Reflections

=**__MY WRITTEN REFLECTIONS__** =



(January 8th, 2009)
If I think about my knowledge of computers and technology, I would have to say that I am a 2004 Honda CRV. I say this because I am fairly new with some of the more advanced applications used in today’s classroom, but I am sturdy, reliable, and can navigate around most places. If I get stuck, I back up and try again and can usually find my way. When I can’t figure it out, I use my lifeline and phone a friend. Traditionally, my technology use has been limited to word processing, web surfing, and downloading music. In the last couple of years, I have driven down new paths, using technology on a regular basis to supplement or introduce curriculum material. In particular, I have been experimenting with power points and wiki spaces quite a bit. I also use Utube and Teachertube frequently to reinforce points in the curriculum. I am set with most of the comforts a vehicle has to offer; now I need to upgrade to GPS, Keyless entry, and the 20” wheels.



**__ WHAT I FOUND MOST USEFUL? __** I came away from class very excited about a couple of new things I learned. I began to see how this course is really about what I put into it and how I will have some flexibility in what I choose to do with it. Since the last time we met, I have purchased a laptop :), joined Twitter, and have started using iGoogle quite a bit. I have personalized my homepage with iGoogle and have bookmarked some of my favourite sites using Google Reader. I really like this idea because I can have these sites bookmarked anywhere in the world on any computer when I sign in to my iGoogle account. I'm sure this is very basic but I did not know about this before! I have also started commenting on various news threads on popular sites like CBC, CNN, and CTV. I must have done something right because I've noticed other people have recommended my comments! I would like to be able to comment on other people's comments but I am still learning how to do that.
 * (January 21st Reflection) **

The other useful tool I have learned about is online mind mapping. As part of our homework, we were asked to mind map our DLN using a mind mapping site. I joined two sites (MindMeister and Mywebspiration) and started playing around with them a bit. I am sticking to the basics for now but they seem to be very user-friendly and I know they could be very useful tools for my Social Studies and History classes. I have my students do a number of mind maps in my courses I would like to show them how to do this digitally. I am also going to be able to produce mind maps for my students on various topics as I find them to be great study guides.

Still haven't checked out Wordle but it's on the “To Do” list.

**__APRIL 8TH, 2009__**
Recently I have been playing around quite a bit with Photostory. I recently put together a slide show presentation from my school's trip to Australia using Photostory and I found it very easy to use. I think this tool is almost easier to use than powerpoint and that it could be very useful for putting together presentations in my class on various topics. I am finding that most of the technology that I am using is quite easy to use. I had a fear at the beginning of this course that I would only be able to do some of the simplest things because I wasn't very advanced. I'm not sure if it is because I am becoming more competent or the fact that technology is easy to use but I am definitely benefiting a lot from this program.

 __ WHAT HAVE I LEARNED ON MY OWN????? __  I think I can say that I am a person who has done a lot of learning on my own. One area in particular where I have learned on my own is in my ability to do odd jobs around the house. I admit that I am not the handiest person out there, but I began to take an interest in this once I owned my own place. I have done this for the most part by trial and error and by asking people for advice. I find trial and error to be very effective. I am a hands on learner and need to actually “see and do” in order to learn something. The down side of trial and error is that it almost always involves failing at least once before succeeding.

Recently, I have started making use of the internet when doing some of these things. Google is an excellent source for anything, from cooking questions to fixing things. There is an infinite number of blogs out there on every topic I can think of, and I find when I use these I can often eliminate the “fail” part of the trial and error process and get it right the first time. J As I continue with the LTT Program, I am continuing to learn on my own as well as from others. One of my projects this semester has been to use my Wikispace to get my students more involved in their own learning. I have previously been using this in an “automotive” way by using various pages on my Wiki as parts of my lessons in class. This proved to be effective, however it was still me doing everything and the students watching. What I have started to do now is set up discussions on my Wiki where students can post comments and learn from each other as well as from the teacher. I hope to increase their confidence and stimulate discussion by doing this.
 * __(March 2009)__**

I am currently also learning how to use Photostory and Moviemaker and would like to eventually incorporate some movies I make into online lessons or homework. I was first introduce to Photostory through a presentation in our LTT class. It looked fairly simple and seemed to be something I could make use of in my classes. I put together my first slideshow using photostory of my school’s spring break trip to Australia. I learned(trial and error) how to move import and move pictures around, edit backgrounds and add titles, and add music to my slideshow. To be continued……….



**__CRITICAL REFLECTION #4 __** **__ MY REALLY GOOD TEACHERS __**
When I think about the really good teachers that I had in my K-12 education I immediately turn my attention to my high school years. This is not to say that the teachers I had in elementary and middle school weren't good, but high school is where I really started to understand who I was and shape my identity, and therefore the teachers that were in my life at the time probably had the largest influence.

