It's OVER?

Well, my Technology in the Classroom course has come to an end. I have learned so much about the use of technology in the past six weeks. After studying the different ways technology can be used in the classroom, I have come to really appreciate it. For example, when learning about the provinces, students can go on google earth and view the different cities throughout Canada. Of course we do not have the money or resources to travel all over the country, but with technology we are able to get an accurate and real-to-life picture of the different parts of our vast country. I have also found out that technology helps with differentiated learning and with collaboration with people all around the world. Technology has so much to offer us as educators. Personally, I am going to use it whenever applicable because I truly believe that it does help the children in their learning. It not only helps them to learn, but helps them to learn well and creatively. My title ask's "It's OVER?" Well, the answer is no, no it is not. Finishing this course is just the start for me. I want to continue to learn more about how to use technology better and will try to stay as up-to-date as I can. If you have not delved into thinking about the use of technology in your classroom I ask you to do some research. If you are already using it, I ask that you use it wisely. Use it to benefit your students and the material they are learning. Technology is a gift that has been given to us. We should use it, and use it wisely!

Let's Work Towards a Change in Education..

Lately I have been thinking a lot about creativity in the classroom. Are we, as teachers, allowing our students to be creative? Why don't we go focus more on the arts? Why is it that math and science are most important? So many of these type of questions run throughout my brain. 

According to Ken Robinson, the purpose of the education system is to "produce university professors." But is this the way it should be? I don't think so. Thankfully, I see that the school system is changing. Teaching is becoming more directed towards the individual students and focusing on their strengths as well as working with their weaknesses. We need to find a way to make education work for everyone, not just the students that are smart academically. It shouldn't be a hierarchy, where the most useful subjects are at the top and the more "fun" ones are at the bottom. Rather, everyone should be encouraged to follow their dreams and gifts. The teachers job is to help the student realize these gifts and help encourage them to use them. I believe that there is not one profession that stands out over another. Life should not be about doing things you don't want to do. We need to make education fun and worthwhile for the children otherwise we are wasting thirteen years of their lives. Fellow teachers, let's work towards this change. We need to rethink our view of intelligence. Art matters just as much as Math and Science.

I encourage you to check out this TEDTalk for more details. 

Technology & Self-Directed Learning...

I just finished watching a Ted Talk on Self-Directed Learning. Sugata Mitra has done many studies all over the world, especially in remote schools finding out how beneficial the use of technology is in learning. He proved that it really does help and that the children are able to learn through hearing from different people around the world, via skype, and information found on the internet. As he spoke about using technology in Self-Directed Learning, I got really excited because he said that after the students were done the project, they still wanted to keep learning about the specific topic. I also like how he set up the self-directed learning stations, having enough room for the students to work in groups. Again, this is another example of how technology incites excitement and creativity within the child and gives them more of a desire to learn. Click here to watch the video!

Technology and Differentiated Instruction

Since I've began following edutopia on twitter a few weeks ago I have become hooked. This site has so much information and useful strategies for the classroom. I love reading their articles, watching their youtube videos and browsing their tweets. This site has so much to offer for teachers. If you haven't gotten the hint by now.. I LOVE this website. So check it out.

A few weeks ago I wrote about differentiated instruction. It's so inspiring to see other teachers use this form of instruction as I believe that it truly serves the students and helps them learn at their own level. It adjusts learning to their own gifts and abilities. This video from edutopia shows how teachers in Forest Lack Elementary School use technology to help with their differentiated instruction.

This video is so inspiring because it shows how much these teachers love what they are doing. When asked if differentiated learning was a lot of work a teacher responded with, "Of course it's a lot of work, but that's what we are here for. We want to help each and every student that we teach and we feel like we are making a huge difference in each child's life." That is the making of a great teacher. One that will go the extra mile for their students. These teachers are using technology to help them figure out each child's learning style and therefore finding ways that will work best for their students.

Halfway through the video, a teacher talks about a program they use called IPAC (Individualized Personalized Authentic and Collaborate Learning). This program sounds so interesting because it is personal for each student. It looks at the students learning needs and level while taking the students various subjects such as math, social studies and science and gives them lessons that will benefit them. The best part of it, is that the students present on what they have been learning and so the rest of the class also benefits from the other lessons. I also like that students can collaborate with each other if they are on the same lesson or if they decide to do a group project together. This school seems to be making a good use of technology as they use it to help foster student learning. Check out the video for more information and I invite you to watch more of their videos.. you won't regret it!!

Some Guidance on Implementing Technology into YOUR Classroom...

