Earth day is coming up, and I am wondering what we can do as a class. I found this great Google doc started by Teach Paperless blogger and I think it’s a really amazing resource for anyone wanting to adopt more technology into the classroom as a substitute for paper.

I am also getting my hands on some red worms to start a classroom compost.

Any other ideas?

Please take a look at the blog:

http://kidblog.org/mrblacksclass/

Leave a comment, the students will love it!

I have started my new class as though it was a fresh start; a new environment, a new variety of classroom management, and a new kind of instruction. I have really found ECMP355 a blessing to facilitate all of this, as it has provided me with the tools necessary to research and choose the best approaches to creating this kind of change. The innumerable ideas from blogs, wiki’s, and other education-based websites have all been helpful. Twitter has also proven to be an excellent support system for ideas, ways to solve dilemmas, and most importantly to reinforce the idea that you aren’t the only teacher out there trying to make their classroom the best it can be for their students.

I look forward to the website we will start using (next week hopefully!) that will keep both students and parents abreast of their learning, and to act as a means of an online yearbook of all the learning that took place. It will also act as a reference for students to find supplementary aids for any subjects they choose to focus on (ex: math help). I am also excited for students to have their own blogs, so they can start becoming more interested in writing, and to see the relevance of expressing their ideas through the written word. It will be awesome to check the comments from students, parents, and those around the world, and will only motivate them more, leading to a stronger tech. literacy, so important for our student’s future.

I look forward to integrating all forms of technology into social action, and other project based learning to enhance interaction, and more engaged, critical thinking. Already we have used the projector to watch a short video on class citizenship, used it as a means of collecting student ideas that can be later put on a class wiki for citizenship. We are planning on creating our own videos based off how students feel about classroom citizenship and what it means to be a good citizen. It has already captured the student’s interests and motivation, and hopefully will lend itself to exploring the community, and society as a whole.

I am also really looking forward to using Skype in the classroom to talk with experts and other classrooms around the world. From my time teaching in Japan, I have made contacts with other teachers who have expressed a strong interest in making this happen!

The only difficulty will be the availability of the computers in the school. Several of the other teachers are also strong proponents of the use of new media in the classroom, and it will be an organizational feat to ensure that we all can share the computers without stepping on anyone elses toes. I really do think that the availability of a digital projector in each classroom helps this problem somewhat, but we’ll just have to see how well it plays out. I also think that using the Google suite, Docs specifically, will help keep students organized, and avoid the problem of not knowing which laptop they used last which has their entire project on it.

Starting so soon into teaching brings about challenges which I am excited to take on. I want to send a shout out to Dr. Alec Couros and all my classmates of ECMP 355 for being so valuable in making me aware of just how useful and important technology is in the classroom. Thank you!

After countless hours of screen capture mistakes and editing the wiki, I have finally made it to the finish line! The project isn’t due yet for another couple weeks, so this is the time for making any changes.

Please take a look at the site and please share any feedback you have regarding the improvement of the site. I would really appreciate it!

Solution? Ignite, the presentation method created to battle said ‘death by powerpoint.’ All you’ve got is 20 slides, 15 secs per slide, to go. That’s only 5 minutes to condense and present!

I really like this method of presentation. It forces the presenter to trim the fat of their presentation, providing the audience only the key ideas and corresponding visuals. If you aren’t organized, it will show!

It’s a really fun way of entertaining the class as well. Everyone is aware of the challenge, and are watching for stumbles, and how you will be able to react. Can you get it back on track? It’s also very much a bit of performance. The presenter, and not the slides, is again the centre of attention.

I found a link to Jason Grigsby’s blog ‘User First Web’ who walks you through the Ignite presentation experience, and how you can prepare for the challenge.

As well, check out this video, an actual Ignite presentation/tutorial from IgnitePhoenix:

In case you hadn’t read this previously, the site is being made for two reasons: One, to provide easy to understand tutorials for teachers who aren’t tech. savvy. I want to provide justification for the use of these programs, examples, benefits, etc. in the hope that more teachers will begin to use these tools in their classrooms. My mother, a teacher who isn’t so tech. literate, will be assisting me in giving me a good indication of whether the tutorials are effective enough; if she can’t get it set up, then it’s back to the drawing board.
The second reason, and the reason why I don’t simply grab some already made tutorials off the net, is because I want to familiarize myself with these programs as well, and making a tutorial forces me to learn them myself.

Please take a look at the blogs page, and let me know what you think! I am also open to suggestions as to what future tutorials I could make, depending on your interests!

Here’s the link to the site: Classroom Technology Tutorials – Blogs

I was also very impressed at how lessons/resources had been organized online to reference the SK curriculum, making it easier for teachers to find relevant material, without sacrificing time or money in the hunt for it. This is an excellent supplement to any classroom, and I really look forward to the time where I can use a smartboard to get across ideas, and the excitement that it will create for learning.

Smartboard website – for lesson ideas, references, help, etc.

Teaching with Smartboard – a regularly updated video podcast on math-related smartboard lessons and applications.

I am not good with directions. I realize that. If it weren’t for the amazing ease of googlemaps I wouldn’t have been able to get all the way to the north end to find Coldwell School.
I taught at Coldwell in a Gr 4/5 class in the morning, then jetted over to George Lee school in the aft. to teach a Gr. 7 classroom. I was worried most about the Gr. 7 class because all my intern experience was in a gr. 3/4 classroom, but things went really well. I have to say that both teachers provided excellent day plans, so there wasn’t any need to pull out any tricks of my own.

