I FEEL GOOD!

Today I have submitted my last assignment. I can honestly say that I do feel so good about being done. In my first two years of teaching, I lost both of my parents unexpectedly. My brother in law was terminal, had a double transplant and is still with us, but not well. This is also the fourth course I have completed in one year.

I hope to continue blogging and using my newfound knowledge. I enjoy creating and having fun. So will my students.

Life has certainly changed. There hasn't been a whole lot of smiles lately but for today, I feel good.

James Brown will take us out. Sing it James...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzlpTRNIAvc

PowerPoint troubleshooting

I had a frustrating time even submitting my PowerPoint presentation due to the dial-up nightmare that I am living. I went to my girlfriend Jodi's just to upload it. At home, the presentation was timed perfectly with smooth transitions and appropriate sounds. At Jodi's, the presentation was off with sounds missing. Frustrating. I had only one choice; submit and hope it worked for Peter my instructor. Beggers can't be choosers so they say. I would have loved to do more with it with music and more specific examples actual projects.
The beauty is that it is not difficult and I will make a genuine effort to use it for my FSL students regularly. I do plan on using Smart Notebook so I will have to familiarize myself with it more. The students will enjoy interactive activities. And so will I.

As for my presentation, I would love to submit it here but there is no way I could without:
1. Poking myself in the eyeballs with chopsticks
2. Expiring from lack of movement
3. Missing the end of the course by the time it is actually submitted.

Downloading and toying with it further would cause me to stress beyond words today. One assignment down, one to go. Of course, I could always go to Jodi's again. But then again, I need to bite the bullet and get to work.

Digital standoff

Ok, my youngest, Cameron (age 11 and yes, the one that won't read without complaint), and I have had round 5 I think fighting for computer time. I won; of course, I will always win. I think I might have also had a teachable moment with him about the old saying, 'If you cannot beat 'em, join 'em. ' As I am creating my PowerPoint and making sound effects and inserting sounds and animations, he has become increasingly interested in what I am doing. He has previewed my presentation, made faces and gave gentle criticisms. Then, out of nowhere some time after, he commented on how he liked the last part and then took interest in making more sounds.

I think this is a surefire way to engage a reluctant reader and a student with little interest in subjects that do not use technology. As my research has proven, technology such as digital audio and imagery can be used across the curriculum.

Among his numerous complaints, my computer and digital camera were filled with Kindergarten pictures. It was a natural decision for me to do a presentation on digital media in the Kindergarten classroom. I certainly had hundreds of pictures to choose from. Then I began my clip art and sound searches. It is amazing how time gets away from you when setting up transitions, animations, timing and sounds.

I have been at this for hours now but I am going to have to yield the computer over at some point. This fight is exhausting. I am ready to surrender. For now. Cam and I will resume our struggle another time. What happened to sleepovers anyway??

O, What a Tangled Web We Weave

Today I am learning quickly that it is nearly impossible to backtrack your research findings on the Internet. I am trying to follow my broken links from my Library Internet usage. For some reason, the links are not valid or need to be opened in new windows. I will have to repair those links. Using DSL was great but now, I have not been able to locate some of my research. I will continue. Each page just leads to more and more possiblities. If I keep searching, I may not begin writing. It is easy to spend a lot of time doing this and accomplishing very little.

Digital photography in the classroom

I am at the Public Library using DSL and am in heaven! If only I could access information this quick. I downloaded Alexis' France PPT in 3 minutes. I gave up at home after 2 hours.

www.misterteacher.com/digitalphotography/creatingwithdigitalphotos.html Cool projects with digital images-cross-curricular ideas

avin.org/digphoto/ Digital images in the classroom. Features assessment, early childhood, one computer management strategies

www.pics4learning.com/lessonplans.php A complete listing of lesson plans in a variety of subject areas

www.techintegration.cciu.org/DigitalImages/index.html#Integrations Digital Image and Audio Resources. A listing of KidPix, Apple and other practical uses for digital images including portfolios.

Bloom off the rose of social networking?

In today's paper (The Windsor Star www.windsorstar.com 'No Time for Facebook'), there was an article about a Facebook revolt where people are getting fed up with spending so much time on Facebook that they don't have the time to do anything of interest to write about. It talks about the lack of interest in social networking sites. People are logging off and are actually going back to the old fashioned face-to-face conversation.

Perhaps this is another example of what is old is new again. Facebook has definitely been in the news as of late as people are starting to figure out that information stored on their accounts is never actually deleted or private. People have to be cautious about what they share as the information just might come back to hurt them one day. I know that I had to delete my Facebook account (suggested by the GECDSB) so that I cannot be associated with inappropriate behaviour such as drinking or drugs. You never know what my 23 and 21-year old nephews and their friends might post. I could be tied into something by someone I don't even know. I guess this is what some Facebook people are actually discovering.

