Picture this...

Infographic - prior to class, not a hot clue what this term actually meant.
Now spend two and a half months in a technology class.
Infographic - A digital image or video used to share information in a short format, with minimal reading required. 
Here is my sample infographic. It is nothing fancy, especially since I cite wikipedia, but it is a great start for me to figure out how to use the technology to create one. 

I think that it would be awesome to use these in my classroom, having students make them would be a great way to review information or summarize a chapter. I think that students would enjoy making these, as opposed to always making things like posters by hand. The biggest piece would be showing students how to actually make the infographics. However, this is just another learning experience, so embrace it and take inforgraphics for a test drive. 

These new moving picture things...

Are very useful in class.

Here is one that I found that I might use in a weather lesson.

And here is one for motion.

I think videos are a great way to bring science experiments into the classroom, since schools do not always have the resources, facilities or experience to conduct big fancy experiments.

Videos are also great activating pieces, since they spark interest in a topic easily. Students can also be encouraged to make their own videos for projects, like movie trailers, recording a scene, trying out green screen or really anything you can think of. 

If is always crucial to keep parents in the loop on using and making videos in class. Even more important is getting media releases for publishing videos. As a classroom teacher, I would encourage my students to share their videos (as long as they are appropriate and there is no personal info. in them). 

I think I would also set up a class youtube channel so students can share videos that they have found relating to class topics.

PLN, what the heck is that?

A PLN is either your personal or professional learning network. This is all of your supports, resources and connections that help you work as a professional or is your personal web of connections.

Here is mine:

The PLN for the modern teacher is very different from teachers even 10 to 15 years ago. There is more focus on technology and connecting with people anywhere in the world easily. 

This is also true for students, their personal learning networks look very different from students 10 years ago. There is more social media, less paper sources and more connections with people all over the world.

Let's get tweeting

Well, I have done it, joined the crazy twitter-verse, and I must say, I am liking it. When I first signed up for it, I thought it was a little silly, just a fun place to post thoughts, comments, ideas and be a little silly. However, now after spending time in this course, I have discovered the true power of Twitter.

Twitter allows us to connect with people all over the world, and to see more of the world than we every imagined. I follow Chris Hadfield, and I get to see much more the world than I imagined through his pictures. Through Twitter we can contact people, asking them questions, getting quick answers and share things that we think are amazing. In our BYOD panel, one of the teachers commented that she had discussions with her students about Manitoba history, all because they saw she had made a comment on Twitter about it. This is precisely what we are aiming for, connecting with our students and fostering that interest in learning.

Twitter can also serve as a forum to hold discussion, like Manitoba Education does. Unfortunately, I have not had the chance to check out one of these chats yet, but hopefully I will, when I am not working.

Twitter can also be used when not connected to the internet, as students can have to create Twitter pages for historical figures, characters out of literature or even things like elements in chemistry class. This just requires creating a template that students can use, and then making sure they understand all the elements of a Twitter page.

Twitter, and other websites like it are very powerful resources that we should be bringing into our classrooms, to engage our students and teach them practical, real world skills.

BYO...what comes next...oh, right...D

This week BU played host to a BYOD or one-to-one panel. I had the opportunity to serve as one of the MC's for it, and can honestly say it was a great time. 

I learned a lot at the panel, since I had very little experience with any time of one-to-one or BYOD initiative in schools. What did I really learn? Well here it is:

1. Technology will, as I expected, create problems and issues in a classroom and a school, but the key is to turn those problems into teachable moments. Focusing on the problem is a great way to get stuck, you need to look for a solution and look at how you have grown because of the problem.
2. Technology in classrooms requires a shift in education. We have to shift our pedagogy,assessments and even our idea of what education is at the core. We can not teach students in the same way, since they can find answers easily, they want to multitask and if they are interested, they constantly want more.
3. Technology should be like oxygen, always there, but never really noticed. This is the way of the future and so we have to teach our students how to interact with this future. If we do not do this, we are doing both our students and our world a disservice. This also means that technology needs to be used appropriately, not constantly.
4. Finally, students need to become their own conscience in a digital world. We cannot and should not rely on filter to monitor students' online activity. Students should become able to serve as their own filters, both in what they look at and what they share.