Someone told me a quote once, I think it may have been one of my colleagues when I first started teaching or my SA during my practicum. The quote is this: **Students will remember very little if anything that you teach them, but they will remember you.** I think this is a very true statement. I had some really great teachers in high school for History, Drama, P.E, Biology, Chemistry, etc. I don't remember much about the content but I remember these people very well and I still have the pleasure of seeing some of them every year back in Victoria. I do remember some content, and I don’t want to make it sound like content is not important because I know I have taken bits of what I learned and applied it to my life today. What I remember more about my teachers in high school though is talking in the hallways, going on trips, sports events, or simply how they acted in the classroom. The people they were made the difference in my life, not necessarily what they taught. They were well rounded people with a lot of enthusiasm, integrity, and a passion for school life, not simply a subject. The way they conducted themselves helped shape the way I wanted to be. I ended up as a history/social studies teacher, and those were my favourite courses. They were my favourite courses because I naturally had a passion for the content, but more so because of who was at the front of the classroom. These were people that I wanted to be like. They helped me establish who I was by being themselves. This is what I hope to be doing for my students!

Already in my short career I have had students come back to visit me and say how much they enjoyed being in my class. I don’t know if this is because of the content I taught or because of who I am but I’m hoping it is a mixture of the two. As much as I love my subject and value content, my first goal is to help students become successful people in life(and maybe with a little interest in history J ). In the long run they will take from me far more than the content for SS11 or History 12, and so it is my responsibility to ensure they have positive experience in my classroom. Three cheers for all the good teachers!



=**__ MY LEARNING __** **(MARCH 25TH, 2009)** =

I believe that learning is a continuous process and therefore I guess my journey has been going on since my childhood. My learning back then didn't have a lot to do with technology, but revolved around sights, sounds, smells, and interacting with animals and people. As my learning got more sophisticated I obviously had to dive into textbooks, take on a job, do my part around the house and generally learn how to be a big boy. In my current situation my learning continues through this program, owning a home, and most of all as a teacher who interacts with hundreds of people every day. One thing that has remained constant throughout this journey has been the way I learn. My learning process basically consists of three steps:
 * __ What does my learning journey look like for the LTT Program? __**

1.) Reading or hearing 2.) Watching or seeing 3.) Doing

I joined this program to meet like-minded colleagues in my district and to look at ways of improving my students learning and enjoyment in the classroom. I have learned and continue to learn in a number of ways through this program. I have learned through my teacher, my colleagues, and through myself. I think I probably learn the most from the people around me in the program. This is because there is so much going on around me that I can pick and choose what I am interested in and then try and apply that to my classroom.

This is not to say that I do not learn from the teacher, because I believe all good teachers have lots to share. However, I also believe, especially at this level, that the teacher should be more of a facilitator for the learning. This is because of the wealth of knowledge in the room which the teacher cannot possibly show all of us in a three and a half hour session. The learning often originates with the teacher or presenter when they show me an example of a new learning tool, and then continues when I investigate further with colleagues who have “expertise” with that particular tool. The great thing about a learning situation like this is that there is almost always someone who knows more about it than I do.

The final part of the learning is when I actually sit down by myself and learn through “hands on” experience. As I have mentioned before I can learn a lot by reading and watching but the most effective way I learn is through doing. I don’t believe it is beneficial to tackle a new program without having someone show me first because I often end up frustrated and wanting to stick to the antique way of doing things. After I have been shown the basics, I need to sit down and have time to figure some things out on my own. I think this comes from a need to know that I can do it myself. Even if something looks very simple and I have seen other people do it many times, I need to do it. This is the part that is the most time consuming and can be frustrating but is the most beneficial part. I have spent time playing around with Jing and have actually used my first Jing video in class!!! I also spend alot of time playing with wikis and trying to make them more useful for my classes. The really important thing at this stage is to not get frustrated and give up.

I think another important part of this final stage is teaching what I have learned to others. This final step solidifies the knowledge or skill I have learned because I am repeating and practicing it as I teach it. I find as a teacher that I learn more about something every time I teach it, so teaching for me is an important part of the learning process. I think this is no different with technology. When I feel confident enough to teach someone about a new piece of technology, or about something in general, I know that I have adequately mastered whatever I am teaching.

