Podcasts - TT#8

http://io9.gizmodo.com/scientists-detect-a-particle-that-could
-be-a-new-form-o-1562312703

I frequently listen to a podcast called Quirks and Quarks on CBC Radio. It is hosted by Bob Mcdonald and is labeled as a science and medicine show. It is updated weekly covering current science related topics. Topics aren't necessarily only new discoveries but cover other aspects such as what a Trump presidency means for science research. I like listening to this podcast since it is current and the information is interesting. Bob Mcdonald is also an engaging story teller and the vocabulary used in the podcasts is reasonable for understanding at a young age. I would definitely use this podcast in my classroom. I would incorporate ideas expressed in some of the episodes as well as assign ones that I thought to be important and relevant to a current topic in the class. I believe homework shouldn't always be questions of a text but exploration of ideas as well. 

I like the idea of an assignment that involves students creating a podcast. There are plenty of students out there who would thrive with this type of assessment. Of course it would push other students out of their comfort zone but that's okay since plenty of great learning experiences occur there. In order to develop a podcast, students would have to do their homework to make sure their information is correct and flows smoothly from one idea to another. They are also great since students can't use imagery to support their themes. This mean they have to put extra effort into being as thorough as possible in order to communicate what they want the listener to learn. Podcast assignments would a great addition to a class blog as well. I think I may try this in the upcoming placement! 

Public Shaming - Week 7

I read an interesting article title "How One Stupid Tweet Blew Up Justine Sacco's Life"  written by Jon Ronson and published in the New York Times. The article outlines instances of severe public shaming brought on by a mob mentality through social media. The main topic of discussion in the article follows a famous tweet by Justine Sacco and the resulting repercussions of it. For those unfamiliar with this, Justine tweeted “Going to Africa. Hope I don’t get AIDS. Just kidding. I’m white!” while on holiday in 2013. She was waiting in Heathrow’s international terminal for her departure to Cape Town. Justine didn't expect much from the tweet considering she had only 170 followers but during her 11 hour flight to Cape Town, unknowingly her tweet blew up into the #1 trending topic. People were outraged by her insensitivity to an issue that is not such a good idea to joke about. The following public shaming by tens of thousands of angry tweets resulted in a loss of her job, death threats, and severe psychological and emotional damage. Her story is similar among many including high school students.

Obviously, Justine was the one who wrote the insensitive tweet but did her punishment fit her actions? I don't know the type of person Justine is, nor am I defended her or agreeing with what she said, but she has been permanently labeled in a certain way now by a comment less than 140 characters long.  I'm sure she does not continue to stand behind her comment either. We all make mistakes but I cannot imagine we should be subject to such a large public harassment.  It reminds of this:

(State Archives of Florida)

This photo is supposed to be of Jonathan Walker who, in 1844, was convicted as a "slave-stealer" for attempting to aid several slaves escape off the coast of Florida. He was sentenced to imprisonment, heavy fines, and being tied to a pillory as a form of public shaming. The difference now compared to the 1800's in Florida is that the pillory, brought on by "social justice" through social media, is capable of following somewhere wherever they go. Also, who should be held responsible for their actions in Justine's case? Justine is wrong is saying what she did, the people who shamed her are no better for the comments they make personally attacking her, twitter has provided a platform for this to occur, and the internet is not policed to protect against any of it. So what can someone do? The answer.....is to be a digitally responsible citizen. I have posted about this topic before but after reading Justine's story, I felt to go on further. It is so important that we know what we put out in the world (via spoken word, art, internet) can dramatically change our lives and it's so important that our youth know this. I for one will be incorporating social media in classroom, using board approved platforms of course and I will for sure only use platforms that I can personally regulate.

Using Video in the Classroom - TT#9

The person in the video above is of Chris Hadfield. Chris is a astronaut on the International Space Station (ISS) and he routinely takes requests from budding scientists for what small experiments they should perform while on the space station. This video shows what happens to water when rung out of a clothe. I would use the video to test student knowledge of what they think would happen and why. It would be used an an activation strategy and assessment "for" instruction. I would introduce the video in Grade 9 Science specifically for Cluster 4: Exploring the Universe. I would also introduce the video at a time when the ISS would be travelling through the following night sky so the students could get an idea of where these experiments occur.

