I am still looking for my own class, but in the meantime, I will cherish every opportunity to have some type of positive impact on each class I am in.
...being a substitute teacher that is. I have had the privilege to be a guest teacher at more than 3 dozen schools. It's like a new adventure each day, even when returning to a class and school where you have been numerous times before. It is deeply gratifying to have so many teachers request you be in their class and their school.
I am still looking for my own class, but in the meantime, I will cherish every opportunity to have some type of positive impact on each class I am in.
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I've been working as a substitute teacher for a couple of years now, and really enjoy it. I have been privileged to be in just about every classroom imaginable; preschool and kindergarten, to Math 31. I have been in very large city schools, and small town schools. One thing that I have especially appreciated, is returning to a school where I have previously subbed, and having students recognize you, say hello and ask if I get to be in their class.
And I have the credentials to prove it!
Yes, I have finally completed all my requirements for my education degree. My last round of student teaching was a 4 month internship at GS Lakie Middle school, primarily teaching math at the grade 6,7, and 8 level, but I did get some science teaching in towards the end as well. It was busy, but a lot of fun. I have been able to sub lately at a variety of grace levels and school sizes, and I have been enjoying every minute of it. I was able to attend the recent teachers convention for south western Alberta and was really impressed with the speakers and presenters and their passion for the teaching profession. It was an inspirational couple of days. My learning journey to becoming a full-time teacher has continued this semester. The courses I found quite interesting, and concepts that were introduced in PSI last fall suddenly seemed to be much clearer and make more sense this time around, especially in regards to assessment and evaluation. One of the more interesting aspects of the university coursework portion of PSII term was learning about indigenous ways of learning in my C & I class for science majors, and how that contrasts and compares with current accepted scientific thinking.
My practicum placement this term was at the east campus of Catholic Central High School in Lethbridge, AB. I have had the privilege of teaching Science 14, covering the topics of energy and matter in the biosphere, and Science 24, teaching the physics of collisions and the technology of safety. In my last week of PSII, I am teaching about electromagnetic radiation and astronomy, and then I have a few more courses to do before PSIII begins in the fall. What a great way to end the class. Working in groups, we had to come up with a brief, i.e. 1-2 minute video that demonstrated one of the concepts from our ED3508 class. There were some very creative ways that the messages were presented and this showed how effective and powerful video can be as a learning tool. It worked well for me as a visual learner, but at the same time, I didn't so very much for the exercise outside of class time, and this will be something to consider when using the idea in the future. It does have to potential to be a great learning tool, if setup properly with clear expectations and designed for the right age group. I can see it being a challenge among younger age groups, particularly in the elementary level, but could still be possible with proper guidance. It might provide some insight into the role the teacher plays and the work involved in preparing for and delivering lessons.
It can also be used as an assessment tool to identify how well learning has taken place, as well as offering a different type of learning. apart from the more typical sitting in a class. I don't think that this is fully ready to take on a greater level of importance in the classroom. I believe that it is worthwhile, but will need added care and attention to ensure that it is effective for learning. I really enjoyed the class this week about new media and the opportunities it presents. One aspect of new media is video and the presentation by TED curator Chris Anderson on the power of video really underscored this idea. The rise of new media provides for connections and collaborations only previously dreamed of, as evidenced by the brief video clip of the Kibera Film School. They are showing the power and influence that can be wielded by a camera and web connection and highlights what new media is all about. It was a great overview of what is possible.
The proliferation in the past few years of web enabled mobile devices means that video is now completely portable. Even if you are in an area with out some type of internet connection, the ability of mobile devices to download and store information means video can be available everywhere. New media is having big impacts in learning. Take a site like http://www.instructables.com. Here you can learn how to do or make almost anything you can imagine. You will find text instructions, pictures, and usually a video demonstration as this example shows: http://www.instructables.com/id/Motion-Triggered-DSLR-Remote-System/. No longer do you have to find a course at your local college and hope it is offered at a time convenient for you. New media now means that you can learn what you want when you want through sites like https://www.coursera.org/, http://www.lynda.com/ which is available through the University of Lethbridge library, and the previously mentioned instructables.com. Other changes that new media is bringing include a melding of traditional literacy with technology. For example, taking a poem, finding some pictures that represent the message from the poem, adding some music and a voice over, then turning it into a video. Visit http://movingpoems.com/ for some examples. Closer to home, we had the opportunity to see how this can work in a classroom setting through participating in a virtual classroom demonstration via live video with the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller. Through a video camera setup we were connected in real time and saw a demonstration of the learning programs offered through the museum. It was analogous to using Skype or a similar technology to connect with someone at a distance. I am finding it quite an eyeopener the changes that new media is bringing. As a result, the need to teach media literacy is becoming as important as reading or writing literacy, especially considering the number of hours per day most students spend in front of some type of screen. As a self identified visual learner, I really appreciate this concept. I know have heard of these ideas before, but it wasn't until our class on the topic, that the ideas began to clarify for me. The general concept is to provide a visual representation of an idea, including the representation of lines and arrows to show relationships. Shapes, such as squares, circles or ovals are used to idea key idea areas or to highlight specific terms. Concept maps can be used to show hierarchical information, such more general information on the top or to one side of the graphic, then transitioning to more detailed terms or information as you progress down or across.
