All About Me

Hello! Welcome to my very first blog! My name is Erika Girard and I am a special education teacher at Kennedy Junior High School in Naperville District 203. I have been teaching for 16 years, but I haven't always been a special education teacher. I actually went to school to be a high school English teacher. I so clearly remember that phone call I received from Plainfield District 202, the district responsible for giving me my first job. I told the special education administrator on the phone that he must be mistaken, that I only had an English degree. He said, "English teachers make good special education teachers." And the rest is history.

Before I started taking these technology courses, I would say my technology know-how was about a four on a scale of one to ten. Three classes later, I am proud to say that I would now give myself a solid seven. I am embarrassed to report that I only bought a smartphone two years ago. When I happily announced my new purchase to my sister she teased (a little too sarcastically), "Welcome to the 21st century." Even though my tech expertise is somewhat limited, I do have some favorite tech tools. I love Kahoot, GoNoodle, Action Magazine (online), myOn, Newsela and Raz-Kids. I also love YouTube. That counts, right? My school district recently went 1:1, and I have to admit, I was terrified. But now that the hardest part of the transition is over, I am loving the kids having their own Chromebook. I am still figuring out ways to make their new device a regular part of the classroom, but it's not as hard or as scary as I thought.

My biggest EdTech success is a movie my instructional L.A. kids and I created. I was teaching this short story called "Lady, or the Tiger?" In order to support comprehension, I showed the kids a film adaptation of the short story created by another middle school. One of my boys was so captivated by this film, he insisted we make our own version. How could I refuse? Using my own I-Phone and I-Movie software (and working more Sundays than I care to admit), I managed to create this amazing film that my students and I still talk about. So what's my technology goal now? I suppose it's to create many more of these amazing moments all made possible through the purposeful integration of technology. That feeling of success, accomplishment and growth surged through me, so I can only imagine how it impacted the students. That's what I want each day in my class, and I hope technology can continue to make that possible.

RAT: An Ugly Name for a Beautifully Simple Model

Sometimes what we like is not what we would choose. I mean, I love the color eggplant, but I wouldn't choose to dress from head to toe in purple. This is true of technology integration models and frameworks. When I read through the two models and one framework, I initially responded to the TPACK framework. I liked how it considered areas (pedagogical and content knowledge) other than technology that go into creative teaching. After all, technology alone doesn't make one an expert teacher much less a good teacher. Being that I'm a techno-newbie, maybe that's why I gravitated to this framework. But maybe because it's just that--a framework, an overall picture of which technology is but one piece, I can't make this framework my final selection. It's too broad and I'm being asked to choose one that helps me gauge successful technology integration in the classroom. If I'm asked to discuss one which makes the most sense to me in terms of where I am with technology integration and I am being completely honest, then I choose the RAT model.

Why RAT? It is simple and straightforward. I love what the author of "The RAT, SAMR, Transformative Technology, & Occam's Razor" said:  "I don't need to wrestle with the distinction between Augmentation and Modification, seriously--is it important?" Amen, brother! The three stages of RAT are much easier for me to use when evaluating where I am with technology integration. Moreover, if I really wanted to, I could easily align RAT to Bloom's Taxonomy just as the SAMR model does. Replacement, Amplification and Transformation is a path I can use to explain where I am and where I need to go.

So where am I on the RAT spectrum? Good question. It's about time I took an honest look at my technology integration. I really think I am in limbo between replacement and amplification. I still use tech, more or less, as a substitution for traditional instructional methods (i.e., use a computer in lieu of writing). Sometimes I may use tech to amplify my replacement methods (Kahoot as an interactive way to progress-monitor IEP goals), but I've only hit that transformation stage in isolated bits--an assignment or activity carefully planned and placed like when my class created a film adaptation of a short story. I have yet to make transformative technology a regular part of the classroom. The good news is that I know I need to do more and, thankfully, this class is giving me the tools to do it.

