The Future & My Final Blog Post

What do I think the future holds for education? Well the obvious answer is that it is going to continue to change, rapidly, towards a more technologically advanced class. Check out this K-12 Horizon Report for more information on what the future holds! Hint: mobiles are referred to as “increasingly always-connected device,” and “extremely multi-functional and robust, and grow more so with each passing year.” So if you are currently strongly opposed to the idea of BYOD… I would suggest rethinking it and discovering its new and improved uses!
In any case, I can’t think of a better time to be entering the education world. I feel right now we are in the middle of a big wave of technological advances and changes taking place in the class. So when I enter the work force within the next year or so I feel like I’m ahead of the curve… woohoo thank you Internet for Educators! To see a summary of what I’ve learned, check out my video below!

All in all I have realized how much I actually enjoy using technology… somehow I feel smarter! I’m still working on the whole blogging thing, we’ll see what the future hold for that! All I know is that this is not the end for me. I may have learned many things in this course, I know I am no where near done and will never! I am excited for new opportunities and possibilities and anticipating an exciting future! Thank you everyone for reading my blog and making comments, I’ll try to keep it going after this course, so keep coming back!



Until my next post… JD

Infographic

What is an infographic? A couple of weeks ago I didn’t know either, but they are actually pretty neat! Infographics are visual presentations of information that are visually appealing to viewers. It is mostly used when information needs to be described quickly, precisely and quickly in a graphic way. I found these sites filled with different infographics that could be used in the classroom… you should give them a look!

My 10 Fav Education Infographics

     http://edudemic.com/2012/08/best-infographics/ 

Introduction to infographics

     http://www.livebinders.com/play/play/143539

Infographics on education

     http://www.edweek.org/ew/section/infographics/

10 Jaw-Droppingly Awesome Infographics on Education

     http://blog.socrato.com/10-jaw-droppingly-awesome-infographics-on-education/

So, here is my infographic… it is not anything live changing very basic. Anyways I hope you enjoy it!

So that’s that… it was actually pretty neat to create it. It’s easy enough to use, it would be a great project idea for students! I used infogr.am to create mine, it’s free to use so you should create one too!

Until my next post… JD

Online video

Online videos... they are invaluable in the classroom! It is not only great for visual learners, but engages students more in subjects they may have initially lacked interest in! So when and how do you use videos or other multimedia in the classroom? Like so many of our guest speakers have said, first you have to make sure you are using the video to enhance student learning, not just because it is there. I found this videointheclassroom presentation by Synergy Broadcast Systems, it provides some great information on when, why and how to use video in the classroom!

So the videos I chose were a rap about cells and a video about fresh water. In my next student teaching placement I will be teaching science… not my strongest subject. So, when I was trying to plan a lesson I thought, how can I make science interesting not only for me, but for my students? The answer is… a video!!! While I was browsing YouTubeEDU I found these two videos and thought I would share them with you! Let me know what you think!

Other ways you could use videos or multimedia in the classroom is to have your students create their own! Here are some random online video resources for students that I found:

• Memoov  provides the characters and settings and you provide the audio for each of the characters.  These videos can be created and shared on a variety of websites like YouTube and others.
• Voki allows users to create talking avatars to present information.  You can use your own voice or choose from voices provided for you. 
• Go!Animate  allows you to create animated stories to present information or quick stories.  They have many different options and objects to choose from and are constantly adding new material.
• Aniboom  allows users to create animated characters and create animated stories.  This site is a little more complex than others listed here, but it can be used by Jr. High and High School students.
• Animasher This is a fun site that allows you to create a variety of different types of animated movies with real video and 2 dimensional pictures. 

Would you consider (if your school allows it) putting student/class made videos up on YouTube (or another site) & share? why or why not? 

The above was a question that our professor, Mike, asked us and honestly I don't know. The reasons why I would want to put up student/class made videos are so that students could take more pride in their work by showcasing it. On the other hand, there are so many school policies and privacy acts it makes me nervous. When I was younger, I would have loved it if I could have shared and showed off my work online... I would have maybe worked harder too! I think if I were to ever share students work online I would only do it if they personally wanted to do it, if I had parental consent and if I had the support from my school/division. It also seems like a lot of work to go through all this just to share student's work online. So again... I'm back to not knowing what I would do, but I know I would consider sharing student/class videos as opposed to just dismissing the thought immediately. Anyone have any personal experience or advice they would like to share?!

Until my next post... JD

Podcast

What is a Podcast? According to About.com a Podcast is an audio or video program formatted to be played on the iPod and made available for free or for purchase over the Internet. Podcasts are shows, similar to radio or TV shows that are produced by professionals or amateurs and posted to the Internet for download and listening or viewing. Many Podcasts are made available for free, though some must be purchased. Podcasts are a fantastic way to gain new information from the Internet quickly and efficiently. With a huge variety of topics available, Podcasts offer something for everybody. Here are 2 awesome Podcasts I found:

Keeping Them EngagedThis podcast explores unconventional ways to keep students engaged, including games and 3-D technology. Obviously this is a valuable podcast as students constantly need different ways and activities to keep them engaged while learning.
SMARTBoard Lessons PodcastCategories covered under this podcast include art, health, math, media, reading, science, social studies, and writing. It includes practical tips, collaborative discussions, and lesson planning advice. Each episode features a lesson, and all podcasts focus on the use of the SMARTBoard, a great tool to use in the classroom.

