The End is Here! (Maple/Pecha Kucha)

We are winding down and the assignment list is slowly being checked off! Now that the end is very clearly in sight, I'm really seeing the value of the technological skills that I have learned in Mike's class. Even if I'm not a guru, at least now I know more about the full capacity of the internet and I know that it is necessary to keep up with the times. Without the push toward technology from this class, I would not even know where to begin scouring the internet.

I'm excited to do the pecha kucha. I really think it will be a good way to sum up the things that I have learned to do online and with technology and to address the issue of ever-advancing technology.

I'm also really excited about the Maple social network. I have already found value in the community and the groups that I have joined. I have been working on a group project for another class regarding EAL learners and the Maple social EAL group has been a fantastic sources of resources. And that's just one group! I like that it is primarily meant for Manitoba Teachers, but can still connect teachers and resources from all over the world!

Dying, just dying, to get in my own classroom!

Web-Based App

I'm not sure how many of you have checked out Lumosity, but I have an I, actually really like it. It has many different games and you can get a reasonable, but limited, profile for free. I have heard that the 'brain-training' it accomplishes may only be skill at that particular game/activity. I think it would be a good excuse reason to play games brain train in class. If I were in a one-to-one division, I would use the free version of the app for 5 minutes brain-training-breaks. Something to break up the class itself. 

There is a raindrop math game that I have used in the past to beef up my mental math skills before my summer job starts up (beverage cart- lots of adding and making change only in your head). It does work for improving mental math- no questions asked. 

To have success at the game you must successfully answer the math question that is in the raindrop before it hits the water. It starts slow with 1-3 raindrops slowly falling and as you continue to achieve success, it speeds up both in the rate of fall and number of drops. I saw major improvements in my own scores in a short period of time. It tells you your percentage correct without pressure (slow drops) and under pressure (lots of drops, quickly falling). This was good for my job as there is a sense of urgency surrounding my mental math abilities!

Check it out and let me know your thoughts!

Using Online Videos in the Classroom

I LOVE using video in the classroom- probably, because I love to learn that way! Kids have been really responsive to certain videos that I have used.

I always make sure to give the kids a link or the title of the video (I usually use YouTube) so that they can check it out when they're studying. My grade nine science class responded really well with most of them making note of the titles and many telling me that they had used them.

The first video that I'm sharing is a TedEd video that I found on YouTube and used for the Genetics unit of grade nine science and it went over really well with the kids.

How Mendel's pea plants helped us understand genetics

With the same grade nine classes, we used video and song to learn the periodic table. As my CT had them write little quizzes (formative assessments) on the elements (straight memorization), we used videos similar to Sheldon's chemistry song except they went in order. We used videos that allowed us to memorize the elements in sequence, as the quizzes would be on elements 1-18 or 1-36. One of my students told that she annoyed her family all weekend by singing the periodic table song. All you need to do is type "Periodic Table Song" into the search engine and  thousands  lots of videos pop up.

I'm also a big fan of khan academy videos. I've recommended them to my tutoring students and to students who have missed classes, while I have been out student teaching. I really like having kids use the modules to catch up. It saves me time and makes the kid more self-sufficient. I always tell them to check out the video and then make sure they come and see me if they have any questions. One of my students missed the last day of content before a test and score over 80 (which was on par for him) by using the video to supplement his learning.

BIG fan of Khan Academy. You can sign up and use their website: Khan Academy. Or you can find many Khan Academy tutorials on YouTube.

Pod-Cast! Baby, Pod-Cast! Pod-Cast Babbbyyyy

So it turns out I have actually seen one of the episode of my chosen podcast- and I've been talking about in my blog and in my comments. I used iTunes and found a podcast that peaked my interest right away, BrainCraft from ScienceAlert Podcasts. As soon as I looked at the list of episode titles, I knew it was for me.

As I am an obsessed coach, I looked at the first podcast in the list regarding Brain Training and Sports Performance. I would like to somehow link it to my basketball coaching website, because I already have a large written section about The Science Behind Repetition and Visualization. The podcast describes the exact same function of using visualization for the purposes of sport performance, but in a much more visually appealing and easy-to-understand way.

Anyone know if/the best way that I can link a podcast episode to my personal webpage?

The episode I had seen before (I don't remember where, ironically enough,) was the #6 Is Technology Killing Your Memory? The episode addresses the notion that our memories are functioning to recall where to find information (based on efficiency) rather than memorizing the actual information itself. The easiest example is phone numbers. I used to have multiple phone numbers memorized as a kid, many of which I still remember, but, now, I don't even know my sister's new cell phone number. Or my dad's. Why would I? I don't have to. It is more efficient to find them in my contacts.

I also found The Upside of Social Media Narcissism really interesting. It addresses the issues of increasing levels of narcissism in the Y Generation and how it can be corrosive to society. However, it moves on to bring up such points as an increased self-awareness and increased self-esteem among the generation as well. It would appear to be that the right amount of narcissism is necessary for confidence. It's an  interesting watch that's for sure!

