Saturday, 1 September 2012
Back to the Basics with Learning Literacy
The Lieutenant Governor's Aboriginal Summer Literacy Camp is a great program led by Frontier College to support the development of literacy skills among First Nations children and youth living on isolated fly-in only reserves in northern Ontario.
With a solid week of training in Thunder Bay regarding what we might or will expect when living and teaching in a First Nations community, my team was anxious and eager to get started.
After flying in on a small propeller plane, settling in, exploring the community, introducing ourselves to the community, and beginning registration, it was time to get started. The First Nation reserve that I was placed in has a population of approximately 300 people. Although the reserve is small, there was definitely a good number of children aged 4-16 who were eager to be involved in the literacy program throughout the summer.As expected, there were setbacks when planning and implementing a program in any community. One of the challenges that I came across (considering I was looking forward to using technology as much as I could in the classroom) was the lack of reliable internet available to support literacy lessons in the school. Not letting that stop us, our team did an incredible job at going back to basics with picture books, novels, journals and basic supplies. We planned and implemented creative and collaborative literacy activities that engaged students and got them continuing to develop their literacy skills throughout the summer.
My top learning experiences;
Accommodating lessons, activities, and assessment for a variety of learners has to be the foundation for success in this program. No matter how engaging activities are, cultural differences require your flexibility in the way one plans, delivers and assesses the program and students. Daily team reflection is key!
Collaboration with your team, other summer programs and community members is the most effective way to obtain community involvement that supports literacy in the community. With parents, teachers and community members willing to support the program, but may not know how, obtaining their support in any way they are able to provide it, increases the chances that children can look up to role models in the community.
Our assessment data showed improvements in reading levels for consistent attendees to the program. Small gains can make a difference. With overall success in the program, I can honestly say that this was a challenging yet overall worthwhile teaching and learning adventure!
Wednesday, 15 February 2012
Leadership is...
After a collaborative and in-depth cohort discussion on various types of school leadership, the functions of a school leader, and what defines a leader, we were asked to discuss what type of leadership most relates to us, and to come up with our own Edtech leadership statement.
I believe that passion is one of the most important characteristics of a leader, and also the most contagious when it comes to social influence and shaping action. Others may not agree that most leadership skills can be taught, but I strongly believe that any leadership skill can be improved with on going practice.
As I curiously searched for “leadership” on Goggle News, I was not surprised to see how almost every article was related to political leadership. Media will attempt to have us believe that leadership means being a politician, yet ironically, politics does not relate to the most authentic leadership values.
This had me thinking about our responsibility as teachers to discuss, and model every type of leadership to our students, not just as Edtech leaders in our schools but as teachers making a difference in our communities. Leaders come in all areas, genders, ages and cultures. In a school leadership context, true leaders value all forms of leadership and use their strengths to make a difference.
I believe that passion is one of the most important characteristics of a leader, and also the most contagious when it comes to social influence and shaping action. Others may not agree that most leadership skills can be taught, but I strongly believe that any leadership skill can be improved with on going practice.
As I curiously searched for “leadership” on Goggle News, I was not surprised to see how almost every article was related to political leadership. Media will attempt to have us believe that leadership means being a politician, yet ironically, politics does not relate to the most authentic leadership values.
This had me thinking about our responsibility as teachers to discuss, and model every type of leadership to our students, not just as Edtech leaders in our schools but as teachers making a difference in our communities. Leaders come in all areas, genders, ages and cultures. In a school leadership context, true leaders value all forms of leadership and use their strengths to make a difference.
Tuesday, 31 January 2012
Teaching with Technology Showcase
Being able to present at the Live Learning with Livescribe session specifically on “Livescribe Smartpens for Early Readers and English Languages Learners,” along with my colleagues Candice Lee and John Dang, reassured my passion for instructional leadership and being able to inspire and encourage educators and administrators to explore the benefits of incorporating Smartpen technology into their classrooms. Collaboration as presenters allowed our session to provide examples of activities that targeted primary, junior and intermediate divisions. Check out my learning object for this session.
I eagerly attended the Gamification of Learning, and Google in Classroom sessions led by fellow colleagues, and was very impressed with their knowledge and leadership in these areas. These sessions greatly expanded my understanding of social media tools and using video games in the classroom. Additionally, the exhibitor showcase provided me with valuable information on new technologies, and opportunities for collaboration in the Edtech community.
Overall, I took away practical and ready to use Edtech tools and ideas for the classroom and expanded my PLN by meeting some passionate newbies and leaders in the field.See you there next year!
Sunday, 15 January 2012
The 21st Century Classroom
During an Educational Technology Leadership class, we were asked to come up with what we thought the ideal 21st century classroom looks like. We could think about anything we would want in the classroom including academic, technical, physical and cultural aspects. The project discussions brought up amazing ideas and new concepts that even challenged the current definition of a "classroom," as well as discussions with more of a realistic vision.
As small and large group discussions filled the room. I though it was strange that be the end of the class, no one brought up the idea of treadmills in the classroom. There were some discussion on having enough space for physical activity and DPA activities, but it didn't go beyond that. It seemed to me that most ideas of classroom physical and technical features seemed to focus around computers, laptops, tablets, boards, furniture, space, storage, etc., bu isn't physical activity equipment considered technology too? I think so! With so much more attention over the past few years on research done on the benefits of physical activity on academic performance,I would have thought that is this is something most teacher would think about, why is is still not so?
A barrier in having people live active, healthy lifestyles is the motivation to make physical activity part of peoples' daily life, not an added extra thing they have to do. As adults, most of us know when we are feeling sluggish, unproductive or when we are having trouble focusing. Going for a walk/jog can help us feel better and re-charge.
Children can start to be taught to identify what helps them feel and think better at an early age, and should be given the opportunity to move whenever their bodies need it. We have all come across the "student who can't sit still." Would he/she learn better if they were given the opportunity to walk during the lesson? Treadmills may not be the most efficient solution, but there are other options out these. I strongly believe that teaching students to identify when they need a movement break is a life long skill that will lead to positive learning experiences for the rest of their lives.
Blogs/Articles
As small and large group discussions filled the room. I though it was strange that be the end of the class, no one brought up the idea of treadmills in the classroom. There were some discussion on having enough space for physical activity and DPA activities, but it didn't go beyond that. It seemed to me that most ideas of classroom physical and technical features seemed to focus around computers, laptops, tablets, boards, furniture, space, storage, etc., bu isn't physical activity equipment considered technology too? I think so! With so much more attention over the past few years on research done on the benefits of physical activity on academic performance,I would have thought that is this is something most teacher would think about, why is is still not so?
A barrier in having people live active, healthy lifestyles is the motivation to make physical activity part of peoples' daily life, not an added extra thing they have to do. As adults, most of us know when we are feeling sluggish, unproductive or when we are having trouble focusing. Going for a walk/jog can help us feel better and re-charge.
Children can start to be taught to identify what helps them feel and think better at an early age, and should be given the opportunity to move whenever their bodies need it. We have all come across the "student who can't sit still." Would he/she learn better if they were given the opportunity to walk during the lesson? Treadmills may not be the most efficient solution, but there are other options out these. I strongly believe that teaching students to identify when they need a movement break is a life long skill that will lead to positive learning experiences for the rest of their lives.
Blogs/Articles
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