Organizing Myself Online

There are going to be a lot of blog posts going up in the next little while, the pile up of tech tasks has just recently dawned on me. With classes ending and all of the final projects and tests piling up, I can feel my stress level increasing. Getting myself organized helps me clear my head and make sense of what my next step is.

I like to find new ways to help me get organized online. I have enjoyed using Feedly to organized the blogs that I am reading.

Some of the other ways that organize myself are online are;

1. Goolge Chrome Bookmarks
2. Pinterest
3. Wunderlist
4. Evernote
5. The Pocket

I haven't been able to get into Symbaloo, however it seem like something people like to use so maybe I need to give it another try.

PLN

PLN (Personal Learning Network)

"A personal learning network is an informal learning network that consists of the people a learner interacts with and derives knowledge from in a personal learning environment. In a PLN, a person makes a connection with another person with the specific intent that some type of learning will occur because of that connection."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_learning_network

A personal learning network connects us to people and knowledge through different technological mediums. I think that this network also includes the devises and programs that we use and interact with. As I was creating a mind map on Mindmeister, I realized how extensive my PLN already is, and it continues to grow as a finish university and move into a career.

Below is my representation of the PLN of the 21st century connected student. creating this mind map I realized how different the PLN of students are than when I graduated in 2003. There are so many more resources available for students to grow their PLN. I feel that in the classroom we should be pulling from these resources to support the learning and engagement of our students.

There are a few different applications available to create mind maps such as these, using Mindmeister was really easy, and I like the clean look of their designs. I find that creating these mind maps is a simple way to visually organize information, and is another tool that can be used in the classroom.

Infographs

Infographs are a fun visual way to organize and represent information on any topic. This is a great way for students to show their learning. I like to have things visually organized, using colour and images as a result my paper notes books are littered with drawings and other visual cues that help me organize my thoughts. This is a tool that you could use in any subject area, and students could also share their learning by posting their infograph online or in the classroom.

Here are a couple of infographs I found online that you could use in a ELA classroom. 

Click for link to source

Click for link to source

It is easy to get started, and students should be able to learn quickly with some instruction and playing around. To create my first infograph I used Piktochart, you can create your own, or use one of their templates to get started.

Web based learning

This past week we had a presentation from Sophia Palahicky on Web Based Course Delivery in Manitoba. I have never taken a course online, however it is something I find interesting. The sense I got from everyone in class, is a general hesitation about the idea. It seems as though many people have had a bad experience with them in the past. I am sure that there have been improvements, and I feel like I can see the value in them, but I also feel that they can not completely replace the physical classroom.
As we have talked about before students are different and the way that we teach needs to be different, I feel like there may be a place for web based classes, my hesitation would be more so to commit to a completely virtual school. Web based classes would be useful for students such as athletes who need to travel often, students who want to accelerate their education, and students who need more time or need to re-do a course. 
This is still something I feel that I don't know much about, it makes me somewhat nervous to think that I may teach a web based course, but it is good to know that there are resources available for me to find out more information.

Sophia shared this video of the active learner to emphasis the how learning has changed.

Twitter

I have had a personal account on twitter for a while, which I do not use much, I follow friends and a few other people, but I do not tweet much. I have just started my own professional account where I follower other teachers, my classmates and other education related accounts. So far I have found that it is a great way to connect with other educators. Using twitter is still something I am learning about and getting into, but I can see myself continuing to use it in the future.

Using Twitter in creative ways in the classroom is also a way to get students to use a social media tool that most of them already use in an educational way.

For some reason I like adding videos to my blog posts, so here is an interesting video showing a year on twitter in 2013.

Check out my twitter account: @Ms_Check00

WHAT ARE YOU TEACHING THE WORLD?

I had a good sleep, the sun is shinning, and I started the morning with some yoga, which has inspired me today to put a little bit of positive energy into the world. One of the best ways to be inspired and feel good about yourself, is by listening to kid president. I feel that teachers and students could use a pep talk!

 

As teachers we must always remind ourselves to create a classroom the revolves around our students. Teaching our students through inquiry based learning is one of the best ways that we can create lifelong learners. It is also essential to create a welcoming classroom environment that is inclusive to all learners.

Thank you!!

 I would like to dedicate this video to all of my teachers/professors in the Education department at Brandon University, as well as the Cooperating teachers that I have worked with. You are all an inspiration to me and thank you for giving me the tools to become the best teacher that I can be. I would also like to send this out to my classmates, who I learn so much from everyday. There are going to be a lot of amazing teachers going out into the world in 2014.

This "internet" thing will never catch on...

We are half way done our classes, and things are really going to get busy. With the Career fair this past week, being near the end is starting to feel more real. This is both exciting and very stressful. I sometimes miss the days of being in first year Education where everything was new and exciting. I have no idea where I will be in the next year but I am excited to see what the future brings.
This final term I will be student teaching at Crocus Plains, teaching senior 1-4 Self Directed Learning. This will be a new experience and a totally different classroom dynamic. I am very excited to try something new. On fridays in this class my co-operating teaching has discussion time with the students, she usually starts out discussion with a youtube video. I am beginning to get prepared for my time there, and I am looking for videos that I can use to get discussion started with my students. 

Help!

I am hoping that my fellow classmates will help me out and give me some suggestions of good videos that I can use  to get discussion going! Please give me any suggestions in my comments below. I would appreciate the help!

Here is one video that could be interesting for discussion, a news report 1981 about the internet. It is amazing how much has changed in the past 33 years. Who knew this internet thing would ever catch on!