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Friday, 25 April 2014

5 teaching strategies/ideas for incorporating the use of Podcasting or Audio in the classroom

Since the days of the Fisher Price Audio recorder. Children have been fascinated with having their own voice be recorded and played back.

With modern technology teachers can use the magnetism of audio playback and the availably of educational software to enhance their students' learning experience.

In this post I discuss 5 ideas for using audio in the classroom.


1) Weekly/monthly Podcast for parents, students and teachers which discusses the "news" or what is happening in the classroom

Teachers may find that having a monthly general podcast e-mailed out to parents or posted on a classroom website/blog is an excellent and creative way to communicate about what is happening in the classroom. The great thing about this form of newsletter compared to a paper copy is the opportunity, (especially in junior/intermediate grades) to have the students take initiative, be creative and use their own voice and expression to relay important information.  It puts the students in charge and gives them a sense of pride in sharing their classroom experiences. A teacher might find that parents are more receptive to acknowledging newsletters which their own children have had a hand in making and distributing. We need to remember that parents are audio, visual and kinesthetic persons themselves. Having different mediums available to parents is a great way to relay important information.

2) Students directed Classroom Podcasts for specific subject areas or individual projects.

Using podcasts in a specific subject area can be an excellent way to engage students but also help them focus on what they are learning. A teacher may have a student directed weekly " Grade 5 Literary Podcast" where the students answer important questions during a classroom novel study, or perhaps a "What's new in grade 8 science" podcast that serves as a Quirky Bill Neye inspired segment about a science experiment they did in class.
Podcasting can be a great alternative way to do a research projects as opposed to more traditional methods such as essay writing or poster board making. For example: a Grade 3 Social Studies culminating task could be to assign the students a character and have them do a dramatic interview: "Pretend you are an early irish settler pioneer arriving in Canada for the first time. Describe what a typical day in your pioneer life would entail. Start from the moment you wake up to when you go to bed." The children would be given a list of key elements to talk about such as their school, their responsibilities at home, their parents jobs etc. The information they learned up to that point would shine through in a creative way which they could share with their classmates.
Some might think that Grade 3 is too early to introduce this type of technology but an article I found made me disagree, "Monina Salazar, a 3rd Grade teacher uses Google aps software to integrate audio podcasting with her young students." The students use the software themselves so that they are the ones in charge of doing the recording and the editing. This video highlights the benefits of doing this curriculum based science project, (which had been done as a diorama in the past) as a audio podcast. She mentions that the podcasts teaches the children about fluency, script writing and the benefits of incorporating music and sound into their podcasts. This method can be a co-curricular and blended learning experience.




3) Using audio in French or Language classes

While learning different languages it can be extremely beneficial to have audio technology in the mix.  Trying to learn a new language often involves mastering the accent and pronunciation. In a language class, students can practice speaking by recording their own voice and then listening to the play back to see where they are going right and where they need to make improvements in their pronunciations.
Teachers can also bring audio material into the classroom for students to listen to as examples. 
I know I always did poorly in french Oral Presentations as a student and that is one of the reasons I gave up after Grade 9 (which I highly regret). I found the pressure and embarrassment of not being very good at pronunciation took it's toll; I would be too nervous when presenting. In a case such as mine if the teacher had given the opportunity first for me to record my presentation I think that they would have found that without the nerves of having to stand in front of a class full of students I might have been more capable of speaking correctly in french. This may have given me more confidence in the future to pursue french. I may have been more confident in future oral presentations if I had more practice speaking out loud without an audience.



4) Audio software for special needs

I have seen first hand what audio assistive technology such as Proloquo2go can do for special needs students who have trouble verbally communicating. I was recently placed in a Early Intervention Classroom with low functioning Autistic children who were mostly non-verbal. The children effectively communicated with each other as well as the teachers and EAs by using their IPADs which had the Proloquo2go software installed. Audio software can give a voice to the voiceless, there is nothing more precious than that. I remember the first time I heard about this AP was on a 60 minutes segment. I watched the episode before I saw it being used in the classroom and I have to admit it really is as amazing as it is depicted to be. 





5)  Having students record and playback their own voices while reading a book

We are constantly teaching children to review their work. We always teach students to read over an essay or a test before handing it in.  It can also be beneficial to have students who are learning to read, record and listen to the words they are reading being played back to them so that they may see their own weaknesses as well as their strengths. While tutoring grade 2 and 3 students in reading I tried doing this by simply using my iPhone, it was very effective. For the most part the children who had trouble reading because they were always second guessing themselves found that they read better than they thought. They found it was neat to hear there own voices and we looked at ways they could use intonation and punctuation to help their sentences flow better. 
This could also be helpful for students in high school Dramatic arts. Delivering lines or recording speeches and then playing them back is a great way to help with memory as well as promote improvement and self-evaluation.
Children who are afraid of reading in public could also benefit from this as well. It may give them the confidence to realize their potential and recognize themselves as capable readers. 


