Another Way to Use PPT

In response to Mark and Christine - using PowerPoint in a different way.

This is so true guys. And Mark - you mentioned that boys love this type of writing - and so do girls. And better yet, they all love READING this type of writing. Some call it cartoons, some call it graphic stories, others refer to it as comics. Whatever you call it - the kids love it, and it's a great way to get them to read. If you've ever heard of the "Bone" books by Jeff Smith, you'll know how popular this type of writing/reading is! During any given week, at leave five of my students will sign out a Bone book from the library. Excellent!

Assignment 5 - Rationale

Assignment 5 – Presentation Software
PowerPoint Presentation – Julia Borrelli
O’Siem – by Susan Aglukark

Rationale:

Every month at the Catholic school where I teach, we have a “Community Celebration” – a school-wide assembly, honouring students who have volunteered, helped out, or stood out in some way over the month. Each month it is the responsibility of one class to ‘direct’ this assembly – putting together all the thank you announcements and awards of recognition. For the month of March, it is my turn (along with my class) to organize the Community Assembly. Since it will take place during Race Relations week in Sioux Lookout, I thought it would be appropriate to present a slideshow to the entire school that represents anti-racism, togetherness, and cultural diversity.

The following PowerPoint presentation uses a song and lyrics by Susan Aglukark – a Canadian singer/song writer who infuses her music with Aboriginal culture and the Iniktitut language. The phrase “O’Siem” is a shout for joy in Inuktitut, and it’s a song that attempts to break down the barriers felt by many Native people. This presentation is something that I will show to the entire school during our Race Relations week in March; a week where we have different activities that will help break down the walls of racism and bring awareness to students and community members. Some activities that take place during Race Relations week at our school include bannock baking, Pow Wows, Smudge Ceremonies, and bringing Elders in from the community to talk about their experiences with Residential schools and the prejudices they feel.

Information about the Artist and Song:

“(Susan) Aglukark's lyrics have included personal stories and social commentary on issues such as child abuse, alcoholism and suicide that have plagued many First Nations communities. Her album This Child combined contemporary melodies, traditional Inuk chants, modern lyrics and Inuit culture and folklore. The song "O Siem" described some of the racism and prejudice in her community, and "Shamaya" combined folklore and personal observations to describe a traditional Inuit hunt. "Hina Na Ho" drew a striking analogy between the harsh Arctic winter and the challenges experienced by many people in northern Canada.”

(http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=U1ARTU0003989)

Notes about the PowerPoint Presentation:

¤ At the time of submission, the song “O’Siem” plays through the entire slide show
¤ The slide transitions match with the lyrics (text) on each slide
¤ I am really hoping this works – and that you see what I see!

More on Spec. Ed.

In response to David...Isn't it difficult/frustrating to know where your students are at and to try to help them when they are often being withdrawn and 'dealt with' in the spec. ed. department only? I can only imagine how you feel about your students trying to make it in highschool. I'm sure you're doing a great job at preparing them for what's coming - huge changes ahead!

Plethora of PowerPoint

Wow, Shane - this definitely is a HUGE amount of slideshows to view. This site gave me some great ideas for the presentation assignment coming up. It's definitely a website that gives great examples of the many things PowerPoint can do! Thanks for sharing this, I added it to my favourites so I can show my class powerpoint presentations when they relate to what we are doing in class. Thank yoU!

Ebooks...

David, this website looks like a great place where people can learn about the benefits to using Ebooks. Going through the site and your summative posting, it is easy to see that every teacher can use ebooks within their classrooms and expect great results. I'm not sure how things are in your school, but in my school, the special education programming takes place pretty well completely within the spec. ed. department. Meaning that the students are often removed from the classroom in order to have their special ed. programming take place. So I think it's easy for teachers to forget how easy it can be to provide accommodated or moderated programming for students who are struggling - especially if the onus has been taken off them in the past. But this site makes things very clear as to what we can do with ebooks, and why they are important for students who learn differently. Thanks for the share!

Benetton - Flipbook

In response to Keethai's discovery of Benetoon's "Flipbook" website.

Keethai - I have never heard of this website, and I think this has very much to do with our current topic. It seems like a great place for students to be able to express themselves through creative images and in a sense, presentations. From what I can see, children are able to create their own drawings and pictures and then use those to establish their own flipbook - which is most definitely a visual presentation. The only thing that would make it even better is if students could import sound bites. From what I could tell, this is something that hasn't been established on the site yet - but I could be wrong. I just think adding sound would make things even more creative. And you're right, Keethai, this does match completely with the curriculum expectations and even goes along with much of the literacy curriculum as well.

Inspiration

This is a posting I created in response to Patricia's find about Inspiration presentation software.

Patricia - thanks for letting us know about another presentation software. To be quite honest, I know no other presentation software programs other than Microsoft PowerPoint or MovieMaker, so to have another one brought to my attention is a great thing. I especially enjoy how the link discusses the different types of presentations you could create using Inspiration. It actually takes you through step-by-step, the different types of presentations, and the reasons and different contexts for which to use each one. I think this link is very helpful for people who want to broaden their horizons and move beyond the PowerPoint mind frame. Great find - thanks!

List of Slideshows

This is in response to Vanessa's great find: http://www.graves.k12.ky.us/powerpoints/elementary/ - Using PowerPoint Presentations in the Pr/Jr Classroom.

Vanessa - this is quite the list. It's too bad that the creators of the site didn't sort through the presentations and categorize them into grades or divisions at least. I am looking through some of them now, thinking of how great it would have been to have access to these during some of my past units (Ecosystems, Food Chains, anything having to do with Kindergarten, etc.). And although this seems to be American (or at least there are some US-related slideshows), there are still some very relevant topics that I'm sure relate to our Ontario curriculum. I can't wait to sit down and take the time to go through these to see what will apply to me. In fact, a smart thing to do would be to put this on my "Favourites" list so I can refer back to it in the future. Great find, thanks for sharing!

What Not To Do...

Lately, all the research I have been coming across in terms of Powerpoint presentations have said the same thing; if you're going to use this software, refrain from using bulleted points in your slides. Peter has even said the same thing.

The thing that I find to be very funny is that I sat through four years of university, and in each year and almost every subject (except Peter's class, of course!) there were PowerPoint slideshows that featured bulleted points slide after slide. The prof would (I guess?) try to make things seem more interesting by using fancy transitions with their words popping on the screen (i.e. the bullets would appear letter by letter with a very annoying typing sound), but they weren't fooling anyone.

It's intersting to think that everyone is telling us what NOT to do with a powerpoint slideshow, and all throughout university, the profs (but not Peter!) were doing just that. Tisk Tisk...

Another Negative Opinion

http://www.edwardtufte.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=0002PP&topic_id=1

This is a link entitled "Lowsy PowerPoint presentations: the Fault of PP users?". Another interesting article to read - presenting lots of different perspectives. It's kind of interesting to see the different points of view on the subject - and lately, I have been finding more and more negative opinions. Take a look.

Powerpoint and Rocket Science

http://www.edwardtufte.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=0001yB&topic_id=1

This is the link about using powerpoint and rocket science. It's a good read...definitely check it out!

Powerpoint - One Author's Idea

http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/books_pp

Apparently there are quite a few resources that outline the dos and don'ts of powerpoint and slideware presentations in general. If you follow the link above, you'll see one author's opinion as stated in his essay entitled "PowerPoint Does Rocket Science--and Better Techniques for Technical Reports".