Edublogger: Miss L's Whole Brain Teaching

I started following Kristen's blog (Miss L's Whole Brain Teaching) right after she Skyped in with us. I always respected what she had to say and she is clearly a very motivated and resilient new teacher. I think that she has done an amazing job incorporating technology into her classes. She has had the kids design their own PLNs, they have a classroom blog, and more! All in a relatively low-tech division.

This particular post regarding PLNs might come in handy for some of us that our coming up to that tech task: http://misslwholebrainteaching.blogspot.ca/2014/02/classroom-blog-development-of-our-pln.html.

I benefited as a science teacher from a post she made about activities that she had used for Mitosis and Meiosis. Another recent post, for which I really commend her for, celebrate the 2 year anniversary of her blog. I can't express to you how many times I have started writing in a journal or something of the like and I never finish it. The last half always remains empty. I think it is incredible the Kristen had been able to maintain her blog and successfully integrate technology into her classroom- all as a first year teacher!

Great work Kristen! I look forward to reading more of your posts!

Digital Footprints

After reading Jaynell's blog about Digital Footprints, I decided to try googling myself to see what pops up. These were the initial results, which I am quite happy with as a professional:

Having such an unusual last name (if you type my last name into Facebook, I'm related to most of the Canadian ones), I'm easy to find on the internet. No John Smith here. When I clicked over to take a look at what images would pop up, it was surprising to see how many classmates show up. I'm assuming it profile pictures from a shared group? There were random pictures from my Pinterest account- which I'm not grateful that I made a secret folder for the Pins that I find funny, but might be considered inappropriate by some.

I think it is critical to teach digital citizenship to our students and practice it ourselves. This was/is a new problem and I remember feeling when I was 18 or 19 that I shouldn't have to censor myself and should be able to put anything up there (at that point, Facebook was just heating up and it was used just by the young ones), but that's just not true. The internet is a public and global society. I really liked the video we watched earlier in the semester that showcased the girls posting an irremovable picture of herself on a local bulletin board. It is almost literally (save the digital aspect) the exact same thing as going down to the Brodie Building and posting a picture of yourself doing <insert inappropriate activity> and it staying up there forever. The internet is not your journal, it is not a private conversation between you and your friends, it is a public forum. You can and will be found.

Upcoming Graduation

I am struggling oh-so-much to remain motivated for the final days of the semester. I feel terrible, because I mean no disrespect to my professors or the courses they teach and I know the information is valuable, but..... I have been on the student side of the desk for almost 22 of my 26 years (kick ass diploma from Pre-K, which obviously counts as a year of education). I'm almost out of juice. I want to have a job where I feel as though me being there is actually making a difference. Not my being there means you will get your drink in a reasonable amount of time with a smile.

-Here's where I start bragging about my basketball team-

I love my team. I've always loved being a part of a team. I put 10x the effort into coaching my team than I do any of my classes. My classes are meant to facilitate my learning and the assignments are meant to support them. Speaking of which, my most valuable assignment to date came from Mike's ICT class- the website. I made a coaching website. Coach Kate Lives Here. Through parent contribution (and having attained a signed media release, allowing me to post pictures of the team), I have compiled over 150 team pictures. I continue to work on this assignment, because it means something to me. I have poured hours into this website- none of which felt like work. Student teaching, even though there is way more grunt work associated with it, did not feel like work to me- coming in on the weekends, planning my next day, etc. Yes, things got stressful, but it's for the kids and I liked 95% of my students, therefore, it wasn't work. That's how I know I'm going to be a great teacher and th

at I am meant to be a teacher. The old adage says, "Find a job you love and you'll never work a day in your life." But I can't forget, only I know this. I still need to prove myself to my professors and potential employers out there. Now, my team receives so much of my attention, because they work so hard for and they deserve it. We should be going to Provincials this year (play offs Monday!) and the dates conflict with student teaching. Fortunately, I can make up the two days elsewhere. Had that not panned out, I was prepared to go full-steam ahead no regrets and make it happen. By any means necessary- even if it meant a later graduation. I've beat into my girls all season that if you start something, you finish it.

Message to Kate: You started your Ed Degree, now do your assignments, and finish it! 

ALMOST THERE!!!!!

Ps. I still love FaceSwap. I think I'd make one helluva good-looking guy.

Tweeting

I'm still making up my mind about Twitter, which is another social media device that I use (barely) solely on my phone. This has made it a little bit tougher, because I decided to create a separate account for my teaching self. I have a strange sense of humor and would like the freedom to express my offbeat qualities without having it diminish my professional rapport. Especially, when I'm following people that I have never met. They might take some of what I have posted out of context. 

The use of professional account is fairly minimal as of yet- due to the fact that I have no PC Twitter habits. Basically, I forget my password every time I go to the site. I want to use it more frequently though; better yet, I need to.  I get myself in funks where I do nothing to professionally develop for some relatively arbitrary length of time and then I will go nuts and learn all these new things that spawn new classroom ideas. I've done it. I know it's beneficial. Now, it is just a matter of keep up with it. 

