Michelle J.F.

The Last Day

2006-08-02T06:30:00.000-07:00

Well, here we are (already!) at the last day of this online course. It has been a whirlwind of a course for me. In the beginning I felt very apprehensive about the entire process. However, my fellow students and the professors were terrific at answering question, no matter how trivial, and quickly found my footing around the WebCT and Blog sites.

I found that the course discussions and assignments were great. I learned a lot from everyone and hope that I was able to share some valuable insights and tips with others. I commented earlier in my blog that I did wish there were more primary teachers, so I could apply more of the ideas and such, but I think that many are adaptable. For those that aren't, I have filed them away just in case 'someday' I wind up in a different division!

I enjoyed the process of setting up a blog and felt important telling peers I had done so!! It was very rewarding for me to see that I had a few comments from educators who were not in our course. I did occasionally feel as though I was stumped for ideas to comment on or share via the blog. Keeping up with the discussion posts was very time consuming, so I found that I was being somewhat redundant about certain topics. I aimed to record 5 entries per week as that was recommended in the beginning by our professors and that seems a fair number. Most weeks I posted more than that, but I tried really hard to take at least one night/day off so I could refresh my brain and spend some time with my family.

I feel as though I learned a great deal about many aspects of computers and technology in the classroom and school wide. I am extremely proud of my newly acquired PowerPoint presentation skills! I even emailed it to my administrator (a computer guru) just so I could show it off! That was the most fearful assignment for me, but the most rewarding in the end. I love that I have a file of different presentations for a variety of grades and subjects.

Overall, I found my first online course to be a rewarding experience that most importantly worked well with my current family situation. I will be sure to consider an online course again in the future. Thanks to Jim, Peter and all of my classmates. Have a great summer!!

Digital Archive

2006-07-31T07:01:00.000-07:00

I was reading the June 2006 issue of Professionally Speaking, The Magazine of the Ontario College of Teachers last night and in it found an interesting article on digital archives. Although we covered this topic some time ago, I thought it would be appropriate to mention it.

It is called War Stories, by Beatirec Schriever. It tells about a Unionville High School project where students documented veteran's war stories for a school project. The project was to be aired on TVO in May 2006. The Dominion Institute is discussed, in particular the program in place to have veterans visit local school. It also describes a project the Dominion Institute is undertaking The Memory Project. The Memory Project Access a SpeakersÂ Bureau of more than 1,500 veteran volunteers from across Canada who visit with Canadian youth to share their stories of war and peace and explore the online Digital Archive containing more than 1000 stories of CanadaÂs war veterans at www.thememoryproject.com.

The Dominion Institute
Our mission is to build active and informed citizens through greater knowledge and appreciation of the Canadian story. http://www.dominion.ca/

I thought this was a great link to oudiscussionsns on the pros of digital storytelling! Hope you find it interesting.

Looking back.....

2006-07-30T17:32:00.000-07:00

Well, I am no longer a powerpoint rookie! I submitted my assignment last night, posted it on the discussion board and emailed it to a friend. If I could have come up with anyone else to send it to, I likely would have!! We do not have to post them here on our blogs, as it is rather complex to do so.

It has been great fun watching the shows done by my classmates. They are all so different and creative. I have downloaded them all into a new ppt folder. You never know what grade you could wind up teaching!! I think that we have all done a terrific job!!!!

So, I shall call it an early night one I shall enjoy after the last few LATE working nights! All worth it in the end!!

So proud!!

2006-07-29T18:47:00.000-07:00

I am so proud of myself!! I am almost done my ppt show, and for my first attempt I am thrilled with it!! Today I worked on the presentation portion of the work, as I had completed my content yesterday. I did some moving around of slides, figured out entrances, colours, motion, animation and more. I quickly realized that you can get VERY carried away with the bells and whistles. I had to curb my enthusiasm a bit, keeping the intended audience in mind. I am awaiting a few clarifications on minor things. Then I am off to do a private viewing of the show to my (lucky!) husband, who I know cannot wait to see what I have done. After that I will submit it and post on our discussion board. I am unsure of how to add it to my blog, so I will have to get that clarified as well. Off to do some fine tuning!

Friday, July 28, 2006

2006-07-28T08:45:00.000-07:00

I have made some good progress (I think!) on my presentation so far. I have the text done on most all of them and can now worry about colours, graphics and other WOW features. I have been regularly checking our discussion posts and feel as though I cannot comment on many of the ongoing posts. A great deal of them are talking about specific ppt show ideas that pertain to Junior grades and older. I am finding it a bit frustrating as there are only several primary teachers in the course. That said, they have been super helpful and very responsive to ideas as well as provided me with some amazing ideas for my own classroom.

Currently in our school there is only one teacher and the administrator who ever use presentation software. The principal has ppt shows at most month end assemblies highlighting daily life in the school. The other teacher generally does Remembrance Day, and if any staff are leaving, a farewell type show. I cannot say if he uses it in his Junior class for lesson purposes. I hope that I will be able to do some conferencing with him upon my return to work. It would be great to do some 'buddy' work with my primaries on a presentation that we could share with the school.

