Pathway Part B February 28, 2010

          

While working on Pathway B of Week five of my course, I watched the presentation by Michael Wesch: “The Digital Writing on the Wall.”  I found this presentation very powerful and it made me realize how deeply my own life is embedded in media and technology. He portrayed a very engaging discussion of our digital footprints and the expansion of the classroom beyond its four walls. 

           Wesch mentioned that “media are not just tools, that they actually mediate and change our relationships.” I believe this message is about people realizing that media is important to our lives.  The use of number driven statistics changed the way a small Indonesian community lived, built and organized their houses, and even mediated the names they used for a census.  The “number talk” driven census created the necessity for people to essentially make up names as we know them.  The introduction of a new tool then actually changed (or could have) the weight of a persons name, from being relational to individual.  This is a great example of how media are not just tools, but can change the state of our living. 

Media also has an effect on our lifestyle.  Not just commercials, music videos, video games etc., but with communication tools like Facebook, instant messaging and texting.  The fact that you can “talk” to someone without making any sort of verbal or visual contact with them has huge implications on relationships.  Boundaries between people change.  Even the word “friend” does not necessarily have the same meaning that it did twenty years ago. 

I believe as educators we need to help students to realize that all knowledge is constructed and that they must be active constructors of knowledge in order to understand it.   I think using a variety of technologies in classrooms is a valuable way to connect students to and involve them in the construction of knowledge and relationships.  I think it is imperative for students to learn how to evaluate the information they find on the internet and in various forms of media.  We need students to start to think critically about how they will respond. 

            As Wesch states, “We don’t have to tear the walls down. We just have to stop pretending that the walls separate us from the world and begin working with students in the pursuit of answers to real and relevant questions.” However, the greater challenge remains, because knowing what needs to be done is not the same as doing it.

A link to the video: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/3929554

Week Five Wrap Up: New Technologies February 28, 2010

             Over the past three weeks I have been trying many web 2.0 tools. I chose pathway B, as I have been familiar with Web 2.0 tools, however I love finding new tools that will enhance students learning.  As I started this process, I viewed the presentation by Dr. Michael Wesch: The Digital Writing on the Walls.  As I viewed this presentation I took in account “what it means to learn in a digital age.”  I wanted to find tools that provided my students another way to express their thoughts and tools that would encourage new experiences for my students. Here are some of the tools I worked with: 

       This week my students wrote a story about a sport they invented.  Intended to use the program Shidonni, for them to create a mascot and portray their mascot completing the sport they invented.  Shidonni is a drawing program, in which your drawing comes alive.  For example, if you create an animal, you can feed it, take for a bath, put it to bed etc. You end up creating a world for your animal.  I personally found it hard to draw in that program; however, I thought I would give it a try with my students.  I tried out about five computers in the lab to see if it would work, all was well, so I assumed all the rest of the computers would be the same.  I brought all my students in, and found only half the computer were compatible with the program.  You do need to download Microsoft Silver Light.  So half the students created their works in Kidpix and the other half created their work in Shidonni.  Overall, Shidonni did not lead up to its capability and I would not recommend this to use in the classroom. The students also had some issues drawing their mascot and didn’t like how it turned out.  Very disappointing!  To continue this project, we are going to use the trusty voicethread to showcase their Olympic Sports.

A student example using Shidonni. This is Liphin (part lion, part dolphin), she loves Swim Cross.  Where animals of the ocean compete through an obstacle course. 

I have been posting about my experiences using Google Earth.  This tool took countless hours in trying to put together a tour.  In the end, I am happy with what I created, but I think I only got to the tip of the iceberg in what you can actually do with this program.  I can see many more hours being spent in learning the different tools and activities that can be done with Google Earth.  As I was searching for different tour options, and how to create tours, I eventually found a teacher and skyped with her for help.  Another great learning experience.

 I have also been looking at slideshare as a possibility to show my students Heritage Fair projects.  I think I see some great value to this site. I will see once the time comes, how this tool enhanced my student’s experiences with their project. 

