TT 8: Infographics

March 3, 2018

What's an infographic? Its quite simple really, and the answer is in the name. Infographics are visual representations for information, and often are organized around and accompanied with images to help a person to remember that info better. It makes sense really, since providing a person with the same information in different ways will give them extra schemas to relate to, and will assist them in transferring that information into their long term memory. For students, this is something they will initially struggle with, and so providing them with an orderly and aesthetically appealing means of getting that info would be a huge help. I think that they can be used in the classroom as either a means of summing up a topic and to be used as review, or even to be used to introduce a new topic since it can have a ton of information on it in an organized manner. They can also be used as handouts or put up as a poster in the classroom. There's actually so many infographics that exist out on the world wide web already, but there's also many free websites and programs that can be used to make your own. I'll add a few that I came across while doing a bit of research, and like you can see infographics can vary from serious to funny, and useful to unnecessary.

Here is an infographic on infographics!

https://www.questionpro.com/blog/how-to-create-a-story-from-an-infographic/

 



Here is one that I might actually use in my classroom as a poster on the wall.

https://www.health24.com/Medical/Tests-and-procedures/How-to-spot-bad-science-20140911

 

And here is one that I might include as a handout for a biology class.

 



 

http://freedesignfile.com/65281-creative-biology-with-medicine-infographic-vector-10/

 

You can also find some infographics that are outrageous, but give a good sense of what an infographic can look like with data and images together.

http://www.hmxearthscience.com/videos_images_files/tag-infographic.html

 

 

So the second task for this assignment was to create our own infographic. I decided to try using Piktochart for this, since it was suggested, but it looked like there was a ton of different (and partially free) sites and programs which can help you making one. Once I was able to figure out a topic, it was quite easy to use the site to make my infographic even though it didn't like me doing so on my tablet. There was a short tutorial video that it suggests you to watch before starting, and it was great to see some of the features and capabilities of the website. I feel like having your students create an infographic would be a great project for them, and a much better and more interactive way than the typical poster project. For my infographic I made up a quick one that includes a few tips on reducing your carbon footprint, a topic I may be talking with my class about in the next few weeks. Nothing too fancy for a first try but trying it out as great. It is definitely something that could be super useful I think. I will have to make sure to keep this idea in the back of my mind to use in the future.

 



- B

Weekly Blog Post #7

February 27, 2018

Dean Shareski, a community builder for Discovery Education and author of "Embracing the Culture of Joy" was our special presenter this week, and provided us with a lot of really useful information to consider when moving forward into our careers. I will highlight some of what he had to say.

Making relationships with your students is more important now than ever. Teachers now need to really be addressing, recognizing, and understanding that the lives of students are more complex and multifaceted than ever. It is key for being able to help students to learn the material you are trying to provide for them that you are able to understand this. Students need to find the joy of learning, rather than just worrying about satisfying all of the quantifiable aspects that school tries to measure. Students should have a sense of wonder and curiosity if their learning is going to be authentic and if they are going to be engaged in the lessons. This also goes for teachers themselves, who need a sense of playfulness and curiosity when trying out new things in the classroom to see if they can find anything that can bring in extra value to the classroom.

The second part of the presentation that Dean discussed was that teachers need to be critical of the questions they are asking, and even making the point of asking questions that don't have concrete or easy answers. This has been brought up before in other classes, which shows its importance. I tried this out even during my last student teaching placement, and I got my students to try answering some "essential questions" that I created rather than having them complete a final test for the unit. I think that it worked well, but the assignment needs to be tweaked if I try doing something similar again. Getting students to work through problems such as this will help promote lifelong learning within them and actually will allow them to learn new perspectives they may have never considered before. It will help them to foster their own curiosity, and to challenge the world around themselves rather than becoming complacent with the world around them. Aspects of mindfulness should be taught and practiced by our students, where they need to slow down and work through the process intentionally, especially since their own worlds become increasingly more busy as they grow up.

