Final Week

In my final week of the Internet for Educators class I'll present my final project, a video showcasing my growth as a tech-savvy educator. The video was created to show my learning in the class in relation to technology, and how it will impact me as a teacher. I highlighted my previous tech knowledge, and demonstrated some of my new understandings. 

Press play and enjoy!

Week 8

This week will be dedicated to finishing the final presentation for the Internet for Educators class. This presentation will be in the form of a video, complete with visuals and narration. It will highlight my personal journey with technology and education in the past few years, specifically in the education program. I had created a Prezi for the presentation. However after some miscommunication, I will be changing the format into a video using Windows Movie Maker. When it's a finished product, you will be able to press play and enjoy!

Week 7

 

This week we did not have Internet for Educators class because some of my classmates went to WestCAST. At this point in the semester, I really appreciated the few extra hours to get work done! I have finished assignments, completed units and started on next week's presentations. I don't think I'm the only one who needed the extra hours in the day. It was perfect timing, especially with my trip quickly approaching. During the stressful and chaotic last few weeks of classes, I'm sending positive vibes to the Brandon University Ed students! Particularly the second years, the end is near.. keep going!

http://weknowmemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/first-semester-vs-last-semester.jpg

http://s2.quickmeme.com/img/81/81b860b037b0822743a28125cc847c623cc7bc75f039b642b5c6e252d077dfc6.jpg

Unit Planning

This week my focus has been on unit planning for my upcoming trip to Kuwait. I will be teaching Grade 8 Social Studies, units on Exploration, Slavery and Revolutions. I couldn't be more nervous and excited to teach social studies for the second time! In my unit planning, I decided I would switch it up and use Prezi as opposed to the usual PowerPoint. As of right now, I have about 2 weeks of presentations done and I am a HUGE fan of Prezi! It's a great way to use creativity and interaction in the classroom. I'm using Prezi as a guide to the unit. The template I am using is a colorful world map, our presentation takes us "all over the world". I find Prezi to be much more exciting and engaging than PowerPoint, also much easier to use. Without much effort, I am plugging in information and assignments into a fantastic template. The movement in the presentation is a great way to get student's attention. I can't wait to finish the unit and see what the final product looks like!

1:1

Last Wednesday we had Martin Ingenmey and Bryce Ridgen from Minnedosa Collegiate present to our class. They discussed a 1:1 school system, meaning each student has their own device. This is something that I previous didn't know much about. I knew about the idea, but not how it would be implemented into a school. Martin and Bryce's presentation was fantastic. They gave us ideas on how to use devices properly and appropriately in a classroom. This is, in my opinion, the best presentation we have had yet. They gave us tools to use in the classroom that I can actually see myself using. I find that with some tech presentations, we get information on tools that I wouldn't use because you have to sign-up for them, etc. Some of the ones shown to use by Bryce and Martin were ChatterBox, Schoolology, Mazilla, Padlet, Thinglink. These are tools that are great for students to use to present their learning. I definitely enjoyed their presentation and would love to experience for myself a 1:1 school.    

Maple & Blackboard

Last week we had a few more presenters come to the classroom. Two visitors from Manitoba Education came to share information about resources available to teachers in Manitoba. They discussed two main resources, one being Maple (an online social networking site for Manitoba Teachers), the other was Blackboard (a site that lets you take a look at online courses). Maple was a very useful tool to stay up-to-date with what's going on in the education community in Manitoba. It's great to maintain connection and support from fellow educators. Blackboard was something unlike anything I'd ever heard of. It shows you online courses in almost all of the high school subjects. I'm still unsure about how I feel about online courses, I've heard both good and bad things about them. This is something I'd like to look into more in the future and see how it could be integrated productively into a classroom or school community. 

Digital Footprint

A Digital Footprint is the traces of what you've done on-line. Search histories, websites you've visited, etc. The information of what we do on-line creates our mark in the digital world. 