My administrator is a huge computer guru! He will be thrilled to hear of all the things we have learned in this course. I won't get into that yet, as that will be Wednesday's post on the course content! I can say it has been a huge learning curve though!!

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

2006-07-26T17:06:00.000-07:00

I just received a post from someone regarding my rubric. They said the table was very readable, it is neat to get feedback!!!

It will be a short note tonight, I have some things to take care of. Here are a few rules sites I found. They may be duplicates of sites others have found during their searches.
http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/cut/options/July_97/Opt_Presentation.htmhttp://www.cs.cmu.edu/~mihaib/presentation-rules.html http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~mihaib/presentation-rules.html
http://particletree.com/notebook/powerpoint-and-presentation-ips/
http://www.comdis.wisc.edu/facstaff/mrchial/InstDevSite/rules.htm

In our discussions the length of information per slide has been a hot topic. As my focus will be primary grades there will be minimal written font. I do hope to incorporate graphics to help support the students with visual cues. I am also thinking that I need to narrow the focus down to the "5 w's, who, what, where, when and why" as those are part of our Literacy focus/Star Strategies in Windows of Opportunity in our Board. I think it will be an exciting way for the students to work on a review of the novel. Back to work!

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

2006-07-25T12:14:00.000-07:00

Well, there is a storm brewing outside, so I am hoping the power stays on and I can get this post out! My Mom is visiting for a few days and the baby and her are napping. The dog is napping somewhere cool and lucky me has a few moments to post in my blog!

Here are some of today's finds.
**NetNet
http://www.netnet.org/instructors/coursedev/general.htm
-some interesting takes on Rules of Rules and presentations
PowerPoint and Presentation Tips
http://particletree.com/notebook/powerpoint-and-presentation-tips/
-if you have become a bullet abuser, helpful hints and rules to follow
The Change up in Lectures
Joan Middendorf and Alan KalishTeaching Resources CenterIndiana University
http://www.ntlf.com/html/pi/9601/article1.htm
-although a bit dated, a good refresher as to why we are trying to actively engage our students in learning

I also wanted to add in this site from a classmate
K-3 but I think it could be adapted for any grade. It is a great lesson and activity to
start the kids out very slowly with the program.

http://www.education-world.com/a_tsl/archives/00-2/lesson0023.shtml

It looks like something I could successfully use with my primaries. I really feel that they would enjoy creating a powerpoint presentation and already have visions of sharing them at month end assemblies etc!!! It is good to dream big as children will rise to expectations.

I am starting to storymap out my idea for my ppt show. I want to do a culminating language activity for a novel study. Likely Charolette's Web will be the novel of choice. I am hoping to create a Guess the Story Element type of game with photo and word clues on each of the slides. The grand idea would be that after guessing all of the elements, students would choose one to create a picture of (perhaps drawing or using a computer program!) and create a large mural of the story, bringing it together as a whole. So, back to work I get!

Powerpoint searching begins!

2006-07-24T11:17:00.000-07:00

There is a TON of information out there with regards to Powerpoint presentations/presentation software. Rules, tips, do's and don'ts are plentiful. I have found a few thins I wanted to share here.

Presentation Zen
Tips for making killer presentations with impact (Canadian style?)
http://presentationzen.blogs.com/
Working Smart - the alternative to working hard
Five rules for better powerpoint presentations
http://www.michaelhyatt.com/workingsmart/2005/06/five_rules_for_.html
-lists almost 20 links to check out and get you going on a power point prez
-everything from unusual templates, fonts, how to etc.
Passionate – Creating Passionate Users
http://headrush.typepad.com/creating_passionate_users/2005/06/kill_your_prese.html
-has a good section on "do my slides suck test", looking at what makes bad slides, when to use or not use them etc.
Missing Link – we make presentations
http://www.missinglink.co.za/masterclass.php
-a 1 minute tutorial in presentations, some great tips,
Quote “How you present information is often just as important as the information you present”

I think that this quote summed up the goal of our fifth and final assignment! I am off to share this in our discussion forum. Until tomorrow, happy searching.......

Adding class blogs & Assignment #5

2006-07-23T17:20:00.000-07:00

I just followed by helpful classmates directions to add in links to each of their blogs. On the preview screen it looked great, now I can't find it!! I am off to logout and come back in and see if they have reappeared.

Assignment #5 looks to be quite interesting. I unfortunately do not have PowerPoint, but am going to try and locate a copy. I would like to learn more about it and this is the perfect reason to start playing around with it. I have no experience with presentation type software, unless viewing them counts! I guess it does. On that note, I am one of the people in the audience who are bored to tears by presentations that just reiterate what the speaker is saying. I realize it is likely intended for the visual learners in the group, but quite honestly it drives me crazy. Not to mention that on top of that it is usually accompanied by a multi-page handout with little pictures of the screens/slides. I am continually frustrated by that teaching approach. So, I guess you can tell what my main goal will be in this assignment, to create a presentation that engages, entertains and motivates the learners to learn more about the topic, NOT reiterate the material to no end.

