Journal #7: Professional Learning Networks

At the beginning of the course, I joined two affinity groups: The Synapse, a group for biology teachers, and the AP Biology Community, a site for AP biology teachers which is run through the College Board.  I didn’t find The Synapse PLN very useful.  I did get a response to the question I posted, but only one and there hasn’t been any activity on the site since then.  As for the AP Bio PLN, there has been activity but nothing of value for myself.  Most posts are asking questions about things I either know or that just don’t pertain to me or my class.  I think the idea of the PLN is great, but it is very time consuming and I think I would only go there if I had a question or needed something.

I really enjoyed my Digg reader however.  I would find myself reading articles when I had some free time instead of playing candy crush on my phone!  I found some interesting articles and videos that I have saved for my AP Biology class.  I also subscribe to some of the feeds through twitter but I find the Digg reader easier to use and more convenient because all of the articles are there in one place. 

I will definitely use my Digg reader in the future.  I will continue gathering recent articles from my Digg reader to use in class.  With common core right around the corner, it is important to expose our students to current, informative articles. Personally, I would like to use the articles not only as a teaching tool, but also to show my students that what they are learning is relevant after high school.  They may not use it in their future, but someone will, and it will affect the world and their lives in some form or fashion.

Journal #6: Self Reflection

Over the last 6 weeks I have really enjoyed learning html and CSS.  I actually enjoy doing the book assignments because I know I am going to learn something new and useful.  My favorite so far is CSS because every time I learn something new I think about how I can use it in my final project or in future websites I hope to design.

The most challenging assignment so far has been learning how to send my files to the server.  The FTP tutorial was helpful but it was mostly through trial and error that I got everything to work.  I downloaded WinSCP which was challenging in itself because the website wasn’t very organized and I didn’t want to download an advertisement or virus.  After I got it running I remember staring at it, perplexed by the two columns and wondering, “what now?” and then looking at my husband and saying, “well, here goes nothing!”   Magically the files transferred and I was elated, but then I faced the problem of viewing my sites online because I couldn’t remember the full URL’s.  I got as far as adding “~lmclelland” to the domain name and was happy to see my directory page so I could piece together the rest.  In conclusion, I’m thankful to have had some past experience with web design and using FTP because I can only imagine other’s sitting at home pulling their hair out.  As frustrating as it can be, it is such a gratifying feeling once it works. 

After that challenge I decided to fix up my books.html page with some of the CSS we had learned in a previous class.  I added a background of books and changed the font.  I would have done more but I ran out of time and still haven’t had time to revisit it, but I am proud of what I did all on my own.  A link to my books page is below.

http://www.csupomona.edu/~lmclelland/ged512/book/index.html

Journal #4: Final Project Plan

Site Title
AP Biology with Mrs. Clelland

Developer
Lissa Clelland

Rationale or Focus
My goal is to design a website for my AP Biology students where they can find information about the course, download class documents, and connect to videos and tutorials for each chapter.

Main Features
The website will contain the following six pages all interconnected by a common navigation bar:

1. Home Page (index.html) – this page will contain my contact information, a welcome paragraph, and a course overview. 
2. Course Outline – this page will contain a table divided into the 8 units we cover throughout the year.  For each unit, the chapters will be listed as well as labs and activities.  A tentative timeline will also be provided. I may want to make this a calendar but it may be too difficult to update all the time. 
3. Important Documents – this page will allow students to download any important documents they may need throughout the course such as the syllabus, and other handouts they receive and continue to use.  If a student loses a paper it can be downloaded from this page.
4. Guided Readings – the students can visit this page to download guided reading packets.  These are the main assignments I require my students to complete as they read through the textbook.  If a student loses theirs or wants to work ahead they can download them here.
5. AP Bio Exam – this page will contain important information about the Exam.  I will also provide links to download study guides.
6. Videos & Tutorials – this page will contain links to helpful videos and tutorials for each chapter.  This page will be continually updated as new sites/videos are found not only by me, but by the students as well.

Audience 
High school students

Design considerations 
I would like to keep the same vertical navigation bar along the left side of each page so all pages can be accessed anywhere from within the site. I also want to keep a consistent color scheme throughout;

Limiting Factors
I don’t foresee any limiting factors unless a student can’t download and view a pdf file.  Old browsers shouldn’t be a factor.

