Here is my Summary of my Personal Learning in ECMP 355. Enjoy!!
Inspirational Quotes April 13, 2010
April 13, 2010
Inspirational quotes have always been things that, for lack of a better term, have inspired me. No matter what kind of day I am having, if I stumble upon some type of inspirational quote, it has the potential to pull me out of any kind of dark situation I may be in. While thinking of ways to brighten up my blog, and make it more “me” I immediately thought of inspirational quotes. I decided to go online and search for different quotes that have meaning for me, or make me think. I collected all of these pictures either on google images or on flickr, and in no way am I taking credit for creating them – It is my hope to inspire other people with the quotes that have inspired me.
Before you check out these quotes, I would like to take you through the process I went through, just in case you would like to post something like this online!
Once you have found your pictures…
1. Upload your pictures on Flickr
2. Under organize and create, create a PhotoStream, then click slideshow and then Share by grabbing the embedded URL
3. You will now have to go to Vodpod to upload your embedded video online
Keep following the steps and you will be able to upload your video on to WordPress! Enjoy 🙂
Vodpod videos no longer available.
more about “Inspirational Quotes“, posted with vodpod
Should money take precedence over passion? April 1, 2010
April 1, 2010
I added this post to my “list of ideas of topics to post on my blog” a couple of days ago. Lately I’ve been coming up with different thoughts or ideas on what I could add to my blog and for most of them, I haven’t really felt like I had much to say. Today Alec’s brother George Couros spoke to our ECMP class about many different things that, if used effectively, will not only help us to land a teaching position, but will also help us to become better teachers. One of the words that really stood out for me from this presentation was Passion. George talked about how important it is to show your passion: “If you’re a dancer, dance with the kids!” I fell in love with this sentence! Passion… that is a crucial component of any career. (I instantly felt I was ready to complete this blog post)
When I started this blog post, it was because of a recurring conversation I seemed to be having with my boyfriend, Travis, about money and careers. I knew that when I chose teaching as my career, my passion, I wasn’t doing it for the money. I had an idea of what the income of a teacher was, but I honestly didn’t look into exact numbers until about a year ago. Teaching was my passion, and nothing was going to stop me from doing it. Travis has never brought up money when it comes to me being a teacher, I know that he has the utmost respect for this job and values my passion. However! Where we began to argue was when it came to other jobs. He made a point the other day about how people could go into a job (ie. banking) that only start at 35 a year when you start a job (ie. construction) that could potentially make close to 75 a year. But, his main argument comes from the thought of people being paid so little to do a job that required years of schooling where any “joeblow” could come right out of high school and make twice as much as someone with a university degree. He has so much respect for people who dedicate years to university and yet so often they come out not making very much money. (ie. A friend of ours who is going to school for 8+ years only to start at 60,000 a year) My response to this point was one word – passion. I believe that if you have a passion for something, you will do whatever it takes to obtain that job, or skill. Right now it may seem exciting to get out into the working world and make a lot of money, but what about in 10, 15, 20 years from now? Will you still have the “passion” you once had for that job? Or will you realize that the job never really made you happy, and it was just the money that made it worth it in the end. For me, I can’t imagine one day in my life without teaching! I know that this is something I want to do for the rest of my life, because teaching is my passion, kids are my passion. Really, what’s not to love?? You walk into school every day and you’re a celebrity! I believe that when you have a passion for something, you will do whatever it takes to make that something extraordinary. This is what I plan to do with my teaching. I know that some days I will lack the energy and enthusiasm it takes to stand up in front of a grade 5 class, but because of the passion I possess towards teaching, students, and being a lifelong learner, there is no doubt in my mind that I will be able to push through, from now and for the next 30+ years.
PowerPoint… a thing of the past!
April 1, 2010
In our EPSY class we were given an assignment to research a student with a certain disability/exceptionality. We were expected to hand in a resource file for teachers which included: a description of the disability/exceptionality, implications for teaching and learning and resources (to name a few). A major component of this assignment was a presentation to the class. I couldn’t even begin to count how many presentations I have witnessed over the past four years, and how many of these presentations dragged on with wordy power point presentations. I never really thought twice about power point presentations, I just assumed (like many people) that Power Point was the only successful tool that you could use to present your information to the class. It actually wasn’t until about a month ago that my views on Power Point changed…. all with one word…
PREZI!
