Summary of ICT Class

Well folks,

Today marked the last day of the term and of ICT Class. I'm sorry that this class is over as it has been my favorite one throughout this term! This blog post is a summary about how I felt about this course and what I learned from it.

During this class, I was shown many useful applications and websites that I could use in the classroom setting. I was shown websites on bookmarking and categorizing different websites such as Symbaloo. We used applications such as Wordle, Padlet, Animoto, Pixlr, and many more. We created websites that could be used in our classroom as well as E-portfolios that could be used when we go and search for job interviews. I was introduced to the wonderful world of Google and all of its interesting and useful applications such as Google Docs, Gmail, Google Drive and Google Calendars. I never would have started blogging if it were not for this course so I am very thankful for that. I also read some great literature about technology from the works of Kathy Cassidy. Overall, this has been a very educational course that has taught me about different programs available for me to use and this course has given me insight about the importance of using technology within the classroom.

At the beginning of this course, I was unsure about using technology in the classroom as I did not know whether it brought more harm than good to students. I felt that technology should be used as a tool rather than a crutch or an easy way out. I still feel that technology should be used appropriately in the classroom and that students should not abuse it. One thing I am sure of is that technology is in fact beneficial to students in the classroom. Students live in a world full of technology and teachers need to start integrating its usage into the classroom environment.

Overall, this has been a great class and I for one will be integrating technology into my classroom.

That's all for now,

Jordan

Tech Talk for Literacy

Hey folks,

So recently, I went to a Professional Development session on the Daily Five and CAFE. It was all about literacy and how to make reading and writing fun for students.The presenters demonstrated many different websites that could be used. Since being in this new ICT class, we have learned about many different uses for internet applications and technology and I will discuss some of these sites here.

In regards to working on writing, students can use some simple applications. The first site is a blogging site for students called Kidblog. This simple site allows students to blog in a safe and secure environment. Teachers can monitor all of the blogs that are created. Students can create reflections and practice writing stories for others to read. Other classmates can comment on students' work. Storybird allows students to create short stories using pictures. They can write story-lines underneath all of the photos as well.

For creating words, students can use Text Twist that allows students to unscramble letters and create different words. Students can then take the new words that they have learned and use them in their writing. Another application to use Spelling City which includes fun word games for students to practice their spelling.

For students to listen to stories there are many different applications for them to use as well. Speakaboos is an interactive website that allows students to choose stories to be read to them. They can choose different topics of stories such as scary stories or adventure stories. Other interactive sites for students include Raz Kids and Tumblebooks. My favorite site that was mentioned was called Storyline Online. In this site, students can choose different books to be read to them by celebrities of their choice. The books are also animated so the students can follow along and look at the animated pictures as they are being read to.

With the use of technology, kids can have a lot of fun reading. I wish that some of these applications were available when I went to school. Maybe I would have a better love for reading than I do now.

Take care.

Jordan

Making my PLE/PLN

Hello everybody,

Throughout my ICT course, we have been discussing the use of PLEs and PLNs for teachers. PLE stand for "Personal Learning Environment," while PLN stands for "Personal Learning Network." Its all about staying connected with other teachers and educators, as well as using as many online resources to obtain and share information and ideas for educational purposes. Throughout the course, we have been shown a large variety of sources that we can use to share information with other people. Many of us have signed on to new accounts and online systems that we have never used before.

As teachers, we always strive to obtain new strategies and ideas for teaching our classes. In creating my PLN, I have used many different sources to share information with other educators. I have started to create my very own websites that will be used for educational purposes when I am a teacher. It will be used as a classroom website where students can locate information, videos, comments and emails and can connect with the teacher's resources. Within my website, I have created a Symbaloo account which allows me to organize a large variety of sites into one page. Students can view this page and find educational sites that will benefit them greatly. It is an awesome organization application to use! I have also created an E-portfolio by creating a website, in which I have shared my experiences and samples of work and lessons.

Other sources that I have used to connect with teachers include, Maple; where teachers can share ideas and lessons with others and they can converse about what strategies worked and which ones did not. I use Teachers Pay Teachers, to find interesting lessons regarding any subject. I am also involved in Skype and Facebook. Here, I can connect with people face to face or send messages about educational ideas. I use Ning to connect with other education students in my courses and we discuss such things as book reviews and critiques.

