How was this video possible? 

Many times we see amazing videos -I am not saying mine is the best, but I tried at least- and we do not see all the process, that´s the reason why I wanted to post this brief description.

The process to create a video is challenging, specially when it's your first time. However, if you use Adobe Spark Video it will be much easier. Spark Video is very intuitive and on every slide it gives you the option(s) you want to display there: image, text, imgage and text, audio, video. As easy as dropping the file you want to play!

This is my design-draft for this video, step by step:
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First, you need to find a place with good lighting. The camera has to be steady, that is why I used my webcam of my computer.
Before recording the videos, I designed a storyboard and a script.

1. Video cover.

2. Introduction. My name is Francisco Usero González, a doctoral student at the University of Houston. My scholarship focuses on Family Engagement and Early Childhood learning for bilingual learners. I am originally from this amazing country: Spain.

3. Pictures of my home country, Spain.

4. Teaching experience. Previously I worked as a teacher across age levels with experience in Spain, United Kingdom, France, and the United States, that´s why I can speak English, Spanish and French.

5. Pictures of the flags of the countries.

6. Teaching awards in the USA. During my experience in Houston ISD I was the recepient of 2015-2016 Rookie Teacher of the Year, 2016-2017 Teacher of the Year, 2017-2018 Teacher of the Year and Bilingual Teacher of the Year, and eventually 2018 North area of HoustonISD Bilingual Teacher of the Year.

7. Pictures.

8. Teaching value and philosophy. My personal teaching philosophy is that every child can learn given the right and supportive instructional environment that addresses the child´s social emotional psychological and educational differences.

9. Pictures and video.

10. Today. Currently I am a research assistant for Dr. Nicole Andrews at the University of Houston. Our research focus is on the faculty perception of family engagement, a very interesting topic.

11. Pictures.

12. Goodbye. That´s a brief introduction of myself, on my ePortfolio you can find more information about my interests and likes. Thank you for your attention. Have a good day and see you around the virtual universe.

13. Pictures.

​​14. Social media accounts.
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Which screen capture or screencast tool did you use? If you downloaded software, did you have any problems downloading or installing it? 
I used Snagit. I was easy to download it and install it. I installed the free-trial version.

Did you find the tool easy or difficult to use, or somewhere in between? Please discuss why you feel this way.
I found it quite easy and intuitive to use. The main panel was showing two main options: picture or video. At first, I didn´t know what option I was using since it was shaded and it wasn´t so clear for me. After my first attempt, I found I was using the picture one. Eventually I could create the video screencast version.

What was the topic of the mini-tutorial or screencast you created? Who is the audience for this type of material?
As my Ph.D. program is Early Childhood Education, I used a PowerPoint to present one trending topic at this level of education: disparities. This "video" is addressed to teachers, advocates, educators, and other professionals of education.

Do you think that screen capture/screencasting is a technology tool you will continue to use? Why or why not? 
Yes, of course! I really like this type of tool. First I need to improve my pronunciation (still working on it). I really like the opportunity to give you to share audiovisual information about some topic. I think it is very useful when doing online presentations since the audience will be able to see (for example pictures or documents) what you are talking.

Do you have experience using any other screen capture or screencasting software before this week? If so, please briefly discuss this use and indicate what if anything new you learned from this week's module. 
I use Skype with my team in Spain and with other colleagues. Yesterday I had a presentation at TexTESOL IV  (Houston) and the day before I was presenting in Las Vegas, Nevada, so my co-presenter and I were working on our google slide by sharing screens while using Skype.

This week I had a webinar and the presenters were sharing the slides of the presentation while they were discussing that topic. Participants couldn't modify or edit the content of the slides but we could participate in the forum. I like this kind of streaming presentations.  I have never expected to find too many software-programs and apps to do things like this.

Is there anything else you would like to add about this topic or about your work this week?
I will continue learning about this since it is going to be useful for future presentations.

 I hope you all had a great experience with this assignment too!

Technology opens windows to other people’s experiences and knowledge, what enriches our learning process. Besides, the possibilities of communication are bigger than with multimedia since everyone can interact with each other and can build new knowledges.

Technology can have a drastic impact on the learning and education of a child. Based on the concept of Cone of Experience (hierarchy of experience) developed by Edgar Dale, his concept prioritized the intensity of different learning styles and the diverse ways of learning in the classroom. Most of our students show more qualities towards the oral/auditives and visual learning styles. Today there is still no scientific evidence of the depth of each learning, but the experts in neuroeducation (the discipline that studies how the brain learns), states that to acquire knowledge you need to be excited and interested in what you are learning . Technology is transforming the way we learn in classrooms and many colleges are becoming interested in technology, re-imagining 360-degree scenes that allow students to feel content rather than simply reading or listening to them.

