Month: April 2016

My Favourite Digital Tools

Richard Roberts Group 2, Participant Post ,

Josh Winestock, Tyndall Park, Cluster 1871
In my last post I mentioned that as a millennial I am quick to adopt any tool regardless of whether it meets any personal or educational outcomes. I am the one who searches for ‘lifehacks’. Most of these tools, apps, and technologies come and go, but some remain useful to me everyday. Here is a list that I have found helpful. In some cases, the connection to education may be a bit loose, but in making my life easier/more organized/flow better, these tools help me focus on my most important instructional goals.

Evernote
Evernote, a cloud-based note-taking application, is where I store EVERYTHING from my life. It flexibly works with different formats and filetypes, and it synchronizes across platforms. In it I store resources, assessments, sheet music, music files, business cards, presentations, media and lesson plans. You can search for notes by any contained text, and email documents to the program using an Evernote-specific email address (E.g. joshwinestock.9471942@m.evernote.com).

A few ways it has helped me teach:
​-Until it’s time to print and distribute, all of my resources are paperless.
​-I can play media files straight from the application (including those I needed throughout the winter concert).
​-It stores my report card comment bank.
​-All of my blog subscriptions (including My ITLL Blog) are sent to my evernote email address, keeping my real inbox clear.
– For our drama performance THIS week, a colleague of mine created a note where she placed music files throughout the script so she could easily read the script and launch the music at the same time.
I recommend partnering Evernote with Scannable – a high quality scanner for your phone.

Followupthen (Followupthen.com)
Followupthen is an email reminder program that lets you send reminder emails to yourself or someone else at specified times. Sending an email to the address thursday@followupthen.com will bring the email back to you on Thursday. Everyweekday7am@followupthen.com will bring a recurring email back to you at 7am every workday.
How I used this application: Our school sends out a weekly bulletin for staff called Monday morning jazz. The optimal time for me to read it is every morning at 8:45am. I don’t want to print it or leave it in inbox where I will forget it, so I send it to the email address everyweekday845am@followupthen.com.

Microsoft Sway (Sway.com)
I was introduced to this presentation application when the WSD sent out an email newsletter using it in September or October. Sway is a highly intuitive online presentation application (similar to Prezi). Teachers can create lesson plans online for students to access at home. Students can create presentations at home and link them to their teachers. In addition to lesson plans, I use Sway to hold all of my choir lyrics (http://bit.ly/1rmfWyy)

Planboard (Planboardapp.com)
I haven’t been using this application much in the past school year. This application, created by chalk.com, is an online planning notebook. You can include links and media throughout your lesson plan. Chalk also hosts Markboard, a site to record classroom assessments.

Other applications I find helpful:
1. Say it Mail it (iPhone) – take audio notes and immediately mail it to yourself or (bonus points) to your Evernote account.
2. The Email game (online) – quickly move through email.
3. Workflow (iphone/ipad) – Create apps within this app.
4. WolframAlpha (everywhere)- Find and compare anything quantifiable on the internet.
5. Substitute Alert (iPhone)- Notifications to your phone for Aesop jobs (for all the substitute teachers out there).
6. Duolingo (everywhere)- Language learning app.
7. Dropbox (everywhere) – Filesharing
8. Figure by Propellerhead (iPhone/Ipad) – Music fun!
9. Quick Graph – my favourite graphing app

Josh Winestock
Music/Math Support
Tyndall Park School

My Favourite Digital Tools

scornwell Group 1, Participant Post , ,

My Favourite Digital Tools

In my last post I mentioned that as a millennial I am quick to adopt any tool regardless of whether it meets any personal or educational outcomes. I am the one who searches for ‘lifehacks’. Most of these tools, apps, and technologies come and go, but some remain useful to me everyday. Here is a list that I have found helpful. In some cases, the connection to education may be a bit loose, but in making my life easier/more organized/flow better, these tools help me focus on my most important instructional goals. 

 Evernote

Evernote, a cloud-based note-taking application, is where I store EVERYTHING from my life. It flexibly works with different formats and filetypes, and it synchronizes across platforms. In it I store resources, assessments, sheet music, music files, business cards, presentations, media and lesson plans. You can search for notes by any contained text, and email documents to the program using an Evernote-specific email address (E.g. joshwinestock.9471942@m.evernote.com). 

 A few ways it has helped me teach:

-Until it’s time to print and distribute, all of my resources are paperless.