Lastly, I came across piclits.  I have actually incorporated this site in my morning routine.  It is a picture that students need to come up with a sentence using only the words that are provided. The object it to put the right words in the right place and the right order to capture the essence, story, and meaning of the picture.  Since I work with primary students, I had to do some tweaking with this site. I chose some of the pictures and words from the site and made a powerpoint presentation.  I post the picture and the students write a sentence. One student gets to use the smartboard to write their sentence. Some piclit pictures I use right from the site.  At first the sentences were very basic, but now that they got the hang of the process, I have noticed that they are interested in using “big words” in their sentences. Some have even asked if they could look in a dictionary to find out what some words mean in order to make their sentence make sense.  This has definitely increased their vocabulary and their sentences have grown from very basic to more detailed.  I love seeing the different sentences that the students have come up with for that one picture.  Everyone has such a different viewpoint of what they see in the picture.  Here are is an example of one piclit my students have done.

 The pandas are sucking milk fro a bottle.

We are so hungry.

 The adorable pandas suck from a bottle.

 The furry pandas are hungry for milk.

 I have definitely enjoyed my experiences playing in the sand.  One frustrating event that occurred while exploring, was most programs required some kind of download (ex. Flash) or you needed the updated version of a program.  Since our school computers are locked, this made it impossible for me to share some of the tools I found on the web.

I have discovered many new tools that can be used in the classroom.  Like Kim Brown mentioned in her blog, you really need to stop and ask your self these questions while you are experimenting and exploring the many different tools. 

5 Questions for Planning Successful Web-Based Activities

1. What is the curriculum related purpose of the activity? The outcome or assessment should be aligned to your lesson objectives and standards.

2. Does the Internet enhance the activity? If the answer is no, find a more appropriate place to integrate the web.

3. How will students use the online resources? Once students locate information, they should be asked to apply, analyze, synthesize, evaluate, or create. The activity should require them to move to higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy.

4. Do students have necessary information analysis/information synthesis skills or am I including these in instruction? The project should not become simply an exercise in locating information. Students must have the necessary background knowledge and pre-requisite skills to complete higher level tasks or these must be included in instruction prior to the web-based learning activity.

5. Do I have the necessary time and support for the activity? Double your original time estimate and always have access to technical support to resolve problems efficiently.”

“Lists are based on those outlined in Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching by M. D. Roblyer.” source: http://unhub.com/rXKd

Major Project: New Technologies I Have Been Working With February 26, 2010

            I am attempting to redesign a unit of study on The Inuit.  I would like to provide new opportunities for learners to explore this topic as well as for my learners to interact with other learners beyond the classroom.

            The first part of my project will begin on Monday.  The first lesson created for this unit will be using the Smart Response system.  Before I begin a topic I usually do a quick anticipation guide to find out their background knowledge on the subject.  This is usually a true and false questionnaire.  I have decided to use the same idea, but instead of using paper and pencil I have created the questionnaire using Smart Response. 

            This is the first time I have used Smart Response in the classroom and as I was making up the questionnaire I can definitely see the benefits of using this in the classroom. The main benefit I see is the data the Smart Response collects for you on each question.  Right after the students have answered the question, you get results on the next page.  You can choose student view, where you can see what each student answered, or a general view, where you see just the results.  Having results tabulated instantly allows for further discussion on certain questions and you can see right away what needs to be further explored or what the students already understand. 

After I get an idea of what the students are interested in, I have created a tour using Google Earth.  I will show the tour to the students, so they get a better idea of what life is like in the Artic. I have set up the tour to stop at major tourist destinations and important cities/villages in Nunavut.  I have also added links, where we are going to compare and contrast our communities.  Hopefully this tour will guide the students to choose a topic they would like to further explore for their Heritage fair project.

Google Earth February 18, 2010

I have been working on Google Earth for my project.  It has been a fun and frustrating adventure.  I can definitely see the value of Google Earth in the classroom.  As I have playing around with the different tools I have been discovering the wealth of information that it actually provides.  I have discovered within Google Earth is the moon view, which has videos, links, pictures.. .you name it, it has it!!!  What a great resource.  Have to remember this for next year!

I am still working through Google Earth and making a tour for my Inuit unit.  I marked all my places on the map and then discovered the layer option which you can add photos and links.  So needless to say, I am still exploring.  I am hoping to create a movie of the tour if I can actually get to that point.   If anyone has done a tour or knows how to add neat things to the tour please let me know. 