Community is the last aspect that was discussed during our presentation. "Learning is inherently a social experience" according to Dean, and it makes complete sense. Many of the "facts" and key information that the curriculum asks us as teachers to get the students to learn can be figured out on their own with enough work, since all of that information is available online now. But, when students are able to take advantage of the other people in the room with them, the depth of learning for everyone will be enhanced. Multiple needs to be able to contribute should be available in order to take advantage of the knowledge and insights from everyone in the classroom. Everyone learns in a different way, and sometimes learning is that much more impactful when students can bring their own strengths into the room. Sometimes teaching someone else something helps students to learn it even better themselves. Celebrate those students and their interests and expertise. Collaborate and grow together. The shared community feeling that can be created really can help everyone involved feel part of the larger group, and really enhance the possible levels of joy for their own learning.

- B

TT 10: Show and Tell

February 24, 2018

Last semester in our Science Methods course, Dr. Murray introduced us to an app which we were asked to become familiar with and to use it for our own science experiments. That is the app that I am going to be discussing here for this Show and Tell post, so some of you reading this may already know about this app and will be reminded of better days when we were driving remote control cars in the hallways instead of worrying about deadlines. Apologies about that.

The app I am referring to is called "Google Science Journal", and as the name suggests it can be an extremely useful tool for the science classroom. What is so special about this app other than being free is that it takes advantage of sensors already in the smartphone, and allows you to use that technology to do your own science experiments. It is also really quite easy to record your own thoughts and to make notes right on top of the charts and graphs that can be created, and options for adding or taking photos right on the app also exist.
 
 I think that this is just great, since it is using existing technology to give students the chance to figure out scientific answers for questions they may have. Students can be tasked with coming up with their own scientific experiments like we were asked to do with RC cars in Science Methods, or they can just be using the app to complete the experiments that have been designed for them. Obviously being created by a company such as Google, I have no doubt that the app itself will only continue to be updated and to get even better, and will likely include more features and more sensor options in the future. There are a few suggested activities included in the program, but the beauty in an app like this is that there is just so much potential for what it could actually be used for. I don't know for sure what I would do exactly with an app like this, but it is one that needs to be remembered for the future.

Google Science Journal

                                                         https://youtu.be/9m1h9AVXuf4

- B

TT 9: TED-Ed

February 24, 2018

So there are so many great resources out there on the Internet that a teacher can make use of in their classroom and for their own professional development, that it was tough to decide what to go over in more detail. But after I seen a few of my choices were already talked about by others, that I decided to discuss TED-Ed videos. These videos differ from typical TED talks since they aren't always delivered as a symposium discussion, but rather they are usually animated videos which accompany and help explain an educators lessons. They may also just be selected videos, so they won't always be animated like that. The YouTube channel has all of the videos, or they also have a website which includes additional options. These features are what makes it so useful for educators, since usually it provides additional options to think and answer some questions, or even engage in discussion. Apparently there has been 286, 471 lessons created on that website to date, and 18, 916, 307 questions answered. So chances are that if you are wondering about a certain topic, that there is a TED-Ed video that's related and that could help you in figuring it out. I'll link in a few of the most viewed videos below, and share a link to the website: https://ed.ted.com/ 

How Simple Ideas Lead to Scientific Discoveries - Adam Savage

 

The Chemistry of Cookies - Stephanie Warren

 

To This Day Project - Shane Koyczan

I think that since there are so many videos are lessons that have been created on the site and on the YouTube channel, that you can find a video to fit in with almost any lesson. There are pre-built discussion questions built into the lessons as well which a teacher may wish to take advantage of. Also, these videos could be used as activators before a new topic or lesson, as review after a lesson has been delivered or to break up the flow of the presentation, or even just as a separate lesson. It is definitely a resource that can assist a teacher, but shouldn't be viewed at all as being a replacement for developing your own lessons. These videos aren't meant to teach the content, but to supplement it and help with understanding. Whenever you are able to provide multiple ways for getting information for your students, it will benefit them all and make it much easier for them to be able to understand the content in a meaningful way. Personally, I try to include videos whenever applicable since many students benefit the most from watching and listening to a well constructed video such as these ones are.