One of the most beneficial ways to communicate ideas with other people is by what I am doing right now, blogging. I have been blogging for the past 7 weeks. Amazingly, I have had tons of views from all around the world including the United Kingdom, Israel, and South Africa. People have commented on my different blogs that I have written as well.

I have learned so much from this course and it really has made me more involved with the world through the internet. I have become more connected with fellow educators and I will continue to be. It is clear that learning is in fact a lifelong process as teachers strive to learn all they can from fellow educators and those around them.

I for one will never stop learning,
That's all for now,

Jordan Dyck

"Connected from the Start"- Review

Recently, I just finished the book "Connected from the Start: Global Learning in the Primary Grades," written by Kathy Cassidy. Our ICT class was required to read this text throughout the term and to comment on a community page about our opinions and thoughts. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book as it demonstrated different technologies and applications that could be utilized throughout the classroom.

Kathy discussed using Skype to connect her classroom to the outside world. She gave an example of how her class used Skype to interact with a school that was 2500 km away from theirs'. Her class was able to develop questions for the other class, discuss climate patterns for graphing purposes, and make connections with other students. I have never thought of using Skype in the classroom, but now I can really see how it is beneficial. It can be used to connect to those who are not there. Children can read to other students over the internet or show their work to a relative who lives far away. Students could connect to other school communities all around the world.

Another favorite concept that Kathy used was using blogs within her class. I'll admit, I was a little hesitant on letting my students use them as the internet can be a dangerous place for small children, but Kathy's book assured me that protective measures can be taken. Such measures include, proofreading of every post by the teacher, not using any last names of students, and not connecting photos to the names of students. I think blogs are a great idea for the use of student reflection and portfolios. Parents can be connected to their child's learning by reading their blogs and seeing what they are doing in school. People often comment on these students' blogs, which really excites the students. It also has been observed, that students will produce higher qualities of work when they know that there will be an audience.

Kathy discusses using applications such as Twitter to share ideas and thoughts with other classes. Her class had lots of experience using videos to make presentations She introduces the idea of using Wikis, Google Docs, Wordle, and other simple applications for her classroom.

Wow! What a great book! I suggest that all teachers should read this book and start integrating technology into their classrooms.

Bye, for now.

Jordan

Movie Madness!

Hey everybody,

So this week was pretty awesome! The class was assigned to create videos using any video making app that we wanted, including Imovie or Windows Movie Maker. We were allowed to make any kind of movie that we wanted. Our group tried to think of what kind of movie we were going to make, but it was rather difficult as there were endless possibilities. We thought of music videos and different themed videos, but we decided on making a spoof of a horror movie.

I have had a lot of experience making movies using Windows Movie Maker, as I sometimes create drum covers in my spare time.  Editing the video is not an issue for me and I can help lead my group in making a decent quality video.

I found that the most difficult part of filming was trying to make quality videos without the effects of Hollywood. Our group would have awesome ideas in their minds but to fulfill these ideas, we would need quality cameras and effects. However, we managed to create some excellent scenes using a camera on an Iphone. It was both interesting and amusing to see the acting skills of our group members.

Creating videos is an excellent way for students to use media in projects. Students in school can use videos to demonstrate ideas to their classrooms. Creating videos can be a lot of fun and I feel that students would enjoy school more when they can do fun and exciting projects. Students enjoy creating projects when they know that it will be presented to an audience; just as I will enjoy showing our group's video to our class.

That's all for now,

Jordan.

Animoto vs. Powtoon

Hey everybody!

Kinda had an exciting week this week in ICT class. In class we were shown new applications for multimedia and digital storytelling. The class was asked to pick some photos that could be placed into a story. Then we were shown a site called Animoto, which is a free site that allows you to take your photos and put them into a movie based template. You can choose the music that you want to place into your movie and create captions that tell the story for you. This site is great for use in schools as students can tell stories of life events and do class projects for school. I personally think that this site is great for students as it is easy for them create movies, however I think that Windows Movie Maker is a better application as it contains more options for creating movies and editing them. I have a lot of experience using Movie Maker as I create many movies in my spare time.

In another class, my classmate was searching YouTube for a class project, She came across a video that was made by a website called Powtoon. I decided to research this site and I found that it was a free site that allowed you to create animated videos that could be used for classroom presentations. The site has many options for animation tools. The site should be used to create short presentations as each slide can only be a maximum of 20 seconds long. One can also add background music to the movie. Sadly, only one voice over can be played over the entire movie instead of different voice overs per slide. For a demonstration on Powtoon, I have created a short demonstration video on how the movies look and what they contain.

