Well since my last post I have completed a second student teaching placement, worked all summer, started my 5th and final year of my university career, and almost completed a third student teaching placement.
I decided I should start blogging again, I really enjoyed it when I started, but I have just become preoccupied with "life."
Maybe to start I should talk about my second placement in a grade 7/8 multi-level classroom. I really enjoyed it and learned a lot from my cooperating teacher. She used so much technology in her classroom and really had the students engaged in everything she did in her class. I ended up teaching a social studies unit that I had created on Ancient Rome, which was fun, but after I completed it I found so many other things I would have loved to have done. I also did many science lessons, that my cooperating teacher and I created together, and I taught. The group of kids I had were also very smart and pushed me in my thinking, when asked many questions.
The class used the ipads on a regular basis as well as my cooperating teacher used the smart board everyday in her lessons. From this I learned so many things, and I have a list of awesome apps that fill up pages in a notebook. Student teaching in this class was an awesome experience, and I learned more in those 7 weeks then I had in the weeks prior of sitting in a classroom. The best experience is just to put yourself in front of a class and teach.
The summer flew by, and here we are. I have two weeks left in my fall placement, and am thinking about wrapping up the first semester.
I cannot say how much I am loving elementary school. I am teaching in a grade two class with 18 students and I feel like I have found where I want to be. I am planning like crazy, teaching full time and loving it. My cooperating teachers are extremely helpful and really letting me explore and take in the whole teaching experience.
I planned a whole unit on "Community" and the kids have really taken to the activities and I feel like they will just pick up whatever you throw at them.
My mornings consist of ELA, which is daily five, journaling, poem learning, brain breaks and plenty of fun. They love to do daily five and sometimes ask to do it. I try and mix things up a little bit, just so its not the same thing everyday, and they are always willing to do anything. In the afternoons we do math workshop, which again they are crazy about (anything that involves moving around and different activities they love) as well as social studies and art occasionally. I am just loving everything about grade two. :)
Anyway, my plan is to post some of the stuff we do in class, some of the resources I use etc. So stayed tuned, I will keep this blog going!!!
-LB
Sunday, 3 November 2013
Tuesday, 5 March 2013
Things I Have Learned
Well folks, I have FINALLY completed my final project. I have learned so much throughout this course and I could have added a lot more now that I think of it. This project was a real challenge for me, not coming up with things I have learned but creating the powerpoint and adding audio and then syncing it together so it all fit. I guess that's another thing you can add to the "Things I have Learned." I really enjoyed being in this class and I learned a lot of valuable "stuff." I hope I can take another course like this again next year to help expand on the stuff I have taken away from this year.
So here is my final project. It took a lot out of me this past week....I'm glad I finally got it done!
#thingsihavelearned
-LB
So here is my final project. It took a lot out of me this past week....I'm glad I finally got it done!
#thingsihavelearned
-LB
Wednesday, 27 February 2013
Presentations- So many things to learn
Ok, I lied a little in my last post about that being our last mandatory one! Ooops sorry. So yesterday in class we did some presentations on research we had done on education and technology related topics, and it was really fun and informative. Our group did a little presentation entitled "The Internet, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" if you would like to check it out here's the link https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ErYv_zr4MNtcYhiK5iqU9O64-vkTF1lqO-A3bAtl3W4/edit
It gives you some food for thought about the internet and its uses ETC.
Anyway there were a few other presentations, and they were all very well done, quite engaging and had plenty of useful information. I found one presentation that really stuck out. It was entitled "How not to steal from the Internet." As a University student you think you know how to cite sources and that you'll never plagiarize because you don't want to get that AD on your transcript, but in actuality we do it anyway. When we make presentations we add pictures from Google images and never say where we got them from or "give credit where credit is due." So this got me thinking, how many times have I taken some information from the internet and not cited it? Probably too many to count now. So this presentation gave us helpful resources for ourselves as well as for our students on the proper way to use resources we have gathered from the internet and what many of the "Terms of Use" categories mean. I think I'll keep this presentation and its resources handy.
I would like to give everyone a big high five for a job well done. I feel like we have learned a lot about the internet and technology in this class (Uhhh duh Lindsey this class is called Internet for Educators!) stuff that I never would have thought to talk about. So yay us!
-LB
It gives you some food for thought about the internet and its uses ETC.
Anyway there were a few other presentations, and they were all very well done, quite engaging and had plenty of useful information. I found one presentation that really stuck out. It was entitled "How not to steal from the Internet." As a University student you think you know how to cite sources and that you'll never plagiarize because you don't want to get that AD on your transcript, but in actuality we do it anyway. When we make presentations we add pictures from Google images and never say where we got them from or "give credit where credit is due." So this got me thinking, how many times have I taken some information from the internet and not cited it? Probably too many to count now. So this presentation gave us helpful resources for ourselves as well as for our students on the proper way to use resources we have gathered from the internet and what many of the "Terms of Use" categories mean. I think I'll keep this presentation and its resources handy.
I would like to give everyone a big high five for a job well done. I feel like we have learned a lot about the internet and technology in this class (Uhhh duh Lindsey this class is called Internet for Educators!) stuff that I never would have thought to talk about. So yay us!
-LB
The End is Near...What does the future hold?
Well folks, the end of the semester is nearing and for many in this class, you will move on to bigger and better things. This is one of the last "mandatory" posts for my internet for educators class and I really hope I can keep up the blog posts as I embark on my second student teaching placement because I have really come to enjoy it and my cooperating teacher, I found out, is the technology "guru" in her school, so this was really exciting for me to find out.
