Mission Statement

My Leadership Mission Statement

Today’s children are growing up in the midst of a constantly evolving technological environment, in which they are afforded the opportunity to communicate through digital forms and mediums on an almost daily basis.

For some there is a worry that this is encouraging too much reliance on technology, and an under stimulation of children’s natural creative instincts and abilities. On the other hand, others argue the importance of teaching children how to engage productively and creatively with their technologies so that, as with any artistic medium, technology can become an invaluable tool through which they can express themselves in new and exciting ways.

As a future educator & Ed tech leader, I am committed to continuing to develop meaningful opportunities for students to interact with technology in their classroom.  These interactions will encourage students to think critically and creatively about the way in which they engage with technology in their everyday lives.  It is my personal mission statement to encourage students- and fellow teachers, towards active participation and dialogue with various forms of technology.  I will strive to ensure that students are challenged through their interactions with technology, and that they are faced with the chance to discover ways in which to use technology to enhance their own interests, creativity and curiosities, so that they grow up with an awareness of interactions that are possible within a digital realm. 

The Impact of Technology on Teaching

One of the biggest arguments I hear, from advocates against the use of technology in the classroom is: Students are already over exposed to technology, and so we need to teach them other ways of engaging with material

Are kids today really that overexposed to technology? I would probably have to agree.  I definitely see a lot of downsides to certain interactions and overuses of technology (one of my biggest pet peeves is when you are engaged in a 'real life' conversation with someone and they take out their phone and procede to text someone else while chatting with you!) ...
BUT.

I think we are doing a disservice if we do not provide opportunities for students to learn how to interact with technology in creative and constructive ways.

As teachers we are already well aware that if you can capture the magic that is your student's interests, you stand a much better chance of engaging them and teaching them something that's going to stick.
Technology is an easy one to make work for us in the classroom, because it has already won over the interests of most of our students.  The best way to compete with this force, is to work with it!

When we teach with technology we are showing students that their devices can make a difference to their lives and their learning.  We are reminding them to look for teachable moments in their everyday interactions, and exposing them to opportunities to show us that they can make connections between something they enjoy, and something they can teach themselves through that enjoyment.

What does a 21st Century Teacher Look Like?

What Does a 21st Century Teacher Look Like?


If you were to ask me this question back in August, when I was fresh into the Ed Tech cohort at Brock University, I would have thrown some general terms out at you:
Technology.  Real world learning. Differentiated Instruction.     These were some of the buzzwords I knew, and thought gave me an 'in' into the new century of teaching.

But 21st century teaching is none of these things.
And it is all of these things, at the same time.

To be a 21st century teacher you require a 21st century classroom, but this doesn't mean that your classroom  has to be hardwired with all of the latest gadgets and technological innovations.

It is possible to have the most stripped down, basic classroom in the world- and still engage your students by teaching as a 21st century teacher, because the 21st century teacher is one who elevates the learning experiences in their classroom, so that students are exposed to real, meaningful opportunities for creative risk taking and engagement with what they are learning. 

It is not about just using the buzzwords, but about making them work for our students and our classrooms.
I think one of the biggest things that 21st century teaching is- is learning.  If we are committed to joining our students on this crazy ride that is the changing face of our technological world over the past few years- then we will go far toward helping them to navigate this changing climate in healthy, creative ways that will serve them.

I am so happy to see that 21st century teaching is about celebrating creativity, and encouraging students to find their interests- and learn from and through them.

Certainly, the 21st century teacher has a lot to learn- but we teachers are at our best when we are situated as learners, alongside our students!

21st Century teaching isn't just about technology useage (although technology being such an integral component of our century, it goes without saying that it will certainly serve its place)- it is about using our world's growing knowledge base to help us, and our students, become better and more comfortable learners and explorers. 

Podcasting in the Classroom

I had the incredible experience of presenting a workshop (alongside my 'Cohort D' peers) on 'Podcasting in the Classroom' at today's Teaching with Technologies professional development showcase at Brock University (Hamilton campus).

Kirk and I were very excited to be presenting this technology, as it is something that we feel is up and coming in the classroom and poses some very exciting and interesting opportunities for students.

We created a blog in order to keep ourselves, and others interested in podcasting, informed and up to date on developments and activities in the world of podcasting in the classroom.

If you are at all interested in learning more about using this high yield strategy in your classroom (the elements of creativity and the story telling narrative make me particularly happy about this kind of learning), then please take a moment to direct yourself to our blog.

And bookmark it! Because we're going to be updating it as regularly we can during this busy time of the 'teachers college year'!