Ohhhh what a wonderful word, technology, presentation tool! After being introduced to a “Prezi” I couldn’t believe I didn’t know about this sooner! Our group had decided to use a Prezi for our presentation, and I decided to take charge and create the presentation. (Of course I knew all about Prezi’s from ECMP… or did I??) I first heard the word in class, but I had never actually experienced using one. I knew I had to get started right away… because I had a lot of work ahead of me if I wanted to figure out how this thing worked before our presentation the next week! (Maybe I shouldn’t have pretended I knew exactly what I was talking about… uh oh) I quickly entered the Prezi Website and was ready to search the site to try to figure out exactly what to do. The very first thing I noticed on the home page was a 1 minute video called “What is a Prezi.” I clicked on the video and I can safely say, after a minute I knew how to create a Prezi! (Keep in mind I didn’t consider myself an expert… but I had the necessary tools to get started)
Here is my first Prezi on Gifted students… take a look!
My recommendations? – Forget Power Point! Wow everyone with a Prezi!
How could you relate this to your classroom? If you have yet to discover a Prezi and your student shows interest – let them go for it! Alec’s brother George gave a presentation in our class today and had said “don’t ever limit a kid because of your lack of knowledge.” Always allow your students to grow and never be afraid to let your students become the teachers!
Skype.. another side. March 30, 2010
March 23, 2010
I have recently added Skype to my list of new found technologies since this class started. The reason I decided to download Skype was because my boyfriend works out of town, and this was the only way we could stay in touch with each other without racking up large cell phone bills. Before I downloaded Skype, I quickly skimmed over the website and clicked “download.” Once this was finished, I followed the set up process, hooked up my webcam and was all ready for my first call! I have never talked to someone using a webcam/Skype before, so this was definitely a new experience! As far as I was concerned, Skype was another social tool like Facebook, this time just a bit more personal.
During today’s class Skype was our main topic of conversation. Alec had several teachers lined up to talk to us via Skype. We were encouraged to ask questions and participation in discussion with the person on the other end. I quickly realized that Skype is not the strictly social tool I had once thought it was. Skype is not only a social communication device, it provides you with a convenient tool to communicate with professionals all around the world! There is one particular Skype discussion that I would like to focus on – a group of grade 9 and 10 students from British Columbia. As pre-service teachers, we took this as a great opportunity to ask questions, and seek advice. One of the comments that stood out to me was:
“The only thing worse than a self evaluation is a peer evaluation”
As I sat back and listened to this comment, it sparked my interests. During my internship I was constantly looking for new ways of evaluating and assessing my students. One of the evaluations I experimented with was using peer and self evaluations. In a grade 5 classroom, I felt this was extremely successful! Kids aren’t afraid to be honest… I think this is such a great quality that unfortunately most people lose as they grow older. As teachers, we are constantly looking for new ways of teaching and assessing. I feel that now, more than ever, in order to keep our students engaged and interested, we must first find out what they want to learn, how they want to learn it, and how they want to be assessed. Regardless of age, students know what they want and they know what interests them. They may not always know what the best track is towards their educational success, but that’s where we come in, to guide their learning. (Besides, we’re the ones making the big bucks, remember! :P)
Our students may not know exactly what they need, but if we take the time to listen, take in their ideas, and make use of technology and the connections it provides us with other professionals around the world, I think we would be amazed at how much potential we have to take their learning to greater heights.
Tech Task #7: Do you know me? March 18, 2010
March 18, 2010
For this Tech Task we were given 17 different slides which we then expected to develop into a narrative. Shane and I worked together using photostory3 to create our Tech Task titled “Do you know me?” Usually when Shane and I work together we make light of every situation by either making a joke, a song or some kind of performance. The day we were given this assignment I wasn’t really in a “joking around” kind of mood. While looking at the slides, I felt something deep. I don’t know if it was the black and white, or the pictures themselves, but something in me made me want to make this Task something more serious. Hope you enjoy!
Ted Talk… We can’t kill technology March 16, 2010
March 11, 2010
My first experience with a Ted Talk was back in my second year of University, with Sir Ken Robinsons talk on how “School Kills Creativity.” I was completely blown away by this talk, showing family and friends and pretty much anyone who would listen! Right now I wish I would have written down my thoughts (preferably in a blog format), and compared them to how I feel now. Another thing that has been added to my list on the positives of technology…
We watched this video in class today: Larry Lessig on how laws choke creativity.
Something Alec wanted us to focus on was Larry’s use of his power point in the background as he talked. I felt this was such an effective way of making his presentation much more interesting and engaging He used this powerpoint to place emphasis on certain words as he talked (obviously key words), which really caught my attention and brought my focus back to what he was talking about. He also used key pictures that popped up when he was talking about certain text. Another effective tool Larry used was instead of describing different nouns he was talking about, he would have a picture pop up and he would say “this person” or “this place.” This really made me think about ways to make even the most boring lectures, in my classroom, interesting and engaging. This is something you can do with students of any age. This would have also been a great tool to use in my grade 5 classroom, mainly because we had a SmartBoard available.