Assignment #4 Software Program Rubric Continued!

2006-07-21T17:46:00.002-07:00

Here is a brief description of my rubric criteria for assignment #4.

Continuation of previous post!

2006-07-21T17:46:00.001-07:00

Okay, so the table is there, it does enlarge when you click on it, but it is still pretty fuzzy looking. However, you can read it and it is still in a table format, so I guess that is progress. I am off to find out how to clarify the font a bit and try and add the other page I had that described the criteria in a bit more detail. After that I am done for the night and will see you Sunday. I am taking tomorrow off to spend time with the family! See you.

Assignment #4 Software Program Rubric

2006-07-21T17:46:00.000-07:00

Attempting to post this.....see what happens

No longer a CHAT rookie!

2006-07-20T18:50:00.000-07:00

Well, I am no longer a CHAT rookie. I am pleased to share that I survived my first CHAT experience and it was a pleasant one. It was nice to have some immediate feedback to comments, but boy do you have to read fast and keep track of several conversations.

I spent the night tonight responding to posts and working on my rubric information. I think I am going to use these levels 1-4.

Level 1 Does not meet requirements/Expectations Not recommended for use
Level 2 Meets some requirements/expectations Recommended for occasional use in learning opportunities
Level 3 Meets requirements/ expectations Recommended for regular use in learning opportunities
Level 4 Exceeds requirements/ expectations Strongly recommended for frequent use in learning opportunities

I would be tempted to say that a Level 1 is a don't use recommendation, but I guess people have to make that decision themselves. I am pretty pleased with this listing. I should be able to finish up my criteria over the next few days. Just trying to figure out how to get all those words into the table (without making it a size 4 font!). Back to it.

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

2006-07-19T17:04:00.000-07:00

An exciting day!! My baby's first tooth appeared, perhaps I should create a digital story about it (hee hee!!)

Back to school work.....

I am working on my rubric for KidPix. I have copied this description from the OSAPAC site "Kid PixÂ® Deluxe 4 for Schools has been designed expressly for the classroom, with extensive input from teachers and students to be the best personal productivity and creative tool for every K-5 classroom. It combines realistic art tools and powerful graphic handling capability, with design simplicity, ease-of-use and powerful new teacher tools to inspire creativity and empower learning throughout the curriculum. Â Compatible with the latest operating systems: Kid PixÂ® Deluxe 4 for Schools is Mac OSX Native and WindowsÂ® XP/2000 compliant Â Easier to use: Visible menu bar, rollover descriptions, enhanced print and text content, and helpful videos to speed up classroom adoption and project completion. Â New Teacher Tools: Special tools that allow teachers to build and publish project templates to the Idea Machine with written and voice instruction; choose from project starters sorted by subject area. Â Customizable for young students: Teachers can control graphics and backlibrariesbraries for individual projects to provide better focus on " I am not sure it is this version we have in our lab, I will have to look into it.

I am working on my best 10 criteria for a rubric for this program. We have done some incredible group work and from that I am establishing my list. Here is what I have so far.

KidPix **a work in progress**
Level
1 - does NOT meet requirements/expectations/ DON'T use2 - meets SOME requirements/expectations/ NOT recommended for use3 - MEETS requirements/expectations/recommended for use4 - EXCEEDS requirements/expectations/ strongly recommended for regular use in classroom
Criteria
1. Fun :) Isn't this what all learning should be!2. Curricular connections (laid out for you by software)3. Easy to use, operationally and visually, offers a tutorial first lesson (for both student/teacher)4. Individual student logon with tracking ability for teacher5. Appropriate length and adaptive, engages and motivates student(Can progress be saved and returned to)6. Is the software intuitive / does it give clear instructions?(more important than help tool)7. technical capacity - does it require the CD to run, only run on a limited number of stations at a time or can it be networked, at home teacher use 8. Age appropriate for primary students (applications are available for older students)9. Modifications available for exceptional students(program allows you to deliver successful program to all students)10. Video, Sound, Graphics

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

2006-07-17T11:47:00.000-07:00

Here are some of my findings for today!

OSAPAC makes suggesting new software programs very simple, quick and user friendly. All suggestions can be entered into their Needs Assessment Survey. Here is the link
http://www.osapac.org/dbsurvey/surveyintro2006.asp in case one was interested in checking it out. It is here that teachers on the front line can voice their thoughts and opinions, as well as recommend new programs for use in the schools.

With regards to licensed software there are many programs that allow for teacher usage at home. I have not made use of this feature, likely because I did not know it existed! Hopefully next year.

We do not have any standalone computers in the school anymore, so we cannot install personal software on them! My administrator said that all computers must be hooked up to the network.

I also discovered that our school has purchased the site license for the Wiggle Works. The school board did some technical modifications to get it onto our lab computers.

There are a few software programs I wanted to make some notes about. All the Right Type.
Although this is listed as a Junior level software program on OSAPAC, I have introduced it to my Grade 3's in the later part of the year. They really enjoyed it. I think it was the challenge of moving through the levels and seeing their running scores. I found primarily the girls made a real effort to maintain their fingers on the keys and they really improved. I had a small number of boys, who just liked to compete with eachother. They were more interested in the scores than HOW they were getting them. So, other than having to play typing police in the lab, I felt it was benefical.