Check out our blog here
http://podclassting.blogspot.ca/

Got a Question about podcasting? Need an answer?? Then Send an email: edtechclassroompodcasting@gmail.com

'Would You Eat That?'

I just spent the last half hour playing this game, so I felt it worthy of putting up on the ole' blog!


The Chicago Museum of Science and Industry's
Would You Eat That game is a great way to get students considering what vitamins, minerals and chemicals are in some of the foods they may be eating.

Seems like the website, in general, has some pretty great teacher resources.
Definitely worth a look!

iPads- In the Hands of Today's Digital Natives

photo: one of the children I tutor (gr.6) showing me a world
that she created herself on Minecraft 

IPads- In the Hands of Today's Digital Natives 

I remember when the first ipad came out a couple of years ago.  It seems to me that it was marketed more so toward business men and women, and the most I could invision it doing was allowing you to read ebooks and check your email on the fly.  It's size and weight seeming to be the biggest selling features.

Now, less then three years later, I'm seeing ipads in the hands of students- and I'm not just talking about as a note taking device in a University lecture.  The majority of the ipad users I seem to  be encountering are learning how to handle an ipad before they learn how
to drive a car!

Turns out those ipads are not a fad - seems they're going to be sticking around; getting more and more powerful, capable and manageable.  With such user friendly interfaces (I mean, kindergarteners are using these things.. they have to be manageable, right?) they seem to be in a position to bring technology to the 'dinosaurs'; those individuals who have somehow escaped the pull of the laptop/desktop computer, but who are going to find it increasingly difficult to avoid the pull of the ipad- if only for the simple fact that it is now everywhere! And it's so easy to learn, and customize according to your needs, right??
(We just bought my 72 year old granny a tablet for Christmas this past year- we'll see how that fares!)

As an educator I am both intrigued and overwhelmed by the potential uses the ipad has in the classroom.
Just search "ipad in the classroom" on Pinterest alone and it returns hundreds of hits and links to instant resources.
You can't escape the conversation at today's teacher colleges... at least not at Brock.
Even now, as I'm typing this I'm sitting in the library at Brock listening to the people next to me talk about the power of the ipads in today's 21st Century clasrooms.  ( "Apple is taking over the classroom")

I'm curious, of the potential for using the ipad as a creative tool in the classroom.  Certainly their are a number of apps that appeal to the visual artist, movie makers, story tellers, etc. And programs like Minecraft afford children with the opportunity to work their brain in so many creative and interesting ways.

I'm going to be attending (and delivering a workshop!) at Brock's Tech Showcase this Friday.
I am hoping to have a chance to check out some of the ipad workshops, and report back on some of my learning.

Hopefully this edublog will contain more links to resources and fun technology enhanced lesson ideas in the near future!

First SMART Board Tutorial

I had some fun making a short tutorial video on 'How to Build a Reveal Effect' in SMART notebook.
I chose this topic, because
 a) it is simple and easy to implement if you have a basic working knowledge of SMART notebook, and
 b) it makes you look pretty pro :) (Even if it is super simple to achieve)
... I've been asked, on three separate occasions, by other aspiring educators- how I achieved this effect in my SMART lessons, and so I thought it would be a great one to share online!

Hope you check it out and find it useful.
I'd love to come up with a few more of these types of tutorials as I find them very useful, myself.
If you've got time and you want to brush up on your Educational Technologies skills a bit more you should check out the youtube channel for the Ed Tech Cohort that I am proud to be a part of, here at Brock.

There are some very useful tutorials up on this channel, done by my fellow classmates.
We are all learners in this world of Educational Technologies; on our journey toward becoming 21st Century Educators- and one of the most exciting parts of this journey, as far as I am concerned, is this stage of sharing and discovering together!

Check us out here   

Bitstrips for Schools

Bitstrips for Schools is a great tool for engaging students through the creative, storytelling medium of the comic strip.

I made this bitstrip comic as an exemplar for the students in my Grade 7 placement class.

In my Grade 7 placement class we are learning How to identify purpose and audience in various media texts.

We will be using bitstrips so that students can apply their knowledge of purpose and audience through the creation of their own three panel comic strip.  They will be creating comics that appeal to a specific target audience within their school (either primary, junior or intermediate students) and who's purpose is to inform this group of students about an event/activity or issue at play within their school community.

In my example I chose an Intermediate audience and the purpose of informing them that Intermediate students at our school are nervous about receiving their vaccination needles this week.

