Sometime you think only a few people in your class will read your blog. I was very happy to get some positive feedback from a person named Katherine and a link to a great resource on open source software https://www.websiteplanet.com/blog/what-is-open-source-software/ Thank you.
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Check out this 'Book Snap' from @JCasaTodd book 'Social Leadi'
I also checked out the two websites ( educationaltechnology.ca/2804 and katiahildebrandt.ca/in-online-spaces-silence-speaks-as-loudly-as-words/) provided for this week's blog entry. Both are written by @kbhildebrandt and both make the point that we are privileged to have the experience of #edtech and the use of social media. She challenges educators to take a stand and be active with social justice on social media.
One of her questions posed was ... Is there a need to move beyond personal responsibility models of digital citizenship? I would agree with her, but one also needs to feel comfortable with this medium and also make sure they are making posts based on their own research and understanding. I also worry sometimes that some of the people that post might not been as genuine as they seem. I know personally, I try to share what I'm doing in my class, become a better and more informed teacher, be true to my beliefs, promoting the bringing together of all people, and celebrating successes of all. I try to model and support initiatives that go beyond the safety aspect of using social media and more to promoting understanding of issues, thing we can do, and being kind. Great question that really challenges my thinking and one I will continue to reflect on.
Lot's of great food for thought from the amazing ECI831 crew ....
Brad - northernboardem.wordpress.com/2019/11/24/social-activism-and-education/ I thought Brad's point - "Not that I want to start an online debate here, but I think #slacktivism isn’t all bad. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to see more people (myself included), making positive lifestyle changes based on the values of global citizenship. However, the spreading of awareness on social media necessitates people hitting the like button. " was a fair point. Sometimes all you might have the time to afford / invest is a like - you are at least acknowledging the issue even if you can't offer the activism it may need. Danial - danieldion1.wordpress.com/2019/11/24/being-an-educator-in-the-world-of-social-media-activism-difficult/ I thought Danial's point - "I cannot, in my own good conscience be a social justice warrior online or in my classroom without first guiding my students towards habits of healthy information processing." was something I feel myself thinking too. I feel you really need to process information before you post something ... shouldn't be bullied, guilted, or pressured to post or like something you haven't processed. Curtis - curtisbourassa.wordpress.com/2019/11/23/social-activism-what-do-you-have-to-risk/comment-page-1/#comment-133 Many people in our class looked at Curtis' blog post. It really put things into perspective well. His last couple of points, 'However we as educators have the opportunity to teach students about social media by teaching them to become participatory, and social justice citizens. And it just so happens that social media provides the avenue to make these issues relevant to our students. ' helped me see the responsibility I have as an educator to help make this happen. Honestly, I do not see this to be much of a priority at least at the school I teach. But when you really think about this our students are really thrown into an ocean of opinions and opportunities that have real life implications ... should we as educators tap into that and help students develop their own compass and chart their own course of action
For my blog on OEP, I reached out to Dr Verena Roberts via Twitter and lucky enough we were able to connect and have a great conversation. We went over many of the OEP topics we talked about in our ECI831 class and more. Have a listen below.
To learn more about Dr. Roberts and her work follow her on Twitter Dr Verena Roberts or check out her website.
One of the people Dr. Roberts mentioned to check out was Dr. Catherine Cronin. So I did on Twitter twitter.com/catherinecronin and checked out her website catherinecronin.net/ . Looking through Dr. Cronin's work was very interesting and gave me more insights into OEP. In particular, there was an article I found that was very thought provoking - http://www.irrodl.org./index.php/irrodl/article/view/3096/4301
Again my amazing ECI831 classmates are a huge part of my learning in this class. I feel our class models OEP with the projects we do,the community of learners we have, and with Dr. Couros as our compass.
I appreciated the way Melinda used her personal learning journey. Some in the past always focused on 'surface learning' as a way to 'educate' the people (more like give them only enough to they competently comply). Daniel always writes a great post and his on OEP this week was no exception. One of the main reasons I got into teaching was that I love to learn too so I love those blurred lines of teacher / learner that he mentioned. Love the Sir Ken Robinson Ted Talk ... also love this one with the sketch noting that goes with it (makes a lot of sense especially with what we are learning). https://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_changing_education_paradigms . I also can appreciate the challenges he has to make OEP come a reality in his current environment. I appreciated the views from Loreli (and love the work she is doing with Unicorn Spit - I just love saying that too haha). She reminded me of some of the obstacles / challenges with OEP including access to resources, specific knowledge needed for some programs, and the 'openness' needed by both teacher and learner (something Dr. Roberts mentioned in our conversation too).
So to sum it all up:
What do you see as the benefits and drawbacks of this type of practice? Benefits - unlimited learning opportunties - learning is not limited to what teacher gives -tap the resources around you (social media, parents, experts, peers) -tackle meaningful and wicked problems/challnges -become an independent learner -share ideas with the world -create passionate learners -breakdown learning barriers -develop many types of literacies -access open resources -deeper understanding - more joy in learning Drawbacks - access to materials / devices - curriculum outcomes being met -standards required - comfort level of teacher and/or student -assessment demands/practices - other stakeholders (parents/admin/other teachers) perceptions - those who like/good with traditional methods (playing school) - those who want us to get 'back to basics' These are a few that come to mind (I will probably revisit and add more). Can you please help me with my list? :-) What might taking up OEP look like in your educational context? I have been extremely fortunate to be able to take strides and have OEP experiences. I like taking risks (although I do my research and don't just do something for the sake of doing something) in the classroom. I have been also fortunate to have a lot of support from administration and my division with trying new things and have the resources to do so. I have had so many great students willing to try something new as well (not all on board though). I have had to work through assessment practices (like using a one point rubric, peer assessment, self assessment, different types of formative assessment). I embrace failure which I have had but definitely see as an opportunity to learn. I just think education should be more that memorizing a few facts, only a few feeling they are 'smart', and preparing students for their future (not reliving my past). So this topic of OEP has been great for me as it has contextualized a lot for me and gave be lots to think about (more questions than answers - which I'm open to).
