For my final project, Erica , Kaitlyn and I decided to create a Kindergarten to Grade 5 Resource wikispace .
For me personally, this project really was something that I have been wanting to do for a long time. In first and second year, I really felt underwhelmed in terms of having my classes provide me with actual concrete resources not just theoretically ideas. The prospect of teaching First Nation and Metis content in the classroom was something that I was quite nervous about however, my pre-internship provided me with a vast range of resources from a extensive list of First Nation and Metis books to a variety of math games that I actually had a chance to teach with. Having these resources available at my pre-internship school really helped me get over my fears and that is the main reason I wanted to include them as well in our wikispace.
Looking back, I would of found a resource page like this to be very helpful and a great starting point for me to get familiar with teaching resources in general. I plan on contacting several professors to let them know about our wikispace in hopes that it will not only help out future teachers but also bring together newly graduated teachers in order to collaborate and share resources.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Summary of Learning: Final Reflection - Seuss Style!
For my summary of learning, I decided to take my love of Dr. Seuss books and tell my technology learning journey through the characters and some of the events in the book, Oh, The Places You'll Go. Ever since I saw the stop motion animation in class I have really wanted to try it myself. I used Windows Movie Maker to edit together my pictures and for all of the websites, I used a combination of Jing and Snagit to take pictures and crop the logos.
Here are a few things that I learned while making my very first stop motion film:
1. It takes a lot of patience and a steady hand (next time, the camera will be on a stand).
2. ALWAYS check for shadows in the first few pictures before continuing on.
3. Windows Move Maker is a great tool to used, just be very patience with it.
4. SAVE! SAVE! SAVE you work!
In regards to the last point, the only part of this project that frustrated me slightly was that my Windows Movie Maker kept freezing up on me which led to me not only losing some of the work I did but having to wait about ten minutes for it to reload. However, patience is a virtue and I learned very quickly that I need to take my time and wait until my mouse pointer is finished loading before clicking or loading something else.
Anyways, with out further ado, here is my video. Enjoy!
Beginner Technology in Seuss English: Oh, The Places I've Been
Here are a few things that I learned while making my very first stop motion film:
1. It takes a lot of patience and a steady hand (next time, the camera will be on a stand).
2. ALWAYS check for shadows in the first few pictures before continuing on.
3. Windows Move Maker is a great tool to used, just be very patience with it.
4. SAVE! SAVE! SAVE you work!
In regards to the last point, the only part of this project that frustrated me slightly was that my Windows Movie Maker kept freezing up on me which led to me not only losing some of the work I did but having to wait about ten minutes for it to reload. However, patience is a virtue and I learned very quickly that I need to take my time and wait until my mouse pointer is finished loading before clicking or loading something else.
Anyways, with out further ado, here is my video. Enjoy!
Beginner Technology in Seuss English: Oh, The Places I've Been
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Digital Nation - Part III
The last portion of Digital Nation brought up several points that really grabbed my attention. I found it very intriguing within the Relationships segment when World of Warcraft guild members said that they have formed closer online friendships than real life ones and the majority of them have never ever met one another face to face. I guess technology really has rewritten the rules of interaction for society. There is definitely a societal urge to connect to people online and I must admit that prior to this class, my connecting online did not extend past the people that I knew and had talked to face to face. However, I am now finding it easier to open up and put my virtual self out there by commenting on blogs and twittering. It is still in it’s beginning stages however, I have definitely taken more steps in this particular direction than I have even before. It is surprising and very satisfying the connections one makes via the internet. Making a Connection was a post that I wrote back in March about a connection I make with a student from B.C. by simply just commenting on her blog. Her comments back along with her enthusiasm made my day.
Since my boyfriend is in the military, more specifically the Air Force, I find myself becoming more and more drawn to military issues in particular. This world is definitely foreign to me in terms of lingo, procedures, etc. (kind of like how technology was at the beginning of this course) however, the more effort I make to learn about this world the more comfortable I feel. In regards to Digital Nation , the segments titled Can Virtual Experiences Change Us? and Where are we headed? have really struck a chord with me. Firstly I had no idea that the drones over in Iraq were being flown by pilots back in Las Vegas instead of the pilots physically being present in the country that the actual drone is in. Watching this segment reminded me of how people sit down and play video games to be honest, except in this case the U.S. soldiers are sitting down a half a world away to fight a virtual war. Boy, reality and virtual are overlapping to the degree that I wonder if you would be ever able to separate them again?
Since my boyfriend is in the military, more specifically the Air Force, I find myself becoming more and more drawn to military issues in particular. This world is definitely foreign to me in terms of lingo, procedures, etc. (kind of like how technology was at the beginning of this course) however, the more effort I make to learn about this world the more comfortable I feel. In regards to Digital Nation , the segments titled Can Virtual Experiences Change Us? and Where are we headed? have really struck a chord with me. Firstly I had no idea that the drones over in Iraq were being flown by pilots back in Las Vegas instead of the pilots physically being present in the country that the actual drone is in. Watching this segment reminded me of how people sit down and play video games to be honest, except in this case the U.S. soldiers are sitting down a half a world away to fight a virtual war. Boy, reality and virtual are overlapping to the degree that I wonder if you would be ever able to separate them again?
Thursday, April 8, 2010
S.P.A.R.K. Camp
For the past week, I have been working at an Arts camp called S.P.A.R.K. which is put on by the Conservatory for the Performing Arts each year for children from ages 4 - 13 to participate in during Spring Break. There are a variety of camps all occurring at the same time: Kindermusik AM and PM, Mini Mozarts AM and PM, Arts Explorer, Romp & Stomp, Story 2 Stage, Creative Drama Studio 8 - 10 A & B, Creative Drama Studio 11 - 12, Showtime and Glee Club.
One of my favorite moments so far is helping the Guitar Camp tie dye T-shirts for their performance on Friday. The kids were so excited to dye their shirts and even us adults got caught up in the moment, which has not happened to me since internship. We unraveled our shirts today and it was the first time ever that a tie dye shirt has actually worked for me. I would like to thank the Guitar Camp kids for their color suggestions!
Even though that I have not been blogging as consistently as last week (boy, looked back I am really proud of myself how I found time to do so), I do believe that my time spent working with children has done me a world of good. It is so close to the end of the semester...and I find myself slowly burning out however, being at this camp even for a couple of hours a day is re-fueling my passion and drive in order to complete the last week to the best of my ability.
One of my favorite moments so far is helping the Guitar Camp tie dye T-shirts for their performance on Friday. The kids were so excited to dye their shirts and even us adults got caught up in the moment, which has not happened to me since internship. We unraveled our shirts today and it was the first time ever that a tie dye shirt has actually worked for me. I would like to thank the Guitar Camp kids for their color suggestions!
