Video Conferencing

Last week our whole class gathered in front of the large screen where a video conference would take place with Colin, a presenter from the Royal Tyrell Museum. He discussed with us the many types of video conferencing resources, how and where to find them. He demonstrated the interactivity of video conferencing, as well as some of the benefits and drawbacks associated. I have never seen, let alone taken part in a video conference like this so it was a very strange concept. I’ve never even used Skype before so I felt that I learned a lot from this presentation and VC is something I would definitely like to incorporate into my future classrooms!

Colin provided us with a number of favourite organizations who provide VC services which correspond with different areas of the Alberta curriculum, and took us to the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration website which was an awesome tool for anyone looking to use VC in their classroom, see http://www.cilc.org/c/education/content_provider_programs.aspx. You could search by provider or topics and read overviews of different programs related to see which would be a best fit. It provides the searcher with all the required information to make a session possible. I had no idea how simple and available a resource such as this is not to mention how beneficial and supplementary it can be in a classroom.

Initially, I assumed video conferencing to be a more passive method of learning where you sit and listen to the speaker on the screen but it turns out I was quite wrong. Especially for children in the early grades, there were many visually stimulating active learning activities to be played by interacting with Colin on the screen. He demonstrated how stimulating and engaging they can be and discussed the ability to hold young children’s attention for quite a long time span with use of these activities. For children in the older grades there are commonly worksheets associated with the presentation that are to be completed as you go along. It was really strange that as we got more comfortable, it felt less like talking to a screen and more like Colin was simply standing in the same room as us.

An avoidable but possible drawback to VC that Colin pointed out was miscommunication between the teacher and the class, or lack of information given to the class prior to the presentation. The students need to be prepared in terms of what sorts of questions would be appropriate to ask, how to stay on topic, and to try to keep disruptions to a minimum. Another obvious drawback is the inability to physically bring items into a classroom for the students to touch, smell, hold, etc. But on the flip side, the ability of lenses on the cameras provide a better picture of small objects better than the naked eye. For example, Colin was discussing the teeth of different dinosaurs and was able to zoom in on the very fine details of the ridges. This is something many students may not have been able to see even if they had the tooth in their hand. Using VC allowed us to “see” and tour the museum, something otherwise not possible with a presenter who is physically at the university.

Using VC in the classroom is an excellent way to have an expert describe concepts to your students. The information comes from a fresh perspective with access to many visuals that the teacher may not have. They really do offer an interactive experience and is something different and engaging that students don’t get to do on a daily basis in the classroom. Overall it’s a great way to have a presenter present without them physically travelling to your school. For a more extensive list of benefits and drawbacks with more elaboration as well as some methods for implimenting, see this website: http://archive.techlearning.com/db_area/archives/WCE/archives/soos.php 

Internet Dangers!

Kids nowadays have unlimited access to the internet almost anywhere they go, at home and school with the computers and anywhere else with cell phones. At any age, the possibilities of web dangers are present and easy to purposely find, or stumble upon accidentally. There are so many methods for predators, sexual or otherwise, to prey on kids online in chat rooms, instant messaging or emailing. There are multiple concerns here, the fact that some children will go and meet these people face to face, some won’t tell their parents the type of things they do on the internet, and there’s always the risk of unknowingly giving away too much personal information. This brings me to another concern for many children, so often websites will coerce you to give tons of personal information to sign up for a game, or an account, or contest; this can easily lead to invasion of privacy.

Children searching sites for games or chat rooms can also easily become exposed to pornography sites. Younger children may not have the capability to process the information yet, but it will be stored and remembered later. These types of sites can also display violence and skew a person’s future beliefs of intimacy. The internet also provides an excellent ground for bullying anonymously. Online bullying is becoming more and more common which is really unfortunate because of the difficulty in both finding it and discovering who is behind it. On a larger scale, the internet supplies many, many hate sites along with instructional sites providing methods to get revenge on those listed on hate sites (Ex: the bomb recipe sites used by the shooters at Columbine). 

