Ford,+Mark+Timothy-+Reflection


 * 1. Now that you’ve had this #|professional development experience, how are you defining “new literacies?” How do you think your definition has changed or evolved this week? **** When I hear the words “new literacies” my mind automatically thinks of ELA (English Language Arts). **
 * I have always felt this was a concept that was used to gain a better understanding of reading and comprehending text. I still see this as the primary idea, but as a math teacher I understand how much of our work involves word problems. If students cannot comprehend what the problem is asking them to do it will not matter if they can add or subtract. I think digital literacy will become a must for today’s students to be successful. **
 * 2. Describe some new literacies that you learned about this week? What did you know about these topics before the week began and how has your experience this week contributed to your understanding of these new literacies? **
 * With the Common Core Standards coming about this year students will more than ever be focused on the method more than the answer. I think this is where my introduction to so many of the Web 2.0 Tools will aid in the development of digital literacy among my students. I was familiar with some of the tools shared this week but exposer to more will bring many options to those struggling learners who may need extra help. Hopefully the new literacies will help bring a connection between the content areas and develop a better understanding of the material. **
 * 3. In what ways are the new literacies prompted by technology? How do they affect one another? **
 * In our PBI lessons we were asked to come up with a compelling question that would guide the thought process of our students but not limit their imagination. In our world today things move at such a rapid rate it is hard to keep up. The New Literacy Strategies hopefully will offer ways for this information to be processed and analyzed using digital technology. This is a connection that has to be made. **
 * 4. How do new literacies affect the way we think about academic]] content? Describe an examples of how some specific academic content is affected by changes in the ways we reading write and thinking (i.e. new literacies). **
 * As a math teacher I still feel it is hard to link literacy strategies into our content, but I have discovered that new digital literacies can affect the way our students think about academic content. As educators if we allow ourselves to “go out of the box” and incorporate new literacies of reading and writing into our content area we may be surprised at height we could achieve. It is my belief that if we are to prepare students for the future we must be willing to try new approaches we may not be comfortable with. **
 * 5. How do new literacies affect the way we think about our teaching practices? How do they affect the development of new teaching practices or approaches to teaching? **
 * I came from an elementary background where the teacher is responsible for teaching all subjects. This can be very challenging in some ways but at the same time it was not that difficult to integrate subjects between the content areas. In the future I think this must be the approach middle and high school teachers must be willing to take. The idea will most certainly be met with great opposition, but is that not what we really want? Are we not always asked to incorporate connections between our curriculums? I think many of the new literacies that we have learned of this week has challenged me to think differently about teaching math. We must develop new teaching strategies that include processes like PBI that allow students to inquire, collaborate, and create with each other. **
 * 6. During the week, you learning about several conceptual / theoretical frameworks for understanding the new literacies including, project-based inquiry, TPACK, Bloom’s revised cognitive theory, online identity, and #|global literacies (i.e. cultural competence, cultural awareness, cosmopolitanism). Describe your personal perspective on new literacies as it is informed by these conceptual and theoretical ideas. **
 * To be a successful educator in this day and time we must focus on inquiry based learning. Students need to be involved in the process of discovering, exploring, and investigation information. We must find a way to empower our students with the tools to get where they need to go. Teachers can no longer afford to just teach from a traditional textbook, we must find innovative ways to connect our students to the information they need. One of our Impact V goals is to make sure we stay current with the latest technology and offer it as tools to enhance education. When you think about it, our children have to prepare for jobs that have not been created yet. That’s how fast our world moves today. **
 * 7. How does the design process you learned about in your design studio work and the video digging deeper session support your understanding of the creative process? **
 * The PBI process was great. **** After we came up with our compelling question, we found ourselves working backwards from our end product to the beginning steps. I can see where this method could prove to be very beneficial in many circumstances. One of the things we chose to do was offer choices in creating the product. In my past experience, most students like to have a say so in what there end product is going to look like. This is part of that empowering the learner I spoke of earlier. When students begin to take ownership in their work a sense of pride develops. I have coach enough sporting teams in the past to realize when a kid plays with a sense of pride he will do what it takes not to let his team down. **
 * 8. You learned this week about how to manage, and in some cases create, your online identity. What action steps will you take (are you taking) to manage and further extend your online identity? **
 * Currently I have a Twitter account and a Wiki that I use. **** At this point I am a novice at best and still find myself being very cautious about social networking sites. I refuse to have a Facebook account for fear of having to accept friend requests from students. Being my age, I am not as open to this concept as many others are. **
 * 9. If you had one more day in the Institute, what would you like to learn more about and why? **
 * I would have liked to spend more time explore Web 2.0 tools in my content. I enjoy hearing ideas that other have to offer. In the short time that we had, I picked up several ideas that I want to try in my own classroom. **