Even though that I have not been blogging as consistently as last week (boy, looked back I am really proud of myself how I found time to do so), I do believe that my time spent working with children has done me a world of good. It is so close to the end of the semester...and I find myself slowly burning out however, being at this camp even for a couple of hours a day is re-fueling my passion and drive in order to complete the last week to the best of my ability.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Garage Band
here Sunday, March 28, 2010
Blog Surfing: Stop Number #2
Stop Number #2 on my blog surfing spree was the blog of Liz B Davis . Her blog title was the first things that grabbed my attention: The Power of Educational Technology – Demonstrating the power technology to transform learning, energize communities and inspire innovative thinking. This statement represents for me the overall goal that ECMP 355 has set for me to aim for as I continue learning about and using technology in my personal life as well as bringing this knowledge into the classroom. Time and time again I am reminded by a story here or there or a lecture in class how powerful technology is when students get a hold of it and how, it in turn, transforms their learning process.
One of Davis’s posts, Foursquare & Buzz: Building Community or too Close for Comfort? really struck a chord with me. She describes how recently she started playing with two social media applications, the first one was Foursquare , an iPhone application where you “check in” to different places when you visit them. If you are the first to check in, or you check in the greatest number of times, you can become the mayor of that location (just like how Alec is or was a one time the mayor of the University of Regina). Davis goes on to say how she DM’d the mayor of her local Starbucks, Kevin Palmer , a social media blogger who she not follows on Twitter but also lives just a few blocks away from her to meet up for coffee.
The second social media tool mentioned was Google Buzz which can be described as a new Twitter like service that is integrated into Gmail . An iPhone application displays who is buzzing near by and will give a person’s approximate street address.
Davis’ point of view on these two social media applications is as follows:
-[She is excited that she could connect to people in her neighborhood, however it also] pushes her privacy boundaries.
-“These might be great tools for my community, but they also scare me a bit. For the most part I've gotten over my fear of making virtual connections. I remember when that was pretty terrifying. Now it is just a way of life. Maybe the logical next step is to bring those virtual connections full circle, back to the real world. That is still a little outside of my comfort zone, but I'm willing to give it a try.”
Because I do not have an iPhone, I can’t say that I have had any first hand experience with these two applications however, I can relate to having to get over a fear of making virtual connections. I have definitely progressed from the beginning of the semester however; I still have a little bit more to go to officially say that I am not afraid of virtual connections. I really like the point Davis made about bringing virtual connections full circle, I am no where near that point yet, but maybe in a year or two.
One of Davis’s posts, Foursquare & Buzz: Building Community or too Close for Comfort? really struck a chord with me. She describes how recently she started playing with two social media applications, the first one was Foursquare , an iPhone application where you “check in” to different places when you visit them. If you are the first to check in, or you check in the greatest number of times, you can become the mayor of that location (just like how Alec is or was a one time the mayor of the University of Regina). Davis goes on to say how she DM’d the mayor of her local Starbucks, Kevin Palmer , a social media blogger who she not follows on Twitter but also lives just a few blocks away from her to meet up for coffee.
The second social media tool mentioned was Google Buzz which can be described as a new Twitter like service that is integrated into Gmail . An iPhone application displays who is buzzing near by and will give a person’s approximate street address.
Davis’ point of view on these two social media applications is as follows:
-[She is excited that she could connect to people in her neighborhood, however it also] pushes her privacy boundaries.
-“These might be great tools for my community, but they also scare me a bit. For the most part I've gotten over my fear of making virtual connections. I remember when that was pretty terrifying. Now it is just a way of life. Maybe the logical next step is to bring those virtual connections full circle, back to the real world. That is still a little outside of my comfort zone, but I'm willing to give it a try.”
Because I do not have an iPhone, I can’t say that I have had any first hand experience with these two applications however, I can relate to having to get over a fear of making virtual connections. I have definitely progressed from the beginning of the semester however; I still have a little bit more to go to officially say that I am not afraid of virtual connections. I really like the point Davis made about bringing virtual connections full circle, I am no where near that point yet, but maybe in a year or two.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Educational Blog Surfing...Hang Ten!
Doing a bit of blog surfing today…
First stop: Will Richardson’s Blog and all I can say is…WOW! Not only has he been consistency blogging since 2002 which is an inspirational feet for a new blogger like me to see, but the links and information that he provides his readers is as vast as it is useful. One site that Richardson linked to was SupportBlogging.com . The best way to describe this site is an educator’s dream in blog format…and it’s even alphabetized! There is everything from educational blogs to classroom blogs and podcasts to a list of blogs by students as well as blogs written by parents, professors, principals, administrators, library/librarians and psychologists.
One aspect of this site that was not included in the list above is the vast list of Teacher’s blogs which, when I have a spare moment or two, I will be revisiting. Even with a quick glance, I am amazed at the variety in terms of what a global list this is and how valuable it will be in broadening my teaching perspective.
Out Richardson’s vast collection of blog posts, one in particular catch my attention, it is titled Reality Check for good reason. The post recalls a story that Richardson recently heard from a school administrator describing how a group of parents requested a meeting to discuss the methods of a teacher and his use of technology in the classroom. This teacher had students write on their own wikispace’s , use Skype to interview people who they had researched and identified as valuable voices in their learning. He also shared all of this lectures and class work online so anyone (his class included) could access them under the Creative Commons license.
Once I got to this part of the post, I have to admit that I couldn’t see why the parents felt the need to discuss this particular teacher practices except maybe for privacy concerns regarding their child’s online presence. My guess was way off…
When the administrator took a phone call from the parent who wanted to set up the meeting and asked for some sense of what the problem was. The reply was, “Our students don’t need to be a part of a classroom experiment with all this technology stuff. They need to have a real teacher with real textbooks and real tests.”
Richardson ended his post with one word. Sigh. I agree with him 100%. Before this class, I dabbled using technology in the classroom with the students however, I was too scared that it would fail or I would run into technical difficulties to try anything outside of my comfort zone. Now, I am glad to say that I am ready to jump in however; this story about parents not being receptive to technology being used to enhance their students learning was not on my mind in terms of potential opposition that I will face. I figured that my main battle (so to speak) would be with administration (if they were not accepting of it) not parents however, now I realize that I need to be prepared to defend my point of view on using technology in the classroom to any critic out there.
Just a quick note…some of the other blogs (plus one ning) that I stopped at today and am now following are:
Liz B Davis
Drew McAllister
Educations PLN
In my next couple of posts, I plan on finishing up my Digital Nation “series” with Part III plus write about the above mentioned blogs and ning.
First stop: Will Richardson’s Blog and all I can say is…WOW! Not only has he been consistency blogging since 2002 which is an inspirational feet for a new blogger like me to see, but the links and information that he provides his readers is as vast as it is useful. One site that Richardson linked to was SupportBlogging.com . The best way to describe this site is an educator’s dream in blog format…and it’s even alphabetized! There is everything from educational blogs to classroom blogs and podcasts to a list of blogs by students as well as blogs written by parents, professors, principals, administrators, library/librarians and psychologists.
One aspect of this site that was not included in the list above is the vast list of Teacher’s blogs which, when I have a spare moment or two, I will be revisiting. Even with a quick glance, I am amazed at the variety in terms of what a global list this is and how valuable it will be in broadening my teaching perspective.
