Angela Burgess - Electronic Portfolio
  • Introduction
  • Video Reflection
  • Resume
  • Vision
  • Diversity
  • Standards
    • Standard 1 >
      • 1.1 Shared Vision
      • 1.2 Strategic Planning
      • 1.3 Policies, Procedures, Programs & Funding
      • 1.4 Diffusion of Innovations & Change
    • Standard 2 >
      • 2.1 Content Standards & Student Technology Standards
      • 2.2 Research-Based Learner-Centerd Strategies
      • 2.3 Authentic Learning
      • 2.4 Higher Order Thinking Skills
      • 2.5 Differentiation
      • 2.6 Instructional Design
      • 2.7 Assessment
      • 2.8 Data Analysis
    • Standard 3 >
      • 3.1 Classroom Management & Collaborative Learning
      • 3.2 Managing Digital Tools and Resources
      • 3.3 Online & Blended Learning
      • 3.4 Adaptive and Assistive Technology
      • 3.5 Basic Troubleshooting
      • 3.6 Selecting and Evaluating Digital Tools & Resources
      • 3.7 Communcation & Collaboration
    • Standard 4 >
      • 4.1 Digital Equity
      • 4.2 Safe, Healthy, Legal & Ethical Use
      • 4.3 Diversity, Cultural Understanding & Global Awareness
    • Standard 5 >
      • 5.1 Needs Assessment
      • 5.2 Professional Learning
      • 5.3 Program Evaluation
    • Standard 6 >
      • 6.1 Continuous Learning
      • 6.2 Reflection
      • 6.3 Field Experiences
  • Field Experiences
  • Blog
  • Capstone

Edmodo and Classroom 2.0

3/31/2013

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My school system has had an LMS for almost as long as I can remember.  We began with Blackboard, but its use was neither clearly explained nor heavily encouraged.  However, about 7 years ago, we switched to a new LMS called Angel.  At that point, the view and focus of the system changed.  There were numerous training sessions on how to use Angel with our classes.  These sessions were held throughout the school year and offered multiple times, so that there was no excuse to not attend.  Additionally, the county leaders shifted their motivation.  Instead of telling teachers, “Here is a tool that you can use if you choose and if you are able to figure out how to use it,” we were told, “Here is our new LMS.  It is called Angel.  Here are the trainings you will attend and these are the dates by which you must meet the following implementation steps with each of your classes.”

Keeping this in mind, I have not experimented with many other online LMS tools.  Because we are expected to use Angel for all of our classes, I had not even tried Edmodo prior to now, despite the system having set up accounts for all teachers to use with their classes.  I believe strongly in streamlining information and processes, not duplicating them in multiple places.

Once I did experiment some with Edmodo and Classroom 2.0, I found that I had very differing opinions.  I can see why students would be more attracted to Edmodo.  Its landing page, so clearly based on that of Facebook, is engaging and streamlined.  I appreciate being able to see all of my news and events on one page, in an easy to read format.  Classroom 2.0, on the other hand, appeared to be too “busy” for my liking, with too much print in too small of a fon

Several years ago, Angel was purchased by Blackboard.  They agreed to maintain the program for a limited number of years, at which point support would end.  That time has come, and next year, we will transition to yet another LMS.  This time, my system has chosen itsLearning, with access beginning for those of us in the pilot program next week.  Having become quite proficient with Angel while still recognizing its weaknesses, I have high expectations.  Having now experienced what other LMSs can do, such as Edmodo, those have been raised even higher.  As I begin learning more about the system, I will share my findings.
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Using YouTube in the Classroom

3/23/2013

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As a foreign language teacher who is not able to take her students to France every year, I have found YouTube and other web video resources to be invaluable.  For example, while I cannot take my students to France, I can bring France to my students via videos like Fascination France.  When I teach French history, the textbook can be very dry and boring.  Introducing the content with videos such as Les rois de France: Henri IV can help to make it a little more approachable, with the added benefit of exposing students to voices and accents that are not my own.

Now that I am teaching literature as well, I have started exploring the wealth of resources available to enhance that curriculum both for myself and for my students.  As I mentioned earlier, I found the Crash Course videos by John Greene and intend on using How and Why We Read: Crash Course English Literature #1 at the beginning of the year next year, as a way of introducing my thoughts and expectations, as well as introducing a new (current) author to students.  Also by John and Hank Green, I like to show The 5 Worst Typos in History to emphasize why it is important that students check their work carefully before turning it in and why that one letter or one word can make a difference.

Another way that YouTube videos help me is by allowing me to introduce my students to current popular music in France.  Below are two of my students’ favorite videos from the year.

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Podcasts for the Terminally Busy

3/17/2013

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Once you have a child, your days of being able to do almost anything without interruption are over.  These interruptions can be welcome distractions for many of the things that we do as educators (and students).  Grading a stack of essays in poorly written French (or worse, poorly written English)?  A child who needs help putting clothes away can be a blessing in disguise.  Researching the latest trends in technology for the classroom?  A well-deserved break is hidden in the request for assistance unloading the dishwasher.  While the interrupting child is no longer detrimental to TV watching (when one finds the time) thanks to the DVR, he can still wreak havoc on the morning commute as one tries to listen to NPR, or to the Bert Show.

Luckily for me, I discovered a solution to this problem in the form of podcasts almost a decade ago.  I began with podcasts about my favorite subjects: travel and Harry Potter.  I subscribed to “Travel with Rick Steves” and “Pottercast” at first, and quickly began growing my list of podcasts.  Over the years, I have also subscribed to podcasts about the French language, about history (check out “Stuff You Missed in History Class”), about world events (I have too many favorite NPR podcasts to list them all), and about running.

I have used some of these podcasts in my classroom as an additional resource for my students.  Learning about the French Revolution can be boring when reading about in French in a textbook, but can become more interesting and comprehensible when listening to two people talk about it while you walk the dog or drive home from school.  In the same way, a poem assigned for memorization can become easier to memorize if there is an accompanying podcast that focuses on meaning and pronunciation.  I have even asked students to create their own podcasts with the assistance of our digital language lab to model the style used in a podcast called “One Thing in a French Day” that we called “One Thing in an IB Day.”

Reflecting on these now makes me realize that I should perhaps bring some of these tools back again.  All of my students could benefit from greater experience with presentational speaking, whether in French or in English.  Additionally, because proper preparation for presentational speaking also includes presentational writing, students would gain practice with those skills as well.

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    Author

    Angela Burgess is a high school French and Lit teacher, as well as an Instructional Technology Specialist.  She is also  understandably a Francophile and technophile. She obtained her M.Ed. in Instructional Technology from Kennesaw State University in May 2014.

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