Basically the site explains how we have been using visual presentations for many years, and now with the invention of different slideshow software, they are nearly everywhere. This author claims that "slideware often reduces the analytical quality of presentations. In particular, the popular PowerPoint templates (ready-made designs) usually weaken verbal and spatial reasoning, and almost always corrupt statistical analysis". Hmm...makes you wonder about teachers using this in their classrooms on a regular basis, doesn't it?

A Couple Professors' Opinions

http://lsi.typepad.com/lsi/2007/01/rethinking_powe.html

This is a link I came across when researching the use of Powerpoint in the classroom. It begins with a Law School professor stating all the negative aspects of Powerpoint, saying MindManager (made by Mindjet) is better. Although I find some of his opinions valid, I also don't necessarily think he knows everything there is to know about Powerpoint, because then he wouldn't be saying things like 'it flattens my presentations', etc. When we all know that there are certain things we can do to make sure our presentations on PowerPoint are not 'flat'.

It is interesting to read the rest of the comments (it is posted in a forum format). Many of the people who respond to him are either fellow Law Professors or students of law, giving their opinions. Check it out - it is very interesting!

Help, Peter!

Peter, I am sort of concerned with the last few posts you've given us about hints for our powerpoint presentation project. You keep using terms like 'bells and whistles' and 'fancy'...and I don't feel very confident! Do you literally just want us to put together a presentation showcasing all that the software can do (or at least what I think it can do?)...and leave the content behind?

Powerpoint and Shared Reading

In response to Patricia, who posted on using powerpoint presentations as big books in the classroom...

Patricia, I am not really sure what you are referring to when you say a 'digital imager'. Maybe I have not gone through all the posts yet, and will find it soon:). But I do like what you're saying about using powerpoint to create a big book for the classroom. I also don't necessarily think you need the audio aspect of it. Instead, you could use it as a shared reading lesson instead. This seems like a good idea to me, and I will research more!

Powerpoint in the Classroom

In response to Christine's two posted links for powerpoint and ESL students...

Christine, unfortunately your first link didn't work for me, but the second one you gave regarding ESL Lessons using Powerpoint seems really great. I especially like the idea that they have so many different grammatical lessons, as well as punctuation. To me, this could be used for a lot of different students - not just ESL students. In particular, I am thinking of two or three different students in my class who are IEPed for language. One in particular is working at an early grade one level (and he's in grade four) so these types of presentations would be especially helpful to him. I also like these because the teacher or EA can use them one-on-one with the student, or the teacher can do whole class instruction using the LCD projector. Great!

Digital Imagery in the Classroom

In researching the use of digital imagery in the classroom, it quickly became very apparent that there are endless amounts of activities and opportunities that use such technology within the learning environment. Although many websites outline things that the teacher can do with digital photography, there are also many opportunities for the students themselves to have hands-on experience with this. I am a strong believer in experiential learning, and many children learn better by doing. So, what better way to teach any subject, than with first hand experience using a digital camera? The following are a few ways that digital imagery can be used within regular and special needs classrooms.
One application of using digital photography in the classroom is within the Health and Physical Education strand. In grade five, one of the specific expectations for physical fitness is to be able to describe the components of physical fitness and relate each component to an appropriate physical activity. These categories include cardiorespiratory, muscle endurance, muscle strength, and flexibility. The teacher would divide the class up into four different groups, and have them come up with different activities they could do for each type of physical fitness. For example, one group would be the ‘flexibility’ group, and it would be their task to come up with 3-5 appropriate exercises or activities we should do daily that fall into that group.
Once every group has had a chance to establish their activities and practice, the teacher will give them a digital camera and they are to take still photos as well as video footage of what each activity looks like as the students perform them. Once every group has taken their photos, they can print them out and make captions for them. The students must then put these photographs on display in the school hallway in a pyramid format, showing the entire school which physical activity should be done the most to the least, and what each one could look like. At the end you will have a photo collage, created completely by the students, of the different physical activities you should do daily, as well as captions explaining each one.
Other classes can be invited to join the “Physical Fitness Photo Wall” by adding their own photographs of other physical activities you could do. As an extension of this, the photographs that the students take can then be added to the school’s website for parents and other community members to see. The teacher can also post the video footage online so that parents and other students can click on it to see what the exercises will look like from start to finish. This assignment would not only link to the Health and Physical Education curriculum, but it would also integrate well with the Human Body science curriculum, as well as the Visual Arts strand.
A second idea that incorporates digital imagery in the special needs classroom includes having a student study local landmarks. In the grade five social studies curriculum, Canadian Landmarks is a subject that is taught. Since the concept of Canadian landmarks may be overwhelming or intimidating for a student with special needs, the teacher can accommodate to his/her needs by making it local landmarks. It is the student’s task to drive (or walk if it is a smaller town) around the city with an adult helper, and take pictures of different places the student considers to be local landmarks. Such places may include his neighbourhood grocery store, the town hall, the local beach, and the school. The places the student considers to be local landmarks may be special to the student, or they can be places the student can relate to. For example, he may take a picture of the building where his dad works. If possible, the student with special needs is encouraged to be the one who takes the photos, as this will allow him to have ownership in his work. The student may need a reminder of what a ‘landmark’ is, and the definition should be established prior to the photo-taking extravaganza. While taking these photos, the student should also try to focus on different photo techniques and use different camera angles, etc. This of course can be incorporated into the arts curriculum.
After the photos are taken, it is the student’s task to arrange them in a presentation of some sort. If the student is able to manipulate a presentation software program such as Microsoft PowerPoint, then he can be asked to make a slide show with the digital images he took, with captions under each photo. If the student is working at a lower primary level, have him print the photos out, and arrange them on a presentation board, along with captions for each. As an extension of this task, the teacher can ask the student to create a large to-scale map of the hometown. On that map he is to place the pictures where they belong respectively. This will encourage the student to develop his mapping skills. Furthermore, if the map were created on grid paper, he could also be asked to give the coordinates of each location, which would concur with mathematics curriculum.
Once the entire project is finished, the teacher may have the student present his project orally in front of the class. If he created his presentation on PowerPoint, he could also record himself reading the information, and then play the slideshow in front of the class using the LCD projector.
The following is another example of a lesson that incorporates digital photography in the primary grades. At the beginning of the year, the teacher will explain to the class that each child is to choose a living thing outdoors that is special to them. This can be a tree, a flower, a pond, etc. In the fall, the students will go on a fall walk and (with help from the teacher, parent volunteers, or EAs) each student will take a photograph of their special item using a digital camera. The students will then print their photos out on coloured paper twice. With one set of photos they will create a wall or bulletin board with all of their pictures. The pictures can be labeled with the student’s name, as well as why that item is special to them. With the second set of photos, they will create their very own photo journal. This could be done using a simple notebook that has half the page blank for a picture and the other half with lines. If it is a more advanced class, the photo journal can be created online using a free photo journal website, or even in a folder on the computer that belongs to that one student.
This will be an ongoing task throughout the year, because as each new season presents itself, the students will venture outside and take a photograph of that same item. As the year progresses they will continue to go outside and take photos of their special item. Every time they do, they will add to their photo journals, and write a reflection each time a new picture is taken. This is a good way for students to have first-hand learning of the seasons, or life cycles in the environment. Throughout the year the students will begin to notice changes in the environment and to their special item in particular. They will be able to state their findings, as well as reflect and ask questions as to why certain things happened. What’s great about this assignment is the fact that each child should be encouraged to choose his own item, something that is unique and different from everyone else’s. This way, each student has ownership of his own special item, and that item can become “theirs”.
Young students will look forward to many things in this task; they will look forward to the next season or anytime their item changes, and they will look forward to using and manipulating a digital camera, since many of their parents may not let them use theirs at home. This is also a great literacy lesson because it encourages students to make predictions and write using descriptive language. This is a very well-rounded lesson that both the teacher and students will benefit from greatly.
As stated above, there are so many things students can do with digital imagery inside and outside of the classroom. It was very difficult to choose just three lessons, as there are so many that exist. However, I chose these three for a couple different reasons. First of all, each lesson I discussed had the student as the hands-on learner; the one manipulating the digital camera and other technologies. I also chose these lessons because each of them had so many cross-curricular integrations and extensions, which is always something teachers are looking for. Lastly, I included them because they show a range of different ages and abilities, from the junior grades, to students with special needs, right down to the primary grades.
It is very apparent that digital imagery is a concept that can be used in any classroom, and at any age or grade. It is something that is so easily at our finger tips that we would be doing ourselves and our students a disservice if we didn’t allow them to explore with digital cameras.