Earlier in the week, students had the opportunity to explore various types of media texts (book covers, magazine advertisements, newspapers, pamphlets, etc.) and answer questions related to identifying purpose and audience, which they then presented to their classmates.

I was impressed by the students' analysis of these texts and am looking forward to seeing them apply the techniques that proved useful to them during that process (in which they relied heavily on visual cues from the texts to help them identify the purpose and audience) to their comics.

I'm hoping to post a more detailed summary of our adventures exploring this activity, and hopefully will have some examples of student work to share!

I am super excited for this project, and can't wait to learn more about bitstrips!

Edublog Post #6: Review

Note: This blog post is post #6 of a series of 'edublog posts' I'll be creating as part of my EDUC Technology Class.

Hello Gr. 7s,

Since it is one of our goals to get to know our educational technologies more this year, I've been trying to brush up on my skills and come up with some fun, engaging activities for us all.

I've been having lots of fun receiving my SMARTboard training, and hope you've been enjoying the activities we've tried out in class.

But there is another educational technology that will soon be entering our classroom, and that is our class set of ipads, which will be arriving in the next two weeks!

I am very excited to learn more about how ipad usage in the classroom can help us interact with one another and connect with some of the incredible resources that are available to us on the world wide web.

We'll be having some fun developing media projects with our ipads, and developing meaningful interactions with technology that enable us to appreciate the way in which we can use technology as a tool to enhance our creativity, at the same time that we continue to explore nature and 'learning through doing and creating'.

I'm really excited for us all, that we have the opportunity to take part in such an exciting program and know that we will encounter some wonderful things together!

My journey towards technological understanding is an ongoing process, and one that I am excited to share with you all as we learn together!

                                                                                                                                           -Miss Pollard

Edublog (Blog Project) Educational Online Gaming

Note: This blog post is post #5 of a series of 'edublog posts' I'll be creating as part of my EDUC Technology Class.

Hello Gr. 7s,

As you know, we've been reading a lot of articles about reducing our carbon footprint.
We came up with some great suggestions as a class as far as reducing our classroom's impact, and talked a lot about the importance of the 3 R's (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle)!

Want to test out your 3R Knowledge?
I'm sure some of you have rooms that look like Anita's (the girl in the game).
You may not enjoy cleaning your room, but you'll definitely have fun helping her out with hers.

Check out I Don't Want to Clean My Room  here 

Remember to consider the way in which the game (as a media text) helps us to better understand the issue of waste.  What is the game trying to help us to appreciate??


Parents,
This game ties in nicely with our Language Arts unit on Media Texts.  We have been reading a lot of media literacy surrounding global and environmental issues and exploring notions of intended audience, personal voice/message and intent/purpose in preparation for students constructing their own media texts in which they will be informing the grade 4s about an environmental issue at play in our society.

                                                                                                                                           - Miss Pollard

Edublog (Blog Project) Educational Online Gaming

Note: This blog post is post #4 of a series of 'edublog posts' I'll be creating as part of my EDUC Technology Class.


Hello Grade 7s!
Growing bored of our usual factor worksheets?  

Then  Factors and Multiples Jeopardy is your game! Grab a friend- or play on your own to test your knowledge.

(2012, October 2). Factors and Multiples Jeopardy [Online image]. Retrieved from http://www.math-play.com/Factors-and-Multiples-Jeopardy/Factors-and-Multiples-Jeopardy.html

I'll have the game available to play in our classroom Monday during our first nutrition break for anyone who's interested.

...Could be a great way to review your          

 knowledge before our test on Wednesday!   

Parents: This week's game encourages our grade sevens to build on the work 
we've been doing around 'Number Sense and Numeration'

Our Specific Expectation:

 "Generate multiples and factors, using a variety of tools and strategies."

 What are your favorite (educational) online games??    

                                                                                                                                            -Miss Pollard 

Edublog (Blog Project) - My Online Me

Note: This blog post is post #3 of a series of 'edublog posts' I'll be creating as part of my EDUC Technology Class.

Hello Grade 7s!

In preparation for getting started on our "My Online Me" assignments, I wanted to share with you some of MY online tools, which help define and encourage my creative interests.

The internet can be a great place to gather resources that support and further your interests, and our "My Online Me" assignment is a great opportunity for us to share a little bit about one another, while at the same time evaluating and understanding how we use the internet in constructive and engaging ways.

Check out my favorite pages and let me know what types of websites you find helpful in pursuing your own hobbies!

Remember- when we use the internet as a tool to support our creative outlets we are interacting with technology in a productive and engaging way!