The internet can also be addictive both in terms of overuse, and for online gambling. The content is not always accurate or reliable, there’s constant exposure to online marketing, and users have to be cautious of spam and viruses. While the internet provides many beneficial resources, children need to be taught how to safely use it. I don’t think constant monitoring is necessary because exploration and manipulation can be educational, but they need to know what to avoid for safety purposes.

I decided to take a closer look at “Authenticity of Information on the Web” and examine some concerning and related aspects in this Inspiration chart.

Reflecting on my Smartboard Lesson

Today my partner Jessica and I presented our Mini Lesson using the Smartboard to carry out a Grade 1 Science lesson on the 5 senses. The whole process of having one student come to the board at a time seems a bit tedious and boring for the rest of the students sitting with nothing to do but other than that I think it went pretty well. We focused on sight and had a slow reveal of a picture while everyone guessed what it was, and then proceeded with a listening activity. There were only minor complications with our “erase to reveal” activity, but we sorted it out on the spot. The Smartboard was kind of neat to have for the sound portion, but other than that I really don’t think it provided much of an advantage for this particular lesson. It was fun to explore and see how the whole program works and I’m definitely excited to play around with it some more in my practicum and try it out in an actual elementary classroom. Right now it just seems sort of complicated and not worth the effort for the lesson, but I’m certain once I’ve seen it used in a class and practice with it more it will become a very useful tool!

I’ll have to remember how small the print comes out when I create a chart with words to categorize, I didn’t realize how unreadable they were if not sitting fairly close. I think pictures would be much more effective anyways, especially for the younger aged children. Also, in doing this presentation I came to realize (even more so) the importance of trying out the presentation before the actual class. When we did a dry run on another Smartboard one slide wasn’t showing any pictures that were meant to be there, and another was showing pictures which were supposed to be hidden. We also had to ensure that the sound component was on and loud enough. Overall I felt that we were really prepared for the lesson and it went smoothly!

Rocks and Mineral Poster!

Title:

Creating a Poster of Rocks and Minerals!

Online Resource References:

BBC. (n.d.). Science ages 7-8: science clips. Retrieved Oct. 4, 2010, from

            http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/7_8/rocks_soils.shtml 

BBC. (n.d.). KS2 bite size: rocks and soils quiz. Retrieved Oct. 4, 2010, from

            http://www.bbc.co.uk/apps/ifl/schools/ks2bitesize/science/quizengine?quiz            =rocksandsoils&templateStyle=science

Grade level:

Gr. 3 Science, Topic A: Rocks and Minerals

Activity:

Introduction: Students will complete the online activity individually to learn what various rocks and their properties.

Body: In groups, they will search for pictures of each rock learned to print off for a poster. Using a word document, they will type one property and one common use of at least 3 of the rocks represented on their poster.

Conclusion: After viewing everyone’s posters, they will complete a short online quiz to see how much they’ve learned.

Sponge Activity: Discuss the dangers of using the wrong rock in certain cases (Ex. Using chalk to build sidewalks)

General learner outcomes (GLOs):

Demonstrate knowledge of materials that comprise Earth’s crust, and demonstrate skill in classifying these materials.

Specific learner outcomes (SLOs):

1. Compare samples of various kinds of rock, and identify similarities and differences.

7. Describe some common uses of rocks and minerals; and identify examples of those uses within     the school, home or local community.

ICT outcomes:

C.1 - Students will access, use and communicate information from a variety of technologies.

C.7 1.3 draw conclusions from organized information

Specific Outcomes 1.1 integrate text and graphics to form a meaningful message 1.2 balance text and graphics for visual effect

Rationale for Computer Integration:

The online activity allows for visual learning of the rocks, they can see how the rocks look and react to stimulated situations in a more clear light than an explanation by the teacher could accomplish. They can use the computer to find realistic pictures of rocks and to search for information on common uses of the rocks if they are unsure of where they might have seen it used before. Printing the material off the computer also ensures a more clear and organized poster representation. 

What is Effective Technology Integration for 21st Century Learners?

            Communication is a crucial means of learning and gaining knowledge for children in today’s world, and communicating through technological means is growing at an alarming rate. Although the cell phones and laptops in grade school classrooms may seem bothersome to many teachers, we have to consider that this is commonplace in the world these children have known since birth. Teachers should embrace the children’s thirst to understand and use new technologies and incorporate them into the educational setting (where appropriate).

