Collecting Reputable Digital Resources

Through this Quest, I have been able to distinguish between reliable and non-reliable internet resources.  This is extremely useful knowledge for educators since we are constantly trying to find new technology to incorporate in our classroom.  It is important that the technology is safe, reputable, and provide current information for our students.  After exploring several of the websites through the walkabout, I think there are 3 main ideas to focus on when evaluating the credibility of a site.

1. Accuracy - It is critical that the website provides reliable information to users.  By researching the author of the site, as well as their qualifications, teachers can have a better understanding of the source of the information.  We can also look at the domain of the website.  Trusted domains are .gov, .mil, .edu, .net, etc. 

2. Currency - Another important aspect of online resources is that the information is current and all website links are up-to-date.  The user can check the website to view when it was last updated.

3. Objectivity - This is also important when researching and gathering material.  The user can check ads and informational content that is being supported on the website.  Are these all by the same person or organization?  If so, the user needs to examine if there is any bias information.

Below is a link to the list of the websites I bookmarked during my walkabout:
https://www.diigo.com/user/estewart1

After viewing several websites, I found three engaging websites that I thought would benefit both teachers and students in online learning in mathematics.

1. Mathwarehouse - I thought this resource would be especially beneficial to students because it provides them with interactive software to practice concepts in mathematics at the high school level.  Students can click on the subject area and topic to begin practicing concepts.  Teachers can also print worksheets for students who need additional help.  Although there are other mathematics website ads, I have used both of the websites provided and they have also proven to be beneficial and reliable to students.

2.  Desmos - This is a free online calculator.  This calculator can provide graphs of many different functions.  I think this is a great, engaging resource for students to have visual representation of functions and graphs they are studying.  They can see how the graph can change due to a change in variables.  Teachers can now also build their own activities for their students using the Desmos website.

3.  Mathalicious - Although this resource is not free, I think it would be a very useful tool for students and teachers involved in online learning.  Many students complain that math is a boring subject, but the mathalicious website is the perfect place to put those rumors to rest.  They have intriguing questions that can help engage students, all while strengthening their problem solving skills.  The teacher can choose the subject, topic and standard, and the website provides real-life questions for students to work through.  Students in a traditional classroom or online learning could all benefit from this resource. 

Joining a Digital Learning Community

A Digital Learning Community, or DLC, is an interactive resource for educators and students to communicate and share ideas and resources with each other.  The community usually incorporates technology in order to enhance the classroom environment and students' learning experience.  When looking for five DLC's that would benefit my own classroom, I tried to look for free resources so that all my students could have access to them.  Since I teach math, I also tried to look for any that were specifically math oriented.  Listed below are my five DLC's that I think would benefit my classroom:

1) Edmodo - I have actually used Edmodo in my class before and it is a great resource for both teachers and students.  It is a free website that also has a mobile app so students can receive updates on their phone.  Teachers can post homework, respond to students' questions, and give students a preview of the week ahead.  This free resource provides students with an opportunity to connect with their classmates and teacher when they have questions concerning any of the material that is being studied in class.  Teachers can also post links to helpful resources for students.  https://www.edmodo.com/

2) Khan Academy - This is a free resource that offers practice exercises, instructional videos, and a personalized learning dashboard that allows students to work at their own pace.  Teachers can use this website to help struggling students by showing the instructional videos or providing additional practice with the exercises.  Students can work through these exercises both in and out of the traditional classroom. https://www.khanacademy.org/

3) Math Train TV - This is a free resource for videos over a variety of math topics.  These videos were made by other teachers and students as a beginning of a project for a math class in California.  Students are able to create their own instructional videos and post them, or watch a previously created video to help further their knowledge of a mathematical topic.  http://mathtrain.tv/

4) Open Study - Open Study provides a free resource for students to share thoughts, comments, ideas and solutions to homework or study problems.  This is an area where students can connect with others who are studying the same material.  This could be extremely beneficial to online learners, or students who cannot make it to school everyday. http://openstudy.com/

5) Jing (through TechSmith) - This resource is a free computer service that allows users to capture basic video, animation, and still images, and then share them on the web.  This would be a great resource for teachers or students to post videos or solutions to homework problems so that students can view them and ask questions. https://www.techsmith.com/jing.html

I chose to join TechSmith as my DLC.  They have videos and tutorials for educators to learn how to incorporate even more technology into the classroom.  I think this resource could benefit my students outside of the classroom, and help my students who are absent see examples from what they missed in class. 

Qualities of an Exemplary Digital Citizen

After reading several of the articles and realizing the importance that our society places on digital interaction in all areas of our lives, it is important that we understand qualities of an exemplary digital citizen.  I think the focus is mostly on teachers being great digital citizens.  While there are numerous qualities that make up and exemplary digital citizen, there are three that I found to be most important, especially in the education field.

1.  Respectful - It is no secret that many people have differing opinions, likes and dislikes.  This is an important aspect in the education field to promote growth in learning experiences.  However, it is imperative that both students and teachers are respectful of the others who have different ideas than them.  In addition to respecting others' opinions, it is also important that digital citizens respect themselves by not posting anything too private or explicit.

2. Responsible - Both teachers and students need to be responsible for their digital interactions.  Teachers can promote responsibility by demonstrating online etiquette and modeling "safe, legal and and ethical use of digital information and technology" (ISTS, 2008).  While students should be responsible for their online learning and protection of their privacy, it is teachers' responsibility to meet the needs of individual students through a variety of online instruction techniques.   

3. Digital Literacy - This characteristic is vital in being an exemplary digital citizen.  Students must not only be able to research topics and ideas, but also be able to determine the reliability of the source.  Another aspect of digital literacy is being able to use technology tools, resources, websites and apps to further your digital understanding.  As a teacher, it is extremely important that we continually investigate new resources we can use to engage our students and interact with them more efficiently.

Creating a Blog

Creating a blog was a new experience for me.  I have never created a blog before, but I think it could be very beneficial in online learning for both the teachers and students.  The process of creating this blog was fairly simple.  I chose the blogger service that I thought was the simplest for others to follow and navigate through.  Once I went through each option, the process of setting up the blog was very straightforward.  Although leaving directions vague can encourage creativity among students, I felt like the directions could have been more specific on what to name the blog and how long the first post should be.  While these would be questions I could ask in a classroom, I did not have that opportunity when working online.  I am excited to be a part of the TOOLS learning community to discover the experiences and demands of online teaching, while receiving feedback from experienced online educators.  Having this professional development will help me be more prepared for future teaching online, and how to meet my students’ needs in an online learning setting.