I was excited to get started with #ETMOOC this week. I love exploring, discussing, sharing and learning new things with my colleauges. One of the most exciting things about participating in this massive open online course is being able to participate along side my colleagues, not only online, but in my school too. We did the orientation together during our lunch break yesterday.
To get the learning started, I decided to try a new tool I saw someone share this week called Haiku Deck. It is an easy way to add some visuals to any blog post or presentation. I downloaded the app for free on my iPad and easily created this short presentation to try it out. Great way to put words and pictures together! How do you think you could use this tool in your classroom? I think the possibilities are endless!
Haiku Deck: #ETMOOC
Haiku Deck is the best application for creating presentations on iPad
Showing posts with label inspire. Show all posts
Showing posts with label inspire. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Sunday, January 31, 2010
The road to a paperless classroom begins on Monday
I'm lucky enough to have gone on a $20,000 shopping spree at Best Buy on Friday and was able to purchase many new tools for my classroom. As a recent winner of the Best in Class Fund, my students and I are now the proud owners of a class set of iPod touches, a class set of netbooks, a number of headset microphones, a few Kodak Zi6 cameras, a Nikon SLR camera and two new 21" iMacs.
What are we going to do with all of these new tools you ask? Well, you will just have to wait and see. I can't wait to see the excitement on my students faces on Monday morning when they find out I finally got to go shopping and was able to buy all of the things that we have been talking about buying for the last few months. I also can't wait to see how they will use these carefully chosen tools to enhance their learning experiences in my classroom.
Our goal in our choices, was to have the ability to effectively integrate technology into our classroom so that it becomes a normal part of our learning day. We will no longer have to think twice about using a tool that we want to use to explore, document or demonstrate our learning. All of these wonderful tools will be at our fingertips and part of our everyday school experience.
I find it fitting to see a number of wonderful educators posting their thoughts and experiences from this year's Educon this weekend. Dean Shareski posted a link to the photo included in this post from colemama that includes a quote from a leading administrator in the integration of technology, Chris Lehmann and the founder of Educon about the need for tech to become like oxygen:
What are we going to do with all of these new tools you ask? Well, you will just have to wait and see. I can't wait to see the excitement on my students faces on Monday morning when they find out I finally got to go shopping and was able to buy all of the things that we have been talking about buying for the last few months. I also can't wait to see how they will use these carefully chosen tools to enhance their learning experiences in my classroom.
Our goal in our choices, was to have the ability to effectively integrate technology into our classroom so that it becomes a normal part of our learning day. We will no longer have to think twice about using a tool that we want to use to explore, document or demonstrate our learning. All of these wonderful tools will be at our fingertips and part of our everyday school experience.
I find it fitting to see a number of wonderful educators posting their thoughts and experiences from this year's Educon this weekend. Dean Shareski posted a link to the photo included in this post from colemama that includes a quote from a leading administrator in the integration of technology, Chris Lehmann and the founder of Educon about the need for tech to become like oxygen:
"We should use the technology to create whole new schools. Technology needs to be ubiquitous, necessary and invisible." - Chris Lehmann, Principal, Science Leadership AcademyAs I strive to effectively integrate this new technology into my classroom, my hope is that you check back to read about our journey. I also hope that you will see a learning journey that is supported by these new tools and not just a log about how to use these tools in the classroom. Please wish us luck in our new adventure. I can't wait to share it with you.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
We won the Best Buy "Best in Class" Contest
We are planning on making our classroom virtually paperless with the purchase of a class set of ipod touches, netbooks for all of the students to use and recording equipment so that we can have our own weekly podcast show. Stay tuned to see what we will create with all of our new technology. We are very excited to go shopping and to get started on our new learning adventure in 2010.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
The need to inspire and to motivate...
Another local teachers' convention has passed and sadly, I can barely remember what took place when reflecting upon yesterday's event. This meeting is a fantastic and expensive professional development opportunity to have as a local organization to inspire and excite teachers about their profession. Unfortunately, I left feeling tiered and unexcited about the pile of work I had lugged home to complete during my long weekend.