Kid Pix I know I said previously I wondered if they were actually learning anything, and now that I see the curriculum expectations, I am thrilled they are!! I have seen a variety of primary age children (even Grade 4's), request Kid Pix during lab time. They really seem to enjoy the creation aspect of their work and often request to print it. This is somewhat of a problem as we cannot let them. In a dream world, they can print whatever they want!! However, ink costs and the number of students etc...... From a visual arts standpoint, I like that the children are creating on their OWN! I am not a fan of art "samples", because I watch the children struggle to make it look just like yours. Then whose art project is it? The program is colourful and there is a huge variety of activity choices.

Monday, July 17, 2006

2006-07-17T11:13:00.000-07:00

I have a few sites to share from our discussion posts. Thanks to those great teachers who shared them.

Nelson Math program support

http://www.nelson.com/nelson/school/elementary/mathK8/companion.html

OSAPAC curriculum links
http://www.osapac.org/CurrLinks/CurricConnect.html

Software evaluation
http://www.ed.brocku.ca/~jkerr/sftwreva.htm

Today I did some enquiring about STUDENT LINK. I discovered that it does not fall under the OSAPAC umbrella. Rather schools pay a yearly subscription to receive the upgraded versions.

I also located some clarification on another issue I had. OSAPAC reviews and chooses appropriate software, BUT each school board determines what they will use in their schools. Our board DSBN chooses what they feel is educationally beneficial from the OSAPAC listing and what is network friendly. My administrator said that OSAPAC is often adding new software so quickly there is not time for every school to implement it and for people to assimilate it. We also only have one ICT consultant for the board, so workshops and inservice on new programs is not plentiful. I felt much better as I was concerned I had missed a huge part of the network offerings when I looked at OSAPAC's listing!!

My experience with the network at our school has been mostly primary based programs. These tend to be game or activity type programs that actively involve the children and (hopefully) re-enforce some previous learning. Favourites with my primary classes have been Wiggle Works, Kid Pix, Math Circus 1 & 2, Plumo on the Farm, Word Way, Write Way and the House series. Now, I don't see Wigle Works on the OSAPAC list, but will look into that. These type of activity programs are useful for primary classes, but a often a bit basic for the later half of Grade 3.

At the Junior Level, I have heard about Math Trek, Corel, Wordperfect, Carmen Sandiego, All the right type, but have limited to no experience using them.

The the software listing on OSAPAC I was able to see which primary programs I can take home for lesson planning. All of those I have listed above are network friendly and can be used for planning at home. GREAT!

I would like to see some alternative math programs available for primary grades. They enjoy Math Circus, but I don't feel it is challenging enough for some students. However, that we will discuss, new suggestions of software, in tomorrow's post!

OESS/OSAPAC

2006-07-16T17:27:00.000-07:00

Overview of OESS & OSAPAC from Peter's email.

"In the early 1990’s, the Ministry of Education developed a project called OESS (Ontario Educational Software Service). Software designers,some of them teachers, designed and delivered many useful curriculum related pieces of educational software. Almost as good as the software,was the fact that it was distributed free to schools!"

"The Ministry of Education currently supports school computing through the Ontario Software Acquisition Programme Advisory Committee (OSAPAC).OSAPAC reviews hundreds of software packages each year and negotiates rights and pricing for school use. The approved and purchased "licensed"products are distributed by TVOntario to publicly-funded Ontario schools. Again, this distribution is free for the local school. Each school board has a contact person and a distribution process."

I am currently working through the websites, there is a ton of information on them. I have to admit I was surprised by that. Back to reading!

Sunday, July 16, 2006

2006-07-16T15:41:00.000-07:00

Onto the next assignment!! I know very little about this OESS and OSAPAC, so this shall be (yet another!) learning experience. I hope to do some research tonight after the little munchkin is in bed! I shall post any great insights I have. Until later....................

More discoveries!

2006-07-14T10:46:00.001-07:00

Well, I have submitted my next assignment, but of course have found more information to share. So, I will take a few moments to jot it down!

Capture Wales - Digital Storytelling
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/capturewales/
-lots of great digital stories in several theme areas
-it has a option to create with BBC and give a wide variety of areas such as comedy, film, music, Shakespeare etc
-the areas are divided into three categories, sound and vision, writing and parents & children

One link under parents and children is this musical tone game
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7/bigtoe/uplay/tonetag.shtml
-this could be very useful with a music class
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/makingtracks/games.shtml
-this one goes into different beats, tones, composers

As a side note I was telling a friend about this course and how we had created our own blogs. Today I recieved an email that I had inspired her to create her own! Here is the address http://www.myspace.com/myfirstblog

Assignment #3 Audio Technology in the Classroom

2006-07-14T10:46:00.000-07:00

Here is my third assignment.