One person had his account hacked into and then was known by his explosive rants to all his friends and his 'secret' confession of homosexuality and other activities. Of course, none of it was true. But it was posted to Facebook and everyone knows what is one the Internet must be true. Don't they? Lesson learned a bit too late. For this guy, it confirmed that he was done with social networking and Facebook completely.

India Calling...

I had a late night phone call last night. Or early morning. Which ever way you say it, I immediately thought, this can't be good. However, I was pleasantly surprised that it was one of my Kindergarten students calling at at 12:30 a.m. Ava was visiting her mother, an accountant, who has been sent to India by her company. Ava called to say that she missed me and that she is writing in her journal about her trip as I asked her to. She told me all about the rain as it rains every day. She has ridden on elephants, eaten great food and has bought me one of those pretty dresses. Ava gave me her phone number so I can call her. How sweet.

Her mother apologized for calling at a bad time but Ava really wanted to speak to me. Many teachers would think this is odd. But when you teach Kindergarten, you take on a nurturing role that often rivals parents. When I think about it, I have seen her daughter more than mom for the past few months. When mom was sent to India, Ava was very tearful and clingy. I suggested we make a "Mom Journal" so that every time she feels sad or is thinking of her mom, she can draw how she feels. As we prepared for the end of the school year, I asked her to continue drawing. Now, mom tells me she is drawing nearly everyday to keep her journal as a vacation log. I often suggested this to families that were leaving for vacations throughout the year.

Through her pictures, Ava was able to communicate her feelings and express herself emotionally in a safe, appropriate manner. This makes me draw the comparisons to the visual technology assignments we are doing. Visual images, just like drawings, allow us to visually sequence/order our thoughts and make sense of what we are seeing and feeling. With very little writing (she is 5 afterall) images have the power to heal, dream, synthesize, express emotion, and a have a variety of other functions. Images empower us and help make sense of things. I will use this rather winded thought as I complete this assigment.

My Life in Pictures:

I love clipart and using images. My K students were affectionately called baby birds. Below is my representation of my baby bird, Ava, in the rain. The colour orange represents her flaming red hair.

The Pitter Patter of Little Feet

ANNOUNCING...

I am a new Mom again, but not in the way one would think. We had a hatching on Lavigne Acres as we like to call it. Five new ducklings hatched and they rule the roost. Proud new mom doesn't let them far from her sight. Although Mr. Lavigne complains about having new babies that we do not need, he was out bright this morning taking pictures and thinking about a his news to share for Facebook. This is funny since I immediately thought of posting to my blog. I thought documenting the 28 days leading up to the birth and tracking their growth could be an excellent photo journal project. For students, photo journaling could be an excelling starting point for any research project for new, struggling or reluctant writers. This could be used in science or any other subject to begin a story or to be used as story prompts. A student that struggles with sequencing or organizing their thoughts could really be successful undertaking such a project. When the student is able to personalize a project, such as write about things they know, they can begin to direct such a project in their mind by taking the pictures and writing about what they see and experience. This could also be a great introduction to the school year such as what I did over my summer holidays, getting to know me or my favourite things.

Duck nest: Mom rolled the bad eggs out.

Five fast moving ducklings.

~SOCIAL OBSERVATIONS OF TECHNOLOGY~

As I struggle for computer time with 11 and 13-year olds in the house, I think about how different our lives are now technologically compared to just a few short years. Just a simple act of taking my children to the new Harry Potter movie was a glaring example. I asked my husband to observe the crowded theatre that was mostly filled with adults. What was most apparent is that people seem to be so attached to technology that they cannot leave it behind. In every direction of the theatre, one or sometimes both people sitting next to one another were texting or doing something with their cell phones. It was odd to see how little people spoke to one another. How could a crowded theatre be so quiet? It makes one wonder if the subtle art of conversation is on the way out. Perhaps this is why social networking sites have taken off. I just thought it was a sad commentary on communication in society. Going to a movie as a kid was an event. A very social event filled with excitement, interaction and even gossip. As I waited for my children to come out of the bathroom after the movie, many people were busy walking and texting or dialing on the cell phone. I heard a few discussing the movie but again, so much silence. Things change as they say. Some things should just stay the way they are.

My experiments with audio books

My biggest sense of failure as a mother (and teacher): I have two boys that will not read. One son, Elliot, is interested on occasion but the other (Cameron) runs from all things considered literacy. You name it I have tried it. Where's Waldo? He's on the bookshelf. Pokemon, Yu-Gu-Oh!, got those too. Ripleys, yep. Guiness Books, yes too. He likes sharks. Have a whole series.