Digital devices as part of the 21st century student’s academic life
There are many advantages to using technology in the PreK classroom. Some of the benefits in doing so is that it enriches and broadens their horizons and lets them experience learning in a completely different way. In my classroom I have seen that it allows students to focus more, and as a result the students enjoy learning in a new format. A perfect example is when we use the tablet to introduce letters and sounds with the apps already installed. This allows for the students to be engaged and motivated to participate. They become familiar with using the apps and they become more engaged with learning their letters and sounds. Another important factor is that they enjoy the way concepts are presented with bright colors and sounds and they are able to interact with the content presented. Their curiosity is sparked because it focuses more on their likes and interests. During an observation focusing on the class during this time, the teachers also detected that those students who did not normally participate in class, were encouraged to do so with the use of tablets.
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Now the main problem is the mobiles. In schools there is terror to the use of mobile, in most centers is prohibited and is even badly seen that teachers bring them to the classroom. Idea of school with no use of tablets, iPads or smartphones, and parents...

The use of mobile phones by minors is an upward trend. One in three children aged 10 years has one; 80.4% of those aged 13 years and 95% when they exceed 15, according to data from the National Statistics Institute. Although in the USA there is no official data on how many schools use the phones in class compared to those who Prohibit, if it is known that each year many  teachers are trained in digital skills.

The immersive experiences manage to extend the time of attention of the students and improve the abilities to work in group, according to the study Virtual Reality. The next step in the future of education, prepared by the University of Gothenburg. Integrating virtual reality experiences into academic programs can help children with difficulties withholding textbook information to better process content, the study said.

We can highlight the ICT (Information and Communication Technology) integration in the learning process and some of the main points of its role playing to get the learning goals:

• Positive environment since it is a requirement to create a positive atmosphere that invite students to participation and learning together, in which the promotion of positive values of respect to others is a key concept.
• Improvements in the learning process.
• Consistency. The use of ICT should be part of the daily learning process.
• Philosophy of teaching of the school: innovation, communication and diversity, new opportunities of learning, new scenarios, respect,... many specific conditions must be taken into account.

New ways of learning with digital devices

According to some experts technology by itself does not produce learning,however those facts depend on the learning goals. For example, if one student uses a computer without knowledge or experience, then that student will not progress unless taught how to do so. ICT devices, in comparison to paper or audiovisual devices, can be manipulated by students, which in turn offers them possibilities to interact with the knowledge and the processes of learning, and can connect students from different places around the world at the same time.

It is important to make clear some ideas when talking about technology and education. As we said above, it is important to put a purpose of learning, technology by itself doesn’t produce learning. Teachers and educators should have formation in educational technology and its use in schools in order to provide students better possibilities of learning. Dealing with differentiation, technology can cope with the different ways of learning. Technology in education help students to get digital skills and competences, compulsory for their future as part of a global world. In relation to the previous idea, technology offers different ways of work: individual (cognitive skills development), collaborative (enhances communication), creativity (creative/higher level of thinking), active (enhance significant learning and offer opportunities to learn to learn)...

Technology and Family
For many families technology is a big window opened to the academic life since most schools offer many digital connections with parents, most of teachers have blogs and use social media to inform parents about the academic situation and news.

Technology at home can serve as a new opportunity of learning where the same resources and tools as at school can be used. It is a different context, a new scenario to study as in school with the support of their families. Technology goes beyond because if offers students and families to connect knowledge and learning process with different and familiar things, a new way of organization of education that should be coordinated with the one in the school.

Multiple ways of learning are offered when at home. Activities can be done in other parts, not school-centered, that broaden the students’ habits of learning, as well as those of their families. The way of interaction of different components in their learning process enriches their development since the context of learning is more opener, more flexible, more motivating because it goes beyond the walls of their school facilities. It offers new possibilities of learning responsibility, individual work, social work, social skills, leadership, decisions, problem-solving.

Technology and languages at Early StagesThe possibilities of learning that technology offers our youngest students are great in quantity and quality. According to the evidences of Neuroscience, language development takes place highly during the first six years, that is when all the linguistic system is getting formed because of the neuronal connections. Children, if they are exposed to native or native-like ways of communication in foreign languages, above all the oral skills (listening and speaking), can get them easily.

Nowadays, there are many sites with storytelling apps, videos in YouTube and other digital programs that offer this kind of formation. Being exposed to other languages increases our cultural background since languages can not be learned isolated, socio-cultural aspects are necessary to communicate successfully.

Positive attitudes are promoted with the use of technology and the exposure to other languages and cultures, since children learn about other lifestyles, different from the ones they have but that help it expand them.