Searching For Web 2.0 Tools for a Primary Classroom: DomoNation February 17, 2010

I have been on the hunt for some Web 2.0 tools that could easily be used by primary students.  One that I have been looking at is called DomoNation.    This site the students can create an animations/movies of their choice. What I like about this site, is ease of use. Primary students will definately get the gist about adding characters, features and actions to their slides.  I will definately get my students to try it out once we are back in school from winter break.

Right now we are studying conflict resolution in Health and instead of creating our usual posters or brochures etc. I am going to have my students create a scene explaining how to solve some kind of conflict (example, playing fair during recess).  Stay tuned to see their creations.

How Can Schools Can Provide Computer Supported Learning February 15, 2010

               I think schools could implement computer supported learning in ways that authentically transform teaching and learning by approaching technology as integration into lessons and not as an add-on.  The literatures I have read say that schools need to provide an environment in which computer technology is used as a cognitive tool.  Students need to construct knowledge with technology as opposed to merely obtaining information from computers.  So as schools we need to provide meaningful activities that support the construction of knowledge. 

                Collaboration is one key area I believe can be supported by computer supported learning.   An example of collaboration I use in the classroom is literature circles.  I find the process allows my students learn through the interaction of others.  They work together and combine their knowledge to find the solution to the problem. I find the dialogue that takes place between the students during literature circles allows them to refine their understanding of the topic at hand.  Even though literature circles could easily be done without the use of technology, I find when students are interacting with their own classmates as well as with other students online, they seem to be more engaged and motivated. 

                In order to implement computer supported learning, schools need teacher support and expertise (leaders).  In order to provide authentic experiences for the students, schools need the support and expertise of the available tools and which ones will provide that meaningful experience for the students. As said earlier, we don’t want technology to be an add-on, but to be integrated within the lessons.

Here is a link to the voicethread of the forms I use for literature circles. 

http://voicethread.com/share/122263/

Sandbox Reminder February 10, 2010

               As the EC&I 832 class gets set to play in our “sandbox,” I read a great blog article by Tanya Roscoria, as sited by Faire Alchemist that had some key points to keep in mind while we play.  As we can easily become “enamoured of the technology… we need to realize that it’s just a tool. Whether the tool is a computer or pencil and piece of paper, they should use it to help their students learn.”  This quote definitely resonated with me as my instructor of the course has passed this message to us in many ways.  There is a lot of fancy technology and tools out there but we need to find the ones that help our students learn best. 

                But as I continued reading this article and the ways technology is being used in many different classrooms, I was in awe. However it brought fourth many questions.  Will my classroom ever become that way?  Will I have access to the tools beings used (such as; netbook computers, document cameras)? Who funds the technology in their schools? Do all classrooms have the same access to the technology available? Who and how many tech teachers are available to in service teachers? And the questions can continue on and on.  I work in a school division who used to have three tech teachers to come out to help and in-service teachers and now we have been cut back to one.  How can we ask teachers to implement technology into their lessons, if there is very little support for them to explore and find ways to implement technology ‘naturally’ as this blog article suggests?

                However, I am glad to see that many of the tools that are used to help students learn such as; Google docs, skype, twitter, facebook, blogging etc. are available for free.  So in the end, I guess, “it’s not all about what the newest and latest and greatest is… It’s all about you have what you want the students to know, and you just have to find the best way to get there with what you have.”

My Beliefs About Learning February 6, 2010

After reading about the different learning theories I have gained a better insight and appreciation for the different learning theories and their possible application to learning. I use the behaviourist approach when it comes to my reading workshop and the implementing the Daily 5.  There are specific behaviours the students need to complete in order for The Daily 5 to be a success. That means we “train” the students for specific behaviours until it becomes automatic.

I also see myself using an objective approach where I provide the students with an “anchor” before they set sail on the open seas of knowledge. A basic understanding of the material in question I think provides the students with a guiding compass for further travel. This also is applied during the Daily 5 and reading instruction.   With the advancement of technology, it has definitely made it possible for students to get “lost” in their learning and allow for new learning opportunities.  The technology that is available permits us to provide richer and more exciting learning environments.  Connecting and completing projects with classrooms around the world have definitely opened my students’ minds and has made them become more responsible for and active in the learning process.  In the end, I believe there is a place for each theory within the classroom, depending upon the situation and environment.