Education has come a long way, even from when I started school, which really wasn't that long ago. Technology infused classrooms are where education is at right now. Technology is how the 21st century learner is going to learn , we have moved past the textbook phase and into the tablet phase. Technology is the "it" thing and so as educators we must accept this and go with it. Looking at the Horizon Report I was surprised at all the ways technology is being brought into the classroom. All of the tools and techniques that involve learning through technology really lets all learners have the opportunity to use technology.There was a piece of information that stuck out to me from the report and that was, at what point is there too much technology? How do we as teachers know what to use and what not to use. We can't keep using the same types of technology and techniques over and over again because then we aren't growing and changing at all either. I guess as teachers we will have to figure it out ourselves, it will take some mistake making but I think eventually as we find out our own unique teaching styles it will become a simpler task. The future of education has lots of changes ahead of it. But I know one thing, it will be very technology oriented. We won't see the effects of these implementations for a while, as everything takes time, but I am sure the benefits of having the world at our fingertips in the classroom will be great. Taking this class and learning about all the exciting things that education and technology have to offer makes me even more excited to be heading into the classroom in two weeks. Although it will be a challenge, I'm ready to learn. Being a 21st century learner is a great advantage and I can't wait to be a 21st century connected educator.
Next up is a little slideshow that is a presentation and a mashup of everything I learned and taken out of this course!
-LB
Education has come a long way, even from when I started school, which really wasn't that long ago. Technology infused classrooms are where education is at right now. Technology is how the 21st century learner is going to learn , we have moved past the textbook phase and into the tablet phase. Technology is the "it" thing and so as educators we must accept this and go with it. Looking at the Horizon Report I was surprised at all the ways technology is being brought into the classroom. All of the tools and techniques that involve learning through technology really lets all learners have the opportunity to use technology.There was a piece of information that stuck out to me from the report and that was, at what point is there too much technology? How do we as teachers know what to use and what not to use. We can't keep using the same types of technology and techniques over and over again because then we aren't growing and changing at all either. I guess as teachers we will have to figure it out ourselves, it will take some mistake making but I think eventually as we find out our own unique teaching styles it will become a simpler task. The future of education has lots of changes ahead of it. But I know one thing, it will be very technology oriented. We won't see the effects of these implementations for a while, as everything takes time, but I am sure the benefits of having the world at our fingertips in the classroom will be great. Taking this class and learning about all the exciting things that education and technology have to offer makes me even more excited to be heading into the classroom in two weeks. Although it will be a challenge, I'm ready to learn. Being a 21st century learner is a great advantage and I can't wait to be a 21st century connected educator.
Next up is a little slideshow that is a presentation and a mashup of everything I learned and taken out of this course!
-LB
Saturday, 23 February 2013
Show and Tell, Technology Style
I have three apps that I would like to share with the blogger world (and my class). I was doing a little thinking about some of the struggles or maybe things in class that we used or did that could be enhanced by technology. So the first thing I thought of was writing. Students struggle with ideas about what to write about whether it be in their daily journal or for writers workshop. I found an app that has thousands of writing prompts on it. You click on it, give your phone or Ipad or Ipod a shake (I downloaded it on my iPhone) and BOOM a writing idea that's a little bit out of the ordinary but should spark their imagination.
Another idea that came up when I was looking back on my student teaching experience, and some classes that I took last semester that used the smart board was a lot was surveying or polling of information. Surveying the class is a good activator and its interesting to see the different ideas in the classroom, and since its private there is no peer pressure so you kind of get an honest answer. I know there are some good polling applications on the smart board that involve a "clicker" but a cool one I saw on a fellow Internet for Educators blog was one that was online and the class could use their smart phones and text in their reply. Very Cool.
The website is: http://www.polleverywhere.com/. Give it a look if you can.
Another interesting tool is called DropBox, anyone heard of it?
Well you send out an invitation to receive a certain folder and you download the program or "Box" to your computer or smartphone and whenever someone adds something to that folder in their box, whether it be an assignment or music or something everyone that got the invite for that folder will also receive the same information. It is also an easy way to share large files. I was introduced to it a couple of months ago, and I use it to share new music with friends!
I am sure you could apply it to a classroom setting as well!
That's all for my show and tell technology style!
-LB
Teaching Veterans Keeping Up with the Pace of Technology in the Classroom
An option for last weeks mandatory post was to talk about the stuff we discussed in class, well since I didn't think it was safe to travel back to B-Town (It stormed and the roads were snow packed and icy) I missed this class, so I could post on ideas and topics that popped up after doing tech tasks and reading other blogs. As I read my friend Jenn's Blog (you should give it a read!) I was inspired to talk about technology closer to home but also a topic in the education world. I decided to talk about technology and education viewed from a very experienced, excellent and inspiring teacher. (She's a great mom too!) The idea also came after I listened to another podcast entitled "Keeping up with the Pace of Education Technology."
My mom who retired last June, taught in the public school system for 35 years. She graduated from Brandon University in 1978, a time where you hand wrote everything, and only had to be in school for 4 years in order to obtain your B.Ed. Mrs.Braun has taught everything from Kindergarten to Grade 8. She spent the last 20 years in a Grade 4 classroom and here saw the evolution of technology. The first computers in the school were ones that used those huge floppy disks and were mostly used to play games (really, really, lame games) very little word processing and of course no internet. Those were then replaced with the white dells with huge monitors that weighed a hundred pounds and here word processing was used more and more in the classroom. Soon there wasn't just a computer lab but a computer in every classroom on a rolly cart. And soon after that all those white heavy, clunky dells were replaced with the coloured apple computers. (click on the link if you don't know which ones I'm talking about) Now there was computer class put into the timetable, and it was mostly spent on "all the right type a typing program to help develop typing skills. Internet access was now available but very limited because not a lot was known how to best utilize it in the classroom. Professional Development sessions were offered to help develop computer skills and resources for teachers. For someone who had not grown up with a computer or used a computer in University, like all the new teachers, she embraced it and tried to learn along side her students. Soon after came apple laptops and the apple monitor which are now used today. The school gave her her own Macbook and she managed to navigate that on her own (with little help from me.) While all of this computer business was going on, the smart board technology was out there and she wanted it in her classroom. She saw the opportunities and potential that it had for her classroom. She asked for one for her classroom and finally one was installed, the first in her building! She began using it daily in her lessons and when she had student teachers in her classroom they showed her all sorts of new stuff that could be done on the smart board. Technology and all it has to offer was fully accepted by a "veteran" teacher. She used the internet and video in her classroom on a daily basis, just to provide a different perspective on different lessons she was teaching.
