Week 12

Activity 12.3a Evaluating Web 2.0 Tools

Criteria 1: Access

The tool must be useable by all the students regardless of what hardware and software they have access to. If the tool is an application it must be usable for both Windows and Apple operating systems, and if it is a website or online tool, it must be compatible with various browsers. In any case it must not require cutting edge computers, as most students will not have these, and it would be unreasonable for the teacher to place such a burden on them.

Criteria 2: Usability

How easy is the tool to use? If the tool has such complexity and nuance that the students will spend all their time learning the tool and not the lesson, then such a tool should be discarded. The objective is to enhance the lesson with the Web 2.0 tool, not to make it overly complex.

Criteria 3: Instructional Strategy

Does the tool allow for the instructional strategy or strategies I would like to use in conveying the lesson? This simple question will rule out many tools that are unsuitable based on the mechanics of the tool and whether or not they allow sharing and collaborations, should those be needed for the lesson.

Criteria 4: Generalizability

Can the tool be applied to future lessons? There is little point in learning a tool and having all the students learn how to use it as well if it is going to be used for only one lesson. Tools should be valued for their ability to be reused in various lessons and even different subjects.

Criteria 5: Terms of Use

Any tool's terms of use are of critical importance for whether or not it can be used in the classroom. Does the tool protect personal information? Does it allow students to retain ownership of their work?

Is the program designed for a age group compatible with your class? Before any tool is used, the teacher should read through the terms of use and ensure that there are no conflicts with the school's policies, no breaches of privacy or law, and that the tool is appropriate for their class.

Week 10

Vendor demonstration reflection

Speaking with the vendors showing their products in the Education building on Nov. 14^Th, I had the chance to speak with representatives from SMART, Frontrow, 2learn.ca, Microsoft, and Polycom.

I have to say I was most impressed by the offerings of Polycom, and SMART, but 2learn.ca seemed to offer very helpful material, and Frontrow's hardware was impressive. I found Microsoft's offering to be lacking.

Amy Lynch from SMART gave a demonstration of the utility of SMART technology in the classroom, from manipulatable geometry lessons and visualization of math concepts like common factors, to class participation feedback, and the various products smart offers to schools. The interactivity of the SMART boards was very impressive, and I would love to have such a resource available in a classroom. The ability to have up to four people manipulating the objects on the board with both touch and pen is amazing for classroom engagement and maintaining interest in the lesson. In addition, SMART offers lessons custom-tailored to SMART boards for download from their site.

Theresa Paltzat from 2learn.ca showed an interesting compilation of resources that 2learn has available on their webpage. The page is expertly set up to allow teachers to search for and access lessons, images, and other content that may be helpful to what they are teaching. There are a wide variety of lessons available, which I would certainly look to for inspiration on creating lesson plans as a new teacher.

Leanne Duncan from Frontrow was demonstrating their Juno lesson capture device, which allows both for the lesson being presented to be recored with microphones, and placed online for the benefit of students who may have missed the class of want to review it later, the device comes with a microphone for the teacher and two others to be passed around to the class to respond to questions or make comments. The sound once captured is easily converted to audio file format to be put online. The device certainly does what it promises, but I have trouble seeing myself using it in practice. The ability to post up lessons in text form is already so simple and free that I'm not sure i could justify the expense of a Juno system for the benefit of an oral version of the same lesson.

Polycom's video conferencing technology, which they demonstrated for us via a live link to Karin Davidson-Taylor at Ontario's Royal Botanical Gardens was stunning. Far more than a Skype analogue, their technology delivered stunning resolution over the university's WiFi, and had many advanced features such as multiple cameras to track speakers as they moved, or to switch quickly between different speakers. Also Karin showed us how she could use Polycom's systems to provide a green-screen for herself, and feed computer monitor data to it. Also she could switch the feed to a zooming camera she used to show us some insects. The applications of this technology in the classroom are readily apparent, in that a teacher can bring in professionals in the field that the lesson is discussing via video conference. Outside of the class, this technology is already used for administrative conferences and enabling discussions and demonstration of material when distances are too great to travel or weather does not allow it. Polycom stated that their products are already in use in over 95% of Alberta school districts, and as such I would be delighted to make use of them given the opportunity.

Week 9

Activity 9.3 - Using a LMS (Course Sites)

Announcements is a great communication tool within Course Sites, as it allows the teacher to remind students when tasks are going to be due, and the period for which they appear to the students is easily set up, so that the teacher can input all the deadlines at the beginning of the semester, and they will appear and disappear for the students as the year progresses. For the students this tool serves as a helpful reminder when things are due, and would save them having to ask the teacher should they forget.

The Tests tool appears to be great for online evaluation of assignments, especially in answer-based courses like physics and math. The ability to have the students work at their own pace, and submit answers online which are then instantly graded is a great time-saver for teachers, and allows students to have immediate feedback on how they did, and what areas they may need to focus on more.

