Our last session with @ballantynedj 's grade eleven students was on Monday. We had the pleasure of seeing a video that his students put together that showed an overview of the project's process. The video, while done in very short time, was rather well done. It is still being spruced up by his students and once it is finalized, I will post the link here.
The whole experience was a lot of fun and it seems that the students took a lot from it, and we did too. The project was brilliant and watching the video, you can see how the students get into it and enjoy what they are doing. Well done, @ballantynedj and thanks again.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
The same could be said about the internet/games/TV&movies, no?
"Fairy tales are not responsible for producing fear in children... Fairy tales do not give the child the idea of the evil or the ugly; that is in the child already, because it is in the world already. Fairy tales do not give a child his first idea of a bogey. What fairy tales give the child is his first clear idea that a bogey may be defeated. The baby has known the dragon intimately ever since he had an imagination. What the fairy tale provides for him is a St. George to kill the dragon."
- G. K. Chesterton
- G. K. Chesterton
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Grade Eleven Collab Continued
Have you ever used Todaysmeet.com? Neither have I. Have you ever considered it using with students? Neither did I, but @ballantynedj did.
Who knew such a simple website could be used in such an innovative way. Todaysmeet.com is a great communication tool for projects such as these or even for quick communication between students and their teachers (I imagine students with laptops, watching a video or presentation in class, and the teacher sending messages to students as to what to look out for or asking questions for students to answer while they are watching; a great way to keep track of who is paying attention to videos or presentations) and the transcripts can be saved for assessment purposes (or even to keep track of who might be using the page innapropriately). Another great classroom idea by @ballantynedj that has me inspired and eager to take these advancements into my own classroom.
Thank you again to @zbpipe for this opportunity.
Communication begins: writers of the post are written under each message.
Let me tell you what Todaysmeet.com is, first and foremost; it's a twitter style feed, used and sent in real time for instant communication with others that you send to the generated URL for your "chat". All messages must be less than 140 characters, allowing the chat to be equally distibuted among members with no single person over-powering the next. It is easy to set up and it is easy to send to others. Not to mention, the entire chat transcript is recorded and ready for viewing from the website, under the chat box, making the ability to save the chat simple and carefree.
Receiving some valuable feedback from @ballantynedj's grade eleven students.
This was the second part of our online collaboration with @ballantynedj's grade eleven students in Waterloo. We joined a chat with Daniel and his students and discussed with them where their strengths and weaknesses in their presentation were. The students also gave us their own feedback of our feedback, allowing us to improve our online tutoring skills for any future use. Using this real-time chat system, we quickly discussed what the next steps for their project would be and how we (@darthclaudiaa, @YatesV, @yoMsDunn, @daley1s) could contribute. The next steps the students will be taking is that they will be creating a video using jaycut.com (with an open username and password for access by all members of the party: the students, Daniel and us Brock students to view the creating and editing process) and we will get to watch the finish project.
Who knew such a simple website could be used in such an innovative way. Todaysmeet.com is a great communication tool for projects such as these or even for quick communication between students and their teachers (I imagine students with laptops, watching a video or presentation in class, and the teacher sending messages to students as to what to look out for or asking questions for students to answer while they are watching; a great way to keep track of who is paying attention to videos or presentations) and the transcripts can be saved for assessment purposes (or even to keep track of who might be using the page innapropriately). Another great classroom idea by @ballantynedj that has me inspired and eager to take these advancements into my own classroom.
Thank you again to @zbpipe for this opportunity.
Friday, January 14, 2011
A Short Review of the 'Building Futures' Workshop
The Introduction:
We are told, again and again, never to talk at our students. We are told to engage our students. We are told to never put information on our slides or presentations that our students could read to them. We are told never to read off our sheets of paper and we are told to sound natural and not rehearsed. These are directions that our advisors are given by the Ministry, so why doesn't the Ministry follow their own directions?