"Teacher to Teacher"

In response to David's find: http://www.brunswick.k12.me.us/lon/lonlinks/digicam/teacher/home.html

This looks like a really good site, David. Although Peter would like us to focus moreso on the students having the camera, it's still a great site that gives tips and ideas to teachers like who are trying to do various things with digital cameras in their classrooms. I especially like the idea the first grade teacher had where she took pictures around the classroom and them put them into KidPix where the kids would have to draw the shapes that they saw. This is a great activity as it not only introduces shapes in the environment, it also touches upon perspective taking and seeing things that may not be blatent or obvious. I'll be sure to use some of these ideas when I'm looking to incorporate digital imagery in my classroom. Great find, David!

Google Earth?

Response to Vanessa's Google Earth posting...

Vanessa - I've heard so much about Google Earth but have never ventured onto the site. Now that I've read your submission, I am on it as we speak and it is downloading! Can't wait to see what opportunities this will present. Thanks for the tip!

Differentiated Instruction and the Auditory Learner

Response to Dave's differentiated instruction posting in regards to using audio technology software programs such as Kurzweil and Dragon Naturally Speaking.

I think you are so right, David. You definitely touched upon some poignant issues. I have a student in my class who uses both those software programs many times throughout the week and sometimes daily. The one thing that I have trouble with though is the fact that other students still say "why does HE get to use that and we don`t". On one hand I explain that we all learn differently and these types of software will help the student to perform and reach his highest potential. On the other hand, I hear what the other kids are saying and wish that we did have access to this software for the whole class. Although I understand that only a few students may need this type of software assistance, that`s not to say that other students wouldn`t benefit from using it as well. I guess it just comes down to the availability of technology in your school...which is frustrating to some!

Digital Storytelling and Podcasting in the Classroom

In researching the effects of digital storytelling and podcasting in the classroom, I came across many useful articles and helpful links. These links and articles helped to be gain a better understanding of what, in fact, digital storytelling and podcasting are, and really allowed me to start thinking of how I can use these within my own classroom.
An activity I currently use in my grade four classroom is called Circle News. This is an Oral Language activity that encourages the children to listen actively to what others say, and then be able to retell their account back to the class. Students are placed into groups and one is assigned the ‘manager’ for that day. Each student is to take a turn and tell a news story about something that has happened in the recent past. The teacher will usually set the guidelines for this and ask for specific stories such as what the child did over the weekend. Each child must include the ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘why’, ‘when’, ‘where’, and ‘how’ details in a natural way when they tell their story, and the other children are listening attentively so they are able to pick those out. At the end once everyone has shared, the ‘manager’ is to choose one news story he/she liked the most, and that student is to explain the story orally back to the class in a retell fashion.
The way that podcasting can fit into this is instead of having the student retell the story in front of the class, why not have them do it as a podcast? Each manager would record it online, and then you would have a podcast of a series of five Circle News stories that could stream over the internet or over the board’s intranet system. It could be a “Grade Four Weekly News Podcast” that would focus on details of the children’s lives. Each week would feature five new students telling their news, and you would continue on in this manner so that everyone has had a chance to create part of the podcast. This would still be considered an Oral Language activity, but now you’ve also incorporated the Computer Technology aspect as well. The students would find this very interesting, and they would feel a sense of importance or accomplishment, knowing that people can go online and listen to their podcasts.
Digital Storytelling in the junior grades does not have to be intimidating. It can be a tool to help students learn more about their past and heritage. I teach in a very northern board, and the majority of people who populate my town are Natives. Even if the students are not of Native descent, the following digital storytelling task can help them understand how traditions and storytelling drive Native culture. I would explain to my class that many cultures, including Native cultures, value oral storytelling as a means of passing on traditions and stories from generation to generation. Then I would say that we would be doing the same, only we are going to use technology to help us along.
Currently in my class we are learning about the six traits of writing, and we are on the ‘Ideas’ trait. This trait discusses how authors have one main idea in their story that always teaches a lesson in the end. For example, the big idea in the Three Little Pigs is that in the end, hard work always pays off. I would incorporate this into my Language Arts lesson on digital storytelling using Native myths and legends. In order to activate prior knowledge, I would discuss Native culture and traditional storytelling, and have the students tell me what they already know. Then I would read them a few stories from anthologies or picture books that might help them understand. Appropriate story books to use include All the Stars in the Sky: Native Stories from the Heavens by C.J. Taylor, or Legend of the Indian Paintbrush by Tomie Depaola. One useful anthology is The Storytelling Stone: Traditional Native American Myths and Tales by Susan Feldmann. As you read these stories to your class, discuss what makes them unique, and have the students pick out the main idea and the lesson learned in the end.
It is very important as a teacher, to be able to show a completed product to your students in order for them to learn the expectations for their own work. Thus, the first thing I would do is show a model of what I would want to see all my students produce. This would be a completed digital story created on Movie Maker or iMovie (if your board has Mac) that tells a Native myth or legend that I created.
Once the students become comfortable with this, it is time for them to create their own Native story. Using various outlines and pre-writing organizers, I would have them draft a copy of their very own Native legend or myth; something that incorporates the Ideas Trait of Writing. The natural story writing process would proceed, including teacher conferences and peer editing. At this point, it is the teacher’s responsibility to understand that everyone works at a different pace, and if someone is finished their rough draft quicker than everyone else, they should be encouraged to get started using Movie Maker. Once a student is finished his story, he would be able to work with the designated program and begin to create his story digitally. As a teacher, one should encourage the students to explore and manipulate the different features of the program being used, and it should be a requirement for your students to incorporate imported music, pictures (drawn and scanned or found on the internet), etc. The students also need to consider their tone of voice, volume, and other factors that will effect how they record their story. Depending on the amount of space on your hard drive at school, I would put a time limit on the digital story for each student, such as a maximum of three minutes.
If you do not feel like your students are able to navigate through Movie Maker or iMovie with little assistance to create their digital story, a suggestion would be to first create a collective digital story with the class, and go through each step and each fundamental feature of the program together. This way, you can troubleshoot possible problems, and cover some of the things that could possibly go wrong during their digital story creations.
The time it takes your class to complete their digital stories would depend on many things. In one article I researched, there was a teacher who had his students create digital stories and it took them six months. However, his class only had access to five computers at a time, so that would invariably affect the amount of time it took to complete the assignment. Firstly it would depend on the amount of time you have access to computers in your classroom. It would also depend on how flexible the teacher is when organizing and scheduling time. It is very important to understand that teachers may not be able to set strict guidelines when it comes to due dates for digital stories because of these reasons.
In the end, you will have an entire class set of digital stories, retelling or recreating a traditional Native myth or legend. What a great way to introduce and teach such an integral part of Canadian history and culture.
I think digital storytelling and podcasting are tools that every teacher should become familiar with. As I have learned, these tools can turn something ordinary such as everyday storytelling or oral language activities, into something extraordinary. I am very excited to put my newly acquired knowledge into experience!