Concept and mind maps are a great way to show connections and relationships with and between ideas. The size of more key components can be made larger to show relative importance as well varying the thickness and type of lines and arrows as a means to express relationship or connection strength. Another great benefit of concept maps, is that they are age agnostic. Learners of ages can benefit from seeing an idea expressed in a visual manner such as in a concept map. Kathy in kindergarten will benefit just as much as Sally in secondary school, assuming of course that the information is presented in an age appropriate manner. Concept maps have the ability to be used as an assessment tool. Through clearly stating what is expected in the structure of a concept map, students can create one based upon the subject are being taught to see how well the lesson material is being understood. As I progress in my education career, I look forward to opportunities to use concept and mind maps as an instruction and assessment tool, both in the classroom, and for my own professional development. Just as we should show good manners and treat others in the same manner we want to be treated in real life, the same applies to our online presence. This covers everything from the hows and whys of doing various types of communication online to behaviour in online gaming.
Digital citizenship distills down into a couple of related key components- respect and ethics. Recall the "Golden Rule" or treat others as you wish to be treated. In other words, use the same kindness and love in your online activities as you do in real life. Show respect for others online in the same manner you would as in speaking with someone while in the line-up at Tim Horton's. How do we translate this message into the classroom? Fortunately, we as teachers are not left alone in this regard. There are a number of resources and guides available to help in training ourselves and our students in becoming digitally literate. Alberta Education has created a guide to aid in understanding digital citizenship as well as how to create policies to support learning and understanding in digital citizenship. It may be found at this link: http://www.edudemic.com/digital-literacy/ Another good reference is: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/digital-citizenship-mary-beth-hertz. This article makes the great point that digital citizenship involves teaching children a new set of social skills. Coming back closer to home, http://www.2learn.ca/ydp/digcitizen.aspx is an Alberta based site with a great selection of links to aid and guide in furthering understanding and knowledge of digital citizenship. Internet and web searching has changed a lot since I was first online with Archie, Veronica and Jughead. Usenet was also a very valuable tool at the time. I found this page using today's undisputed search king Google: http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2064954/Where-Are-They-Now-Search-Engines-Weve-Known-Loved, and took a walk down memory lane. I recall using most of those listed at one time or another AND having to use multiple search engines to find what I needed. By late 2000 or early 2001 I was using Google and have kept with it because it works. I've tried a few others as they came along, Wisenut and Teoma were two that showed promise, but none seemed to be able to match the results offered by Google.
It is interesting to see how internet searching has been evolving. The rise of social media platforms the past few years has provided new aspects to searching, apart from looking for traditional websites. Searching in a variety of mediums is available through outlets as diverse as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and LinkedIn. The result is far more information from far more sources than ever before. So, the challenge now is to learn how to sift through it all and find relevant information in a timely fashion. Being as specific as possible is one of the keys. Performing a search for Alberta Grade 5 science lesson plans will provide more relevant results than just searching for science lesson plans. The benefit for us as teachers will be knowing that we are finding the resources we need, no matter how fun it may be to "wander about" online. I had resisted joining Pinterest, worried that it might become too much of a time sink, (worries that were somewhat justified), but I am finding it an amazing resource, full of resources that will be useful in the classroom. Here again, the idea of being as specific as possible in your search terms is a time saver, no matter how many fantastic shirts I find ;). References: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archie_search_engine accessed October 11, 2014 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_%28search_engine%29 accessed October 11, 2014 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jughead_%28search_engine%29 accessed October 11, 2014 |
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