I have never really been one to enjoy phone conversations. To me, Skype/Google Hangouts are akin to phone conversations where you have to care at least a little about your appearance. I find myself fairly distracted by myself in these conversations. I never see myself interact or converse with people and it's very strange to me.
That being said, I enjoyed using Skype while I was in Mexico as a means to communicate with friends and family. I enjoyed seeing the faces of my family and friends, but on a day to day basis, I don't think Skype/Face Time is for me. Skype always had its connectivity issues when I was using it, which I found equally distracting and frustrating.
I actually hate phone conversations too, but for an entirely different reason (My hearing is crap and I have the most awkward 'goodbyes.' I was born in the right era for me in terms of making social connections. I'll text, msn, or 'chat' you into the ground. I have always found writing easy.
The massive amount of technology out there can be overwhelming, but I believe it is a matter of educating ourselves about what is out there and available to be used and choose which tools apply to us. By finding our strengths in technology and coupling them together we, as educators, will be able to best execute our knowledge of technology in the classroom.
Tuesday, 21 January 2014
Going Pro
I feel that I have identified that I am weak in the area of technology. Identifying your weakness is key to success. I want to be good with technology. I like knowing things. To be frank, I enjoy knowing more than other people. A good quality for a teacher to have, I suppose. I enjoy teaching high school, because I enjoy the challenge that it brings me. Specifically in science. Science is ever-changing and being a teacher of science demands constant self-education. I find that in teaching high-level science, I research more in depth than I would for my own benefit. I try to prepare myself for potential questions- because I don't like not knowing something that I'm expected too.
I need to take this same approach to using the internet and technology. I want to be the teacher that wows kids with my technological abilities, rather than rely on them to help me utilize technology in the class. I have numerous memories of teachers struggling with overheads, VCRs, and TV sets and relying on students to help them. We have to be on our toes with this constantly changing technology.
So suit up, Ms. Deremiens, you're going Pro on the Techie front.
I need to take this same approach to using the internet and technology. I want to be the teacher that wows kids with my technological abilities, rather than rely on them to help me utilize technology in the class. I have numerous memories of teachers struggling with overheads, VCRs, and TV sets and relying on students to help them. We have to be on our toes with this constantly changing technology.
So suit up, Ms. Deremiens, you're going Pro on the Techie front.
Sunday, 12 January 2014
Get more smarter
Where to begin?
With regards to this blog, I don't know. With regards to the internet, I don't know. My capacity to use the internet is fairly limited and I can't seem to find good websites on my own. I can only do what I have been instructed about. I've enjoyed using all of the websites that I've learned about in ICT and feel that this course is necessary for me to keep up with the techies (next generation). The technological revolution is rapidly progressive and non-ending. The amount of change that has happened in the last 8 years (when I graduated) is absurd. From my parents generation to mine, we had advancements such a typing, basic computers, and dial-up internet. I never used the internet more than 5 in my high school career, at least for the purposes of research. Now, I don't know how I would get by without it!
When I was in high school, cell phones were strictly for the purposes of calling and most of us didn't waste our 'pay-as-you-go' minutes, so most conversations took place on the phone or via msn. I wrote letters to old friends from camp in high school. I was there for the birth of those spammy chain forward letters (which, even then, I was skeptical of- though I'm sure I still sent them... 'just in case').
In addition to me needing to improve my internet skills, I really enjoy impressing my students. I don't want to be a 26 year-old dino of a teacher that needs help turning the google machine on. I'm pretty sure that I thought, at one point in my life, that I would come to a point in my life where I would stop learning and instead pass on my wisdom.
I've come to realize that that point does not exist.
With regards to technology and the internet, educators must change with the world or have the world change without them.
With regards to this blog, I don't know. With regards to the internet, I don't know. My capacity to use the internet is fairly limited and I can't seem to find good websites on my own. I can only do what I have been instructed about. I've enjoyed using all of the websites that I've learned about in ICT and feel that this course is necessary for me to keep up with the techies (next generation). The technological revolution is rapidly progressive and non-ending. The amount of change that has happened in the last 8 years (when I graduated) is absurd. From my parents generation to mine, we had advancements such a typing, basic computers, and dial-up internet. I never used the internet more than 5 in my high school career, at least for the purposes of research. Now, I don't know how I would get by without it!
When I was in high school, cell phones were strictly for the purposes of calling and most of us didn't waste our 'pay-as-you-go' minutes, so most conversations took place on the phone or via msn. I wrote letters to old friends from camp in high school. I was there for the birth of those spammy chain forward letters (which, even then, I was skeptical of- though I'm sure I still sent them... 'just in case').
In addition to me needing to improve my internet skills, I really enjoy impressing my students. I don't want to be a 26 year-old dino of a teacher that needs help turning the google machine on. I'm pretty sure that I thought, at one point in my life, that I would come to a point in my life where I would stop learning and instead pass on my wisdom.
I've come to realize that that point does not exist.
With regards to technology and the internet, educators must change with the world or have the world change without them.
Sunday, 10 March 2013
The Final Post
I
honestly do not think that I ever would have expected two months to fly by as
quickly as they have. Nor did I have any idea when the next time that I would
read two books in two months. My perspective and conception of time and the
world has entered into that world that I never thought would happen to me. As a
child, I remember declaring to adults that I would never do the following
things:
11. Run
out of energy.
22. Feel
as though time was passing too quickly.
33. Go
to post-secondary school for more than three years.
Being the stubborn mule that I am,
for a few years I refused to be a hypocrite and burned the candle at both ends,
working nearly full-time and attending school full-time. Well, that took care
of childhood belief #2. Wow, does time fly when you are constantly busy! After
a couple years, my wick grew short and became tired and turned twenty-one.