__**DEFINING ASSUMPTIONS **__   **__ An assumption I have about teaching and/or learning is: __** Students learn better by seeing and doing and not simply by listening. Maybe I assume this because this is the way I learn but I have found that this is true for the majority of the students I have taught. They sometimes phase out if I lecture for too long. I also assume this because this is a digital era where most of them have been exposed to hands on gadgets from the time they were very little. I have to be careful with this assumption because although I believe students learn better by doing; I can often end up talking quite a bit because I am passionate about my subject. I also feel they learn better when they have a good relationship with the person that is teaching them. I pay attention to creating lessons that try to limit the amount of time I will be standing up there lecturing the students. Sometimes with history courses this is unavoidable but I do my best. I pay attention to having visuals for the students to see in my classroom, for example overheads or video clips that I will use to help explain a concept. I also pay attention to forming strong relationships and a comfortable learning environment early in the semester so that the students enjoy coming to my class and want to be there and participate.
 * __ Because I assume this to be true, when I create a learning environment I pay attention to: __**

I do not pay attention to assessment when I first plan a lesson. If I find a way to assess the students after I have created a lesson, which I almost always can, then I will use it but I think the learning part is the most important and should come first. Students can learn a lot and I think sometimes we are too concerned with having them prove that they are learning something by assessing them on everything they do. Do I think assessment is important? Absolutely. Do I think that there are teachers who over-assess and in this way sometimes squash some of the learning? Absolutely. 
 * __ Because I assume this to be true, when I create a learning environment I do not pay attention to: __**

**__DIGITAL LEARNERS__**
**(April 8th, 2009)**

1.) Digital kids are kids that were born in 1990 or later. I say that because by the time they were age 5 or 6, the internet was on the scene and everything just took off from there. These are kids who think digitally and act digitally. Digital kids have acquired most of the knowledge they have through digital means. They draw on the resources around them to figure things out and want to do it in the least amount of time possible. They don't want to use books, would rather not write on paper, and are often bored with technology that I once thought was cool. Most of them have access to the latest technology, such as ipods and iphones, and would love to use it all the time if they were allowed to. I think my generation is close to them so I don't have a problem with this but I know that many people in my school do.

In some cases, a digital kid is someone who is in a state of learned helplessness. They have been immersed in technology so much that they are not able to do things for themselves when they need to. "//A digital learner is a learner that lacks the ability to evaluate, analyse, and to comprehend. They depend on the technology to feed them information, and this disables their ability to think for themselves.//"
 * "I'm a 21st century digital boy, I don't know how to read but I got a lot of toys"**

2.) I know they are digital learners because I see their technology every day and I see them more engaged when I try to use technology in my classroom. They use their ipods everyday and are very good at using them. I know of one example where I realized that most of them are digital. I had a set of notes on the overhead, not very much and the font was fairly big. Some of them started to copy down the notes as I was talking, and about 18 students took out their phones and walked up to the overhead screen and took a picture of the notes with their phones. I know because they tell me. They tell me about using wikipedia, wiki-answers, forums, messageboards, grad transition online, chat rooms. They tell me about how to get things for free. I think they are digital learners because they want the best answer and they want the quickest possible way to that answer. And this generation knows how to find it!

3.) I think digital learners can teach me a lot as long as I am willing to listen and try new things in my class. They have taught me about how digital kids learn, and I am trying to adapt my lessons and the way I teach to best suit them. They can teach me about using technology to make things more efficient and faster, in and out of the classroom. Not all of the technology is for the classroom exclusively, and therefore they often teach me about music programs and websites that I use for life in general.





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__LEARNING STATEMENTS__
<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: left; display: block;"><span style="font-size: 120%; text-align: center; display: block; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">(April 29th, 2009)

1.) Something I am learning about technology is that it is always changing. This is something that I already knew before but have now confirmed through doing this program. I have tried a number of new things since I started this program and I am finding that as soon as I think I am comfortable with one program/teaching tool, someone mentions something else that is "better" or "easier to use". When this happens I feel the need to learn about it so I guess something else I am learning about technology is that I should be prepared to continue learning about technology now that I have started! As I said in the beginning technology is always changing and therefore if I am going to undertake something that involves using technology then I have learned that it is going to be an ongoing thing.

I have also learned that although technology is meant in part to make things easier and more efficient, it is not always as easy as it sounds. When someone talks about something being easy, they don't often mention the hours they have spent learning about it! New technology for use in the classroom does take time and energy to learn about and set up, and I must be prepared for this. If I am going to implement technology in my classroom it won't be overnight and I shouldn't expect it to be.

Having said that, I can say that I've learned that technology can be very beneficial in the classroom and that I should continue to try and implement it in my classroom. Wikis, Google Docs, Moodle, forums, messageboards are some of the programs I have tried using and I am learning more and more about them. My students seem to also be enjoying using these as a way to learn which is encouraging.