The local leaders at the convention made no use of the screen lit up behind them during their speeches. The screen remained blue in the background, ready to show a video at some point in time about the 75th anniversary of our provincial association. They spoke at one point about being a profession for the 21st century, yet used no technology at all in their speeches. How hard it is to have a few power point slides with images or words that highlight what it was you wanted the audience to remember? I find it funny that we as teachers do what we can to incorporate all multiple intelligences into our classrooms, yet at convention, we model what we are told not to do as educators; stand at the front of the room and talk to the audience with no interaction. Our board provide teachers with laptops and most have cell phones. It would have been easy to have teachers participate in audience polls, a rolling blog discussion or comments up on the screen. Much more engaging, and a model for classroom participation.
I feel disappointed to read on other teacher's blogs from other provinces and countries about their sharing opportunities that take place at their local conventions every year. I question why this type of sharing doesn't take place at our convention. The only time it does occur is when our provincial organization organizes as "Showcase" every few years that replaces the local teachers' convention. Why doesn't our local organzation ask its teachers if they would like the opportunity to present or share something during the breakout sessions?
I know you are probably asking yourself why I don't just join the organizing committee instead of blogging about all of the problems with the convention. Perhaps that is something I will do next year. But I do know that I'm not alone in my opinion of the local convention. So I want to hear other's opinions. What would make a great local teachers' convention for you? What would you like to see or experience at this yearly event? For those of you who may read this from other parts of the world, what makes your local conventions great? It can only get better. Please comment and share your ideas! Let's work together to make this a fantastic PD opportunity for all!
On that note, let me share a couple of inspirational type videos that I have seen a few times at a number of workshops that I've attended in the past few months. There must be a reason that more than one presenter has chosen to include them during their session. Maybe I will feel inspired to get started on that pile of marking I need to get done this weekend... enjoy!
First, a video from Joshua B. Bloom for Teachers at the Foothills College in Los Altos, CA and then posted on YouTube:
Second, a video from Tom Woodward of Henrico County schools in Virginia on YouTube:
The local leaders at the convention made no use of the screen lit up behind them during their speeches. The screen remained blue in the background, ready to show a video at some point in time about the 75th anniversary of our provincial association. They spoke at one point about being a profession for the 21st century, yet used no technology at all in their speeches. How hard it is to have a few power point slides with images or words that highlight what it was you wanted the audience to remember? I find it funny that we as teachers do what we can to incorporate all multiple intelligences into our classrooms, yet at convention, we model what we are told not to do as educators; stand at the front of the room and talk to the audience with no interaction. Our board provide teachers with laptops and most have cell phones. It would have been easy to have teachers participate in audience polls, a rolling blog discussion or comments up on the screen. Much more engaging, and a model for classroom participation.
I feel disappointed to read on other teacher's blogs from other provinces and countries about their sharing opportunities that take place at their local conventions every year. I question why this type of sharing doesn't take place at our convention. The only time it does occur is when our provincial organization organizes as "Showcase" every few years that replaces the local teachers' convention. Why doesn't our local organzation ask its teachers if they would like the opportunity to present or share something during the breakout sessions?
I know you are probably asking yourself why I don't just join the organizing committee instead of blogging about all of the problems with the convention. Perhaps that is something I will do next year. But I do know that I'm not alone in my opinion of the local convention. So I want to hear other's opinions. What would make a great local teachers' convention for you? What would you like to see or experience at this yearly event? For those of you who may read this from other parts of the world, what makes your local conventions great? It can only get better. Please comment and share your ideas! Let's work together to make this a fantastic PD opportunity for all!
On that note, let me share a couple of inspirational type videos that I have seen a few times at a number of workshops that I've attended in the past few months. There must be a reason that more than one presenter has chosen to include them during their session. Maybe I will feel inspired to get started on that pile of marking I need to get done this weekend... enjoy!
First, a video from Joshua B. Bloom for Teachers at the Foothills College in Los Altos, CA and then posted on YouTube:
Second, a video from Tom Woodward of Henrico County schools in Virginia on YouTube:
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