As an attempt to get my boys reading, I have created audio books of my own and used good old Robert (Robert Munsch) as the 'hook' to get some interest. Last night, I coaxed them into listening. Robert was a big hit with Elliot. He loves the story More Pies, always has.
Cameron was not interested as it was way too much emphasis on words and baby-ish.

Then, I thought. Why not look towards the books that he would be interested in but feels the 'read' is too difficult. He loves Harry Potter, Bionicles and Lord of the Rings but these are just too complex for his reading level. He is a weak reader and just plain lazy. It exasperates his very literate mother.

So, I began to search my shelf for a book that I loved and could imagine in my mind as a kid. I began to read The Cricket in Times Square. He reluctantly listened and said 'that was okay.' Well, it wasn't a no. He prefers to read by himself he says.

I can buy that as long as he reads. Our agreement is reading 4 chapters a day this summer. That is more than he has read ever. Whether he is reading along listening, or just reading, he is reading nonetheless.

I will continue trying to get some interest by experimenting with audio books that I create. What a great use for the Kindergarten classroom that I just left....

Today I created an audio book of Big Chickens. This was a very popular picture book that my class wanted to hear over and over. They loved the rhymes and repetition. Now I know how simple it was to record this. Uploading is another story. Free uploading/hosting is very limited for files. I am finding that my files are too large for free hosting. I will look into this more.

I am trying to use zip folders to upload. My story of Big Chickens is at: http://www.box.net/shared/os8rt2vhup. My woes continue since I am in a rural area without DSL access. Dial-up is painful! How I miss the comforts of school, namely DSL.

Audio uses unlimited

Indecision is something that I just don't do normally. This week though, I seem to have a heap of it in my research. I think this is because of the change in focus that lies ahead in September as I start out in FSL and Spec Ed. I am torn because of my experience as a classroom teacher in an Early Years classroom and my news areas of focus. How can I roll these areas into a common thread to reach a variety of learners of different abilities and ages?
There are several avenues that I wish to pursue but none is more appealing to me than my love of Special Education. As a mother of a 13-year old Autistic son, I have immersed myself in this field all of these years.

I think I have discovered a compromise: motivation. I will seek to use audio as a motivator across the curriculum in education.

I will begin with my research. I have found some great information with regards to Special Education and the use of audio.
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art6434.asp BellaOnline features a great article about the use of audio books to improve reading skills for special education students. Audio books take away the embarassment of not being able to read aloud to others. With the pressure of reading off, the students are able to feel success while they are building a large vocabulary, increasing visualization and imagination skills. Combined with printed words the audio allows for multi-sensory input where they are hearing and reading the words at the same time. Most importantly, students are able to learn beyond traditional methods and feel successful. A list of audio book sites are also included. These include: http://www.emediaxpress.com/free-childrens-audio-books and http://www.horizon-academy.com/AudioBooks/AR_Audio_Books/ar_audio_books.html.

A great article called Digital Storytelling in the Middle Education Special Education Classroom: A teacher's story of adaptations http://escholarship.bc.edu/education/tecplus/vol1/iss4/art3/
documents adaptations provided to allow learning disabled students to organize their thoughts and tell their own stories about themselves. The experience was highly rewarding. As a result, the students were highly motivated and engaged, displayed improved oral communication skills, were excited to work, gave increased effort into writing and verbal communication and completed multimedia projects of digital storytelling on an equal footing to regular peer levels. The main result is that the students experienced increased self-esteem. The author conclues that the teacher must be willing to invest lots of time and effort into a project but the rewards are worth it.

As for lesson ideas of audio, I have discovered Listen and Learn. This consists of a great series of blog entries surrounding the topic of audio book usage and Audible.com in education and classrooms. Students are able to develop critical listening skills while listening at their own pace.
http://listenandlearn.wordpress.com/2007/03/06/how-teachers-use-audio-books-in-the-classroom-the-research-process/
Topics include: the research phase, thinking and listening by pausing and drawing (lesson plan, ages 5-7 using Amelia Bedelia from Audible.com), ESL students: Audio books make reading a pleasure, build mental imagery through storytelling (lesson plan, grade 2 using Matilda from Audible.com), develop a love of literature (lesson plan, Grade 4, Because of
Winn Dixie) http://listenandlearn.wordpress.com/2007/03/21/discussion-about-predictions-and-inferences-builds-students-love-of-books/ , make history relevant to the everyday lives of students (lesson plan, Grade 4, Magic Tree House: Tonight on the Titanic )http://listenandlearn.wordpress.com/2007/03/26/making-history-come-alive-through-listening/, improve imagination (lesson plan, Grade 6, The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe) http://listenandlearn.wordpress.com/2007/04/03/developing-imagination-through-listening-and-diversifying-the-teaching-experience/, provide emotional connection to a story (lesson plan, Grade 3, Shiloh) http://listenandlearn.wordpress.com/2007/04/03/emotional-connection-to-a-story-through-listening-and-guided-visualization/, engage all readers in learning (lesson plan, Grade 6, From the Mixed up Files of Ms. Basil E. Frankweiler) http://listenandlearn.wordpress.com/2007/04/09/listening-engages-all-students-in-learning/
intensifies the reading experience http://listenandlearn.wordpress.com/2007/04/20/audio-intensifies-the-reading-experience-for-teens/ (lesson plan, Grade 11, The Yellow Wallpaper), bring scientific and social issues alive with authentic voices http://listenandlearn.wordpress.com/2007/04/25/bringing-scientific-and-social-issues-alive-with-authentic-voices/(lesson plan, Grade 6, Talk of the Nation), make participants out of reluctant readers http://listenandlearn.wordpress.com/2007/04/26/reluctant-readers-become-enthusiastic-participants/ (lesson plan, Grade 11, The Yellow Wallpaper (short story).