My digital footprint is pretty basic. I use the Internet for school-related research, information and assignments. I also go on-line to use social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube. Like almost everyone, I use email on a daily basis. I use on-line searches to look up recipes and information about fitness. Lately I have searched a lot on travel, flight information, hotels and hostels, and trail tickets. I think using on-line services appropriately is important to protect your digital identity and ensure that it represents who you are. 

As I stated in my previous post about digital identity and digital dualism, I think the ideal scenario is to have your digital identity reflect your everyday personality. (Feel free to check out that post for a more in-depth discussion!)

I think it's very important to teach students about digital footprints so they understand how it can affect their lives. Students need to know how to protect themselves so they don't suffer repercussions later on. The best way to teach this is to use real-life examples of digital footprints gone wrong. I really like the idea that was brought up in class about a teacher searching their students on-line and reading information in class. It shows students how easy it is for information to stick to their name, and how extremely hard (sometimes impossible) it is to get rid of.    

https://prezi.com/_5gmx9d1lwo-/your-digital-footprint/

     

Edublogger

I have recently started to follow the blog of April Waters, an Aboriginal Education teacher at the St. James-Assiniboia School Division. The blog is that of the Aboriginal Education Department, not April specifically. I really like this blog, their About Me section is very welcoming. It has a section for important dates, their twitter tweets, information, and of course their blog posts. 

I chose to follow this blog because I wanted to see how a blog could be used for either a teacher or department at a school, and to see how they integrated the Aboriginal perspective into the blog. They accomplished this by posting links and information about relative Aboriginal ideas and events. For instance, there was a post about the very popular book by Jordin Tootoo, a great way to connect to the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students. I also liked how they included events going on at the school or in the community. They also posted work being done in the school by students, which is a great way to build rapport with students, as well as create a strong bond between the students and the school. I will definitely take this into consideration when doing this for my own classroom. The main aspect I will take away from this blog is the positivity and enthusiasm it expresses. Great blog, definitely worth taking a look at!    

Stepping Out of the Box and Into the Circle

The Future of Education - TT #12

The Horizon Report shares a glimpse of what the future relationship between education and technology might look like. The document discusses a creative classroom, one with innovative pedagogical practices including infrastructure, content and curriculum, assessment, learning practices, teaching practices, organization, leadership and values, and connectedness. It explains a variety of ways in which technology will influence future education and how we, as teachers, can make the process of integrating technology into the classroom more productive and beneficial for students. 

The document shares an ideal of a new hybrid learning model, one of both virtual and physical learning. This idea is supposed to encourage an active approach to learning. I think this idea is great for a classroom environment. Learning should be engaging, fun, active, student-driven, and interactive. Students need to gain skills that will help them succeed in their future years in the education system, as well as in their adult life. Isn't that the reason we have schools? To prepare the next generation for successful lives? Kids are not going to retain all of the information that they copied word for word off of a PowerPoint, but they will remember that time when they had to go into the community and take part in an inquiry-based research project of a business of their choice.

Students need to be engaged in education. To do this they need to understand how the information can be applicable to their personal lives. They need to connect to the learning on a personal level and make it their own. This is where technology and creativity can greatly benefit education. 

Today's student has grown up in a world where technology is everywhere you look. They know it inside and out, how to use the latest devices, what iPhone is coming out next, etc. They are comfortable with technology, it's something that they all use daily. What better way to create a bond between personal and school life than to connect it with technology! 

The future of education is undeniably going to be largely influenced by technology. I believe that as long as teachers can find appropriate ways to integrate technology into the classroom that is the most beneficial for students, we should welcome the future of education with open arms! 

http://www.oln.org/broadband-future-education/

Show & Tell

http://appcrawlr.com/ios/itube-youtube-playlist-manager

iTube is an app that I'm sure EVERYONE knows about, or they should. It's very easy to use, just search for music and play! It works very similarly to YouTube. I use this app constantly, rather than downloading music onto my iPhone or iPod. It's fast and can be used to look up any song in seconds. Very useful in a classroom!

