Classroom Websites

This week in class we began talking about our future classroom websites as we start the process of developing them in class next week. For me, the task is a little scary. Developing my own website? Never thought I would see that happen! However, once I got past the intimidation of the actual process, the thought of a classroom website began to make me really think. When I was in school, a website devoted specifically to our class was not even a thought. I am so excited to be teaching with all of the tools that are available now compared to when I was in school. When we talked about different aspects that could be included in a classroom website I could not help but think of the difference a website would have made not only in my life as a student, but also for my parents. The ability to have information and tools available any time of the day or night is an amazing resource that teachers can provide. In a digital world, the opportunity to include education and appeal to students on their level is another way of engaging them in their educational journey.

Here We Go Again. . . .

Intentions were great to continue with my blog after I4ED, but apparently intentions were not enough! Now that I am back in ICT I am going to give blogging another attempt. I am really looking forward to learning some of the basics of ICT in this course! I know that I have a lot to learn and am so thankful to have a safe environment to do it in. Having done three student teaching placements (only two that I was able to use technology in), I have a better understanding on what I am comfortable with and where I need more help in terms of technology. I am excited to be able to gain that knowledge and experience this semester in order to be a more successful teacher next year! I hope you enjoy reading my blog this semester. . . if all goes well it will continue into my teaching career!

Final Project

I can't believe that we are presenting our final projects today in Internet for Educators! This semester has gone by so fast, but has been packed full of so much information!
This final project was another learning experience for me. . .and another test of patience and faith! I used power point, vocaroo (for sound) and slide share (for presenting). All programs I have never used before (yes, I know, my first power point presentation ever!). There were many glitches and I am sure that it is not of the quality of some others that will be presented, but after hours of working on my slide show, I am happy to have something to present. I hope you are able to learn a little something about my Adventure in Technology!

Internet for Ed Summative Project from educhart

BYTE 2013

This was my first year attending BYTE (Building Your Teaching Experience) which was held in Neepawa (my home town) this year. What a great day full of amazing information and networking! The main problem I had with the conference was narrowing my sessions down to four. . . so many knowledgeable presenters to choose from!
The first session that I attended was Safe and Caring Schools in Cyber Times: Making Connections and Building Community with Kate Roberts. Kate's presentation focused around how we need to make school an environment that is safe for all students. She talked about how educators need to look at technology in regards to the doors that it opens and the connections that are made instead of focusing on the negatives. Kate also touched on the importance of the community being involved in protecting students. She shared some different programs such as: Sources of Strength, Roots of Empathy, Reclaiming Youth International and Responsive Classroom that are being used to develop healthy connections between kids and the community. This was a very informative session and focused around how we need to teach kids, not programs. By getting to know our students and connecting with them, the students will feel safer in their school environment. The feeling of safety will also help students to feel comfortable to come to their teacher if they are feeling unsafe in any situation.
The second morning session was They All Have Computers, Now What? Teaching in a BYOD Classroom with Roy Norris. This presentation was excellent! Roy is one of the initial teachers at Dakota Collegiate in Winnipeg that fully integrated BYOD in his classroom. Roy talked about how the students in his classroom are more engaged and involved because they are learning through their "normal", using their own devices. In Roy's classroom, BYOD actually means bring your own computer. Although he does not discourage other devices, he requires that each student have their own laptop so that they have a device that they can use to create with. Roy also talked about the different policies, successes and challenges that Dakota has seen since implementing BYOD. It was exciting to learn about a school that has been able to successfully implement BYOD!
The third session (after an amazing lunch - thanks BYTE!) was Edmodo in a Multiaged Classroom with Barry Waldner. This session was good for me in the sense that I have never done much with Edmodo. That being said, I don't think that it is a program that I would enjoy using. After seeing Blackboard and using Moodle, I think I like these programs and their options more than I enjoy Edmodo. One thing that I do like with Edmodo is the aspect that parents can be linked in and see the progress that their children are making. Even though I am not sold on this program, I enjoyed being at this presentation and having a chance to be exposed to it from a different aspects of it from a different point of view.
The fourth session of the day was 21st Century Learners by Sophia Palahicky. I was excited to learn from Sophia again as we had had her the day before in our I4Ed class. The format for this presentation was more of a discussion than a presentation which I really enjoyed. Sophia had a lot of great leading questions that really got everyone talking and sharing ideas on the 21st century learner. I really appreciated the opportunity to listen to the views of different teachers that are in different levels of education within Manitoba. As a pre-service teacher, the opportunity to gain knowledge from those in the field is really important to me and this session provided that opportunity. The ideas that were shared were meant to make us think deeper and reflect on what is important to us as teachers and how we want to approach educating the 21st century learner.
Overall this conference was amazing! I can not wait to go back next year and continue to learn and network with some amazing educators and presenters. I would highly recommend BYTE to anyone in the education field, you will not be disappointed!

Class Presentations!

Today was maybe one of my favourite Internet for Educators classes. Everyone was responsible for presenting in groups on topics that they chose that pertained to class. The wide variety of information and resources that were shared was amazing. It was neat to see what we have learnt in class come together and be expanded on in different methods and approaches.

I really enjoyed working with my group and learning more about BYOD than I had known before. It was neat seeing all of our personalities come together to make a presentation that flowed together, but we were still able to show our individualities through our deliveries. I was really happy that using "Today's Meet" worked so well. Seeing the success of it during the presentation reinforced how it could be beneficial in a classroom setting.