I like the use of video in the classroom. It is a powerful way to get content across through a different medium. They provide another dimension to classroom to break up the ordinary. Also, students get a chance to learn from someone other than the class teacher. There are so many great videos out there to enhance the student experience and I will continue to incorporate them into my lessons. One aspect of video/multimedia I have not explored yet is student-created ones. I think it's due to the fact that I don't have my own class yet and I am not a big fan of being in front of the camera. I think I will explore this in the future though for students who enjoy this type presentation. They are a great way to differentiate assessment to the artistically inclined. I would definitely provide the option of voice-over videos though for students who may be too shy. As far as sharing the videos go, I would suggest it to the students and leave it up to a vote. If I had a group that particularly didn't feel comfortable posting their video in a world-wide public forum, I think I would close off the boundaries to maybe a class blog instead.

Informative Edublogger - TT#4

So I've following Chris Ludwig for the last few weeks through his posts on his blog "Science Education on the Edge: Experimenting with student-centered science education". Mr.Ludwig is a "High school science teacher partially proficient in assessment reform, digital portfolios, and makerspaces" as stated in his twitter bio. He teaches La Junta, Colorado at the La Junta High school and Otero Junior College. From what I have read on his blog, it seems Mr.Ludwig builds his pedagogy around student inquiry. He endorses maker-spaces, e portfolios, and student blogs to assess his students understanding of content. His posts constantly reflect what seems to be the most recent movements in education as well.

I chose to follow Mr.Ludwig since it seems he is constantly updating himself on the what`s new in ed. He seems very intelligent in his application of new movements and is realistic in the benefits and pitfalls of these movements. His interests seem to align with my own as well; he teaches science and enjoys coding and teaching coding. I also would really like to build an inquiry based environment for my future students to learn in as well and his posts have given some insight as to what I can expect from it.

One of the things I have learned from Mr.Ludwig's blog is the types of challenges and opportunities that arise when providing a student-centered, maker-space classroom. There are many points that could be touched on here but the most important I found was how Mr.Ludwig decides to assess his student understand. He follows up at the end of the year with a interview about what they feel they deserve for a letter grade. The interview revolves around a rubric that is introduced and negotiated at the beginning of the term. I like the idea of  having an interview for student assessment but I don't believe it would work for Manitoba reporting requirements. I think if were to run this type of class I would have to include some sort of written submission for grades.

The Connected Teacher - Manitoba Edition - Week 6

This week, we had 2 homegrown Manitoba teachers put on some great presentations on ways they include tech into their classrooms. The first presenter was Kirsten Thompson who is a senior years teacher in Ste Rose Mb. Kirsten shared with us how she uses ICT in and out of her classroom and I have to say, it was impressive. She maintains 2 twitter accounts, an online portfolio, a teachers pay teachers account, a YouTube channel, 2 general education blogs, and two classroom blogs. I can't believe how well she stays connected! She brought up some great points about the importance of developing a positive digital identity as well. First, she mentioned that by updating class blogs and twitter accounts, she can breach the gap between what parents think is going on in the classroom and what is actually going on. Parents can easily be updated on homework, material being covered, and teaching practices through these platforms. She also shared some of the digital assignments that she incorporates in class through blogging. For select classes, she assigns the students a task that they have to research and post about in the blog. Their work can be presented in various ways like through creating a word splash or in written form. I can see so many benefits to allowing students to present their material through this medium. The task is a great way to differentiate instruction, enhance student engagement, build digital citizenship, and deepen student comprehension. She also provided the resource package to us (and the world for that matter) for free! Thanks Kirsten!

The second presenter was Tyler Letkemen; a senior years Physics and ELA teacher at Vincent Massey Highschool in Brandon Mb. Tyler shared with us some great insights into the inner workings of Google Drive and demonstrated how to effectively use it as an educator. He also shared with us some amazing ideas on how he uses ICT in a teaching tool for his students. One of his assessments that he shared was the retelling of Romio and Juliet through instagram. I can see how students would get right into this! The students would have to know the story in order to be able to share it through a common app that they are engaged with. Talk about connecting to students through a way they would really enjoy.

Both these teachers/presenters are really on the forefront of ICT use in classrooms and I learned a lot from the short amount of time they spent with us!

Digital Footprint - TT#5

 

Enzozo/iStock/Thinkstock                                                                    

   I recently watched a informative video on digital footprints. Essentially what they are is, all the stuff that we leave behind while we access anything on the internet. This includes social media posts and likes, app usage, email records, location accessed by location services on devices, and the lists go on and on. This data is constantly being viewed by 3rd parties for many reasons. It could be for advertising purposes, security reasons, or for hackers looking to get into your financial info. It is a really scary concept actually that has me worried. I am online all the time and I never really thought of the trail I am leaving behind. I don't do anything that is questionable by any means but I don't like the idea of someone watching what I do.