When using technology in the classroom there are some standards and conditions that we as teachers should adhere to so that it is used appropriately. Of course, it is important to remember that you should only be using technology if it is going to benefit or make your lesson better. The International Society for Technology in Education provides a list of standards for teachers, students and administrators. I'm going to touch on a few of them below.

Some Standards:

A standard that really speaks to me is to "Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity." This is really important to me because children, at times, need the extra push to become more creative in the various activities they do at school. Using the different forms of technology can help them to become more creative because they are able to find ideas or work on the ideas they already have. While also being inspired by different articles they may read online, technology can really help to broaden a students world beyond the classroom. They can begin to think outside of their own community to the world around them. For example, a teacher could potentially have his/her students participate in helping out a third world country through figuring out ways how they can raise money to dig a well. 

Another standard to remember is to "Model Digital Age Work and Learning." It's so important that the teacher knows what he or she is doing and tries his best to stay relevant to the various issues going on in this world through technology. It's also a great way to keep in touch with the key people involved in the students life so that they can be given the best education possible. To view some more helpful standards click here. 

Some Essential Conditions:

There are so many conditions to be aware of. I'm going to highlight a few that I find really important. If you want to read the other ones click here. First of all, there needs to be a shared vision. If you are going to implement technology, everyone in the school needs to be on board. You cannot have one class do it and the next not. The teachers also need to work together to form a plan on how to implement it into the curriculum. It needs to benefit what the children are required to learn. If it doesn't do that, then technology only becomes a burden. One final condition to highlight is that of ongoing professional learning. Yes, you can take some computer courses in university as part of your teaching degree, but technology is always changing. Therefore, one needs to continually updating their knowledge so that they can stay relevant and use technology in the best and appropriate way. 

Introducing Technology into the Classroom: Video

While looking at my twitter feed today, edutopia posted this video about introducing technology into the classroom. I wanted to share it with you all because I think it seeks to show us how technology can be a tool and really helps the students to be independent and learn in a more meaningful way. Here's the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d59eG1_Tt-Q Enjoy!

I'm Back...

Hi everyone!

I have re-emerged into the blogging world again. YAY!!! Some of you may remember following my other blog a few years ago, which contained many high school stories and creative writing pieces from one of my english classes. Well, I'm back on blogger and am hoping to offer tips to those of you who are educators in the public or private sector schools or even those of you who homeschool.

An Introduction... 

My name is Chris and I attend Redeemer University College. I'm currently in my fourth year and will be finishing up my undergrad this coming April with a Major in English and Minors in History and Psychology. Along with this BA I'm also in the Primary/Junior Education department and hope to graduate in May of 2014. I live just outside of Cambridge, Ontario and have lived in this area my entire life. During the summer months I enjoy working outside, where I have a small gardening business and work at a berry farm.

A few months ago I was taught about the concept of differentiated learning. This is a mode of teaching which recognizes that all students learn differently. The teacher is aware of this and comes up with different learning strategies for the students so that they are best able to learn the given material. As an aspiring teacher I want to meet the student where they are at and work with their gifts, abilities, strengths and weaknesses. In one of my classes last semester, my professor continually reiterated the concept that we, as teachers, are servants to our students. I think that this model of teaching is putting the students first and meeting them where they are at, so as to give them the best education possible.

I also really like the theory of experiential learning. This is more of a "hands on" approach to learning which is great because it allows the child to truly experience what they are learning physically instead of only mentally. For example, it is wonderful if the child learns about the different layers of soil, but until they actually interact with the physical aspects of soil it may not really mean anything to them.

So, Why Am I Starting a Blog Now??

I am taking a "Computers in the Classroom" course, which is great, because I think it is so important to get to know how to use the various forms of technology in the classroom. I think it is important to find the proper balance between using it too little (if at all) and using it way too much. With the great tips that I will be learning in this course I hope to implement technology into my future classrooms so that it enhances the curriculum and therefore benefits student learning in a positive and meaningful way.

There are many benefits of having technology in the classroom. Cindy Matthew's believes that technology in the classroom is a must. It really helps the students engage with the material at hand in a new and meaningful way instead of using the same old pen and paper. Aside from the fact that children love technology and love to interact with it, using the various forms of technology in the classroom helps the student to become more comfortable with it. It also helps them gain a sense of independence and may even direct them towards self-directed learning. (Click here if you would like some more information from her article.) I think something really important to remember is that technology is a tool that has been given to us for teaching. If we are going to use it, we should use it right.