Sticky Journal

ED 608 - Kaleigh Braverman

Tech Equity Project: September 5-11
Begin to look for issues or problems around technology-related equity in your professional setting. Seek out issues or
problems that impact your colleagues, students, school, district, or even community. Before the next class, record 6-10
issues or problems and bring this list to our next class.

1. Lack of personnel trained to fix device and tech issues

2. Lack of time for teachers to learn new tech tools
3. Lack of incentive to integrate new technologies in the classroom
4. Privacy laws prohibit us from using certain sites or creating logins for our students
5. Lack of money to purchase licenses to beneficial ed tech for all students
6. Teachers need administrative access to change certain things on devices
7. Lack of netiquette
 Week #1 Homework: September 5-11
1. Identify 1-3 concepts that you learned this week that stuck with you and explain why.
One concept that I learned this week that stuck with me was that children are not necessarily more creative than adults. In fact,
true creativity requires life experience that children do not possess. Like many, I believed that because children learn with passion,
take risks, and have great imaginations they were more creative than adults who often grow out of this tendencies. Another
concept that stuck with me was that although specific instructional strategies have been shown to increase creativity in learners,
standardized testing has caused schools to be unable to utilize these strategies to the fullest. This is undeniably sad being that this
high-stakes testing does not adequately assess our students’ achievement anyway.
2. What 3-4 actions can you take to advance your students' skills relative to creativity?
One action I can take to advance my students’ skills relative to creativity is to incorporate instructional strategies that have been
shown to increase creativity such as providing time for students to use their imagination into my instruction daily. In addition I
can create a context for learning that rewards sensible risk-taking and creative thinking by fostering a classroom environment of
support and flexibility. Lastly, I can teach my students about growth mindset in order to boost their confidence in their own
creative abilities.
3. What Web 2.0 tools or other technology resources can support your efforts relative to advancing your students'
creativity skills?
One technology resource that can support my efforts relative to advancing my students’ creative skills is StoryBird, which allows
people to create and illustrate their own stories. Another resource is Venngage, allowing people to create graphics online.
 Week #2 Homework: September 12-18
1. Identify 1-3 concepts that you learned this week that stuck with you and explain why.
One concept that I learned this week that stuck with me was that divergent thinking is when you generate many ideas, and
convergent thinking is when you evaluate the ideas and select one. They do not happen simultaneously, but exist to support one
another. Another concept that stuck with me was that possessing the trait of divergent thinking is a way to gauge whether or not a
person may be a creative person. However, it is not the end-all-be-all of creativity. Many creative people do not approach
problems with divergent thinking, but still generate powerful ideas. A third concept that stuck with me was that critical thinking
skills must be explicitly taught and modeled by teachers in order to foster these skills in students. When teachers model proper
use of metacognition and how to transfer critical thinking skills to different situations, students are more likely to exhibit these
skills themselves.
2. What 3-4 actions can you take to advance your students' skills relative to critical thinking?
One action I can take to advance my students’ skills relative to creativity is embed divergent thinking strategies into my
curriculum, teaching students how and when to use them properly. Another action I can take is to model critical thinking daily in
my ELA lessons and instruction. A third action I can take is to give my students time for adequate reflection.
3. What Web 2.0 tools or other technology resources can support your efforts relative to advancing your students'
critical thinking skills?
One technology resource that can support my efforts is MindMeister, which allows people to mind map and brainstorm
collaboratively in real time. Another resource is Padlet, allowing students to reflect on a posted topic collaboratively as well.
 Week #3 Homework: September 19-25
1. Identify 1-3 concepts that you learned this week that stuck with you and explain why.
One concept that I learned this week that stuck with me was that collaboration is not beneficial for all students at all times. I have seen the truth in this
statement in my own classroom, and I am happy to have it validated in research. Another concept that I learned this week that stuck with me was that the
CPS model follows three stages that reflect the natural process that people go through when solving a problem-clarify, transform, and implement-and each
stage involves two steps in which you explore and formulate, respectively. Seeing this process presented in multiple ways (paragraph form, wheel diagram,
and overview table) was helpful because I didn’t truly understand the process until viewing the table on pages 84 and 85 of the text “Creativity Rising”.
2. What 3-4 actions can you take to advance your students' skills relative to collaboration?
One action I can take is to provide my students with a mix of collaborative and non-collaborative learning experiences. Another action I can take is to engage
my students in CPS, encouraging both divergent and convergent thinking and a call to action. A third action I can take is to explicitly teach collaborative skills
to my students using the P21 and ATC21S frameworks rather than assuming that students will collaborate well on their own.
3. What Web 2.0 tools or other technology resources can support your efforts relative to advancing your students' ability to collaborate?
One technology resource that can support my efforts is Google. Students can use Google Docs, Google Slides, and more to collaborate on work both
synchronously and asynchronously. Another technology resource that can support my efforts is KidBlog. This tool allows students to collaborate via
discussion boards at their own pace from any device.
4. At the end of our online week, go back and now listen to all of the comments made by your group in the Hitchhiking Voicethread. How did
the solution grow and change as others added to it? What do you think are the benefits of this divergent thinking strategy?
The solution grew and changed as others added to it because once one member of the group posted an idea, each other member was fueled with inspiration
for their own idea. If someone was struggling to come up with a solution, the response of the person before them was able to spark their idea. When someone