-I can play media files straight from the application (including those I needed throughout the winter concert).

-It stores my report card comment bank.

-All of my blog subscriptions (including My ITLL Blog) are sent to my evernote email address, keeping my real inbox clear.

– For our drama performance THIS week, a colleague of mine created a note where she placed music files throughout the script so she could easily read the script and launch the music at the same time. 

I recommend partnering Evernote with Scannable – a high quality scanner for your phone.

Followupthen (Followupthen.com)

Followupthen is an email reminder program that lets you send reminder emails to yourself or someone else at specified times. Sending an email to the addressthursday@followupthen.com will bring the email back to you on Thursday. Everyweekday7am@followupthen.com will bring a recurring email back to you at 7am every workday.

How I used this application: Our school sends out a weekly bulletin for staff called Monday morning jazz. The optimal time for me to read it is every morning at 8:45am. I don’t want to print it or leave it in inbox where I will forget it, so I send it to the email address everyweekday845am@followupthen.com.

Microsoft Sway (Sway.com)

I was introduced to this presentation application when the WSD sent out an email newsletter using it in September or October. Sway is a highly intuitive online presentation application (similar to Prezi). Teachers can create lesson plans online for students to access at home. Students can create presentations at home and link them to their teachers. In addition to lesson plans, I use Sway to hold all of my choir lyrics (http://bit.ly/1rmfWyy)

Planboard (Planboardapp.com)

I haven’t been using this application much in the past school year. This application, created by chalk.com, is an online planning notebook. You can include links and media throughout your lesson plan. Chalk also hosts Markboard, a site to record classroom assessments.

Other applications I find helpful:

1. Say it Mail it (iPhone) – take audio notes and immediately mail it to yourself or (bonus points) to your Evernote account.

2. The Email game (online) – quickly move through email.

3. Workflow (iphone/ipad) – Create apps within this app.

4. WolframAlpha (everywhere)-  Find and compare anything quantifiable on the internet.

5. Substitute Alert (iPhone)- Notifications to your phone for Aesop jobs (for all the substitute teachers out there).

6. Duolingo (everywhere)- Language learning app.

7. Dropbox (everywhere) – Filesharing

8. Figure by Propellerhead (iPhone/Ipad) – Music fun!

9. Quick Graph  – my favourite graphing app

Josh Winestock

Music/Math Support

Tyndall Park School

One Step at a Time

kmowat Group 2 ,

For the last month I have procrastinated writing this blog post. To be completely honest it scares me. What if I say the wrong thing? What if I miss a typo? What if I say something and it’s misinterpreted? These thoughts, as well as about fifty other “what ifs”, left me feeling very anxious about this post. I had the same feeling of dread about Twitter a month ago.  One of the first posts I saw when I opened my Twitter account was a retweet by Shauna Cornwell of something George Couros said, “when it comes to being innovative- to start…change one thing, not everything”. When I read that, all of the sudden Twitter became a lot less overwhelming. It reminded me that I don’t need to master Twitter overnight nor would anyone expect that. I decided I would start by opening Twitter and doing at least one tweet or retweet everyday. It’s been a few weeks since then and I have to admit that Twitter has grown on me. It’s a great way to network with others and I’m being exposed to things that I never even knew existed like “Genius Hour”. I’m so glad that I did not let my fear paralyze me because I would’ve missed out on a lot of great learning.

As I read and reread the last paragraph to make sure I haven’t accidently written any obscenities I am reminded of advice that my support teacher gave me in my first year of teaching –jump in and thrash around. I have used that mantra with so many things, like trying play based learning and as long as I take the time to reflect afterwards it never fails me. As I think about what having an innovators mindset is I have realized that being willing to “jump in and thrash around” is the first step.

 

Carrie Wood

Gr.1/2/3 Multi-Age Teacher

John M. King School

ITLL Blog Post

scornwell Group 2, Participant Post ,

Sigh.  I’ve had a really hard time writing this blog post.  And I can’t truly say why.  If you meet me in person I am not shy to speak my mind nor am I afraid of asking questions or admitting what I don’t understand.  But for some reason I have started four ‘posts’ that I feel unsatisfied with and later discard before sending them on to Shauna.

Why is this so hard for me!?!