Out Richardson’s vast collection of blog posts, one in particular catch my attention, it is titled Reality Check for good reason. The post recalls a story that Richardson recently heard from a school administrator describing how a group of parents requested a meeting to discuss the methods of a teacher and his use of technology in the classroom. This teacher had students write on their own wikispace’s , use Skype to interview people who they had researched and identified as valuable voices in their learning. He also shared all of this lectures and class work online so anyone (his class included) could access them under the Creative Commons license.
Once I got to this part of the post, I have to admit that I couldn’t see why the parents felt the need to discuss this particular teacher practices except maybe for privacy concerns regarding their child’s online presence. My guess was way off…
When the administrator took a phone call from the parent who wanted to set up the meeting and asked for some sense of what the problem was. The reply was, “Our students don’t need to be a part of a classroom experiment with all this technology stuff. They need to have a real teacher with real textbooks and real tests.”
Richardson ended his post with one word. Sigh. I agree with him 100%. Before this class, I dabbled using technology in the classroom with the students however, I was too scared that it would fail or I would run into technical difficulties to try anything outside of my comfort zone. Now, I am glad to say that I am ready to jump in however; this story about parents not being receptive to technology being used to enhance their students learning was not on my mind in terms of potential opposition that I will face. I figured that my main battle (so to speak) would be with administration (if they were not accepting of it) not parents however, now I realize that I need to be prepared to defend my point of view on using technology in the classroom to any critic out there.
Just a quick note…some of the other blogs (plus one ning) that I stopped at today and am now following are:
Liz B Davis
Drew McAllister
Educations PLN
In my next couple of posts, I plan on finishing up my Digital Nation “series” with Part III plus write about the above mentioned blogs and ning.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Digital Nation - Part II
According to Shakespeare, we are consumed with that which we are nourished by. In 1609, these words rang as true as they ring today in relation to the state of South Korea’s technology use. Prior to my viewing of Digital Nation , I thought that gaming was a issue in terms of teenagers as well as some adults devoting to much of their time to this virtual reality however, I never knew this habit could transform into something life threatening or fatal. One of my previous posts, Real Baby Dies as Parents Raise Virtual Daughter goes into terrible detail around how escaping reality to live in a virtual world can have real consequences in real life. One particular point that I found quite interesting is the concept of Internet Rescue Camps for South Korean students who either feel the need themselves or their parents desire them to disconnect and get back into touch with life without technology.
Technology enhances my everyday life. Because I was born into an era when computers were just starting to take off, I must admit that even though I am quite fond of the old way of doings things (writing a letter with pen and paper, calling someone on the telephone instead of texting or chatting on MSN) I am addicted to the instant gratification that a website like Google can provide. Back on the farm before we got high speed, I used to think that dial up was fast. Now, if a webpage does not load instantly or ads or pop up screens block my view of the site, I find myself getting anxious and a tiny bit irritable. If my current self have to put up with dial up, I do believe that I would reach new heights in terms of frustration level. But why do I feel this way? Because I was born close to the beginning a new computerized generation where, according to the Teaching with Technology section, technology is like oxygen. However, as a older member of this generation, I plan to ensure my students not only know how to use a variety of technology tools but also educate them in regards to keeping a balance between their virtual and real worlds since, as displayed in the Digital Nation video, in some cases, too much of a good thing can turn out to not be a good thing after all.
Technology enhances my everyday life. Because I was born into an era when computers were just starting to take off, I must admit that even though I am quite fond of the old way of doings things (writing a letter with pen and paper, calling someone on the telephone instead of texting or chatting on MSN) I am addicted to the instant gratification that a website like Google can provide. Back on the farm before we got high speed, I used to think that dial up was fast. Now, if a webpage does not load instantly or ads or pop up screens block my view of the site, I find myself getting anxious and a tiny bit irritable. If my current self have to put up with dial up, I do believe that I would reach new heights in terms of frustration level. But why do I feel this way? Because I was born close to the beginning a new computerized generation where, according to the Teaching with Technology section, technology is like oxygen. However, as a older member of this generation, I plan to ensure my students not only know how to use a variety of technology tools but also educate them in regards to keeping a balance between their virtual and real worlds since, as displayed in the Digital Nation video, in some cases, too much of a good thing can turn out to not be a good thing after all.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Project Hero Program: Noble Cause or Promotion of Militarism?
My attention today was drawn towards an issue making substantial waves around not only the University of Regina campus but across the country as well. I honestly had no prior knowledge of its existence until my boyfriend mentioned it to me in passing.
Apparently, a new scholarship program called ‘Project Hero’ will waive tuition and course fees for four years and will pay residence for one as well as provide $1,000 per year to successful applicants who are had a parent lose their life serving in Afghanistan.
This Project Hero Program will start in the fall across Canada and is being adopted by various universities and post secondary institutions including the University of Calgary, Memorial University, the University of Ottawa and the University of Windsor just to name a few however, what is making the majority of the waves (so to speak) is that 16 professors from the University of Regina sent in a open letter to Vianne Timmons, President of the University, asking for the withdrawal from Project Hero program.
The letter argues that the University’s involvement in such a program promotes militarism and that, according a quote by Jeffrey Webber, a political science professor, the “program is a glorification of Canadian imperialism in Afghanistan.”
On the other side of the issue, Andrew Tyler, a fourth-year history major and naval reservist said he was upset and irritated by the professors' letter.
"These are ultra left-wing people who have no idea what it's like to be in the boots of a soldier," Mr. Tyler said. "I'm tired of [them] pontificating to us about what we should do." –
National Post
According to The National Post , Barb Pollock, a spokeswoman for the University of Regina, said there would be no debate on the issue and that Project Hero would proceed.
So the question is: Is the scholarship program fair or foul?
For more information about Project Hero and a list of the post secondary institutions that have adopted it, click here.
You be the judge.
Apparently, a new scholarship program called ‘Project Hero’ will waive tuition and course fees for four years and will pay residence for one as well as provide $1,000 per year to successful applicants who are had a parent lose their life serving in Afghanistan.
This Project Hero Program will start in the fall across Canada and is being adopted by various universities and post secondary institutions including the University of Calgary, Memorial University, the University of Ottawa and the University of Windsor just to name a few however, what is making the majority of the waves (so to speak) is that 16 professors from the University of Regina sent in a open letter to Vianne Timmons, President of the University, asking for the withdrawal from Project Hero program.
The letter argues that the University’s involvement in such a program promotes militarism and that, according a quote by Jeffrey Webber, a political science professor, the “program is a glorification of Canadian imperialism in Afghanistan.”
On the other side of the issue, Andrew Tyler, a fourth-year history major and naval reservist said he was upset and irritated by the professors' letter.
"These are ultra left-wing people who have no idea what it's like to be in the boots of a soldier," Mr. Tyler said. "I'm tired of [them] pontificating to us about what we should do." –
National Post
According to The National Post , Barb Pollock, a spokeswoman for the University of Regina, said there would be no debate on the issue and that Project Hero would proceed.
So the question is: Is the scholarship program fair or foul?
For more information about Project Hero and a list of the post secondary institutions that have adopted it, click here.
