Okay, so I learned something this week! (I do every week.. but I really enjoyed feeling like this could be used in every day conversations with non-ed majors)
First off... For anyone who doesn't know : Web 1.0 = old school! ie - you get information off the interwebs. Period. End of story. See you later!
Web 2.0 = you actually get to add stuff to the interwebs yourself and participate (like on wikipedia for example)
Next : according to Dr Ludmila Smirnova, whom I Googled and found to be a very well educated Russian lady, "the boundaries between teaching and learning and between knowledge acquisition and knowledge production break down" via web 2.0, and as I go through the lists and piles of options, I can't help but feel town about the various sites. While there are some that I have thoroughly enjoyed/will enjoy in the future, I know there were others in those lists that I would even discourage others from using simply because my experience with them hasn't been supremely positive. I feel that in order to make a less discriminate opinion though... I'm just going to have to use them in a classroom or even in this one? More to come
Tuesday, 28 January 2014
Monday, 27 January 2014
Internet Safety
So... of course this post deleted itself... ha! well, in brief, I just wanted to write about a few things I learned... Having been "victim"* to bullying myself growing up, I was curious to see what Cyberbullying really entailed. This is what I learned from my readings and my classmates:
There are many different ways that people can cyberbully. Some are listed:
- Sending messages or emails containing insults or threats
- Spreading hateful comments or rumors about a person through email, messages, or posting on social networking or blogs
- Stealing passwords and sending out threatening emails or messages using the assumed identity
- Building websites to target students
- Posting embarrassing pictures of video footage of someone
- Posting obscene messages on online message boards or creating slanderous websites
I'd wager that the most prominent way would be of people posting rude or offensive comments, videos or even websites that will harm children emotionally. I'm seeing that cyberbullying brings about the same kinds of consequences in the lives of the children.
*I put the "" because if I am to be honest, I almost owe those junior high bullies a favor. I grew to be able to stand up for myself and to learn what real friends were. After all, "all [they]'re ever gunna be is mean".
Wednesday, 15 January 2014
Starting "Education: the Internet and Education" (Education² ...?)
YAHOO!! I'm so excited to have another regular reminder to blog! I love being able to get my thoughts out... and I feel like I can better understand them myself, and by default then be more able to express them to others, when I write them down.
The next few months I'll be in an education class exploring the internet and its relationship with education. It's already brought me out of my bubble, ironically enough (I didn't think an online class could do that to me!), by having me connect on twitter. Not sure I'll be very good at tweeting, but that'll be fun to explore.
Anyways! The point of this first post is to respond to an article: The Positive Impact of eLearning
A very interesting article indeed! My only concern: will we eliminate the classroom altogether? I will attempt to explain myself. If students learn at home overnight using the information given to them via the internet, for example, then they just come to school to problem solve or do projects, they don't really need us as teachers. I suppose this would make for a different view on teaching, perhaps one I'm maybe even more excited about. I see a future where specialized folk gather for the good of our youth... or perhaps there's simply a listing of all those willing to help our youth to understand or further expand their understanding of the universe, especially of their passions. We'd simply be using teachers the way I think they're supposed to be used! See, now that I've reflected... I'm not so sure this is a concern after all...
The next few months I'll be in an education class exploring the internet and its relationship with education. It's already brought me out of my bubble, ironically enough (I didn't think an online class could do that to me!), by having me connect on twitter. Not sure I'll be very good at tweeting, but that'll be fun to explore.
Anyways! The point of this first post is to respond to an article: The Positive Impact of eLearning
A very interesting article indeed! My only concern: will we eliminate the classroom altogether? I will attempt to explain myself. If students learn at home overnight using the information given to them via the internet, for example, then they just come to school to problem solve or do projects, they don't really need us as teachers. I suppose this would make for a different view on teaching, perhaps one I'm maybe even more excited about. I see a future where specialized folk gather for the good of our youth... or perhaps there's simply a listing of all those willing to help our youth to understand or further expand their understanding of the universe, especially of their passions. We'd simply be using teachers the way I think they're supposed to be used! See, now that I've reflected... I'm not so sure this is a concern after all...
Monday, 9 December 2013
Only two weeks left?!
I can't believe there's only two weeks left to this! I've worked really hard, hardly gotten sleep, and I love these students! I don't know how I can go back to university after this, except that the students have given me a renewed longing for knowledge. I love seeing their brains take in new information and add it to the things that make sense for them. I'm so glad for this experience. I feel like a real teacher, I think the the kids think of me as such, and I know I can do it!
Friday, 1 November 2013
Lessons I've learned after one whole class
Well, I survived my first ever class taught completely on my own.