I really came away with a greater appreciation for the uses of audio in not only language arts but in many subject areas. Audio provides interest, something just a little different that engages literacy and reading.

Digital imagery in the classroom

I have been searching through sites looking for the uses of digital imagery. Some very useful sites include:


Using a digital camera in the classroom http://terpconnect.umd.edu/~toh/image/DigitalCameraUses.htm

Going digital in the classroom. Why should I use a digital camera?http://www.forsythcountyschools.org/its/sbeck/digital/goingdigital.htm

Digital camera uses http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/gadgets.html

1001 uses for a digital camera http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~ucfcasio/qvuses.htm

Using digital cameras in the classroom http://www.wacona.com/digicam/digicam.html

Digital camera projects http://drscavanaugh.org/digitalcamera/digital_camera_projects.htm


~MY OWN EXPERIENCE~

In my own teaching experience, I used my digital camera in Kindergarten on a regular basis. Some uses included:


-Personalizing visual art projects of my students such as snowmen bodies with child's face on the head or the child's face in the centre of a flower. The students loved to look at themselves and show off their work.


-To create class books that told a story using the students' pictures embedded in the bodies of fish or sunflowers. The students loved to take these books home and share them with their families.











-To create an easy to access class directory on the word wall with pictures and names listed.











-To label toy boxes and centres with names and pictures of contents/centres.


-To take pictures of science experiments, children at play, working at the math centre, baking, imagining at the house centre and dramatic play. These pictures were also used for student portfolios, Kindergarten open houses, parent-teacher interviews, and bulletin board displays.

-To videorecord simple plays and dance activities. These pictures also created a sense of belonging to the class and encouraged participation in some cases. The kids loved to organize shows for the camera!

-To introduce new vocabulary words. The pictures helped the students to 'read' the words.


-To examine facial expressions and non-verbal communication.


-To create simple Notebook and PowerPoint presentations.


~A CHANGE OF DIRECTION~

As I prepare for the change to Core French (Grades 4-8) and the Developmental Disabilities classes, I can use my camera for many of these uses and so much more. I intend to use digital images to introduced myself to my classes on the SMARTboard and have the students introduce themselves to me in this manner. The images will be a great scheduling tool for the DD students that thrive on structure and routine. Having a visual schedule and personalized pictures will be a great source of comfort and academic tool for greater success. Also, I would like to explore the use of digital imagery for use with Social Stories and Social Skills.


I am including examples of uses of digital images in my classroom. Photos of students have been edited due to confidentiality.

United learns about Internet power

Lesson of the Day: Beware the power of the Internet. You are never too big to withstand the power of negatige publicity. United Airlines is quickly facing this reality as the little guy, namely Dave Carroll and his Canadian band called Sons of Maxwell, is fighting back after receiving little interest in their plight after one of the guitars was damaged by baggage handlers. After trying to get satisfaction, the band took to the Internet via YouTube and now has become an overnight sensation. The band has produced two songs and several videos aimed at United. I must admit, the songs are catchy.

The video and the attention it has garnered signifies a new age of customer power. Customers are shaming companies into giving respect and attention to their needs. Viral marketing can be both positive and negative. Companies of any size must take note of this. Negative customer service spreads faster than positive.

You can find the video on YouTube at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo

The full story can be found at www.davecarrollmusic.com/story/united-breaks-guitars

Go Amanda, Go!

A former student of mine just broke the world record in the 50m. in swimming at the Canadian World Championship Trials in Montreal. Yesterday, she came in second for the 100m. I had the pleasure of teaching Amanda in Grade 6. I know how hard she has worked to achieve her goals. It shows the value of hard work. I can only think of the bright years ahead for her.