Check It Out!

It's funny how much information you can obtain just by discussing best practices and observing what other teachers do in my classroom. I sometimes find that my best 'research' information comes from such occasions.

Another thing you can do with digital photography in the classroom is have digital photos from various perspectives and camera angles. One example would be to have a very tight close up of a gorilla's fur - something to make it look like a giant. The teacher would show this extreme close-up to the class and ask what it is. Then you would show them the exact same photo only a full-body shot and they would be surprised to see that it is a tiny baby chimpanzee. The students are shocked to see that their guesses were wrong, but it introduces the idea that there are different perspectives that can be taken with digital photos. It would also review different camera angles, different types of photos, and other curriculum criteria.

One idea my friend is using in her classroom is that she is having a digital scrapbook. All throughout the year she takes pictures of her students almost daily, doing different tasks, on field trips, during gym, etc. Then at the end of the year she posts these pictures on a free online photo album site (with the appropriate written consent) and allows access to her students and parents. This gives everyone the chance to see what went on throughout the year, and serves as a nice memory or keep-sake once the year is over.

More Digital Photography Ideas...

One thing I do in my classroom at the beginning of the year is take an individual photo of each student with my digital camera. I then cut those pictures out so it is just a close-up of their face and shoulders and paste them onto construction paper. Once I cut those out into funky shapes (stars), I laminate them and put a self-adhesive magnet strip on the back. Now I have individual magnets for each child, and I keep them on the front chalkboard. I use these magnets for many things throughout the year. When I want to make groups I just place the magnets in different groups and the students can have a visual of which group they are in. I also use them to show who my monitors are for the week (for example, on the "Grade 4B Monitors" section of the chalkboard - beside 'milk monitor' would be one student's picture magnet, etc.). The students love seeing their faces on the chalkboard all day - and there are so many uses for this concept.

Another thing my school did recently during Literacy Week was have a "WALL OF FAME". Students were invited to have their photo taken with their favourite book/author/series. These photos were then printed on photo paper and place on the wall of fame in the lobby of the school. This was great because it got kids motivated and interested in reading. It also gave the parents and community members a visual of our students and how we're such great readers!

Science and Digital Photography

http://primary-school-curriculum.suite101.com/article.cfm/a_digital_camera_in_science_class

I think one subject that often gets missed when considering how to use digital imagery in the classroom is science. However, there are lots of things you can do as a class to use photography and cover the science curriculum as well.

The above site seems like an amazing resources as it has a lot of great ideas for lessons using digital photography. A couple of the ideas include creating the life cycle of the butterfly (grade two curriculum) using digital photography by taking pictures of caterpillars and butterflies in different stages of their lives. You could easily place these digital photos on a bulletin board, and it would be a first-hand visual representation that the students can refer to throughout the unit.

Another suggestion was to take pictures of the students doing a science experiment. Once all the pictures have been taken, have the students put them back into sequential order, all the while reviewing the scientific method (as seen in each photo). If you are not one for still photography, you could easily create a video of the students doing the science experiment, and then post that video on the school's website. The kids would love that!

I think it's important for us to remember that digital photography is a technology that can be easily integrated into every subject, including math and science.

Peter's Cutting and Pasting

Oh my goodness Peter, that would be so time consuming! Did that professor mean to have a picture collection for every subject taught so that you can always have a visual representation? I realize that was a while ago, but it seems very partial to the visual learner. I guess there wasn't that big of a push for differentiated instruction back then? Plus - with all that cutting and pasting, when did you have time for anything else?

Whole-word vs. Phonics?

This posting is in response to Shane's thoughts on how audio learners will learn spelling using phonics and sounding-out strategies, whereas visual learners will use whole-word strategies.

Shane - I think it's really interesting that you mentioned that visual learners will spell using the whole word versus phonics and sounding-out strategies. Teachers in the primary division will know that there has been great debate in the last decade or so about the benefits of phonics versus whole-word spelling. It's interesting to consider that once again, we need to cater to every student's needs and instruct them based on this thought. I guess it all comes down to Differentiated Instruction.

But it's so true - if you think about audio learners, they may try to spell words based on what the letter sounds 'say', whereas the visual learner will just read the entire word. We all know that there are many different types of learners in our classrooms, so how do we go about teaching spelling if there are such differences that exist. Some boards have 'solved' that problem by doing away with the phonics programs that they previously used and adoped whole-word spelling strategies instead. While this will cater to the visual learners, where does that leave the audio learners who understand words when they are chunked and broken down into sounds?

This is definitely something to consider, and it's something that reminds me that I need to reconsider how I teach spelling. I need to teach different strategies that cater to the needs of both audio and visual learners.

Assessment and the Visual Learner

A response to David and Peter's posting...

I completely agree with both of you - I think teachers (especially those who have been teaching for many years and perhaps it's all they know) tend to teach in content in order to have tests and exams as assessment tools. Teachers are often very reluctant to assess using anything but tests and exams because they are tangible, paper and pencil tasks that are "easy" to assess because they can be seen with the eye and decided whether it's the right or wrong answer.

I think a lot of teachers tend to avoid teaching in other fashions, because they are unsure of what to do to assess. I think there should be more PD on assessment in areas that are more abstract - such as oral language. Some teachers often assess the process rather than the product, and that might be a solution - but how many times can you do that?

I would be interested to find out more about this subject - as I completely agree with you. Is there some way we can cater to the students who do not learn well using the traditional model of teaching?

A Little Off Topic...

Although this posting (well, more like a rant) h$as nothing to do with digital photography, it does have to do with technology in general. I am currently applying to many boards in the southern Ontario region and the majority of them use www.applytoeducation.ca as their means of applying. Today I spent the entire day at my school scanning all of my documents (teaching reports, transcripts, police check, etc.) one by one, for every board. For some reason, I figured that having a brand new scanner at the school, things would go pretty quickly - but honestly, to scan one page, it took an average of about 2-3 minutes. Now when you think about it, I had about 7-10 pages to scan per board, and there are 9 boards that use applytoeducation.ca - that's a LONG time to be scanning. Once I was finally done scanning, I then had to upload said scans onto the actual website, which took another 2 minutes per page. Sometimes I get so frustrated with technology, and it really seems like a ironic paradox to me. We use technology because it is supposed to be so much quicker and reduces paper, etc., and yet it often takes a very long time to even scan and upload documents. Doesn't that defeat the purpose??

Lesson Ideas for Digital Photography

While researching digital imagery in the classroom, I came across the site that had many different lesson ideas that incorporated digital photography.

One lesson idea I liked in particular was the idea of giving your students only a portion of a digital photo - and as a writing activity, you can use it as a writing prompt - what's happening in the photo? What is missing in the photo? What happened before, during, after the photo was taken, etc. Picture prompts are awesome to use as a writing tool in the classroom. An alternate lesson idea or extension of this would be to have the students go around and take the digital photos and distort them in some way or cut parts of them off. Then they could trade with other students and they would use that as a writing prompt.