Site Map

Wire Frame

Journal #3: The Case For Social Media In Schools

Kessler, S. (2010, September 29). The case for social media in schools. Retrieved from 
          http://mashable.com/2010/09/29/social-media-in-school/

     Sarah Kessler does an excellent job advocating for the use of social media in the classroom.  She begins with a story of a teacher who implemented social media in her classroom and claims it resulted in a reduced number of absent students, an increase in grades by more than 50%, and students completing additional assignments even when they knew they would not receive credit.  If those results were truly caused by the implementation of social media, why wouldn’t you want to implement it in your classroom?

     Kessler discusses six reasons why schools and teachers should not shy away from social media in the classroom.  First, social media is here to stay.  Trends in social media may fizzle out but they are quickly replaced with new trends.  Second, students learn better when they are engaged.  Third, there are free social media sites that are safe for students to use.  Students can be engaged through blogging with their friends in a private and safe environment.  Fourth, students are more inclined to do their homework online if there is a social aspect to it versus not doing it because they are socializing online with friends instead. Fifth, social media can encourage collaboration among students when used properly.  For example, students may need to write a blog together or comment on each other’s blogs.  Finally, the sixth reason why social media should be used in the classroom is because the equipment needed has already been purchased by the parents—the student’s cell phones. 

    These are all excellent reasons why social media should be used in the classroom, but now the question becomes, how do I implement it, or how should I have the students use it?

Q1:  Why do most teachers shy away from the use of social media?

A1:  I think there are many reasons why teachers fear social media.  One reason is because it’s not how we were taught in school.  I still remember going to the library in high school to look up something on this new thing called the “internet” and all the computers had dial-up modems.  If you weren’t taught how to use it yourself, then I could see some hesitation to try to learn it alongside the students.  Another reason is the fear that the students will goof around online instead of doing what they are supposed to be doing.  It is hard to monitor what students are doing when they have free access to the internet.  Another reason why I am hesitant is because I don’t know how I would grade their assignments.  I have enough trouble keeping up as it is with three different preps.  And I can’t forget the fact that I don’t have computers in my room for the students without cell phones to use.  These are just a few reasons and I’m sure there are many more.

Q2:  How would you use social media in the classroom?

A2:  When I first thought about blogging in the classroom I thought about using it as an article summary assignment.  I would have the students sign up for an RSS feed that shared science articles and each week or every other week they would have to blog about an article they read.  Perhaps the article can be about the current topic of study.

Journal #2: Affinity Groups and Digg RSS Streams

Cripe, T. (2013, 10 10). The cold sore virus may help kids fight cancer (op-ed). Live Science, Retrieved from       
          http://m.livescience.com/40353-the-cold-sore-virus-may-help-kids-fight-cancer.html      
 
Sohn, E. (2013, 10 12). Is eating mercury-laden fish so bad?. Discovery News, Retrieved from           
          http://news.discovery.com/human/health/is-eating-mercury-laden-fish-so-bad-131012.htm

My Affinity Groups
As of this week I am officially a member of two affinity groups: The Synapse and the AP Biology Teacher Community. The Synapse is a ning for biology teachers to connect and share ideas.  It caught my attention because of its nerdy science slogan: “A synapse is a minute gap between nerve cells which transmits crucial information through the nervous system. This network is our synapse.”  A slogan that could only capture the heart of a true science nerd, of which I am, because I couldn’t wait to join and get my geek on!  I signed up, made a profile page, and joined the regular biology group and the AP Biology group.  I also posted a discussion thread asking for awesome biology labs to incorporate into my curriculum now that California is no longer taking the Biology CST exam.  I am slightly skeptical of this ning however, because after signing up and receiving approval, the home page no longer worked.  I found that I am able to access it from the forum link but I have also noticed that some of the last posts were from 2011 and 2012 so I’m not sure the site is even operational.  I hope to find out when and if someone responds to my discussion post. 

I have been a member of the AP Biology Teacher Community hosted by the College Board for about six months now but I have only used it a few times to see what others were saying about problematic areas in the new AP Biology labs.  I found it helpful to see how others solved the issues.  I plan to use this PLN more so that I can find new and creative activities to help my students perform better on the new Exam and labs.

My Digg Stream
I learned a lot this week from my Digg Stream.  I learned that I really only enjoy reading my science feeds, of which I subscribe to four: Live Science, Discovery News, Science News, and WTF? Evolution.  I read so many interesting science articles that one, blew my mind, and two, I could use in the classroom.  I read that new studies show mercury-laden fish is safe for pregnant women to consume, however I think I would still be wary if I were pregnant (Sohn, 2013).  I also learned that oncologists are experimenting with viral therapy in children where they infect cancerous tumors with a modified cold sore virus so the immune system attacks the tumor.  Viral therapy is supposed to replace chemotherapy and will hopefully prove successful in children (Cripe, 2013). 
 