Technology with my little big "campeones"

• QR Codes for daily news

Ninfa Laurenzo ECC is informing families and parents with the easiest way just by scanning a big poster with a QR-code and they are informed. We recorded a video to show parents and families how to access to it. Once the code is scanned, they are leaded to the section of “News” of the official web of the school.

• ReadyRosie

HISD is providing parents with a FREE subscription to ReadyRosie, an interactive tool that provides daily activities for adults to do with children ages 0 to 6. The activities are simple, take about two minutes, and help prepare children for success in school.
All the teachers of this pre-K school emailed an invite to parents. However, any HISD parent or guardian with a child or children ages 0 to 6 can register for ReadyRosie at www.readyrosie.com/register.
The registration process will ask parents for their child’s elementary school. If a child is too young to be enrolled in school, parents or guardians can enter the name of their neighborhood HISD elementary school. To find the name of your neighborhood elementary school, go to www.houstonisd.org/findaschool and enter your home address.
We recorded a video to help parents with the registration process.

• MyOn

HISD will use myON as part of the district’s Literacy By 3 Movement and summer reading program. myON’s in-depth reporting functions will be used to track progress for all student users to make sure that their reading levels improve over time. myON’s wide array of Spanish and bilingual titles will be useful in supporting the growing number of English language learners (ELLs) in the district.
Since the district first started using myON in March 2015, 212,663 users have spent 103,834 hours reading more than half a million books—totaling more than 14 million pages.
This file help students and families log in out of the campus.

• BrainPop

BrainPop provides various resources supporting many areas of the curriculum. The products in the subscription are BrainPop, BrainPop Jr. and BrainPop Espanol. Login is required for school and home access. Contact your campus librarian or Sofia Darcy to get the username and password. This resource is funded by the HISD Special Education Department.

• CLI engage Parents

The Children’s Learning Institute (CLI) designed this Pre-K digital learning tool to help young children develop literacy and language skills (vocabulary, letter identification, and phonological awareness). It also includes scales for mathematical skills (numbers, counting shapes, and operations) and social-emotional skills.

• FrogStreet

Frogstreet has a blog with lots of resources, articles and amazing activities to do at home.
Other webs like starfall, blogs: ninfalaurenzoecc or Mr Usero’s blog , social media sites like pinterest, and apps for tablets and iPads help our students develop their digital skills, so necessary to be a successful citizen in the 21st century. They are being prepared to life from their foundation.
Other apps suggested to Early Childhood Education:
https://sites.google.com/site/toptechtoolinfographic/

Virtual Field Trips to Integrate Technology

Technology offers us many opportunities to learn outside the classroom, because it open windows to other parts of the world and giving our students new possibilities of learning by making connections with what surrounds them. For examples, when we were learning about animals, in my room (#8) at Ninfa Laurenzo ECC we could do a virtual field trip to the Houston Zoo using their webcams and activities.

Looking for more information and experiences about the use of technology and field trips I found this one: “Another way to integrate technology with literacy is to create a virtual field trip to meet the Common Core Standard of asking and answering questions. A virtual field trip is a way to have students explore one or more designated websites while purposefully reading for information. As a teacher you will need to set a purpose (for example, visit Sea World to learn about ocean life) for your virtual field trip as well as a list of questions based on what you want the students to visit. I use open-ended questions to check for understanding rather than short, one-word answers. I create questions according to my students’ abilities.

You can see an example of a virtual field trip form by clicking on the image on the right. The virtual field trip my students love is a trip to San Diego Zoo. They have live webcams and a kid section including audio for non-readers as well as games. This form is a Word document that you can customize with your own questions.

Some of you might ask how I manage a virtual field trip in my classroom. I have students in pairs or small groups to work on answering questions. Every day, a few groups of students use the computers during literacy block time. I have bookmarked the website they are to use and modeled how to use the Internet and the website. With the younger grades, I only have the students use one website with links from that website. For instance, I use kids.sandiegozoo.org, where there are no ads for the kids to accidentally click on and many links to navigate.”
http://ncaee.blogspot.com/2014/01/help-i-have-to-use-technology-with-k2.html by Laura Candler.

​This is another benefit of technology and education. Your knowledge and experiences can help others grow.
If you are interested in getting more information of how to implement technology in Early Childhood Education I will be pleased to help you.

With technology, educational strategies and instruction changed. Many educators include some digital resource in their daily classes.
The following image will summarize the main points of the traditional and online classes.

MY FLIPPED CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE with FACEBOOK

Back in 2013, I was the manager of a company in Spain with educational services. We had to teach Math, Spanish and English languages, and other subjects to adults who want to get professional certifications. That was a real challenge since the company that hired us did not have all the physical resources to make it, so my team and I had only nine months to prepare the students (around 100 adult students) for the official exams in a very limited time, and we had to offer them the best learning experience.