You could also take the photos that the students took and have your class try to put them together in some sequential way. It wouldn't have to make sense at first because ideally you would have students taking pictures of completely different things/places. However, you could put all the photos in some sort of order, and as a class you could write a story using those as your pictures.

This topic of digital imagery is so broad - lots of things you can do. I'm excited to learn more!
http://www.wacona.com/digicam/digicam.html#Lesson

Digital Photography and Special Needs

This is a posting that responded to a post from Michael regarding digital photography and special needs students.

Michael - that is such a great idea. It actually reminds me of what the grade five teacher did at my school. During the Canadian Landmark unit in Social Studies, she made a modified assignment for her very high needs student. Instead of getting him to focus on Canadian landmarks the teacher adapted it to local Sioux Lookout landmarks. What he did was drive around with an EA and take pictures of what he thought were important Sioux Lookout landmarks. Then he printed those digital photos and added captions to them, labelling what each 'landmark' was, and giving a little bit of information about each. These were typed responses completely typed by himself (big step). He put this all on a bristol board and presented it to the class orally. As an extension, the teacher had him create a large map of Sioux Lookout and he placed each digital photo (scaled down) on the map in its respective place. I really like how the teacher in your school created it like a game with velcro. That would really help the student to learn the names of important places in his city. I'll be sure to pass along that great idea to the grade five teacher in my school. Thanks!

Digital Photography and iMath

David - it's so true that mathematics is the subject that gets the short end of the stick when it comes to innovative lesson plans. I have to admit, I fall into that trap almost daily. Since I wasn't a very mathematically-minded student as a child, I find it difficult to come up with lesson plans that are fun and creative, and present different approaches to learning. Aside from using math manipulatives (which I do often as the students are more engaged), I definitely lack in the innovation aspect of math teaching.

This website looks great, and I especially like lesson plan idea about the math vocab photobook. Although this is a MAC site, it is also a lesson task that can easily be adapted to a program such as Microsoft Movie Maker.

I thought the lesson plan looked so good, and the site itself looks promising, that I joined! I hope the fact that I don't have a Mac doesn't have an effect on the amount of resources I can access! I look forward to using this website, thanks for the sharing the wealth!

In Response to KISS

This is a message that responds to David's posting on beginning with the end in mind...starting with an expectation and working your way backward from there.

It's so true, David. We sometimes really do need to learn how to crawl before we begin to run. Although it's sometimes difficult to do, I was first encouraged to put the 'start with the expectation first' concept into practice during my BEd year at Brock. However, sometimes it is difficult to work that way - but rewarding nonetheless.

One question though, I heard you refer that concept to KISS - what does that stand for?

Podcasting & Special Education

In response to Vanessa's find on Podcasting and Autism...

That looks like a great find, Vanessa. I found something similar about Learning Disabilities. I think it's really important that parents and other people in the field have different resources and outlets to consult when trying to learn more about what the child is going through. There are definitely more sites and podcasts needed about things like PDD and Learning Disabilities - the things that really matter when it comes to Special Education.

Learning Disabilities and Podcasts...

http://www.ldpodcast.com/

While researching podcasting and special education, I came across this website that offers podcasts on Learning Disabilities.

To quote the website:

The LD Podcast is a free weekly podcast/internet radio show about learning and learning disabilities. Our focus is on parenting children who are struggling in school, but you'll find many of the topics we discuss applicable to any child. You'll hear a lot about how to emphasize your child's strengths, while helping them find ways to minimize their deficits. Every child learns, but not all children learn the same way or at the same pace as others.
Topics include:

Dyslexia
ADHD
Central Auditory Processing Disorder
Asperger's and Autism Spectrum Disorders
Strategies to help your child succeed in school
Special Education
Therapy and therapists
Gifted Children with Learning Disabilities
Understanding How Your Child Learns Best and How You Can Help

This seems like a great website directed at parents or educators who would like to learn more about different disabilities that they may have to work with on a daily basis. So, I thought it was interesting because we have all been so busy researching the effects of podcasting on education directed at students - but what about the parents and educators who need to learn more? This just proves that podcasts are a great way to educate and inform people about topics that really matter.

Why So Strict??

Is anyone else frustrated by the amount of websites they are NOT allowed on by their board? I look forward to getting some course work done while on breaks at school and I get very frustrated when I realize that I am allowed on to absolutely no sites!! I'm completely blocked. No blogging, no podcasts...very frustrating!! I want to see what everyone else is seeing! Okay okay...I'll just have to wait until home time:)

Powerpoint or Podcasts?

This post is in response to a message by Christine - talking about the benefits of using Powerpoint as a stepping stone for creating podcasts.

Christine - I completely agree. Using Powerpoint as a stepping stone for creating Podcasts is a great idea. Everyone is always saying how teaching your students Powerpoint is useless because of all the new and exciting technologies out there such as podcasts, so why not Powerpoint useFUL instead? In my class the kids have a Powerpoint presentation assignment where they have to make up a children's story in at least 5 slides plus a title page. Most of them think that this is the end of the assignment. But wouldn't the students be surprised to find out that they are only half way there - that there is another component to the assignment; translating that Powerpoint presentation into a podcast?! That's a wonderful idea! And believe me, I am definitely one of those teachers who need to use a software "rough copy" first, before diving head-first into podcasting. It's nice to know that there is a stepping stone on which to base our knowledge of podcasts...great!

Podcasting & Student Achievement

http://www.etech.ohio.gov/programs/action/research/newark_english.jsp

While researching podcasting, I was trying to find things that people haven't come across yet. I have been seeing a lot of podcasting with subjects like science, but I haven't seen a lot with the arts. The arts are my passion - so I would like to learn more about how to use digital storytelling and podcasting in the arts classroom. Well, when searching for the 'arts' I came across podcasting and Language Arts. Also something that interests me!

This article discusses a study conducted to see if using podcasting in the English Language Arts classroom would improve student achievement. Although the conclusion of the study could not find a definitive correlation between podcasting and student achievement, the majority of participants reported that the audio podcast improved their skill development. I find it interesting that people would conduct studies to see how podcasting can directly and positively affect student achievement in children and I look forward to further researching this area!

Auditory Learning...

http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://www.parentssource.com/1.02.ear.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.parentssource.com/1.02.article.asp&h=90&w=70&sz=2&hl=en&start=17&tbnid=Pl3bg254GkmQ7M:&tbnh=78&tbnw=61&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dauditory%2Blearner%26gbv%3D2%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den

When doing research on auditory learners, I came across this article "Parents' Source: Family Resource Center" as a way to help parents understand how their children learn. The article goes through the three different types of learners (visual, auditory, kinesthetic) and describes the characteristics of each one. The most interesting point the author makes about auditory learners is the fact that they might hum or sing to themselves while they work. This is one of my pet peeves in the classroom - when I'm trying to teach or speak to the class and there is a constant hum in the room. I think by now my students know that this is something that drives me nuts, so some may do this on purpose, but I guess I never realized that it may be actual auditory learners doing this to help them. This article made me realize that I should probably be more patient with this humming in the room, as it may be a special way for students to learn.

The article also discusses how auditory learners benefit from poems, rhymes, and silly songs for memorization. As much as I'm a visual learner, I also use poems, rhymes and silly songs for memorization. Using that actually helped me a lot in university!

