the border, I used the “White Ripped” option and chose “Arton” to give the outline of the image that ripped and weathered look as if it had been beaten by the ocean breeze a little bit. And, lastly, I added some text using the type menu to note the location and year of the photo.

I chose to incorporate those two specific images into my banner as a way to represent my outlook on this blog. Because my intention is to learn and be reflective, I need to be in a state where I am relaxed, calm, and open to the process of reflection. As I mentioned earlier, these images from my honeymoon really help put me into that mindset, which I think is necessary for successful self-reflection. I included the image of my Bitmoji reading because I also intend to gain more knowledge from this process. I want to take everything in and build off of the information and resources presented to me.

Overall, I found this banner creation process to be pretty fun. I loved being introduced to a new resource I’d never explored before: Pixlr Express. And, while I know I could have spent hours more finding the perfect photo combination and playing around with all of the menus and tools, this process forced me to be decisive and create a visual that sets the tone for all that I hope my blog to be.

Accessibility for All

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If I’m being completely honest, web accessibility was a completely foreign term to me prior to this week. In all my reading and investigating about the newest trends in educational technology, it was a concept I just never came across.

My Key Takeaways

After exploring all of the resources provided, there were couple big ideas I was left with. Most notably, as per the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) site, web accessibility simply means “that websites, tools, and technologies are designed and developed so that people with disabilities can use them,” and I was really surprised to learn that that expectation is not mandatory or standard today. When I think of all the laws in places for students with disabilities in our schools, this stands out as a major discrepancy for those students (and adults) once they are outside the school environment in the digital world.

It is really important to note that web accessibility ultimately benefits people without disabilities too. Despite what its definition suggests, the experience for all will be improved when websites, tools, and technologies are created with those with disabilities in mind.

In his “Web Accessibility Matters: Why Should We Care” video, David Berman, UN adviser rated #1 in North America as a speaker on accessibility, mentions that web accessibility can be the new “going green” movement. Thinking about this comparison while also being aware of the benefits, it really is a no-brainer. Web accessibility is clearly a cause that just needs a following to take off and become a widespread expectation.

Its Importance

When trying to clearly sum why web accessibility is so important, Berman’s five reasons why we should care about this issue did the job rather nicely.

  1. The number of people it affects
  2. The most frequent visitors to websites are machines
  3. An issue of human resources
  4. The social responsibility
  5. The increase in regulations and laws being passed

Take a look at Berman’s video below to hear more about each reason.

David Berman’s “Web Accessibility Matters: Why Should We Care” video from YouTube

Promoting a Culture of Inclusion

While I found it really easy to agree with and want to support web accessibility, identifying the best way to promote the culture of inclusion that this concept represents was pretty tricky.

Elise Roy suggests design thinking, a process for innovation and problem solving, as an option in her TedX talk “When We Design For Disability, We All Benefit.” Using this idea, puts designing for the disability first. If this design process is adapted on a widespread scale, I think it definitely would encourage that culture of inclusion.

But, I think before we can see that shift in thinking, there just needs to be more awareness. Web accessibility needs to become an issue that is talked about and not a term only a select few know. Those who are already advocates need to grow their tribe. And, while those with disabilities should be the focus of this issue, consistently highlighting the benefits for companies would motivate more to act. Maybe beginning to introduce this concept at the college level as it pertains to each field of study and profession could be a place to start. In the end, people need to know about web accessibility in order to make changes/future decision with it in mind and ultimately begin to develop that culture of inclusion.

To Blog or Not to Blog

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A blog.

It seems like everyone has one these days. A blog to share one’s favorite recipes and kitchen adventures. A blog about being a mom. A blog to discuss the newest fashion trends. The list goes on…

But, can a blog really be a resource for an educator aside from a space to promote his/her Teachers Pay Teachers account? Definitely.

As a current middle school Language Arts teacher with a desire to use the most current technology to give my students engaging and authentic learning experiences, a blog might be my most valuable professional development experience yet. Starting a blog gives me the opportunity to develop a professional learning community that spans beyond the walls of my school and perimeter of my school district. This platform will allow me to interact with fellow educators near and far to exchange best practices and new ideas on a more in-depth scale than other forms of social media–Twitter, Instagram, etc.

In order to really take advantage of the full potential of a blog and form those digital connections, I’ll need to develop a plan to produce engaging content. While there’s no exact science to this, it might be best to focus each of my posts on

  • specific aspects of the English Language Arts content area
  • newly discovered tools/resources (ELA specific or general to ed tech)
  • ways to integrate technology into specific content areas
  • solutions to the problems or situations of my followers

That last one assumes I have some followers after they read my engaging content. Fingers crossed!

The idea of others reading my thoughts via a blog does make me feel a little uncomfortable. An academic type piece of writing, no problem! But, a blog is more open-ended and creative, and I wouldn’t say that’s one of my strengths. I like having a specific format to follow and particular elements to incorporate into my writing. So, blogging will definitely push me out of my comfort zone a bit.

But, I have to admit, I really do enjoy commenting on the thoughts of others and engaging with the content others share. I’m a pretty loyal follower of a number of educators via Instagram and Twitter, and I love being able to participate in a professional digital dialogue about our field. Truthfully, I have found some the best ideas for lessons, classroom management, and overall teaching practice just by taking ten minutes of my day to do some scrolling, read, and think creatively about what I see.

I could see myself mentioning a couple different blogs in future posts of mine. I might reflect on the implementation in my own classroom of one of Miss G’s unique first day of school activities. Or, I might refer to some of Alice Keeler’s tips for using Google Apps for Education most efficiently in the classroom after some trial and error of my own. I also would hope I would develop digital relationships with other bloggers who focus their content on English Language Arts, ed tech, or, ideally, a combination of the two, and mention their work as well.

The possibilities are definitely endless, and I am looking forward to seeing how this blog will help me grow as an educator.