End of 8Y59...but not the end of my technological journey

As EDUC 8Y59 comes to an end today, I was thinking about my technological journey that began in the second week of September. I was initially apprehensive about taking this optional course. A Twitter account?! A blog?! What’s Ning?! But, as I said in my first blog post ever, I realized that I was going to be pushed outside of my comfort zone and take part in some things that I’ve never even heard of before. I’m glad that I embraced the learning that Zoe facilitated for us. I feel like I’ve learned so much just within the ten sessions of this course. By taking this optional course, I also feel that I’ve been given more opportunities to learn and grow, especially within the realm of 21^st century education, than my fellow teacher candidates who chose not to take this class. But the learning and growth will not stop here. Besides attempting the implement the technologies that I learned about in my future classrooms, I want to continue blogging, continue taking part in an online professional learning community, and continue experimenting with alternative technologies that are still foreign to me.

As my last blog post for 8Y59 (but not the last post ever), I wanted to end by giving a huge thank you to Zoe Branigan-Pipe for being one of the most amazing and passionate instructors that I’ve ever had and helping me become open-minded to a whole technological world out there that can help me enrich the learning of my future students.

Google Site

I’ve created a Google site not only an assignment for 8Y59 but also as a resource that could be implemented in the classroom to enhance student learning. I began working on the site before my first teaching block began and originally intended to use it during practicum; however, I got really busy and wasn’t able to get the site ready in time to actually use it as a resource for my students. After I returned to Brock from block, I continued working on my site and this is the result. The site was designed with the Ancient Greece Unit that I taught over the course of four weeks in mind. The home page includes a welcome message for the students. There is also a calendar complete with due dates, test dates, and events occurring in the school. Under the “Lessons” tab, I’ve included the images, maps, notes, or clips used during various lessons so that the students can review these items whenever they’d like to. I’ve also included the handouts, assignments, and review notes provided in class that students are able to reference when they need to. There are also pages that include history resources, a forum where students can ask questions and comment on class content, and a link to St. Mary’s CSS website.

A course website is a great supplementary resource in that it connects the students with each other and with the teacher outside of the classroom. It is also a great way for absent students to catch up on something that was missed (I could have also added a daily posts/announcements page which I intend on doing when I later revise my site). Additionally, it can provide students with a few great resources to guide them on particular assignments and also provides them with a forum in which they can voice their own questions, concerns, or collaborate together. My site could obviously be improved in many ways, but the reality is that it could work as this type of resource in the classroom and as an extension to student learning.

While a Google Site could work great as a resource in the classroom, this tool also has its limitations. As I mentioned in my first post, I believe technology in the classroom works well so long as it enhances the learning, not shadows it. So, if a teacher begins to rely too much on website (i.e. the course seems like it’s transpiring more online rather than within the classroom itself) then problems might begin to arise. Also, teachers must ensure that students are checking the site regularly in order for it to be an effective resource. Additionally, having a course website with resources might limit the scope of student research and where or how they are looking for information. Nonetheless, if used effectively, I believe some sort of online resource for a course is essential in a 21^st century classroom.   

Live and Interactive

A picture is worth a thousand words... The presentation and online session (using Elluminate) about Digital Storytelling with Alan Levine last week in my 8Y59 class made me think about this adage I’ve heard a million times before in a new way. Digital Storytelling is a way in which people use digital tools (images, sounds, animation, video just to name a few) to tell their own story. Alan began by asking our class, “What is the last story that you told?” In the backchannel, I believe I typed that one of the last stories I told was during my block which was about the Trojan Horse (you know, the one where the ancient Greeks hid inside a huge wooden horse to sneak into Troy and crept out at night to completely destroy the city? Yeah, that one). However, come to think about it, that was most definitely not the last story I told. We as social beings tell stories and communicate those stories to each other on a daily basis. We all have stories which is extremely important to remember as a teacher candidate. Stories have the potential to connect us all together, especially to our students. As Zoe mentioned, the beauty of asking someone to share a story is the reality that we all have one, no matter what learning level or style. So, I got thinking about digital storytelling and our role as educators. Alan and Zoe shared some great digital storytelling resources during the presentation that could be applied within a classroom environment. Check out VoiceThread (a multimedia slide show that allows multiple contributors to collaborate), Audacity (a free online audio recorder and editor), and New Digital Storytelling by Bryan Alexander (and you have to check out Alan’s site and wikispace as well!). As a teacher, I could use one of these resources as a way for me to get to know my students and to hear one of their stories as an introductory activity. Also, as a history teacher, digital storytelling would be an excellent way to get students to use and critically think about primary source images for an assignment (I’m thinking for Grade 10 Canadian History in particular). History, after all, is a collection of stories, isn’t it?