Powtoon (click here)

So what's better? Animoto or Powtoon?
I'll leave it up to you.

Take care,

Jordan

E-Portfolios

Hello everyone,

There has been a lot of speculation about the overall importance of portfolios and their effectiveness during job interviews. Many committees and employers during interviews often do not bother to ask or look at the interviewee's  portfolio. The applicant then carries a large 2 inch binder full of samples of work and places it under their chair never to be seen from. These portfolios are often dangerous to applicants as their lack of organization can cause the interview to falter and result in the loss of a job. I always thought that the interviewers expected to see a hard copy of your portfolio, but it seems that it is not always the case.

An E-Portfolio is a great way for you to be able to connect your portfolio to your resume without having to drag a huge binder around to every interview. The portfolio can be created online using any template based website such as Weebly. People can use their creativity and produce an online version of their portfolio including, their certificates, professional development, pictures, work experiences, volunteer work and so on. When you send your application and resume into the selection committee, you can place the link to your E-Portfolio on the resume and the committee can choose whether or not to click on the link. It is more likely that they will view it when posted on a resume than asking to see it during an interview.

The one problem that I might have with creating an E-Portfolio, is that there is a large amount of private and personal information that could be included in the portfolio and I am not sure whether I would be comfortable with it being open to the public. However, I could get around this by creating it to be a private site that one would need a password for and I would give the password to the employer. Another way that I could make a portfolio would be to use a PowerPoint system. However, using PowerPoint is sometimes less neat than using a website and it can be more complicated to operate a PowerPoint. The last thing that you want to do is make it hard for the employer to navigate through information. That's one way not to get a job!

I guess i'll just have to think about it for a while
Anyways, that's all for now,

Jordan

Staying Connected

Hello my fellow bloggers,

Well, this week it was discussed how important it is that as teachers, we need to be connected to our students, their parents, and other teachers through the use of technology and I am really starting to take an interest in using technology in my classroom. For example, just the other day I was making a list of all of my usernames and passwords that I have for different accounts all across the internet. I swear, I have like 15 accounts that I am currently using: so much to remember!!

I was recently introduced to Weebly, which is a site that allows you to create your own website. When I was in high-school, I had a few teachers that had their own classroom sites. It made it so much easier as a student to find what I had to do for homework and connect with my teacher. So my plan is to use Weebly to create my own website for when I am a teacher.

Some of the things that I plan to include on my website are different photos that relate to education as well as a picture or two of myself so that the site is more personalized. Later on, I would try and post photos of students or their work on the site as well. Other important applications to place in this site would include a calendar so that students can see what school day it is and what events, projects, or tests are coming up within the next month. I will eventually use a site called Symbaloo to bookmark or organize different sites that students can use in regards to the subjects that I am teaching. One organizer may include sites for science resources and games while another would be established for math. These are just some of the ideas that I have for my website.

I believe that making this website will allow both students and their parents to connect with me as the teacher. Parents will be fully able to be involved in their child's learning as they can contact me about issues that they are having and can examine how their child is doing in my class.

Teachers need to be connected to their students, parents, and other teachers. The best way for these students to grow up into successful independent people is for their parents and teachers to be involved in their learning. Other teachers as well as parents offer advice and strategies on how to teach students. The best way to stay connected to one another is through the use of technology. Teamwork needs to be established for the good of the next generation.

That's all for now,
See you next week.


Jordan

GOOGLE IS TAKING OVER!

Sup everybody!!

When most people think of GOOGLE, they think of the most popular search engine in the world and that's all. A couple days ago, I was one of those people and man, was I wrong! It seems these days that Google is connected to everything in the internet. Even YouTube is connected to Google. It's Crazy!!

The other day, we were shown Google +, Gmail, Google Docs, Google Drive and many other sites that Google controls. I have been using Hotmail for receiving all of my emails since the day that I started using the internet. Last week, we were asked to create a Gmail account, and it is amazing how much access I have to sites on the internet. Due to Google owning so many sites, I have complete access to them all just by using my Gmail account. Its like the open sesame of the internet!

