Shortly after beginning this blog in January of 2012 I decided to join Twitter as well. Looking back at it, I can’t remember if there was something specific that attracted me to Twitter but I do remember that I was pretty overwhelmed at the start. The first few days I used it I pretty much had no idea what I was doing and didn’t understand how to use it effectively. Slowly I began to get used to the format and am now completely addicted! Twitter is now my go-to PLN tool and I’ve been able to network with… Read More
Resources To Start Off Your Week 54
Happy Louis Riel Day! In Manitoba we are celebrating a long weekend and I am really enjoying the extra time to work on homework and spend time with family. Coincidentally it is also storming a lot so I’m think that I would be at home even if it wasn’t a holiday! This past week has been a busy one for resources as I summarized over twenty resources for my post on Infographics and Videos in the Classroom. As I do with all of these resources, I will be adding them to my lists of resources under the Fav Websites heading.… Read More
My Digital Footprint
We have discussed the idea of “digital footprints” in almost every single one of our education classes over the past two years. We have discussed them in regards to professionalism, liability, privacy, networking, et cetra and I think we have all come to realize just how important our online presence is. As teachers, it is very important for us to maintain a professional appearance in and out of the classroom. Our administrators, board members, parents and students can all be online looking for information about us and it is important that our online presence upholds the professional standards… Read More
More Than Just Bill Nye… Using Video in the Classroom
Growing up my only real memory of watching videos in class included Bill Nye, the Magic School Bus and any movie-version of the novel we happened to be studying at the time. I don’t remember video actually being used as a learning tool to expand student learning, it was almost always used after the learning and assessment had taken place. Finished learning about the circulatory system? Here’s a Magic School Bus video to watch. Finished learning about magnets? Here’s a Bill Nye the Science Guy video to watch. Finished reading Shiloh? Here’s the movie-version to watch. In fact, I only remember… Read More
Introducing Peter Jory
One of the assignments for our Internet For Educators class is to follow an edu-blogger and feature their work on our blog. I first dipped my toe into the blogosphere and started following education blogs when I started the Faculty of Ed in 2011. Since that time, my RSS feeder has hit almost 300 education blogs from around the world and I’ve learnt so much from the great educators out there that are willing to share their thoughts and ideas online. One of those educators is Peter Jory, who blogs at I Have An Opinion About Learning. Peter… Read More
Resources To Start Off Your Week 53
This week I have two great YouTube Channels that I just found as well as a LiveBinders compilation about QR Codes in the classroom! As always, I will be adding these to my lists of resources under the Fav Websites heading. 1 ) VSauce YouTube Channel– This YouTube Channel features some great videos that could be used as activating strategies in the classroom such as “Is the 5 Second Rule True?” and “What if Everyone Jumped At Once?”. These videos are very engaging and I can see students getting really excited by the off-beat and interesting information.– These… Read More
Teacher Appreciation Week
This week is Teacher Appreciation Week in Manitoba! February 8 – 12 Image shared today by the Manitoba Teachers’ Society Facebook Page I’m actually re-posting a post that I wrote in October for World Teacher’s Day. I’d like to thank all of the teachers in the public school system who made such a positive impact on my life, they are the reason why I am in the Faculty of Education right now: 1 ) All of the teachers, support staff and admin at Heyes Elementary School – I have so many wonderful memories at Heyes School and remember each… Read More
Clarence Fisher: Purposeful Use of Technology
This week we had the opportunity to Skype with Clarence Fisher from Snowlake, Manitoba. I was especially looking forward to this presentation because I have followed Clarence’s work on his blog for a little under a year and it was exciting to know that I would be able to put a “face to the blog”! Now this wasn’t the longest presentation our class has had (we only had about 30 minutes to connect with Clarence as he was tuning in during one of his prep periods while his class was in Phys-Ed) but it got me thinking about… Read More
#ETMOOC Digital Storytelling
The #ETMOOC community is currently discussing Digital Storytelling and I couldn’t be more pleased because I recently attended a PD session on Digital Storytelling and also have a university assignment due this week in which I have to create a digital story! Perfect? I think so 🙂 Don’t You Love It When Things Work Out?? There was several different projects to undertake in this topic depending on your familiarity with digital stories, your interests and your time commitment! There included reflective blogging about digital storytelling, creating animated GIFS, creating a digital story, creating a 6-word story,… Read More
Infographics in the Classroom
I’m going to start this post by admitting that I absolutely love infographics! I find them more engaging than paragraphs of text and I love seeing the information visually displayed in an aesthetic manner, which is interesting because I don’t consider myself a visual learner. If you aren’t familiar with infographics here is an explanatory image: Image Credit: Infographics. (2013). CC-BY-SA. http://infographicsineducation.wikispaces.com/ I believe that, likes memes and trending YouTube videos, infographics can be a great way of presenting information through a platform that students are familiar with. One only needs to type in the word, “Infographic” into Google… Read More