I'm just thankful that there are articles out there that are written by experienced people in the field, that are targetted toward parents. I think it's easy as a parent to get misconstrued information and automatically assume that your child should be learning a certain way. In this case, parents should be encouraged to research and learn about the different ways children learn - sot hey can better understand their children

Characteristics of the Auditory Learner

The first thing I think of when I hear the phrase 'characteristics of the audio learner' is Gardner's Multiple Intelligences. His theory shows a true understanding that everyone learns in different ways. In my opinion, the audio learner remembers what he/she hears, may be a good speaker, responds well to phonics, and maybe even talks while he/she writes.

There are many different advantages to being an auditory learner - such as remembering names, being an eloquent speaker, and maybe even being musically inclined. However, there are also some disadvantages of being an auditory learner. These might include being easily distracted by noise, the written word may not have much meaning or importance, and the idea that these learners are listening to something inside of them instead of the person who is speaking. (http://www.trcc.commnet.edu/Ed_Resources/TASC/Training/Auditory_Learning.htm)

I think people who learn auditorily are fascinating, and I wish I could be more like them. Instead, I need to see things in a visual way - I can't do a thing without a list in front of me. Audio learners would benefit from extra time at the listening centre in primary grades, and some hands-on auditory technological work in the junior and intermediate grades. Once these students hit highschool, there's no telling what they'll do - the sky's the limit.

I think the main idea here is to accept that everyone learns differently and to remember that there may be some auditory learners in our classrooms. For this reason, we should be ensuring that we teach to accommodate all students. This may include non-traditional teaching methods such as class podcasts, etc. I can't wait to learn more about this topic so I can apply the knowledge to my classroom. I will definitely think twice next time I ask a student to put down the iPod...that's for sure!

SMART Ideas OESS Assessment

The SMART Ideas Software program is a program that introduces and uses
concept-mapping for students. It is an application that my board required me to teach to my grade four students during the first term of school. This is a program that was new to me, before having taught it last term. In utilizing and assessing this software, I found going to the manufacturer’s website made things a little easier. The Smart Technologies website describes SMART Ideas as a tool to help students “better analyze and understand complex ideas by building multilevel interactive maps (http://www2.smarttech.com/st/en-US/Products/SMART+Ideas/). The following is my assessment of the SMART Ideas program using the rubric created for OESS software programs.

In terms of content, the SMART Ideas software program is educationally-sound and always presents intelligent, thought-provoking, higher-order information. Since it is a tool to make graphic organizers and concept maps, it is clearly more of an educational tool than a game. It encourages users to plug in educational information in order to create higher-level concept maps.

SMART Ideas is a program that caters greatly, and is very relevant to the Ontario Curriculum. It is a program that can help in many different areas, including literacy, numeracy, social studies, science, and more. I was able to incorporate many subject areas in the tasks that I assigned using the SMART Ideas program. For example, my students were studying Canada at the time in social studies, the assignment required each of them to choose a province, and they had to come up with a concept map showing at least six different interesting facts about that province. They set this up using a brainstorm or concept map layout, and they had to incorporate text, graphics, colour, font, and connectors. This is a great program to relate to any Ontario Curriculum requirements.

The attractiveness and appeal of this program is great. It incorporates different colours and graphics, and definitely had my students wanting to explore further. They could not get enough of all the creative things they could use to make their concept maps unique. This program offers many options to cater to every student’s needs.

SMART Ideas does have a help button that is similar to the one in Microsoft Word. If you click the help button, a textbox pops up and asks you what you are needing help with. It will then walk you through the steps to solve the problem. My students were able to utilize the help button and get themselves out of any issue they had. The help button is very user-friendly, and you do not have to be a rocket scientist to solve problems in this program. It is great for experimenting, and if you do something ‘wrong’ or something that you do not like anymore, you can always ‘undo’. Great tool!

In terms of the modernity of this program, the one my board uses is quite up-to-date. There are no references to older ideas or concepts, and the information presented is very current. The people who designed the program were clearly thinking in terms of what teachers need in today’s classroom – and created this! On the topic of upgrades, the website states, “minor upgrades are available free of charge. Major upgrades are released annually and are available to SMART Ideas software customers for a nominal charge”. This is excellent!

Gender and culture neutrality are not even an issue with the SMART Ideas program simply because it is a concept mapping tool that allows the students to plug in the information they want. Therefore, there are no references to places or names. They do, however, provide sample maps (and on the website as well) that incorporate every subject from poetry in language arts, to the human anatomy in life sciences. These are real examples of information students at any age and from any race, will relate to and find very useful. Also, as stated on the website, this program is available in English, French, and Spanish – so it caters to many different groups of people.

The mechanics of this program are very easy to follow. Any buttons or links provided will take you to wherever you need to be quickly and efficiently. As previously stated, it has an ‘undo’ button that my students found extremely helpful, especially when they were initially experimenting with the program to get to know it better. The Windows version of this program includes the standard menu bar that we would normally see in Microsoft Words. The menu bar included ‘file’, ‘font’, etc. – which are things my students found easy to use because of their familiarity with other programs using similar buttons. The SMART Ideas program is completely non labour-intensive, and once you get to know the program, it has a very low frustration level. It is user-friendly and you are able to experiment and explore with ease.

On our school computers this program is very easily accessible. It takes only three to four easy steps to get to this program once you are logged on. Also, the Smart Technologies website states that this program is available for Windows, Macintosh, and Tablet PCs, so no one is left out! SMART Ideas is also available in both Canada and the United States.

The fact that the manufacturer of SMART Ideas has a website is also very helpful because of the services and information it provides. For example, there is an “Already a Customer?” section that offers free upgrades, technical support, downloadable software, training, and product registration. The website also includes live trials, sample concept maps, purchasing information, and testimonials.

Using the rubric I created, I would grade SMART Ideas software program at a Level 4. It is a great program to use as it is user-friendly, easy to follow and understand, it is great for exploring, and fun to use. I would recommend all boards in Ontario purchase the SMART Ideas software program for their schools.

Epals...cool!

This post is in response to a schoolmate's posting on epals...

Keethai - looks like you found a couple gems!

I really like your idea about giving your kids e-pals and I would like to know more about it. How do your students have access to email? It triggered a thought of mine - I have a friend who teaches grade four (same grade as me) in the Niagara region, and she is always telling me how she tells her class about "her friend who teaches up in the great white north" (that's me!). Well, we decided that we should have each of our classes write letters to each other and start a pen-pal type thing. Well, that idea fell by the wayside for the time being, however now that I think about it - I think e-pals would be so much easier than snail mail! I just wonder how I would do it, because our board blocks anything like hotmail. I wonder if Google's gmail would work. What do you use?

The "Tell Me a Story" idea is also great. Books on tape/cd are always a big hit - so why not make it easier and have them podcast over the internet. The students can listen and even look at digital pictures that go along with the story! Awesome...

Please tell me more about your epals so I can set something up too!!

thanks!

Criteria to Consider for OESS

I originally posted this on WebCT on Monday, January 21st, but for some reason it didn't show up. Therefore, I posted again on WebCT, and here as well - just to be sure :)

I've been reading through all the criteria brought up so far and it's very difficult to find ones that have not already been mentioned. That being said, I realize that these software programs can be evaluated on many different levels. Thus, the following are my ideas for important criteria to include in a rubric.

1. Attractiveness - is it appealing to the eye? Does it make use of excellent font, colour, graphics, effects, etc.?

2. Age-appropriate - is it appropriate for the age group the program is intended for? And can it be adjusted to fit different age groups?

