WBC Blog

This week in our ICT class we had a very informative presentation about Web Based Courses (or WBC's) and were introduced to a program called Blackboard Learn (which we have access to through the Manitoba Curriculum website). I personally have never experienced a WBC or any type of distance learning, although I did know a number of other students who had to take courses through IITV and ISO while I was still a young high school student. I guess I got a sampling of the courses just by being a typical high school student and surveying the courses instead of being in my own classroom, but that's beside the point.

So with the IITV courses, they were still in trial runs when they were being offered for our school division, to see how feasible the idea of having students attending a class from a number of different schools actually was. The classes that I am thinking of were done in a synchronous fashion, with the teacher leading classes during the regular time slots, with there just being a video stream to other classrooms in addition to the one in which the teacher was actually in, with microphones and speakers as well so everyone was able to see and listen to what was going on. For rural schools who don't always have enough interested students to offer a course it was great, since it provided more opportunity for the students who actually were keen on taking those courses. The challenge for the teacher begins with keeping all of the students in their class accountable and following along, since they are not always present to manage their classroom with it being so spread out amongst different schools. Another challenge arises with how difficult it could be to offer a student help when they get stuck on a problem or question.

For ISO courses, the challenges and responsibilities shift from the teacher onto the students, as they need to ensure that they can keep themselves accountable as they work through the huge "textbook" they get mailed to them. They have the option of getting in touch with a tutor if they struggle, but it is in more of an asynchronous fashion if I remember correctly. I don't think that I would have been able to keep myself on task well enough to move through the entire course and complete it by the required finish date, even though I usually am pretty good at making sure I get things done when they need to be. A student needs to make sure that they are committed to taking the course if they begin it, to make sure that they follow through with finishing it instead of slacking off.

However with that all being said, WBC's in general are valuable resources for students to have available for them, since it helps to keep all of their options open. They aren't restricted by being in a smaller school or in a school that doesn't have a teacher who could teach a class they want to take, all thanks to the great technologies that are being used in the schools today.

Side Note: After reading other blogs about how good Blackboard Learn is, it makes me want try and play around with it even more, to see how I could actually make use of a resource like that in my classroom in the future.

Better side note: Since I am watching the Jets and Blackhawks game as I write this post, I felt like it was appropriate to share a highlight from a past game. Hence, here is the inebriated helmet snatcher. Infamous. Classic. Class act. Enjoy. (Sadly, he didn't get to keep his souvenir. BUT it is likely that him and his girlfriend both received lifetime bans from the United Center. Why she would dump her beer on the players is still beyond me -- Like who actually does that?)

(GIF found at: https://www.theodysseyonline.com/thank-letter-chicago-blackhawks-told-gifs )

Another Blog

Now that we are into our second week of ICT classes, some standards have been set. Everyone in the class now has their own blog sites, and after taking some time to go through them all, I have my work cut out for me to produce something that can hold up to the quality of the other posts. So here is another random GIF to help keep my posts unique and memorable. This is how you must feel having to read all of our blog posts. Enjoy.

(GIF was found at the following link: https://www.pinterest.com/funnymemes/funny-gifs/ )

So, during class on Tuesday we were given a virtual tour of some of the useful curation websites that exist out on the vast chasm of the interweb, in the hope that we would find some of them useful and intriguing enough to try and to use in the future. To begin with, the one site that I used was Feedly, which helped to make it easier to go through and read all of the other blog posts that were created. It was great once it was set up, and much simpler in format and layout compared to how the Google+ page had been. What I liked most about Feedly was how easy it was to begin following my classmates blogs, and how I can be able to see when there was a new post for me to read. The only fall back of this however is that you no longer can see the personalization of the blog website which people spent time making unique to themselves, and only can see the actual substance of the blog post text.

The other program which was demoed for our class was the Google Docs, to give us a better sense of some of the possibilities that the programs could do. I feel like it is a great program for when working with other students to complete a project or making up a presentation together, since multiple users can be working together on the same document in real time. I feel like I need to take some time to become more comfortable with creating and using these documents still, however I plan on trying to become fluent enough in the program to make good use of it in a future classroom, since it has the potential to be extremely useful. The tricky part I feel that would go along with using Google Docs in a classroom is to make sure that it is being used appropriately and in a way that actually would be assisting in the discussion rather than becoming a game for the students. The main reason why I feel this is the case is because of how easily the mature Education students that we have in our class shifted into having fun with the program rather than answering the hopes and fears question that was asked of us. It makes me curious if there is some way to ensure a bit extra control for the teacher if they were planning on using the program, in order to make sure that it is actually accomplishing the goal they set out to accomplish, rather than having it turn into a joke task.

