Amanda's Education Blog

Social Media Literacies  When I think of social media I only think of posting and commenting on certain sites like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter extra. I never thought there would or should be more to it. After reading the article Attention and other 21st-Century Social Media Literacies, by Howard Rheingold, it has opened my eyes to how much more there is to know. What was even more interesting it that the article was written almost 10 years ago before social media was even really a thing. The article touched on 5 different areas- Photo Credit  Attention Participation Critical Consuming Collaboration Network Awareness Some things that stuck out to me was the attention section. I understand how those professors might feel when students are typing on their computer and you are trying to teach. We also thought that out students need to have their eyes on the speaker to understand what they are saying. I am starting to disagree with this idea. Although, I feel it helps...

Positive/Negative  During this experience it has opened my eyes to how important it is to get your ideas to the table sooner than later. For example, most schools have their budgets laid out for years to Photo Credit  come because they have been talking about it for awhile. If I have an idea it is important to state it right away. Also, not being a part of the technology team and asking for funding was a challenge. I felt like I was intruding on their jobs and they were hard to get in contact with at first. One thing that drove me to this project was asking our staff what they hope to have in the building when thinking about technology and also talking to the technology director in my building for ideas. He expressed his ideas for 1:1 and how him and other building directors have talked about it so I thought it would be a good idea to present. Throughout this experience I have also learned that one type of technology may not be appropriate f...

CIPA CIPA (Children's Internet Protection Act)    developed in 2000. CIPA sets requirements on schools and libraries who receive discounts on Internet access and connections through E-rate programs. The purpose is to make sure the schools meet certain requirements to stop students from surfing on inappropriate sites like chat rooms and downloading material, to name a few. This act also requires schools to education students on Internet Safety. What was interesting to me was that the rules and guidelines were updating in 2011. It has now been 8 years and the Internet has changed drastically. I wonder if they will be updating the rules again. Also, what about the schools that do not receive the discounts? What policies do they follow? COPPA COPPA ( The Children´s Online Privacy and Protection Act)  developed in 1998 and updated in 2013 are polices created to protect children using the Internet. This acts gives parents the control over what information websites can...

Digital Tattoo I created a Data Mine before for my previous class and it did open my eyes to how much information is out there about myself. This time around I decided to complete the privacy check on my accounts. Now I always thought I was a very private person and that you cannot see anything on my account unless we are friends. I first started with Facebook Photo Credit   because that is what I use the most. One setting that I know was in place was that nothing can get posted to my page without my approval. I have had this setting for the longest time and I believe it was right after high school that I changed it. At this time I also went through and deleted a BUNCH of photos from my high school years from my page. Now I know that these photos will also be out there, it made me feel better to know that it will take people a little longer to find them. I also looked into SnapChat and Instagram's privacy setting, and I did not need to change anything on these settings ...

Technology Leader Throughout these first four weeks, I have learned a lot about what makes a great leader a leader. A leader must have great communication skills as they will be talking to many different departments within the district. They also need to be organized. They need to be Photo Credit  organized because they will be placing orders for very expensive equipment, collecting data to ensure programs are working and figuring out the best way to store technology on a day to day basis. A leader also needs to be patient, lead by example and build relationships. When I think about myself as a leader, I think I will be a great one, but I did not think about all the responsibility that would come with it. Such as the hiring and ordering sections. The one video I listened to described how when someone is selling you a product they are only going to tell you all the great things about their product. It is up to me to do the research and ask those hard questions that might...

Research As educators we are told to follow best practices based on statistics and research. After reading through many of the articles, there was one article that stuck out to me. The article was called Social Media Fact Sheet completed by Pew Research Center. The center began tracking many things about social media, such as how often, age, race , gender and which account gets used the most. This article contains information is mostly relevant to me.  The chart below shows the age ranges that use some form of social media. Something that does not shock me is that the top line represents ages 18-29 and the bottom line is 65 and older. It is obviously clear without this graph who uses social media the most and who doesn't. I would have liked to see the ages of 10-18 though. I feel like this is the age that most teens start using social media and I would be interested to see is they use it the most.  Photo Credit Another statistic that stood out to me would be ...