The point of this post was to show that even though my mom began her teaching career in a time when there was little to no technology available to be used in the classroom, she embraced the changes as technology became more readily available and learned along with her students to make sure she was giving them the best opportunity to stay connected and "on top" of this technology based society. I think there is often a stigma that older more experienced teachers have trouble integrating technology or don't want to integrate technology into their classroom. But it's benefits are so many that they are not only limiting their students but also themselves.
Technology is changing the way we teach, everyone should try and use it to its full potential. The class I am taking is helping me to understand this, and is also helping me get the most out of technology for my classroom. I am excited to try and use some of the things I have learnt in this class in 2 weeks in my Field Experience placement.
-LB
My mom who retired last June, taught in the public school system for 35 years. She graduated from Brandon University in 1978, a time where you hand wrote everything, and only had to be in school for 4 years in order to obtain your B.Ed. Mrs.Braun has taught everything from Kindergarten to Grade 8. She spent the last 20 years in a Grade 4 classroom and here saw the evolution of technology. The first computers in the school were ones that used those huge floppy disks and were mostly used to play games (really, really, lame games) very little word processing and of course no internet. Those were then replaced with the white dells with huge monitors that weighed a hundred pounds and here word processing was used more and more in the classroom. Soon there wasn't just a computer lab but a computer in every classroom on a rolly cart. And soon after that all those white heavy, clunky dells were replaced with the coloured apple computers. (click on the link if you don't know which ones I'm talking about) Now there was computer class put into the timetable, and it was mostly spent on "all the right type a typing program to help develop typing skills. Internet access was now available but very limited because not a lot was known how to best utilize it in the classroom. Professional Development sessions were offered to help develop computer skills and resources for teachers. For someone who had not grown up with a computer or used a computer in University, like all the new teachers, she embraced it and tried to learn along side her students. Soon after came apple laptops and the apple monitor which are now used today. The school gave her her own Macbook and she managed to navigate that on her own (with little help from me.) While all of this computer business was going on, the smart board technology was out there and she wanted it in her classroom. She saw the opportunities and potential that it had for her classroom. She asked for one for her classroom and finally one was installed, the first in her building! She began using it daily in her lessons and when she had student teachers in her classroom they showed her all sorts of new stuff that could be done on the smart board. Technology and all it has to offer was fully accepted by a "veteran" teacher. She used the internet and video in her classroom on a daily basis, just to provide a different perspective on different lessons she was teaching.
The point of this post was to show that even though my mom began her teaching career in a time when there was little to no technology available to be used in the classroom, she embraced the changes as technology became more readily available and learned along with her students to make sure she was giving them the best opportunity to stay connected and "on top" of this technology based society. I think there is often a stigma that older more experienced teachers have trouble integrating technology or don't want to integrate technology into their classroom. But it's benefits are so many that they are not only limiting their students but also themselves.
Technology is changing the way we teach, everyone should try and use it to its full potential. The class I am taking is helping me to understand this, and is also helping me get the most out of technology for my classroom. I am excited to try and use some of the things I have learnt in this class in 2 weeks in my Field Experience placement.
-LB
Web Based Courses
Today in class we had 2 presenters come in and talk to the class about web based courses or WBC. I have never used a web based course before. But they are used a lot here in Manitoba. As Donald and Sophia mentioned there are basically 4 ways to use web based learning,
1. As part of a blended learning environment
2. As a teaching resource
3. With a face to face class
4. With actual distance learners
Web based learning is a great alternative for rural school divisions that don't have the numbers to support upper level courses like pre-calculus, calculus, physics, etc. Web based courses can be used by a few students in a number of high schools and they can all video in and talk to the teacher and learn that way. This is a better option compared to not taking it at all. Another great reason for web based learning that was talked about was credit recovery. This means that if a student failed a course, they can take the units that they struggled with online without having to re-do the whole course. WBC are also a great alternative for someone who is motivated but cannot succeed in a classroom environment.
As with anything there are concerns with this type of learning. As a pre-service teacher that will be looking for a teaching job in the next couple of years, having the web based courses cuts jobs. There is only one teacher needed for 5 different classes instead of 5 teachers, one for each class. All of this technology is great and it has so many benefits especially for those students who cannot be in a classroom for various reasons. Yet the concerns for me and my Bachelor of Education class are many. Now I am just wondering what your thoughts on this are. Should web based learning be promoted more? Are my concerns legitimate?
-LB
1. As part of a blended learning environment
2. As a teaching resource
3. With a face to face class
4. With actual distance learners
Web based learning is a great alternative for rural school divisions that don't have the numbers to support upper level courses like pre-calculus, calculus, physics, etc. Web based courses can be used by a few students in a number of high schools and they can all video in and talk to the teacher and learn that way. This is a better option compared to not taking it at all. Another great reason for web based learning that was talked about was credit recovery. This means that if a student failed a course, they can take the units that they struggled with online without having to re-do the whole course. WBC are also a great alternative for someone who is motivated but cannot succeed in a classroom environment.
