Saturday, December 27, 2008

Reflections on 2008 Learning Curve

During the last year there has been a lot of technology and learning opportunities to be proud of. I personally have continued on the path to provide engaging learning with technology with my students, however the process of changing is sometimes a slow path. This is on the part of the teacher as well as students, when you begin to shift from a teacher centered classroom to one that is more student centered the change in focus is on differentiated learning and honouring multiple intelligence of the learners. There had to be just as many adjustments for the students as the teacher. I am proud of the amount of personal and professional learning that I have encountered, using many new programs for the first time, like this blog, Google Reader, creating wikis, and lots more.(see side links) Back in the Fall when I heard Will Richardson talk about trying new things for ourselves and then incorporating them slowly into the classroom were words of wisdom that I have taken to heart. 2009 will be more about sharing what I know and bringing it into the classroom more frequently, be it on line or in the face to face classroom.

After watching this video, I have to wonder if the changes and progress have been enough.
Mr Winkle Wakes
Here is a wonderful video that illustrates how much technology and education need to work together.
Created by Mathew Needleman- Creating Life Long Learners.
http://www.needleworkspictures.com/ocr/blog/

http://www.needleworkspictures.com/ocr/blog/?p=289

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Web sites made easy, with Read- Write Web tools.

I've made several web sites over the years in a wide variety of formats. Creating sites from HTML code, using web design programs like Dreamweaver, First Class, and now with the advance of online tools and Read/ Write web anyone and everyone can easily create a web site or a Blog or Wiki. The level of creativity and program choice is truly in the hands of the Creator.

In teaching technology to high school students I think they need to be aware of the various programs as each has different limitations and advancements. And along with the software come lessons in "responsible publishing as an ethical citizen."

For those Student, Teachers and Anyone who wants to publish but is NOT highly technologically inclined you can still create a great looking site without any annoying advertising using either of these sites. A account has to be set up but after that it's all yours. These are WIWIGS (What you see is what you get) they are also easy to update and no uploading is required.

Google sites

View this instructional video for Google Sites
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fD-4FRTzxkI

Steve Hargadon recently posted some information about Weebly.com as a web tool. I think this one is great for those who want a fast easy site in 10 minutes with 20 or so templates to choose from.

Is there a place for Avatars in Education?

Is there an appropriate place for avatars in education? In the classroom and in an on-line environment I think there might be a few occasions when using an avatar would make learning more fun and the hope is more memorable. I looked at some programs before but this one got my attention because it is free, and easy to create.

www.voki.com


Get a Voki now!