D is for Digital Storytelling
In today's world there are so many different stories to share and a million different ways to share them. They can evoke laughter, tears, smiles, groans, giggles and faces deep in thought. Technology allows people - kids, teens and adults- to share their stories with so much ease. Today I see my five-year-old cousin capturing the world around him with his iPod and sharing his pictures with all of us and narrating them as he goes along. I see my mom learning how to FaceTime and sending me pictures all the time. And I see my grandmother on Facebook uploading pictures of her quilting club's weekly progress. I think it's really amazing!
There are so many ways you can use digital storytelling with a class ranging from simple videos and projects with Early Years students to more involved movie projects with Senior Years students. Tools like Prezi and iMovie make it simple to share ideas in a creative and engaging way. I think using digital versions of books allow students to interact on an even deeper level with their reading and learning. I think allowing students to harness technology to share their stories is one of the great things about being a teacher in this day and age!
Thursday 29 January 2015
Sunday 25 January 2015
C
C is for Connecting
The school experience is all based on connections; connections between peers, between older and younger students, between teachers, between students and teachers and even between other students and educators across the world via social media. However the most important connection is between the students and their learning. The best classrooms have genuine interactions with learning and help students find relevancy in what they do at school and what is going on in their lives or worlds beyond the classroom walls.
This is an idea stressed across the grades and subject areas. Debbie Miller highlights this in her book Reading with Meaning that focuses on classroom literacy and we know that the foundation to classroom management is engaged students who find purpose in their learning and who feel somehow connected in the school. Personally I can recall a few teachers I had who took a progressivist approach to teaching and centered learning around our topics of interest or passion and it made school a much better experience. As a teacher, I'm really interested in looking at taking inquiry based approaches to student learning and observing the way that it can empower students while they learn the curriculum materials. This also applies relates to classroom technology because of the tools and sources now available to students as well as the ability to connect with people all over the world who have the same knowledge or interest base that they do. By utilizing technology in the inquiry process, students can learn how to properly research and have access to such a wide range of information and a variety of means to share that information.
The school experience is all based on connections; connections between peers, between older and younger students, between teachers, between students and teachers and even between other students and educators across the world via social media. However the most important connection is between the students and their learning. The best classrooms have genuine interactions with learning and help students find relevancy in what they do at school and what is going on in their lives or worlds beyond the classroom walls.
This is an idea stressed across the grades and subject areas. Debbie Miller highlights this in her book Reading with Meaning that focuses on classroom literacy and we know that the foundation to classroom management is engaged students who find purpose in their learning and who feel somehow connected in the school. Personally I can recall a few teachers I had who took a progressivist approach to teaching and centered learning around our topics of interest or passion and it made school a much better experience. As a teacher, I'm really interested in looking at taking inquiry based approaches to student learning and observing the way that it can empower students while they learn the curriculum materials. This also applies relates to classroom technology because of the tools and sources now available to students as well as the ability to connect with people all over the world who have the same knowledge or interest base that they do. By utilizing technology in the inquiry process, students can learn how to properly research and have access to such a wide range of information and a variety of means to share that information.
Thursday 15 January 2015
B
B is for Being Yourself!
As educators, I think it is critical that we know ourselves and embrace what we have to offer our students. We need to know and trust our personalities, our strengths, our weaknesses, our resources and our philosophical outlook as teachers. When interacting with technology and sharing it with students, it is crucial that we know our limitations and continue to grow so that we can confidently share knowledge and skills with our students. If we are confident using technology and continue to learn more, the students will pick up on this and get excited about what we share with them!
Personally, I am eager to embrace more technology in education but I'm nervous as well; afraid that it won't work the way I want it too and afraid that I won't remember all the resources or the best ways to implement them. I did really like using Symbaloo (the education version) in class. I think it would be great to set it as your class homepage so kids know which apps or websites we regularly use and I could definitely see using it on the SMARTboard to organize center or workshop activities.
As educators, I think it is critical that we know ourselves and embrace what we have to offer our students. We need to know and trust our personalities, our strengths, our weaknesses, our resources and our philosophical outlook as teachers. When interacting with technology and sharing it with students, it is crucial that we know our limitations and continue to grow so that we can confidently share knowledge and skills with our students. If we are confident using technology and continue to learn more, the students will pick up on this and get excited about what we share with them!
Personally, I am eager to embrace more technology in education but I'm nervous as well; afraid that it won't work the way I want it too and afraid that I won't remember all the resources or the best ways to implement them. I did really like using Symbaloo (the education version) in class. I think it would be great to set it as your class homepage so kids know which apps or websites we regularly use and I could definitely see using it on the SMARTboard to organize center or workshop activities.
Saturday 10 January 2015
A
A is for Always Aquiring!
Even though I've had a chance to do some teaching and will do a lot more in the future, that doesn't mean I can't learn something new every day and acquire new knowledge, strategies or ideas.
I'm looking forward to brushing up on my ICT (Information Communication Technology) skills in the upcoming months. Being exposed to new websites, apps and strategies will only make me a more engaging teacher who can reach and connect with more of her students.
Already I've learned how to use the website wordle to create word splashes and discussed the difference between a similar site, tagxedo, which allows you to create word splashes in different shapes. I think tagxedo would be a really great tool for students to express themselves with words as well as images with the option to share it easily over any form of social media. For teachers, I think we could use these applications to create artwork for our classroom or use these word splashes as end of the year gifts for students highlighting their unique personalities and all that we have learned from them over the year and frame it as a memento. I also have learned how to use the website Padlet as a way to facilitate online discussions with a class.
This is officially my very first blog post - YAY!- and I'm excited to utilize this tool as a way to share my thoughts on education and technology; specifically in an Early Years setting as well as reflect on what I continue to learn.
Even though I've had a chance to do some teaching and will do a lot more in the future, that doesn't mean I can't learn something new every day and acquire new knowledge, strategies or ideas.
I'm looking forward to brushing up on my ICT (Information Communication Technology) skills in the upcoming months. Being exposed to new websites, apps and strategies will only make me a more engaging teacher who can reach and connect with more of her students.
Already I've learned how to use the website wordle to create word splashes and discussed the difference between a similar site, tagxedo, which allows you to create word splashes in different shapes. I think tagxedo would be a really great tool for students to express themselves with words as well as images with the option to share it easily over any form of social media. For teachers, I think we could use these applications to create artwork for our classroom or use these word splashes as end of the year gifts for students highlighting their unique personalities and all that we have learned from them over the year and frame it as a memento. I also have learned how to use the website Padlet as a way to facilitate online discussions with a class.
This is officially my very first blog post - YAY!- and I'm excited to utilize this tool as a way to share my thoughts on education and technology; specifically in an Early Years setting as well as reflect on what I continue to learn.
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