Course Sites has a very simple and easy to understand system of Folders in its course organization area, where teachers can place items such as copies of worksheets handed out in class, illustrative diagrams to help students understand material, and more. The benefit to the students is that they can always get fresh copies of course material, so they are not hung up if they lose a sheet, which is bound to happen. For the teacher this saves time photocopying more handouts.

I like Course Sites' ability to have teachers embed web links, as especially for science and math, in my experience, there are incredible amounts of resources online to help students with numerical assignments, methodology, and problem solving. This resource would greatly benefit students who struggle with the material or are simply stuck on a tough assignment.

Week 7

Activity 7.3 Copyright Reflection

Here are the copyright definitions and citation examples for secondary level.

Week 5

Activity 5.3 Cyberbullying and Social Media

In this activity, I assembled various internet resources on cyberbullying into a Symbaloo webmix. My resources were targeting toward secondary education students and for my reference in dealing with secondary students. Symbaloo is an interesting web tool for collecting resources together, especially by topic, and this activity has given me the tools I need to use it for other branches of my learning.

Symbaloo Web Mix

In developing two strategies for dealing with cyberbullying to use in the classroom, my first thought was to inform students as much as possible about how to behave when online, both for their own safety, and in respecting others online. The link 50 Crucial Rules for Online Behaviour was a very helpful starting point for this plan, as it covers such a wide array of online behaviours, though some of the advice is aimed at a slightly older audience, secondary students can still benefit from hearing those lessons early. Students should know that just because they are online does not mean that they can behave inappropriately, and what constitutes such behaviour on social media sites and the like. Also, for those students who are experiencing cyberbullying, I think they would find this link to be of use in helping them: How to make it stop.

The second issue I want to address with students is a simple one: that they can talk about their experiences. Victims of cyberbullying often avoid telling adults about their online encounters with bullies, and doing so online prolongs the problem. I will make clear to my students that they can talk to me about their problems, and I will help them make the appropriate decisions in dealing with them. Allowing students to talk to you discretely after class allows them to vocalize their problems without all their peers listening in, and not having that audience around emboldens students to come forward.

Week 4

Activity 4.3 Where am I now?

Philosophy of Teachnology

1. One of the least effective ways I have seen a teacher use technology in a classroom was that they placed all their notes on PowerPoint, and used that instead of writing on the board or overheads. Normally PowerPoint is fine, but the teacher sped through the slides so fast that the students had trouble getting all the notes written down, and the teacher did not place the slides online for the students to refer to later. It created a hectic and confusing learning environment. Had the teacher proceeded at a rate similar to what they would be moving at had they been writing on the board, I'm sure the class would have been fine.

2. One of the best ways I have seen a teacher use technology was in a social studies class, to have the students all get online with their mobile devices or laptops and research the topic quickly, then we shared what we had learned with the class. This created participation and stimulated the students much more than listening to a lecture would have, and was entertaining in the process. In addition, the students were learning for themselves, and in a small way, using research techniques they would later need.

TPACK

Week 3

Activity 3.3 Learning and Technology Theories Reflection


    Of the three learning theories presented recently: Connectivism, Constructionism, and Cognitive Load Theory, I find myself relating best to Constructionism. I find that there are few ways for me to understand a concept as concretely as interacting with it, be it by myself or in collaboration with other learners. In addition, breaking complex tasks into several more simple exercises helps to compartmentalize the knowledge into manageable blocks which I find easier to retain. Cognitive Load Theory also has merit when I think about the way in which I learn best, but i find the reduction of complex to simple tasks in Constructivism covers that area equally well. Constructionism also has the nature of project-based learning, where learners are not lectured to, but told to seek out the answers and the knowledge they require to solve problems, and they have the teacher as one more resource they can access in pursuit of this knowledge. In this respect, Constructivist learning is very much free learning, where the student has to take the initiative to seek out and find the answers the lesson requires, and this also appeals to my style of learning.


    In assisting learners to understand a concept through a Constructivist approach, we can incorporate technology in several very helpful ways. For example, when considering complicated geometric or spatial tasks, computers with the appropriate software are able to greatly assist us in visualizing and manipulating these objects. The degree to which I find it easier to work with visualized and tangible representations of some of the more abstract subjects is remarkable, and I believe that other students' learning could greatly benefit from such a use of technology. Technology can assist with the collection of information, and as Constructivist learning is discovery learning, technology finds a natural place in Constructivist methods here. For example, the internet allows learners to discover information much more easily and much more rapidly than in the past, increasing the rate at which pupils can assess the task at hand and formulate solutions. Finally, we can incorporate technology into constructivist learning by allowing students to collaborate electronically in their attempts to solve problems. They can be networked together over long distances, allowing for problem solving in situations where they would previously not be able to collaborate with one another. It is clear from these examples at least, that Constructivism can greatly benefit from the inclusion of technology into it's practices.

Week 2

Activity 2.2 PLN

For the creation of a PLN, I have chosen twitter as my social network. I can be found at @p_bresler, and am already excited to see the great posts of so many knowledgeable educators!

Week 1

Activity 1.4 Wallwisher Reflection

This snapshot displays four reflections of the merits of ePortfolios for use in K-12 education.