- B

TT 7: Edublogger

February 22, 2018

I had a difficult time deciding on an Edublogger that I wanted to follow, since many that I came across just didn't really jump out for me. I finally ended up deciding on one however, and then later that week, that same blog was brought up in a different class which made me feel even better about my decision.

So the Edublog that I decided to follow is called "The Cult of Pedagogy". I think one of the main aspects of the blog that stood out to me was that it included the perspective of more than one author, even though many of the articles and videos are from the same person. With that being said, there is still an editor in chief (or head teacher nerd) and supporting staff who work to keep bringing information and encouragement for teachers. The editor in chief is Jennifer Gonzalez, who is a previous classroom teacher and professor that taught prospective teacher candidates that now focuses her time on this project. Many of the articles and videos are authored by Jennifer herself.

You can follow the link below if you want to check it out, which I suggest you all to do. The articles and podcasts are super informative and presented in a way that makes the information easy to understand and digest. The fact that there are podcast versions of many of the articles was actually something that made me more interested in this Edublog, since that makes the information way more accessible. In terms of the rest of the actual blog though, there is so many articles and great information that is all collected and organized within the actual website. Its almost overwhelming looking at the list of possible topics that have resources available for them. The articles themselves are really aesthetically pleasing, while being full of useful info for a teacher to consider. They also seem to have great suggestions for resources within the articles that relate to whatever topic you would be reading up on. From the few recent articles that I did read through, I enjoyed the Curator or Dumper article, as well as the one on Restorative Justice measures being done in schools. These articles got me thinking more about my own practices, and had me think about what I should try to strive for in the future. I will continue to follow up with this website and blogger as I move through my career.

https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/ 

-B

Building a PLN

February 20, 2018

For this Tech Task, we were asked to construct a concept map showing what our PLN (or professional/personal learning network) might look like. For many of us, I think that as we continue through with our careers, that this network will evolve and become more professional in nature. We will actually have created more of a network around ourselves in terms of resources that we can make use, programs that can help us, and the community of other educators that we can learn from and share with. But for now, it is more personal. Many of the news stories that I get are through social media, or articles read through my Feedly account. I'm not super active in terms of making posts on my social media accounts, but following along and staying current with events, family, and friends is great. In the classroom, YouTube is a must in terms of helping me refresh myself on the topics, and to help explain concepts. There are many other great apps and programs that I still have limited experience with, but hope to make better use of in future teaching placements.

I used MindMeister to create this concept map, as well as the next one. This concept map is supposed to represent what a PLN may look like for a typical student, although this was quite challenging to try and do. Snapchat is still the biggest social media tool being used by younger generations, as well as picture sharing apps such as Instagram. YouTube, and YouTube Vloggers are also super influential for a great proportion of the younger generations. Students may also be involved in following and making posts on websites such as Reddit or Tumblr, although this isn't exclusively for younger ages. I'm also sure that I am super out of touch with the actual PLN of students today, and likely there are other programs and websites that are being used more than these.

I'd say that much of what we have already discussed in class regarding digital citizenship and media smarts, since the typical network is about collaboration and sharing, rather than simply receiving information. Students need to learn how to do this since they live in a world that is more connected now than ever. Being able to communicate effectively online, to be able to spot fake news, and to be safe online in general are all skills that students today need to be developing and learning more about. They also need to be learning how to appreciate themselves more and to not place such a high importance on getting likes on social media, just as another example.

-B

Weekly Blog Post #6

February 20, 2018

Another week, another presenter. With this presentation a teacher from Flin Flon School Division, Daniel Dillon, joined our class through video to discuss with us some of the practices that he uses. The main focus of this presentation is how he and the other staff members bring in digital tools to assist them with their teaching, with a special emphasis on project based learning. It should be noted before going much farther though, that these tools are not meant to be a replacement for strong pedagogy and teaching practices but a way to push the boundaries for the students to enhance their learning potential.