One thing I will mention in particular about the Gr. 7 classroom was how plugged in it was. The classroom layout was a series of octagonal desks where 3-4 students worked, optimizing the ability to collaborate. The class also had a laptop cart where students were able to freely grab one whenever they needed to research something, print out a final copy of a draft, make a powerpoint for a presentation, etc. I also asked and found out that all the students had blogs, and they also used the entire Google suite (reader, docs, gmail, etc.) in order to keep better track of their work. I was impressed at how well technology had been integrated into their classroom to better support the constructivist model that was in place. During the afternoon while I was there we only worked on different group-led projects. These students used the internet as a real source for information, and navigated effortlessly to find answers to their inquiries about bridges.

Having the opportunity to substitute – to see the multitude of ways in which different teachers approach teaching, classroom mgmt, class environment, equity, inclusivity, etc. has been, after only one day, an amazing way of refining your own practice. I know how important using and understanding technology is for students who are already immersed in it, and seeing this classroom made me feel that, without a doubt, everything we are learning in ECMP355 is valuable, practical, and most importantly possible.

After consultation with several individuals whose experience and background are relevant to this issue, a petition seemed to me the best way of tackling the problem.However, having never written a petition, I was in serious need of tutorials/assistance.

So, in the spirit of ECMP355 I Googled it! My first hit was Go Petition, an excellent resource that not only provides very specific information of what is needed in a petition for it to be effective, as well as hundreds of helpful examples that can serve as templates to guide your writing. They also offer the service of an online petition, which makes for an added convenience of reaching th0se who you would like to sign without running all over campus. They also assure users that online petitions are just as much a legal document as a paper and pen would be.

However, I chose not to use the online petition because I want to be absolutely certain that this petition, once signed and submitted, can not be waived as a kind of document the faculty would accept. Had I more time, and not in this uncomfortable position of worrying of what my instructor might do to me should he/she find out, I would have gone to ask the faculty if they would accept it.

This process of attempting to stand up for my, and my peers’ rights has made me realize how difficult it is for a student to make their voice heard, despite the forward thinking belief of our faculty that we need to impart social activism in our students. So, I have decided to share with you the options available if you have a greivance, and want to be recognized.

1) URSU has on staff a student advocate named Karene Hawkings who is available for consultation. If you have an issue you want addressed, going to her seems the best option. This helps to avoid the politics that may arise in Faculty, and provides you with a wealth of information regarding student rights, instructor rights and responsibilities, and will advocate on your behalf so that you won’t be put at risk.

2) Make a petition. To make your issue recognized as a class issue, and not simply a personal issue, a petition is an excellent way of going about this. A petition helps you to put into context your greivance, provide examples of the greivance, and provide what you to be suitable ways of resolving the problem.
When writing the petition we first shared an overview of what the problem was, and the ways in which it affected us as a class. Second, we shared examples of incidents that forced us to take a stand. Finally, we shared what we believed to be the best resolution of the problem.
I want to stress that writing a petition must be done with tact. Simply running off the cuff and openly accusing someone of something without providing adequate documentation will result in your petition not being taken seriously. This is not a chance to vent. Be smart.

3) Believe in your cause. This can be the most difficult thing to overcome, especially when in a situation that you feel intimidated by. If your cause is a just one, remain confident that you have taken the right course of action, and have followed steps that will be sure to keep you protected (speaking to the advocate, seeking advice, writing a petition) regardless of the outcome.
Share your concerns with those you want to sign the petition, as this fear of being later targeted in a negative way are common. But if the cause is important enough, they will likely sign, especially so once they recognize that many names are attached. There is real strength in numbers.

We have not formally proposed our petition to the faculty, and are still in the process of getting signatures. I am pleased to see how many people believe in their rights, and are willing to stand up for it. I will let you know how our petition was accepted by the faculty. Cross your fingers!

As a closing note, I noticed that many of the petitions online have been created by what seemed to be junior and senior high students. Many of them are for silly things, like forcing a sports team to sign/drop a certain player, or for bugs to be addressed in certain video games. Of course there are also the students who are using the petition to create change in their classroom, some very well written and understandable, and some ill-advised obvious attacks on the personal character of the teacher.
Using this as part of an assignment in class would be a valuable tool for organizing one’s thoughts, and advocating for beliefs that the class shares. Again, here is the link to Go Petition. Check it out.

First of all, please keep in mind that this wiki is a work in progress. I am still waiting for it to be recognized as an educational site, so in the meantime there are still ads along the right side. Also, I want to customize the layout further, so it’s still pretty basic.

As for the page on Skype itself, it’s still a little sparse, but most of the content is there. I created a tutorial video using Jing (because my Powerbook is too old to use camtasia ) and a bluetooth headset (because my internal mic suddenly isn’t working!) and while I would have preferred to have had the control over editing that Camtasia offers, when I really think about it, the basic screen capture works in that it does clearly get the ideas across, it’s just I have to practice it a lot, because every mistake made means starting over again.

I chose Skype as a first tutorial because I was already familiar with it’s use, and allowed me to concentrate on becoming familiar with the screen capturing software.

I also chose to link the video rather than imbed it, simply because the screen capture was so large, and didn’t fit well on the wiki itself.

That said, here is the link to the wiki page on Skype. Please let me know what you think!

SKYPE TUTORIAL WIKI