Videos in the Classroom - TT #9

Video is something that I really like to use in my classroom lessons. I have taught health, social studies and history, all of which I have used video. I think it's very important to mention that videos need to be beneficial to student learning, as opposed to a crutch for the teacher. Many teachers abuse the unlimited video options and try to let the videos teach students. Teachers can use video to engage students, activate them at the beginning of a lesson, wrap up a lesson, just to name a few. I 

I have a few playlists on YouTube that are prepped for a few units. These include: Grade 10 Health: Drugs and Alcohol, Grade 7/8 Social Studies: Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt, Grade 11 History: Canadian History.

After a presentation about Copyright, I am unsure about how I will use these videos in the future.. However, there is no harm in showing an example of what I had put together. 

I also have a playlist that is strictly for activating students, called Kid Snippets. I highly recommend that all teachers should check them out! Students LOVE them!

Podcast Review

Out of the couple of podcasts that I listened to, Chris Lehmann's input on education and technology stood out to me. He had some very good opinions about how technology should be used in education. He emphasized the importance of integrating technology into a classroom, and educating teachers on how to do so. He voices his opinion on the importance of "bringing the world into the classroom" with technology, such as Google Docs. Resources and tools such as Google Docs allow for a new way of learning and collaborative writing.  

The most influential thing that Chris mentioned was that teachers need to interact more with students because today's parents are so busy (a two-income household is now the norm), that kids lack adult interaction. This is why it's important to get teachers away from the typical front-of-the-room teaching and into more one-on-one learning with the student. I really like this idea for a few reasons. First of all, as teachers we cannot control the environment in which our students are brought up in. There is a reason teachers refer to their students as their kids, because we care about them and develop such a close bond. For some students, school may be the only place they get one-on-one interaction with a caring adult. That is both a very sad and very intimidating thought. I think it's crucial for teachers to take advantage of these opportunities and teach students material that is not only in the curriculum, but also life-long skills that they can take beyond the classroom.

I must admit that this is the first time I have ever listened to a podcast. I think they definitely have a place in a classroom and could be utilized by students in many ways. I believe the best thing a teacher can do it give students choice in how they present their material. A podcast is just another option for students to have to express themselves. 

Feel free to check out the podcast for yourself at the link below:

Chris Lehmann, on teachers and technology

Infographics

An infographic is a quick way to get information across to a reader. The most effective ones are eye-catching, colorful and easy to follow. They can highlight basic facts, present an argument, compare events or products, and many more. I think they are a great way for students to learn the important parts of a lesson, or to be used as a study guide! The possibilities of using infographics in education are endless! I used a website called Piktochart.com to create my own infographic on basic information about World War I and World War II. 

When searching for infographics, I focused on a social studies or history classroom. The following infographics are ones that I find appealing because of the layout, color theme, appearance, information, etc. They could easily be used in a classroom. Please enjoy!

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/230253

http://imgur.com/gallery/SCVWkFx

http://www.findingdutchland.com/declaration-of-human-rights/

The Connected Student

Above is a concept map showcasing the various networks that I use regularly in my personal life. I believe that I am pretty savvy when it comes to technology, but I like to stick to a few main tools that I use for most of my online contributions. I was surprised that my concept map seems to think otherwise, as there is quite a few on the list! 

*Note: perhaps in comparison to my classmates' lists, this will be bare..

Here is a map of what I think today's connected student would look like. I created classroom/educational categories and personal categories. I also included a random category. The reason I did this was to show the many ways that we can integrate students' personal interests and classroom learning. By using networks that students are already familiar with, they will take the lead on using these tools. I believe that the more learning relates to a student's personal life, the more likely they are to be engaged and remember the information and process of learning. As teachers, this is our ultimate goal, right? To have students engaged in their learning and take that learning with them as they leave our classrooms. Why not give it a try?  

Information Overload

In the past three weeks, we have had three presenters come to our classroom. For both a teacher and a student, having a guest speaker come into your room and provide information for students is a great learning tool. Speakers allow for a variety of perspectives on many topics, giving students different opinions to dissect. 