In his classroom, Daniel Dillon has adopted this idea of Big Picture Learning and Project Based Learning to enable his students to bring some of their own passions into the classroom. To get a better sense of where the inspiration for Daniel Dillon came from, watch the TEDx video below from Kevin Brookhouser about his 20 Percent Time Project, since he allows 20% of the students time (or one of the five school days) to work on whatever they want. This also has been known as a Passion Hour project in other areas. Students are tasked with fitting these passions into the curriculum of whichever class they are in, and students are asked to share their ideas and end projects with the larger community. Through these projects, students are authentically tasked with learning something new or creating something that serves a greater purpose in the grand scheme of things. Daniel Dillon was able to share some examples of some of the projects that he had been a part of and that were being completed in the community, which I thought were really quite remarkable. It really seemed like the students could go great places with some of their ideas, and develop skills and legacies that can last them a lifetime. Even bad ideas could lend themselves to some valuable learning opportunities for the students without even initially realizing it.

 

                                           Kevin Brookhouser - Don't Call it a Classroom
                                        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqG-bppvW7k

The second part of the presentation which was shared with us was around the idea of using Virtual Reality as another tool to help classroom teachers. It doesn't come as much of a surprise to hear, but being able to use a tool such as this would definitely help with student engagement. Although my experience with VR is still somewhat limited, being able to become fully immersed with anything such as this would only add to the excitement and level of learning for the students. If this is something that interests you, and that the school you are in has the funding and VR headsets available for you to use, the website SteamVR has plenty of great apps and programs to check out. It really is quite remarkable to experience VR if you haven't ever before.

In closing, I just wanted to speak about the implications of having students take the initiative and working through these Big Idea Projects. There is value in trying something new, and figuring it out as you go. Getting students to realize that having difficulties and possibly even failing at something before getting to the their desired end goal, if even, is just part of the overall process. Getting students to practice being resilient is a skill that they need to work on that will help them later in life. Reflecting on the process as they move through it helps them as well, and is another skill that they need to develop. The great part of these projects though, is how naturally they lend themselves for being authentic and how they can be developed with a purpose in mind. It gives them autonomy, mastery, and purpose, which fosters creativity and motivation, according the YouTube video above. For myself, if I am able to incorporate some Big Idea Projects or make use of VR to assist in lessons, I definitely think that I will.

-B

Weekly Blog Post #5

February 15, 2018

Classes this week were a little bit different for Internet for Educators, since we experienced synchronous and asynchronous classes from the comforts of our homes. In order to do this, we had to make use of some more new programs, that I am going to discuss a little bit further.

The first program is one that I have mentioned intrigued me, since some of the previous presenters have made contact with us by using it. I'm talking about Zoom, a video conferencing chat room program. From wherever we all were, we joined the video chat during the scheduled class time, synchronously meeting up to have discussions and what not much like we would have if we had met in the classroom. This way however we were able to just wear comfy clothes, enjoy snacks, and were able to get cameos from everyone's pets. Which was awesome. But to speak about the actual program again, it functioned really nicely. I had commented already that the video and audio aspects seemed to be some of the best I've used in terms of video chatting. However, it wasn't until being put into the thick of it that I could appreciate how great of a program it actually could be, especially if you were going to be using it for online classes. A number of the features that the program has, such as the screen sharing, breakout rooms, and chat room features helps to make it feel more interactive, and allowed us all to collaborate nicely.

We also used Peardeck during this video chat, which for Mike and his two screen set-up was great, since he could screen share his slides with us and still be watching the video chat screens of all his students. For many of us though, a simple screen share might have worked more efficiently though, since I found myself trying to flip back and forth from one program to the other and missing bits and pieces.

The final program I am going to discuss is the one that was used for the asynchronous class. For this class, we were all given a set of questions to ponder, around the Internet, democracy, and culture, and then to engage in discussion about these questions on a program called VoiceThread. This is similar to the Flipgrid app which we used for another assignment, in which we recorded a 90-second clip. However, I feel like this VoiceThread app is almost a little bit better since it seemed like you could do more with it. I enjoyed that the comments could be applied on whatever slide of the presentation you wished to, and that the comments rolled through in order one after the next once you started them. I also thought that being able to do a video, audio, or chat response allowed for more variety and choice, which some students would definitely appreciate. Overall, I can see this program being useful for the classroom if properly applied. The tricky part would be figuring out how exactly to do that.

