Reflections

Reflections
In what ways has this course helped you to develop your own technology skills as a professional teacher?
This course has really helped me to develop new technology skills as a teacher and also as a citizen. I learned how to create and put to use a blog, how to collaborate through a wiki and also how to create a podcast. All of these things were new experiences for me and I enjoyed learning about all of them. I also enjoyed thinking critically and creatively about how to incorporate these technological ideas into a grade two classroom.
In what ways have you deepened your knowledge of the teaching and learning process?
There were a few times throughout this course where I was very frustrated because I couldn’t figure something out. This reminded me of what it is like to learn something new and how frustrating it can be and how sometimes it is hard to persevere. Sometimes it’s good to be the learner again so that when you go back to being the teacher the uncomfortable feeling of being challenged is fresh in your mind.
  In what ways have you changed your perspective from being teacher-centered to learner-centered?
  This course has helped to enforce the importance of learner-centered classrooms. To incorporate 21st century skills the teacher should no longer be the dictator but instead be a facilitator of learning. The class should be involved in critical thinking and inquiry based problems. The teacher should be supporting these students with help and assistance rather than showing them what to do. This course has helped me see different ways to encourage collaboration and digital learning in any aged classroom.
In what ways can you continue to expand your knowledge of learning, teaching, and leading with technology with the aim of increasing student achievement?
As an educator that is dedicated to lifelong learning I believe that I need to continue to try new things while staying current with new technological ideas. It is important that I experiment with these ideas and find ways to integrate them into the classroom to encourage participation and build knowledge. In order to be a leader of technology I must be comfortable, familiar and up to date. As much professional development and experimentation as possible would be an asset to expanding my knowledge of learning, teaching and leading with technology to increase student achievement.
Set two long-term goals (within two years) for transforming your classroom environment by which you may have to overcome institutional or systemic obstacles in order to achieve them. How do you plan to accomplish these goals?
Goal Number 1: For my students to have the opportunity to collaborate with each other outside of school.
How I will Accomplish this Goal: I will accomplish this goal by having a class wiki that I teach the students how to use. It will have sections for subjects and topics that we are learning and places to share their information. The can use their computers at home to add information and also computer class in order to update and collaborate.
Goal Number 2: To have a classroom blog that can act as a showcase of the children’s work and also as a form of communication between parents and teacher.
How I will Accomplish this Goal: I will accomplish this goal by first having a permission sheet/survey signed by all of the parents to post the students work and to take into consideration any preferences for the site. I will also have to talk to my administrators about what content can be shared on the site. Eventually, I would like to assign students to post things on it for me in order to get them familiar with using a blog.
Refer to your checklist from Week 1. Have any of your answers changed after completing this course?
My answers have not changed after this course. Incorporating more 21st century skills into my teaching has been a goal of mine that I have been working at for awhile. I think over the last few years my checklist would have changed from “rarely” to “sometimes” for several of these skills and now I am working towards being able to check “often.” It is coming along slowly but surely.

Podcast

Podcast Survey done of 3 grade 2 sudents in my class about their use and fimiliarity with technology.

Reactions to www.p21.org

Reactions to www.p21.org

I recently visited the provided website. I found this website very interesting. The entirety of the website is based on 21^st century skills and assistance in ensuring that these skills are used and taught in classrooms around America.  It focuses on combing the 3Rs and 4Cs: Critical thinking and problem solving, Communication, Collaboration, and Creativity and innovation in education.

I found this website helpful and enjoyed the different resources, blogs and suggestions that it made for incorporating 21^st century skills into the classroom.  Since it was a national website with so many supporters it helped me to realize the how big of a debate and issue ensuring that 21^st century skills are taught and applied in the classroom. It is obvious that educators around America are struggling in how to incorporate these skills into their classroom.

Like all information we read on the internet it must be taken with a grain of salt along with a fair dose of critical thinking. I agree with some of the information displayed on this website but think it is important to modify it in order to meet the needs of your own classroom, community and district initiatives.  Although the 3Rs and 4Cs are important skills and definitely desirable for being successful in the 21^st century I don’t believe that it needs to be local, state and federal policies are necessary. As stated before it is important to adapt and use these skills as appropriate to each class, community and district.  Several of these 21^st century skills also include the use of technology and therefore, unless the federal, state and provincial government is prepared to provide funding for resources, technology and training in order to insist that we use these skills as a main focus every day then it should not yet be a “policy.”

If 21^st century skills become central to teaching subject matter this will definitely help the children to become more ctirical and independent thinkers as well as help them to be efficient at skills necessary to the workplace. As a teacher, if these skills become a policy then we will be expected to change our teaching practice and hopefully will be supported in doing so with extra training, funds and support in making sure that these skills are properly infused with other curricular necessities.

A Blog in Lower Elementary

I am a grade two, elementary teacher.  A blog can be a very useful tool for a classroom. A way that I would like to use a blog in my classroom is mainly as a showcase for their work. Elementary students are very proud of everything that they accomplish in a day and even more proud and excited to show it off. I would like to use my blog as a communication tool between the students, the parents and myself. I would like to share the students' achievements and creations. This would be our opportunity to share our hard work not only with our parents but also our relatives, other citizens of our community and with the world. It would be especially neat for comments and student interaction from other students around the world. This blog would enhance our lessons because the students would have a focus group and someone to impress other than just me. They would know that the work they complete is shown to the world and therefore, they should do there best. I think this would really be a great way to use a blog in a lower elementary classroom.

Technology Haves and Have Nots

My question to all the teachers out there is this: What technology do you have and use in your own classroom? What do you wish you had?
I have a SMART board that I use a lot in my classroom. I do my Daily Calendar Routine with it and when I do different centres there is usually a fun interactive centre at the SMART board. I also use it a lot for demonstrations of how to get to certain websites for when they are independently using the computer. It is much more convenient than an overhead projector.  I also like to use video. At the end of the year I videotape the kiddos and put it all onto a DVD for them for a keepsake memory. They love it! We also do a lot of research on the Internet of different topics. The students are already making their own PowerPoint presentations.
I wish we could have more computers in our classroom so that they were more accessible to everyone. We are hoping for the incorporation of IPads soon and I am very excited for what the ways that that will influence engagement.
Thanks for your feedback!

Welcome!

Hello!
This is my first blog and I am really excited to be a part of the blogging world! I am a grade 2 teacher and am almost finished my third year of teaching. This blog will include the day to day life of a grade 2 teacher in Alberta along with different technoloy ideas and experiments. Thanks for joining my adventure.