I found this website (Top40PodcastForTeachers) with a list of different podcasts for teachers. That’s where I got the above Podcast ideas from, but there are many more interesting and useful Podcast on this site... check it out!!!

Why would you as an educator have your students create a Podcast? Well creating a Podcast allows students to share learning experiences. It provides them with a world-wide audience that makes learning meaningful and assessment authentic.

Here are some resources how to create your own Podcast:

Tech How To: Podcasts

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/tech-how-podcasts

 How to Create your own podcast

http://radio.about.com/od/createyourownpodcast/ss/How-to-Create-Your-Own-Podcast-Make-Your-Own-Talk-Show-Music-Program-or-Audio-Stream.htm

 How to create your own podcast

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/internet/basics/how-to-podcast.htm

 Podcasts in the classroom 

http://www.det.wa.edu.au/education/cmis/eval/curriculum/ict/podcasts/

Until my next post… JD

Show & Tell

In one of my other blogs, Presentations, I had mentioned that my role in the group projects was to find and make a list of apps and programs educators could use in the classroom. Here are some of my favourites:

1. Trackclass is a great, free resource for students. The site allows students to track their classes and assignments, and even will send reminders (email or SMS) for upcoming assignment due dates and test dates. There is a note taking utility so students can take notes on it, can attach files to each class and assignment to keep things organized. It is a great way for students to stay organized. There is also a version for mobile phones and the iPhone, so students can stay organized no matter where they are.  

2. Scribblar is an online meeting room / white board. Students can use it to collaborate on projects, teachers can tutor via the computer, and teachers can use it for collaborative meetings and projects. Scribblar has a virtual white board, writing tools to create text, lines and shapes, the ability to add images, a chat window so that users can talk to each other while working with microphone and speakers!  

3. Dropbox, is a free service that lets you bring your photos, docs, and videos anywhere and share them easily. Dropbox is by far my favourite app that has been introduced to me this year! So far I’ve mostly used to share items with fellow pre-service teachers and I don’t need a flash drive to be able to do it! Other things that I like about it is that you can save it in the format it was created in, and you can share it or keep it private.

These are only a few of the apps I have found that I wanted to share with you! Again if you want to find more apps that educators can use visit my Presentations blog, for a longer list! I hope you enjoy these apps and find them as useful as I do!

Until my next post… JD

EDUBLOGGER: Lisa Neilsen – The Innovative Educator

One of our tech tasks for our course, Internet for Educators, was to follow an established Edublogger. The Edublogger I found is Lisa Neilsen and her blog is called “The Innovative Educator.” Here’s a link to her blog theinnovativeeducator, I would definitely recommend giving it a read!

Lisa is a certified teacher, educational administrator, a writer and a speaker. She has an award winning blog, her writing is featured in many places and she is the author of a book. Lisa is such an accomplished woman! Needless to say, I was drawn to Lisa’s blog. She provides such great insights on ‘hot’ education topics and provides awesome resources as well! Another reason why I love reading and following Lisa’s blog is that she is very passionate about using technology in the classroom. It is evident in her blog how connected and up to date she is in the world of technology… she is a great example of a connected educator!

I have learned so many great ways and approaches to embrace technology in the classroom! I would definitely recommend her book “Teaching Generation Text,” which looks at using cell phones in the classroom… it is a great read!

Until my next post… JD

Presentations

Last week our Internet for Educators class did presentations on topics of our choice relating to education and technology. It was a very educational session! Everyone had excellent presentations; each was unique and equally engaging – Great work everyone! I won’t go into too much detail about the topics, but if you weren’t in that class, here are the links to our presentations if you’re interested! 

BYOD
– presented by @erinduchart, @crepeecl05, @MissTa24, @CArmstrong00, @alauraarmstrong, and me, @joseyd91. 

TheGoodTheBadTheUgly
– presented by @nicklasbaron, @mzlinzebraun, @banksjr19, @BanksMicki, and @Affleck24. 

HowNotToSteal
– presented by @Langanlisa, @misslwbt, @tyler_jl, @jennasis22, and @kelseypenner. 

InternetFilters 
– presented by @anna_teach, @falk007, and @brookegelo. 

Cyberbullying
– presented by @melnyksteven, @scott_taylor87, @adriennewiebe, @gurrsarah, and @missHeducation. 

The group I was a part of discussed BYOD or bring your own device. To give you a brief overview, we discussed: what it was, different devices available, statistics, different apps/programs available, policies, benefits and risks of using BYOD in the classroom. My part was to find different apps/programs educators could use in the classroom and oh boy was there a lot to choose from! When I was researching for this project, I was absolutely overwhelmed with the amount of apps out there that were specifically designed for educators to use. If you want to check out the list I came up with, click the BYOD link above.

Having only experienced a “No Device” policy when I was in school, I’m interested to see how it actually works in the classroom!
Until my next post… JD