This week we were lucky ta have Jon Evans fit us into his very busy schedule. This is not the first time I have heard Jon talk as he also did a presentation in our ICT class last year. Jon is an eloquent speaker and passionate about education, and he made a great point about how a teachers professional development does not always mean attending a formal conference.
I have attended many PD sessions over the past year and a half with mixed results. Some are not as advertised while others are very informative. After begin to expand my role on Twitter (see previous blog post) I am now a member of a never ending PD session from those who I follow. There is so much useful information on the web from the various sites that connect teachers, not just Twitter. I urge educators to get connected with other educators, share their ideas and learn from each other!
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Monday, January 19, 2015
Twitter (TT #3)
I have been a member of Twitter for the last 5 years but it was not until recently that I began to really learn more about Twitter as an educational tool, not just a site to post my ramblings on sports.
Most recently I began to follow @MrBridge204, a well respected educator from Winnipeg who has a passion for technology and physical education, and combining the two aspects. The reason I began to follow this account was to gain knowledge for an upcoming presentation I, along with classmate +Jonathan Filewich, will be giving at BYTE (http://www.byteconference.ca). Coincidentally just as I began to follow +Mr. Bridge he an his followers engaged in a rather interesting conversation about why educators use twitter. The question was proposed like this:
Most recently I began to follow @MrBridge204, a well respected educator from Winnipeg who has a passion for technology and physical education, and combining the two aspects. The reason I began to follow this account was to gain knowledge for an upcoming presentation I, along with classmate +Jonathan Filewich, will be giving at BYTE (http://www.byteconference.ca). Coincidentally just as I began to follow +Mr. Bridge he an his followers engaged in a rather interesting conversation about why educators use twitter. The question was proposed like this:
On Jan30th I'm speaking to a @uwinnipeg class about tech in #PhysEd. Please tweet your reason for using Twitter with hashtag #BlueAtUofW.
With thousands of Twitter followers all over the world the response was overwhelming and it led me to rethink the way I use Twitter. I began to realize how powerful of tool it can be. I will close this blog with a few of my favourite responses!
Blue Jay Bridge retweeted
@MrBridge204 I use Twitter to stay connected & learn w/ global #physed & #pegeeks that always share the latest & greatest ideas #BlueAtUofW
Blue Jay Bridge retweeted
.@MrBridge204 Twitter has allowed me to meet, learn from, and collaborate with #PhysEd Ts from all over the world! #BlueAtUofW
Blue Jay Bridge retweeted
@MrBridge204 Twitter has opened up a world of quality #physed practices with the ability to ask how, and why others use them #BlueAtUofW
Sunday, January 18, 2015
Digital Identity
One of the thought provoking discussion we had in class this week surrounded around digital identity. As an educator, especially a connected educator who partakes in many formats of social media, not enough stress can be placed on your digital identity. A quick google search or a hit of the retweet/share button is all it takes to have your thoughts posted online to your friends available to the whole world, and while this is a powerful tool, it is also scary (just ask one Winnipeg teacher).
Not only is having a digital identity to be proud of an important task for teachers, but also for students.With such a plethora of social media sites available it is without a doubt most students from middle years up (and some even lower) will be subscribers to some of these sites. Many students who I have discussed using social media with are unaware of the audience there posts can reach, from a retweeted tweet or a screen shotted Snapchat. Not only are they unaware of their audience but also unaware of the privacy of their accounts. A simple conversation by a teacher or class guest can go a long way in educating students how to use these sites appropriately.
Not only is having a digital identity to be proud of an important task for teachers, but also for students.With such a plethora of social media sites available it is without a doubt most students from middle years up (and some even lower) will be subscribers to some of these sites. Many students who I have discussed using social media with are unaware of the audience there posts can reach, from a retweeted tweet or a screen shotted Snapchat. Not only are they unaware of their audience but also unaware of the privacy of their accounts. A simple conversation by a teacher or class guest can go a long way in educating students how to use these sites appropriately.
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Digital Curation (TT #2)
Digital curation is something that I have been working on improving over the last two years. As a frequent Zite reader I would often find articles interesting, read them once, and never be able to find them again when I would like to reread them or show them to someone else. After experimenting with various tools to house these articles I settled on Pocket. Pocket is a great resource (I primarily use the iPad app) to store articles I find interesting, whether it be a funny article I've read, a recipe I've found, and an educational article I may want to use for a future blog post.
Having strong curation skills is important for students. For example when students are working on an IRP and need to keep track of their resources, having a site to keep what they have used organized so they are able to refer back to them is key.
Curation is also great when working on collaborative projects. Google Docs or Dropbox are both great tools that let students, or students and teachers, work an a document while not in the same physical space.
https://getpocket.com
Having strong curation skills is important for students. For example when students are working on an IRP and need to keep track of their resources, having a site to keep what they have used organized so they are able to refer back to them is key.
Curation is also great when working on collaborative projects. Google Docs or Dropbox are both great tools that let students, or students and teachers, work an a document while not in the same physical space.
https://getpocket.com
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Access Denied
This week our class was lucky enough to have Jon Finch, Coordinator for Manitoba Education and Advanced Learning, speak about a number of issues, primarily copyright and the use of technology in the classroom. What struck me most about Jon's presentation was his background in technology purchasing for a Manitoba school division. He talked about how school divisions are spending big bucks to bring in this technology that isn't being properly integrated into the students learning, whether it be from technological issues or a lack of education on how to use these technologies effectively.
While it is great that divisions are spending to upgrade technology it is frustrating when some of the most powerful tasks that can be done are blocked in certain divisions. I understand, but do not agree with, the mentality that blocking sites does not allow students to get into trouble when using technology. As an educator I believe it is important to teach the students what is appropriate and what is not while on the internet, rather than block anything that can get them into trouble. It is time to end the Access Denies era and embrace technology and teach our students how to use it effectively and appropriately.
While it is great that divisions are spending to upgrade technology it is frustrating when some of the most powerful tasks that can be done are blocked in certain divisions. I understand, but do not agree with, the mentality that blocking sites does not allow students to get into trouble when using technology. As an educator I believe it is important to teach the students what is appropriate and what is not while on the internet, rather than block anything that can get them into trouble. It is time to end the Access Denies era and embrace technology and teach our students how to use it effectively and appropriately.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)