Allrecipes  - Recipes Database
I love to cook and bake, and this website is my go-to online resource for recipes.  I love the ratings and comments feature, because it allows me to see how many people have attempted the recipe, and what they did to modify it.  Everything I've ever attempted through this site has turned out yummy... Our family favorite? Well just click here and find out!!:

(2012, September 25). Allrecipes Logo [Online image]. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:AllRecipes-Logo.jpg



Blurb Booksmart     - Digital Scrapbooking Software
I've always loved looking at old photographs, and finally got around to scanning and categorizing old family photos on my computer.  The Booksmart software is a free download (works on MAC and PC) that allows me to create some really neat digital photo albums that can then be shipped off and published... A great way to get those digital prints off the computer. Makes a great keepsake/gift for family members too! *hint hint!*

(2012, September 25). Blurb Booksmart logo [Online image]. Retrieved from www.blurb.com



Tripadvisor - Travel Resource
I love to travel, and it is my goal to see as much of the world as I possibly can in this lifetime.  Tripadvisor has proven to be an invaluable resource in helping me to book hotels, arrange travel details and decide on places to see, and places to eat!  Of course, you always have to take reviews with a grain of salt (there are a lot of unhappy travelers out there... you'd be surprised!) But it's always good to accumulate and swap tips from fellow travelers.

(2012, September 25). Tripadvisor logo [Online image]. Retrieved from www.tripadvisor.com 




Hopefully this gives you all an idea about my hobbies and interests.
I can't wait to hear all about yours as we move in toward starting our "My Online Me" activities this week.

Until tomorrow,

                                                                                                                                           -Miss Pollard

Edublog (Blog Project) Resource Post

Note: This blog post is post #2 of a series of 'edublog posts' I'll be creating as part of my EDUC Technology Class.

                                                                                     Hello Grade 7s!



Today I wanted to talk about one of (if not the most) widely used internet resource available on the web.
I know it's one that I personally  use at least once per day!

...Have you guessed it? ...
That's right, it's our trusty Google search engine!

(2012, September 25). Google Search Engine [Online image]. Retrieved from http://www.simpleorganizedliving.com/2010/08/04/go-paperless/google-search-engine/

There's both an art and a science to the way in which we conduct our searches!
When you think about it; our google searches reveal a lot about us and the way we learn/seek knowledge on the internet.

For example, in my own daily uses I use the google search engine to:

• double check the correct spelling of words (definetly? definitely?...)
• quickly calculate conversion rates (ie: Euros to CDN $, inches-feet) 
• answer a pressing question that's on my mind ("Why do cats purr?  Why is the sky blue?") 
• locate a website that I've forgotten the URL for (Find: "Ontario Curriculum Documents")
• look up/research facts 
• discover the weather 
• search for images
• etc...

(Question to ponder: How does YOUR google search engine help make your life a little easier??) 

More often then not my Google.ca page becomes a tool through which I can more quickly access other information.  Rather then have to locate a website which will convert inches to feet for me, I can just type the number of inches I need to convert (ie: "12 inches") into the google search bar in the following way: "12 inches to feet" to find out the conversion rate.

It's like a handy-dandy short cut tool, that makes my life a little bit easier, and always provides me with a quick answer at my fingertips.

But a question to consider is: Can we always trust the "answers" we get through a google search??

This is something I really want you all to think about.  Remember... Just because someone has created a website, or a web article talking about the subject you are searching for, doesn't necessarily mean that it is the best resource, or even a valid resource at all!

We still have to take the time to read, assess and infer about the sites we are taking information from and ask ourselves "Is this a credible source?"

We will be talking more about What Makes a Source Credible this upcoming week in class.
It is my hope that this process will aid you guys in your future projects in my class; and ultimately as you move towards entering highschool.

Hope everyone has a great weekend...See you on Monday!

                                                                                                                                              -Miss Pollard

Edublog (Blog Project) Welcome Post

Note: This blog post is post #1 of a series of 'edublog posts' I'll be creating as part of my EDUC Technology Class.

Hello Grade 7s, and Welcome to our class Edublog!
I've set up this online space for us so that we might share resources and gather ideas and interests on the internet that we can then work with and explore in class!

I am hoping that this blog can become a resource for you, from which you can uncover and extract valuable resources and activities that support your in-class learning and keep you and your families up to date on what we are working on, and where we are going in our classroom.

Some of the things this blog might offer to help you out??