            Technology opens so many doors for the students nowadays that can be manipulated to adhere to the curriculum. It allows for student exploration, communication and collaboration with others from a variety of diverse cultures from around the world; while inviting them to discover business, health and environmental issues/roles they play in the world we live. It allows for self expression, such as blogs, and opens an abundant world of information at the students fingertips. Access to all this information encourages learning in itself. A student must become information and media literate in order to be successful at narrowing searches, finding appropriate topics, wile also considering ethics and morality - where did these sources come from? Is the writer biased? Is the source reliable? Etc.

            Technology in the classroom can be stimulating for the students, while also providing many opportunities for differentiation of learning. BUT, to be effective in the classroom, the technology used must comply with the curriculum and benefit the students in both their preparation for government testing, as well as for their life and career development. A 21^st century curriculum should blend many aspects together such as learning to use skills, knowledge, information, media, literacy, ect across all subjects and learning themes. Students should learn to be flexible and adapt constantly and consistently to learning new technologies and challenges. It should stimulate initiative and self directed learning in the discovery and use of various technological methods. Traits such as these, which can be developed in grade schools, will carry through to real life career situations where they will have the ability to navigate the technological aids important in career advancement.

            21^st century learners will find the ability to be creative in many different mediums within the curriculum, for example, developing web pages, documents, presentations, videos, blogs, animations. I feel that it will be my job to continually learn, incorporate and pass on technological knowledge within my classroom. I believe technology should be integrated in creative ways to increase children’s learning by enabling them to be involved as active learners and allow them to discover and communicate knowledge through a number of mediums and methods.

What is an Effective Presentation?

When presenting on a subject area, it is first and foremost crucial that you as a speaker are thoroughly knowledgeable in your topic area and possess the ability to answer questions within the audience’s realm of understanding. Doing your research, being prepared and keeping slides and information organized are key elements in developing a successful presentation.

Knowing your audience will help you to communicate with the appropriate language so as to make a better impression. It may also help you choose better visual aids to include in the slides, ones that may appeal more to the generation, situation, or status of the viewers.

Developing a theme and keeping on track with that theme will be very beneficial for the clarity of your presentation. It will provide consistency throughout the presentation and avoid trailing off or getting sidetracked, and will also be much easier to understand as an audience. The theme should be present in all aspects – the information, the method you choose to present with, and the visual components. If something is out of place or irrelevant to your theme, the audience will notice.

The use of visual aids in a presentation allows for not only appeal and interest, but also increases the retention of what you’re teaching the audience. Combining visual information with textual or oral information is far more successful than one or the other in terms of what the audience will remember. If you simply fill a page with font and read it, interest and focus will quickly be lost. Another consideration is the template you choose. It also needs to be visually pleasing and must fit with the theme.

Font plays a large role in the success of a presentation. First of all the size needs to be appropriate, and in this case, usually bigger is better! The color is also important because it must stand out against the background enough so that it is the focus and is easy for the audience to read. It’s beneficial to keep type to a minimum, keeping it simple and clear will leave much more of an impression than a page filled with too much type that’s too small to read. 

https://docs.google.com/present/edit?id=dgk24hw8_0ds25r8z4

My first ever Blog!

Hello!
My name is Karly and this is my first time venturing into the world of blogging and I actually managed to get lost along the 3 step process. I'm not sure if I correctly chose a different template but heres hoping!

My view toward blogging has always been one of disinterest whether writing or reading them, but beginning my journey in PS1 has already opened my eyes to a number of advantages of using a blog within a classroom. It's a way of communicating with every child the instructions of an assignment, or sending out a reminder to bring in the next signed field trip form. It also provides a common area for discussion as well as an opportunity to explore and share many varieties of multimedia with both myself and their peers.

Using technology as a teacher is mandatory in order to communicate with the children and parents in many schools, so blogging seems to be an excellent way to relay information to all students and parents, as well as assisting with the many online students I may be teaching in the future!