Pixlr Activity

Technology in the Classroom

These last few weeks, I have spent my time in a high school working in AP English classrooms. For the most part, technology did not play a large or even significant role in class.

• The smartboard was used as a glorified projector.
• Computers and laptops were never used. If anything needed to be typed out, that had to be in personal time. There was one computer in the room besides the teacher's but it was only used to put finishing touches on assignments.
• As for cell phones, the high school has a very strict policy on using them only in the designated areas which my students were exceptional in obeying that rule. I did give one class an assignment where I allowed them to use their phones for the internet use as well as videoing their skits. The students were super excited to use their phones in class; but as a teacher, once the phones were out, I couldn't make sure all 30 students were staying on task with the phones.
• Any other technology, like ipads, was not even an option.

Before I went out on my first placement, I worried that I would be left in the dust once I got to the school and was not able to use technology like my co-operating teacher. But once I got into the school, that is not what I found. This may be a technological time but, if the students live and breathe technology at home, why not give them a different experience at school? I know that, when properly used, technology can add to the learning experience but moderation and discernment should be a factor in the decision making process.

The Great Unknown

The final day of classes before pre-service teaching!! This last month has gone by super fast. Although I don’t necessarily feel ready for the classroom, I know that once I’m there, things will feel a lot better. The unknown can be really intimidating sometimes.

As far as using technology in my placement, I’m not sure how much I will actually use. I have been to visit my co-operating teacher and have seen the layout of the classroom. There is a smart board but after talking to the teacher, it is evident that she rarely uses technology in any of her classes. Maybe I’ll be able to bring something to the class that they have never done before. Either way, I’m excited to get out there and do my thing!

Playing with Pictures

This week in ICT, we’ve been working with photo editing and experimenting with different tools. Here’s a list of some them so feel free to check them and do some playing of your own!

• Tuxpi
• BeFunky
• Animoto

I can see how these can be excellent tools for the classroom. When kids come back to school in September, they can share about their summers in a unique way using a program like Animoto.

Check out some of my class work. I used Animoto to tell the picture story of my family.

 

Try our video maker at Animoto.

The Scope of the Imagination

I am a bit of an old fashioned person. In fact, there are times when I think I was born a hundred and fifty years late! But since I am living now, I love the old classics like Anne of Green Gables. When I leave my home in the morning, I walk through my little picket fence and greet the mason who is working on the house next door. I then walk to school under a canopy of fall leaves. Whether the sun is beautifully shining or my umbrella is whipping around in the wind, I know it is a great day to be alive. When I’m at school, I sit in the library and look out at the castle that we call our school, and I can’t help but think it is good for “the scope of my imagination.” Part of me feels that technology has taken wholesome out of society.

However, while sitting in ICT, I have learned that technology is more than gossiping about others on Facebook or killing someone in Japan via an online video game. There are so many programs that encourage creativity and personal expression. The challenge that is now being presented to me is how will I teach with technology? How will I encourage proper and productive technology usage? Considering my views of technology, I see this as quite a daunting challenge.

Status Quo Teaching

As I look over last week, there seems to have been a bit of a theme among my classes. The idea was that if I plan to be an exceptional teacher, I should also plan for a lot of opposition. Whether it is because I will have a heart for my students or because I’m creative in covering the content, it may be the parents or even my administration that will reprimand me.  We talked about The Dead Poets’ Society. The inspirational teacher in that movie was fired. In Freedom Writers, the teacher has to fight with administration and the board every step of the way. And I am sure the list could go on. Why does everyone around us want us to settle for the status quo?

I have a friend who had just finished his first year of university in his pursuit to become a doctor when I met him. We were working at camp together and for one of our activities, we planned to take our kids rafting down the river. It came up that we needed someone with First Aide to go with us. Considering my friend’s future plans, I assumed that he would have it. My view is that if he genuinely wanted to help people the way a doctor does, he would do everything he could to start helping people immediately and not wait for some letters behind his name. WRONG. He did not have his First Aide because he wanted to be a DOCTOR not some first aide person. Later that summer, we planned a farewell party for the campers and we took them off camp property to his aunt and uncle’s home. It was a mansion in every respect. I soon learned that the uncle was a doctor and the head of some health region. I could be very wrong, but combining the fact that my friend had no interest in helping people with the little things like first aide with the lifestyle that his doctor uncle lived, I came to the conclusion that never would I want to go to him after he became a doctor. His heart was not with his patients.

I do not want to be a teacher like that!! I don’t want to be blinded by politics, numbers and statistics and lose focus of the students that come into my room every day. I don’t want parents hoping their child won’t end up in my classroom. But the only way to do that is to kick status quo out of my classroom in regards to both my teaching and my expectation of my students.

Oh, ICT

With the first week of classes coming to an end, I will freely admit that I was glad when Thursday 3:30 rolled around knowing my brain could have a three day rest. One class that I am well aware that I am out of my element in is Using ICT in the Classroom. In terms of the class, I’m not technologically smart at all and have no experience using most of the programs we will be working with. At the same time, in other classes, we have discussed that what we teach and how we teach will reflect our values and standpoints. I know that technology is huge and needs to be integrated into what I teach, but I can foresee it as being a struggle for me as I personally don’t want “gadgets” to take precedence in my life. That being said, I know I have formed my opinions with little to no experience. So as I make my way through the course, I am looking forward to learning new and practical skills that I will be able to work into my teaching career.