-B

Digital Identity

February 8, 2018

So, I googled myself. And I pretty much found what I expected to find. Links to my Twitter, Facebook, blog posts and Google+ pages, which made me instantly go and double check what my privacy settings were. A couple of different profile pictures that I have used were also up there. There also was this news article that was written about me, with the badass headline and the goofy picture with my arms stretched out.

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/amateur/sidoryk-says-no-to-grim-reaper-70172237.html

Overall though, I would say that my online identity, or digital footprint, isn't very big. I tend not to make many social media posts as a rule, and try to keep my identity relatively private. I think that students need to also realize how important it is to be careful about what they share, and to always be mindful of what they are doing online. They need to learn the steps it takes in order to protect themselves online, and to be mindful of what they are posting as well since anything that gets posted is essentially there forever then.

The idea of digital dualism is also something that needs to be understood by our students moving forward. Students need to realize that it possible to act differently from the other side of a screen, and that there are those people out there who will use that to their advantage. It is something they need to be aware of in order to best protect themselves. Often though, I feel like people are able to use their online identity as a platform to put their best self forward for the world to see, when they have been taught acceptable ways of doing so.

Much of this is discussed way better by Alex Couros in the TEDx video below. Although it is similar to the presentation that he shared with our class, it is still helpful to watch since it reminds us about the realities that we all are facing in the digital world we now live in. I'll share the description of the video as well, since it sums up what the video entails. Even though the audio isn't great, the presentation in itself is.

"Alec delves into the challenges facing children today in an increasingly digital world where things are never forgotten and their online identities ‘are’ their real world. Preparing children to recognize that information is Public by default and Private with effort is an important role that teachers and schools can impact in a positive way. Alec challenges us to find ways to help our students discover and experience networked human connections in ways that are positive and thoughtful and keep them safe."

- B

Alec Couros - Identity in a Digital World

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAlIBTgYfDo

The Importance of Curation

February 8, 2018

What is curation and why is it important? For me, in the context of an emerging educator in the digital age, it is about trying to keep some degree of organization with all of the online material that I find and have found. Often I will find a really good video or resource online one day and then have to spend hours searching for it again the next. How much easier it would be to curate all of that great material, and save it all in one place. It only seems logical to try and make some sense of everything that is out there, and to organize it together rather than to allow yourself to get overwhelmed. That way, you are better able to focus in on exactly what you are interested in. I think that the part that takes the most effort though, is getting yourself set up and in the habit of actually using the resources available to curate your material; that is where I am at right now.

Symbaloo was a curation website that was introduced to me last year, and brought up more than once again this year. It seems like a great tool to get into the habit of using, since it allows you to customize and organize everything that you come across on the world wide web. It is one that I really need to take the next step with, to begin to organize a page for myself with the hope that I can become comfortable enough with it so that I could also use it once I begin teaching. Having a place like a Symbaloo page, with all the websites and videos and material that you want your class to access will make it easier for everyone.

Pinterest is another website that I feel I need to get signed up for and to begin browsing. There seems like some great ideas on the site that you can save for a later date. And again, you are able to organize all of those ideas into categories. I know that this is a popular site, and from what I have heard from others, it is very useful for helping educators to get ideas.

Now I am going to talk a bit about a bookmarking site that I have begun to use again, and am really enjoying. This is Feedly. I have been using this site to keep track of everyone else's blogs from this #I4Ed class, but also to keep news articles and videos organized for me. I love that it automatically brings in the newest material as it becomes available, and that I can see it all in one place. It makes it so much easier to just sign onto my Feedly account, and then to flip through to get caught up on what I missed and to watch or read something that catches my eye. I am finding that I am going to my Feedly page more and more frequently when I am spending time on my computer, just to see what else might have been posted on there. It is a site that I will continue to use in the future as well to keep track of interesting pages.

- B

Weekly Blog Post #4

February 6, 2018

For Internet for Educators today, we once again were privileged to have a group of presenters join us. The topic for the presentation today was around the options which exist for online and distance based learning, given from the perspective of Manitoba Education employees Shannon Horne and Chris Fredrickson.

