Engaging the 21st Century Learner

So today I skipped class to attend the pd Engaging the 21st Century Learner. Although I know it is wrong to skip class, I really felt like I could benefit from this session. Unfortunately, I forgot that we also had a presenter in I4ED and I would be missing out on his information. I thought this weeks blog post would be a great opportunity to share the things I learned about in my pd.

The first portion of the pd was about different iPad apps and how the teachers use them in their classrooms. Because the presenters were from early years (which was perfect for me) they began by explaining their classroom contract for iPad users. First and foremost is the iPad is a tool not a toy. They explain that there will be free time occasionally but most often it is used for learning. The presenters spoke about apps they use for literacy and math mostly, but then showed us how to use them for all other subject areas. The first app we played around with is called 'Doodle Buddy'. It is a free app where students are able to draw pictures and write texts. Additionally, they can do patterning for math on this site. The presenters had us practice on doodle buddy while she read the book Go Away Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley. As she was reading the parts of the monster we (the students) had to create our own monster by listening to her directions. I think it is such a great way to keep students engaged while reading stories. At the bottom of this page I have posted the monster I created yesterday. I didn't listen to the directions properly (big surprise) and I initially missed the drawing of a face step. Ooops. Don't fret, I added it in after. The rest of the apps we went through will be listed below. I don't have examples to share from them, but I do want to let you all know that they are out there.

The second part of the pd was about project-based learning. Two of the teachers presenting, work on 3-4 big projects a year. I think they are nuts because it is so unbelievably time consuming and a lot of hard work. If I were to do project-based assignments, I would start with one a year and work my way up with a max of 2. Each project encompasses all core subject areas; ela, math, science and social studies, and can include the arts curriculum as well. During the projects, students agree upon a topic to research and all of their instruction is based on that. In reflecting on it, it sort of seems like a really big thematic unit that is student chosen. Having students choose the topic is the biggest part. When they are interested I believe they learn better and are far more prepared to participate in activities and assignments then if their teacher tells them to. One of the examples they showed yesterday was their project on polar bears. The teachers began with a plethora of books on polar bears: their habitats, food, shelter, etc..., and had the students read them. From their the students each worked on different aspects of the life of a polar bear using all subject areas. The presenters said the students learned about polar bears, Churchill, Global Warming, campaign posters and many other aspects of northern life. The best thing about project-based learning is that students are so interested in the topic that they choose, they will remember all of the information they find. Some of us were quite confused about organizing project based learning in the classroom, but there are many ideas available online.

All in all, it was an informative and productive workshop. I was happy to receive a list of apps to use in the classroom for educational purposes. I don't have my own iPad, but when I do I imagine that I will download some of them and play around and practice on them.


MY MONSTER! 

                                          *created on doodle buddy


List of Apps
Doodle Buddy
Story Kit
Sound Sorting
Cookie Doodle (great for practicing letter recognition and spelling)
Popplet
Scribble Press
Book Magic
Book Creator 
 Google Earth/ Google Maps (to explore communities without leaving your school)
Keynote
Math Magic
Math Made Real Easy
Math Smart
Flash to Pass
Word Wildlife Foundation (WWF)
Tagxedo (website, not an app)

To learn about Biomes, google "Biome Song"

Lets Get Digital, Digital

This past week I have been learning all about being a digital society and creating digital identities. I believe that today's youth have found a greater purpose for going digital than I ever will, and as an educator that frightens me. A person's digital identity is just that, their online identity. A collection of usernames, profile pictures, social media forums, who they portray themselves as, what they post, and how they detach themselves from 'real life'.

I do believe that the increase in digitization such as technology, social media and digital forums
have a place in a classroom and society. There are a multitude of benefits for using technology in a classroom, but there are also many risks. As an educator it is my responsibility to remain informed about the risks and dangers of digitalization and ensure I am teaching my students how to be safe and secure in a technological world. The trick will be finding a way to provide the students with this information without causing a fear of the internet or panic that everything will be negative. Teaching students the correct ways to use the internet, social media, blogs and websites is the greatest advantage teachers have. We can shape the minds of our students by displaying proper uses of the technological tools we use. Having students practice safe use of these tools will be the best opportunity for them to learn the safe and secure ways to correctly use the internet.

The major concerns I have with classrooms being extremely digital are those of cyber-bullying, and website reliability.  Growing up in the 90's problems like cyber-bullying didn't happen, and I went to a library where I took out a book to research a topic, so they are something I have minimal experience with. Finding ways to teach my students about the repercussions of cyber-bullying (and bullying) and unreliable websites, is something I feel very strongly toward. I am hoping that situations like this do not happen in my classroom, but I need to be prepared if they do.

I still have much to learn about technology, the internet, social media and all of the great tools I can use online. I am excited and nervous at the same time to incorporate all of the things I am learning into my classroom. I am glad I have taken 'computer' classes, because I would be much further behind had I not. I impatiently await each class because I learn so much in them. As you know, I have great difficulties in them too, but that will come with time.






This past week we had an assignment to create a wiki for our class to use and it is based on digitization. I have attached the link to our wiki page below and added the definitions. 

Digital Identity:

• Digital identities are composed of many characteristics and tributes from a person. They are the online presence of an individuals involvement.

Digital Literacy:

• The ability to use digital technology and communication tools to understand and use information 

 Digital Citizenship:

• Having the knowledge and skills to be respectful of online communities and members
• The students need to be aware of many safety features like identity theft and cyber-bulling
• Students need to know that not all websites are trustworthy and reliable

Digital Dualism:

• The notion that the online and 'real worlds' are separate, therefore online and physical identities are different. As technology is becoming more predominant in society, this notion is no longer valid. 

To visit our wiki page, click on the link below. 
http://i4edwinter14.wikispaces.com/

Back At It

Wow! It sure has been a long time since I have posted on this blog. Last week I got back to school for my final semester as an education student!!!! Classes were going well and I was excited to be learning more about technology from my professor, who by the way, is really quite helpful when I am having computer difficulty. It happens more often then it should.

So, 3:30 Tuesday afternoon rolls around and I am sitting in the basement computer lab, waiting for class to start. I plunk my crap [my backpack] onto the floor and attempt to sign onto the school computer. Just my luck. As I could have predicted,  I am unable to sign in. Of course me of all people struggles on day one to sign in. If you remember any of my previous posts (see January 14, 2013) you will recall that anything technological causes me problems and computers hate me. Reflecting on last year, I noticed my computer struggles were almost exactly one year apart. Continuing on, I try logging in about five more times before getting up and trying a new computer, because there is no way this is my fault - obviously there is a glitch in the university's system. My professor jokes around saying he isn't surprised this is happening to me and tells me it's not an excuse for assignments not getting done. He's a comedian like that. At this point, people in my class are shouting out ideas they think will help, but because it's me nothing works.

My next step is to change my password because I had exceeded the maximum tries you can use before they think something is wrong/somebody is trying to break into your account. So I go ahead and change my password. What happens next, obviously it doesn't work. The computer tells me it is the wrong password, that I just changed. More laughter from my classmates (thanks for the encouragement guys!). Finally, class ends and I have to go to the helpdesk for them to reset my password, again, because it doesn't work even though I had just changed it. I am clearly not surprised by any of this, and was questioning my choice to take this class. I quickly realized that I clearly need this course because I still have much to learn about internet and technology for educators.