I have added a link for her her race and interview with CBC's Steve Armitage. I just love Steve's booming voice.
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/ondemand/?maven_playerId=ondemand&maven_referralObject=1176392342

Podcasting in the Classroom

PODCASTS 101

http://epnweb.org/
The Education Podcast Network is a collection of podcasts that are categorized by curriculum area and level of education. There is a podcast directory and lists of free podcasts and videos. For an FSL teacher, I did listen to the French podcasts that were mostly bilingual and easy to understand. Vocabulary reviews, article readings and reviews. Music is also featured. A great site to get ideas about how to incorporate the French language into classrooms easily.

http://slapcast.com/users/jamestown
This site was created by Jamestown Elementary school. It provides specific classroom examples of actual podcasts around such areas as holidays, science, math, language arts and field trips.

http://www.det.wa.edu.au/education/cmis/eval/curriculum/ict/podcasts/
This site features education values of podcasts as well as classroom and teacher applications.

http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/gadgets.html
This is a list of all things technical in classrooms today such as podcasting, storytelling, digital cameras, video cameras, GPS, digital conferences, etc. A wealth of information here.

Digital Storytelling

Briefly, I have discovered some useful information and sites of interest. I am particularly interested in using audio and video in FSL and Special Education classrooms. Many of these have practical uses and provide the much needed boost of creativity limited only by one's imagination.

DIGITAL STORYTELLING

http://electronicportfolios.org/digistory/index.html

This site covers digital storytelling in classrooms and also features international (i.e. Canadian) storytelling.

http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/

The educational uses of digital storytelling in classrooms from the University of Houston. This site also features specific examples across the curriculum and information on podcasts, blogs and Wikis.

http://www.teachingteachers.com/

This site features information on planning, delivering and creating digital stories.

Digital Storytelling continued

http://www.terry-freedman.org.uk/artman/publish/printer_804.php

This site features digital storytelling as a classroom management strategy. Using a literature circle format, the teacher is able to assign students particular job titles and responsibilities in the creation of productions.

http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/learnshops/digital/examples.php
This site contains specific digital storytelling examples that were created as a result of a community college instructional course. It is a simple collection to provide ideas of where to start and use subject material in our classrooms.

http://www.webenglishteacher.com/ds.html
A great collection of articles and resources including classroom examples of round robin writing, storyboards for graphic novels and step-by-step advice to incorporating digital storytelling in the classroom.

http://www.edutopia.org/use-digital-storytelling-classroom
A great source of information from the George Lucas Foundation Edutopia. The teacher serves as Executive Producer and the students are to be able to take the lead and be accountable. Technology is the teaching tool and not the teaching goal.

Alexis asks...

Question:
How do I make my listening centre more tech friendly. Right now I have a CD player and headphones, I'd like to keep this set up for the books I currently have but how do I add the podcast capability? Any ideas are welcome. Alexis

My response to Alexis' question

Answer:

Alexis,
Thanks for sharing all of the podcast ideas. This was not used at all in my school and I am fascinated that all grades were using it. As for your question, is there any way you could use the SmartBoard to allow class access to podcasts on a weekly or bi-weekly basis? If not, class laptops are also a way. This might be where iPods or cell phone Internet access might come in handy for podcasts. I am just thinking that it would really augment any L.A. program to provide video or audio feeds while listening to a text. It would be a great motivator for many students.
I know that some Boards do offer some technology from the Media Centre (such as special cameras, Clicker handsets for interactive use and some audio equipment such as books on iPod/mp.3). It might be worth an email to check out what is available for loan. I am sure they could provide advice also.

Welcome Message

I have spent pretty much the afternoon trying to get video and audio together as a permanent greeting for my blog. I did manage to get it as a blog entry. I have experimented with Audacity, iTunes, last.fm and box.net. I am frustrated, exhausted and exhilarated at the same time. I will continue with my experimentation.

Another Lavigne blog message blog intro.wav

Pulse software

Came across this article in today's paper. This speaks of a new Pulse software that is of interest to many, including marketers. This goes beyond FamilySafe software that tracks online activities of children for parents. Pulse is the first real-time software that tracks 180 teen blogs and forums. It also provides instant market feedback and media preferences. Another example of unknown activity streams?

www.windsorstar.com/News/Software+eavesdrops+teens/1763312/story.html

Teaching with technology: Podcasts demystified

I located ETFO's Voice magazine from April 2008 (www.etfo.ca). I saved this issue specifically because of the articles that dealt with podcasting. These include:

Portable Radio: Podcasting from the Portables: This classroom podcsast began from the humble beginnings of downloading iTunes. The podcasts can be heard atwww.portableradio.edublogs.org. Great examples of Canadian classrooms and technology in action.
Curriculum Insert: So You Want to Start Up Your Own Class Podcast? Step by step instructions which include audio editors such as audacity. Think 'podcasting for dummies' as it removes any scare factor.

