Almost done!

I can't believe I almost done EDUC 5203!  It has been a very worthwhile course that has exposed me to many new technologies to enhance my teaching practices.  There are still many more Web 2.0 tools that I have not yet explored but I have the intention to continue to expose myself to various tools.  I know I want to explore Prezi as a way to create presentations for various functions.  I also know that I need to keep up with new technologies that are being created to find the ones that really work with my students and my classes.
In the new school year, our school will have a class set of iPads.  Over the summer months, I am planning to explore how to use these in my classroom to enhance teaching and learning, exploring various apps to use, etc.
Over the summer I am also planning to create a website for our school as our current site is no longer working properly.  I am planning to use Google Sites for this is the tool I used to create my own site and am somewhat familiar with it.  I also plan to explore more options with the site.
I have also exposed myself a little to Google Drive.  This is a great tool that I intend to introduce to students at the start of the school year.  Students often times begin work at school that needs to completed at home or some additional work needs to be done at home and then worked on again at school.  Often times students will forget to bring USB drives or they need to email it to themselves.  If they are introduced to and use Google Drive this will not be an issue.  They will be able to work on their assignment wherever they are as long as they have internet access.  I will then be able to access their assignments online, and provide feedback to them in this way.
I have thoroughly enjoyed this course and have learned a great deal from it.  I look forward to continuing to explore the various web tools currently available and new ones that are developed in the future.

Discussion completed!

On Wednesday and Thursday, May 22-23, a discussion was held between myself and several classmates on the issue of Distance Education in High School.  As leader of the discussion, it was my goal to focus in on the positive and negative impacts of such courses for students at this level.  From the discussion, we were able to highlight several key advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages identified:
- it allows students the opportunity to compelte courses that are not offered at their school
- it can allow students to develop independence for their learning, a skill which will be required when attending post secondary
- it exposes students to various technologies that are widely used in post-secondary education
- it allows students the opportunity to complete courses that are of interest to them
- offers students who are not able to attend the regular school setting for whatever reason an opportunity to complete courses in another way

Disadvantages identified:
- students often times miss out on the social aspects of schooling that are very important in their education
- if students do not have the necessary skills such as self-discipline, they may not be as successful in these courses
- if the internet or equipment is not functioning properly, students are missing out on valuable class time
- students who have identified exceptionalities will need additional supports to complete the courses successfully which can sometimes be a challenge in small, rural schools with limited resources allocated

Overall, the discussion went well with class members contributing great thoughts, ideas and opinions.  One of the problems that I had with the discussion however was the fact that I was looking at this from the perspective of Newfoundland schools (CDLI) while others in the group were more familiar with the Nova Scotia Virtual School which, as I have learned from thsi discussion, is quite different.  Otherwise, I thoroughly enjoyed the discussion.

Change of Topic

After much pondering, I have decided to change the topic for the major assignment for EDUC 5203.  I will now explore the pros and cons of completing distance education courses at the high school level.  This is a topic that is very personal for me as the students in the school which I am principal of are required to complete much of their senior high program through the Centre for Distance Learning and Innovation (aka CDLI). 

To date, I have looked at the following resources:
http://etec.ctlt.ubc.ca/510wiki/Ensuring_Quality_Education_Through_the_Use_of_Technology_in_a_Rural_Setting

http://fr.slideshare.net/mkb/aect-2012-does-experience-with-online-learning-in-high-school-impact-distance-education-experiences-in-higher-education

http://www.mun.ca/killick/documents/TrendsReport_Draft2.pdf

http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/spring121/dodd121.html

http://www.mun.ca/killick/documents/Evolution_E_Learning_NL.pdf

I will be conducting a discussion with several class members on May 22-23 and look forward to the results of this.

iPads in the Classroom

For the major assignment related to this course, I will be looking at the use of iPads in classrooms.  I have been doing some research related to this topic and in so doing have come across the following resources which I feel gives someone who is new to this type of technology a good background:

http://l3t.eu/itug/images/band2.pdf

http://www.maclife.com/article/features/ipads_classroom_are_changing_face_education

The following is a Blog which provides some great tips on how to use the iPad in the classroom:
http://classtechtips.com/

Wordle

I have finally had my first experience creating a Wordle!!  I have seen them used in various capacities before, but always thought it was a tool that was difficult to use so never it.  I must admit, I regret not having used it earlier.

I created  a Wordle that my Grade 7 science students could use to review the key terms learned in the last unit we studied.  My intention was for it to be an aid as they are reviewing for the test; they could look at the words in the Wordle and think about the meaning, connections, etc.
I can also see using this tool in class with students by allowing them to create their Wordles that they could use for various purposes.  I look forward to introducing this to students, even though some of them may know more about it than me!
You can view my wordle on my website at https://www.sites.google.com/site/catherineypoole1/educ5203welcome/artifact-1  or by visiting http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/6696591/Mixtures_and_Pure_Substances

Discussion Part 2

After finishing the discussion group with fellow class members, I now have a few more ideas and thoughts about the use if technology in the classroom.  It is very interesting to get other's perspectives on a topic such as this. 

From the discussion, it seems that teachers use various technologies to varying degrees in all sorts of classrooms; however, as we discussed, it seems that there needs to be a balance of the use of technology and traditional methods to allow students the opportunity to develop different types of skill sets.

One important point that came out of the discussion was the fact that teachers and students are not the only ones who need to be educated about technology, parents do too.  In order for parents to embrace the concept of technology being used in the classroom for various reasons, they need to be educated about it and be able to understand the benefits of this sort of change in the delivery of education.

I truly enjoyed the discussion and look forward to setting up my own in the near future.

Discussions

Yesterday I began participating in the Discussion Group that a fellow classmate had started related to the positive and negative impacts of using technology such as Smart Boards and iPads in an early elementary classroom.  This disucssion is of great interest to me as it is very similar to the topic in which I am exploring. 

There were some really interesting comments made by group members in terms of why or why not we should be using such technologies for teaching and learning, how much they should be used, and in what ways.

I am continuing to do some of my own research on this topic and look forward to beginning my discussion very soon.