At the very end of the video, Larry wrapped up his presentation on how this connects to our kids.
“how this connects to our kids… we have to recognize they are different from us. We watched TV, they make TV as we see what technology we can do.. we cant kill the instinct technology produces, we cant make them passive we can only make them pirates, our kids live life knowing they live life against the law”
Even though I still feel that I am somewhat biased towards technology and its growth within our younger generations, Larry does make an extremely thought provoking point. We do need to recognize that our children are growing up in a very different time, and who are we to say that this is the wrong way of doing things? or that this is hindering the development of our students? No matter how strong the law gets, it seems our children will continue to find ways to break the law and continue to grow in the ways they want to. Instead of telling our younger generation what they can and can not do, I feel we need to educate our students on the appropriate ways of using technology and where the law stands.
Before taking the time to learn about the benefits of technology, I looked at the “overuse” of technology among our future generations as something that was hindering their development, their ability to think for themselves. I feel that it is safe to say that technology, if not used properly, can do just that. If we do not teach our children how to use technology properly, we will be creating a lazy generation. I feel the reason that I had such a negative view on technology is because my parents have always said how sad it is that kids never play outside anymore, and they are spending all of their time inside, and on computers. And how “sad” it is. I would like to use my brother as an example.
My brother was always popular among his peers in elementary school and in high school. He had a strong involvement in Junior and Senior sports and spent the majority of his time at the school. What I began to look at, however, was the amount of time he spent playing video games outside of school. He wasn’t really interested in partying and drinking (which of course my parents were happy about), but instead of taking part in other activities on the weekend he just seemed to spend more time in his room. I began to wonder if he was just wasting away all of his talents by sitting on his Xbox and computer. (keep in mind that he did have interests outside of school, I may be exaggerating a tiny bit) Anyways. Over the past few months I have been completely blown away by him. The countless hours he has spent on technology has no way been a diservice to his academic achievements and social developments. He has experimented with and used more programs than I have even heard of! Another interesting point is that he has done this all on his own time, without being taught in school. (thinking back to Dan Browns Letter to the Educators and how he felt that school was wasting his time) I now see that he hadn’t been wasting any time! He was using technology as a tool for his own personal learning, and now he is helping me use technology to its full potential.
Once again, technology can be such an incredible tool that will aid in the development of our students, our future generation, only if it is used properly and effectively. We need to remember that no matter what we try to say or do, we are raising a different generation that will use technology as much or as little as they want.
Funds of Knowledge
March 15, 2010
After reading the title of my blog post, some of you may be wondering what Funds of Knowledge are exactly. Before my ECMP 455 class I was in this exact same spot. When I heard my professor use this term, I had no clue what she was talking about! After several different experiences in this class, I am coming to realize the importance of this term, concept, and how, as teachers, we must be aware of all different “Funds of Knowledge” within our classroom. Let me tell you a little bit about my experiences…
When we first started to learn about this term in class, we weren’t given an exact definition. We were expected to read information and discuss with our class on what we thought Funds of Knowledge were, and wow! this became extremely frustrating! We split into different groups and came up with different definitions and examples of Funds of Knowledge, and more than half of our answers were wrong! I was under the understanding, in the beginning, that Funds of Knowledge were a persons interests and values developed inside the home, and that they were what they learned through their parents, grandparents and anyone with a strong influence in their life. I was getting warmer…
Funds of Knowledge are not a persons interests. Funds of Knowledge are what people learn through their family, mainly what is passed down through ones culture. I feel that it will be easier to understand this concept through an example that I experienced with one of my students at Cornwall Alternative School.
A huge portion of my ERDNG class is working on Literacy with students at Cornwall Alternative School. We are each assigned a student and we are responsible for assessing their reading and writing and developing lesson plans in order to help them improve in these areas. The first day that I worked with my student I really wanted to get to know his interests so I would be better equipped to create a lesson that was interesting and engaging for him. We started talking about things he liked to do at home, at school, and with his friends. I was finding out his interests but I wasn’t tapping into his Funds of Knowledge. What information did he bring from his family? What was he raised to believe? What was important to him? About 10 minutes into our conversation, I asked T if he was born in Regina and he told me that he was from Manitoba. I asked him what he liked to do when he lived there and he told me all about how his Grandpa is a Medicine Man and how he always helped him build Sweat Lodges and attended most of his ceremonies.
Bingo!