As with anything there are concerns with this type of learning. As a pre-service teacher that will be looking for a teaching job in the next couple of years, having the web based courses cuts jobs. There is only one teacher needed for 5 different classes instead of 5 teachers, one for each class. All of this technology is great and it has so many benefits especially for those students who cannot be in a classroom for various reasons. Yet the concerns for me and my Bachelor of Education class are many. Now I am just wondering what your thoughts on this are. Should web based learning be promoted more? Are my concerns legitimate?
-LB
Ever used an infographic?....me either!
Infographic, yet another "technology" term that at first had no meaning to me. BUT as I did a little research (and a few classmates showed me some examples) I knew exactly what it was. As I am an avid Pinner (on pinterest) infographics come up all the time, especially in the fitness and health category. An infographic is just a visual representation of data. It's fun to look at and easy to decipher. You can find a web app that helps you put information together in an appealing way. I think infographics would be fun to use in a classroom for projects or even just fun activities. You can use it for many things and most kids would find it entertaining. They could build their own infographic to help people get to know them using information about how long they have been born for example. They could split it into years, months, weeks, days, hours, minutes and seconds.
I decided to build my own infographic. I was reading other blogs and found a neat website that could help me accomplish this task. Since I love twitter I thought this was a perfect idea, I would compare my two twitter accounts! One is my personal one that I made quite some time ago and one is my "professional" one, and I wanted to see how the two compared!
Infographics can be used everywhere and for anything. It really is just an interesting way of showing data, and I think I could really make great use of it in a classroom setting!
I decided to build my own infographic. I was reading other blogs and found a neat website that could help me accomplish this task. Since I love twitter I thought this was a perfect idea, I would compare my two twitter accounts! One is my personal one that I made quite some time ago and one is my "professional" one, and I wanted to see how the two compared!
Infographics can be used everywhere and for anything. It really is just an interesting way of showing data, and I think I could really make great use of it in a classroom setting!
Wednesday, 20 February 2013
Video- VHS to YouTube
When I think of video in the class I think of seeing the teacher wheeling a TV and VHS player down the hall on a clunky cart, trying not to hit kids or the walls along the way. This is not the case anymore when we talk about video in the classroom. Now each class has a computer which connects to the internet, which then in turn is connected to an endless number of useful, short interesting videos that can engage the students more than a VHS from the early 90's ever will. (Although you could probably do some sort of history lesson! HA!) At first YouTube is your initial reaction to video on the internet, but there are an endless number of video resources for educators to use in their classroom. (WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT?!) In my search for educational, interesting and engaging videos for some lesson's I'll be planning I came across TED-Ed. You can really search anything in terms of a topic in any subject area. I think video is useful because kids just love videos, it's a known fact and if you can show a short film to help enhance their knowledge on the subject area, or show them something cool (like an experiment) that you can't do in class then do it! The more resources you can have on a subject the better, well I think anyway. And video is such a simple, but often under used resource. Plus it's great for those visual and auditory learners!
The next question is would I have kids make video and would I post it somewhere. Yes I would definitely have them make videos, with the availability of Ipads, or Ipod touches with a camera it's so simple and so fun for the kids! Of course I would get the proper consent from parents/legal guardians. I would then probably post them on the class website and as a class we might even have a YouTube channel, so I might even post it there! Endless possibilities with podcast's and videos. Teaching with technology is sounding better and better!
-LB
The next question is would I have kids make video and would I post it somewhere. Yes I would definitely have them make videos, with the availability of Ipads, or Ipod touches with a camera it's so simple and so fun for the kids! Of course I would get the proper consent from parents/legal guardians. I would then probably post them on the class website and as a class we might even have a YouTube channel, so I might even post it there! Endless possibilities with podcast's and videos. Teaching with technology is sounding better and better!
-LB
podcast's- more technology for your classroom
I have never really thought about podcast's being used for education purposes. I usually thought sports when I thought podcast's, maybe because that's what I see on TV, and because I am not really acquainted with the use of podcast's and don't know there full potential. I thought it was kind of neat that I was about to do a blog post on podcast's and I actually found a science lesson plan that used a podcast. Interesting how things work.
So to begin I went to my iTunes to check out what was available for my education podcast search, and what do you know, there are thousands and thousands of podcast's on exactly the topic I want, education. I found an interesting one call Teacher's Aid. There was 27 podcast's on a variety of topics. I chose to listen to one entitled "Keeping up with the pace of Technology." They discussed how technology is always changing and its hard for "older" or maybe perhaps "wiser" teachers to adapt to all this change. They start by discussing the challenges, then the variety of guests shared successes they have had with technology, which were many. After, it was discussed where to begin with the use of technology and how to find resources to help you along the way. The first two things that were suggested for helping those of us who are more technologically challenged was to create your own blog of your experiences and to go on twitter and find a hashtag in your field of study and build from there!
I really like the idea of a podcast. I enjoy talk radio in the morning so maybe instead I'll listen to some podcast's on issues or ideas in education, and become more educated?!? Who knows!? I like the fact that some of them are short, they share a snippet of information, some are longer but don't over work the issue. As I mentioned before I was planning a science lesson and as I was researching some ideas for my weather unit and I came across one that was really interesting. The class would record the weather for the week and the different variables and at the end of the week they would do a daily news/weather report and create a podcast. This hit on two of the outcomes for the unit, it included technology and it was something different that I thought was kind of neat. I am sure there are plenty of other ideas out there, and I would really like to explore them, I feel like podcast's could become very incorporated into my classroom. Another idea that just popped into my head was just a daily report about the class, what we have learned etc and post the podcast on a class blog for parents to listen too.....hmmmmm ideas are swirling in my brain right now. Cool. So if you get a chance, check out podcast's (and they don't have to be education related) search something you're interested in, give it a listen and learn more. (So maybe it is education related because you're learning....!)