  
I really look forward to seeing where one-to-one and BYOD go in the future, as they are the situations that are realistically preparing our students for the future. Technology is here, it is not going away, so let's embrace it, enjoy it and utilize it to its fullest potential, in school and out.

Teaching the Digital Native

Today in class we looked at what it truly means to teach a "digital native," or someone who has grown up with technology around them and grown up using technology. 
The first step is to look at our own pedagogy, how do we teach and what it truly our teaching style. We have to find a way to teach digital learners in a way that will match both our pedagogy and their learning style. This is true of both face to face instruction and distance education.
Next we need to define what we are trying to do as a teacher, are we trying to instruct students, or are we trying to help students learn. To me, I believe that we should be focusing on learning, not just teaching. Learning takes information and gives it meaning, relevance and in sense, a life.
Web based courses are a great way to give students more opportunities in a rural school, or so that teachers can supplement their own teaching. Web based courses provide a lot of opportunities, as they are available on almost ever subject, so teachers can use them as a way to support their planning, they can use them to help students who are falling behind, help students who are taking an extended absence or in a rural division that does not have the same resources.
I am looking forward to checking out what is available through web-based courses, as this student teaching placement I will be teaching science for the first time, and must admit I am a little terrified. To know that there are resources available for me to use and things that are ready made, if I get stuck. 
Overall, teaching students in this modern age, we, as teachers, have to be prepared to keep up with students, looking at how they want to learn and what they actually want to learn. We have to be prepared to be a part of the changing world, not yelling at the world to be the way we want, while we stand in our sinking lifeboat. 

The Power of the Podcast

This week in class, we had a very interesting discussion revovling around the power of multimedia in the classroom. This includes videos, podcasts and other forms of multimedia. 
Videos can be used for two purposes, the first is as a teaching tool, using them to add to lessons, spark interest or teach a subject. These videos are generally found by the person who is leading a lesson, be it a teacher or a student. The second use for videos is to use them as a project, having students make different videos for class. This might meaning filming a science experiment, filming a scene from Shakespeare or taking pre-existing material and making it into something new. 
Podcasts are another way to engage students in multimedia, and bring experts into the classroom. Podcasts allow for a variety of pre-recorded material to be used in class, material may be on a variety of subjects and may be by a variety of speakers. Students can also create their own podcasts, that can then be shared with their class and beyond. This gives students a sense of ownership of their work, as it can potentially be shared with a lot of people. 
Having students make different multimedia projects is a great way to teach them a variety of skill, including the use of technology, teamwork, time management and more.

Digital identity in a changing world...

What is digital identity or your digital footprint?
This is your online identity, who you are when someone looks for what you do with technology. As future teachers it is something that we all really pay attention to. We focus on making sure that our digital footprint is clean and appropriate, so that employers will never question our professionalism. 
However not everyone looks at their digital foot print the same way, some people even look at their digital identity as something totally different from who they are in the real world. This is not the case though, we are not two different people, our real selves and our online selves. This is part of the problem that has lead to extensive online bullying, people think that they are a different person, so what they says online does not matter. The other scenario is that people say it is just an online comment, so no one will ever take it seriously.
There are several things that can be done to protect one's online identity, including not posting personal information online, paying attention to what websites they go to, and practicing respect and manners, even online. Parents need to pay attention to what their children are doing online, knowing what social media sites they are using, who they are chatting with online, and actually talking with them and educating them on proper digital citzenship.
This is a huge topic to bring up in a classroom, as teachers are expected to teach citizenship and now that includes digital citizenship. Teachers need to discuss digital citizenship including, your online identity, protecting yourself online, and being respectful in all settings. This starts with creating a classroom of respect, making sure all students know what is appropriate, and what is not. After that students need to be taught how to use technology, since it cannot be assumed that students know how to use all technology. Finally, teachers need to model proper use of technology and actually allow them to try using technology in a safe setting.