You be the judge.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Digital Nation - Part I
So after looking over my blog as well as my notes for this class, I realize that I have yet to write up a post on the Digital Nation video. So better late than never...
During the first segment of the feature, Distracted by Everything , several points were made that I found not only true but insightful as well. I am in totally agreement that students do need to be stimulated in ways that they haven’t been stimulated before in terms of how we as teachers teach. We need to come up with creative and new ways to grab and hold their attention and using technology within our classrooms is one of the sure fire ways to do that.
Besides the video stating that “geeks are normal now” (which I always knew to be true!), I also found the discussion revolving around multitasking to be particularly interesting. I like to think of myself as a multi-tasker when it comes to balancing my social life with my academic one however, according to the research that that was done in the second segment, What’s It Doing to Their Brains? , I am questioning whether or not I should continue to practice this philosophy. I honestly had no idea that according to classic psychology, multitasking just is not possible. The study conducted by NASA proved that you are significantly slower when doing more than one task than if you were to do just one task continuously. However, I was not surprise to hear that the students in the study still believed in the success of multitasking since I am of the same opinion.
Maybe this has something to do with feeling over connected with the world as well as feeling the pressure to stay on top of everything constantly in your life? I mean, think about it, I personally feel like I have accomplished something and have had a more successful day if I managed to work on and maybe complete as many assignments as possible. On the days, that I don’t managed to work on anything except one particular subject or assignment, I feel restless, disconnected and worried that I will not get everything in by the due date. It’s like I am juggling way more bouncy balls than I have time to handle. However, I feel the urgent need to focus on each one for a moment just to see where it is in the air but if I keep that focus too long I jeopardize the whole routine so to speak.
The same can be said for technology, at least for me. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy being connected with my friends, family and society through a variety of technology tools however, that is a juggling act that is still quite new to me and occasionally I forget the steps. I am starting to see how our much our world is connected and that, as it was demonstrated via Skype in class on Tuesday, can be of great use and value in the classroom but from time to time I think I do enjoy, as the video says, ‘pressing the pause button’ temporary just to make sure that my multitasking juggling act has not bounced too far out of control.
Stay tuned for Part II :)!
During the first segment of the feature, Distracted by Everything , several points were made that I found not only true but insightful as well. I am in totally agreement that students do need to be stimulated in ways that they haven’t been stimulated before in terms of how we as teachers teach. We need to come up with creative and new ways to grab and hold their attention and using technology within our classrooms is one of the sure fire ways to do that.
Besides the video stating that “geeks are normal now” (which I always knew to be true!), I also found the discussion revolving around multitasking to be particularly interesting. I like to think of myself as a multi-tasker when it comes to balancing my social life with my academic one however, according to the research that that was done in the second segment, What’s It Doing to Their Brains? , I am questioning whether or not I should continue to practice this philosophy. I honestly had no idea that according to classic psychology, multitasking just is not possible. The study conducted by NASA proved that you are significantly slower when doing more than one task than if you were to do just one task continuously. However, I was not surprise to hear that the students in the study still believed in the success of multitasking since I am of the same opinion.
Maybe this has something to do with feeling over connected with the world as well as feeling the pressure to stay on top of everything constantly in your life? I mean, think about it, I personally feel like I have accomplished something and have had a more successful day if I managed to work on and maybe complete as many assignments as possible. On the days, that I don’t managed to work on anything except one particular subject or assignment, I feel restless, disconnected and worried that I will not get everything in by the due date. It’s like I am juggling way more bouncy balls than I have time to handle. However, I feel the urgent need to focus on each one for a moment just to see where it is in the air but if I keep that focus too long I jeopardize the whole routine so to speak.
The same can be said for technology, at least for me. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy being connected with my friends, family and society through a variety of technology tools however, that is a juggling act that is still quite new to me and occasionally I forget the steps. I am starting to see how our much our world is connected and that, as it was demonstrated via Skype in class on Tuesday, can be of great use and value in the classroom but from time to time I think I do enjoy, as the video says, ‘pressing the pause button’ temporary just to make sure that my multitasking juggling act has not bounced too far out of control.
Stay tuned for Part II :)!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Prezi Presentation
For my EPSY 332 class this semester, we divided ourselves up into groups and chose a disability to research and present. I was in an awesome group that consisted of Danelle Mondor, Katherine Shepherd and Megan Tokaruk.
I originally decided to make a Power Point presentation however, I had already made one this semester for another presentation and working with that program, in my opinion, was starting to get redundant. Even though it took me a good portion of my weekend, I dived head first into the Prezi program...and you know what? I survived to tell the tale. I managed to figure out the majority of things either on my own or through the instructional video on their site. However, I have to give a huge thank you to both Jessica Ward and Daelynn Estabrooks for helping me figure out how to control my zooming in and out as well as how to embed a YouTube video, called Asperger's Syndrome , which to my joy and delight worked no problem during our presentation!
Anyways, below is my 1st Prezi Presentation...and I have to say that I am quite proud of it!
I originally decided to make a Power Point presentation however, I had already made one this semester for another presentation and working with that program, in my opinion, was starting to get redundant. Even though it took me a good portion of my weekend, I dived head first into the Prezi program...and you know what? I survived to tell the tale. I managed to figure out the majority of things either on my own or through the instructional video on their site. However, I have to give a huge thank you to both Jessica Ward and Daelynn Estabrooks for helping me figure out how to control my zooming in and out as well as how to embed a YouTube video, called Asperger's Syndrome , which to my joy and delight worked no problem during our presentation!
Anyways, below is my 1st Prezi Presentation...and I have to say that I am quite proud of it!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
BREAKING NEWS! Tech Task #7
My group members for Tech Task #7 were Ashley Enion and Jessica Ward . We decided to take the perspective during our PowerPoint of news reporters covering a breaking story.
READ BEFORE WATCHING!
Along the way, we recorded our voices via the recorder in PowerPoint however, we never did quite manage to get our recordings to start playing each time the slide changed so...unfortunately the little yellow bell at the corner of the slides needs to be clicked to here our 'newscast'. We also added in a a few visuals to enhance the effectiveness of our story.
ENJOY!
Tech Task #7
EXPERIENCING TEMPORARY SOUND DIFFICULTIES...PLEASE CHECK BACK SOON :)
READ BEFORE WATCHING!
Along the way, we recorded our voices via the recorder in PowerPoint however, we never did quite manage to get our recordings to start playing each time the slide changed so...unfortunately the little yellow bell at the corner of the slides needs to be clicked to here our 'newscast'. We also added in a a few visuals to enhance the effectiveness of our story.
ENJOY!
Tech Task #7
EXPERIENCING TEMPORARY SOUND DIFFICULTIES...PLEASE CHECK BACK SOON :)
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Flickr Spelling Application
As I was going through the recent blog posts, I found a very interesting post titled, Flickr Spelling by Erica . She had discovered a Flickr application that will allow you to spell your name with pictures of single letters. I think that this was quite creative and have been inspired to try it myself...Thank You Erica!
