Apps! Apps! Apps!

Maureen and I have been working our way through our Resource Depot. We have discovered and tried out a lot of cool new apps that could be very beneficial for our students. Many of these apps are animated which increases student engagement. We decided to categorize our apps based on reading, writing, fine motor and phonemic and phonetic awareness. By categorizing these apps, teachers can easily glance though the categories and take note of anything that may be useful to them. This assignment encouraged me to seek out some new supports that I can integrate into my lessons.

Collaborating is Key!

Since Maureen and I work together at the same school, we thought it would be beneficial if we compiled a resource depot together. She provides Early literacy Support for students in my class as well as resource support for reading and writing. We are always trying to engage our struggling students and ensure that we are meeting their needs but often times there just aren't enough hours in the day to research and try out new apps and websites. This project was certainly one that we will be able to use in our classrooms.

Learning Process

I've learned something new last night and this morning.....how to share a Prezi and a Google Doc so that it can be viewed publicly. When I created my Prezi, this was the first time I ever used this program so everything was new to me. This is definitely something that I will be able to carry forward and use. I have created a Google Doc before, but I've only ever shared the doc with one or two people. I had never made a doc public. This was a first for me. When I went into the advanced settings, I had the option to make it public with editing capabilities or view only capabilities. I thought this was pretty neat.

Artifact #3

The third artifact that I created is a Google Doc. The document is a list of French Apps that can be used to support French Immersion students at the elementary level. Teachers that I have shared this document with can add to the list since editing capabilities have been activated. This makes a great resource for French Immersion teachers.

https://docs.google.com/a/gnspes.ca/document/d/1ZVYGKJGZUzJ__78g9nBQYJyNoEeIrrf5T9McHLDtj88/edit?usp=sharing

Wordle Artifact #2

This is my second artifact. I decided to experiment with the website Wordle, www.wordle.com

Prezi Artifact #1

I've found an alternative to PowerPoint! This is the first time that I have created a Prezi and I loved using the online program. I found this to be very user friendly and straightforward.  I decided to focus on iPad apps that support Readers. These apps can be useful for struggling readers and can also be incorporated into my curriculum identification issue.

Click the link below to view my first Prezi creation.

http://prezi.com/jlqi3b1n-8f8/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

Module 2 Assignment 2-Use Your Presence

I also explored the digital documents library know as Scribed. This is a pretty neat option that I've enjoyed exploring.

Reading & Writing Apps 

Module 2-Building a Website

Well my website is underway. At first I was uncertain if I wanted to use Google Sites or Weebly. After watching the tutorial on Google Sites I decided that this would probably be the best option since I am trying to use Google Apps for Education more frequently. I have had to watch a few tutorials on YouTube when trying to manage specific parts of my website, but it's coming along. I'm sure I still have so much to learn, but this is certainly a start.

Curriculum Identification Issue

The topic that I will be focusing on as an issue within the curriculum is supporting struggling readers using technology. From year to year I am searching for ways to support struggling readers in my class. There is very limited resource support for children in French Immersion who struggle in both languages. Researching and having discussions with my colleagues will provide me with more resources that I can integrate into my class in order to help my students be more successful. I look forward to researching this topic and utilizing the information that comes to light.

Neil's Online Discussion

This weekend past I participated in Neil's discussion that focused on digital citizenship. His questions opened up some interesting discussions. For me, I think the most important points that I took away from the session was that it is very important to start discussing digital citizenship with children even at a young age. It is typically most effective if parents, teachers and community members are working together to educate students about this topic.

Module 1

While viewing the video Pay Attention, I initially felt a huge sense of guilt. I know that my students are digital learners. On a daily basis they share stories about using technology to talk with their family and friends, make videos, practice reading and writing, play games, watch movies and do so many other things that help them develop their digital literacy skills. I would love to use their prior knowledge, build on it and allow them to explore using devices that engage them in their learning. However, I feel as though when they come through the school doors, they have to "power down". They can no longer use their digital literacy skills because our school is lacking technology. We currently have 21 working netbooks (many of those have keys and buttons missing, don't connect to the internet or cannot hold a charge) and 8 iPads. Being in a very large school with 500 students and 21 classes, our scheduled computer time is very limited to one hour per week. One hour per week with devices that don't function properly makes for a very chaotic afternoon.

Key points for me in the article:

• Education standards have changed
• 21st century learning lacks professional development 
• Collaborative learning is key
• Standardized testing does not support 21st century learning

Pay Attention

The article Comparing Frameworks for "21st Century Skills" written by Chris Dede focuses on the idea that learning has evolved tremendously from the 20th to the 21st century. While reading the article, the first thing that came to mind for me was the constructivist approach. Within our schools, the most recent explorations and student-centered teaching practices that are being promoted with regards to reconstructing education relate back to theories that were created over one hundred years ago. These practices reflect the work of theorists such as John Dewey and Paulo Freire. Dewey and Freire focused on student-centered learning in hands on learning environments. Teachers are taking on the role of a facilitator, allowing students to use an inquiry-based approach to explore and think critically. This model focuses on developing literacy among our students. Using the constructivist approach and integrating technology as referred to by Dede would allow students to take their learning to the next level. 

  

This article made me think back to a video I had seen previously by Chris Dede called Mindshift: Chris Dede on Cyberlearning and Games. Personally, I think the most valuable message within this video is that a virtual world combined with a skilled teacher can provide a very enriched learning experience for students.