I think I just survived a black hole...

Who would have thought that graduate coursework could be simultaneously completed while fulfilling my professional tasks (lesson planning) for teaching, incorporating entertainment through listening to music on YouTube, and sharing links with fellow educators via Facebook? As a digital native, I knew that we had technology for virtually EVERYTHING; however, I never stopped to reflect on how much technology I use per minute. I cannot identify a point in my day when I am "single-tasking," because technology has developed me into a true "multi-tasker." My own digital multitasking supports the evidence that students today are “multitaskers” as well, with 59% of teenagers using at least two different technology mediums at once (Keiser Family Foundation, 2010). I am convinced that the World Wide Web has a built-in time machine that speeds up the passing of time. I began searching for educationally relevant websites at about 10:00am. After searching for my subject area (Language Arts/Reading) and lesson plans for my upcoming unit on reliable sources and citations for my 7th graders, I looked at the clock at it was 2:00pm! Although I am very familiar with many of the websites and search techniques, my Internet adventure provided the opportunity to utilize social bookmarking and educational directories as they pertain to enhancing my role as a middle school teacher.

Prior to EME 5050, I used my browser's "Favorites" feature for bookmarking. I was familiar with social bookmarking, specifically Delicious; however, I never committed to utilizing social bookmarking. As I searched EduHound, A to Z Teachers Stuff, and Education World, provided in Shelly, Gunter, & Gunter (2009), Diigo was very applicable and convenient. Instead of storing my favorite websites in various folders that could only be retrieved on my personal computer, Diigo allowed me to save the websites, while also annotating and highlighting key areas. Due to my experience in finding a website, then finding another website hyperlinked from the previous website, then finding yet another hyperlinked website, keeping up with which sections of websites are important is difficult. The features of social bookmarking allow me to highlight and draw attention to websites by saving both time and paper. Before, I would print websites and annotate; however, Diigo has allowed me to conduct this task digitally. One of my favorite websites that I discovered was ReadWriteThink.

After browsing through the lesson plans that are searchable by standards, subject area, and grade level, I couldn't help by wonder, "Why do we even have textbooks anymore?" I searched for 7th grade language arts lessons and came up with 555 results at ReadWriteThink. Every lesson detailed instructional steps and referenced empirical research to support the lesson. In addition, ReadWriteThink has developed numerous tools in which students can create projects in a Flash-based interactive format which can be printed. A great example is the Character Trading Card. In my school district, the

Springboard textbook is heavily mandated as THE source for instruction. Although the textbook has some useful lessons, after searching lessons that are hyperlinked directly from government websites (suffix ends in .gov), the textbook appears to lack the relevance and creativity that allows students to utilize Web 2.0 tools. Education World has an entire section dedicated to technology-integrated lesson plans, as well. Although I already use wikis and blogs in my classroom, my comfort and familiarity with the technology allowed me to explore "advanced" ways to use the Web 2.0 tools. An overall theme I noticed was the emphasis on "student-centered" learning using digital media, as opposed to the paradigm a few years ago that focused on "teacher-centered" uses of technology through PowerPoints, LCS projectors, and whiteboards. One new resource I gained was Glogster, which I plan to let my students use to create multimedia posters. This resource supports the new shift from single-media to multimedia (Shelly, Gunter, & Gunter, 2009). After getting lost in the "Internet Black Hole" of the education search directories, I explored my district website.



Currently, my school district is moderately involved with integrating technology. I would not label it the "Model for Technology Schools," but I also would not label it as "Archaic." After searching my distrcit's website, which unfortunately just converted to Blackboard, I was able to locate valuable Internet resources for my Non-English Speaking (NES) students. Blackboard has benefits for the county because every website is the same template, making navigating easier for parents or students who are not experienced using the Internet. Unfortunately, Blackboard loads very slowly and takes the artistic, creative element of individuality for schools where technology coordinators are trained to develop websites. The district provides extensive Internet resources categorized by grade level about FCAT, report card information, homework links, and resources for students. I was able to locate the Spanish section and link to a website that allows me to download PowerPoints and accompanying worksheets and quizzes that will allow my NES/ESOL students to work at the computers. In addition to the resources available for teachers, the district website serves as an informational way to connect with families in education. Every school in our district has a website and on the website are links and contact information for parents and students. Utilizing the Internet as a way to connect with students and parents is a positive step in using technology as a resource to improve education.

Since my first day as a teacher, I have utilized the Internet as a source for lesson plan ideas and research to support strategies. My newest addiction which was surpisingly not hyperlinked from any of the search engines, in Ning. Ning is a Web 2.0 tool that allows anyone to create a social networking community; however, I have joined specifically for the teacher-related Nings. Although I am a prolific Google user, I have started using Ask.com and Bing.com. I have started using keywords or quotation marks for specific searches. GoogleScholar is a quick resource I use when searching for research articles if I don’t have my UCF library card readily available.

No matter how many times I've viewed or how familiar I am with education-related websites, I somehow always get caught in, what I like to call, "The Internet Black Hole." The wealth of resources and knowledge continues to draw me in as it seems impossible to escape, and when I do, I've noticed hours have passed.

-Jessica

Reference:
Rideout, V., Foehr,U. & Roberts, D. Media in the lives of 8-18 year olds. Retrieved from http://www.kff.org/entmedia/upload/8010.pdf

Shelly, G., Gunter, G. & Gunter, R. (2009). Teachers Discovering Computers: Integrating Technology and Digital Media in the Classroom, 6th Ed. Boston, MA: Course Technology.