The options and variety for the different types of classes that exist is quite astounding, compared to what I had thought was available. Things have drastically changed from when I was a high school student, where the options were to take one of the few IITV courses they could offer in the school division, or to complete a few binders full of material in the form of an ISO basically on your own. Now, entire courses are offered and available that are completely online and web-based. There are also options for synchronous classes and asynchronous classes, and other options, which helps to make these online and distance-based courses that much more accessible and practical for the general public.

It is encouraging to see that this is a field that is continually growing. New courses are always being developed and added, which can benefit both student and teacher. During the presentation, one website that was given extra explanation was about using Blackboard. This is a program that allows for entire courses to be accessed and subsequently managed by a teacher for their students, that can be accessed by the students from wherever they happen to be. Although some of the process that was being described in how to get started with Blackboard seemed to be a bit confusing, the potential that the website offers seems really beneficial. For educators, just being able to access the additional resources that are available might be really helpful in giving extra ideas or better explanations when starting out in the field. The professional development and options for material that can be given out to a classroom of students while you are away are great ideas mentioned as well.

I think that for many students, taking a course through distance learning or through a web-based format can be quite beneficial. Students need to learn how to manage their time and to become more accountable for completing the work when they aren't always in the classroom and with a physical teacher in front of them pushing them along. This will only help to better prepare them for post-secondary courses if they choose to pursue those, or it will show the students that another option might be better for them.

It is great to see all of the options that are now available. I will need to investigate further to see what options might be useful for me in the future.

-B

Weekly Blog Post #3

February 4, 2018

This week we were fortunate to have been virtually joined by Dr. Alex Couros, a world renowned speaker and a professor at the University of Regina. Although it was not a very interactive presentation, it was still a really good, engaging, and informative one.

One thing that really stood out to me from the presentation, aside from all of the great videos and examples that he included, (like the Blockbuster Museum, C'mon!) were all of the little quotes and stats. The digital footprint and online presence of a child is growing faster now than ever before, with thousands of pictures being posted of them before they are even 5 years old. It is quite a scary concept, but is one that if properly managed, students can learn how to make their way in the world where online and offline are blended so seamlessly. A quote from the presentation, "If we don't tell our story, someone else will. And more often than not, it will not be the one we want told," and the question posed by Alex, "How do young people develop self-worth that extends beyond the realm of likes, views, and retweets?" shows why this positive digital identity is something that needs to be taught to all students.

Another great quote from the presentation was one that Alex began with, by Alan Kay. "Technology is anything that wasn't around when you were born." It jumped out to me because it made me realize how different it is for students growing up now, in the digital age, compared to myself growing up in the '90s. I remember hearing something sometime ago about being a '90s baby, that we are more nostalgic since we have grown with the technology as it has adapted and grown. We remember how bad it was, while still realizing the potential of what it could be. So what about our students? They grow up with this untapped potential, that is common and expected to them. Many students won't even realize the implications that exist with this, both good and bad.

Speaking of bad, the concept of fake news and identity theft were brought up by Alex during the presentation. It was really shocking to see how easily it seemed to be for someone to steal a person's photos and to make a fake account that seems so believable. It is actually terrifying, but when proper considerations and actions are taken, our students and us should be able to be kept safe. It just goes to show how careful one needs to be when traversing the world wide web.

On a side note, the talk about catfishing and identity theft brought a video to mind, that I'll share to lighten the mood. Enjoy.

-B

Weekly Blog Post #2

January 27, 2018

Another week of classes completed, and another step closer to having to make big decisions, which is scary. But I'm not going to talk about that right now. Instead, I am going to talk about the presentation given to us by John Finch. John is a consultant for Manitoba Education, but his main focus is maintaining a certain website, MAPLE FOREM. Maple is great resource that all educators should be connected with. It stands for Manitoba Professional Learning Environment, and helps teachers from Manitoba to stay connected with other educators, as well as to stay connected with current information and topics that relate to them. Getting the refresher on how the website operates, and being shown some new aspects of the site was really good since I hadn't gone back to the website after the initial presentation on it last year. I will try to be more mindful of checking back in on it moving forward.