-LB
So to begin I went to my iTunes to check out what was available for my education podcast search, and what do you know, there are thousands and thousands of podcast's on exactly the topic I want, education. I found an interesting one call Teacher's Aid. There was 27 podcast's on a variety of topics. I chose to listen to one entitled "Keeping up with the pace of Technology." They discussed how technology is always changing and its hard for "older" or maybe perhaps "wiser" teachers to adapt to all this change. They start by discussing the challenges, then the variety of guests shared successes they have had with technology, which were many. After, it was discussed where to begin with the use of technology and how to find resources to help you along the way. The first two things that were suggested for helping those of us who are more technologically challenged was to create your own blog of your experiences and to go on twitter and find a hashtag in your field of study and build from there!
I really like the idea of a podcast. I enjoy talk radio in the morning so maybe instead I'll listen to some podcast's on issues or ideas in education, and become more educated?!? Who knows!? I like the fact that some of them are short, they share a snippet of information, some are longer but don't over work the issue. As I mentioned before I was planning a science lesson and as I was researching some ideas for my weather unit and I came across one that was really interesting. The class would record the weather for the week and the different variables and at the end of the week they would do a daily news/weather report and create a podcast. This hit on two of the outcomes for the unit, it included technology and it was something different that I thought was kind of neat. I am sure there are plenty of other ideas out there, and I would really like to explore them, I feel like podcast's could become very incorporated into my classroom. Another idea that just popped into my head was just a daily report about the class, what we have learned etc and post the podcast on a class blog for parents to listen too.....hmmmmm ideas are swirling in my brain right now. Cool. So if you get a chance, check out podcast's (and they don't have to be education related) search something you're interested in, give it a listen and learn more. (So maybe it is education related because you're learning....!)
-LB
Sunday, 17 February 2013
Is Your Digital Footprint Squishing You?
If you take a moment and think about how much time you spent surfing the web, checking emails, Facebook and twitter. Long after you've shut off your computer, and left the digital world behind the information you've accessed lingers in the magical world of "the internet." Like stepping in wet concrete our digital footprint is often really tough to get rid of.
As educators we should be aware of our digital footprint. It is so easy for future employers or our students to access the information we posted and may not realize is still available for everyone to see. This would be a negative way to look at our digital footprint.
But a digital footprint can be a good thing. When people, whether they be your future employer, students in your class or even the parents of those students, search your name it can have a positive impact on your career. Things such as a blog, or an information page or twitter can show up but if they hold interesting and resourceful information then its not such a bad thing for people to search you. A digital footprint is what you make it. You should always be careful of what you post, comment and search but it shouldn't stop you from exploring and enjoying the magic of the World Wide Web. To protect yourself look at security settings and don't be naive to the issues and threats that are out there and maybe think twice before doing anything that could put you at risk for losing a job or not gaining employment elsewhere.
So talking about a digital footprint, I decided to do a little Google search on me! And I didn't find much, although there are a lot of people out there with my name it took me a couple of pages to find information on myself. My twitter account came up, my Google+ account came up, and that was really it. I hope maybe in the future my blog will come up or other online resources that I plan to use for my career. And now its your turn to do a little research on yourself and see what your digital footprint may look like.
Have fun, and hopefully the information you find doesn't alarm you to much :)
-LB
Monday, 11 February 2013
Grading Girl- An EduBlogger
As part of the course I am taking, the one that I had to make this blog for, we had to follow an Edublogger. We were required to find and follow an Edublogger for a couple of weeks. So my hunt began, our instructor gave us a list to start with or we could go venture out on our own. I started with his list, as he had many, and I went through it and picked a couple and added them to my RSS feed (a place where you add the blogs URL and when they post something new it shows you!) So the one I am going to blog about is entitled Grading Girl, she has a website and it is great, I also follow her on twitter and on pinterest (I love her pins!) I chose Grading Girl because she loves reading and writing. And after my first placement I have become very intrigued with this process as a teacher (Assessment, getting kids up to their reading level etc.) We also share some similar interests, I have really become intrigued with fitness and eating healthy etc and she too shares this interest. This on a side note from teaching.
A little about Grading Girl. Grading Girl is crazy about reading and literacy. She is a high school National Board Certified English teacher in Chicago. She has a Masters in Secondary Education and Educational Leadership along with endorsements in speech and reading. She also serves as a coordinator for her schools' Literacy Coach and Mentor Program. She is a well educated woman and someone that I feel I could learn a lot from.
Her blog is full of useful resources, including mini-lessons and ideas about how to get students interested in writing. She has book reviews, and other non education related stuff like recipes and nutritional information. (Which I really enjoy) She also has links to useful resources and other blogs she reads. She just has lots of different things on her website and you can always find something interesting to read about.
I will continue to follow her on her website. On twitter @GradingGirl, and on pinterest!
If you can, check her out!
-LB
A little about Grading Girl. Grading Girl is crazy about reading and literacy. She is a high school National Board Certified English teacher in Chicago. She has a Masters in Secondary Education and Educational Leadership along with endorsements in speech and reading. She also serves as a coordinator for her schools' Literacy Coach and Mentor Program. She is a well educated woman and someone that I feel I could learn a lot from.
Her blog is full of useful resources, including mini-lessons and ideas about how to get students interested in writing. She has book reviews, and other non education related stuff like recipes and nutritional information. (Which I really enjoy) She also has links to useful resources and other blogs she reads. She just has lots of different things on her website and you can always find something interesting to read about.
I will continue to follow her on her website. On twitter @GradingGirl, and on pinterest!
If you can, check her out!
-LB
21st Century Student
Ok, so this should have been connected with the map I made of my own connections. But alas that did not happen. So here is my thoughts on how the 21st century student is connected. ALSO I thought I would update you on the fact that my network has grown, just like I thought it would!
