Jamie McQuillin PLC

Edutopia -  Overview -  I chose to read the article "How to Teach Internet Safety to Younger Elementary Students". This article discusses the importance of teaching internet safety to younger (as young as Kindergarten) students. Essentially, it discusses how to incorporate the term 'stranger danger' that little children are taught about face to face situations to the internet. This article provides teachers with a lesson plan and quizzes to check for understanding.  Three Things I Learned -  1. The first thing I learned from this article is that younger children are often targets for predators. Many predators play on the innocence and lack of understanding of younger children. This is why it is so important for teachers to take as many safety measures as possible.  2. The second thing I learned from this article is that younger students have been spending more time on the actual internet than usual. Many people , myself included,  tend to th...

Edutopia -  Overview -  The article that I chose to read was entitled "Screen Free Days in a 1:1 School". This article discusses how a school with a 1:1 student to device ratio (one device per student ) has incorporated screen free days in their curriculum. The screen free days allow the students more hands-on learning experience, and an opportunity to engage with their classmates. The article states that the idea of being without electronic devices for a day made students anxious, but after being asked again at the conclusion of the day, most students admitted that they enjoyed the break from  technology.  Three Things I Learned -  1. One thing I learned from this article is that children become very attached to their devices in a 1:1 school. The student is used to having their own individual device, so the thought of being without a device, even for a single day, can cause anxiety.  ...

EdModo -  Overview -  T he article that I chose to read was entitled ”Declutter your district Gmail”. I found this article to be helpful. It talked about how most Americans are busy, whichleads to an overcrowded life (including an overcrowded email). The article discusses effective strategies to declutter an inbox.  Three Things I Learned -   1. The first thing I learned from this article is that Gmail offers a variety of ways to declutter an inbox. Flagging messages, sending spam mail to a different folder, and adding tags are just a few ways Gmail can declutter an inbox. 2. The second thing I learned is that having a clean (or filtered) inbox will make it easier to identify important messages. This can help save time, and allows important messages to not fall though the cracks due to an abundance of spam mail. 3. The third thing I learned from this article is that a person can actually block junk mail from entering their inbox. I always thought th...

EdWeb:  Overview-  I listened to an EdWeb webinar entitled, "Technology in Rural Schools: Leading with Why." In this webinar, four teachers from four different rural schools discuss the hardships of using technology in their school regions.  The teachers also explained the positive and negative experiences they have had over the years when incorporating technology in their classrooms.  Three Things I Learned -  1. The first thing I learned from this webinar is that there are many different learning styles. Although technology is a great way to incorporate learning, some students may learn better using something else. It is the teacher's  responsibility to figure out how his or her student's learn, and be sure to use those methods rather than going straight to technology every time.  2. The second thing I learned from this webinar  is that finding teachers that love technology and know how to use it correctly i...