Below is my final result:
Overall, I found this application to be fairly easy to navigate however, the site that I used to create the above image looks slightly 'unofficial' but you still arrive at the desired result. I definitely could see classroom applications for this technology tool specifically relating to letter recognition and spelling.
Below is my final result:
Overall, I found this application to be fairly easy to navigate however, the site that I used to create the above image looks slightly 'unofficial' but you still arrive at the desired result. I definitely could see classroom applications for this technology tool specifically relating to letter recognition and spelling.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Real Baby Dies as Parents Raise Virtual Daughter
I was watching the news recently and was, quite frankly, shocked at what I heard. It was only a short clip of a story but it certainly grabbed my full attention to the point where I felt the need to search and find out more information.
In South Korea, a couple addicted to computer games let their real life baby starve to death while raising a virtual daughter online. According to various articles I read, the couple spent up to 12 hours per day at an Internet cafe while their 3 month old daughter was left home alone at their apartment in Suwon, South Korea. They raised their avatar baby, named Anima, through their profiles on a Second Life-style game called PRIUS, while their real daughter was given just one bottle of milk a day.
The couple was reported to be on the run since their daughter died in September and was finally arrested five months after reporting the baby's death. The autopsy revealed that the infant girl had indeed died of malnutrition, a severe sign of neglect on the part of the parents.
In the Fox News article, I found the comments made by Dr. Keith Ablow to be very interesting. Ablow stated that "humans are at a critical moment in society — "when our fascination with online activities is beginning to eclipse our attention to reality." He believes that sites like Second Life can cleave vulnerable people from their genuine relationships and emotions and turn them into "pretenders" who live a fake, if not delusional, existence." I agree with Dr. Ablow to a point. Technology is a extremely useful tool in today's world when used in moderation. Connecting has never been easier to do and entertainment for example YouTube and online gaming, like Second Life, is constantly been taken to the next level providing us with fantastic experiences that allow us, for the moment, to ignore or escape reality. The problem occurs when it is taken to the extreme, as seen in this case.
Everything PR 's article on this story raises a very good point when it states that the a person should "use the virtual environment as a point of inspiration for what [they] want to do in the physical world, and [then proceed to] create your own reality."
Looking at this issue from a teacher's perspective, technology is a great tool to use in the classroom and the power of it in society should not be ignored. However, technology awareness needs to be taught right along side with the "How to's" in order to aid students in maintaining a healthy balance between their virtual and real lives.
In South Korea, a couple addicted to computer games let their real life baby starve to death while raising a virtual daughter online. According to various articles I read, the couple spent up to 12 hours per day at an Internet cafe while their 3 month old daughter was left home alone at their apartment in Suwon, South Korea. They raised their avatar baby, named Anima, through their profiles on a Second Life-style game called PRIUS, while their real daughter was given just one bottle of milk a day.
The couple was reported to be on the run since their daughter died in September and was finally arrested five months after reporting the baby's death. The autopsy revealed that the infant girl had indeed died of malnutrition, a severe sign of neglect on the part of the parents.
In the Fox News article, I found the comments made by Dr. Keith Ablow to be very interesting. Ablow stated that "humans are at a critical moment in society — "when our fascination with online activities is beginning to eclipse our attention to reality." He believes that sites like Second Life can cleave vulnerable people from their genuine relationships and emotions and turn them into "pretenders" who live a fake, if not delusional, existence." I agree with Dr. Ablow to a point. Technology is a extremely useful tool in today's world when used in moderation. Connecting has never been easier to do and entertainment for example YouTube and online gaming, like Second Life, is constantly been taken to the next level providing us with fantastic experiences that allow us, for the moment, to ignore or escape reality. The problem occurs when it is taken to the extreme, as seen in this case.
Everything PR 's article on this story raises a very good point when it states that the a person should "use the virtual environment as a point of inspiration for what [they] want to do in the physical world, and [then proceed to] create your own reality."
Looking at this issue from a teacher's perspective, technology is a great tool to use in the classroom and the power of it in society should not be ignored. However, technology awareness needs to be taught right along side with the "How to's" in order to aid students in maintaining a healthy balance between their virtual and real lives.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Gadgets and...Joining Twitter!
For the last couple of days, I have been really trying to make my blog my own personalized space. Now, for tech savvy people, this post probably will not be the most entertaining to read however, I feel very proud to say the least of how I have managed to dive into the inner workings of my blog page and (to my amazement) actually understand the majority of it!
As the title of this post states, I tried to spice up my page by adding gadgets. My first priority was finding out how to add a Clustr Map which I discovered was not as hard as I thought. Next, I went on a search to see what other gadgets are out there and how hard would it be to place them on my blog? Well, not very difficult at all. I added a Date and Time gadget and found a Poll application that was easy to add through my settings. Since the Olympics have just ended, I thought that this would be the perfect topic to practice my poll creating skills on by having people vote on the best overall moments. This idea was good in theory until I never included the Ice Hockey Gold for both men and women as an option. This little slip then brought about a minor speed bump due to the fact that I could not change the options once a vote had been cast. Overall, the process was remarkably easier than I thought and I find myself becoming increasingly engaged in searching not only for more cool gadgets but others things that I could do with my blog as well.
My success on my blog has finally tipped me over the edge and strengthen my bravery to the point where…drum roll please…I have decided to join Twitter ... the thought of which a couple of months ago scared me to death!
One of the main reasons that brought about my joining was that my previous post, Making a Connection was tweeted out by Alec Couros and as a result, I not only received 4 comments on that particular post but also have had 40+ visits to my blog from a variety of countries. This type of social networking power is difficult to ignore when it is staring you right in the face. I decided that even though I was slightly intimated about signing up I would just be doing myself and my future students a disservice by not including Twitter in my PLN.
So far, I have been welcomed with many gracious tweets and had connected with a variety of educators who have also put me onto some great sites and resources…which I hopefully will have time to blog about in the future!
As the title of this post states, I tried to spice up my page by adding gadgets. My first priority was finding out how to add a Clustr Map which I discovered was not as hard as I thought. Next, I went on a search to see what other gadgets are out there and how hard would it be to place them on my blog? Well, not very difficult at all. I added a Date and Time gadget and found a Poll application that was easy to add through my settings. Since the Olympics have just ended, I thought that this would be the perfect topic to practice my poll creating skills on by having people vote on the best overall moments. This idea was good in theory until I never included the Ice Hockey Gold for both men and women as an option. This little slip then brought about a minor speed bump due to the fact that I could not change the options once a vote had been cast. Overall, the process was remarkably easier than I thought and I find myself becoming increasingly engaged in searching not only for more cool gadgets but others things that I could do with my blog as well.
My success on my blog has finally tipped me over the edge and strengthen my bravery to the point where…drum roll please…I have decided to join Twitter ... the thought of which a couple of months ago scared me to death!
One of the main reasons that brought about my joining was that my previous post, Making a Connection was tweeted out by Alec Couros and as a result, I not only received 4 comments on that particular post but also have had 40+ visits to my blog from a variety of countries. This type of social networking power is difficult to ignore when it is staring you right in the face. I decided that even though I was slightly intimated about signing up I would just be doing myself and my future students a disservice by not including Twitter in my PLN.
