Ramble #9

Wow! We have reached the last week.... FINALLY! At times it felt like it would never come. It has been a pleasure and I am ecstatic to begin my student teaching placement next week. 

It is fitting that this week's video would be the video I created myself for this class...

So here it is!

This week I want to reflect on this course and all we have learned throughout the 9 weeks. 

When I entered this course I felt fairly competent in ICT. However, this course has taught me that there is always more to learn.

I had no idea about curation sites that make organizing online resources easy. I had no idea about the power of Google drive and all it has to offer. I had no idea of free online music, photo editing, and slideshow websites. I had no idea of the very fun application known as Kahoot! I had no idea of the copyright laws surrounding online material.

On top of all of this, the most important thing this course has taught me is the power of ICT in the classroom. I now have a tremendous appreciation of integrating technology into the classroom. Although technology may not always be appropriate, many times it is. Nowadays, students are entering the classroom with vast technological knowledge. It is our job as teachers to foster this in our classrooms and give them ample opportunities to express themselves through technology. Whether that is online quiz apps, video projects, meme making, blogging, webquests, or any other the other many ICT mediums. 

I want to say thanks to Mike Nantais for the amazing and meaningful course.

Good luck to everyone in student teaching!

I will end with a quote...

"Technology will never replace great teachers, but technology in the hands of great teachers is transformational" - George Couros

Ramble #8

This week's video is from Edutopia. It is an informative video regarding project-based learning. We have been learning about project-based learning in other classes and it is something that genuinely interests me. Anyway, check it out! 

I was going to talk about digital citizenship and literacy in this week's post.......

BUUUUUTTTTTT, I couldn't find the inspiration within myself.... believe I tried..... I just couldn't.

Instead, this week I want to talk about YouTube.

This past week I was wracking my brain for video ideas. It is times like last week that remind me how truly un-creative I am. I spent an absurd amount of brain effort trying to think of an idea to no avail. I found myself going to YouTube to look for ideas. I searched things like "Great video ideas" and "Funny videos" to find inspiration. There were cool ideas, but nothing that resonated with me.

As I was scouring YouTube for video ideas I had a major realization. Too many things in life we take for granted. For me, YouTube is definitely one of those things. If we really take a step back and look at YouTube for what it is; it is mind boggling! I seem to remember hearing that 300 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute. I don't know if that is a correct statistic, but I could definitely believe it! YouTube has a video for almost everything you can think of. It is not just cat videos anymore...

I use YouTube everyday. I watch a variety of content on YouTube... everything from podcasts, educational videos, vloggers, and prank videos. YouTube is truly the new T.V for myself. I spend far more time on YouTube than any other media platform (Netflix is a close second). I often fall into the ever present "recommended video" trap. I will sit down to watch one video and before you know it I have watched 14 more videos and end on a completely different subject. This is the power of YouTube. It is simply people sharing with people in ALL forms you can imagine and it is AMAZING!

Anyway, I just wanted to take sometime to appreciate YouTube this week.

Oh and I did finally think of a video idea. YouTube had nothing to do with my epiphany though...

Until next week,
Justin   

Ramble #7

Another video for you all this week! This week's video is a motivational "Pep Talk" from Kid President. Just what we need at this stage of the semester!

This week we listened to John Finch from MB. Education speak about literacy with ICT and copyright law. I thoroughly enjoyed John's presentation! He is a very engaging and interesting speaker. I particularly enjoyed his good stories and use of humour throughout the presentation.

What John discussed about copyright law was extremely enlightening. I previously did not know how stringent copyright law actually is. I had no idea that people posting cover versions of their favourite artists' songs are violating copyright law. I see many of these cover songs on YouTube quite frequently. It must be the case that these people have received written permission from the artist to cover these songs. 

When John began speaking about copyright law in relation to schools/education I learned a lot. I had no idea about the "10% rule". However I appreciate the rule because it is easy to understand. I also am happy to hear that schools are becoming more aware of the copyright law and taking measures to inform their teachers about the rules. I sure wish I had written down the website John showed us that quickly allows us as teachers to check whether what we are doing is violating copyright law in Canada or not. Darn it! However, I do have the booklet that John gave us which will serve as a tremendous resource for me. 

I have decided to do the video project all by myself. This is for logistical reasons. Group work is hard having to coordinate meeting times and what not. I have been brainstorming ideas for the video for a few days now and I am excited to execute on one of my ideas! I plan on shooting the video using my iPhone, which should suffice. Also,  I am looking forward to breaking out the iMovie software again and playing around! 

Until next week,

Justin 

Ramble #6

As always, here is another video I like!

This is such an amazing story! It is comical, but also an inspiring story of perseverance.

This week in class we discussed digital storytelling and multimedia presentations in the classroom.

I have a decent amount of experience using a variety of multimedia programs and applications throughout my life. This is mostly due to my interest in technology and all it offers. Just like most, I have used PowerPoint countless times, however, I have also used audacity, sway, prezi, and iMovie many times as well.

