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...