One of the newer features of the site which John put emphasis on during his presentation was about the Maker Spaces page. I made sure to follow the page, since the Wiki's and Blog posts that John shares each week are curated collections of neat ideas and stories related to this growing movement. I think that the entire concept of Maker Spaces is great, and is a way that classrooms can be more learner focused rather than teacher focused. Providing the students the opportunity to explore and practice what they are learning helps create a more authentic and enjoyable experience for everyone involved, and creates the potential for great things to occur. Or maybe it is just the child in me getting excited to being able to do fun play based activities in my classroom with my students.

 Last year, our Science Methods class was able to take a field trip to a real Maker Space at St. Augustine School and it was a really great experience to see it in action. There were also students present to show our class some of what they would work with while in the Maker Space, ranging from Lego they could build with, to Sphero Robots that they could program, to conductive lead pencils that can make circuits and keys on paper, to more crafty projects. Usually there would be a challenge for the students to participate in, or they could have the opportunity to pursue something else that interested them more. When we came to visit, it was really evident that the students were proud of what they had already created and learned about, and they were eager to share that knowledge with us. This isn't something that is always present in the traditional classroom, but is something that will benefit all learners.

The presentation about Maker Spaces also made me think back to a video which was shared with us in one of our first year classes. I searched out the video, which was challenging since I couldn't remember what it was even called, but I found it and rewatched it. I included a copy below for anyone who hasn't seen it or who wishes to rewatch it as well. The video is about project-based learning that a Californian private school uses, but I think many of the main concepts about why this is such a powerful model also relate to the Maker Space movement.

-B

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rv_rmJYorE

Weekly Blog Post #1

January 21, 2018

Hello all!

Here I am again to add to my blog. This time I have been given the task for my Internet for Educators class (#I4Ed)(#hashtags)(#hip) and I'm quite looking forward to doing it again. I feel like it is a great place to let out some steam, and to put your thoughts onto something more concrete and tangible. I also enjoy being able to read the thoughts and opinions of others in our class each week from their own blog posts, since it always makes me see something from that class in a different manner.

For me, this week offered us the chance to participate in two really informative presentations, from a couple of former students in the class who are now full fledged educators. For the first presentation, we used an online video conferencing program called "Zoom". I want to start by saying that it worked really nicely for us, and the video and audio worked even better than I expected. It is something which I will definitely consider if I ever need to do any video conferencing. Now for the actual presentation, we were provided with some innovative ideas and websites which were being used for the purposes of curation, communication, and assessment in the classroom. It is great to be able to see how other teachers are using technology in their classroom, and to hear the tips and tricks that they have picked up over time. Some of the websites and apps that stood out to me included Quizizz (another great quiz website), Plickers (another option for getting students answers to questions that doesn't require technological devices), and Remind (a communication app that uses phones and emails, without having to exchange that information). I thought that the idea of having the weekly review quizzes was a great idea, and using Quizizz that has read-along options has great potential. For Plickers, knowing what options exist when tech is limited is something that all educators should be aware of; this is one I need to investigate further I feel. In terms of Remind, after reading through all of the other blogs this week, it made me even more eager to check this app out and to apply it to my future practice.

The second presenter who shared their expertise with us was just as informative and engaging. For this presentation, we were able to see how tech was used in an English classroom in a very interesting way. By using social media in his class, and making a competition/game out of certain tasks, students get more involved in what he is asking them to do. It also makes the tasks more authentic for the students, and more relevant to them. I think that keeping students interested and eager to participate is one of the most important things that a teacher needs to do in order for them to be most effective, and I think that we were given plenty of good examples on how we might do this in our classroom.

On a side note, as I'm going through the course this year, I'm making a master list of all of the websites and apps that are suggested, so that I don't forget about any useful ones. Many of these will take some time to set up and to tinker with in order for them to be useful for us in the classroom, but by having the list I feel like I will be more accountable to go back when I have the time to set them up and play with them.

But with that, I say adieu.

Until next time.. B