March 10th 2015
Throughout this digital technology and learning course I have learned many things, for this purpose I will focus on five things I have learned and know for sure that I will integrate into my teaching practices. To start I know that planning is essential to any good lesson, which means while planning a lesson I will try and incorporate digital tools that I have learned to give the students a voice so they can show me what they know. A perfect example of this is using Padlet. Another tool I learned about was knowledge transformation. By linking my colleagues to my site, I will have access to them at anytime which means that we can trade information and constantly be bettering ourselves through communications in a digital space. Following I learned more about PLN's I had some brief knowledge on this topic prior to this class and now that I have actually engaged with this site and being able to keep myself up to date it makes me more confident in what I can do and the tools that are out their for teachers to use. Subsequent to that I learned that a mistake does not mean failure it is an opportunity for growth, especially since it can lead to positive learning. It is very important to recognize mistakes when you make them but also important to make sure you use mistakes to better yourself. Finally one of the last things I will take away from this is Social Context. This was a collaborative class and was a way to build connections and your resources bank to constantly be using digital tools in the classroom. I learned to use the knowledge I have to better myself and share it with whoever made need a boost along the way. March 3rd 2015
Leaving your digital footprint, can always be frightening, even if you intended it to be positive. This could simply be because now you have put yourself out there for the world to see. After exploring colleagues blog sites today, I noticed that everyone approached digital learning in different way because we are all on different paths and have different techniques to how we approach teaching in a digital world. Mr. Evan Israel's, was particular interest to me. He has used set up a variety of tools on his site and regularly uses videos within his blog page, the videos are inspirational and fun to watch. They have shown me that we can use the digital world positively within the classroom. March 3rd 2015
I got to use a web 2.0 tool today and wanted to share it with you. So here it is! It is just like an online bulletin board, with sticky notes. February 24th 2015
With the new health curriculum being released, I see that many parents are getting their backs up about what is in the curriculum. I believe that this is truly what needs to be taught to our students. The reason I say this is if you look at where the world has come from, even compared to when I was in school, we need to start reflecting the new age material that we face on a day to day basis. I complete agree with this new information being implemented and I am sure some people will disagree with me. February 10th 2015
To all my fellow Teacher Candidates, I just wanted to check in and see how everything was going? How are you enjoying the semester? Feel free to message me if you have any questions about anything that is posted!! To anyone else that looks at my site, how was your weekend? More importantly how are you feeling? February 9th 2015
When it comes to teaching in our society, technology is at the forefront. As teachers we are trying to have a push for technology in the classroom whether you have been teaching for a long time or are just beginning. Technology will only advance, therefore getting used to it now and learning all we can is ideal. As a professional there are routes we can take to become more verse in technology. Just to start out there are PLN's, PLC's, and PLE's. You may be questioning what these are, PLN = Personal Learning Network (making connections and building relationships with people or organizations that can answer questions, provoke your thinking, encourage you when things are difficult, or simply chat with when you have something to share), PLC = Professional Learning Community (considered an approach or process rather than a model of professional learning. Key characteristics include: shared values and vision, collaborative culture, focused on improving student learning outcomes, supportive and shared leadership, and shared professional practice), PLE = Personal and Professional Learning Environment (connected tools and resources you rely on to do your 'work' of teaching and/or learning). All of these are great ways to get involved with technology. While these are not directly brought into the classroom, they are definitely out their to help educators and people alike to become more versed in technology. Personally before this year I had absolutely no idea about any of these networks. As I learn more about technology and how to incorporate it I will build my own PLN. It will in the end be full of resources that i have found useful and appropriate for my teaching career. Should anyone have any questions about anything that I have said feel free to message me on the paddle board. The information on PLN's, PLC's, PLE's was taken from http://dtl3239.weebly.com/plc-pln--ple.html. February 3rd 2015
This day in age, we know technology is becoming a big part of who we are as a society. A major question is how do we bring it into the classroom without it becoming a distraction? One way is through differentiation. Differentiation is just a nice word that means addressing each learners individual needs, but giving the final goal. Identifying technology that supports differentiation can be challenging. However, when you find technology that does you will be ahead of the game. "One example of how technology can be integrated into the revising of student writing show how audio recordings enhances the editing process" (http://dtl3239.weebly.com/blending--teaching.html). There are many guides online that can be used for finding technology that works for you. The key is though, just like Flipped/Blended learning you are allowing the students to be in control of there learning by addressing at need in dependently while still teaching the class as a whole. |
January 27th 2015
"This term is often used interchangeably with blended learning but has distinctive features. The definition is 'a pedagogical approach in which direct instruction moves from the group learning space to the individual learning space, and the resulting group space is transformed into a dynamic, interactive learning environment where the educator guides students as they apply concepts and engage creatively in the subject matter'". (http://dtl3239.weebly.com/blending--teaching.html) This is a very interesting way of learning. I have done my own research on this for a previous class and think this is a good way to learn. I have done a presentation on Flipped learning before and have attached the think here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDlKnGUhwZE), in this video i try and cover all the pros and cons from my point of view. As mentioned in the quote above it is a creative way that gets the students engaged in learning, it allows the class to be more focused on the students needs, versus what the teacher needs to teach. Although this is not very common in Canada, it is a very popular way of teaching in other parts of the world and I believe, once Canada catches on to this concept they will definitely adopt it and implement it. January 21st 2015
January 19th 2015
As the school year progresses, and things get more hectic, it becomes harder for me to remember to post. However, for today I am just going to post two quotes for you to think about. You can let me know your opinion of them by posting on the padlet on the right (just double click on it). "Education is the key to success in life, and teachers make a lasting impact in the lives of their students". Solomon Ortiz "I have learned silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet, strange, I am ungrateful to those teachers". Khalil Gibran January 13th 2015
As I get more tech savvy my site will become easier to manage. I am still learning how to write post for you. New sites that I have learned how to use are Bitstrips and Mindomo. For those of you that have never heard of Bitstrips, this is a fun way for students to make comics both educational and fun. You first create an avatar and go from there (I will update as I learn more). Mindomo, this is a new technology, only released in November 2014. As I learn about this you will be the first to know. From what I can see already this is a digital mind map and have many different options for students to create maps which help with organizational skills. Anyways that is all for now. Talk soon. January 9th 2015
Hello everyone, I hope this new year is off to a great start. As you can see here on the right, is a newly added section for you to interact with. You may ask me questions or just post comments. That is completely your section just keep in mind I am monitoring this section so please be respectful. As with anything there were many difficulties with creating this site. I had troubles getting it up and running, but after I figured it out, it was a great learning experience and is something I will keep up in the future. Adding the Padlet was an experience that I fought with because it was not working originally, after I figured out the embedded code I was able to ease through the process with minimal difficulties. |