IICTI-Winter14

This article is actually a review article by the authors summarizing their own work.  It was amazing.  We had a brief introduction to TPCK in class but it is so much more that what we had looked at.  I was unable to make annotations on the pdf but I have all my annotations as a google doc if anyone wants to look at them.  I found this article to be deeply thought provoking and hope to be able to convince my department to read it and use it as a discussion starter for our journeys into effective incorporation of technology into our classrooms.

This was the project site created by the IICTI Part 1s from last Spring

This year's IICTI website for our class projects!

Blog that I have found interesting that is looking at effective use of technology in schools

A website of tutorials on many iPad Apps including: Explain everything, iMovie, VoiceThread, Google Drive, Dragon Dictation, Dropbox and many more

Watching this was a great way of brainstorming tech applications in my classroom!

This article covers a wide variety of issues surrounding mobile technologies in the classroom and delves into how mobile technologies will affect society as a whole. It discusses how and why educators are gradualists at heart and why many are hesitant/resistant to introducing mobile technologies in the classroom. It also discusses how mobile technology is unstoppable and is changing the learner. "Our current educational system is obsolete and we as educators will become obsolete if we do not realize that we must embrace the changes that are upon us in how, where and why students learn." "Learners through the use of mobile learning, blended learning, and e-textbooks in socially-based, un-tethered, and digitally rich learning are being educated without us as the TEACHER." The article discusses how our job as educators is to Enable, Engage, and Empower students and defines some responsibilities for us as educators around developing the "rules" around how and when students, and therefore society, uses mobile technology. An interesting discussion of how digital citizenship is impacted by mobile technology is also contained. Interestingly enough the article also acknowledges the burdens and issues that mobile technology is placing directly on teachers both financially and with respect to their workload. Overall a thorough overview of the impact of mobile technology on the future of education. Having issues with annotations in diigo so I annotated it in Google Read & Write.

Website for book entitled: Teaching with Emerging Technology

This is a very interesting article from a notable publication, (Teaching Exceptional Children) highlighting the benefits of VoiceThread technology. Within the first paragraph the following should resonate: "educators often make herculean efforts to engage students, motivate them, and differentiate instruction for students who struggle." (Pg. 28) As an interactive multimedia slide show tool, VoiceThread portends to be the answer to these challenges. The article notes that "its interface and feature set are well-suited for promoting student engagement ... as well as for helping students develop as independent learners." (Pg. 30) This Web 2.0 tool was created to promote a collaborative learning environment. Something similar to, but more powerful than simple PowerPoint presentations; the creation of an individual VoiceThread allows a combination of images, documents and video clips. VoiceThread is web based and runs on numerous browsers. Microphones are an added bonus if voice-recorded comments are desired. Otherwise students may doodle on slides, type comments or participate in learning activities "within the VoiceThread environment." (Pg. 31) The basic account is free, but a more classroom oriented format has a nominal yearly fee. This arrangement allows for unlimited VoiceThreads that can be shared with their peers, but not made public. This latter feature is an added security feature of this web tool. The article contains a number of student profiles, where VoiceThread has been put into practice. All of these highlight the opportunity of VoiceThread to assist those shy students or those who require a bit more time to formulate a response. What a great way to 'show their learning' and allow these students to participate within the classroom. A good article with a firm base of information and numerous professional references for future study.

Article: If We Didn't have the schools we have today, would we create the schools we have today? Although a bit dated with references to CD Roms etc. (circa 2000), this article is talking about the difference between how we prepare our educators and the actual way students learn in a globally aware and connected world. We continue to base our public school system on the industrial age model where teachers are expected to know information, then parcel it out to students in a conscripted and linear manner. This article argues that today's learners have gone so far beyond this model, it's incredible that schools exist in the same way as they did for the last century. If engineers or doctors still operated the same way they did 100 years ago, they would have no credibility. Why then, do schools systems insist on continuing with the status quo. If we had the chance (if we weren't paid by provincial governments) would we still create the school system we have today or would we completely overhaul it? There is a place in Canada that is trying to do just that. My daughter has been looking into applying at Quest University, a private university in Squamish, BC where the educators don't call themselves professors, they have no defined departments, and the students have significant input into the curriculum. They work on a block system where students immerse themselves in one subject entirely for a month, then move on to another subject. They may take language for September, biology for October, then calculus for November etc. This creates the opportunity to immerse themselves in a discipline and develop a much deeper level of understanding. The similarities between Quest's mandate and this article is interesting. The author states "everyone becomes a learner in a Networked Learning Community, and the distinctions between students and teachers fade away." There are three dimensions to a networked learning community and today we only use the first one. Teacher.

Kathy is a great resource for everything technology. Each year she goes deeply into one kind of topic or another. She's recently done lots of work on Chromebooks and ipads!

WOW! There is so much on this site! I will definitely be coming back here to explore the resources in regards to Chromebooks and ipads. Double WOW!

Interesting since we've been talking about Brain-based learning environments in Part 2 discussions online

I think that it is important that professors who are training new teachers get their "feet dirty." Education is a "people" industry. If professors base all their teaching on theories and professional articles that other people wrote, they are doing a disservice to people training in the field. One of the posts at the end of the article where a colleague was saying "Lucky you for having that opportunity..." bothered me. Why aren't they out in the field too?

Thank you for posting this site. There are some great web resources with descriptions. I will definitely be going back to this site and checking out some of their recommendations. *Note they listed some French resources in their list too! KKM

One of the easiest ways to learn more about VoiceThread is to view the introductory VoiceThread created by the developers of this interactive, multimedia slide show tool.

This document is a resource produced for Instructors and Coordinators related to the National Academy Foundation. It is a comprehensive overview of PBL that highlights the difference between activities vs. projects. It clarifies what PBL is vs. other forms of learning, and identifies what needs to be in place in order to complete technology-based projects. The use of Project-based Learning in the classroom also allows for the promotion of 'best practices' for classroom instruction as identified by the Foundation. The article clearly distinguishes between projects vs. activities. Types of work are presented, along with best opportunities to use PBL. The importance of many conditions being in place to support PBL cannot be underemphasised; as these may include the classroom and school environments, the community as well as parent involvement. The article presents published evidence and research that support Project-based Learning and the inquiry process. Many of the resources presented also include links to various groups and agencies that promote PBL, including The Buck Institute and the George Lucas Educational Foundation mentioned by Peter Skillen during our course on January 18th. The article discusses good project design including six powerful features of PBL (The Six A's) that should be present in all good projects, and concludes with a page of key student scaffolds to ensure project delivery. An aseptic, fact based article, but full of good, clear examples and links.