So far, I have been welcomed with many gracious tweets and had connected with a variety of educators who have also put me onto some great sites and resources…which I hopefully will have time to blog about in the future!
Monday, March 1, 2010
Making a Connection
During the break, I had a chance to comment on a few of the the Grade 5/6 blog's from Comox, B.C. I commented on one blog in particular, written by "An Actress in the Making" Tatiana . She had written the most lovely poetry as well as a post or two on the movie Twilight which I also enjoyed watching. While on her blog, I also noticed that she had a Clustr map in the corner (...hmmm...I must figure out how to get me one of those!)
Since I was in L.A. for a while during the break, I figured that I could help some of these students get a red dot on their map since I always enjoyed seeing the red dots appear on our EPS blog in 3rd year. Anyways, I finished my comment to her and honestly, wasn't expecting much of a respond back...well, I was definitely wrong in that assumption!
She commented on my comment (I think that's how it works) and started asking me questions about L.A. and if she could write a blog post about my trip since she wants to travel there in the future. I must admit, I was amazed how excited she sounded and I was so honoured that she wanted to write about little old me...a person she had never even heard of prior to my comment. As a teacher, all I wanted to do was fuel that excitement for writing! She ended up writing an excellent post: Trip To Los Angles
Before this class, I thought I understood why people liked putting their thoughts out there on the internet. I figured was that they just wanted their voice to be heard. But talking with Tatiana made me realize that it is much more than that. It doesn't matter if your opinion is out there if you don't make a connection with someone else. A page or blog could exist forever and never really perform its purpose if someone else does not take the time to reach out and comment. I really was touched at the connection I made...and I hope to make many, many more :)
Since I was in L.A. for a while during the break, I figured that I could help some of these students get a red dot on their map since I always enjoyed seeing the red dots appear on our EPS blog in 3rd year. Anyways, I finished my comment to her and honestly, wasn't expecting much of a respond back...well, I was definitely wrong in that assumption!
She commented on my comment (I think that's how it works) and started asking me questions about L.A. and if she could write a blog post about my trip since she wants to travel there in the future. I must admit, I was amazed how excited she sounded and I was so honoured that she wanted to write about little old me...a person she had never even heard of prior to my comment. As a teacher, all I wanted to do was fuel that excitement for writing! She ended up writing an excellent post: Trip To Los Angles
Before this class, I thought I understood why people liked putting their thoughts out there on the internet. I figured was that they just wanted their voice to be heard. But talking with Tatiana made me realize that it is much more than that. It doesn't matter if your opinion is out there if you don't make a connection with someone else. A page or blog could exist forever and never really perform its purpose if someone else does not take the time to reach out and comment. I really was touched at the connection I made...and I hope to make many, many more :)
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Tech Task #5 - The Door Scene
For this task, I unfortunately was ill the day the rest of my peers split up into groups to start this project. I was gratefully 'adopted' into a group upon my return to help edit their movie, Elevator Door, with them using the iMovie application on the MacBook.
I was amazed at what this program could accomplish in terms of adding background music and cutting and resizing the video clips. I would definitely use this tool in my classroom in the future and depending on the grade level, have my students create their own videos or pair/group up to collaborate on one large project. In terms of creativity, the possibilities are endless! The sense of accomplishment that one has when watching their movie was so fantastic and I really can't wait to share this feeling with my students in the classroom one day.
Introducing The Elevator Door!
I was amazed at what this program could accomplish in terms of adding background music and cutting and resizing the video clips. I would definitely use this tool in my classroom in the future and depending on the grade level, have my students create their own videos or pair/group up to collaborate on one large project. In terms of creativity, the possibilities are endless! The sense of accomplishment that one has when watching their movie was so fantastic and I really can't wait to share this feeling with my students in the classroom one day.
Introducing The Elevator Door!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Tech Task #4 - Digital Storytelling
This is exactly what keeps me from diving head first into technology...the fact that I can work days and days on end to get a program to load, then open, then it decides not to save my project...ARGH!! I am really, really frustrated! I see the good of having technology in the classroom, I do but it is so aggravating when you know what you want to accomplish but the technology does not let you do it. To be honest, I have been close to tears with this tech task several times...between PhotoStory 3 loading then not saving my projects to VoiceThread closing for no reason than to give me a heart attack, I feel very drained and not really looking forward to the other projects, if I am going to have to struggle so much to get something finished. I hope I can figure out what I am doing wrong, since I am happy with my end result however, I can't afford to spent probably 5 - 10 hours on a tech task.
Anyways, now that I have gotten that off of my chest. I finally figured out how to work VoiceThread and ended up putting together a digital story of all of the trips I have gone on and one in particular that is yet to come this weekend... I am very happy with the final result and even though I had some troubles along the way, I am proud that I never gave up!
Here is my VoiceThread Video titled Past Trips and Future Adventures:
Anyways, now that I have gotten that off of my chest. I finally figured out how to work VoiceThread and ended up putting together a digital story of all of the trips I have gone on and one in particular that is yet to come this weekend... I am very happy with the final result and even though I had some troubles along the way, I am proud that I never gave up!
Here is my VoiceThread Video titled Past Trips and Future Adventures:
Monday, February 1, 2010
Tech Task #3 - In Class Presentation
1. Are social networks really here to stay?
I believe that social networks are here to stay. Will they always look the same? No, but there is not much in this world that does not eventually changed in one way or another. I believe that we live in a very exciting time for technology (though I bet people before me have said the exact same thing about technology more than once throughout history) and that we shouldn't be afraid of it, wary maybe but change always is unsettling until it becomes the norm. One point in Alec's presentation that really caught my attention was how in Finland it is a human right to have access to high speed Internet. At first I thought, "Wow, That's intense!" but the more time I had to process the possible reasons behind it, the more I found understood their decision since a great major of our time today is spent on a computer or using other forms of technology in one way or another to connect with others, thus creating our own social network. The Finnish government recognized that it would be doing their citizens a disservice not to each and every one of them access to a network which provides so many opportunities. As teachers, we must work hard to make sure that our students are just as enabled as the Finnish are when it comes to access and understanding the social networking process.
2. If so, what do you think schools (and teachers) need to do to prepare? How is learning in the future going to be different?
Currently in elementary schools, how the students learn and what resources they have/should have access to is already very different than when I was going through elementary school. I remember the only time we used computers was to play math games that were on floppy disks. Now, having computers inside the classroom provides such a variety of options for the students in terms of research, completing assignments and presenters from all over the world. As it was stated in the presentation, the future of learning is open, connected and social. What that means for teachers is that we no longer have to deal with the pressure of having to be an expert on every subject since it is possible to connect and collaborate with 'experts' via Skype or e-mail for example which then allows us to learn and discover new things along with the students. No one person knows everything and everything, so I believe that social networking is a great tool not only for teachers but for personal use as well.