Educators need to use differentiated instruction and varied teaching styles to reach all their diverse learners. The strategies and ideas above are all great ways that audio technology can help reach auditory learners.




Friday, 18 April 2014

My review of SMART Boards, SMART Exchange and Scholastic Study Jams and their impact on teaching and learning in the K-12 setting


Intro

This blog post is broken down into three sections to review one specific technology tool and 2 educational resources and how they can be used within the K-12 setting. I will note that because of my Primary/Junior background, I will speak more in depth on how these tools are used in the Primary/Junior setting. I would also note that rather than going with more broad tools, I chose tools that I have a lot of personal experience with and used frequently during my teaching placements.

Tool: SMART Board 
(Click to view SMART Technology Website)


The first tool I would like to review is the Interactive SMART Whiteboard. I feel that the integration of this technology has completely revolutionized the way students learn and teacher’s teach; especially in terms of keeping up with modern technology and differentiating instruction. School boards across the greater parts of Canada have taken very clear initiative to implement Interactive Whiteboards into almost every classroom. According to The SMART Technology website, “over 2.3 million [SMART Boards have been] installed [globally] in K–12 classrooms, reaching more than 40 million students and their teachers”. That is an incredible statistic!


How to incorporate SMART Boards in the classroom:


SMART Boards can be incorporated in the classroom in two ways. Teachers can create interactive presentations for their lessons by using the SMART Board Notebook software, and teachers can also use the SMART Board as a window into their classroom computer. They can be sitting at their desks and yielding material on the screen or they can stand at the front of the room and utilize the touch screen technology to navigate through programs, look things up on the internet and share video/audio media etc. I will go more into detail of how to use the Notebook Software in the next section of this post, but at this point I will now break down my own personal experience and how I have seen the SMART Board being used, as well as how I have used it myself.

I was first introduced to the SMART Board in university and before we began incorporating it into our lesson plans we were given a brief but detailed presentation on the basics of how to effectively use the SMART Board, as well as some neat tips and tricks. We were blown away! I thought to myself, if I am this impressed with how this technology works then I imagine students must be just as excited to use it. So I made it a point to learn the ins and outs of the Notebook software on my own computer so that I could create lessons using the technology. This was in hopes that my students would be excited to participate in interactive lessons. I learned how to embed video and audio into every lesson, and I made sure to incorporate a lot of interactivity into my presentations to avoid feeling like my lessons were one big power point presentation. I would have students come up and do the clicking for me, (great for those kinaesthetic learners). I also used the SMART Board to access media in my classroom. For example during a lesson on compassion I showed my grade 5 students a Youtube clip of the story behind the child who won the Sports Illustrated kid of the year award in 2012. The clip told the story of a child, Connor, who showed compassion for his younger brother who suffered from cerebral palsy. Connor decided to include his brother in triathlons by having him ride in a coach that he attached to the back of his bike and then he would detach the coach during the running portion and push his brother past the finish line. The story brought my students to tears. The message was firmly delivered and the children had a very clear grasp of what compassion was before completing an assignment where they had to demonstrate their understanding. To fully appreciate how this was so effective on my class I urge anyone reading this post to watch the amazing video clip:

Imagine being able to share the emotions that this clip evokes with a classroom. That is just one example of the many ways in which I have used the SMART Board to enhance my lessons. One of the greatest things about being able to use the SMART Board with students is it allows ALL of the technology that I have been talking about on this blog, (Twitter, Instagram, Classroom Blogs, Youtube, Google) all of that can be used on the SMART board with the class in a safe and effective manner. Teachers can even freeze the SMART Board screen while they preload a site or a clip to avoid the children being exposed to any unwanted pop ups, advertisements etc. 

My Review:


Overall my review of the SMART Board is a 5/5. I love that this tool is being integrated into the classroom. I think it is highly effective in reaching audio, visual and kinesthetic learners. For example, one of the great things about making a presentation using the Notebook application is that the software is loaded with virtual manipulatives such as Tangrams. A teacher can be teaching a lesson in Patterning and Algebra and rather than have to draw out the Tangram or have students gathered around a table looking at small manipulatives, the SMART board allows a clear view of what the teacher would like to demonstrate. The teacher and students can be manipulating on the board while students have the physical manipulative in from of them to work with as well. It makes working together and interacting with eachother in a “whole group” a lot easier.
Students are growing up using touch screen technology from Infancy so in order to be leaders in 21st Century education it is integral for teachers, (if they have access to it) to learn how to safely use this tool in the most effective ways possible. Please watch the video below, (another great tool: Youtube how to videos) if you are unfamiliar of the basic uses for the SMART Board.
I found that the SMART board was an invaluable tool in my teaching and would be very grateful to have a classroom with a SMART Board.