One other program that I felt like I needed to spend some more time playing with was called Symbaloo, which was a bookmarking program that you could personalize to have all of your favourite websites linked into and easy to find. For me personally, I think that having a place like this to keep a tab of all the websites that might be useful for you (and ones that you know you'll want to return to again at a later date) is way more beneficial than always saying that you'll just know and remember what or where you went that one time when you were simply surfing the web. This is something I am guilty of doing, saying that I'll remember, only to have that website slip from my mind when I really wanted to go there again, or forgetting where exactly I seen that one idea that I thought could be useful to bring up again.

First Ever Blog Post

This is quite historic, for this marks the first time that I will be creating a blog post for all to read. Hopefully I do not disappoint. Maybe I will add a random GIF to ratchet up the fun level of the post.


(GIF was found at the following link: https://www.tenor.co/view/kingofthehill-sweetmusic-bobby-bobbyhill-joejack-gif-3699661)

That seems appropriate. So as I was saying, this is the first time that I have created a blog post, and it was done in response to an assignment given to us by our ICT prof. Basically, we are supposed to reflect back on a weekly basis about what had been covered that week in the ICT course and to make a post about what we had learned or planned on using in the future. Now, I'm not usually one to make posts of any the random thoughts circulating in my ol' brain bucket; it has never really been a strong suit of mine to spell out my thoughts into a status or post. However, for the sake of the grade and of the changing times in which tech of all sorts is increasingly prevalent, I feel like I will try to have some fun with it and push my boundaries to give it an honest shot. There really is no time better then now to begin getting some practice in the area of utilizing the existing technology (in this case, by creating a blog). Getting better with all types of tech will only benefit me in the long run, since I plan on getting good enough with the new tech that now exists to make use of it in a classroom in the future, without making a fool of myself in front of a room of teenagers who will scoff when I make any small mistake. I know this will be the case, since I was once that teenager who scoffed at the teacher when they weren't able to properly open up a YouTube video or whatever other tech they tried to use.

So why is it so important to be fluent in technology in today's 21st century classroom? Well, according to Alan November and his video "Education Myths and Opportunities: Technology in the Classroom", we need to embrace technology; to engage students in a social platform or global conversation with others across the web, and to give them more purpose in their classroom that will translate to them being more prepared for the workforce later in life. The best part about the new technology that exists is the opportunity that it can provide, (i.e. every student is able to have a voice that they can use to say what they feel, where they are able to make a contribution to the learning process for the class as a whole). Students should be able to find things that they are passionate about, and to share that with others. Hopefully it will create in them the urge to be lifelong learners, and will at the very least keep them more interested while in the classroom learning whatever it is that they need to know. With the internet now, the outside world is closer than ever, since it is simply so accessible to everyone. It would be such an educational faux pas not to embrace the opportunity which exists to use the internet and other technologies for a classroom. A good teacher should be drawing on the many perspectives that exist in their classroom, and in the global classroom of the world wide web. However, a very strong point that Alan November makes is the need to develop critical thinking in students; to make them aware that simply seeing something posted on the internet doesn't mean that it is correct and the only perspective that exists.

As an educator, the real task is learning how to use technology effectively, in a way that will actually provide more benefits for the students. Using the flashy tools is fun and all, but if it detracts from any actual learning from occurring, then what's the point? Using apps that students can get on their smartphones where they are able to poll their results or answer admit slips for the teacher is a great way to have every student contribute at the same time, as well as with Google Docs which can have multiple users on the same page at the same time. These are examples of good technology (since students are able to contribute in real time and provide insight for the teacher about what they know and are learning), while having students going and finding information that they will just copy and paste and not retain probably isn't as good of a use of tech. It is inevitable that technology will continue to have a more prevalent role in the classroom, so moving forward, I hope to embrace it and learn how to make ICT and communication technology a useful and beneficial part of a classroom. Also, I feel like I'll need to help create digital citizens of my students, so they can become lifelong learners and purveyors of the world wide web. Hopefully I can teach them something too.

And hopefully you enjoyed the ramblings of a first year Ed student who has never made a blog before. Until next time, Mr. Sidoryk... er Sidorium.. is signing off.