That’s when I realized that I preferred Biology courses over my English courses
and switched degrees. “I could never be a doctor/lawyer/etc., that’s way too
much school.” That thought crept back into my mind as I made the transfer and
signed up for 3+ more year of school. I guess people change and I am no exception.
I even submitted to the thought of being stuck in my old ways for a while, especially in terms of technology. All of the new tools and gadgets out there scared me right into my shell. I'm so thankful to have been a part of the Nantais ICT class- none of these tools are half as scary as they seem!
Sunday, 24 February 2013
Couple newly learned tricks
Although not complete, I'm starting to gain a web presence outside of my undergrad Facebook life and cat pictures.
I have acquired a couple of "in-progress" websites (and this blog) pertaining to my teaching career. I have shared my basketball coaching link already, but it has been updated, so I will do it again! I have certainly put more time into my basketball coaching website as it is already being used by my athletes. I have uploaded games and results and a team roster! My eportfolio needs some tidying up and a little fine-tuning, but I can certainly see how a digital version is so much more convenient than a hard copy. I have been learning and now with the course drawing to an end, I need to find away to keep practicing my newly acquired ICT knowledge!
ePortfolio: http://msderemiensclass.weebly.com/
Coaching website: http://katelynderemiens.yolasite.com
Check them out!
I have acquired a couple of "in-progress" websites (and this blog) pertaining to my teaching career. I have shared my basketball coaching link already, but it has been updated, so I will do it again! I have certainly put more time into my basketball coaching website as it is already being used by my athletes. I have uploaded games and results and a team roster! My eportfolio needs some tidying up and a little fine-tuning, but I can certainly see how a digital version is so much more convenient than a hard copy. I have been learning and now with the course drawing to an end, I need to find away to keep practicing my newly acquired ICT knowledge!
ePortfolio: http://msderemiensclass.weebly.com/
Coaching website: http://katelynderemiens.yolasite.com
Check them out!
Tuesday, 19 February 2013
Digital Storytelling: Part 2
So I have had the opportunity in two of my classes to dabble in digital storytelling. 'Back in the day,' I used to love messing around in movie maker and creating little videos for English class or working on larger projects such as our high school grad video and a wedding slide show.
My most recent project started with me brainstorming an idea for a children's story for my ELA methods class. Every idea I had seemed generic and forced. No natural flow whatsoever. Dealing with copyright and creative commons makes me nervous, so as a time saver, I turned to my own pictures. Here is where I found mountains of pictures categorized into makeshift folders/albums. I have always meant to make scrapbooks from my old pictures- or at least hard copy albums. I love nostalgia and really enjoy looking through old pictures. I stared for a while at my copious cats photos and thought about how I could turn them into a story. That's when the simplicity dawned on me. I could just tell the true story of my recent trip with Habitat for Humanity to Honduras. I was immediately engrossed in the process. At moments, the memories made me a little bit misty. I loved taking time to revisit my thought processes when making the short film. I think digital stories are a great way to consolidate old memories and store them for future trips down memory lane.
The downside to becoming so entangled in the process was that my original video was 3 minutes too long and my final copy was a minute and a half over time. I did not use the story board process as I should have, because I had already lived the story. The result of my poor time management left me with a video that I did not have the heart to trim down to meet the criteria of the assignment; however, the assignment gave me that nudge I need to finish these projects that, although meaning a lot to me, I had completely forgot about.
My most recent project started with me brainstorming an idea for a children's story for my ELA methods class. Every idea I had seemed generic and forced. No natural flow whatsoever. Dealing with copyright and creative commons makes me nervous, so as a time saver, I turned to my own pictures. Here is where I found mountains of pictures categorized into makeshift folders/albums. I have always meant to make scrapbooks from my old pictures- or at least hard copy albums. I love nostalgia and really enjoy looking through old pictures. I stared for a while at my copious cats photos and thought about how I could turn them into a story. That's when the simplicity dawned on me. I could just tell the true story of my recent trip with Habitat for Humanity to Honduras. I was immediately engrossed in the process. At moments, the memories made me a little bit misty. I loved taking time to revisit my thought processes when making the short film. I think digital stories are a great way to consolidate old memories and store them for future trips down memory lane.
The downside to becoming so entangled in the process was that my original video was 3 minutes too long and my final copy was a minute and a half over time. I did not use the story board process as I should have, because I had already lived the story. The result of my poor time management left me with a video that I did not have the heart to trim down to meet the criteria of the assignment; however, the assignment gave me that nudge I need to finish these projects that, although meaning a lot to me, I had completely forgot about.
Wednesday, 13 February 2013
Digital Storytelling
I made the grad video for my class in 2005. I haven't really learned any new "movie maker" skills since then. I have been meaning for the last couple of years to turn my photos from certain trips and life events into videos instead of making photo albums. I normally just import a bunch of pictures, throw my go to transitions in there, and maybe a little music.
Animoto is a really useful tool and creates amazing videos. The effects and transitions are easy to use and look super professional! There is a little bit of overlap with my ELA methods (we have to make a digital story) and some of my classmates have found other storyboard tools on the internet such as slideshare.net. So it looks like I am going to have to put aside some time to deal with masses of photos that I've accumulated over the last seven years!
Animoto is a really useful tool and creates amazing videos. The effects and transitions are easy to use and look super professional! There is a little bit of overlap with my ELA methods (we have to make a digital story) and some of my classmates have found other storyboard tools on the internet such as slideshare.net. So it looks like I am going to have to put aside some time to deal with masses of photos that I've accumulated over the last seven years!
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