Resource: Smart Exchange 

(Click to go to Website)

SMART Exchange branches from smarttech.com and is a resource for educators to share presentations which they have created using the Notebook application. It is an excellent resource and one that I have used many times!


How to incorporate SMART Boards in the classroom:


SMART Exchange is international. You can choose your country and go further to find presentations that are not only grade specific but that are literally straight out of the curriculum. While teaching Rocks and Mineral to my Grade 4 class I found a number of excellent presentations which offered a review of everything the children had learned before the culminating task. The presentation was perfectly aligned to the curriculum, but I would urge every teacher using SMART Exchange to always download and walk through each presentation and tweak the content to directly reflect your students learning. I would often use Presentations I found on SMART Exchange as a template for my own lessons because they already included videos, pictures and interactive animations that take a lot of time and effort to make. I was able to make the presentations my own and suit them to my own students learning. Please watch the short video embedded here in order to understand the benefits of Smart Exchange.


My Review:


Smart Exchange is another 5/5 in my opinion. I think it is a great tool for teachers to use to share presentations that they worked hard on. I found most of the time I only used the presentation as a template but even doing just that saved me a lot of time on choosing background and pictures and even a lot of the text was very relevant. The fact that a lot of these presentations have a notation to let the teacher know exactly which curriculum expectations their presentation covers, makes it a very helpful and reliable resource.
A personal note/warning about SMART boards and Notebook Software:

Although I am a huge supporter of using the SMART board tech and software I would still like to say that these tools must be used responsibly and safely. The SMART Board is not meant to replace the teacher. I fell that personally it is a fantastic asset that has helped me reach my diverse learners in ways that excited them. But I know there is concern that the screen will replace the teacher but I am confident that this is not the case. The screen is a tool; it is a manipulative in itself, used to help the teacher to implement familiar technology in the classroom that will give the students greater access to more knowledge and information. The other warning is, (as I mentioned above) with SMART Exchange, every class is different, every learner is different. SMART Exchange presentations can provide an excellent foundation but teachers need to carefully fine tune lessons to ensure that their students are being reached effectively and with information relevant to them.


Resource: Scholastic Study Jams 
(Click to view website)
This website is one that I used many times in my placements. It is a great resource that teachers can give to students and or use with students to help them study material that they learned in class. It covers math and science topics and the website is laid out so that children can easily navigate through the topics to utilize activities and videos for effective learning. 

How to incorporate Study Jams in the classroom:


It is a fun, engaging way for students to review for a test. I prefer to use this tool once I have covered all the material myself and then I sift through the many practice quizzes, songs, games etc. that cover the topic, (I used this while teaching Rocks and Minerals as well as Matter and Energy), and I make sure that the students are only looking at the material we covered in class, and material they will need to know/understand for their Culminating Task.
When I taught Grade 5 Matter and Energy I booked some computer time for my students and I gave them a list of websites that had different study resources they could explore. The resources included different games, powerpoint presentations, quizzes, videos etc. As I walked around to see which resources appeared to be “trending” on my students screens what I saw was that all of my students were bopping their heads and singing out loud to the Study Jams video I had suggested they use for review. What was amazing was that the Video was so entertaining and catchy that the kids couldn’t get enough of it. The video also contained very important information, in fact, most of the answers to the test were covered in the song. What ensued was that all of my students ended up doing amazing on the test because they memorized the video. I even made a bonus question from the lyrics because I thought the song was such a great study tool! 
Click here to -> Watch video

My Review:


I would give this resource a 4.5/5 I love this resources and think it is really a fun and clever tool for Scholastic to have created. The only suggestion I would have, is that when using this resource with students be sure to review the resources first and closely with curriculum expectations in hand. Also, when giving it to students, be specific! Make sure they know which link to click on and what information is pertinent for their review. We want our students to use these resources but we need to guide them to the right ones so that they are not overloaded with information that is not going to be on their test. I was very lucky that the Matter and Energy song went perfectly with what I wanted my students to know. There was no information that wasn’t already on their review sheet. I would absolutely recommend this resource to anyone teaching for junior grades.




Additional Resources:


If you are interested in looking at more resources and resource pools feel free to visit the links below. 
As 21st Century Educators we are blessed to have such a vast pool of educational resources!