Two of my favorite Google features that I have been using this week are Google Docs and Google Drive. For one of my assignments in school, I was placed in a group and we had to work together on a large project with many pages; WAY too many pages. What Google Docs allows you to do is create a document and invite anybody you want to view that document. You can also let others edit your document that you are currently working on. So that means that if each person is given a different section of the essay or project to work on, everybody can type on the same document at the same time and everyone can view work that is being done in the moment by their members. There is a chat button available that allows group members to communicate while they are working on their document. There is no more single emails that are sent to individual members; its all on one page and you type what you are assigned to do. The coolest part of it is that while you are typing, the document saves Google Drive. You can close out of the window and pick it up where you left off without any hassle.

I think that this has forever changed how I will do work and group assignments. Now that I think about it, this source is unbelievably helpful for teaching purposes. Teachers can ask students questions and they can work in groups to collaborate ideas into a single document. Teachers can see what each student has contributed to the document as the writing is categorized by who wrote it. Students can work together on these documents from anywhere, so if a student is sick at home, they won't miss a thing and won't need to catch up when they get back to school.

It completely blew my mind!

Anyways, that's my rant for the week.

So take some time for yourself, crank up this song and have a good weekend!

- Jordan

First Week in a New Domain

Well, this is the first week back at University since Christmas holidays, so that means that I am starting a new term this week, full of new and exciting courses. Most of my courses are really interesting as they teach me new content about how to manage my classroom as a teacher and how my students' think. Perhaps one of my most interesting and engaging classes that I will have is "Using Information & Communication Technology in Education." During our first class, our professor went over the course syllabus, as most professors do at the beginning of a course. We were shown a website called, "Wordle," which allows people to create a picture containing a plethora of words that are related to a subject. You can type a list of words of any sorts and if you type the same word over again, it will simply increase the size of that exact word. I thought about what I would be able to use this sight for as a teacher and I realized that I would use it to create a Word Wall about a unit and important words that the students must know. It could also be used for different poetry exercises or grammar exercises.




Our professor showed us many different videos on YouTube about technology and the use of ICT in schools. One of my favorite videos that he showed the class was Taylor Mali doing slam poetry about what teachers make. I thought that this video really spoke to me because I feel that many parents as well as people in different professions do not treat teachers with respect and feel that their jobs are insignificant as they do not make as much money as other professions. This video really tells the truth that teachers do make a difference in the lives of others and that's why I want to be a teacher. I feel that this video really "sticks it" to those critics. If you haven't seen this video, I suggest that you check out it here.

We had a speaker named John Finch come to class and he discussed Literacy with ICT* Across the Curriculum. It is based on a continuum and teaches the students how to expand on the use of  technology when combined with Manitoba Curriculum. For example, students would use technology to find information about a given project. The next step would be to source the information as references. Another step would be to find how reliable the information really is by checking if it is recent information and who it is written by. I thought John used a very good example in portraying the importance of technology. He talked about how in earlier times, students would be given a project and would have to go to the library to find books about their subject. They would possibly find 10 books at the library about their subject. These days, students can look up their subject on their own device, whether it be a laptop, Ipad, Ipod, or Iphone, and find millions of sources about their subject. One can see that technology is a great and reliable source for this society, but I still have my doubts about it.

During my practicum, I witnessed a student using the popular application known as Snapchat. Now don't get me wrong, I think that Snapchat is a great app that can be used to communicate and send photos to friends or loved ones that are not around you. I use it all the time. But that's just it; this student was sending a Snap to his friend who was about 10 to 12 feet away from him. What happened to the days when people would walk over to their friends and start a conversation? How often do you go to a restaurant and see a couple or a group of friends sitting at a table and every one of them has their device four inches from their face? What ever happened to human interaction, face to face? I found during my practicum that students would type entries into Google incorrectly and would just let the computer correct the word for them. They were not learning how to spell the words correctly, they did not even care, the computer was doing it for them. Students would write written responses for the teacher and while I corrected them I found that a lot of them wrote, on paper, words that they would use in a text message. Such words would include, "like," "u," "wnt," (went) and "r."   I feel that students need to have a background of applicable knowledge before using some devices. Students should use technology as a tool to assist with learning, not to substitute their learning with a device that gives them the answers. I believe that technology and devices should be used as a tool, not as a shortcut. Technology can be helpful but I think that it can also be very harmful.