Artifact #1: Google Site for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: Character Counts

My first artifact is the HarryPotter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: Character Counts Google Site I created as part of the collaborative technologies assignment. Including this Google Site as one of my two artifacts was a no-brainer because it’s one of the most advanced endeavors I’ve ever attempted from a technology standpoint. Who would have ever thought that I would or even could make a website? And not only did I create a website, I created one that is collaborative, interactive and functional. Within this Google Site are collaborative tools I’ve heard of but have never tried to implement myself. Now, because of my Harry Potter site, I know how to use Padlet, TodaysMeet, Google Forms and shared Google Folders. I even used Canva to create a button to assist with navigation within the site. I didn’t have to do that, but I thought it would be beneficial to have a button in addition to the side navigation bar that offered an additional link to an answer page I created. Using Canva helped add another layer of learning to my budding technology brain.

As amazing as I find my Google Site, creating it was not without its share of challenges. I have never created a website before much less a Google Site. Because of my appalling lack of know-how, I had to sort of teach myself by watching YouTube tutorials, reading posts on various forums and exploring instructions from Google. While all of this is certainly helpful, it is also extremely time consuming. I have no doubt that a much more tech-savvy student would have created a site like mine in a fraction of the time.

What I love best about my site is that I’m ready to rock it out in the classroom. I wanted to do something that was practical, something that I could immediately use. Since I’m teaching Harry Potter in the fall for the first time, a Google Site relating to this beloved novel seemed a logical and relevant choice. I can’t wait to unleash my students in this site.

In a nut shell, I feel like a Google Star because of my Google Site. J

Artifact #2: Buncee Presentation for "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: Letter from Hogwarts" Assignment

My second artifact is the HarryPotter and the Sorcerer’s Stone:  Letterfrom Hogwarts assignment I created as part of the multimedia project module. I included this artifact because, like many of the tools I’m learning about in this class, I have never used Buncee before. In fact, when I was deciding which tool to use for this assignment, I was originally going to use Google Slides, but I had heard that was very similar to PowerPoint, and I already know PowerPoint inside and out, so I thought I would stretch myself and try something new. I am so glad I did. I loved using Buncee. I loved how easy it was to insert objects, move objects, animate objects, embed audio or video, insert backgrounds and add text. And it would be so easy for a student to use because the program is intuitive and clean—not a lot of extraneous info that can be confusing to a novice user. I am in love with my Buncee presentation, and I couldn’t be prouder of my final product.

Like my first artifact, my biggest challenge was learning how to use the program. I watched a couple of YouTube tutorials and then I was good to go. I also couldn’t figure out how to remove the audio button that, when pressed, reads the text within the slide. It wasn’t a big deal, but I am not a fan of mechanized computer voices.

And again, like my first artifact, I can immediately use this in the classroom during my Harry Potter unit. I just need to figure out if each student has to create a login to use the program or if I can somehow give students access from my account. Having students turn it in will be a piece of cake because of the share feature. So excited to use this assignment in the fall!

Foundations of Educational Technology Reflection

Inspiring. One simple word to describe how I feel about this course. I was inspired with the new tools I tried and I was inspired by the knowledge of the other teachers in the class. I have grown so much as a connected educator. It seems silly, but just learning the language and terminology associated with digital learning has made me feel more confident and self-assured. I have achieved technology feats that I never thought I would have:  creating my very first Google Site, writing a Blog, preparing a Buncee assignment, and making my Twitter debut. Who would have thought? Certainly, not me. I feel like Supergirl, leaping technology towers in a single bound.

So much from this course has made an impact with me, but as an English teacher the resources on digital citizenship resonated with me. It's funny how much care I take to avoid plagiarism in the classroom, but I never thought twice about ensuring I didn't plagiarize when using a digital resource. No longer am I digital thief.

Now, it's time for the most important step. In order for me to continue my learning, I need to incorporate my newfound technology know-how in the classroom. Not only is this the most important step, it's also the scariest. But if I can make a Google Site and Tweet, I can do anything!