Thanks again Alan for illustrating to us a creative spin on storytelling. I would love to hear if anyone has any additional suggestions/ideas for digital storytelling in the classroom.

This quick YouTube clip provides a short synopsis on what digital storytelling is in video format.

This YouTube clip shows how a Grade 8 teacher implements Digital Storytelling in her classroom and provides us with a free Digital Storytelling e-book resource 

(http://www.microsoft.com/education/teachers/guides/digital_storytelling.aspx)

Reflection on Block 1

I’ve been using this blog thus far as a vehicle to track my growth as a 21^st century educator and comment on the integration of technology into the realm of education. Today, as my teaching block has come to end, I would like to use this blog as a means to self-reflect on my very first teaching experience. At the beginning of practica, I set a major personal goal for myself: I wanted to work on becoming comfortable and confident as a teacher in front of the classroom. I have to admit, I was nervous for my first lesson but, at the same time, I was also prepared and excited. My first lesson went smoothly and I received positive feedback from my associate teacher. From this lesson on, I felt like I was continually growing and learning each and every day. With my first lesson ever over with, and after my nerves were settled, I really wanted to work on the facets of my teaching. It was during the middle of practica that I really starting to focus on and improve the way in which I taught so I could effectively deliver lessons to my students. I created my Ancient Greece Unit from pretty much from scratch, trying to find all of the resources I could and attempting to try new and creative teaching strategies. There were many late nights and I probably felt the most stress during the second and third week of practica as I always wanted to be the best that I could be for my students. Nevertheless, it was a rewarding and amazing experience that was completely worth any of the challenges that I encountered. The most amazing thing that I can say about my block was seeing that my students were actually engaged with the material that I provided them and observing their interest and effort in the tasks that I assigned for them. I realized that I really want to continue to improve on my questioning and classroom management skills, and as a teacher candidate, I’m going to continually be on the lookout for effective teaching strategies to employ in the future. I look forward to working on these goals that I’ve set for myself in my future teaching experiences.

My first teaching experience...

I know…I haven’t been keeping up with my blogging…I’ve been bad! But really busy. Two out of the four weeks of my first teaching block are almost over and I can’t believe how fast it’s gone by so far. Let me fill you in on these past two weeks of this first teaching block of mine. As I mentioned in my last blog, I’m teaching the ancient Greece unit for a Grade 11 course and I’ve been using the Smart Board in every lesson. I’ve been using it mostly for images and clips with the hopes that I’m enriching the content that I’m providing for my students. I’ve also used the Smart Board the emphasize important points in the notes that I provide (for example, I would have a fill-in-the-blank type note projected and then I’d write in an answer that a student gave to emphasize an important point—one tiny tip for first time Smart Board users: play around and get used to writing on the Smart Board for a couple of minutes to avoid atrocious penmanship and the incorrect spelling of “independent” because you were too focused on your atrocious penmanship…it’s not like I did that or anything). I also used the Smart Board as a way in which my class could create collaborative lists that everyone could make a part of their notes. And finally, I used the Smart Board to project a 360˚ viewing of the Parthenon that students could move around in order to identify what type of architectural order its columns were.

(Students were able to touch the Smart Board and get a 360 viewing of the Parthenon - from http://www.acropolis360.immersive360.com/)

Of course my lessons using this technology could be more interactive and innovative but, as a busy teacher candidate and a first time user of the Smart Board, I give myself an A for effort in attempting to integrate this technology in the classroom.

Smartboard in the History Classroom...Any Suggestions?!

Block 1 begins on October 24^th. I’m teaching a Grade 11 University/College History Course on Ancient Civilizations. Specifically, I’m responsible for the unit on Ancient Greece and I’m super excited because this is one of my favourite eras in history! I’ve had a couple observations days so far and it seems like my associate teacher uses the Smartboard (which is fixed to the wall with the projector attached) pretty much every day. So I guess that means I should incorporate this technology within my lessons as well. Zoe provided us with a condensed Smartboard training session which I found really useful. During that workshop, I was playing around with some of the features offered in the Smart Notebook Software and I tried to brainstorm how I could use this technology within the classroom. Of course I can display content, make timelines, post videos and images, and even save daily lessons and upload them to my course's website (which is under major construction!) for students to refer to. However, I think I’m having a hard time thinking outside of that proverbial box. Maybe I just haven’t had enough time to think about it, or maybe it’s because I’ve never experienced a Smartboard in my high school classrooms. Any suggestions on how to effectively use the Smartboard within a Grade 11 history classroom, without making it a glorified PowerPoint, would be greatly appreciated J.