La technologie en action-Branchons-nous sur la technologie! A nice article that features FSL and technology as partners for oral and written communication. Virtual visits are discussed as well as research tools such as archives.radio-canada.ca for information about Canadian culture.

After reading these articles and visiting the various information sites mentioned, podcasting is no longer foreign or complicated. It takes a little research, planning and effort. What a great motivator for students.

Useful digital and podcasting sites (compliments of Trevor)

The following are useful sites for digital storytelling and podcasting. I have begun my own list but this is much more comprehensive. I will be adding to the list. Thanks to Trevor for his sharing.

Digital Storytelling Sites

http://www.kenton.k12.ky.us/DigitalStory/dstindex.htm
http://www.rhinelander.k12.wi.us/educationaltec/DigitalStory.htm
http://members.shaw.ca/dbrear/dst.html
http://www.lubbockisd.org/sfirenza/storytelling/
http://www.wired-and-inspired.ca/EDEL435/process/index.html
http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/index.html
http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7021.pdf
http://educationaltechnology.ca/couros/1268

Podcasting
http://chatt.hdsb.ca/~elses/boylit/Podcasting%20in%20Education
http://www.education-world.com/a_tech/sites/sites074.shtml
http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2007/sep/18/link.link16
http://www.podcasting-tools.com/revolutionize-education-with-podcasts.htm
http://www.guidesandtutorials.com/podcasting-in-education.html
http://learninginhand.com/podcasting/index.html

Social networks do not replace social skills

After reading these articles, particularly the article about social networks, I have discovered that I really did not understand the domino effect that can occur by information gathering sources or activity streams. A lesson for all is that we are not as anonymous as we thought. There are consequences for our behaviour and we leave behind a visible trail of activities. If we can drive home this message to our students, and provide safety tips and information to students and parents, then we have prepared them to be aware of the dangers of providing too much information online.

Parents (and some educators) are often just one step ahead (or behind) their children. It is important that parents are viewed as partners with educators in the struggle to protect students. Information sessions, police and guest speakers, and literature home are all methods of beginning the discussion of safety. Safe practices at school, consistent monitoring and open communication are also very important. The tips provided by the OPP articles are excellent and often common sense. The issue of Cyberbullying can be easily be minimized with careful supervision and interest in what our children are doing. How can our kids be online for hours and we not know what they are doing? As a parent, I believe my trust only goes so far. It is my responsibility to know what my children are doing. As a teacher, I would be direlect in my duties (as my Principal loves to say...) if I was not watching what they were doing.

I think that providing students a voice and placing a value on face-to-face discussions and interactions, can encourage open dialogue and social interactions, without the need for social networks. Some students find it hard to express themselves, interact with others and listen to differing opinions. The best way to combat social network and technology needs might be as simple as empowering students to ask questions, listen to others and think for themselves. (Old fashioned? You bet.)

Social skills result from teaching, experiencing and doing. Some of the most awkward moments of my school days were the best learning models for me. Teachers can help students by encouraging them to help themselves and others and also ask for help when needed. Despite the technological changes that are ahead, students will be well prepared for change with critical thinking skills, research capabilities and the ability to make independent decisions. We can't always be watching but our words will always be with them. Whether they like it or not.

HAPPY CANADA DAY!

My way of commemorating Canada Day. Proudly Canadian.

When Kathy Ullyott, Homemakers Magazine's editor-in-chief, asked you to share your top 10 favourite Canadian things, our e-mail inboxes overflowed.

There are many things that make us proud to live in the Great White North, including our crazy Canadian weather. Sure, we complain about it, but we really cherish beautifully coloured leaves in the fall, snow-fort wars in winter, cherry blossoms in spring and lakeside vacations in the summer.

From the thousands of suggestions we got, we culled this list of 100 reasons to love Canada -- beginning with the 10 that were named by the most readers:

Readers's top 10 Canadian favourites
10. Tim Hortons
"Coffee addicts unite! ... Who can resist rolling up the rim?" wrote Anne Shelton of Toronto. Yes, we love Tim's coffee, Timbits, Iced Capps frozen cappuccinos, sour cream cake and maple doughnuts -- spelled d-o-u-g-h-n-u-t-s, please, not d-o-n-u-t-s! (See item 56 on this list for more on Canadian spellings.)

9. The beautiful Canadian Rocky Mountains, "...still mostly untouched. You can go hiking without running into crowds of people." (Lasha MacLeod, Sherwood Park, Alta.)