I was so excited for this self-directed workshop and it is heartbreaking how terribly it opened up. The presenters did all I mentioned above for two hours. One young presenter, three years into the game of teaching, freshly graduated and one who you'd think wouldn't have picked up bad habits of Socratic teaching due to her obvious passion for her career (and her students) read off of a sheet of paper with a rehearsed and difficult speech to listen to, even apologizing when she missed a word and had to re-read. What happened to practice what you preach? Why wouldn't they model what they expect from us? The Mellenial generation (or Y Gen) have too great of expectations for the workforce, most of the time, but I don't think it is too much to ask that we be talked at less and talked to more, with engaging presentations that keep us focused and off our cellphones.
"Literacy Workshop"
While a lot of the information in this workshop was repetitive of what we speak about in our Language course, the information was presented in a more interactive manner, encouraging our participation and even having us get up and fill in anchor charts. The presenters also made note of how much we had been talked "at" and how they wanted to change that.
Some of the best points I took from that session were:
- Making kids feel like they can take action
- Robust thinking is reflective thinking; metacognition is important
- Allowing kids negotiate their thinking for meaning; eg. a child saying, "That isn't how I saw it." and why
- A lot of digital literacy was emphasized such as having kids look at advertisements and debating whether advertisements should be in video games
- Another media literacy project that was given as an example was a photo essay for environmental issues
- Rich tasks are cognitively demanding, engaging, have new knowledge and thinking
"Occasional Teaching Workshop"
This workshop, while presented in a simple slideshow-and-talk form (the teacher actually admitted to leaving the career of teaching due to technology; when she couldn't keep up, she felt it was time to bow out) but the presenter was passionate and knowledgeable about her topic and kept you listening. She shared a handful of new information and had a lot of visuals to share with the class, giving physical examples to the many ideas she had to share. This was my favourite workshop of the day.
"Healthy and Safe Schools Workshop"
If you have taken law as I have, this presentation didn't have a lot of new information. The presenter was one of the ones I couldn't hear in the morning, but in a small space, his voice was quite booming and clear. His presentation had a lot of group problem solving and discussion and he even prepared a little quiz to test the knowledge of school statistics of bullying and harassment. It was a very well put together presentation and while it didn't keep me as hooked because it was repetitive, it was still clear and laid out nicely with the group work and hypothetical situations we were presented with.
Conclusion:
Overall, the workshop was quite beneficial. I truly wish the introduction wasn't so demoralizing because I would have been far more excited for each workshop if it had been presented with excitement and enthusiasm as well. I see nothing unprofessional with this advice that I hope the Ministry stumbles upon, because I am all about laying things down as I see them and not sugar coating them or putting on a guise. I am sure they'd be rather pleased to hear constructive criticism in order that they may improve the presentation for the following year.
I also wish that information on each work shop would have been available (eg. the Tech Showcase has a blurb about every single workshop prior to signing up for it) so the tedious situation of hearing repeated information doesn't occur.
We are told, again and again, never to talk at our students. We are told to engage our students. We are told to never put information on our slides or presentations that our students could read to them. We are told never to read off our sheets of paper and we are told to sound natural and not rehearsed. These are directions that our advisors are given by the Ministry, so why doesn't the Ministry follow their own directions?
I was so excited for this self-directed workshop and it is heartbreaking how terribly it opened up. The presenters did all I mentioned above for two hours. One young presenter, three years into the game of teaching, freshly graduated and one who you'd think wouldn't have picked up bad habits of Socratic teaching due to her obvious passion for her career (and her students) read off of a sheet of paper with a rehearsed and difficult speech to listen to, even apologizing when she missed a word and had to re-read. What happened to practice what you preach? Why wouldn't they model what they expect from us? The Mellenial generation (or Y Gen) have too great of expectations for the workforce, most of the time, but I don't think it is too much to ask that we be talked at less and talked to more, with engaging presentations that keep us focused and off our cellphones.
"Literacy Workshop"
While a lot of the information in this workshop was repetitive of what we speak about in our Language course, the information was presented in a more interactive manner, encouraging our participation and even having us get up and fill in anchor charts. The presenters also made note of how much we had been talked "at" and how they wanted to change that.
