Wow! Check this out... I don't think an introduction is necessary...
I have always loved Elmo and I absolutely adore this story; I can't wait! Can you?!
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Motivation at its Best
Hi there, I'm back!
I thought I would share this inspirational video with my blog viewers. I would also show this video to students (or anyone for that matter). Not only does this video tell the students never to give up, there are concrete examples of our leaders being denied in what they do best. Perserverance and determination prevail as these amazing individuals succeed to the fullest despite their past failures.
Enjoy!
I thought I would share this inspirational video with my blog viewers. I would also show this video to students (or anyone for that matter). Not only does this video tell the students never to give up, there are concrete examples of our leaders being denied in what they do best. Perserverance and determination prevail as these amazing individuals succeed to the fullest despite their past failures.
Enjoy!
Saturday, October 15, 2011
The Future of High School Announcements!
Yesterday, I was at my third observation day at St. Joan of Arc CSS, and wow, it was quite the day. I was extremely sick and truthfully, I really wanted to be in my bed but I was SO happy that I buildt up the energy to go.
Why is that you ask? WELL! I saw the coolest, most futuristic thing I've ever seen! St. Joan of Arc has an AMAZING Communications Technology program where they have 3 incredible video cameras, microphones, and A GREEN SCREEN! Now, seeing this room is one thing... seeing what the students can do with this room was out of this world.
For the morning announcements, Joan of Arc no longer has a face-less student reading off a sheet over the muffled intercom -- no no, they are way too advanced for that! Now they have live TV recordings that each class watches on their Smart boards that was filmed in their Comm-Tech room and reported by the students. It was unreal! The students are using technology to be creative, innovative, and it was extremely effective! (not just because I was in awe, but because the students were also entirely engaged)
Morals of the story:
1. St. Joan of Arc is an amazing school that fosters student-centered learning
2. Technology is the learning of the 21st century and CLEARLY it can do amazing things!
Why is that you ask? WELL! I saw the coolest, most futuristic thing I've ever seen! St. Joan of Arc has an AMAZING Communications Technology program where they have 3 incredible video cameras, microphones, and A GREEN SCREEN! Now, seeing this room is one thing... seeing what the students can do with this room was out of this world.
For the morning announcements, Joan of Arc no longer has a face-less student reading off a sheet over the muffled intercom -- no no, they are way too advanced for that! Now they have live TV recordings that each class watches on their Smart boards that was filmed in their Comm-Tech room and reported by the students. It was unreal! The students are using technology to be creative, innovative, and it was extremely effective! (not just because I was in awe, but because the students were also entirely engaged)
Morals of the story:
1. St. Joan of Arc is an amazing school that fosters student-centered learning
2. Technology is the learning of the 21st century and CLEARLY it can do amazing things!
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Teachers Teaching Teachers!
INFO: http://edtechtalk.com/live-ttt ON WEDNESDAYS! (9pm Eastern)
The "Teachers Teaching Teachers" chat was so exciting! (Classroom 2.0 - EdTech Talk)
10 teachers from around North America came to chat about education, with no particular topic in mind but plenty of interest. This session began by one teacher, Valerie, expressing her trouble with getting support for implementing technology into her classroom. Their school was fighting just to get computers!! (which I found completely shocking to say the least). Valerie teaches English at an elementary school and wants to implement blogging into her lesson plans but can't because she doesn't get much support by her "conservative district". Computers?! Really?! Is that not a necessity in every school at this point? I was shocked... we moved on...
This got us talking about conservative fears about students stumbling over material they aren't supposted to see. One teacher pointed out the fact that students are using the internet and experiencing this content elsewhere so it makes more sense for them to have the guidance of educators to assist or redirect them. Something she said that I thought was fasinating and extremely truthful was, "the risk in not letting them have access to roam the internet is worse than letting them". So true.
In my opinion, students should be encouraged to explore topics, communicate with others, and be active and independent learners. You can learn an unreal amount from sitting infront of a computer with every bit of knowledge only a click away. I would say the opportunities with the internet compare greatly to that of a ginormous library (and keep in mind, I'm an English major who LOVES literature but I can admit to the array of educational information you can find online).
Last thing I promise! One teacher bought up his unique way of beginning each class by incorporating technology into his lesson plans. He teaches Photography and he begins each class with Flickr pictures that his students have taken and he has a class conversation about the techniques used in the picture. Amazing way to integrate technology with some positive reinforcement!
P.S. this can be done for English or other topics using Blogger or other writing tools
P.P.S. I have added this interesting idea and more to my "How to Incorporate Technology into The Classroom" blog, check it out!