Ontario Educational Resource Bank http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/elearning/bank.html
 - An Excellent group of resources for K-12 teachers

“As Ontario's learning object repository, the Ontario Educational Resource Bank (OERB) offers a growing number of free digital learning resources to teachers and students, from Kindergarten to Grade 12. There are thousands of resources, including units, lesson plans, activities, maps, and interactive learning resources”



Learning Gateway for DSBN http://www.dsbn.edu.on.ca/gateway/
- another website offering a pool of interactive web resources put together by DSBN

Sunday, 13 April 2014

How do the OCT Ethical Standards and Standards of Practice Relate in the 21st Century?

To quote a great 21st Century hero (that I know my P/J friends will appreciate): 

“With great power there must also come great responsibility”

The interest of this blog post is to convey the idea that the OCT Ethical Standerds and Standards of Practice can be applied to the use of 21st Century technology in education. Teachers’ need to apply the standards of practice to how they use technology responsibly with their students and in the classroom. They must also adhere to the ethical standards when using technology with their students as well as during personal time, (especially with regards to social media as well as classroom technology). 

Standards of Practice

SUMMERY: Technology can be an incredible and powerful tool in the classroom and it can be used in many ways to help promote and encourage the standards of practice as outlined by the OCT framework. For the purpose of organization I will list the Standards below and describe how I think each Professional Standard is enhanced by using technology.

Commitment to Students and Student Learning
Technology allows teachers to document student learning more efficiently. Efficient documentation allows for more equitable and fair demonstrations of learning. It can allow for better communication and more celebration of student achievement. For Example: I know a teacher who celebrates their students achievements by taking pictures of their best works and proudest moments, (according to the students themselves) and sharing those pictures on a screensaver during the lunchour. It isn’t a part of the curriculum but it is a fair way to reward success, show caring and commitment, and have students contribute to the learning environment.

Professional Knowledge
I am learning more and more how technology is increasing my own bank of knowledgeable information. The OCT Advisory states that technology is our  "Students window to the world today”; that couldn’t be more true. In order for teachers to increase their professional knowledge they must be able to use technology as a tool for gathering and transferring information to their students. There is a plethora of valid an valuable information online and teachers need to use online academic resources in their teaching in order to stay current.

Professional Practice 
 

It is explained on the website that teachers must: “use appropriate pedagogy, assessment and evaluation, resources and technology in planning for and responding to the needs of individual students and learning communities.”  Technology is integral for staying current.

Leadership in Learning Communities
Collaboration is easier then ever. As I had seen with many of the blogs I wrote about in my last post, children can use Twitter, Skype and many other different forms of social media to have a voice in their community and to learn about social projects. All of the teachers blogging and sharing thoughts, resources, ideas etc. are all demonstrating how we can positively use technology as a professional tool to communicate with other leaders.

Ongoing Professional Learning

Ongoing professional learning and development tools are more accessible than ever. Teachers can use technology to communicate new ideas with each other, take online courses, do research, stay current etc. The opportunities to learn while using technology are endless because they are always moving forward and changing.

The Ethical Standards for Teaching


Care, Respect, Trust and Integrity

How they relate to the standards of practice and using technology

Teachers need to apply these ethical standards to how they make use of technology in and out of the classroom. We are teachers and during the school hour we are also caregivers of vulnerable persons so we are then held to the standards at all times.

Watching the OCT Advisory and Reading the Ethical Standards, many things come to mind: laptop use, professional online conduct, social media etc. and with all those things considered, one point expressed in the OCT advisory (video clip) rings clearly with me. What we put up in a public domain is “there forever”!
Teachers and students both need to realize that although we can hope that some things such as e-mail and private messages are in fact private, the truth is that we can never be too cautious of what we type, skype, post or stream. because we can never be entirely sure  who has already seen or saved our information even if we change our minds.
As soon as we finished law class in teacher’s college 90% of my colleagues ran home, changed their names on social media, checked out tagged pictures, googled themselves; all to make sure no leftovers from careless teen years ended up on social media. For many it was a relatively easy task, after all, we were all teacher candidates and at least criminal record free! But as I had mentioned in a previous blog post there have been cases where teachers have been fired for what are seemingly appropriate activities such as drinking a beer on vacation. What may be fine for a teacher to do on their personal time can also be seen as diminishing to the reputation of the student and the school, especially If evidence turns up on the Internet. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that our private lives be kept offline for the safety of our students and ourselves.
What is equally important is that teachers are communicating this message to their students as well. Both students and teachers should beware of over-sharing information and always prescreen all media before posting it to the Internet.

Here is a link to the video format of the OCT Professional Advisory which bridges the information included in this blog post. 

PROFESSIONAL ADVISORY: ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION, SOCIAL MEDIA FROM ONTARIO COLLEGE OF TEACHERS


For more information on internet safety, teachers and parents can visit: 

http://www.bewebaware.ca/english/default.html