WTF? Evolution is one of my favorite feeds just because it is humorous and who doesn’t love a good science joke?  My coworker and I will sit and laugh for quite a while as we read through some of them after our common meeting sessions.
 
What I like most about the Digg reader is that all of the articles I would read on separate websites, all come to the same place.  This is so helpful because I am always looking for current, relevant science articles to use in the classroom to show my students that what they are learning is actually important to someone in the world and that there is actually a use for it beyond high school.

Questions
Q1:     How could students use the Digg reader in the classroom?
 
A1:     Students could have a Digg reader account and subscribe to sites that the teacher chooses or of their choice.  It could be utilized in a couple ways:  1) the students could all read the same article without the teacher having to print it, and 2) the students can  read articles and complete article summaries. With Common Core knocking at the door, this would be a good practice to start sooner rather than later.
 
Q2:     How could students benefit from an affinity group or discussion board in the classroom?
 
A2:     I ask this question because I utilize classjump.com as my homework website and I have the option to turn on a discussion board for each of my classes.  This would be a great place for them to answer a specific question or post a summary about an article they read, etc.  The benefit for me as the teacher is that I wouldn’t have to print or collect anything and I could read/grade them on-the-go with my phone.

Journal #1: Getting Started – Chapters 1-3

Robbins, J. (2012). Learning web design: A beginner's guide to HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and 

          web graphics. (4th ed.). Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly Media, Inc.

Summary: The first few chapters of the text discuss the basics of web design beginning with the titles and roles of those involved in the grand production of a site. Depending on the complexity of the site and the budget, there could be a single designer or a whole team of designers in charge.  However, the main goal is the same no matter how many designers there are:  to create a site that gets the content and message to the user in the most functional and efficient way. 

The second main topic of discussion explains how the web functions.  The internet is a network of connected computers that “serve up” documents upon request.  Each connected computer, or server, has its own individual IP address which is associated with one or more domain names.  All of the information needed to parse a web page is stored on a server and it can be retrieved by typing a URL, or web page address, into a browser.  Each URL is composed of three components: the protocol, the name of the site, and the absolute path to the document.  The name of the site includes the domain name which identifies the exact server on which the information is located.  The absolute path of a URL identifies the exact folder, or directory, sequence to travel through on the server to get to the requested document.

The final topic of discussion is the complexity of web design due to the unknown about the user of a site.  There are many different browsers and devices in which a site may be viewed and the site may appear differently on each.  If sites are designed with progressive enhancement in mind, the chances increase that a browser will display the site correctly and that it will be accessible to more user devices.  Progressive enhancement begins with a site design that is very basic so that even the most rudimentary browsers are able to display the site content.  Then, the designer continues to layer more and more advanced features for those browsers that are capable of handling them.  The intent is to design a single functional site for a variety of browser capabilities.  Another area of concern is that browser screen sizes vary with different devices.  A solution is responsive web design which involves custom layouts for the various screen sizes.  This means the way a site displays on a desktop browser may vary in layout from how it will display on a smartphone with a much smaller screen.  And to complicate web design even more, let’s not forget the fact that the user may have special needs such as a vision, mobility, auditory, or cognitive impairment.  Unfortunately, it is nearly impossible for a designer to accommodate all possible users, and as technology continues to advance, and new devices keep hitting the market, it will continue to be a challenge.

Questions

Q1: In the future, as more and more screen sizes hit the market on new devices, will sites need to continually be recreated so that they display properly?

A1: I assume cascading style sheets are used to modify the layout of the site for different browser sizes which means it would be possible to just modify an existing CSS instead of recreating the entire site.

                               

Q2: Is it better to design a separate mobile site instead of relying on responsive web design for all browser types?

A1:         I understand that mobile sites try to offer the most requested information so that the site is simplified for ease of use. However, there are many times that I have had to go to a desktop to do tasks that weren’t available on the mobile site, which was an inconvenience.  An issue that will continue to arise in the future is that many people may do away with devices with full size browsers and will rely on their smartphones as their main way of browsing the internet. If responsive web design continues to advance alongside progressive enhancement and accommodate more and more browser sizes and types, there may not be a need for separate mobile sites.