We know the characteristics of adults: lack of time because of work schedule, family issues, among many more things. Within those conditions, we had to design a course that was convenient and efficient to everyone: company, instructors and students.

The following picture summarizes the main steps of this instruction (SPACE model) and the roles of teachers and students.







        



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Those courses had two face-to-face classes per week and online classes. As everyone had a Facebook account, students were invited and accepted to the closed groups, one for each course and level. In those groups the students could access and download the lessons and activities. Besides, teachers recorded and uploaded videos with the lessons and shared links of YouTube video tutorials, documents... By then, we did not have google drive -I think-, but instead we had Dropbox where students' assignments were submitted. The students received personal feedback and assessment through Facebook video-calls.

F-2-F classes reviewed and revised the main points of the objectives and contents of the lessons. As in a flipped classroom, they came -or at least that was the intention of this design- with the lessons read from home, ready to solve general doubts and do some activities.

Some challenges we found:
- Time: despite having a schedule and deadlines, for some reasons the students need more time. The organization of time and the assignments is crucial for the success of the students, some students used to leave the assignments until almost the end of the due-day so if they have a doubt, that might not be solved before its submission.
- Communication: We can find several channels or ways of communication, however the agreement of the way of communication is very important. Before starting the communication, the setting of the rules of communication and behavior is recommended for the best of the learning community.
- Sources: Educators are recommended to verify all the sources that are used in the online classroom. Before posting the sources, educators should visit and surf the websites or apps to avoid surprises.

If you implemented a flipped classroom, what benefits and challenges have you found?

21st-Century Teachers incorporate Student Input & Gather Feedback
Many applications allow students to provide live and online feedback.

- Google Forms (Survey) and PollEverywhere are two of many apps that make it quick and easy to create simple polls that enable teachers to gather input or feedback from students. They can vote in those surveys with the use of a digital device, we know how much they love using technology in class.
- Socrative is another free app that allows teachers to go far beyond basic polls to get more complex quizzes, or just use it to quickly and easily get feedback.

Some experience of my class and presentations:

GOOGLE FORMS - SURVEY
As I mentioned before in one of the comments, I used surveys from Google forms like the ones I offered at the end of one of my workshop-presentations for teachers: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSejT_NGyPZPDIf6loI-WZQ75-l0y8trNxiizJPdmzAkc9dcdQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

The title of the presentation is "Words can talk: An innovative use of technology in Shared-Book Reading". There, the participants learned about the use of Augmented Reality in a Spanish class for Prek students to develop biliteracy. At the end of the presentation, with a QR code linked to the survey, the audience could scan it and answer the questions related to the content of the presentation and their interest of using this kind of technology. Previously, I showed only the QR codes, but after having some problems with the QR scan apps and added the short url link just under the code. Another problem I faced was that not all the participants were familiar with QR scan apps, so before the presentation, I invited them to download this kind of apps. On the walls or flyers delivered to the participants, I included a brief explanation step by step about how to download it.

The google forms are intuitive and easy to fill, most of the participants found them easy to answer. Once everyone answered the survey I could see the results and some graphics.


KAHOOT!

Kahoot! is a fun and interactive way to help your students learn. With the concept of gamification in your classroom, learning is fun, just like playing.

When working with my Dual-Language Spanish Pre-K students we were learning vocabulary with this tool. First, the vocabulary was introduced in the "word wall" to the whole class. Then, we set some ABC stations to practice learning with oral and written skill development. In small groups, one way to check understanding and their language skills was with Kahoot! Three or four students were sitting with me in the small group table, I helped them use the app. I was granted with some tablets to help students develop learning experiences and 21st-Century skills, that is why every student had the chance to use digital devices during class. They typed the code: 2402990 and we started the activity.

The challenges I faced in the very beginning was that most of the students were not familiar with the app, and I needed to spend some time explaining and practicing for weeks. One of our gifts as Prek teachers: PATIENCE. After several weeks, they learned how to use it and they really enjoyed learning with Kahoot!. After some time using the app, I found some other ways to improve learning with this app. For example, when some students failed the answers I invited all of them to find the answer in the classroom, so in this way, they were physically active during the activity. Depending on their level, I invited them to explore the room and find the answer. Therefore, they were developing other skills like "learning by discovery", communication, physical development, social skills...

I do not want to generalize, but many educators in Early Childhood Education do not like using technology as part of the learning process. However, I found technology as a motivating component and tool of their learning process. In addition, parents are invited to use Kahoot! too and use the activities we are using in class to practice at home.Paragraph. Haz clic aquí para editar.