Technological Inspiration

It’s only the beginning of my third full week as a teacher candidate and I am amazed with how much I’ve learned thus far in such a short period of time. All of the educators that I’ve come into contact with have a wealth of knowledge, experience, and passion and I feel that my learning process is continually on overdrive. Today, Lisa Neale, Principal of the 21^st Century Fluencies Team within the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board, came to speak to our 8Y59 class about the technological programs and initiatives being implemented within this board.

Lisa spoke about so many areas and aspects of education that have resonated with me. She stressed the importance of the learning process as collaborative, not just for students but for educators as well. Effective teachers make the commitment to learn, especially within the realm of technology, alongside co-workers and even their own students. I was also extremely impressed with the HWDSB’s online “Learning Commons” which is a digital space in which all of this board’s staff and students are connected together. It’s a place where teachers and students can communicate with each other and collaboratively learn together. I wish I had access to this site to experience its functions and benefits first-hand, but you need to actually be a part of the board to gain access. Lisa also referred to the benefits of “blended learning”—the mix of a face-to-face learning environment with an online learning environment. If the primary goal of educators is to foster the learning processes of students, then teachers must find a way to actively engage today’s learners. Many teachers have taken on such blended learning initiatives and created 21^st century classrooms as a means to reach this goal.       

Again, I’m left inspired and motivated. I’m inspired by all of these amazing educators who have come to the realization that there’s a whole new culture of how students are learning and have been experimenting with various technological approaches to cultivate the learning of 21^st century students. I’m motivated as a student teacher to learn more about implementation of technology within education and to actually follow through with what I’ve learned during practicum and in my future classroom. Did I also mention that I’m overwhelmed? There’s a whole technological world out there that I’m slowly familiarizing myself with. I’ll get there soon...

My Virtual Associate Teacher...

One of our assignments in 8Y59 requires us to be partnered with a Virtual Associate Teacher—an educator with whom we’d communicate with via tweeting and blogging. Zoe provided our class with a list of educators who have integrated technology within the classroom and, upon browsing this list, I chose Jim Pedrech. Jim teaches English and History at a secondary school in South-Western Ontario and promotes the use of technology and games within education as ways to foster the learning of 21^st century students.

Jim’s classroom blog, which appears to have been created for the students enrolled in the courses he teaches, not only includes detailed course information but also helpful links, videos, maps, timelines, and games to supplement his students’ learning. I also came across a remarkable blog post that discussed the creation of a fictional but historically accurate game entitled “The Paulsford Mysteries” which allowed students to acquire a deeper knowledge of the Victorian Era. There’s a link within his blog that leads to this project which I checked out and it seems pretty amazing!

Additionally, Jim’s been tweeting out some really great resources and sites that I’ve been bookmarking which has inspired ideas for future lesson plans. He’s also joined our class Ning and has been actively responding to teacher candidates’ posts and has even shared a great timeline resource on the discussion board. Jim has been a great VAT thus far and I look forward to continue checking out his posts, comments, and suggested resources.

While I’ve been following Jim’s classroom blog and tweets closely for the past couple of weeks, I’ve also been following all of the VATs on the list that Zoe provided on Twitter. I just wanted to mention that it’s truly amazing to see the passion and innovation demonstrated by all of these educators. It’s apparent that these teachers go the extra mile for their students and I’m left inspired and motivated.    

Getting in touch with my technological side...

So this is my first blog entry...ever! And, I have to say, it feels quite nice to be able to express my thoughts and feelings especially as I begin my year being a part of Brock’s Faculty of Education. The first week of classes so far has been amazing. All of my instructors are great, my colleagues are all friendly, and I’m really looking forward to the learning and growing that is to come in the year that lies ahead.     

I took the course Computers and Technology in the Secondary Classroom because I realized that I could definitely benefit from learning something about the importance and application of technology within the school environment. My technological skills go about as far as using Microsoft Word and PowerPoint, e-mail, and search engines (are these even considered skills anymore in 2011??). I was initially apprehensive when I discovered that I was going to be creating a Twitter account (follow me! @sarahcasuccio) and creating a blog (the name of it is a play on Julius Caesar’s famous quote “Veni, vidi, vici” and to a history major like myself, it’s clever not corny :) ) but I’ve realized that this year, I’m going to pushed outside of my comfort zone and I need to embrace that and sometimes take risks, especially because that’s when the best kind of learning can take place. I believe that in our society today, technology definitely has its place within education so long as it enhances, not shadows, it. Therefore, I hope that by taking this course, I can get in touch with my technological side and remain open-minded to the amazing opportunities I can take to enrich the learning of my future students. This blog can be considered step one...