3. Modern/Up-to-Date - we all know how difficult it is to teach with old and out-of-date resources, this one is self-explanatory

4. Mechanics - are links easy to follow, and the program itself is user-friendly (non labour-intense, not frustrating for us non-techies)

5. Help - is there some sort of help hotline or help button that will troubleshoot problems for you should things go awry?

6. Content - is the material and information useful and relevant to the intended audience, leaving nothing to the imagination

7. Sources – are there many sources and references for websites, textbooks, and other helpful information

8. Access – is the program easily accessible or do you have to jump through 5 hoops and three passwords just to get on

Hope these look okay. I can't wait to see the rest!

More Podcasting Gems...

http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/5-17-2006-96434.asp

I came across this article while doing some research of podcasting. It grabbed my attention because something seemed a bit different. The articles and literature I usually find for podcasting usually have the benefits for students. This article however, outlines the benefits of podcasting for educators, students, and parents. It's a win-win no matter who or what you are!

The main point of the article that I think really hits home, is that podcasting is so relevant in today's world for educators because it allows them (us!) to "reach students through a medium that is both "cool" and a part of their daily lives." This to me, is so important because I see this first hand. The idea that the teacher is taking an interest in something that is so relevant in the students' lives, means a lot. In my experience, students are more apt to be engaged and be responsible for their learning if they are being engaged by someone who is "with it"; someone who knows "what's cool". It doesn't matter how young or old you are, if you are "down with" what the kids are "down with", you're in the money! That's probably enough of my 'young and hip' lingo...I digress.

Podcasting is definitely something I see myself using over the next few years. I think it is something that the students will pick up very easily, as many of them are better at operating computers than we are! Incorporating podcasts in my daily teaching could be an effective way of engaging my students - especially those who are easily distracted. I think the article really hits home when it says that teachers need to stop viewing iPods and other such technologies as distractions for learning, and rather view them as tools for learning. That is key!

Thoughts on Podcasting...

When the topics for this week came up as "Podcasting" and "Digital Storytelling", I recalled the computers course I took while in BEd (with Peter!). We actually had to create our own website that boasted the definitions and benefits of digital storytelling and podcasting. At the time I thought it was the neatest thing in the world, and I guess I had it in my head that by the time I was in my own classroom, I would be using these technologies daily. Well, unfortuately my BEd year was two years ago and I have not once used these technologies...but I have not given up! I think this course will get me back on track!

It just so happens that in grade four in Term 2, the application my kids have to learn and be assessed on for the report card is the use of Microsoft Powerpoint. it's funny though, because as I was reading this article (http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/5-17-2006-96434.asp), it talks about how educators are turning powerpoint presentations into podcasts. It just got me thinking 'why am I teaching my kids powerpoint, when a more practical application to learn would be podcasting?'.

Well, I have no real answer to that question aside from the fact that the applications that need to be taught in each term are set out by the powers beyond myself before the school year even begins. However, that's not to say that I can't introduce my kids to powerpoint, have them learn it, and then take it to a new level...

My team-teacher in grade four is very much into using audio technology within the computer system. In fact he recently showed me a slideshow he created (using Moviemaker I believe?) that included scanned copies of his students' cinquain poems. However, he made this into a podcast (although he's probably unaware of that terminology...) by having each student read their poem into a microphone. With the software program he chose, he was able to view the slideshow (and show his class) which had a 'voice-over' of each child reading his/her own poem. Let me tell you, the kids loved this!!

If only I were that confident in using such audio technologies and podcasting abilities...

The Tragic Effects of Cyber Bullying

The following blog is in response to a posting by Christine, who talks about one girl's tragic story of cyber bullying.

Christine - I saw this story, but I think it was on 60 minutes. It was the exact same story though - and it was so sad. I couldn't get over the fact that it was a mom, someone who should 'know better' than to do such things to today's youth. I can only imagine the level of intelligence this mother had while she was doing these horrid things. I was always taught from a young age that if girls (and children in general) act like spoiled brats or get into trouble, etc., they most likely are learning this from the parents.

Unfortunately in many bullying and cyber-bullying situations, it is the parents who are encouraging and provoking bad behaviour. The reason I say it is unfortunate is because one would expect adults to have more sense than this; to realize the consequences to these actions, and hopefully think twice. I am not saying that it is excusable if the actual teenage daughter was behind the cyber-bullying, but I think adults are held to a higher standard than children. And therefore, this is inexcusable, unbelievable, and disgusting to say the least.

To lose a daughter to such cyber bullying would evoke the worst feelings in a mom or dad. I think I would feel such hatred toward the mom-bully since she was the one who pushed my daughter to the edge.

It's so tragic to think that there are no laws to protect other children from such horrific online behaviour. To say that this would be an infringement of one's right to free speech is ridiculous. There should definitely be laws and harsh punishments for this type of behaviour. What is needed is proactive discipline, and not reactive. It is unfortunate that something like this had to happen, but maybe it will take something so severe to actually get something done about cyber bullying.

Wouldn't It Be Great??

Wouldn't it be great to be able to add animated graphics and music to our blogs? Maybe there's a way - does anybody know? I just think we would get a lot more students (and people in general) interested in blogging if it was more entertaining - maybe a little Sinatra while you peruse the blog? Anyways...just my train of thought at the moment. Let me know if anybody knows how to go about doing this...

Advanced Technologies...

In response to a posting by Michael about Bill Gates and advanced technology...

Michael, your post makes me think of a couple things. First of all, it is so amazing to think of all the wonderful things that will be happening in the near future when it comes to technology. On the one hand, it's great to hear Bill Gates talk about the vast advances in technology, but on the other hand, it made me start to think of all the things we already have and are already utilizing.Many boards are already using voice recognition technology with people with learning disabilities. For example, our board uses Dragon Naturally Speaking, a voice recognition software program that will type for you as you speak. This is very beneficial to those in special eduation who have certain limitations with their hands or typing skills. This is just one example of the advanced technology that we are seeing in the education world. But if you walk into a number of schools, daycares, or therapy settings, you will see numerous different machines and technologies that many of us didn't think existed!

So, it's great to think that there will be so many further technological advances in this world that will help with the education realm, but I also think it's important to recognize what we have already, and we are already using within our schools and school boards. It's important to use what we have, and make the best of it - while we're waiting for more and more technological advances that I'm sure will be coming so soon!In terms of blogging, Michael - I think you're right. These advantages are going to change the world of blogging as we know it. And the sad thing is, the people who have never even heard of blogs, will be so far behind at that point - when people are 'blogging' using touch screens or other out-of-the-ordinary means.I just can't wait for the smell application...cool!

Edu-Blogging...USA??

To think that kids in the US are already using blogs to analyze and evaluate books and other writing. That's true though, that we would have to do this in small steps and make sure that whatever blogging we set up for our students is done in a safe way somehow. I also think that it's important to remember that (I think?) standards and laws in the states are different than those in Canada. Thus, there might have been less red tape for teachers in the US to set up edu-blogging for their students. But that is not a reason to be discouraged!I would love to hear of an example of someone in Canada who set up edu-blogging for their students and it actually worked. I would always be scared that I would end up in OCT's bluepages for setting something up that 'crossed the line' - even when you don't intend for it to. There's always such a risk!...but it would be so worth it!

Online Safety!!

