Learning Kearn(el)s

According to Reference.com, a good citizen is " a person who obeys the laws of his country, contributes to society and participates in public affairs with wisdom. Good citizenship is closely tied to the concept of civic duty, the idea that citizens have responsibilities they must fulfill with regard to their country."(1) Easy enough, right? I mean, I learned that stuff from my parents and in school. I think I even received an award for good citizenship when I was in elementary school. I'm just good like that.  On to the more serious stuff. Good citizenship is important in society. It isn't about being a "do-gooder" exactly, but it is about being a responsible, active citizen. It is about doing what is right versus what is expedient. Digital citizenship is very much the same in spirit. To be a good good digital citizen, individuals are tasked with things like giving credit for where s/he finds material... like those cute kitty pictures that everyone

In order to begin developing my Personal Learning Network (PLN), I was tasked with engaging others through Twitter Chats.  I thought this task would be a piece of cake. After all, I can chat with the best of 'em. My experience was quite eye-opening. I decided to record this event as you can see below: You will note that I did not talk during this #globaledchat.  I managed a few Tweets, yes, and a few a follows, but I could not actually talk my way through this experience. I was completely overwhelmed. I do not quite have the hang of this yet. I am sure I will, but using Tweetdeck was very new to me, and it was a LOT to absorb. Though the video is just over 12 minutes, I did spend a little time afterward trying to assimilate everything. I cannot say I enjoyed that first chat; I was too busy figuring out everything. I do feel that this will be valuable and more fun as I grow more accustomed to Tweetdeck. Wish me luck.  I'm going to go try again!

SAMR is a dynamic model for designing learning activities for students of all ages in the digital age. SAMR stands for Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition, represented like so: As the diagram shows, the bottom tiers represent enhancement, while the upper tiers reflect transformation of traditional pen and paper assignments.  Let's review SAMR a little more: Now that we understand how SAMR works, we need to also recall that there is a slightly different view of SAMR, the SAMR Pool.  In the SAMR Pool, it no longer looks like the traditional ladder where redefinition is the ultimate goal to reach with each assignment.  It is more of a flow back and forth between each type of task. As you can see, in swimming, you can go back and forth between the different levels more fluidly than one be able to climb the steps of a ladder. "But, Julie," you say, "that is a picture of an ocean, not a pool." Ah! Right you

Success begins with a single step towards a goal. When I registered for EDU 658, it was with a great amount of trepidation and fear.  I had attempted the course last year and failed miserably due to several health issues that prevented active participation.  Though there was a very valid and logical reason for my failure, I had a very illogical concern that I was somehow cursed and would bomb this course a second time. I never said I was a logical person, but I rarely admit to being wrong either... Ok.  I didn't bomb the course a second time.  In fact, I think I did fairly well.  I learned a few things from my previous attempt at the course, and I learned a TON of great things during this iteration. Lessons from Long Ago (Last Summer) As I stated previously, I attempted this course last summer.  Due to health issues, I had to request, and was granted, an incomplete.  Asking for an Incomplete was Mistake #1. An incomplete is a great tool to be used sparingly.  I, however,

"I don't know what I would do without my iPhone!" "Without Google Calendar, I would never be able to keep up with my kids' schedules." "I have no idea how to use Google Docs." "Why do we have to use this new data reporting system?  The old one worked just fine!" Technology provokes strong responses.  We love some things, dislike others, want more, wish there was less, and so on.  Even those who love to use technology can experience moments of frustration as they attempt to adapt to new gadgets and software. Even so, changes and advances in technology rapidly flood the market at an ever increasing pace. Technology, in many cases, can greatly improve productivity and enhance learning in the field of education.  Those working in education, however, experience a multitude of challenges when utilizing technology.  These challenges range from simple to very complex, but I would like to take some time to focus on four: professional d

I had the opportunity to interview Claire Ricci, Director of College and Career Readiness at Alamance Community College.  Claire has been at ACC for  6 1/2 years, four of which she has served as director.  As director, she serves not only as the department leader, she also serves as the mediator between senior leadership and the department, as the spokeswoman for Academic and Career Readiness.  In our interview, I had the chance to discuss several technology challenges, but there have also been several strides forward as well.  Before we look at the challenges and triumphs, let us took a brief look at what exactly is Academic and Career Readiness. Academic and Career Readiness (ACR) encompasses a diverse group of students.  ACR students are not actual college students, as this department includes Adult Language Acquisition (as known as English as a Second or Other Language- ESOL), Adult Basic Literacy Education (ABLE, formally known as Compensatory Education or Comp Ed.), Adult Ba