I had two quick, just-in-passing conversations with teachers today. The point that each of them made was that giving the technology over to the students goes a long way! In both cases, kids felt accomplished and confident, and teachers were happy with the outcomes.
Our kids are going to be the key to helping move many of our teachers forward in their technological journey!
Lori
Friday, November 20, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
ECOO conference
Last week I had the wonderful opportunity of attending the 2009 Educational Computing Organization of Ontario conference. It was fabulous! I got from it all that I had hoped, and then some. First and foremost, it reaffirmed for me our need to look at how we are educating our current students, and how we need to change our classroom/teaching practises to better prepare them for their future. Secondly, it allowed me to see first hand how teachers are successfully using Web 2.0 tools in their classroom. I now understand more clearly the power that blogs, Wikis, podcasts, and MP3 players can have when incorporating them with authentic and meaningful experiences. These are the natural tools of our students...they only know a digital world!
The bigger question for me now is how I can help encourage teachers to explore and embrace this new way of thinking, planning and implementing the curriculum. Although it will undoubtedly feel overwhelming and risky, we need to take a leap of faith. We need to be prepared for failures, and look at them as lessons. Isn't this how we want our students to think and approach challenges? We regularly ask them to step outside their comfort zone. Shouldn't we lead by example?!
Wish us luck!
The bigger question for me now is how I can help encourage teachers to explore and embrace this new way of thinking, planning and implementing the curriculum. Although it will undoubtedly feel overwhelming and risky, we need to take a leap of faith. We need to be prepared for failures, and look at them as lessons. Isn't this how we want our students to think and approach challenges? We regularly ask them to step outside their comfort zone. Shouldn't we lead by example?!
Wish us luck!
Monday, October 26, 2009
U2 concert
Well, I'm happy to say that I did get myself a VGA cable, and was able to get my laptop connected to my television. It was not quite as simple as I'd hoped, mind you!
First I Googled "how to connect my laptop to my television" and low and behold, I found a YouTube clip to help me out. All you needed to do, it said, was connect a VGA cable from your laptop to your television, and you were all set! Well, the cable got connected, and nothing happened. Thanks to Ryan, my niece's husband, and my "go-to computer guy," all became clear as he walked me through the settings display in properties. I don't know much about properties and settings, and am usually afraid to try something for fear of completely messing up the computer.
Which brings to where I'm at now...I needed to make some adjustments in the settings, and now I have done something that has, in fact, messed things up. But that's okay. I'll get Ryan to help me again. Eventually, I won't need the help, and that's what's so great!
In the meantime, I was able to watch some of the U2 concert on my television screen, which was great. But it didn't start until midnight, so needless to say, I didn't watch the whole thing!
First I Googled "how to connect my laptop to my television" and low and behold, I found a YouTube clip to help me out. All you needed to do, it said, was connect a VGA cable from your laptop to your television, and you were all set! Well, the cable got connected, and nothing happened. Thanks to Ryan, my niece's husband, and my "go-to computer guy," all became clear as he walked me through the settings display in properties. I don't know much about properties and settings, and am usually afraid to try something for fear of completely messing up the computer.
Which brings to where I'm at now...I needed to make some adjustments in the settings, and now I have done something that has, in fact, messed things up. But that's okay. I'll get Ryan to help me again. Eventually, I won't need the help, and that's what's so great!
In the meantime, I was able to watch some of the U2 concert on my television screen, which was great. But it didn't start until midnight, so needless to say, I didn't watch the whole thing!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
U2 on YouTube
There seems to be no limit to the possibilities of what can be done online! How cleaver is it that U2 will be streaming a live performance on YouTube! I've never been to a U2 concert, but I think I'll tune in this Sunday and catch them from the comfort of my own living room. Between now and then, I'm going to figure out how to connect my laptop to my television so I can watch on a slightly larger screen. Another lesson in the use of technology!