Wow - there are so many great websites and links for online safety. I think I had an "Ah-Ha" moment when I was reading through your post. I got to thinking how students (and perhaps people in general?) tend to learn better when they themselves are involved hands-on. The whole concept of 'if you can teach it, you have learned it'. Well what if we as teachers assigned a task to our students to create their own internet safety rules? We could have this as an assignment (perhaps for the junior grades and up?) and it would encourage students to come up with their own internet safety rules that they would want their friends to know. They could put pictures with it and even music or any other bells and whistles! Just thinking about my grade 4 curriculum, I could have them do by creating a PowerPoint presentation. Once they are finished, we could put them up on the board website for all to see. I think an activity like this would not only get the kids to understand the severity of the situation, but it would give them first hand experience at creating something that is normally created by adults. It would also give them a sense of ownership and pride - especially when they get posted on the board website. They would want all their friends to see it, which means more students would be learning about internet safety rules! Woo!...just a thought :)...

Online Learning...

http://www.ion.illinois.edu/Resources/tutorials/overview/weaknesses.asp">http://www.ion.illinois.edu/Resources/tutorials/overview/weaknesses.asp

This a very interesting article. It's the idea that no matter what you look like, how you wear your hair, or what clothes you are wearing - anyone can have the opportunity to learn online (given the access to technology, that is). But in terms of feeling safe, it is true that many children do not consider school to be a safe environment for them. Kids these days are far too focused on outter image versus what's on the inside or, gasp, learning! It is evident that online learning would give people a chance to learn at their own pace, but with also a sense of safety. One cannot see over the computer, and like you said - if I have a disability, or if I have blonde hair or brown, no one can judge me.These facts right there tend to bend the argument for me a little. I just keep thinking of all the school shootings that have gone on in the past ten years and I think to myself, 'what was the cause of it?'. And if you think about it, most times it has to do with not fitting in, not wearing the right clothes, or not being in right group. Online learning would provide an environment that not only is safe for people, but kids would even be able to look past all that surface stuff (because there really isn't any) and get some learning done.I'm not saying that all education should be online, because there are obvious disadvantages as well. I'm just saying that perhaps we should start to think about the benefits of online learning and how maybe things will start to change in regards to our "regular" institution....

Grrr...

I'm trying to post the links to the other blogs in our class, and I thought I figured it out...but that looks terrible ---------------------------------------->.
How do I get it to just list the names of the sites instead of the entire URL?....(getting frustrated!)

Just-in-Case vs. Just-in-Time

http://http://headrush.typepad.com/creating_passionate_users/2005/03/motivated_to_le.html

This article really clarified for me what a previous article had discussed in terms of "Just-in-Case" learning vs. "Just-in-Time". It goes over the idea that Just-in-Case learning is the kind of learning we did in highschool - we learn so much over time that is not necessarily relevant to any real life experience. On the other hand, Just-in-Time learning is that which we know we'll need "to survive" in the near future, so we learn it and learn it well in order to apply ourselves to the task. This is the first time I've ever heard these terms, but it really does make sense. The article goes on to talk about how we as teachers need to make Just-in-Case learning sound and feel more like Just-in-Time learning by finding different ways to motivate our students. We should explain to them before we teach a lesson, that this will come in useful one day. Or we could even bring it back to a real life experience in our personal lives, so that they can relate to that. The article also discusses the danger of Just-in-Time learning, as some of us may learn it just well enough to "survive the current problem, and you might not even understand why the thing you're doing works" (see attached URL), and that is definitely a problem.

I think it's important as teachers, and really anyone is trying to get someone to learn something, to make all material seem as relevant to the learner's real and present life, in order to have the most success. I'll have to work on this when I'm teaching my Medieval Times unit in Social Studies...

Online Learning

Wow - I just finished reading this online learning article (see: online learning.pdf on WebCT) and there are so many interesting facts in there that I didn't already know! I really enjoyed how it went over advantages and disadvantages, as well as gave statistics and even predictions into the future. Some of them were creepy - but probably so true! Something I noticed early on was the fact that 76% of online courses were computer courses. Kudos to us!

One thing I took note of was the mention of teleconferencing and videoconferencing. I can't imagine where my board would be if these 'luxuries' didn't exist. Since my school board is so remote, we rely heavily on tele- and videoconferencing. I can't remember one PD Day that didn't involve videoconferencing. We videoconference all the time to our Director of Education since she lives 4 hours away! I can't even begin to think of what my school did to communicate before any of that existed!Another thing I found interesting was the mention of I-Appliances. To me, these are things like IPods and Blackberrys. This is going to sound strange but it reminded me of my doctor's appointment yesterday. The doctor and I were talking and she was about to perscribe me something, when she decided that she wanted to double check the dosage on the perscription. Low and behold, out pops a blackberry and her tiny little 'touch pen', and she looked up the dosage for the perscription. I don't know if I was more concerned that the amount of medicine that would enter my body would depend on this tiny little I-Appliance - or shocked, that she actually relied on this tool in her day-to-day life. I just thought that was an interesting story to show how much of an impact these I-Appliances will have on our future.

A couple things I was confused about included the mention of the phrase "Just-In-Time learning". What does that mean? Just in time for what?I was also confused by the statement in the Predictions section that stated "No Tombstones for Teleconferencing". Does that just mean that it's here to stay?Overall, I found the article very informative and straightforward. It was extremely interesting to read about the future of all these technologies, and the effect it could have on learning and education as an institution. Something to ponder...will education become completely online in the future? Now, I'm not saying 10 or even 20 years, but what about 50+ years down the road - will there only be IClassrooms?

Check This Out!

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/01/07/blogging_from_beyond_the_grave.html

This article about blogging really makes you think. To some, blogging might be a recent interest, or perhaps not even a familiar word. But to others - it is much more than anyone could imagine. This article is about a soldier in Iraq who had been an avid blogger for many years. Unfortunately he made the news not because of his love for blogging or talent in writing, but because he blogged from the dead. Yes, you heard (read?) me correctly. If you read the article - you'll see that this man actually wrote a blog before he died, and (hoping he would never have to use it) it was posted after his death on Jan. 3 of this year. It was a way of getting one last good-bye to his family, one last chance of explaining things, and one last chance at getting his true feelings out. He stated that like many bloggers, he always wanted the last word. What a way to go, eh? Would you believe that there are many people out there who place such significance on blogging?

It really puts things into perspective for me. A concept such as blogging which has played a very minimal role in my life thus far, is something so highly-esteemed for this man, and for many people alike. Can you imagine what he was feeling when he was actually alive and writing this 'last' blog? Can you imagine what his family thought when they read it? How did they feel? This conjures up so many thoughts and emotions for me...I'm stunned.

It really makes you think...

Hi All - My Intro Blog

I hope everyone had a very restful holiday and all the best in the New Year!

My name is Julia and I graduated from Brock in 2006 from the BA/BEd Con-Ed program. I am originally from Sault Ste. Marie, but am currently in my second year of teaching in the tiny northern community of Sioux Lookout, ON. It is about a 5 hour drive north of Thunder Bay - in a different Time Zone! Last year I taught JK but thankfully this year I have grade four (which is much more my speed!) in the Catholic school.

I have taken a few online courses from Brock before so I am pretty familiar with the WebCT program. I usually consider myself somewhat okay with computers (perhaps only when compared to most 90 year-olds), however computers are something that frustrate me easily, which is one of the reasons I am taking this course. I am also interested in learning about the different programs I can be using to upgrade my technology portion of my teaching (which has a dismal existence at present).

I am very excited to meet everyone and if this is similar to the other online courses that I have taken, I am sure we will all network, and discuss and share best practices and great ideas! Good luck and let's chat soon!