8. Fresh water
That includes our lakes to swim and fish in, clean drinking water, rivers, streams and ponds. "The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway are proud parts of our history in discovering the country," said Terri McBride of Hunstville, Ont.

7. Hockey
Included in "Our Game" are CBC's Hockey Night in Canada -- both the show and its former theme song -- as well as national teams: The Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, and Montreal Canadiens, Cheers to our women's teams too. In Canada, hockey is "the sport that brings friends and communities together," said Kim O'Reilly, Calgary, Alta.

6. Health care
Barbara White of Barrie, Ont. said it best: "Having a husband diagnosed with cancer at 33 and, 10 years later, still waking up beside him and watching our children grow together makes me thankful every day that I am a Canadian. I have not had to get a second or third job, still have a house without having to sell it all in order to pay medical bills!"

5. Freedom
We're overwhelmingly grateful for our freedom of speech and religion; for our nation's independence and democracy, and for our Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Linda LaRochelle from Port Alberni, B.C. wrote in to say: "In Canada, a democratic country, we enjoy the freedom to live our lives pretty much as we choose."

4. Our changing seasons
"Canadians enjoy talking about the weather and are often disgruntled by the extreme heat and cold. But the changing of the seasons gives us not only something to talk about, but also to look forward to." (Cheryl Telford, Newmarket, Ont.)

3. The Canadian character
You described Canadians as friendly, polite, generous, warm, open-minded, forgiving, humble, welcoming, caring, curious and honest.

"It's the people that make a country great and we have a great country with outstanding people -- young and old." (Beth Corrigan Jenish, Oshawa, Ont.)

2. The landscape
Vast, clean, diverse and green -- those are some of the words you used to describe our home and native land. "Whether travelling east to west or west to east, we truly have a beautiful country to be proud of," said Cheryl Telford.

And...1. Multiculturalism
"From our people, our landscape, our culture(s), food, etc., the very fabric of Canada is a patchwork quilt, full of colours and textures and richness," says Linda LaRochelle, Port Alberni, B.C.

Blog, blog, blog

Call me old-fashioned but I still believe that the basics are necessary. Today's 'texting' generation is learning to use every acronym possible but cannot write a proper sentence with spelling and punctuation. Will paper ever go out of style? I love my computer but there is still comfort in paper and pen.

However, I do believe in balance. Teach the basics for the purpose of using technology today and in the future. No one knows exactly what the future holds but having a basic skill set with serve students for whatever lies ahead.

Before these readings and the course, I took little interest in blogs. I considered myself to be a 'techie' but in my opinion, blogs were just the personal rants of nothingness and everyday minutia. At least the ones that I visited.

In my search for educational blogs, some read like school or classroom newsletters. They were not current and were summaries of past or upcoming events. These seem to be more like school webpages. One school actually had photos from the lost and found on it. Not exactly cutting edge material.

After visiting some other well-designed blogs and after creating my own, I have discovered that with very little knowledge and effort, you can create a clever looking blog in minutes that can reflect your personality. It is an effort to resist rants, on occasion. Some blogs are informative, provide the latest technological articles, and provide for interaction with surveys, comments and other forms of participation.

With students, I believe blogs can be a valuable and free form to extend classroom learning and combine valuable communication opportunities. It may not be face-to-face communication, but it is a method to communicate with a greater audience and extend into the community and beyond. A student can express themself with images, audio, writing and gadgets to reflect their own personality. In multicultural classrooms, this is a great tool to represent a student's background and experience. With today's focus on literacy and numeracy, blogs can be a great tool to promote reading and writing. It is okay to express and opinion, but listening to the ideas of others is also a great skill that needs to be improved. Blogging can bring the classroom experience into the daily lives of students. It can help make the information relevant for students and promote furhter understanding.

As with any technology, students need controls, structure and monitoring. The Internet allows the world at our fingertips but it also brings us to the world. Students need to be informed of the dangers of revealing too much information, the power of the words they write when anyone can access it, and the people that may be seeking to build a trusting relationship for their own personal gain. We still teach kids backup educational skills such as the dangers of playing with fire, the importance of swimming with a partner, and not talking to strangers. Internet safety now has to be a part of the discussion. Perhaps this is a a new backup skill? We would not let our children go off into a crowd of strangers without watching them. Why would we allow them on the WWW without watching? Children need the safety of limits and supervision. Parents and teachers can serve a valuable role in guiding and monitoring students while allowing for individual expression and creativity.

Blogs, in short, give students a voice. Instead of journaling, the students are now interacting with peers as they comment, question, and react to what is being written. If we can get students to reflect and express themselves in writing outside of school, then we have succeeded in making the curriculum relevant to the everyday lives of students.