There are a number of benefits to the use of podcasting in the classroom. There is not a significant cost factor involved in setting up a school/classroom to record podcasts as most schools have computer access. Only a microphone need be purchased (Classroom Audio Podcasting). That being said there is no cost factor in using available podcasts to ‘spice’ up current lessons being taught, but care should be taken to respect Copyright laws where applicable (Podcast Alley). There is the ability to access a variety of information and broadcast your information around the world. Podcasting could become a community endeavour involving not only the students and staff at a school, but parents, volunteers and surrounding community members. Today’s children are more familiar with operating CD’s, iPod’s and MP3 players, so using this type of technology would encourage independence in the younger students and be familiar to older students.
Language - Read with me club
A lunch time or after school reading club could become a podcasting haven! Inviting in local celebrities such as hockey players, veterans, authors, retired teachers, current teachers and parents who would read to those children interested in attending. These guests could choose a story or poem that they relate to in some way and record a podcast version. The CD could be left in the library and be borrowed or used in library classes, by the students to listen to with the accompanying text. This could also be done on a smaller classroom scale with interested parents and volunteers recording stories for the children’s listening center.
A create your own ending podcast
Another option is a create your own ending podcast where a student can choose a favourite storybook, poem, historical event etc. for modification. The teacher would pre-record the traditional beginning of the event or story, and then students could create their own ending. Several different ideas could be fairy tales, historical events, evolution, scientific discoveries, and so on. Class brainstorming could be used by all students to aid each other. The students creationd could be accessible to other students via podcast recordings, similar to a class book. These could be listened to via CD or on a computer type blog site managed by the teacher.
Physical Education/Daily Physical Activity Segments - Warm up and cool down exercises
With Physical Education being such an important part of our students development you could have a set of podcasts recorded by the students with exercises that their classmates can perform. This would best be done when the students are familiar with the names of stretches etc. In each class choose a CD to play.
Visual Arts - Guided tour of an art museum/gallery/piece of work
Students would research a piece of art they see on a trip to a museum or gallery. They could record a podcast about the artist and/or a piece of artwork. Another variation would be to have the children review or commentate several pieces of their artwork including the mediums used, emotions evoked, inspired by what art movement etc. The children’s CD’s could be used in a mock gallery in the school. Within their own classroom the CD’s could be used to describe their personal work on one or more projects.
Social Studies/History - Podcast Audio Travel Brochure
Students would choose a province, country, hometown or a city. They could research via the Internet, library and interviews the location, climate, language, food, history, recreation, culture, anthem, flower and so on. Compiled information would be created into an audio podcast for their destination with separate podcasts for each area. The lesson would be modified according to grade level and add in some digital photos or a website to support the audio text (Learning in Hand).
Note: In the following chart many of the lesson ideas touch on subjects across the curriculum. They are organized under the first and foremost curriculum area they address.
Subject
More Lesson Ideas!
Language
-poetry podcasting, reciting famous poems, creating their own poems, class library of poems
- ‘Create Your Own Ending’ class stories to familiar stories, events etc.
- ‘Read With Me’ club involving community members
- daily/weekly/monthly announcement segments
-role playing story characters, inventors, historical figures
-CD version of a language portfolio podcast for the children to take home and use in parent/teacher interviews
-pen pal podcasting to another school, in another country
Science
-weather forecasts and reports
- biography of famous scientists, research and role play
- classroom version of “The nature of things”, students choose a topic (endangered animals) to research and create a radio type broadcast version
Social Studies/History
-audio travel brochure of a country, town, city, research and include climate, language, culture, anthem, flower, food, recreation etc.
-family traditions and celebrations on podcast
-audio pioneer diaries
Math
- completing surveys and creating an infomercial about the product i.e.: 2 out of 3 dentists prefer Crest
-create audio sale flyers, ads
-using The Sugar Monster Podcast sort the good and bad foods into Venn Diagrams/Graphic Organizers
Physical Education/Health
-The Sugar Monster as an introduction to healthy eating
-daily physical activity/warm up exercises
-background of a sport, interview classic players
The Arts
-podcast a trip to the museum or gallery
-research an artist, artistic movement, specific piece and record as an information piece
-critique their own and others work
-guided tour of several of their own artwork pieces
-a library of audio drama definitions
Music
-mystery artists, podcast biography’s about musicians leaving the listener to correctly identify the artist
Field Trips
-create commentaries or complete specific tasks and record while at the site
-field trip reviews, what the students liked/disliked about the site

Podcasting has introduced me as an educator to a whole world of teaching possibilities. In taking our students a step further into technology we will be able to do and hear wonderful things. This will be evident by both creating learning opportunities that make use of available podcasts and having the students become part of the active creation of podcasts.