My girlfriend and I took a trip to Mexico two years ago. I wanted to document this trip well. I decided to take a lot of pictures and a few videos as well. When we got home I had all of these photos and videos on my iPhone. I was inspired to pick up iMovie on my MacBook and put together a video of these pictures and videos to music. Wow! It was a steep learning curve but at the same time I was fascinated by the editing program and editing process. It brought our trip to life! During the next few months I watched a bunch of iMovie and video editing tutorials on YouTube. I learned a lot of information as well as tips and tricks! The following year (last year) we went back to Mexico. My new found knowledge and skills came in handy when we arrived back home. This time I had decided to take a lot more video (clips, timelapses, etc.) to put together a true video. My new found knowledge and skills created a much better video this time around. It was all video; no pictures at all. I created an overarching narrative to the video and had a variety of camera shots and angles. I truly loved experimenting with my camera and the editing software to create the best video possible for me at that time. There is always more to learn, so I look forward to more personal and professional video projects in the future!

As I stated earlier creating these videos seemed to bring our trip to life. It is an amazing tool to capture and re-live memories in our lives. I could definitely see creating multi-media projects for my students when I am a teacher. It is a special way to capture knowledge and skills in an ever present technological society.

Until next week,

Justin Rowe

  

Ramble #5

Another great week has come and gone!

I absolutely love this video! As a potential science teacher myself, I am inspired by how passionate this teacher is about the subject matter he is teaching. He also pulls in the real world to hammer home theoretical concepts. I strongly believe in this practice.

This week I started working on my ePortfolio. So far, so good! In class on Tuesday we were shown a really neat application known as "Kahoot". It allows teachers to make fun, competitive, and educationally valid games for their students.

I really enjoyed the competitiveness that is built into the application. After every round of play the app displays the game leaders as well as the highest climbing individual for that particular round. It really created a buzz in the room when we were playing it. Everyone wanted to know: who were the top 5 players after each round? Would "Tels" keep her 1st place position or would she lose it. It was engaging and lots of fun!

Although the game isn't exactly the best way to introduce new information it would serve well to review information in a fun way. I imagine using this in a science class as a way to review key terms before a unit test or quiz. It would get students thinking about key terminology in a tremendously engaging way, which is always the goal of the teacher.

For all the good of the application, I think it might have a problem as well. As stated earlier the game is grounded in competitiveness. Using this with younger grades could result in conflict within the class. Younger kids have a tendency to get very competitive and as such "Kahoot" could upset kids when they lose. I can hear it now... "Shut up Billy! My phone didn't load as quick as yours! I actually won..." I think the use of this application would be totally class dependent. Teachers know their students well and would know whether or not their class could handle a game of "Kahoot".

Until next week,

Justin

Ramble #4

Another week, another video!

Wow! What an inspiring story!

This week in class we continued discussion on building a web presence. Specifically, we were introduced to the power of ePortfolios.

I have some prior experience with ePortfolios. This is because my girlfriend is a 2nd year Ed. student here at B.U. Last year she created an ePortfolio for this I.C.T class. Given that she is not the most tech-savvy person, she required some help with the development of the website.

We chose to use the website 'Weebly'. Honestly, it was an amazing experience! I had never made a website before but 'Weebly' made it very simple to execute. The process of developing the site was super intuitive. Even my girlfriend caught on to the process very quickly!

As for what I think about ePortfolios...

I think ePortfolios are tremendously valuable to us as pre-service teachers. We need any advantage we can get in order to make an impression on hiring committees and principals. ePortfolios give opportunities for us to highlight what makes us unique as individuals and educators. It allows us to share who we are as a person as well as who we are as a teacher. When my girlfriend and I developed her website we included things such as: photos, philosophy of education, classroom management philosophy, about me, education, fun lesson plans, among many other things. These various pages allowed my girlfriend to express herself as a person and how that manifests itself in her classroom. I believe this information is very valuable to principals that are hiring.

I look forward to developing my own ePortfolio this term. Yes, physical portfolios have value too. However, I think that in the modern world of technology we should take advantage of the endless unique opportunities that online portfolios and websites allow for. On top of that, ePortfolios allows for access across space and time!

Until next week,

Justin

P.S
Thanks to Alex for the shoutout within his blog last week :)

Ramble #3

This week's video comes from Rita Peirson... She has an amazing message about education!

This week in class we had a guest presentation from Manitoba Education on 'Web Based Courses'. The content was very informative and I really appreciated the detailed presentation.

During the presentation, when they were speaking about synchronous courses, I had a profound moment of thought. I thought to myself... "How crazy is it that we can teach students hundreds of miles away, but technically still be face-to-face." This thought then led into another thought..."It is truly amazing how much education has been transformed by technology in just a few decades." 