There it was, T’s Funds of Knowledge. Right in front of me! I encouraged him to tell me all about the Sweats, his involvement, and his knowledge on his Grandpa being a Medicine Man. Over the next 15 minutes T flooded me with all of the information he had from spending time with his Grandpa. We talked about how fortunate he was to have a Grandpa who had such a strong involvement in the First Nations Community. T also began to tell me how interested he was in learning about First Nations settlers in Canada and how and when they arrived here. Immediately the teacher in me asked him if he had ever presented any of this information to his classmates and he told me no. I was extremely sad to hear this. Here was a boy who had been labeled as a problem to society and was given, what some might see as, his last chance to succeed. T seems to be very shy and I can’t imagine him bringing up any of this information without someone asking him to. It made me wonder, if T had been given the opportunity to share his Funds of Knowledge and expand on what he already knew, would he be more successful in school? Would he lose this label and set goals for his future?
As teachers I feel it is crucial to tap into our students Funds of Knowledge. In a large classroom environment it may be difficult to have your students open up to you right away, but please take the time to get to know your students. You have the power to aid or hinder in your students development. Let’s do everything we can to engage our students and allow them to be active learners in our classroom environments.
Tackling Twitter… my success as a pre-service teacher March 9, 2010
March 9, 2010
I have finally decided to give into the world of Twitter! The main reason I wanted to do this, to be honest, is to follow Alec’s Tweets. I have noticed that many of Alecs “Tweets” have to do with our class. Lately Alec has been talking to us about keeping up with our blogs, and I thought, what a better way to do this than to follow what Alec is talking about! (February 25, 2010)
When I first wrote this post (keep in mind it is now March 9th) I wrote that “I finally gave into twitter.” I want to revise this statement to not look so negative and forced, but instead I decided to keep that and reflect on it. Now that I have been fortunate enough to develop an understanding for Twitter, I have realized that it shouldn’t be something I have to “give in” to. It should be something that I am fortunate enough to be a part of, especially as a pre-service teacher. The purpose of my blog, for me, is to be aware of my growth throughout this semester. How am I able to grow and look back at previous thoughts if I edit everything I was once thinking?
Now onto my new love for Twitter! After talking to Alec for a short few minutes today, he said he noticed by post about Twitter. (I accidentally posted it and deleted it within minutes!… how did he notice so quickly??) Anyways… I told him that Twitter is something I have been looking at for a little while now and it is something that is taking a bit of time to wrap my head around. He reassured me that it is a lot to take in. So far I have been doing some minimal exploring over Twitter. There are several links that I have found that have made me really think twice about making Twitter part of my daily routine and as a part of my growth as a pre-service teacher. When I first heard of Twitter, I had the understanding that it was just another Social Networking site like Facebook, only you gave way more information about yourself on a daily basis. After viewing Twitter pages like Alec Curous and Morgan Bayda, I have quickly become aware that Twitter is more than just a personal Social Networking site. Twitter, if used with professionalism, a passion for teaching, and the desire to help others, can be an extremely powerful tool!
One particular “Tweet” that I had found on Morgan’s blog had been about a kindergarten teacher, Kevin Jarrett, who claims that Twitter saved his kindergarten lesson. My first thought was… how is this possible? How could this so called “social networking” site save a lesson?? After reading this article I was completely blown away. Within a few hours/days Kevin had received advice from several people and quickly took these new ideas and implemented them into his kindergarten lesson. This was another reason that backed up my new-found view on using Twitter as a tool towards my success as a pre-service teacher.
*Check out Kevin’s article on how Twitter saved his kindergarten lesson
The next link I found was Twitter for Teachers. This is a wiki that organizes teachers around the world into different categories. You can search the category that interests you and follow any teacher you would like!
My thought at this point… we have no excuses for dry lesson plans and repetitive instruction. A world of interactive knowledge is available at our fingertips, and we would be crazy not to take advantage of it! Here’s to a new found love (and somewhat understanding) of Twitter!
My First Wordle… March 8, 2010
March 8, 2010
Today I decided to create my first Wordle! I sat down at my computer and I put down all the words I could think about myself in 5 minutes. All of the things below fall into different categories: things that are important to me, words I love, words that describe me, things I need to improve on, things I like to do… etc! I had a lot fun creating this wordle. It is definitely something I would use in a classroom! What a great tool for students to use to create any visual representation based around literacy!
To view this Wordle on a larger screen (easier to read) please click on the picture! Thanks 🙂
I would like to give thanks to a few people who helped me post this image and teach me about the Print Screen button (how have I gone all my life without knowing that?!) Thanks Channing and Alec!!
Check out this Link! **44 ways to use Wordle in the classroom**
Allysa Johnson 