References

Podcast Alleyhttp://www.podcastalley.com/podcast_genres.php?pod_genre_id=7

Integrating Technology in the Classroom – Classroom Audio Podcasting,
By, Wesley A. Fryer
http://www.wtvi.com/teks/05_06_articles/classroom-audio-podcasting.html

Room 208 Podcast – Bob Sprankle, Maine
http://bobsprankle.blogspot.com/2006/05/room-208-podcast-bonus-show-mlti.html

learninginhand for handheld computing in education by Tony Vincent
http://learninginhand.com/podcasting/
(http://learninginhand.com/OurCity/glenview/index.html) - Our City Podcast

Podcasting
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcasting

The Sugar Monster’s Podcasts
http:/thesugarmonster.com

Terry Kelly
http://www.terry-kelly.com/pittance.htm# - Rememberance Day

2006-07-12T20:05:00.000-07:00

Another surfing evening! I found these sites and made some notes about them. Tomorrow I hope to start formulating my paper with all of the ideas I have had and keep finding.

Learning in Hand - Podcasting
http://learninginhand.com/podcasting/
-directory of podcasting sites for teachers AND one for students

Podcast Alley
http://www.podcastalley.com/podcast_genres.php?pod_genre_id=7
-search podcasts by genre
-many education related ones, if you click on one it gives you a brief description of the
site
-if you click on details, you get a description of each podcast in this section
-includes comments and votes of people who have viewed/used the podcasts
-lots of neat information
-language example;
The Bobby Bucket Show!A Podcast for kids, Parents, and Readers of All ages! Celebrating READING with Books, Music,
Author Interviews, and more!
-I posted this one in the class discussion as well

Ideas, ideas, ideas

2006-07-11T18:57:00.000-07:00

I spent a great deal of time tonight reading our class discussion posts and checking out some of the recommended sites. I had some thoughts that I posted, but wanted to include here.

From our discussion posts
RE: http:/thesugarmonster.com
Thanks Anne, these sites were great! My primaries would love the sugar monster series. It would be a great intro to their health unit and even the daily physical acitivity in September. To extend it the children could draw a Venn diagram grouping the things the sugar monster liked and the things Molly liked. The sorting could then tie into Math.

Some other ideas I posted;
I love the CDrom idea. To expand on it, it would begin in September and be a portfolio of the children's work. They could choose their pieces to record and even share a piece at the parent teacher interviews. I was thinking that it would be great to buddy up with an older grade and record our penpal letters to another school as a special surprise to them. Reading buddies could record stories in advance, for those days that we cannot meet with them (due to trips, scheduling etc.). Often we will continue a familiar story and each child creates a new ending. It would be terrific to add their illustrations and record the new versions on seperate cd's. The children could listen to each other's stories at a centre or during free time. My primary students love looking at and reading class books that we have created (often based on a well known story ie, Brown Bear Brown Bear), I think that the cd's would be an instant hit with them.One last thought, before I get back to searching. I would like to propose to my colleagues that we create different cd's to use for our Daily Physical Activity breaks. Not sure what as of now, but the children (older grades) could help in recording them.

I would like to look into the possibility of using digital storytelling in conjunction with Rememberance Day. We also have a Families and Celebrations strand in Grade 2 Social Studies where we discuss family traditions and such. It would be neat to have each child create a digital story about one of their traditions. Currently we do it on paper with some parent help! Oh the possibilities.

Reviews of feild trips, or commentaries on a feild trip.

http://www.wtvi.com/teks/05_06_articles/classroom-audio-podcasting.html
This article looked at some of the benefits of using podcasts in the classroom. On it was this link
http://bobsprankle.blogspot.com/2006/05/room-208-podcast-bonus-show-mlti.html
it is a grade 3/4 class podcast. Awesome!! It has a ton of different posts all done by the children. So neat to see/hear it being used in the classroom!! My favourite site so far. I am signing off for the night, my husband is waiting to do his online coursework!!

Assignment #2 "Ups and Downs"

2006-07-11T17:58:00.000-07:00

EDUC 9F61 Computers in the Classroom
Assignment #2
“Ups and Downs” of Online Learning

Online learning or eLearning is bursting out of the World Wide Web. It is allowing people to open doors that were previously closed due to employment, ability, personality, and accessibility. This article will touch on several of the positive aspects of online learning for adult learners today.

Barriers to attending classes in person such as transportation, accessibility, current employment and cost of room and board are virtually non-existent with online learning (The Pros and Cons of Online Education). As long as one has access to a computer they can attend “class”, regardless of where the computer is. This is an obvious benefit to individuals who live in remote locations and do not have access to a regular means of transportation to get to and from a classroom location. The financial constraints of taking time from full time employment to further ones education make it very difficult to attend classes (Quintessential Careers Distance Learning Pros and Cons).

Online learning is extremely flexible in terms of use of time, opportunity, and location (Online College Education Network). As a teacher currently on maternity leave online learning has provided me with the opportunity to complete this additional qualification course. In this course I am able to continue furthering my knowledge and expand my teaching skills while classroom based learning would be currently virtually impossible. The most positive aspect of online learning for me is that I am able to adjust my “class time” around the needs of my family.
My family is currently taking full advantage of on-line learning opportunities. My husband is currently completing his CMA through online learning while working full time. He feels that a distinct benefit of this type of education format is being able to put what he is learning into practice each and every day. His program also offers him the
extended flexibility of choosing to complete his coursework over a thirteen week or twenty-six week duration of time, a bonus when we are busy with a young family.

