Week 7 - Literacy with ICT

Literacy with ICT was the theme of the week here in ICT class. We had a guest speaker talk about how literacy with ICT has been integrated into the K-12 curriculum. 

One thing that really stuck out about Literacy with ICT is that it is mainly about the literacy part of it. Both of the guest speakers in our class have mentioned that technology is used to enhance learning but when students have to fight with the technology they are using then it inhibits learning. In other words, simple and easy to use technology is best when using it in the classroom.

This week we also went back and looked at poll questions that we all took at the start of the semester and reevaluated where we stood on each topic. My group discussed whether mobile devices should be allowed in the classroom. This debate could go on forever, but the main points are:
Pros
- information at your fingertips
- most kids have some sort of device whether it be a smartphone, ipad, ipod, laptop, etc.
- there are many cool apps that can be used in the classroom

Cons
- if not used properly, they can be a distraction
- videos can be taken and posted on the internet (privacy issues)
- not all families can afford to buy their child a mobile device

Our group decided that mobile devices should be allowed in the classroom but with some limitations.

Next week we will be working on our group projects. My group will be presenting how to make an effective smartboard lesson.

Week 6 - Back to being students

This week in ICT...

We made a powerpoint 6 word story about our student teaching. Each slide had just one word and a picture to go with that word. I could see this being used in a classroom where students have to summarize a book or an article that they read. Having to summarize an entire chapter in just one word would make students really think about what they read. 

On Thursday we had a guest speaker from the St. James school division in Winnipeg. He gave us many great ideas about how to use technology in quick and easy ways. One thing that he said that really stuck out to me was that students should have to think more about the task than about the technology. So basically students should not have to fight with difficult technology to get their point across. My favourite activity that we did with Darren was the video that we put up on YouTube. I wish that this could be used more in schools but many schools have privacy policies to get through to be able to post a video of students. 

Anyways, here is our video that we made in about 10 minutes!





This was a very cool idea and I think with more time we could have done a better job and this could be an excellent video.

Week 5 - Sink or Swim, This is it!

Here we go! In less than a week I will be student teaching in a real classroom. The subject? Grade 10 Geography. So the question now is how do I incorporate all that I have learned in ICT class into my lessons. Well one way that I will be doing it is by using GIS as a mapping tool. I don't know a lot about the program yet, but luckily my cooperating teacher is practically an expert! I will be joining watching his GIS class and will also be joining the PD session that he in running. Hopefully when I come back I will be an expert as well! The room I will be teaching in is basically a computer lab so lucky for me I will be able to incorporate technology quite easily. Unfortunately the classroom doesn't have a smart board. There are so many cool uses for them and, when used properly, they can be a great teaching tool. Hopefully my next teaching placement will have a smart board so that I can learn how to effectively use it. 

This week we have just been catching up on all of our projects, finishing our websites, thinking about the group project, and blogging as always. 

When I get back from Student Teaching hopefully I will have lots of experiences to blog about.

Here is a video that we watched today about bad powerpoint presentations... I bet everyone who is reading this has made at least one of these errors... because what is the point of making a powerpoint without changing the background, and animating absolutely everything in it!! This is super funny!!!


*** This blog should have been published about 5 weeks ago but I'm still learning about this program and I forgot to publish it!! Oops!! :)

5 Weeks of Student Teaching

For the last five weeks I have been in a real classroom and I absolutely loved it. It went by so fast. I was in Geography classroom where I taught 2 slots of Geography20S and I sat in on a Geography40 and a GIS course. 

Technology was a large part of the classroom activities while in the school because the room that I was in had 18 computers. I was able to use a variety of resources other than textbooks because students could all go on the computer and use the internet to get up to date information rather than the out dated textbook information. 

Learning GIS was a large part of my student teaching experience. Although there were quite a few small bugs that came along with using the program, I was constantly blown away by the things students could accomplish with the program. 

The school I was at had a closed circuit tv system throughout the school, which they used to play video clips or picture slide shows of students working, or school events. I only found out about all of the things they could put on the screens in my last couple weeks but I often walked down the hall and saw a pack of students staring up at the screens which were showing students in their Halloween costumes.

Overall I had a great 5 weeks and look forward to my second placement. New school, new ct, new students!! It will be great!!

This was an extra blog post for the week all about my student teaching placement. I will have one more specifically for ICT class later in the week. :)