Clarence Fisher- Small Town Technology
We had the opportunity to have Clarence Fisher skype into our class (in the midst of a snowstorm) from Snow Lake Manitoba. Although he only spoke for 20 minutes he made some really good points, about small town life and the use of technology in the classroom.
Clarence talked about how people often see small town or rural schools as being out of date, or old fashioned when in comes to technology, but in actual fact this is not true. They too have just as much access to the world around them as someone from a big city. The means at which they obtain this information may be slightly different like not actually going to a museum but perhaps taking a virtual tour instead. People from rural areas use social media, text, have iPads etc. so why not incorporate this into the classroom. This is the new way of learning. Clarence talked about how memorization is in the past. Why should students have to memorize when they can just go to Google, type something in and a whole list of information pops up? If this is how students are going to learn we should teach them how to find the "right" information, and how to best utilize the information their research has given them. As a future educator I want to embrace this new way of learning, and if I can get students to know where to find useful information, and also contribute to the wealth of knowledge on the internet then I think I could consider some of my teaching a success.
It was good to hear from someone who lived and taught in a rural school and that all the same types of opportunities are available for there classes as those who live in a city center, in terms of technological resources and connecting with the world around them. As teachers we have to remember this and think of ways we can make exciting opportunities happen for rural students too.
-LB
Clarence talked about how people often see small town or rural schools as being out of date, or old fashioned when in comes to technology, but in actual fact this is not true. They too have just as much access to the world around them as someone from a big city. The means at which they obtain this information may be slightly different like not actually going to a museum but perhaps taking a virtual tour instead. People from rural areas use social media, text, have iPads etc. so why not incorporate this into the classroom. This is the new way of learning. Clarence talked about how memorization is in the past. Why should students have to memorize when they can just go to Google, type something in and a whole list of information pops up? If this is how students are going to learn we should teach them how to find the "right" information, and how to best utilize the information their research has given them. As a future educator I want to embrace this new way of learning, and if I can get students to know where to find useful information, and also contribute to the wealth of knowledge on the internet then I think I could consider some of my teaching a success.
It was good to hear from someone who lived and taught in a rural school and that all the same types of opportunities are available for there classes as those who live in a city center, in terms of technological resources and connecting with the world around them. As teachers we have to remember this and think of ways we can make exciting opportunities happen for rural students too.
-LB
Wednesday, 6 February 2013
Twitter #I4Ed
I signed up for twitter WAY back when no one knew what it was. It was brought up every now and then but I didn't know how to use it. I can look back on my history and it says I signed up in 2009 with my first account. I really only started doing some serious tweeting about a year and half ago. I shared my thoughts, let people know what I was doing, and my favourite part, making up ridiculous hashtags. Now that I have joined the world of Educators I am sort of apprehensive about letting my colleagues and other professionals in on my "undergrad life", not that it is anything awful but maybe just not my best moments. But since joining the world of professionals and educators I created another account to use for resources and general education type things, and I really am learning a whole new side of twitter and tweeting. I see that people (that I have never met) are tweeting interesting articles and can answer questions that I may have just by simply using this one symbol (@) Another great thing about twitter is if you use a hashtag (formally known as the number symbol) you can see what thousands of others are saying on the same issue or topic you have tagged. It is quite neat actually! I think twitter is now my new favourite social media site. I find myself checking twitter more often than I am Facebook. If you don't have a twitter account and are interested I suggest you give it a try, it may not be for all, but I really enjoy it. It's so simple to use, and it doesn't change every 2 months, like some other social media site we all know of!
If you are new to twitter, give me a follow! @mslinzebraun
Another cool fact. I tweeted at one of our guest presentors and he saw that I had done so and asked his network of people to follow me, and new people are following me daily. My PLN is growing rapidly on Twitter and I love it!!!!
-LB
If you are new to twitter, give me a follow! @mslinzebraun
Another cool fact. I tweeted at one of our guest presentors and he saw that I had done so and asked his network of people to follow me, and new people are following me daily. My PLN is growing rapidly on Twitter and I love it!!!!
-LB
Wednesday, 30 January 2013
My PLN
-LB
John Finch- Surprising Statistics
Yesterday we had the pleasure of having John Finch in our Internet for Educators class, this time in the flesh. Although I think having people skype in from different places in the world, I kind of like having an actual person in the class. There are less glitches, and I feel like it can be more of a discussion. None the less I still enjoy hearing from people who cannot physically be in our class because without technology we might not ever be able to gain from their knowledge. (Hmm think about that and all that has been discussed in previous posts)
With the other two presenters we have had in the class, they have been telling us to connect, connect, connect. But John Finch made us take a step back and think about the implications and the legal standpoint of everything we post online. And frankly he scared me a little (or a lot!). It was discussed that every division needs to have a social media policy and that it is actually harder to post a picture of a child's great work on a unit or a project you made up yourself. You as a teacher and a school need to have written permission just to post it, because it technically is the child's property. This got me thinking... When I first thought about posting resources and ideas online I just thought I would post them, but it really isn't that simple. As a teacher who wants to incorporate technology into their future classroom we will have to do some work beforehand just to make sure you have covered all your bases. Although you may not think you are doing anything wrong, you very well could be and it could cost you lots of money or worse case it could mean losing your career. This in turn doesn't just apply to technology used for education, it applies to everyday use of your computer and pictures and downloading music. We all just press "I agree" under the terms and conditions but I think we should take a second look before we agree, just in case.
