Final Post!

This will be my final post for the term! Thanks for all the ideas we've shared throughout the semester, and I look forward to keeping up with everyone's blogs!  Please use the link below to view my final project :)

http://portal.sliderocket.com/DFXQB/9C11BC1A-0F42-49CC-B480-46FF7A9BF982 

Future of Education?

I think it is clear after everything we have learned this semester that the future for us as educators is filled with tech savvy teaching tools! The Horizon Report shares a few of their ideas of what they think some of these teaching tools may be. 

Cloud Computing (One large home to many different servers)

Mobiles (Just as it sounds, mobile hand held browsers are taking over!)

Game-Based Learning (A more interactive way for students to learn using multiple different games and simulations)

Open Content (Sharing and collaborating, meaning less textbooks)

Learning Analytic (Studying many types of data produced by students to better target each individual learner)

Personal Learning Environment (We are very familiar with these!)

I am a firm believer that the technology we have today and advancements in teaching tools is making us "smarter" individuals. I also believe in the "Work smarter not harder" saying!! I think this is what all teachers and students can look forward to in the future. Teachers will still  be great role models in the classrooms (guides on the side), students will still be learning a great amount of information each year, but it will simply be delivered in a more modern, interactive way using the most up to date technology available. 

Safe to say I think this is a great time for us to be entering the world of education!
 

App Show and Tell!

After our group presentations two weeks ago, I couldn't help but feel panicked about properly citing my information while in school. (Especially considering I'm 4 years in...) So I found an app, which may or may not be new to my classmates, that will be such a big help! Its called "CiteMe" &  CiteMe on Facebook". 

The best part? It's a fool proof way to cite all your resources! Once you go to CiteMe on Facebook, all you do is type in the name of the book, textbook, or whatever it is that you are citing and it will bring up the proper way to cite the resource. Then, you can just copy and paste it to your document. The other great feature is it will automatically change it whether you are using APA, MLA, or other forms of citations. 

 

The website "CiteMe" is just as convenient and allows you to search even more than just books. It will conveniently cite articles, newspapers, or any other media you have used. It gives you a template to type in all the necessary information (such as author, year, article name) and it cites it for you! It also keeps a list to make it easier and more organized for when you are finished. Hope this helps everyone else as much as it will me! 

Infographics

Since I am very new with infographics, I took a look at everyone else's first and realized it's just a fun and unique way to display information. So my next thought was, what type of information do I want to share? With any students (of any age) it's important to talk nutrition. That's why I decided to do a piktograph on the amount of sugar in some popular beverages among kids. It was simple, quick, and I think it gets the point across! I know one of the best things I learned when I was a teenager was how many calories and sugar I was drinking. As a teenager, you never think of your beverages as a contribution to your health or intake of calories. However, if more students are made aware of this at a young age, and understand the benefits of adding water to their list of favorite drinks, then I think it would be extremely beneficial!

Video in the Classroom

Video in the classroom has not only made the average classroom more fun, but it has connected the students and teachers to current events happening around the world. I remember getting so excited in high school when my teacher would roll in that big tv, we would all cheer as we knew we were getting the chance to watch a video. Times have definitely changed since then! (And that wasn't all that long ago!!) Teachers are using video almost everyday. Video apps such as brainpop, teachertube, and other helpful resources are being used to assist with the delivery of the curriculum material. Not only are students more engaged, but it is keeping them connected with the world, too. For middle years classrooms one of the most important topics in social studies is current events. My sister teaches grade 7 at a school in Brandon and sometimes shows a news clipping to activate her social studies classes. The students will be asked if they heard any important news the night before that they think is worth sharing; similarly, the biggest topics around the world such as weather systems, breaking news, once in a lifetime moments being captured on tv, and other important events around the world- are never missed. The students love feeling so connected with the rest of the world and love to take part in discussing current events. Not to mention, video can be used to assist ANY grade, and almost any subject. It is an interactive way to engage your students and give them some variety in their classes. We have the ability to be connected with people all over our universe within seconds through technology and we need to use this as a teaching tool in our future classrooms!

Personal Learning Networks

My personal learning network has definitely grown in the last 3 months, thanks to Internet for Educators! It is exciting to think that our classrooms in 2014 will be filled with all new technology that is going to better assist multiple learners.  It is an exciting world we live in and change is happening everyday in the technology world, which means our delivery methods will keep changing too! Most importantly? It is our jobs as young educators to keep up!

EduBlogger: ~Against the Wind~

"I blog so that I can share posts with students. They get a deeper understanding of why I teach the way I do, why I conduct the class the way I do, why I do what I do" (Brian Barry).