However with currently being in my last few weeks of university EVER, I'm finding it hard to keep all of the information in order and absorb it all in the short amount of time we have. The presenter this week shared many different tech tools that he enjoyed. Maple, Diigo, ScoopIt, etc. 

I often find it hard to keep track of which website or tool does what. As great as it is to have so many options online, I like to have a handful of tools that I can use. These tools are ones that I know my way around very well and feel comfortable using. I don't like using too many tech tools, as it becomes confusing. Even with tools that are supposed to help organize information (like Feedly), I still often find it hard to maintain the variety of options I have online. 

My Goal: to play around with some new tech tools and become more comfortable with them! 

The Real Me vs. The Online Me

This week we had a lot of discussion about Digital Identity and Digital Dualism. I had never heard of these terms, although I had a pretty good idea of what they meant. For those who may not know, let me assist you..

Digital Identity is who you are online. What you post, the terms you search, the sites you visit, all of these things make up your digital identity.

Digital Dualism is the conflicting identities of who you are online and who you are in real life. 

It wasn't until I was finished my first degree and into my Bachelor of Education that I realized how significant one's Digital Identity can be. It can truly make or break one's career. I had never given it much thought, that is, what I posted online. (Let me take this opportunity to say that I do not suddenly regret my past online contributions!) I have always been quite cautious about the security and privacy of all of my online services. However, this seems to be irrelevant with the advances and loop-holes in today's technology. It's a scary thought that if someone really wants to get information about you, or anything you've put online, it's pretty easy. 

As EVERY Education student has done in the past year or two, I scanned through all of my social media profiles. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc. I made sure there was nothing that could potentially be manipulated to have any negative effect on me, if the situation were to arise. It was calming to know that I didn't really delete much, it was more or less a sweep of photos I didn't want online anymore (ex-friends, ex-boyfriends, all that fun stuff..). As much as I felt confident clicking the mouse and watching the posts and photos disappear from the screen, it's quickly replaced by a feeling of unease knowing that you have no control of where those pictures ended up online. Although deleted, they could be in the hands of motivated strangers. 

As teachers, we all understand that our personal lives are soon to be gone and we will forever be known by the public as teachers. Students, parents, grandparents, etc. will all know us as teachers. The perfect, smart, talented and creative citizens that are in control of the education of the future... No pressure though! As much as we know that our trips to Walmart will soon include many "Hi Ms. Korman"s, it's a tough reality we are going to face. We cannot screw up, all eyes are on our every move. Kids are so tech-savvy today that they virtually have access to everything. 

After giving my fellow teachers an anxiety attack, I will turn to the positives of the situation! Our profession could not put us in a better situation to be great role models for students. We can teach students how to use onlines services in a safe and effective manner. We can teach them the dangers of the online world. We can show them what is appropriate and inappropriate to post online. We can embrace technology and our digital identity, turning it into a fantastic learning opportunity for students. 

My hopes are to show students that online isn't everything. Yes, it is a huge part of our life BUT it does not need to be our entire life. We do not need to vent about a fight with our best friend on Facebook for everyone to see. We do not need to post mean or rude comments about another person to make us feel better. We can use technology as a tool, not as a crutch.  

#twitterthoughts

Source: http://blog.zogdigital.com/2013/04/01/meme-madness-4-components-of-a-successful-meme/

I've been a member of twitter for a few years now. As a regular user of social media, I find it a very efficient way to share information and communicate with people. It's super easy to use, navigating both the app and on-line versions are simple.

When I first signed up with twitter, the majority of tweets were simple words. Now there are endless photos and videos being posted everyday. In my opinion this is a positive. Why not have videos, music, photos, quotes, words, and whatever else on one social media site! I will continue to use twitter, I enjoy keeping up-to-date on what's going on with friends, family and the world. I don't post very often, right now I'm too busy!   

