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.
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