The "Teachers Teaching Teachers" chat was so exciting! (Classroom 2.0 - EdTech Talk)
10 teachers from around North America came to chat about education, with no particular topic in mind but plenty of interest. This session began by one teacher, Valerie, expressing her trouble with getting support for implementing technology into her classroom. Their school was fighting just to get computers!! (which I found completely shocking to say the least). Valerie teaches English at an elementary school and wants to implement blogging into her lesson plans but can't because she doesn't get much support by her "conservative district". Computers?! Really?! Is that not a necessity in every school at this point? I was shocked... we moved on...
This got us talking about conservative fears about students stumbling over material they aren't supposted to see. One teacher pointed out the fact that students are using the internet and experiencing this content elsewhere so it makes more sense for them to have the guidance of educators to assist or redirect them. Something she said that I thought was fasinating and extremely truthful was, "the risk in not letting them have access to roam the internet is worse than letting them". So true.
In my opinion, students should be encouraged to explore topics, communicate with others, and be active and independent learners. You can learn an unreal amount from sitting infront of a computer with every bit of knowledge only a click away. I would say the opportunities with the internet compare greatly to that of a ginormous library (and keep in mind, I'm an English major who LOVES literature but I can admit to the array of educational information you can find online).
Last thing I promise! One teacher bought up his unique way of beginning each class by incorporating technology into his lesson plans. He teaches Photography and he begins each class with Flickr pictures that his students have taken and he has a class conversation about the techniques used in the picture. Amazing way to integrate technology with some positive reinforcement!
P.S. this can be done for English or other topics using Blogger or other writing tools
P.P.S. I have added this interesting idea and more to my "How to Incorporate Technology into The Classroom" blog, check it out!
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
How to Incorporate Technology in The Classroom!
I have decided to make a list of ways to initiate Lisa Neale's notion of "blended learning" and the notion of today's learners in contemporary classrooms. This list will be added to as I gather ideas from my own experiences, my peers, and my instructors.
- Use audio/videos in the classroom at any time in any subject! (emphasizes instructions/concepts in a relatable manner) -- e.g.,
- Songs
- TV Shows
- Movie Clips
- Class Website:
- Outlining a syllabus
- Class schedule (don't forget birthdays!)
- Homework assignments (can be assigned online and/or completed online)
- Class discussions (forums, debates)
- Post prior lessons for student's that were away (via document, video, audio)
- RESOURCE: Click here to try Google Sites! (Easy and free!!)
- Smart Boards:
- Great for posting visual lessons while adding information F2F (face to face) depending on the areas needing clarification
- Great way to get students up, involved, and interacting with their learning
- RESOURCE: Click here to download Smart Technologies Free Trial
- Check out their Ease of Use video
- Online Handouts:
- SAVE PAPER! Use online handouts! (or provide printouts and have them online for students who were away)
- Live Scribe Pen:
- Students get the audio and visual lesson at home (great for students that have trouble processing a lot of oral information at once)
- RESOURCE: Click here to check out How the Livescribe Pen works!
- Blogs (i.e. virtual journal):
- Practices writing, reading, communication, and self-reflection skills
- Allows students to express in an informal manner about a topic of their interest
- Allows teachers to get to know their students further
- RESOURCE: Try Google's Blogger
- Tie in Flickr, Blogger, Picasa, etc. at the beginning of your lesson
- During the "Teachers Teaching Teachers" discussion, one teacher said they begin their photography class with Flickr pictures of his students work to initiate discussions on techniques
- A Language Arts teacher could begin with Blogger (or any writing site) to highlight and praise student writing
- YouTube!!
- You can literally show a video on any topic! This keeps students interested, because, let's face it... listening to your voice all class everyday is not very engaging
- TIP: preview the material at home for appropriate content!
- RESOURCE: Youtube
- If YouTube does not work at your school, check my post titled, "No YouTube? No Problem!
- Digital Storytelling!
- Have your students create a comic strip related to a specific topic, theme, or text
- RESOURCE: Bitstrips
- Another method of integrating comic strip constructing!
- RESOURCE: Pixton for Fun
- RESOURCE: Audacity
- Bring your visuals to life! Use a photograph and make it as real as can be! (e.g., make your dog talk about his experiences as a dog)
- RESOURCE: Blabberize
- Online Book Writing! -- "Every child has a story", let them use their creative juices to write their own story based on a topic of your choice
- RESOURCE: TikaTok
- Use your Flikr pictures to tell a story!
- RESOURCES: PechaFlikr, 5 Card Stories
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