Organizing Yourself Online

Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Email, Weebly, Google Community, Blogs, Webcasts, Podcasts, Vine... the list goes on and on. 

Almost everyone has multiple on-line accounts and services, probably going way beyond the necessary amount. It's often difficult to remember which password and user name goes with which service. An extra number in this password, an upper case letter for this username, a completely new password for Twitter because you've forgot and had to reset it 3 times last month. It can be nearly impossible to keep track of the information needed to use various on-line services. This is why it is so important to keep yourself organized on-line! It can save you a lot of time, energy and effort (not to mention the cost to replace whatever object you took your frustration out on) by taking the time to organize yourself on-line. It's also important to take initiative to keep yourself safe. The more often you have to change usernames or passwords, the more at-risk the security of your on-line life can be. 

Whether you like to admit it or not, everyone has forgotten a password or two in their life. I am no different. To keep myself more organized on-line I try to keep all of the services I use as secure as possible. I do this by writing down passwords and usernames for various services and putting them in a secure place in my apartment. I do not share this type of information with anyone, just to be safe! 

I think it's very important to teach students these skills, as they are growing up in a very technology-oriented world. They need to have the knowledge to be safe while using on-line services. We know that lives can be greatly affected by what we post or do on-line regardless of when we do so. Actions or words posted years ago can affect one's future. We want to prevent this as much as possible. By teaching students about on-line organization and safety, the better equip they will be to live in a world of technology!

In my classroom, I will most likely use Pinterest, Email, Google Communities, Blogs and many more. I am unsure how I feel about using Twitter in a classroom, something to think about... 

Source: http://www.jokeoverflow.com/picture-jokes/funny-signs/organized-people

The First Wake Up Call of '15

The Internet for Educators class has quite the agenda this week. Being the first week of the new semester, there was no wading into the course, we jumped right in! We began the week off with our first presenter, Dean Shareski. Dean posed some very simple yet difficult questions. The hand-in-hand questions that stuck out to me were the following: how is learning different now and why is it this way?

Learning is an ongoing and ever-changing part of society. The way we teach, the way we learn and the way we view education has adapted and been modified throughout history. Our values as communities and cultures have constantly been adjusted dependent on the era. I believe that current education is headed in a very positive and productive direction, however the future will always be the unknown. Currently we are starting to teach students skills that will (hopefully) carry through their adult life. These skills go beyond the curriculum material and into who each student is as an individual. We admire characteristics such as compassion, loyalty, dependability, honesty, effort, and determination, just to name a few. As a society, we value these traits in our workforce and are therefore attempting to create an ideal generation that is productive, peaceful and successful. As up-and-coming teachers we hope to affect our student's lives for more than the amount of time in which they are in our classroom. 

Our second presenter of the week was Jon Finch. Jon had presented to a class I was in last year, so I was familiar with how his presentation was going to go. What I did not predict was the extent of the wake-up call he had in store for us. 

Jon's presentation was an informal discussion about many aspects of education, one being copyright. Copyright was something that I have heard of many times, and understand how and why it is in place. What I didn't understand was how many restrictions teachers have when it comes to copyright and technology. The list of restrictions and obligations seems endless! Netflix, Songza, and iTunes can be great resources when used in the right way, but Jon seemed to put a quick end to those possibilities. As much as I felt a little defeated and frustrated, I found myself having to remember that Jon was only the bearer of bad news, not the creator. Jon went over MANY of the restrictions, regulations, and consequences of copyright, but I still find myself discovering new and annoying rules in the book he gave us. I left class feeling mainly frustrated. Why do they create so many great resources for a classroom if we can't use them? They don't expect me to actually pay for all of these, do they?

The Copyright presentation was extremely informative and great for us to know now rather than later. However, it left myself (and I'm sure others) wondering how we can get around the restrictions in our placement. Having your own classroom is a different situation, but being a student teacher doesn't allow for the extent of freedom we might have this coming September. I think copyright is something we should all keep in mind in the next few weeks, but I'm not sure what we can do to change anything...