All in all, it wasn't actually all that bad! However, there's a few things I want to take note of for future use:
1) If I'm doing any kind of reflections journal, I should hang on to it and not let them take it home. During this class I used them more at the beginning, and when I stopped using it regularly, something else that needs to be kept in mind is the need for consistency, students would forget to bring their journals to class or they lost them.
2) If I'm going to take a lot of time for them to do some kind of project, it better be something that they're going to remember and care about for a long time too.
3) If they're going to spend a long time doing something in class, have plans for things to fill up more time after if they finish quickly or maybe give set amount of time during class and extra time at the end to work more. *Note: Make sure there's extra time to work on it, especially if that's the only time being allotted.
All in all, it wasn't actually all that bad! However, there's a few things I want to take note of for future use:
1) If I'm doing any kind of reflections journal, I should hang on to it and not let them take it home. During this class I used them more at the beginning, and when I stopped using it regularly, something else that needs to be kept in mind is the need for consistency, students would forget to bring their journals to class or they lost them.
2) If I'm going to take a lot of time for them to do some kind of project, it better be something that they're going to remember and care about for a long time too.
3) If they're going to spend a long time doing something in class, have plans for things to fill up more time after if they finish quickly or maybe give set amount of time during class and extra time at the end to work more. *Note: Make sure there's extra time to work on it, especially if that's the only time being allotted.
Friday, 25 October 2013
You'd think a girl would learn...
Well, I'm giving up...
Don't worry! not on teaching, but on looking for a lost item.
This week, I lost my USB. It had absolutely all the work I have done this semester... Luckily, most things I have a hard copy of it or an older version of it, but it's not the most ideal situation. I meant to back it all up for weeks now, but, of course, didn't. Last professional semester I broke my USB and had similar issues. Henceforth, I am backing it up on staff folders, email and the external hard drive.
Don't worry! not on teaching, but on looking for a lost item.
This week, I lost my USB. It had absolutely all the work I have done this semester... Luckily, most things I have a hard copy of it or an older version of it, but it's not the most ideal situation. I meant to back it all up for weeks now, but, of course, didn't. Last professional semester I broke my USB and had similar issues. Henceforth, I am backing it up on staff folders, email and the external hard drive.
Friday, 18 October 2013
Internship
It has been a good few years since I last posted about my career.
I'm excited to be posting again... It really feels like it's been too long.
I feel like I need to apologize in advance for any random french posts or phrases. For this last placement, I was SUPER lucky and I am teaching in a French immersion program, and to boot, I work at a francophone school on the side, so French is actually pretty dominant in my life right now, which I LOVE but makes it harder to talk to people since my mind is going in French.
Anyways! This semester started out great, I'm learning a LOT! I love this experience! That's not to say that I don't think it's really hard, but I am always one to take on a challenge, especially when I was the one that chose it. I find myself scrambling to keep up with the bright minds I get to help develop.
I'm not going to lie... many times I've wondered if this is truly what I want... and some days I still ask myself that... and it only takes me coming in and spending a few hours with the blessed children I get to teach, or rather who teach me, to remember that this profession is truly a blessing. It takes a selfless person to be a teacher. I look at my colleagues and I see such Christlike examples of what leaders need to be. It's reflected in the students' behaviours too! I have students correcting students and calling them back to attention and to remember the class rules : Respect and French... I only have two, but they are both important, and they know it and, usually, keep them.
More to come! Especially on classroom management and engaging students!
I'm excited to be posting again... It really feels like it's been too long.
I feel like I need to apologize in advance for any random french posts or phrases. For this last placement, I was SUPER lucky and I am teaching in a French immersion program, and to boot, I work at a francophone school on the side, so French is actually pretty dominant in my life right now, which I LOVE but makes it harder to talk to people since my mind is going in French.
Anyways! This semester started out great, I'm learning a LOT! I love this experience! That's not to say that I don't think it's really hard, but I am always one to take on a challenge, especially when I was the one that chose it. I find myself scrambling to keep up with the bright minds I get to help develop.
I'm not going to lie... many times I've wondered if this is truly what I want... and some days I still ask myself that... and it only takes me coming in and spending a few hours with the blessed children I get to teach, or rather who teach me, to remember that this profession is truly a blessing. It takes a selfless person to be a teacher. I look at my colleagues and I see such Christlike examples of what leaders need to be. It's reflected in the students' behaviours too! I have students correcting students and calling them back to attention and to remember the class rules : Respect and French... I only have two, but they are both important, and they know it and, usually, keep them.
More to come! Especially on classroom management and engaging students!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)