Some of the best points I took from that session were:
- Making kids feel like they can take action
- Robust thinking is reflective thinking; metacognition is important
- Allowing kids negotiate their thinking for meaning; eg. a child saying, "That isn't how I saw it." and why
- A lot of digital literacy was emphasized such as having kids look at advertisements and debating whether advertisements should be in video games
- Another media literacy project that was given as an example was a photo essay for environmental issues
- Rich tasks are cognitively demanding, engaging, have new knowledge and thinking
"Occasional Teaching Workshop"
This workshop, while presented in a simple slideshow-and-talk form (the teacher actually admitted to leaving the career of teaching due to technology; when she couldn't keep up, she felt it was time to bow out) but the presenter was passionate and knowledgeable about her topic and kept you listening. She shared a handful of new information and had a lot of visuals to share with the class, giving physical examples to the many ideas she had to share. This was my favourite workshop of the day.
"Healthy and Safe Schools Workshop"
If you have taken law as I have, this presentation didn't have a lot of new information. The presenter was one of the ones I couldn't hear in the morning, but in a small space, his voice was quite booming and clear. His presentation had a lot of group problem solving and discussion and he even prepared a little quiz to test the knowledge of school statistics of bullying and harassment. It was a very well put together presentation and while it didn't keep me as hooked because it was repetitive, it was still clear and laid out nicely with the group work and hypothetical situations we were presented with.
Conclusion:
Overall, the workshop was quite beneficial. I truly wish the introduction wasn't so demoralizing because I would have been far more excited for each workshop if it had been presented with excitement and enthusiasm as well. I see nothing unprofessional with this advice that I hope the Ministry stumbles upon, because I am all about laying things down as I see them and not sugar coating them or putting on a guise. I am sure they'd be rather pleased to hear constructive criticism in order that they may improve the presentation for the following year.
I also wish that information on each work shop would have been available (eg. the Tech Showcase has a blurb about every single workshop prior to signing up for it) so the tedious situation of hearing repeated information doesn't occur.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
ourtimetolead.ca
Have you heard of it? Have you visited it? Chances are, if you've been to the movies at a Cineplex location recently, you would have seen it on your screen. Accessing the site probably didn't even cross your mind. The advertisement was probably ignored like all the others (despite how eye-catching it truly was).
So, what is it?
It's a website run by the Globe and Mail where weeks are dedicated to specific topics ("8 Discussions We Need to Have"). This months focus is "FAILING BOYS". Let me tell you: if you are a educator (future or present), if you are a parent(future or present), or if you simply have a concern about the leaders of our future, you have to go to this website and read the articles under this discussion, immediately. They are absolutely fabulous and sadly, accurate. While some sentences, as with all news articles, need to be taken with a grain of salt, majority of the topics approached hit the nail right on the head. The feminization of education (something I'm strongly against), the lack of male role models (heartbreaking), developmental differences (something many fail to acknowledge) and so many more gems are available on this website. The best thing is that it is meant for discussion. What this means for you, emotional and passionate reader, is that your opinions are welcomed and, in fact, highly encouraged. Weekly chats, forums and "Article Discussions" are all available on this website. It is, after all, our time to lead. We must have a say and take part in this, as well. These are critical issues and they should not be ignored.
If "Failing Boys" doesn't tickle your fancy, the other discussions are about the military, about multiculturalism, about women in power, about our work-lives, our Health Care, the internet we explore and the food we eat. One is bound to concern you and affect you, first-hand. This website should not be avoided. Do yourself a favour and simply have a little read.
(Note: This is from a blog entry I wrote in a personal blog back in October. The discussion and web page are still continuing in full force and I still highly recommend reading the articles.Click here for a direct link to the "Failing Boys" discussion.)
So, what is it?