There are many reputable postsecondary institutions that are now offering online learning courses (Colleges and Universities offering Distance Education). This is directly reflected in the wide variety of courses available to prospective students. Individuals are able to peruse courses and even complete degrees of their interest and choice whether for interest or in pursuit of educational achievements.

As a first time online learner I am enjoying the aspect that I am meeting educators from all over Ontario’s different school boards. Each person is bringing forth his or her professional experience and ideas to share which is invaluable. This is turn allows each educator to compile ideas and feedback that can be used in his or her classroom in the upcoming years. It is evident already in our first full week of ‘class’ that there is a greater opportunity to contribute to discussions, as there is no time restriction. In a classroom setting class is 5 hours long and sometimes discussion can get ‘off track’ and interfere with lecture or presentation time. Through online conferencing I am able to contribute to discussion posts at any time without feeling as thought I am taking up in class teaching time. If a student was shy or less inclined to share verbally in class discussion, they have the opportunity to voice thoughts and posts at their own leisure.

Online learning is a positive technological advancement that benefits many people around the world. In the coming years I feel we will see the direct benefits of online learning in the children that we teach each day. They are sure to be a technologically confident group of individuals who have access to the world and all it has to offer through the tips of their fingers. I am proud to be able to join the online learning community and further my knowledge. I look forward to experiencing the future advancements in this area of education.

References

Quintessential Careers Distance Learning Pros and Cons
http://www.quintcareers.com/distance_learning_pros-cons.html
Colleges and Universities offering Distance Education
http://www.broadcast-live.com/education/
Distance Education Opportunities at Canadian Universities
http://www.distanceedcanada.ca/
EDUCAUSE Educational Blogging
http://www.educause.edu/pub/er/erm04/erm0450.asp?bhcp=1%20
Investing in Online Learning: Potential Benefits and Limitations
http://bates.cstudies.ubc.ca/investing.html
Online College Education Network(OCEN)are tros and Cons of
http://www.ocen.org/pros-cons-distance-learning.html
What are the pros and cons of eLearning
http://www.revelation.ab.ca/ProsConsofeLearning.htm
The Pros and Cons of Online Educationhttp://onlinedu.swag4u.com/The-Pros-And-Cons-Of-Online-Education.html

Monday, July 10, 2006

2006-07-10T17:30:00.000-07:00

The search is on!! I have uncovered a wealth of information about digital storytelling. I am not on my home computer though and was only able to view a few examples. Tomorrow I will hopefully be able to take a look at a few more. I have included some of the sites I found. Some have background information as well as ideas and such on them.

It has raised a question though about iMovies? They are mentioned several times. I shall have to post a discussion question about them.

I have had a number of ideas already for the storytelling;
art - a famous (or student) artists biography, tour of a museum
gym - the history of a sport, the 'how to's',
language - an endless list!! letters to penpals at another school, plays, Shakespere plays, partner stories with senior citizens in the community about Rememberance Day, growing up, creative writing, autobiographies and on and on!
social studies - pioneer diaries, endangered animals
science - 'news reports' on weather, how things work, pullies, life cycles of plants
These are just some of the ideas I had, or found on my travels. I look forward to more research tomorrow!

Educational uses of Digital Storytelling
http://www.coe.uh.edu/digital-storytelling/default.htm
-overview, introduction to digital storytelling
-some samples
-step by step instructions to creating a digital story

Centre for Digital storytelling
http://www.storycenter.org
-a great listing of resources, books, articles and sites that pertain to digital storytelling
-I loved their home page!

Digital Storytelling and the NationalGallery of Art
http://www.archimuse.com/mw2004/papers/springer/springer.html
-discussion of a digital storytelling tutorial for K-12 teachers that took place at the National Gallery of Art's Teacher Institute in the summer of 2003
-a look at how the concepts have been translated into real-world experience in Chicago public schools

Integrating Digital Storytelling in your classroom
http://its.ksbe.edu/dst/
There is a lot of information on this site, here are a few areas it covers
-storyboards, (as a graphic organizer of what your story will play like, I like this idea a lot, especially with primary students!)
-rubrics for digital storytelling
-program information (Dreamweaver, photoshop)
-copyright, video

iMovie examples
http://www.springfield.k12.il.us/movie/
-I'm not sure that this is part of our topic area, but I really want to see one of the samples......
-lists ideas in several of the classroom subject areas with descriptions
-although I couldn't get the imovies to play on this computer, they give a good description of the content

Workshops by Dean
http://edworkshops.blogspot.com/2006/02/digital-storytelling.html
-a Canadian educational technologist blog site, some interesting information on powerpoint, RSS, storytelling etc.
-his site links to http://www.digitales.us/gallery/, has some examples of digital tales

Sunday, July 9, 2006

2006-07-09T17:53:00.000-07:00

I am unable to access webct at this time, perhaps the upgrade has started earlier than planned, so I thought I would post a few thoughts and call it a night. I have been reading all of the discussion posts and I find the concerns regarding safety and blog use very interesting, scary and a little too close to home for comfort! I immediatly inquired to my husband if I should be removing my picture from my blog as it features myself and our daughter. He felt it would be fine to leave it on my blog for the duration of the course and I felt a bit better.