had a brand new idea, they were able to find a connection to the idea of the person before them to create a stronger idea altogether. I really enjoyed using the
hitchhiker divergent thinking strategy, and I think it was beneficial to strengthening the quality of ideas being generated over time.
 Week #4 Homework: September 26-October 2
1. Identify 1-3 concepts that you learned this week that stuck with you and explain why.
One quote that I read in the article “What We Know about Communication” that stuck with me was, “Simply being able to use a smartphone or
Facebook isn’t enough. To be successful in a global economy, our children must become fluent in the technologies that are revolutionizing our
lives and our work, and how best to use them to innovate.” This really made me think about how digital literacy is expected in today’s world
and high-level communication skills are needed in order to innovate with technology. Another thing that stuck with me was that most of the
research done regarding communication interventions focuses on people with communication difficulties. As a 4th grade teacher, I see the
necessity for interventions for all students with regard to communication, not just students with disabilities, meaning more research must be
done. Finally, the SUCCESs acronym for sticky ideas stuck with me - Simplicity, Unexpectedness, Concreteness, Credibility, Emotions, and
Stories. Reflecting on ideas that have stuck with me, these principles make perfect sense.
2. What 3-4 actions can you take to advance your students' skills relative to communication?
One action I can take to advance my students’ skills relative to communication is to practice mindfulness with them in the classroom. This will
help them to be more in tune with situations around them in order to respond appropriately. Another action I can take is to use the CPS
process to identify a emy students are having regarding communication and formulate a plan to improve it. Lasly, I can teach my students to
be simple and unexpected in their presentations in order to communicate ideas in a way that will stick.
3. What Web 2.0 tools or other technology resources can support your efforts relative to advancing your students' ability to
communicate?
One technology resource that can support my efforts relative to advancing my students’ ability to communicate is Common Sense Media. Their
lessons regarding Digital Citizenship are perfect for teaching proper netiquette and hot to communicate effectively online, preparing students
for the world beyond.
 Week #5 Homework: October 3-October 9
1. Identify 1-3 concepts that you learned this week that stuck with you and explain why.
One concept that stuck with me this week was that concrete ideas are easier to remember. When a person has something concrete - smells,
sounds, or sights - to associate with an idea, it is more likely that the idea will stick with them. This is helpful for me in the classroom because
I can apply it to my instruction by trying to make abstract concepts more concrete for my students. Another concept that stuck with me was
that there are many strategies that can be used to gain credibility such as the Sinatra test, using statistics, using a testable credential, or using
convincing details. This is also helpful for me in the classroom because I can gain credibility with my students when I use these techniques in
relation to my instruction. Lastly, one concept that stuck with me was that appealing to people’s self-interest is effective in making an idea
stick. If people believe that you can give them something they want, they are more likely to be interested. This is again helpful for me in the
classroom because I can appeal to my students’ self-interest when trying to get them to do something I need them to do.
2. Using simplicity, unexpectedness, concreteness, credibility, emotion, or stories (or a combination of two or more), share an
example of how you might "sell" the use of a technology tool or Web 2.0 resource (ie. padlet, flipgrid, nearpod) to a reluctant
colleague. Be sure your response addresses some of the key qualities associated with simplicity, unexpectedness,
concreteness, credibility, emotion, or stories.
I would sell the use of Nearpod to a reluctant colleague by breaking down the reason why she should use it to its core for simplicity - it will
engage her students during whole group instruction. In order to address unexpectedness and credibility, I would show the colleague
photos/video of students who were engaged vs. disengaged in classes (not just her own). Then, I would reveal to her that during the times that
her students were engaged, they were using Nearpod. I would address concreteness by walking the colleague through a quick, premade
nearpod presentation, and finally, I would tell her a story of my success using Nearpod with my own students.
 Week #5 Homework: October 10-October 16
1. Identify 1-3 concepts that you learned this week that stuck with you and explain why.
One concept that stuck with me this week was the villains of sticky ideas. These villains include the tendency to bury the lead and get lost in a sea of
information, the tendency to focus on the presentation rather than on the message, decision paralysis, and the Curse of Knowledge. This is important
because awareness of these villains helps you to overcome them. Another thing that stuck with me was the symptoms and solutions section of the
epilogue. Common problems that people have with getting ideas to stick are getting people to pay attention to a message, getting people to
understand and remember it, getting people to believe you, getting people to care, and getting people to act. This section will be useful if any of these
issues arise when implementing my internship in the spring. Lastly, a concept that stuck with me from Dr. Zhao’s article was that teachers are placed
in a dilemma when asked to encourage creativity in a system that does so much to stifle it. It can be difficult to find time to foster creativity in the
classroom when curriculum is geared towards teaching to standardized tests. However, that does not mean that it is ok to put creativity on the back
burner.
2. Making ideas stick using the SUCCES framework (Simplicity, Unexpectedness, Concreteness, Credibility, Emotion, & Stories) is a
useful way to communicate your ideas with others. In addition to using this framework to develop the Quick Pitch of your Tech
Equity Project, describe some other scenarios in your professional or personal life in which you could use it.
Some scenarios in my professional or personal life in which I could use the SUCCESs framework are:
- To develop the Quick Pitch of my Tech Equity Project
- Convincing colleagues to utilize a new tech resource the county is pushing
- Offering ideas for fundraising for my sorority alumnae chapter
- Pitching a new club idea to administration
- Providing meaningful professional development to colleagues