     It takes a lot of time and effort to manage our digital footprints. The three best ways I have discovered are education yourself on the basic issues of digital identity and privacy, separating accounts for work and home, adjusting online tools and services provided by websites and apps.

     I think anyone that saw my digital footprint would be able to determine the kind of person I am. I don't really have much of a separation of the person I am in real life to the person I am online. I like to share my opinions as long as they aren't directly hurting someone, watch videos of cool science,tech, racing, and random things, and research topics for assignments. I never really click on ads so I think that might be a deterrent for advertising companies. Actually, I just recently read on article about manipulating those sidebar ads. Apparently, if you click on the ad, search through the website a bit then exit the site and keep doing this continuously over time, the deals will get better. I have never tried it for myself but if someone is an avid online shopper, it could be beneficial. Anyways, lesson of the story is to be aware that your actions are being recorded and likely sold to the highest bidder.

The 20% Project - Week 5

    This week, Daniel Dillon - a Senior Years teacher from Flin Flon, delivered what I would say was a very enthusiastic presentation to our class. He shared a lot of his teaching strategies that he currently employs in his classrooms. Two strategies he touched base on were using virtual reality (VR) to explore the world, and one that really peaked my interested 20time projects.

     20time projects is very similar to The Genius Hour where students, almost every week, get 20% of their class time per week (or 1 hour) to work on a passion project on their own choosing. The strategy is based off the management philosophy that Google subscribes (or at least used to) which yielded such profitable ventures such as Gmail, Google Maps, and Adsense.  The basis of the philosophy (both in management and education) gets it roots from three essential ingredients described in the book Drive by Danial Pink; autonomy, mastery, and purpose. I used to listen to this book on my way to school in my undergrad. The book investigates the foundations of motivation in people. By allowing students the opportunity to experience these ingredients, students build confidence in their own abilities to turn their ideas into realities. They get to see their ideas grow by tracking their progress through a weekly updated blog and express their passion through purpose. Purpose is one of the objectives outlined by this classroom management strategy. Students have to decide who their audience or clients will be and strive to connect to them. I think allowing students this type of autonomy towards their own learning in our school system is so inspiring. I mean isn't that our goal as educators? To foster independence in becoming a life-long learner? Well it seems this technique lets the students practice this the way they would like too!

     I'm sure the 20time Projects technique comes with it's own challenges. One challenge, at the senior years level, would be meeting the curricular outcomes. One of the ways Daniel Dillon is recently experimenting with is providing students with a hand-out that lists the outcomes that they need to meet for the course. The students, through-out the term, need to come up with how they will meet the outcomes. By doing this, and setting some limits on projects to keep projects connected to the course, the students are taking their learning into their own hands. From what I have read online, students are strongly motivated by this through intrinsic means instead of extrinsic rewards like grades; a idea that Pink says is much more powerful.

     I hope to get the opportunity in my future classroom to try the 20time Projects with own students. Daniel Dillon recommended trying with one class first and moving on from there which I will definitely trust to be the right approach. I gotta say, there are so many great ideas out there for motivating learning in students and I am quite excited to try this, among others.

Infographics - TT7

Info-graphics or Information graphics are a visual way to represent information, knowledge, and data in a clear and concise way. They catch the audiences attention through compelling images that represent the information to be presented.

I find that I would use info-graphics in the classroom for sure. I would use them just as posters on walls or in online classroom blogs. I think they are a great way to get a students attention on the fundamental concepts and ideas for any area. I think info-graphics are much more useful for interesting, but difficult, concepts that aren't easily understandable. For example, in the physics of bottle flipping. The science behind bottle flipping is so complex that only an info graphic would suffice for explanation.


Assessment ideas:

1. If I were teaching in a science classroom, I would introduce an infrographic on a certain topic, say planets and the universe. Once students have had some time to view the graphic, I would prompt students to pick an aspect of infographic and research it in more depth. Then the students would have to deliver some sort of submission about their research. It could be a paper, project, model, etc.

2. Get the students to make an infographic of their choice! To create an infographic that explains a concept takes alot of effort. There needs to be plenty of synthesis of the material in order to choose which information is important. Also, finding an appropriate image requires another sensory dimension that would help students build better understand.