At the beginning of this term, I took interest in reading posts by Nunavut_tweeter, an educational blogger from Iqaluit, Nunavut. Brian's blog titled, "Against the Wind" has great posts that are both inspirational and enlightening. As pre service teachers we are constantly learning, and I appreciate hearing tips and thoughts by other educational professionals who take pride in sharing their success stories - and even their setbacks.

One of my favorite posts of his was titled Meeting the Needs of Students. (This post was inspired by a conference about William Glasser's Control Theory). What I loved about this post is he not only discussed the 5 needs of students (Survival, Fun, Freedom, Power/Success, Love/Belonging) but he shared some daily lessons he had created that successfully met these needs. A couple examples of these are..

 "Power/success: Ensuring that all students have a chance to succeed is essential. If some are not good at tests, they might be good at debating, acting, music or art. I ensure I give them the opportunity to succeed at their strength"

 "Love/belonging: I greet my students at the door each day. I have a calendar board for the month where I write various birthdays or events the students have that month. This makes each student feel included. Group activities are good too for meeting this need".

Another favorite post of Brian's that I wanted to share was titled, "We Need More Time Flying Days". 

Photo courtesy of Brian Barry

This post was so simple- yet something we may have never thought of! All that is meant by this post is that time flies when you're having fun. The bottom line that he wanted to get across here is that the next time you and your class have a time flying day, take a moment to realize why. What made the day so fun and engaging? Take that and use it to make every class just as fun!

Finally, an idea that I thought was genius for collaborating ideas was a post titled "A Short Conversation With.. " Brian found a website called Teachmeet New Jersey: Fresh ideas for Education, where ideas are presented to educators through interviews, an idea that he loved. This is where he came up with his A Short Conversation With... idea. Now, you can click on this link on his blog and read multiple interviews with different colleagues that discuss tools for being a great educator. 

"Sure, if I had not been exposed to Twitter I could do some of the same things I have

 done. However, social media has made it easier to connect and work with people (StevenAnderson)".

 "I had an administrator that showed she believed in me and it meant everything. That

belief led to me believing that I could do great things in school. My goal as an  

administrator is to continuously do the same thing for my students and staff.

This is not about false optimism, but it is about finding the gifts people bring and 

helping them share them with the world" (George Couros)".

On an end note, here are a few of Brian's tips titled "I wish I had NEVER learned about teaching"... 

    I wish I had never learned that the teacher never admits when he/she is wrong.
    I wish I had never learned that the class must always be quiet.                             
    I wish I had never learned that a student should always stay in his/her seat. 
    I wish I had never learned that school was not a place for fun.                              

I wish I could continue on and share more of Brian's insights, but I can only hope that my classmates and colleagues in the teaching field will follow his blog and be a part of his philosophy. A few of his other great posts not mentioned here (well worth reading!) are:

~Boredom: It's not about the tool; It's about the students~
~Motivational/Inspiring: My 100th Post: My Teacher Checklist~
~Motivational/Inspiring: What is stopping you?~
~Change: Are you learning?~ 

Photo courtesy of Mark Brannon

Brian's optimism, educational insight and honesty is greatly appreciated and valued by many.Thank you, Brian, for sharing your thoughts and I look forward to reading more in the future! 

Podcasts

One way to get our students more engaged in the classroom is through the use of Podcasts. While looking up some educational podcasts I came across a few ideas of how they could be beneficial and useful in the classroom (which wasn't hard to do considering there are tons of resources out there!). My first idea actually came from my sister; while I was googling ideas for the classroom she brought to my attention how nice it would be to teach a difficult concept (ex. a new math lesson) through a podcast, and later post it to your classroom website giving your students constant access to you as a resource. This would be fantastic for parents as well as they would be able to listen to the lesson and help their child with homework if they were having difficulty. Definitely something worth trying! Not to mention this would be fantastic for any age. While on the topic of having podcasts as resources for outside the classroom, it is definitely worth noting some of the other resources I found for students to use when struggling with a topic. A perfect example is Grammar Girl or The Public Speaker which are beneficial for many different ages. These types of podcasts offer quick tips on how to improve in a certain subject or topic area (such as english) when there is noone around to ask for help. I am not sure how new Podcasts are- but I definitely don't remember being able to benefit from these when I was in school! 

While I'm sure there are thousands of resources for students to use outside the classroom, it is also important to note how Podcasts can be useful in the classroom as well. We are well aware that the traditional ways of displaying information in the classroom are being replaced with more interactive and modern ways. Podcasts give students an additional method of displaying their information for projects and presentations, giving them the opportunity to individualize their schoolwork. A great example of this is a group of students from Charlotte High School, Michigan who entitled their work "This I Believe". Each student has a different podcast broadcasting a belief that is specific to each individual. Some students speak of being yourself, artwork, or even music. 

It is easy to see that whatever way students or teachers decide to use it, Podcasts can be a great resource for any classroom, and any age!