I guess part of what I am struggling with is my own indecisive reaction to our PD.  At times I feel that what I do and the practices I use really align with the Innovators Mindset.  Inquiry based learning, AFL, student centred practices, collaborative teaching, reflection (for myself and students), technologically infused instruction and more permeate my planning and teaching.  Does all of it happen all day every day?  Well no.  But my decisions as an educator are planned and based with all of the above in mind.

One thing that I have heard and learned and felt reaffirmed about is the need to constantly be striving to do more and do better as a teacher.  My personal philosophy values trying new things and challenging myself and my students in a variety of ways.  I have a hard time when I meet a colleague that teaches the same content the same way every year.

But I also recoil at the idea of creating a ‘digital footprint’.  Try googling me… there isn’t much out there and that is the way I like it.  I feel that most social media is a black hole and I am not convinced that the benefits of creating a social network online are worth the loss of privacy and the need to constantly (CONSTANTLY) live my life through the lens of being a teacher.  In the same way that I am a mom, and I will always be a mom, it is not the only way to define my existence.  Furthermore, I don’t think that the lack of a ‘digital footprint’ should impact my qualifications as a conscientious and innovative educator.  While others are tweeting and blogging to improve their practice I may be reading or researching.  I may be speaking with my colleagues and peers or simply reflecting on what has and has not worked.  Information found online is not necessarily any better or worse than information found elsewhere.  Difference is simply difference.

Having said all this I wish to stress that I really value the conflict and thought that has been inspired by the PD provided by WSD and George Couros.  Anytime that I am (and we as teachers are) asked to think critically about purpose and methodology is a good thing.  I believe it is what keeps me inspired and innovative, I think it is integral to providing best practices in my classroom.  However, as a free thinking, well-educated and opinionated person I guess it is my right to adopt what I choose from the learning experiences provided to me.  What I take from this has been and will be positive, I’m just not sure what it will look like.

Jilll Joanette
Grade 2/3 Teacher
Principal Sparling School
Cluster 2010

ITLL Weekly Challenge

scornwell Leader Post , ,

In the spirit of one of our learning intents of the ITLL Initiative… to build community and shared understanding... I couldn’t help but be excited when I received this email from Sheila Seafoot one of our learning leaders from Lord Roberts.

“I just had a thought….do you think it would be possible to have a weekly “challenge” for teachers to take part in? I’m thinking that teachers could sign up if they want to participate, then, every week, there would be a challenge for them to try and tweet about. For example, week one could be to try the following “instant challenge”: (insert challenge here”. They would fit it into the week and tweet about something great (or not) that came out of it. Week two might be to “participate in a Twitter Chat” with a small list of #s to choose from (ie #1stchat). Maybe a challenge might be to do another blog, or to try out coding……”.

What a great idea! One most certainly worth giving a try! If the weekly challenge works for you and your students …great! If not check back next Monday for a new one. No need to sign up…. just participate if and when the weekly challenge works for you. Be sure to leave a comment on this blog post during the week letting us know how the challenge went with your learners. Or Tweet something about the weekly challenge  to #winnipegSDITLL.

This week’s challenge is to try an Instant Challenge, of your choice,  with your students and let us know how it goes.  There were a variety of resources shared on the links on the Hub from last week’s session, or check out this amazing document shared this week by another ITLL. Awesome find, Genevieve! The resource can be found here.

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We look forward to continued sharing and learning together!

 

Session Two Blog Reflection

scornwell Group 1, Participant Post ,

After my time with George in March I was able to reflect on my practice as an educator.  I read the second chapter and was drawn to the points about having empathy for our students in how they learn best.  “Do the learning experiences you create mimic the type of learning you expect to engage in?” (p.39)  “Is there a better way?” (p. 42)  Since the beginning of the school year I have really been pushing myself to change my math practice to create more hands on learning.  Not just hands on learning in terms of having math materials on shelves but allowing the students to make their own discoveries around a main topic.  I have been allowing groups of students to visit a math centre based around a question posted i.e. “What can you discover about capacity?”  I had various containers, paper, pencils and materials such as water, beans and cotton balls laid out for them to discover with.  During this time I would have the others students working independently while I could listen to the conversations that were going on at the math centre and record what I was hearing.  At the end of math I would invite some of those students to share what they discovered at the math centre that day with the rest of the class.  The student’s were so engaged in their conversations and were excited to share what they discovered with the class.