 One info-graphic that I had made for an assignment in education was about a comprehension strategy I had to present to the rest of my class. The strategy is Magnet Summaries. I think it helped with class engagement and made for useful hand-out as well.

Personal Learning Network and The Connected Student - TT6

     Today we had a presentation delivered by John Evans from Manitoba Ed and one of the topics he talked about was the huge change in each personal learning network (PLN). The PLN is growing so fast and expanding like crazy! John explained that back when he graduated from Brandon U Education in 1980 his PLN looked something like the following:

by A. Couros: http://www.flickr.com/photos/courosa/344832659/

     Now with the advent of so many online platforms designed for reflection and sharing the teacher network has evolved into something like the following:

by A. Couros: http://www.flickr.com/photos/courosa/2922421696/

     This figure is even beginning to shift as well. These diagrams are just another testament to the amount of information out there that requires some sifting. "Getting information off the internet is like taking a drink from a fire hydrant" John explained. Except the water is tainted. There is a huge amount of fake news/facts out there that it's overwhelming. Even in articles that are posted from credible sources can be well beyond misleading. "we have to develop our crap detectors". We need to work on our critical analysis reading skills so that we can show our students how to detect internet lies. We have to help them develop a information filter to discern between not just whats important but whats factual.

     I've started the process of trying to organize my own PLN and so far it looks like the following:

     This is only the beginning as well. As I type I can think of quite a few more items that need to be added. I really like the idea of creating a PLN using a mind mapping tool. Mindmeister was used for my own. The map is a good way to keep track of which networks are still being used frequently and which could be touched upon again. 

     Students should be aware of what their PLN's are as well. They build them without thinking about but creating a small assignment where they map their sources would really adjust their attention. I have created a map of what a student PLN may look like and hope to update the image with the upcoming teaching practicum:

Social Media Literacy - Week 4

           

     This week  I had the opportunity to read an interesting article posted on educause.edu and written by Susan Mehringer. The article outlined some very important facets of social media literacy that I have not ever encountered before. In fact, I have never really seen anyone attempt to break down social media literacy into its constituents. I find this task a bold undertaking since social media is ever changing and that by the time a person would be done researching and organizing necessary info, the entire platform could have changed already; a common aspect of any digital tool. In Mehringer's article, the outlined facets are attention, participation, collaboration, network awareness, and critical consumption. She puts particular emphasize that attention is the fundamental aspect with an interconnected web of the other 4 being used without any possible specific use of one in isolation. 

Attention: 
     Mehringer brings up many great points when it comes to student attention in classes where laptops are permitted. Her main idea though is not to ban social media and online distractions from the class but to make students aware of where their attention is being directed. She performs a few probing social experiments on the students to accomplish this. Her end goal is to allow students to gain some perspective of what it means to connect to their public voice and the implications of doing so. She emphasizes that the focused attention should be place on what they are saying with consideration of others i.e. information outside our focal area.

Participation:
     Mehringer states that we must participate in a way that is valuable to others and become active digital citizens. Technology is a "...powerful engine of participation." Today's social platforms allows people to inform, persuade, and influence the beliefs of others through active participation. The power of which grows with the ability to organize large groups of people. 

Collaboration: 
     With social media, people can collaborate in ways that were too difficult and costly before. The benefits of the power for social medias ability to rally large groups quickly can be seen around the world in influencing political policy and spending, to helping disaster victims. 

Network Awareness:
     Social networks are essential to human well-being and before the advent of online social networks, there were physical limitations on the amount of people that could be included. Now, network sizes are exponential in size, with limitations being what we choose them to be. Educators and learners understand two key notions in terms when deciding who to include in their personal learning networks (PLN), reputation and diffuse reciprocity. Essentially, they base their PLN on if a person is trustworthy or entertaining, or that they will contribute in turn with each other, useful information.

Critical Consumption:
     Critical consumption is the "crap detector" which involves who and what is trustworthy. In order to determine who is trustworthy, we must "Consult them personally, consult what they've written, ad consult their opinion about the subject." If they seem trustworthy afterwards, then we add them to our PLN. This crap detection is largely connected to attention. We must develop strong skills on how to focus our attention on people and information that is useful to us amidst the immense flow of information online.

I'll leave this post with one final quote that Mehringer, "... if we want to discover how we can engage students as well as ourselves in the 21st century, we must move beyond skills and technologies. We must explore also the interconnected social media literacies of attention, participation, cooperation, network awareness, and critical consumption."