When I began schooling (1997) so much of what is possible in the classroom now, was not possible then. Heck, computers were just beginning to become popular mainstream items. I remember the introduction of "smartboards" into our classrooms in Grade 6. This was a big deal! You could draw onto a computer screen and move things around on the screen too! Now, "smartboards" are increasingly becoming obsolete to bigger and better technology. It truly is amazing how quickly technology is advancing.

It makes me wonder what technology will exist in my classroom when I have been teaching for 20 years. Simple mathematics tells me that will be roughly around the year 2029.  Wow, that year is something you envision to be part of a sci-fi book or film and certainly not reality... haha. What will be possible for students in 2029? Will there be virtual reality learning in which students can virtually become a white blood cell, or simulate a session of parliament? To be honest, I am inclined to believe that the answer to this question is YES. Virtual reality is already seeing a lot of attention in terms of development and funding. I think it is perfectly reasonable to assume that in 20 years students will come to class and put on their very own V.R goggles and "learn".

I am truly excited for the future of education knowing that new and exciting technology is being thought of and created daily. Teachers in 1950 would have never thought that a class could be taught "face-to-face" (webcam) where in which the teacher and students are hundreds of miles away from each other. 

It begs the question... what do teachers of 2016 not see coming in terms of educational technology?

  

Ramble #2

As promised, here is another video I really enjoy...

I love Casey Neistat! Okay, now on to more related content matter...

This week in class we focused on two main concepts: curation and collaboration. During class, I learned a lot of valuable websites and platforms to curate and collaborate online. 

For me, the most interesting stuff we talked about was google: drive, docs, slides, forms, sheets, etc. This is because, as mentioned last week, I was already briefly aware of these online applications. However, during Tuesday's lecture I became aware of so much more that these online applications could offer us as teachers. 

For instance, I did not know about the live playback feature that allows the teacher to watch back, in real-time, who added what to the document and specifically when they added to the document. That is an amazing feature! I was also not aware of the google forms application. Using Google forms, teachers can gather data and information pertinent to their class in a very simple and expedited manner. Teachers could use this application in so many different ways. For example, a few weeks into the term, teachers could poll their class on their performance so far and ask for suggestions to make the class better.

On Thursday I played around with these various online google applications. I tested almost all of them out to see what they do and how they function. The biggest thing that stood out to me as I was tinkering with these applications was their ease of use. For me, all of these applications were extremely simple to pick up and use. They do not overly complicate things. Instead, the way in which you design your document or presentation is thoroughly intuitive.

I honestly, look forward to incorporating these various Google applications into my classroom. I believe that these application will make the learning experience of my student's more rich and fulfilling all the while incorporating fun and interactive activities into their classroom work.  

Until next week,

Justin 

Ramble Numero Uno

This is my first blog... Wow! Where to start? Maybe... a video? Yeah, a video.

Here is a video that I really like... it may not have much to do with my topic for today but its worth sharing anyway.

As a matter of fact I think I may just share a potentially unrelated video that I really like at the outset of each of these blog posts!

Anyways.... back on topic! I think the most fitting topic for my first blog in this course is my personal thoughts on ICT in the classroom. So let's do it!

I have always been a person that is not afraid of new technology and unfamiliar technology. I have never been apprehensive of new technology. In fact, I often am excited by new technology and eager to jump in and learn the tech. That is why I believe that technology will be a great resource for me as a teacher. I fully intend to use technology in my classroom. However, the major caveat to that point is that I will only use technology when it is appropriate and useful. I once heard a professor say that technology should only be incorporated into a lesson if it "adds something to the lesson, not if it just being incorporated for the sake of technology itself". This statement was profound for me. I believe all too often teachers feel pressured into incorporating technology into their lessons. This pressure most likely stems from the current contemporary discourse surrounding education and its need to modernize. This pressure leads to the technology being used in non-useful ways, that frankly, add nothing of value to the lesson.

Us a young teachers should not have this problem. By nature of our generation it is most likely that we have much more knowledge and savviness towards technology as compared to older generations. We should be able to understand the technology better and recognize when it is truly useful to us as teachers or our students.

For instance, I really love the program 'Socrative'. We learned about this program last term through Dr. Skyhar. The program has various features but most notably it allows the teacher to make quick and easy admit/exit slips or quizzes that the students can do right from their smartphones. The data is then automatically put into a spreadsheet format for easy analysis. The is no argument against the using this program in my opinion. It allows the students to use their devices in a productive way and it provides the teacher with valuable formative assessment data in a matter of minutes. Traditionally, a teacher would have to organize, and analyze physical exit slips themselves. Now, a software program does it for you!

Also, I have become familiar with Google Docs. This program allows multiple users from multiple devices to edit and publish a online document at the same time. It has many uses. This can be used to make group work possible from great distances. It can also be used a brainstorming application or a forum for classroom suggestions. The possibilities are tremendous!

In closing, I believe it is worth mentioning again that technology in the classroom can be an invaluable resource for teachers and students, but only if it used appropriately and adds something to the lesson.