3. What are you thoughts on copyright and creativity in a world where so much content is "lifted", remixed, or reused?
My opinion is two sided in regards to copyright. Since I come from a musical background in school, there was more than one occasion that we had to photocopy a piece of music in order for every member of the section to have their own part. The piece only comes with a certain number of parts per section and if you do not have enough, there are two options: photocopy or share. The sharing gets quite troublesome when two tubas try a crowd around the same piece of music and thus, creates tension and, frankly it is just not enjoyable to play when you can't see the notes. Now, I also believe that a composer should be given credit for their work and in terms of band pieces that credit comes in a financial form since one must purchase the piece in order to play it. That in turn, opens up another "can of worms" so to speak since many band/music programs do not have much in terms of budget or funding. So, the decision is to either photocopy whole pieces in order to provide the students with the experience of learning a new piece or not be able to due to lack of funding. Now this scenario is quite extreme since I know a lot of loading of original pieces happens within the band community however, I just wanted to really focus on the question of do you break copyright if it is of great benefit to your students? Or, is it more important to show them that copyright exists for a reason just like any other law?
After seeing what copyright settings are on Flickr in terms of posting pictures, I only wish that more things in life, like pieces of music for example, would have just as many options for their creators to apply instead.
I believe that social networks are here to stay. Will they always look the same? No, but there is not much in this world that does not eventually changed in one way or another. I believe that we live in a very exciting time for technology (though I bet people before me have said the exact same thing about technology more than once throughout history) and that we shouldn't be afraid of it, wary maybe but change always is unsettling until it becomes the norm. One point in Alec's presentation that really caught my attention was how in Finland it is a human right to have access to high speed Internet. At first I thought, "Wow, That's intense!" but the more time I had to process the possible reasons behind it, the more I found understood their decision since a great major of our time today is spent on a computer or using other forms of technology in one way or another to connect with others, thus creating our own social network. The Finnish government recognized that it would be doing their citizens a disservice not to each and every one of them access to a network which provides so many opportunities. As teachers, we must work hard to make sure that our students are just as enabled as the Finnish are when it comes to access and understanding the social networking process.
2. If so, what do you think schools (and teachers) need to do to prepare? How is learning in the future going to be different?
Currently in elementary schools, how the students learn and what resources they have/should have access to is already very different than when I was going through elementary school. I remember the only time we used computers was to play math games that were on floppy disks. Now, having computers inside the classroom provides such a variety of options for the students in terms of research, completing assignments and presenters from all over the world. As it was stated in the presentation, the future of learning is open, connected and social. What that means for teachers is that we no longer have to deal with the pressure of having to be an expert on every subject since it is possible to connect and collaborate with 'experts' via Skype or e-mail for example which then allows us to learn and discover new things along with the students. No one person knows everything and everything, so I believe that social networking is a great tool not only for teachers but for personal use as well.
3. What are you thoughts on copyright and creativity in a world where so much content is "lifted", remixed, or reused?
My opinion is two sided in regards to copyright. Since I come from a musical background in school, there was more than one occasion that we had to photocopy a piece of music in order for every member of the section to have their own part. The piece only comes with a certain number of parts per section and if you do not have enough, there are two options: photocopy or share. The sharing gets quite troublesome when two tubas try a crowd around the same piece of music and thus, creates tension and, frankly it is just not enjoyable to play when you can't see the notes. Now, I also believe that a composer should be given credit for their work and in terms of band pieces that credit comes in a financial form since one must purchase the piece in order to play it. That in turn, opens up another "can of worms" so to speak since many band/music programs do not have much in terms of budget or funding. So, the decision is to either photocopy whole pieces in order to provide the students with the experience of learning a new piece or not be able to due to lack of funding. Now this scenario is quite extreme since I know a lot of loading of original pieces happens within the band community however, I just wanted to really focus on the question of do you break copyright if it is of great benefit to your students? Or, is it more important to show them that copyright exists for a reason just like any other law?
After seeing what copyright settings are on Flickr in terms of posting pictures, I only wish that more things in life, like pieces of music for example, would have just as many options for their creators to apply instead.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Tech Task #2 - The (Digital) Writing on the Walls Presentation
The first point that really resonated with me was when Dr. Wesch said how the digital footprint of 1.4 billion people was in the room with his class watching his lecture. Just at a rough estimate, I believe that the population of the world is somewhere around 6 1/2 billion so, if my math is correct, at any one time there could very well be the equivalent of 1/7th of the world's population in digital footprints in a particular place. That is huge in my mind! I never realized just how many people are making connections every day, every second on the Internet and other digital sources. Now, the question I'm asking myself is how do I, as a teacher, make sure that my students are provided with the chance to learn to navigate this network in a way that helps develop their techo-skills but also create meaningful connections in the process?
First, I believe that learning environments have to change. What Dr. Wesch said about 'procedural' learners and how they learn and complete assignments solely based on what the teacher/professor says or whats in order to pass the class really struck a chord with me since that is one of my main 'survival' skills that I have been using since I have come to university and even a bit in high school as well. There were a few teachers in high school and four in university thus far that really presented the subject matter in a unique way and allowed the students to go forth and discover it instead of resiting it back to them from the textbook word for word. And, believe it or not, those are the classes that I remember the most information from and have applied the most information from in my teaching experiences because, above all else, those professors and teachers found a way to make the learning connect with me on a personal level.
So, having this prior experience of learning and researching just for the stake of meeting the passing standard, I will be conscious of the environment in my future classroom in regards to not only incorporating personal learning networks in general but also to make sure I provide or point the students in the direction of making connections to what they are learning in whatever way works best for them.
First, I believe that learning environments have to change. What Dr. Wesch said about 'procedural' learners and how they learn and complete assignments solely based on what the teacher/professor says or whats in order to pass the class really struck a chord with me since that is one of my main 'survival' skills that I have been using since I have come to university and even a bit in high school as well. There were a few teachers in high school and four in university thus far that really presented the subject matter in a unique way and allowed the students to go forth and discover it instead of resiting it back to them from the textbook word for word. And, believe it or not, those are the classes that I remember the most information from and have applied the most information from in my teaching experiences because, above all else, those professors and teachers found a way to make the learning connect with me on a personal level.
So, having this prior experience of learning and researching just for the stake of meeting the passing standard, I will be conscious of the environment in my future classroom in regards to not only incorporating personal learning networks in general but also to make sure I provide or point the students in the direction of making connections to what they are learning in whatever way works best for them.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Tech Task #1
Well, as it so nicely states above, my name is Callista Szachury and this is my blog. I a m originally from a small town here in Saskatchewan called Esterhazy. I grew up on a farm on my grandparents' homestead just outside of the town. Esterhazy is best known for being the Potash Capital of the World since it is located very near two mines: K1 and K2. My father, now retired, worked at K2 in the mill for 25 years and my mother retired from teaching when she had me to be a stay at home mom and being an only child, I didn't mind in the slightest.