2.) Something that I am learning about learning is that the basics don't change. When I am learning about technology I must practice and take time developing skills, and that I can't expect to learn about something instantly. I am also confirming my longtime belief that when one is interested in something one learns more about it. I believe this to be true for all subjects in academics and LTT is no different. I am spending a lot more time learning about certain programs that interest me and that I can use in my classroom, while other programs that we are learning about I am not spending too much time on. Learning is about picking and choosing what interests you!

I am also learning that what I get out of this program depends on what I put into this program. I see other colleagues in my class doing amazing things and | know that if I want to do something similar I will have to put that time and effort in. This is not meant to sound negative, just reality. As I get more confident with certain programs I hope to spend more time using them and improving my teaching.

3.) Something I am learning about teaching is that change is necessary if I am going to be successful in my classroom. This is part of the reason why I enrolled in the LTT program. Students have changed since I first began teaching and I need to change with them. In some ways I have changed how I teach and I need to continue to do this. Students are now digital learners, and as I have learned, they don't learn as effectively with antiquated teaching methods. They have iPods, cellphones, laptops, MP3 players, flashsticks. What will be next? I need to continue experimenting with technology as I have found it to be a valuable resource. I have attempted to implement technology in a number of ways and student learning has increased as a result. Students are going to bring these to the classroom anyways so I should take advantage of it. Students will continue to change and therefore I must embrace what they bring to the classroom in order to be successful.

4.) Something that I am learning about myself is that I need to be patient when learning about technology. When I get interested in learning about something I tend to want to know everything at once. Learning about technology is the same as learning about anything else. It takes time and lots of practice. Sometimes when I think about technology I automatically think "quick and easy". This is definitely not the case and is sometimes the opposite. I know that I have to embrace technology but have realized that it is going to take time. I have learned that I should take things slowly and focus on a few things at a time, that way I will learn more about them instead of a little bit about everything. I can't know everything!!!! I am a visual learner and so I am finding that I need people to show me how to use a particular program or tool and then I need time by myself to practice using it. Trial and error is part of how I learn so I can't get frustrated when things don't go right the first time. I am learning that I can use technology to help me learn about technology (Google, How to videos, Wiki-answers). This makes things go faster and helps improve my learning. Learn from others! Collaborate! To be continued.....

<span style="font-size: 150%; color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; text-align: center; display: block;">__**WHAT ISSUES, PROBLEMS, RED FLAGS DO I SEE WITH USING TECHNOLOGY?**__ **(May 13th, 2009)**

- Time to learn about technology - Time to have students using technology. Often they come in not knowing about it. - Accessibility to the technology - Integration of the programs and resource....pcs vs macs - Stuck to the computer.....not always focused on your classroom - Shallow learning. Students are learning more about the technology than the curriculum. - Critical thinking skills. How does technology help? ( Am I empowering the kids to think critically through using technology?) - Loss of face to face. Social skills go down? - Lack of social accountability online. How can you be socially responsible on the web? - Cognitive streaming (taking away other aspects of thinking) - Glitches taking away from teaching time. - Cyber bullying - Level of access

1.)

Access - One problem that constantly comes up is access to computers. I work in a large high school with many classes wanting to use the library and the computer labs. This can be a problem when trying to implement technology into my classroom. It is not a problem if I am using the technology only in an automative way(i.e. on a cart in my room). However if I am wanting the students to be collaborating online, creating websites, or using a particular program I have to make sure that I book things way ahead of time. Once a project or assignment is under way, most students will do things online from home so this won't be an issue, however when I am just starting out and wanting to show everyone what to do, I need to have all the students in front of computers!!! Sometimes it is easier to just teach it with the book and some overheads.

Access to the internet itself can also be an issue. On a number of occassions I have had some sort of technology incorporated into my lesson (Youtube, website) and the technology has failed. Either the internet is painfully slow or the district server has been under maintenance or is temporarily down. Sometimes it can be down or extremely slow for quite a while, forcing me to adapt my lesson on the spot. Back to the book!!!!

Knowledge - Another issue is that not all students know how to use some of the technology. The are very capable using technology that they use in their everyday lives for personal interest, such as iPods, MP3s, and cellphones, but when it comes to technology programs for the classroom they sometimes need a lot of help. This can be very time consuming and will cut down on time actually spent on the curriculum. My first time in the library using wiki lessons this semester was quite frustrating. I spent most of the time accepting people to my wiki (partly because they didn't care about the bonus marks I gave them if they joined days earlier) and showing them how to use simple things on the website. I assumed that they would be able to figure this out!!!! Maybe I should be doing a lesson on Facebook????????

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