For anyone interested in the concert, here's the link...
http://www.youtube.com/u2official#p/u
Lori
For anyone interested in the concert, here's the link...
http://www.youtube.com/u2official#p/u
Lori
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Student as Teacher, Part 1
I had an experience this week that confirmed two things for me...some kids are definitely motivated by the use of technology (and I'd venture to guess it's becoming the majority of kids), and kids love to teach teachers!
In a grade 5 classroom yesterday, I observed a basic math lesson on the meaning of "profit" and how you can earn it. After some students gave a few examples, and the class worked through a couple of questions, one boy raised his hand and told us about a game he plays on the Internet called Frontier. He told us that you have to visit different locations and buy and sell things, and in his words, "It's all about profit." Another boy then raised his hand and told us about a game he plays online called Lemonade World. Again, how to make a profit, this time selling lemonade.
Last night I attempted Lemonade World. After going through the tutorial, I still wasn't sure how to actually play the game. So today I asked Ben if he would show me. He was so happy! At the end of the day he came to my room as planned, and he burst in, literally exclaiming, "This is the day I've been waiting for!" "What day is that?" I asked Ben. "The one where I get to teach the teacher something!" He did an excellent job of showing me the strategies you can use to make a profit and be able to continue maintaining your Lemonade Stand. At one point he said to me, "Now you tell me what you think you need to do to keep going, and I'll tell you if you're right." A teacher in the making!
Lori
In a grade 5 classroom yesterday, I observed a basic math lesson on the meaning of "profit" and how you can earn it. After some students gave a few examples, and the class worked through a couple of questions, one boy raised his hand and told us about a game he plays on the Internet called Frontier. He told us that you have to visit different locations and buy and sell things, and in his words, "It's all about profit." Another boy then raised his hand and told us about a game he plays online called Lemonade World. Again, how to make a profit, this time selling lemonade.
Last night I attempted Lemonade World. After going through the tutorial, I still wasn't sure how to actually play the game. So today I asked Ben if he would show me. He was so happy! At the end of the day he came to my room as planned, and he burst in, literally exclaiming, "This is the day I've been waiting for!" "What day is that?" I asked Ben. "The one where I get to teach the teacher something!" He did an excellent job of showing me the strategies you can use to make a profit and be able to continue maintaining your Lemonade Stand. At one point he said to me, "Now you tell me what you think you need to do to keep going, and I'll tell you if you're right." A teacher in the making!
Lori
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Think before you click...
One of the segments on tonight's CBC News: The National, was Online Privacy, with the warning of "think before you click." The focus was on young people and how carefree they seem to be about posting personal information online. This is my number one concern about social networks such as Facebook. I wonder about the safety of written communication as well as photos that so many people post. Once it's out there, there is no getting it back! Although I know very little about exactly how Facebook works, I am learning that you can have more control with privacy settings than I thought. But even if you have a tight rein on who has access, does that stop your "friends" from forwarding anything that you have posted onto somewhere or someone else? Are we simply trusting our friends to keep things private? (This might be a moot point...is it possible to send someone else's information on?!)
Some of the discussion on the news piece was about potential employers doing an online search, and what they might find that would be either helpful or detrimental as to whether or not they would consider hiring you. This is not the first time I've heard this. This is a whole new way of narrowing down the resume stack on your desk!
On a final note...I am about to learn more about Facebook and how it works from a sixth grader at my school! The power of the student becoming the teacher...how great is that!
Lori
Some of the discussion on the news piece was about potential employers doing an online search, and what they might find that would be either helpful or detrimental as to whether or not they would consider hiring you. This is not the first time I've heard this. This is a whole new way of narrowing down the resume stack on your desk!
On a final note...I am about to learn more about Facebook and how it works from a sixth grader at my school! The power of the student becoming the teacher...how great is that!
Lori
Thursday, October 1, 2009
How does one keep up?