I'm following a number of great people in the education field (anyone form Bill Nye to recent Ed grade, Kristen Thompson). I know there is valuable information just waiting for me to uncover. 

The only activity that I have had on my account is the posting of an article, Is Teacher Education the Real Problem? The article questions the preparation of teachers for the field and also addresses other issues that have a negative impact over student learning: Lack of parental involvement, overcrowding, and SCREEN CULTURE, i.e. technology. I added the link, so in case you missed my one twitter post you can still check it out! Is Teacher Education the Real Problem?

One-to-one Discussion Panel

Hearing our panelists present their cases for one-to-one and identifying problems associated with a one-one policy in place. I didn't even think about storage and charging!  There are definitely a lot of headaches that go along with it, but I feel that the pros of a one-to-one school far exceed the negatives. The negatives surround appropriate use and maintenance for the most part (constantly changing technology being a huge issue- how do schools keep up financially?); the positives surround the limitless mounds of teaching resources that is at the fingertips of each and every student.

I've actually come across a study that states our memories our functioning using the process of remembering where to find information rather than funnel the information itself into our memories. How we learn and what we do with that information is important. Technology use in schools is imperative to ensure that the next generation is ready to deal with those jobs, that don't exist yet, that use technology, that does not yet exist, and face all the problems that go along with it.

 We need to change how we learn, simply, because we are changing the way that we live. The pace at which change is occurring is profoundly rapid and we need to teach our students to learn how to adapt with the times. To do this, we need scaffold curious minds in our students and the use of technology will be necessary to do so.




**side bar** I am impressed to know that RRSD has had success with limited damages with the policy in place!

Organizing My Online Life

My online life is in complete disarray. I use Pinterest mostly to "pin" things that I like in the moment and then barely refer back. My emails, while I do have folders to organize what comes in, if I don't go back to it right away, it either stays in the Inbox or moves to the Trash. I really don't know why, it's not difficult. It's just one of those things that eventually piles up and by the time I get around to it, the habit has been made. I actually only have two folders: Inbox and Trash.

Even my general computer organization of documents is not very good. I have folders for pictures, school stuff somewhat placed in certain folders, and innumerable random downloads that eat up most of the memory on my PC. I tried using that ePearl website and found that it seemed redundant to me for some reason. The problem is that I do not use too many websites now and don't feel too big of a need to me to organize them- but I know I will need to do it in the future. I am a creature of habit, if I don't start it now- it will be hell to deal with later.

Blatant Plagiarism

Oopsies, I guess I need to create my own infographic! Lazy Kate strikes again. I found a website called Piktochart that is an editing site specifically for infographics. Here is a rudimentary example of what you can accomplish using this site.

Infographic

I definitely like the idea of using infographics in the classroom. Both as means of presenting information to the kids and as a classroom activity.To me, they look like advertisements for information. The information itself is presented in a visually stimulating arrangement alongside images that beckon the eye to pay attention (maybe a little bit over the top, but I thought it sounded poetic). Even more than the visual appeal, as an assignment, creating an infographic would require students to organize their information in a relevant and eye-catching manner.

While I was using Pinterest on my computer for the first time (I never realized how much I strained my eyes looking at the small pictures on my phone, however, I blast through pages way faster now that it's on a bigger screen, information overload?), I came across an infographic that could be used in an ed class. I actually had some trouble understanding the exact point of formative assessment my first year of ed, having never been exposed to it before. Maybe something like this could have helped me?

Social Media: Phone vs. Computer

As much as I claim that I want to change, I'm innately resistant to technological progress. I have come to release that there are a certain number of social media sites that I use exclusively on my phone. Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest are the main ones. I think part of that probably has to do with the fact that I don't remember my passwords and, at one time, I did think that Instagram was an exclusive phone-only app (oops- my ignorance is showing).

There are a number of reason to use these apps mainly on your phone (convenience being the main one). However, I often have my computer near me and I have NEVER looked at Pinterest on my PC. I am active on Pinterest (although, admittedly, there was a period where I wasn't exactly sure how it worked and had no knowledge of the fact that I had followers.

I have pinned 1000 items, mostly things that I find funny and rarely go back to, DIY projects that I sometimes do, recipes that I sometimes make, and workouts that I sometimes try. I usually just browse the general search topics and rarely look at my followers feed. I'm still learning technology, but my pace is way too slow to keep up with the Jetson's.

High Tech Teaching w/ Low Tech Resources

 

I found it extremely beneficial to hear from Kristen, Tyler, and Tiffany about how they use technology in the classroom. It doesn't necessarily matter how big or small a division is, there may still be issues with getting your hands on those valuable technological resources. 

I think we will be establishing our careers at a challenging transitional time and we truly do need to be active in upgrading our teaching styles and being persistent regarding keeping technology in the classroom. It is necessary for us to be vehicles of change, overcome obstacles, and find solutions to using technology in the classroom. To me, it feels like a big move for us, because I did have a pretty old school classroom styles of instruction given to me as a student. Overhead projectors and television sets were the extent of our technology in the class. 

Be the change, my teaching comrades, be the change