• Links to some cool educational games and/or apps (don't worry.. you won't know you're learning- they're that fun!) 
• Articles surrounding issues/news that pertains to YOUR interests,YOUR lives and YOUR curriculum
• Homework Help tips and tricks... Stuck on one of our problems over the weekend? You may want to browse this page for some helpful tips/ homework walkthroughs.
•  Links to our classroom learning goals and class projects/achievements for families to check out some of the cool things we're creating this year

Remember, this blog is about YOU guys.

I'm looking forward to learning and discovering with you all this year, and am sure that this EduBlog will stand as excellent testament to your achievements and explorations in education.

Happy Blogging! 

                                                                                                                                              -Miss Pollard

Kathy's Words.

 Lessons from a wise woman!

“It is important to give students choices about the activities they are going to do and the methods by which they will accomplish the goals that have been set out for them. Choice allows for negotiation, ownership, and student accountability…Students need to be aware of the path that lies ahead, to learn to challenge themselves to do more than what they know they are good at.”– Kathleen Gould Lundy

iPad app- Toontastic

Today in Language class we got to play with a really cool ipad app called "Toontastic".


Check it out Here! 

Could be a great extension/ culminating activity... a nice, fun and engaging technology pairing to your discussions around Story Structure in the classroom.

                                                                                                                                              -Miss Pollard
         

             

Let Kids Create Lessons

Just a quick little post about the importance of allowing your 'students' to play an active role in devising and shaping their own learning.

I've been tutoring 3 really awesome kids for just under a year now... It's incredible the things you discover about how children learn when you have the opportunity to focus one-on-one attention on them.

The youngest is in Grade 2 this year; and we just started working together on 'official' tutoring sessions.
Yesterday, while practicing our counting to 100 we quickly discovered that we grew tired of that task..Sean would prefer to draw and create art.

This became the perfect opportunity to work off of this newfound excitement and get Sean pumped up about creating some 'Math Art', in which he picked one of the numbers we had been working with, and chose an object to draw that would correspond with that chosen number.  Since he was also working on writing and sounding out the words "I See" in his school work we incorporated this into the activity as well and ended up with an:

"I See  10 Planes" picture, as well as a more complex "I See 3  kids, 1 adult and 2 pets" activity (with the prompt being: "Who's In Your House?")

This extra extension activity probably took all of 10 minutes to accomplish, and really seemed to help Sean draw connections between some of the numbers he had just played with on his worksheet, and with something that mattered and was of interest to him in the current situation.
Remember to be open for these opportunities to present themselves, because a lot of times kids end up creating their own lessons, and if we let them and give them the opportunity to "roll with it" we could end up with something great!
                                                                                                                                            -Miss Pollard 

The Power of Creative Thinking

Check This Out! 

Source Film: Herman's House

...Find out more about the film at it's website here: 

Teach Creatively With LOVE

Teaching is truly an artform, and one of its most amazing features is its ability to help others to uncover their own 'art' [when I say 'art' I'm talking here about anything that receives active and passionate dedication of your time, because I feel strongly that this is the essence of all art- and as I promised earlier; this blog is not simply talking about "The Fine Arts"!] 

 I have always been impressed and impacted by the way in which we can be so wholly and radically changed by something- when we find that 'thing' that we love. Whether it be the arts, sciences, math- or something not so clearly defined by a "subject area" or school room activity.

  As educators this is the single most important key we have towards unlocking our students' sense of  awe and personal aspirations. When we find 'that thing' that makes our students... each and every single one of them, happy, then we have the power to engage them.  

But engaging doesn't mean teaching solely to your students' interests, but rather using those interests to inspire them to explore new avenues and challenge their preconceptions. Personally, I would have loved it had someone have taken the time for me, in elementary and highschool, to rectify my misconceptions surrounding math and physical education.  I never felt comfortable in either classroom situation, and unfortunately as a result, to this day I still have a very limited scope of what "goes on" in a good math or "gym" class.  I still shy away from trying to address a difficult math equation... and I don't want to be that educator; who shys away from the subjects I don't want to teach.

Instead, I want to help children get creative within these subjects, and all subjects- so that they can explore and gain their footholds in each and every discipline.

Student's don't just "not like" things.  They arrive at this point as a result of,

either a misconception about the subject area (perhaps a 'bad experience' within one narrow understanding of the subject) or, more likely, as a result of feeling uncomfortable within the set up of the tasks.  The more they try, and do- in different ways and in safe comfortable environments, the more they open themselves up to love and learn and appreciate the interests and experiences of others.

So remember: Teach What you Don’t Love in the Ways You Love to Teach. – "Miss Pollard"