Each group shared great information and I was able to learn something from each presentation. Perhaps the presentation that really hit home for me and that I will probably go back to repeatedly was "How NOT to Steal from the Internet". The resources that were given as part of this presentation are ones that I am sure I will be referring to on a regular basis. Having taught myself how to reference, I really appreciate the websites that were provided by the group so that I will be able to actually teach students how to properly reference both print and online material. I know this is an area that I need to improve on and the way that it was presented made a lot of sense to me and I felt that I came away with information that I did not know or fully understand before. Information that was given on Creative Commons was also really informative to me. I did not realize that there were different levels of usage and sharing with Creative Commons. This was really important for me on different levels. For my own use it is important, but maybe more so for when I am teaching. Had I not know the different aspects of Creative Commons, I would never known how to direct my students and teach them the proper usage of this amazing tool. Thank you Kirsten, Tyler, Jen, Lisa, and Kelsey from providing me with information that I will be able to use for years to come!

The Future

When I think of what the future holds for education, I am realizing quickly that my views have changed a lot in the last couple of months. Maybe it is being "forced" to learn about new technology through Internet for Educators, or maybe it is that I am realizing that things are not the same as when I was in school to a greater extent than I ever thought was possible. At first I was completely terrified of all of the changes and how I was going to keep up, then I realized I was not alone and the reality is there is no way of truly keeping up. All I can do is try to continually expand my learning in order to provide the 21st century learners with the best education possible.
Although there are different areas that are changing with education, I think that the majority of change is focused around technology and how it is being infused in the classroom. One aspect of this change that really scares me is that all teachers are going to implement technology in different ways and at different levels. I used to think that meeting the outcomes was so important (and believe me, I still do) but I am quickly realizing that teaching in a way that connects to the students (with technology being the way that they are most connected) is probably more important than the curriculum itself. If the students are connected, they will be engaged and will absorb what is being taught. If they are disconnected, the teacher has no chance! Through what I have learnt in Internet for Ed, and the amazing information I was able to gain at BYTE, I understand more so than ever that technology is quickly becoming the cornerstone for education when engaging today's students is involved. Roy Norris from Dakota Collegiate made a point that struck loud and clear with me. He was talking about how most students today spend every waking moment on a device. Then they get to the classroom and we demand that they shut all devices off. If we want to connect with them, on their level, we need to use the tools that they are using in a way that benefits their learning. The concern that I have is that all teachers are at different levels of acceptance of technology in their classroom as well as being at different comfort levels in using the different forms of technology. How will teaching and learning be somewhat consistent from one teacher and classroom to another. There are so many different variables and aspects to infusing technology into the classroom that I am excited and frightened at the same time to see where the future of education goes in this regard.
Looking at the Horizon Report, I was even more amazed at the ways that technology is being brought into the classroom. There are so many different tools that are being implemented and introduced into the classroom that there is an opportunity for everyone to use something that suits their learning style. One aspect of a report that jumped out at me was game consoles being used as a teaching tool. I suppose I had never considered using gaming in the classroom, but it is another form of technology and would definitely get the attention of many students. I wonder, however if parents would be at all accepting of gaming being used in the classroom. Along with resistance from administration and teachers, I think infusing technology in the classroom will be challenged by many parents and provide many intense conversations in the years to come.
The other point that I thought about when reading through the Horizon Report was the possibility of too much technology in the classroom. What does a teacher choose to use? When does it become too much and overwhelming for the students? I think these are questions that may be presented in the future and it may also be a fine line for teachers to navigate to find the answer. I really think that each classroom and each teacher will be unique and there will never be a right or wrong answer.
When it comes to the future of education, I know there are many changes (some of them huge) that will take place. Like anything, I know it will take time. Time to implement. Time to try. Time to make mistakes. Time to fix mistakes. Most important of all, time to see amazing benefits. I am excited to be part of the future of education. Even though there are bound to be some bumpy spots ahead I think the benefits for the 21st century learner is going to be more than we can imagine!

Web-Based Learning in Manitoba

Today in Internet for Educators we had a presentation from Sophia Palahicky and Donald Girouard from Manitoba Education. As I am focusing on middle years education, I have never really thought much about web-based learning until today's presentation. Listening to Sophia and Donald, I could see that there are benefits for me as an educator even if I am teaching in the middle years stream.
One aspect of web-based learning that I was not aware of was the availability of already developed courses that MB Education provides online. Donald & Sophia explained how this could be important if a teacher is required to teach a subject that they are not familiar with. The opportunity for a teacher to go online and look at a previously developed course in order to gain background knowledge to teach a certain subject area is a great resource to have. I know that there are some subjects that I would have to "teach" to myself before I would be able to teach to students so it is great to know that these courses are available to me if I ever need them.
I had also never heard of Blackboard. Being introduced to this tool was really important for me. Although I am not in the position to feel confident using Blackboard, having a little bit of background knowledge and awareness in the tool is really important to me. My belief is that the more I am aware of the greater knowledge I will have of where to look for future learning and resources. If I do not know tools exist, it is a lot harder to gain any knowledge at all.
It was great having Donald & Sophia share the different ways that Manitoba Education is focusing on the various students in Manitoba and offering them opportunities that they may not otherwise have had. Whether students are benefiting from seat sharing in rural areas or credit recovery from students who are struggling academically, it is great to know that tools are being provided to students at all levels to give the greatest opportunity for success.