Another topic John Finch talked about was cyber bullying. Before sitting down and talking with John I thought cyber bullying was a huge issue (and don't get me wrong it is) We have talked about it in other classes that I have taken and in those classes it was brought up as quite the up and coming issue. But John mentioned that if we look at statistics, only 8 to 12 percent of students who were/are bullied say its done by cyber bullying. Most bullying is still physical/verbal/social and emotional bullying. This I found interesting. A great example that the media portrayed as cyber bullying was the Amanda Todd case (if you are reading this and don't know what I am talking about, do some research) in actual fact it was more a case of blackmail if you look deeper into the issue. So we still have to look at cyber bullying as an issue but its not the biggest issue out there for us up and coming teachers, bullying in any form is. We need to be educated on the facts about bullying (like how cyber bullying only happens to 8-12 percent of people) and we then need to educate the generation that we are teaching so they know how it affects people and how we can end the vicious cycle. As I mentioned before this was very interesting to me and got me thinking about cyber bullying and verbal/physical bullying and how bad it really is, so I have decided to do some reading up on it and I'll get back to you in another post when I have gathered some thoughts and opinions on it.
The discussion with John Finch was eye opening. He brought up great topics that I think should always be talked about. As much as we should connect, and share our knowledge about the good things we come across as educators, we should also share knowledge on the "scary" topics that are real issues in our schools today.
-LB
"The fountain of information lies at your fingertips and is accessible anywhere at anytime and schools need to emphasize this. We are no longer in a world where you need to go seek enlightenment, it is everywhere"- Christopher Myers
With the other two presenters we have had in the class, they have been telling us to connect, connect, connect. But John Finch made us take a step back and think about the implications and the legal standpoint of everything we post online. And frankly he scared me a little (or a lot!). It was discussed that every division needs to have a social media policy and that it is actually harder to post a picture of a child's great work on a unit or a project you made up yourself. You as a teacher and a school need to have written permission just to post it, because it technically is the child's property. This got me thinking... When I first thought about posting resources and ideas online I just thought I would post them, but it really isn't that simple. As a teacher who wants to incorporate technology into their future classroom we will have to do some work beforehand just to make sure you have covered all your bases. Although you may not think you are doing anything wrong, you very well could be and it could cost you lots of money or worse case it could mean losing your career. This in turn doesn't just apply to technology used for education, it applies to everyday use of your computer and pictures and downloading music. We all just press "I agree" under the terms and conditions but I think we should take a second look before we agree, just in case.
Another topic John Finch talked about was cyber bullying. Before sitting down and talking with John I thought cyber bullying was a huge issue (and don't get me wrong it is) We have talked about it in other classes that I have taken and in those classes it was brought up as quite the up and coming issue. But John mentioned that if we look at statistics, only 8 to 12 percent of students who were/are bullied say its done by cyber bullying. Most bullying is still physical/verbal/social and emotional bullying. This I found interesting. A great example that the media portrayed as cyber bullying was the Amanda Todd case (if you are reading this and don't know what I am talking about, do some research) in actual fact it was more a case of blackmail if you look deeper into the issue. So we still have to look at cyber bullying as an issue but its not the biggest issue out there for us up and coming teachers, bullying in any form is. We need to be educated on the facts about bullying (like how cyber bullying only happens to 8-12 percent of people) and we then need to educate the generation that we are teaching so they know how it affects people and how we can end the vicious cycle. As I mentioned before this was very interesting to me and got me thinking about cyber bullying and verbal/physical bullying and how bad it really is, so I have decided to do some reading up on it and I'll get back to you in another post when I have gathered some thoughts and opinions on it.
The discussion with John Finch was eye opening. He brought up great topics that I think should always be talked about. As much as we should connect, and share our knowledge about the good things we come across as educators, we should also share knowledge on the "scary" topics that are real issues in our schools today.
-LB
"The fountain of information lies at your fingertips and is accessible anywhere at anytime and schools need to emphasize this. We are no longer in a world where you need to go seek enlightenment, it is everywhere"- Christopher Myers
Wednesday, 23 January 2013
Social Studies and Technology
So as I was doing another assignment for a class, an article review, I came across an interesting article on Social Studies and how a teacher implemented technology to help deliver the Social Studies Curriculum in a new and interesting way. I love Social Studies and history, but at times I know it can be pretty dry, and well kind of boring. So maybe technology can help with this small issue.
Retooling the Social Studies Classroom
Retooling the Social Studies Classroom
Alec Couros- Connect, Connect, Connect
Today in class we had another great presenter, Alec Couros. Alec had plenty of valuable information to share with the class of future educators. Some things that stuck out to me at first was the young age at which children are surfing the web and being connected to social media sites. It wasn't alarming, and I guess it was pretty obvious if you really think about it. I think what we should take away from this is that as educators we should help children who are on the internet use it appropriately and give them the knowledge and resources to do so.
Another point that stood out to me in the presentation was how we should slowly integrate technology into the classroom. Schools are now turning to the bring your own device policy (which I think is a good idea) so we as teachers should embrace this and use it in our classrooms. We should start with communication, embrace the new ways to communicate in an educational world. As teachers we can use kidblog, or edublog. We should also embrace new forms of expression (kidsnippets anyone! If you are reading this and aren't in my class http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsRk0TXYXuA) Networks is another great way to learn. Having someone skype into your class, learn via social media (twitter, facebook) These are all great ideas that I as a future educator would to use in my classroom. If I can set up all these types of things (a blog, different websites with great resources etc.) now I will already have a great grasp for how to use them in the classroom and it won't be such a challenge when I am also trying to start a new classroom.
A few other snippets that really stuck out to me:
Some of our best colleagues are the ones we have yet to meet (and perhaps maybe we never will)
CONNECT CONNECT CONNECT in different ways and with different people. This is your most valuable resource! And lastly
Give away your knowledge (for free) and the things you may gain from this have the potential to be great!
