Saturday, March 8, 2014
Last but not least...
These months have just gone by so fast! I can't believe the semester is over and we are heading different directions into our placements for the next eight weeks. I can happily say that I really enjoyed this course and a lot of laughs were to be had. I got to explore different apps and ideas that I can bring into the class. My favorite part was using Animoto and I think I'll get my sisters to use it at my wedding with our photos for the slideshow. I also loved making a video with some classmates and showing/watching them in class. I think at some point I was laughing till I cried! There were a few assignments that I think we could have left behind such as the "Selfie" but otherwise everything was very beneficial! It was interesting seeing myself as a "blogger" and I really enjoyed doing this. It was a great way to reflect on our thoughts within the class and think a little beyond the classroom. Working on webpages and making eportfolios was also a positive because I can take my pieces with me in the future. One most important piece that I can take from this course is that it is important to embrace change and be excited for the future! There are many resources and people online willing to help and assist me in building my career and I find that comforting. I've met a lot of great people and was very fortunate to have great profs. in this course! Cheers to technology and trying to keep up with it in the classroom for the next 40 years!
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
2nd last week
This week is our second last week! I cannot believe how fast time has gone by. This week is talking about our eportfolio and what is expected. Our rough draft is due this Thursday and I really need to get moving on it! There are just so many choices and it almost becomes stressful in choosing how you want to be perceived within the educational community, especially when we are just getting into the field!
Hopefully I can sit down and put time into it before its due. I'll let you know whats in store for next week (the last one)!
Hopefully I can sit down and put time into it before its due. I'll let you know whats in store for next week (the last one)!
Video Clips and Maple
This past week was a fun-filled week where we got to watch everyones creative videos! I don't think there was one video where we all had a laugh, some were absolutely hilarious. I was asked what my thoughts were on using such apps as moviemaker and Imovie, and this is what i said. I really noticed how much technology has changed in that we can use our phones or devices to easily record video. Uploading was easy as well. What I didn't like was using Imovie. I chose it because it was the first app that correlated with my Iphone. I did not think it was user friendly only because it became finicky when trying to change the audio and it's volume. It also took a while to upload each video clip when I wanted it to be in 1080 HP. I heard from other classmates that Moviemaker worked well and was easy for them to use and manipulate videos.
We also had a guest this week, John Evans on use of Maple in the school divisions. We were shown how to use the program and incorporate our thoughts and questions with other teachers in Manitoba. I really liked that we could follow groups and get ideas for different topics within subjects being taught within the curriculum.
We also had a guest this week, John Evans on use of Maple in the school divisions. We were shown how to use the program and incorporate our thoughts and questions with other teachers in Manitoba. I really liked that we could follow groups and get ideas for different topics within subjects being taught within the curriculum.
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Video clips, Short Stories and Website Critiques
Wow! We only have a few weeks left and school is over until September. Previous student's have warned me that your time will fly by once you are in Education, and boy does it ever! This week was a great week, probably my most favourite. I'd have to say this because we got to create a minimum of three min. video clip including video, sound such as music and talking, transitions and different camera angles. I had a blast working with my Ed. friends in making a joke out of parking issues at the school. There was nothing but laughter and fun times between us. I will definitely remember this assignment because we were given time to create whatever we felt like. It was definitely a nice change to the routine!
Before our video clips, the class swapped two emails and with those emails attachments to their website. We then gave some positives and some ideas for betterment in their classroom website for the future. It was helpful to get ideas from our peers and exchange some judgement and advice.
The class also created a quick photo story on a topic that meant something to us. I decided to choose a story on my family. Each photo or slide was to include a few words. These words put together, created a sentence. We could play around with the slides, include transitions and edit the photos we wanted to use.
This was a good week to experiment and create our own projects. I loved working with my group and cannot wait to show everyone how goofy our video is. If only school could be this great in other classes. So far, ICT in Education has been my favourite class this semester. It truly is hard to believe we go out student teaching in a few weeks. Cheers everyone!
-C
Before our video clips, the class swapped two emails and with those emails attachments to their website. We then gave some positives and some ideas for betterment in their classroom website for the future. It was helpful to get ideas from our peers and exchange some judgement and advice.
The class also created a quick photo story on a topic that meant something to us. I decided to choose a story on my family. Each photo or slide was to include a few words. These words put together, created a sentence. We could play around with the slides, include transitions and edit the photos we wanted to use.
This was a good week to experiment and create our own projects. I loved working with my group and cannot wait to show everyone how goofy our video is. If only school could be this great in other classes. So far, ICT in Education has been my favourite class this semester. It truly is hard to believe we go out student teaching in a few weeks. Cheers everyone!
-C
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Week 5
What a great week so far! The class has been learning a lot, and the best part is that we've also been collaborating quite a bit of work. I get to still be a student and see how it feels to bring our work together as my future students will someday. We have been editing photos from different websites such as Ribbet, Pixlr, and many more. I enjoyed using Ribbet because its easy to navigate and create an edited photo. We then used google drive to add our before and after photos. Some were very creative and others had small touches that looked good too.