First Glances.... When I first went to our schools website and visited the technology page I immediately found the Acceptance use policy. However, after looking at it this was only for teachers and I was not able to find the ones for students. To view the agreement click on the link below.  Scroll down on the right hand side and you will find the policy sections.  Link to Policy What caught my eye here was they say using the network is a privilege, which I completely agree with, but then the next section which is 15 bulletin points long is the unacceptable use. To be honest, I never read any of these forms. I also feel I am pressured to just sign it in front of who ever is waiting for it. The section labeled M stood out to me. It states that we are not able to connect any other devices to the network without district approval. For example, our own personal computers or cellphones. Now to me I do not care because we have unlimited data on our cellpho...

Pinterest Who doesn't love Pinterest!? I have so many boards all pertaining to the different communities that I belong to. If you click on the Pinterest logo below, it will take you to my page. You can see boards for reading, teaching, math, science, holiday and phonics...even a board designated to Dr. Seuss!   Photo Credit and Link to Boards I love using Pinterest to gather ideas for a certain topic. I love how teachers post "life hacks" on how to create the most space in your classroom using tools from the dollar store.  4 Areas  I think the area that this covers most would be social. Anyone from any where is able to have a Pinterest. If I chose to follow someone who had a great idea about something, they could live in California and I am here in Chicago. I also think it is social because I am able to share the ideas I found with other educators that might not be searching for the same topic that I am.  This area might be reaching far, but I feel...

My Photo Hello! My name is Amanda Bielawski (Georgiou through Dominican as I have not yet changed my name). The picture above is from my Facebook account. This picture means the world to me, as I'm sure many of you can see why! On June 2, 2018 we got married at Naper Settlement in Naperville. We are expecting our first child this coming June...June 6th to be exact (it might fall on our anniversary!)  Photo Credit  I am currently a Special Education Teacher at Troy Shorewood in Shorewood. This is my first year at Troy. I love being 15 minutes away from home. I previously taught at Cameron Elementary School in Chicago and my commute was over an hour and half each way. I am overly grateful for this opportunity at Troy. I am currently taking two courses right now and I will finish my Masters in Education after that and intend to graduate in May. Hopefully the peanut does not come early and I am able to walk! My husband and I have two loving and fluffy...

Final steps  I never knew how long the process would be to get a technology tool finalized. There are many steps that go into it and I will describe each of them below. Step 1: Thinking of a need that would enhance my students learning. This was not a challenge for me at all. I am new to the district and I was in complete shock that this district did not have SMARTBoards. I know a SMARTBoard is not everything, but when using one everyday, to not having one, it really does make a huge difference. Step 2: This step involves why do you need the SMARTBoard and what problems will it solve, the resources we will need to make it happen and how we will fund it. This step required me to talk to my building principal about my idea and get her feedback. This step got my discouraged because I felt like she was not on board with my vision. Every time I mentioned something I felt she kept coming up with a reason that I should propose it. Step 3: This step to me was average in...

My thoughts at first.... Photo Credit  During this proposal project, I have found it challenging to get my new district on board with utilizing a SMART Board in the classroom. Throughout my student teaching as well as my first 3 years of teaching I have always had access to a SMART Board. My first year at my previous jobs, we had to write a letter to the principal explaining why we should be the one to get the SMART Board out of everyone in the building. I was excited to be the first one to get one because I knew so much about it. I was able to help other teachers learn about it so the next time there was extra money in the budget they were dying to get one. I was in a K-3 classroom and was with most of my students throughout that entire time. I was able to see how much my students grew and how excited they would be about learning. I believe the SMART Board made learning engaging, interactive and fun for them. Imagine yourself as a 5 year old walking up to a big board a...