On a side note I am really enjoying blogging and having an education twitter account so I can look at various links and things like that. I also love reading other peoples blogs. I know I haven't posted any resources or blogs or ideas but I am just beginning and really just "browsing" at the moment. It'll come!
-LB
"There can be infinite uses of the computer and of new age technology, but if the teachers themselves are not able to bring it into the classroom and make it work, then it fails." Nancy Kassebaum
Another point that stood out to me in the presentation was how we should slowly integrate technology into the classroom. Schools are now turning to the bring your own device policy (which I think is a good idea) so we as teachers should embrace this and use it in our classrooms. We should start with communication, embrace the new ways to communicate in an educational world. As teachers we can use kidblog, or edublog. We should also embrace new forms of expression (kidsnippets anyone! If you are reading this and aren't in my class http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsRk0TXYXuA) Networks is another great way to learn. Having someone skype into your class, learn via social media (twitter, facebook) These are all great ideas that I as a future educator would to use in my classroom. If I can set up all these types of things (a blog, different websites with great resources etc.) now I will already have a great grasp for how to use them in the classroom and it won't be such a challenge when I am also trying to start a new classroom.
A few other snippets that really stuck out to me:
Some of our best colleagues are the ones we have yet to meet (and perhaps maybe we never will)
CONNECT CONNECT CONNECT in different ways and with different people. This is your most valuable resource! And lastly
Give away your knowledge (for free) and the things you may gain from this have the potential to be great!
On a side note I am really enjoying blogging and having an education twitter account so I can look at various links and things like that. I also love reading other peoples blogs. I know I haven't posted any resources or blogs or ideas but I am just beginning and really just "browsing" at the moment. It'll come!
-LB
"There can be infinite uses of the computer and of new age technology, but if the teachers themselves are not able to bring it into the classroom and make it work, then it fails." Nancy Kassebaum
Saturday, 19 January 2013
Dean Shareski- You are what you share
I just wanted to start off by saying thank you to Dean Shareski for presenting in our Internet for Educators class. This was the first time I have heard Dean speak and it was interesting and inspiring. Dean talked about how technology is always changing and its hard to be "good" at technology, because it is always evolving and new ideas are always being put out into the world. Dean talked about three lessons he has learned in terms of networking. The first lesson was that students in our classrooms should use media and technological devices to develop their literacy skills. The second lesson was that there are teachers everywhere, and we should take advantage of the seven year old who can teach us how to use the basics of photoshop, or the new update on our iphones. His third lesson and the one he was most passionate about, was you are what you share. Even if you don't find your lesson that inspiring, or the art project that exciting, if you share it, it may be just what another teacher needs for their classroom. It could be the one thing that makes their class want to learn. The time and effort you put into the lessons for your class will seem like nothing if you don't put it out into the cyber world for others to also learn from. The internet has so much information for educators, we need to take advantage of it. The more we share, the more people will read, the more they will share, the more information there will be at our fingertips. So now I have been inspired to go look for blogs with exciting lesson plans and share, share, share.
Here's to many more blog posts, with hopefully inspiring information for other soon to be educators.
-LB
"Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow." -Anthony J. D'Angelo
Here's to many more blog posts, with hopefully inspiring information for other soon to be educators.
-LB
"Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow." -Anthony J. D'Angelo
Friday, 18 January 2013
Blogging eh?
Well this is my first post and I am actually quite excited to start blogging. I (like most) have always thought about blogging, but thought I had nothing worth while to say. But I think this could be a great place to share resources as well as create a network of resources for others, to become, what I think will be a better, more knowledgeable and exciting teacher.
First off, a little about myself. I am from a small town in Southern Manitoba. I have two siblings, one brother and one sister. My mom is a retired elementary school teacher and I credit her for my interest in becoming an educator. I use to spend my last week of summer vacation in her classroom, as she got the class ready, I would pretend to teach and draw all over the chalk board (and sometimes pretend it was my own classroom). I have a love for hockey and winter sports. I learned to skate on an outdoor rink at a very young age, and soon became involved in the minor hockey system. I played organized hockey till I graduated in 2009. During my time in school I traveled to New Orleans Louisiana, and helped rebuild a house after hurricane Katrina. I also went to Italy in grade 12 and after that trip I caught the travel bug, and I have an itch to go back, and explore even more. After graduation, I moved to Brandon and started attending Brandon University, I graduated with my BA in June with a major in History and a Minor in Sociology. I am now in the Middle Years stream in the Faculty of Education at Brandon University, and enjoying (almost) every minute of it!
I hope I can keep up with this blog, even after the semester ends. I hope you all enjoy my posts, and I'll try my best to keep it as resourceful as possible.
-LB
First off, a little about myself. I am from a small town in Southern Manitoba. I have two siblings, one brother and one sister. My mom is a retired elementary school teacher and I credit her for my interest in becoming an educator. I use to spend my last week of summer vacation in her classroom, as she got the class ready, I would pretend to teach and draw all over the chalk board (and sometimes pretend it was my own classroom). I have a love for hockey and winter sports. I learned to skate on an outdoor rink at a very young age, and soon became involved in the minor hockey system. I played organized hockey till I graduated in 2009. During my time in school I traveled to New Orleans Louisiana, and helped rebuild a house after hurricane Katrina. I also went to Italy in grade 12 and after that trip I caught the travel bug, and I have an itch to go back, and explore even more. After graduation, I moved to Brandon and started attending Brandon University, I graduated with my BA in June with a major in History and a Minor in Sociology. I am now in the Middle Years stream in the Faculty of Education at Brandon University, and enjoying (almost) every minute of it!
I hope I can keep up with this blog, even after the semester ends. I hope you all enjoy my posts, and I'll try my best to keep it as resourceful as possible.
-LB
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