It's a website run by the Globe and Mail where weeks are dedicated to specific topics ("8 Discussions We Need to Have"). This months focus is "FAILING BOYS". Let me tell you: if you are a educator (future or present), if you are a parent(future or present), or if you simply have a concern about the leaders of our future, you have to go to this website and read the articles under this discussion, immediately. They are absolutely fabulous and sadly, accurate. While some sentences, as with all news articles, need to be taken with a grain of salt, majority of the topics approached hit the nail right on the head. The feminization of education (something I'm strongly against), the lack of male role models (heartbreaking), developmental differences (something many fail to acknowledge) and so many more gems are available on this website. The best thing is that it is meant for discussion. What this means for you, emotional and passionate reader, is that your opinions are welcomed and, in fact, highly encouraged. Weekly chats, forums and "Article Discussions" are all available on this website. It is, after all, our time to lead. We must have a say and take part in this, as well. These are critical issues and they should not be ignored.
If "Failing Boys" doesn't tickle your fancy, the other discussions are about the military, about multiculturalism, about women in power, about our work-lives, our Health Care, the internet we explore and the food we eat. One is bound to concern you and affect you, first-hand. This website should not be avoided. Do yourself a favour and simply have a little read.
(Note: This is from a blog entry I wrote in a personal blog back in October. The discussion and web page are still continuing in full force and I still highly recommend reading the articles.Click here for a direct link to the "Failing Boys" discussion.)
Create Philosophers
As a double major with honours in English and Philosophy, I see a lot of value to creative thinking. More than simply higher level thinking, I am for thinking about thinking, for asking 'why', for challenging what you are told, for looking at the double meanings to simple sentences, for reading between the lines. I am all for creating mini philosophers.
This isn't as hard to do as you think; there are child-centred texts out there just for this kind of thing. In fact, the reason I'm blogging this right now is to promote one; The Little Prince. If you click that link, you'll be taken to a wiki page that shows some of the most memorable quotes from this text. If you click that link, you will quickly see that this picture-enhanced children's book is no regular children's book. Some of the lines in this text are comparable to the words of philosophers I studied in my undergrad. It is a brilliant book. It is beyond brilliant: it is inspiring, life-changing, philosopher-creating. No one can read this text and not be inspired to start writing their own aphorisms in response to what they are reading.
I truly recommend bringing this text into the classroom either for novel-studies (it comes in a short novel form) or classroom reading with reflections. The reflection part is the most important part but I ask you not to box off your student's reflections. Have them pick a line that stood out in the chapter you read (there will be plenty) and have them write anything in response to it; how it made them feel, whether they agree or disagree, why the character might have said it, etc. This text is in no way boxed, so I urge you not to box your students' thinking as they read it. Another bonus to this wonderful piece of work is that it is written in French so there are French editions that could be used in French immersion schools or read at the end of French classes.
I urge you to bring out the philosophers inside the hearts and souls of your students, because those little philosophers have the potential to completely blow your mind (as most philosophers of any age can do).
This isn't as hard to do as you think; there are child-centred texts out there just for this kind of thing. In fact, the reason I'm blogging this right now is to promote one; The Little Prince. If you click that link, you'll be taken to a wiki page that shows some of the most memorable quotes from this text. If you click that link, you will quickly see that this picture-enhanced children's book is no regular children's book. Some of the lines in this text are comparable to the words of philosophers I studied in my undergrad. It is a brilliant book. It is beyond brilliant: it is inspiring, life-changing, philosopher-creating. No one can read this text and not be inspired to start writing their own aphorisms in response to what they are reading.
I truly recommend bringing this text into the classroom either for novel-studies (it comes in a short novel form) or classroom reading with reflections. The reflection part is the most important part but I ask you not to box off your student's reflections. Have them pick a line that stood out in the chapter you read (there will be plenty) and have them write anything in response to it; how it made them feel, whether they agree or disagree, why the character might have said it, etc. This text is in no way boxed, so I urge you not to box your students' thinking as they read it. Another bonus to this wonderful piece of work is that it is written in French so there are French editions that could be used in French immersion schools or read at the end of French classes.
I urge you to bring out the philosophers inside the hearts and souls of your students, because those little philosophers have the potential to completely blow your mind (as most philosophers of any age can do).
My student centred blog
I have been asked to create a more class-oriented blog that I will share with students.
Click here to view this newly created blog.
Click here to view this newly created blog.
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