We are continually trying to teach our "charges" in the classroom about safety and making good choices in life. It is a tad scary to imagine that now on top of typical safety concerns that we had growing up, these children will have access to and experience an entire new world ~ the internet. With every great advancement comes some setbacks and downfalls. Unfortuantly the internet has the possibility to be an unlimited resource for people looking to contact children or influence them in some way. We as educators can only hope that our lessons in wise choices are echoed at home by the parents, and the children are infused with good examples. It is my hope that the safety aspect of using the internet will improve over the next few years, we can certainly agree that technology changes daily and the possibility is there. I hope for those children I teach and for the future of my children that they will be able to experience all the GOOD that the internet can offer them in their lives.

Friday, July 7, 2006

2006-07-07T10:28:00.001-07:00

I have to say I am liking the whole 'mobile classroom' concept. We are away for a family function this weekend, and I am able to continue with my course! Very neat. I submitted my article last night and just realized that I was also supposed to post it here in my blog. I will be sure to do so as soon as we return home early next week. I am trying to discover what assignment #3 is about, as there are two different ones posted on webct. While waiting for that response, I have done some searching about podcasts, as I had not heard of them before. I discovered that it really has not been around very long, at least in the current form, since 2004. "It is a set of technologies that let individuals record, publish, find, subscribe and listen to audio over the internet on whatever audio player they have available " http://wiki.ucalgary.ca/index.php/Podcasting#Introduction
Some other neat links are listed on this site. Here are some that covered the basics of podcasting for beginners like me!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcasting
http://www.darcynorman.net/2006/04/21/intro-to-podcasting-session-recording
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS_(protocol)

Thursday, July 6, 2006

2006-07-06T07:24:00.000-07:00

I am posting a few basic sites that discussed some of the pros and cons of online learning.
Online College Education Network(OCEN)
http://www.ocen.org/pros-cons-distance-learning.html
What are the pros and cons of eLearning
http://www.revelation.ab.ca/ProsConsofeLearning.htm
The Pros and Cons of Online Education
http://onlinedu.swag4u.com/The-Pros-And-Cons-Of-Online-Education.html

Although general in information, I found them helpful for assignment #2. I am about to submit my paper and begin looking into assignment #3.

I am enjoying the discussion currently ongoing regarding whether or not this computers class should be offered or combined with other subject courses. Although many of the new teachers in the field are quite confident in the world of computers and technology, the same can not be said for those who have been teaching for some time. I feel I am relatively computer literate when it comes to researching information and word processing programs. That said, the internet is constantly changing and providing new ways of communication such as blogs etc. This is the area that I want to be more informed in. The advancements in technology are not going to slow down, but speed up therefore making specific computer courses a must in my eyes!

July 5, 2006

2006-07-05T13:08:00.000-07:00

Okay! I think I have figured this out. For the first few entries I completed, you will have to check under the comments button!! Thanks to those of you who answered my plea for help.
I will also be sure to add in any discussion posts that I complete from this point forward. I am wrapping up my second assignment today. I plan to do a little more searching and then submit it. I am wondering what the third assignement is about as it sounds the same as assignment number one creating a weblog? I shall have to put out the question to others. Off to do some surfing!

July 5, 2006

2006-07-05T07:06:00.000-07:00

I am not sure where I am supposed to be putting my daily journal comments!! I think I put the previous ones under comments on my blog, oops! We will see where this one gets put. Thus far I have done a lot of online research into the pros of online learning, with the focus being on adult learners. Here is one site I found that was a good article http://bates.cstudies.ubc.ca/investing.html

I am finding that I am enjoying the discussions and ideas that are being shared through the online discussions. I feel there are a lot of things I will be able to try, or at least bring up at the next staff meeting for further input and feedback. I really liked seeing the example of a Grade 1 weblog newsletter. Jeff had it posted on his blog. In the beginning I felt like a fish out of water as most discussion was geared towards intermediate and senior classes. Now I feel like there are some other primary teachers, so that has been a big benefit.

Off to post this and see where it goes!

Michelle's Blog

2006-06-27T17:40:00.000-07:00

Hello! My name is Michelle Janssens-Ferreira. I am in my third year as a teacher with the District School Board of Niagara. I completed two years as an occasional/long term occasional teacherl and last year received a contract position (yahoo!).

I have spent all of my long term occasional and contract teaching assignments at Nelles Public School in Grimsby. The school is small in size, approximately 250 children in grades JK-6, but HUGE in heart and enthusiasm!! I have taught almost all of the grades in the school through homerooms, rotary and prep coverage. My current teaching assignment is Grade 1/2.

I have taken Special Ed part 1 in the classroom last summer and decided to try my 'fingers' at an online course this summer. I would estimate my computer knowledge to be average. I hope to be able to learn inventive, creative and educational ideas to implement into the Primary computer portions of the day!