Growing up, I was very interested in anything to do with music. I starting playing piano when I was 8 years old and have loved it ever since. In Grade 6, I discovered (to my amazement) that I apparently had a "knack" according to the band director for playing the euphonium. Now, just in case some do not know what a euphonium is...believe, not many people do, it's not the most common of instruments. It looks like a smaller tuba but is in the same tonal range as a trombone however it has a mellower sound like a French horn. Anyways, music and (as a progressed to the high grades at school) drama are two things that I enrich my life daily and I am very thankful that I was provided with the opportunities that I had. One other interest worth mentioning is that I was, and still am fiercely passionate about bowling. When my parents lived in B.C. for about 15 years, my Dad got a part-time job as a pin boy and was hooked on the sport ever since and because of this, passed his love for it onto me. At my best (so to speak), I was 3rd in the province individually and was on a team that also ranked 3rd the following year.
In regards to my experiences at school, I have two favorite grades: Kindergarten and Grade 12. All of the rest really do not make any sort of highlight reel in my books which I guess is one of the main reasons that I wanted to become a teacher. In short, I did not have a good day to day experience at school. The classes were fine, some were excellent however, when it came to the socialization part of education, I had the most "interesting" experiences practically every day. One of my main passions about teaching is that I will work my hardest so that no students have to dread coming to school because of the student environment.
As a child, my experience with technology was pretty slim. My parents were older than the parents who had children around my age. Nothing was or is wrong with this, I love my parents and think they are the best, but it did put me in an interesting learning environment since my parents were quite techno-phobic when it came to computers. There was no computer in the house until I was 10 and I learned most of my computer skills at school, thank goodness that opportunity existed! Eventually, I (along with my Mom) became quite comfortable using the computer however, my Dad will not go near a computer to this day. The computer skills that I acquired at school aided me in landing a job with the Government of Saskatchewan as an Administrative Assistant to the Deputy Minister of Energy and Resources for two summers which was a fabulous experience. So, all in all, I am very grateful for the computer courses in high school!
I believe that technology by introducing technology to students in the classroom at an earlier age they are more likely to pick up the necessary skills that ones needs to use the computer on a basic level. In our current society, having even the basic knowledge about computers will benefit the students since the technological world will always be a very prevalent part of their lives. As a teacher, I know that some schools are more 'blessed' than others in terms of what technology is available as a resource however, even with this limitation I feel that teachers should try to do as much as they can with the students. Going back to my parents and their techno-phobia, I must admit that I am not as confident in my skills as I want to be and this low confidence has on more than a couple of occasions kept me from using technology in the classroom. The lack of knowledge or experience is, in my opinion, another reason why maybe some teachers tend to avoid technology for fear of it 'not working'.
I feel strongly for the use of technology within the classroom in terms of researching purposes as well as presentational purposes to name a few situations. However, with allowing the students to use particular mediums such as a blog, MySpace or YouTube, one must be ever conscious that these resources do not turn into a network of cyber bullying within a particular class or travel throughout the whole school. This situation can hopefully be avoided by the teacher monitoring classroom posts and thus, the students get the opportunity to blog in a safe environment.
In my opinion, a cell phone is a great thing to have if you a driving a long distance in the winter or if someone needs to get a hold of you. However, things can be taken too far. Cell phones can add to cyber bullying by helping rumors as well as pictures (the current trend of "sexting") to be quicking and quietly spread away from the teachers' eye. Because of this current trend AND also because it is quite rude to be texting while others are trying to talk to you AND what is it doing to the grammar of today's youth, I agree with the current rules and regulations pertaining to the use of cell phones in schools.
Growing up, I was very interested in anything to do with music. I starting playing piano when I was 8 years old and have loved it ever since. In Grade 6, I discovered (to my amazement) that I apparently had a "knack" according to the band director for playing the euphonium. Now, just in case some do not know what a euphonium is...believe, not many people do, it's not the most common of instruments. It looks like a smaller tuba but is in the same tonal range as a trombone however it has a mellower sound like a French horn. Anyways, music and (as a progressed to the high grades at school) drama are two things that I enrich my life daily and I am very thankful that I was provided with the opportunities that I had. One other interest worth mentioning is that I was, and still am fiercely passionate about bowling. When my parents lived in B.C. for about 15 years, my Dad got a part-time job as a pin boy and was hooked on the sport ever since and because of this, passed his love for it onto me. At my best (so to speak), I was 3rd in the province individually and was on a team that also ranked 3rd the following year.
In regards to my experiences at school, I have two favorite grades: Kindergarten and Grade 12. All of the rest really do not make any sort of highlight reel in my books which I guess is one of the main reasons that I wanted to become a teacher. In short, I did not have a good day to day experience at school. The classes were fine, some were excellent however, when it came to the socialization part of education, I had the most "interesting" experiences practically every day. One of my main passions about teaching is that I will work my hardest so that no students have to dread coming to school because of the student environment.
As a child, my experience with technology was pretty slim. My parents were older than the parents who had children around my age. Nothing was or is wrong with this, I love my parents and think they are the best, but it did put me in an interesting learning environment since my parents were quite techno-phobic when it came to computers. There was no computer in the house until I was 10 and I learned most of my computer skills at school, thank goodness that opportunity existed! Eventually, I (along with my Mom) became quite comfortable using the computer however, my Dad will not go near a computer to this day. The computer skills that I acquired at school aided me in landing a job with the Government of Saskatchewan as an Administrative Assistant to the Deputy Minister of Energy and Resources for two summers which was a fabulous experience. So, all in all, I am very grateful for the computer courses in high school!
I believe that technology by introducing technology to students in the classroom at an earlier age they are more likely to pick up the necessary skills that ones needs to use the computer on a basic level. In our current society, having even the basic knowledge about computers will benefit the students since the technological world will always be a very prevalent part of their lives. As a teacher, I know that some schools are more 'blessed' than others in terms of what technology is available as a resource however, even with this limitation I feel that teachers should try to do as much as they can with the students. Going back to my parents and their techno-phobia, I must admit that I am not as confident in my skills as I want to be and this low confidence has on more than a couple of occasions kept me from using technology in the classroom. The lack of knowledge or experience is, in my opinion, another reason why maybe some teachers tend to avoid technology for fear of it 'not working'.
I feel strongly for the use of technology within the classroom in terms of researching purposes as well as presentational purposes to name a few situations. However, with allowing the students to use particular mediums such as a blog, MySpace or YouTube, one must be ever conscious that these resources do not turn into a network of cyber bullying within a particular class or travel throughout the whole school. This situation can hopefully be avoided by the teacher monitoring classroom posts and thus, the students get the opportunity to blog in a safe environment.
In my opinion, a cell phone is a great thing to have if you a driving a long distance in the winter or if someone needs to get a hold of you. However, things can be taken too far. Cell phones can add to cyber bullying by helping rumors as well as pictures (the current trend of "sexting") to be quicking and quietly spread away from the teachers' eye. Because of this current trend AND also because it is quite rude to be texting while others are trying to talk to you AND what is it doing to the grammar of today's youth, I agree with the current rules and regulations pertaining to the use of cell phones in schools.
Throughout the course of this semester, I hope to ultimately become more comfortable and confident in my computer skills. I expect or would like the class to be laid out in a way that it is easy for my to understand what topics are being discussed as well as assignment details and rubrics prior to the due date. In closing, I am really excited to learn any new skills that can enhance my teaching with technology!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