In response to the numerous ways in which technology almost instantaneously changes and new applications and tools are continually introduced to us, I have often found the words "How does one keep up?!" coming out of my mouth. And how have I kept up, you might ask? Well, I regularly use email as a means of communication, I use a variety of software programs (mostly for work purposes, and I'm very comfortable and competent with what I use...I would be lost at work without my computer!), and I utilize the net for things such as finding information on a particular topic, checking out what movies are playing and where, looking up addresses and phone numbers, as a dictionary source, hunting down recipes, and for buying and selling items on sites such as Kjiji. As for technology outside of the computer and the Internet, I've recently purchased a Wii, I use an electronic day planner (which I'm not overly happy with), after five years or so without cable I now have digital cable, a small flat screen t.v., and a DVR, I have only had my ipod for one year (love it!), I rarely use my cell phone, I sometimes use my digital camera, I've never had a video camera of any sort, and I don't own a GPS. So, besides at work, I'm currently a very minimal user of technology.
But alas, I feel this trend is about to change...although I try not to buy into the idea of keeping up with the Jones', I do need to keep up with the Twitters of the world! I'm suddenly feeling quite left behind. I have avoided tools such as Facebook and Twitter, sloughing them off as something trendy and full of hype, too risky and unsafe. But it's becoming more and more apparent to me that if I don't keep up with things even as simple as these, I'm going to be way too far out of the loop. Our daily conversations are filled with vocabulary such as podcasting, Skyping, blogging, downloading, and texting. Terms such as emoticons, YouTube, streaming videos and saving favourites are commonplace. And these are only to mention a very few! If we don't know what's being talked about, participation becomes a challenge! And as a teacher, I'm feeling that it's becoming more and more critical to know what it is our students are hooked into, what technology they use in their daily life (especially outside of school) and how we can use these very familiar tools to them, in the classroom. As I keep hearing, these are digital kids...how are we helping to prepare them for their digital future, whatever that might look like, if we don't integrate technology on a more regular basis into their education?
I have many more thoughts on this topic, but I'll leave it at that for now. I'm curious to know where others are in their digital journey, and what sorts of experiences they have had in embracing, or not, this world of ever-changing technology. I'm hoping that this blog can be a venue for sharing information about technologies that we like or don't like, a place where we can attempt to talk about ones we know nothing about but might like to, or where we can give suggestions for use that may be helpful to each other. This could be a place for Ah! Ha!s to be shared, or just comments in general to be made about encounters with technology in any given situation. I look forward to any help in Keeping up with the Twitters!
But alas, I feel this trend is about to change...although I try not to buy into the idea of keeping up with the Jones', I do need to keep up with the Twitters of the world! I'm suddenly feeling quite left behind. I have avoided tools such as Facebook and Twitter, sloughing them off as something trendy and full of hype, too risky and unsafe. But it's becoming more and more apparent to me that if I don't keep up with things even as simple as these, I'm going to be way too far out of the loop. Our daily conversations are filled with vocabulary such as podcasting, Skyping, blogging, downloading, and texting. Terms such as emoticons, YouTube, streaming videos and saving favourites are commonplace. And these are only to mention a very few! If we don't know what's being talked about, participation becomes a challenge! And as a teacher, I'm feeling that it's becoming more and more critical to know what it is our students are hooked into, what technology they use in their daily life (especially outside of school) and how we can use these very familiar tools to them, in the classroom. As I keep hearing, these are digital kids...how are we helping to prepare them for their digital future, whatever that might look like, if we don't integrate technology on a more regular basis into their education?
I have many more thoughts on this topic, but I'll leave it at that for now. I'm curious to know where others are in their digital journey, and what sorts of experiences they have had in embracing, or not, this world of ever-changing technology. I'm hoping that this blog can be a venue for sharing information about technologies that we like or don't like, a place where we can attempt to talk about ones we know nothing about but might like to, or where we can give suggestions for use that may be helpful to each other. This could be a place for Ah! Ha!s to be shared, or just comments in general to be made about encounters with technology in any given situation. I look forward to any help in Keeping up with the Twitters!
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