I think I am moving in the right direction in terms of the innovator’s mindset.  I want my students to have more than just worksheet experiences in math and sitting at the carpet and me telling them how to solve math facts.  If I go back to decision that made me change my practice, it probably was from my own experience as a new mom, what would I want from my own daughter’s early years teacher?  A teacher who believed in play based learning with hands on experiences or a teacher who was old fashioned in her teaching style?  The first one would appeal to me more as a mom.  I’m excited to see what else I can come up with for my math practice in the classroom.  I’m sure George’s book and the conversations we will have during these sessions will inspire me with more ideas.  Screen Shot 2016-04-23 at 11.52.35 AM

Screen Shot 2016-04-23 at 11.52.22 AM

Shannon McMurtry

Grade 1 Teacher

Grosvenor School

Cluster 1996

Creation and Consumption; Finding a Balance

kstrachan Group 1, Participant Post ,

What stood out to us after reading the book and spending the day with George was how we currently use the technology in our classroom. Based on our reflections and conversations with colleagues, we realized we are using our technology (iPads, computers, digital cameras) primarily for consumption. We would like to begin guiding elementary students towards utilizing technology more creatively. We are trying to find the balance between the practicalities of using technology for consumption while finding ways for students to express themselves creatively.

Where our learning begins is finding a good starting point – which apps are best, what programs are available, how are other teachers being innovative in this area, and how to connect all of this to our curriculum.

We welcome any suggestions or ideas, as we are excited to start this new chapter in our teaching journey.

 

Vanessa Madsen
Grade 1 teacher

&

Val Mytopher
Math support teacher

Niji Mahkwa School
Cluster group 1996

BLOG POST #1

kmowat Group 1

I left the first session with George Couros excited but also saturated with information. I have been thinking about what this means for me in the context of my classroom and here are a few of my thoughts.

  1. Literacy as communication.

I knew that literacy was part of communication but it made me really examine how we communicate in our world today. I thought about how to integrate what we traditionally do with the technology of today. This is important and I feel we need to bridge this gap in a meaningful way for students. How can this be done without spending an entire day on technology or an entire day not using technology? Finding the balance is important.

  1. Using social media in the classroom.

How am I going to do this? I want it to be in a meaningful and authentic fashion, using it in a way that allows the children to develop questioning skills. I would like to use this media as a catalyst for a better world and facilitate change. When children use technology at home, they are not using in person one on one interactions with others because of computers, tablets and games. Sometimes students misunderstand each other and are having a harder time communicating face to face and using social skills appropriately. I believe part of my job is to marry the two worlds so students can be appropriate on social media, use technology and also understand how to interact with others appropriately within our classroom and our community.

I have set up a twitter account and I am looking forward to using a classroom Instagram account as well in the next several weeks. This session has made me think about using social media in my classroom as a tool for the students to help and inspire others and to be inspired, within their community and connections around the world.

Maria Pochailo

Cluster 1996

 

Innovation an Mathematics Education

kmowat Group 1 ,

After attending our session with George Couros I began to wonder … what is innovative when it comes to mathematics education? Now before I say anything else, I’d like to say that I do not see myself as a perfect example of an innovative math teacher. However, I do know myself to be a person who is genuinely interested in learning math and learning about teaching math. And as George has said in his book, “[i]f we want to create a culture of innovation, we must first focus on furthering our own learning and growth.” After participating in the workshop, reading parts of George’s book, some online research, and becoming the proud-owner of a Twitter handle (Colleen H2 btw ;)) here are my thoughts thus far … What is innovative when it comes to mathematics education . . .

Embracing an inquiry approach

In other words, students are actively involved in coming up with, investigating, and   solving real-life mathematics problems. In my online travels I came across a great website for inspiration for real-life problems: www.mathalicious.com.

Building upon strengths

As George suggests, we should help students find what they love and create learning experiences which develop their strengths. I think it would be really neat to ask the students where the math is in whatever it is they love. For example, if you love biking, where is the math in biking? If you love YouTube, where is the math in YouTube? I think this could lead to some neat ideas/innovations.

Building connections

Students could connect with experts who use math in their fields and industries and learn from them. I’m excited for our classroom to begin building more connections using Twitter and blogging!

Looking very forward to what George so nicely phrased as this “opportunity to create something better for our students.” Thanks for reading and happy learning everyone!

 

Colleen Heuchert-Hammell

Montrose School

Cluster 1996