Next, we chose a photo that incorporated our ideas for "Education Is...". I decided to pick endless, so I chose a never-ending road and included the chosen saying. It is important to include the copyright and support the person who took the photo. I also included this on the picture. I think it's important to show students that we need to give credit to those who created photos and ideas online.
Today we were told to think of a saying that began with "he told me", or "she told me". Then the teacher went around the room recording our thoughts. It was put onto an app called Audacity that can be used with PC or Mac. You can add music and listen to what everyone said. If there is a mistake or something you want to edit, you may do so. I felt like it was a great way to bring the class together and I would love to use it as an exit slip for a class and then play it the next day. Kids love to hear their own voices and I think this was a great way to bring everyone together. Another great use would be for parent teacher interviews and ask the students questions, then play them to the parents/guardians. Also, Mother or Father's Day recording appreciation quotes from the students for their loved ones and uploading it to your classroom website would be so adorable.
This week was a great learning experience for me because we were given time to play around with different websites and show our creativity. I didn't feel as rushed and in the past it has been difficult to keep up in class with all the new technology out there. Till next time!
- C
Next, we chose a photo that incorporated our ideas for "Education Is...". I decided to pick endless, so I chose a never-ending road and included the chosen saying. It is important to include the copyright and support the person who took the photo. I also included this on the picture. I think it's important to show students that we need to give credit to those who created photos and ideas online.
Today we were told to think of a saying that began with "he told me", or "she told me". Then the teacher went around the room recording our thoughts. It was put onto an app called Audacity that can be used with PC or Mac. You can add music and listen to what everyone said. If there is a mistake or something you want to edit, you may do so. I felt like it was a great way to bring the class together and I would love to use it as an exit slip for a class and then play it the next day. Kids love to hear their own voices and I think this was a great way to bring everyone together. Another great use would be for parent teacher interviews and ask the students questions, then play them to the parents/guardians. Also, Mother or Father's Day recording appreciation quotes from the students for their loved ones and uploading it to your classroom website would be so adorable.
This week was a great learning experience for me because we were given time to play around with different websites and show our creativity. I didn't feel as rushed and in the past it has been difficult to keep up in class with all the new technology out there. Till next time!
- C
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Busy Bee! Week 4
This week was filled with really great ideas for the classroom. We were introduced to Animoto, and were asked to create a quick video with some of our favourite photos. I have created shows in the past where I needed to bring photos together. Sometimes, I used Powerpoint (chills) and it was a ton of work. Animoto puts your pictures together with a background you choose. You can pick a song and it adds it to the project with ease. Might I just add that music is everything and always creates a better emotional connection to the story. Personally, I blame the sappy music for those tears I shed on the latest Budweiser commercial (Sounds crazy I know, but you have to watch it) Don't say I didn't warn you! I really was impressed overall with Animoto because everything was designed in a step by step process. Kids can create great projects without having to ask a lot of questions. I can see students making a video for Science, or in English for an all about me unit on what is important to them, or how their summer holidays were.
We had a visitor this week, John Finch. He came and talked to us about literacy in ICT and the continuum that teachers should follow in order for students to meet the criteria. I find it very appealing that learning is an ongoing process even in the world of technology. Even as teachers, we can improve and learn something new. I think this helps students understand that we are exploring something together. Looking back, technology was only a small piece in my education. I remember having our typing classes and in high school, computers were the only way we could access the internet. Now, the possibilities of finding new information is endless. John had an unbelievable fact for us in that more than 80 percent of students in Brandon School Division had a mobile device after Grade 10, and around 40 percent of students in Grade 4 had a smartphone or mobile. I find this just absurd because I didn't get a phone until I was seventeen and only because I had my own car and was travelling.
This week was the last week to finish up our mock classroom webpages. I thought that it was good to have time to gain experience with Weebly and see all the possibilities of creating a page for your parents and students to follow. I love the idea of having a place for parents and students to contact me and see what is expected in the classroom. I will add the link to my webpage that I created. I'm sure next week we will be shown what other fantastic possibilities there are!
We had a visitor this week, John Finch. He came and talked to us about literacy in ICT and the continuum that teachers should follow in order for students to meet the criteria. I find it very appealing that learning is an ongoing process even in the world of technology. Even as teachers, we can improve and learn something new. I think this helps students understand that we are exploring something together. Looking back, technology was only a small piece in my education. I remember having our typing classes and in high school, computers were the only way we could access the internet. Now, the possibilities of finding new information is endless. John had an unbelievable fact for us in that more than 80 percent of students in Brandon School Division had a mobile device after Grade 10, and around 40 percent of students in Grade 4 had a smartphone or mobile. I find this just absurd because I didn't get a phone until I was seventeen and only because I had my own car and was travelling.
This week was the last week to finish up our mock classroom webpages. I thought that it was good to have time to gain experience with Weebly and see all the possibilities of creating a page for your parents and students to follow. I love the idea of having a place for parents and students to contact me and see what is expected in the classroom. I will add the link to my webpage that I created. I'm sure next week we will be shown what other fantastic possibilities there are!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)