Internet safety requires supervision

In response to Chad...

I agree with Chad that we need to talk to our students and kids (as parents) to keep open the lines of communication. Further, kids need supervision and constant monitoring. Allowing them access to chat rooms and MSN is allowing certain kids to get into areas of trouble. Kids need to know that they are monitored and their conversations could be recorded.

It is easy to get into sites on the Internet that are questionable at times and downright scary. My 11-year old playing a game online experienced some rather bad language tirades and threatening behaviour from adult gamers. This year, while doing an innocent Sesame Street search for my Kindergarten class, brought me to Bert and Ernie naked, swearing and drinking cartoons. Imagine a small child coming across this.

The Internet allows access to the world. But it could just allow the world more access to us than desired.

Turned upside down!

I am not one for silence but this week takes the cake. So far, I have been a quiet observer. No one has ever called me quiet. I have been so overwhelmed and downright sick that I have been unable to contribute. Now is the time to suck it up and get going.

This week was just awful with finishing up with two Kindergarten classes, meeting a new staff, packing up my classroom (still ongoing), and trying to deal with starting this course. I have been asking myself, what was I thinking starting a new course?? Of course, I didn't know at the time that I would be moving and have everything up in the air. Going from Immersion to Core French is as different as night and day. I have nothing and not a clue how to start. The teacher at my school had little information to share. I guess it is learn by doing. I am just not that type.

To add to my amazement, when I asked her to email me her long range plans and other materials, she said she really doesn't use a computer. That is completely foreign to me as I prefer a computer to phone anyday. I plan on using technology a great deal in my classes including Smartboard, Clicker technology for surveys and other interactive uses, using laptops to create French stories and books, audio stories, digital images and games.

I have decided that I will use the assignments and research from this course as a launching pad for Core French. I will use the digital storytelling as well as the presentation to augment my Core French resources. So that brings my number of resources to two. How funny and how sad. I am told that some of the French resources are dated and irrelevant to students. This would be a great opportunity to update it and give it a new spin as well as augment it with other resources.

I think the digital storytelling can be a great tool to build up vocabulary and speak to a great deal of visual and special needs learners. I often enjoy using Social Stories and Write with Symbols to tell stories for students. This can be combined with digital images and audio to reach a variety of students and also reach across all curriculum subjects. The students will respond to interactive media and a chance to use technology. In French, it also serves to assist with proper pronunciation and develop oral language skills.

Nice to be able to bounce ideas off of yourself just like I did right now. This blog is beginning to be a useful tool rather than a complaint medium. At least I feel better.

Selected Blogs

I can't say that I have been a real fan of blogs. The blogs I have visited in the past have been of people that write about the minutia of life as I call it. I just want to say: Who cares? Unless it is quirky, interesting or a bit out there, it does not appeal to me at all.

I have added a few Eduational blogs of interest. One is of our Board's Computer Consultant, Doug Peterson. He posts some interesting articles and I love the fact that he ties current affairs, and my love of politics in his blog. Next, we have What Every Teacher Needs and these are great articles and appropriate for this course and tied directly to teaching.

I did locate some local schools webpages to see what they were posting. Frankly, I did not find anything that appealed to me at all. Quite simply, they were school newsletters posted on a blog (lost and found articles, notes to parents, announcements). It was one-sided, did not invite participation or feedback. These criteria, do not make it a blog since it does not speak to a larger community and invite participation.

I will continue to search for great sites. I aim to look into French sites and some with a Special Education focus.

Opening Credits

"Greetings All,
I'm Jackie and I am just finishing my second year of teaching Kindergarten, French Immersion for the Greater Essex County District School Board. This week I am in transition as I am relocating to a new school to teach FSL. I am very interested in teaching Special Education. I enjoyed using the SmartBoard and school computer lab regularly with my students but would love to expand my technology use as I move into Grades 4-8. I look forward to getting to know everyone further. I see that other FSL teachers are taking the course so any Core French ideas are more than welcome as this is new to me. haha
My blog is: http://anotherlavigne.blogspot.com/ I will work on this as soon as these crazy few days are done!"

First entry; not a good start

Today, quite honestly, is not a good day. I have a son with fever and stomach issues. My husband is on nights and I am now single mother for two weeks. As well, I am not feeling too well myself. There are a number of lovely sicknesses going through my Kindergarten class and those, along with the heat, are not helping me. I will be posting on Edublogs but it will have to wait until tomorrow or so. I have read the articles and the postings but do not have much energy or intelligence to contribute properly.

This week is so crazy with transferring between two schools about 45min away from one another. I had to leave the one and take a tour of the other and meet the staff during the last period of the day today. The image above should explain my state of mind. Tomorrow is another day.