connection its own track (we lost connection about 2/3 of the way through but were able to jump back on and finish (made new tracks which was no big deal) - can you tell where this happened?). Once the conversation is done you can download the tracks. I then used Audicity (freeware - donations welcome) to edit the tracks (take out a couple of 'noises' ,try to balance the levels for each speaker, and work with multiple tracks). I also used my Garageband app from my iPhone (this app comes with new iPhones) to make a little intro and outro music to import in as well. Finally, I needed somewhere to upload the file. I don't have the upload audio feature on weebly (need pro version - which I'm thinking of investing in) so I use Soundcloud. I was actually out of space here because of other podcast I have done, so I had to delete one to upload this podcast. It was a bit of a process, but totally worth it ... I like making and listening to podcasts.
Thought I’d try something a little different for a blog post and basically recap my week and the interactions I have had with technology. I am enjoying our ECI831 class very much. Talking about edtech and the issues that come with it is definitely my ‘jam’. Having Meeno Rami as our guest last week was very cool for me. I am very fortunate to be a Minecraft Global Mentor and have had the opportunity to meet Meeno at a Microsoft E2 event in Toronto. She is super nice and really cares about the people in the program and using Minecraft Education Edition as a tool to inspire and engage students. I also enjoyed our copyright discussion as I struggle with this a lot. I understand and try to respect copyright, but also have had times where it was tough as I wanted to use something in a lesson or give students an experience that copyright ‘got in the way’. On a side note, I was doing a coding video the other day in Minecraft and it involved coding a sandstorm. I thought it would be ‘fun’ to play Sandstorm (the instrumental song) in the background. After I published this video to You Tube, I saw that it was flagged for copyright music (wonder if some of the music projects will get flagged from class). The notification did not shut down my channel or anything like that but it did say I can’t profit from that video. In my social studies class, we are learning about ancient civilizations. We are doing a major project based jigsaw activity for this. Students are to research a civilization (8 to choose from), create a map of what they are going to build and where the information will be found, and then build a model of their civilization using Minecraft. The research is the most important part of the project and students are using Noodle Tools to collaborate and organize their research in MLA format. Students are to use a grid lined template to create their maps and make sure they include TODAL in it. We will be making an atlas out of these so students from others civilizations can visit and find their way around. Students will be displaying and constructing their using Minecraft. I did an essentials video with them and recorded the instructions live while teaching using screen cast o matic. It went well. I even let the students join the world I was demoing in and here’s the result of that – Minecraft Checklist Video. Students were also finishing up an Election Wakelet (including tweets, You Tube videos, and websites – here’s an example of one of them). I really am enjoying the content and this amazing group of young people. They are motivating me to try a few new things as well. One of the things, which they are motivating me to do is use our Oculus Go VR glasses more effectively. We used them to check out archeological digs a few weeks ago. But I wanted to be more efficient with them. So I figured out how to create a common account, common wifi hook up, and create a playlist of VR 360 Ancient Civilization tours from them to explore and comment on their experience. I also figured out how to take screen shots inside the glasses and export them to Facebook (which owns Oculus). They are so engaging and immersive. I also last week put together a Best Buy grant to get a class set of Google Expedition devices and a couple 360 cameras so we can make our own videos. I think there are so many possibilities with these devices. I am also doing some research to use a game called Civilization VI in my social class. It’s an interesting game and I think have an idea how to use them. There is a special campaign mode for Alexander the Great. We are lucky to have two Nintendo Switches for our eSports / Tech Club. I was able to buy two copies of Civilization VI and I have been doing research (playing) to figure out how to best approach this. This version is a little different than the ones I have played in the past, but I think I’m getting the hang of it and one of my own sons is familiar with it and helping me out a bit. I also have another teacher’s intern in one of my social classes that is also looking into the using the game as well. I’m excited about try this game-based learning experience with my students. Right now, it’s Microsoft’s Global Connection time (formerly known as Skype-A-Thon). I have a few experiences planned for my students like playing Mystery Skype (just did one today with a class in India – it was 3:00 PM our time which like 2:30 AM Tuesday their time), have a guest speaker coming in from the Buffalo Bill Center in Wyoming USA to talk about First Nations (interested to see what their presentation will be), and also have an executive from Microsoft Canada dropping through MS Teams to talk to our Tech Club. I am also doing some Mystery Skypes and Minecraft In the Classroom presentations on my own time (afterschool and during prep). These are very rewarding experiences and great ways to connect. I’d totally recommend this experience to anyone. My math classes are going well. I’ve been able to use the knowledge I gained in ECI834 last semester as I’m currently teaching Work Place 10 and Work Place 20 online for the Regina Catholic Online School. It has been interesting to teach in this environment and it is tough not to be face to face. I’m trying to establish relationships with them, but the communication on the other end is not quite there yet. I have set office hours (Monday and Tuesday) afterschool, but willing to meet almost anytime. I have had a few good meeting using Blackboard, but would like to see students reach out a bit more. Using Moodle has been good and it’s interesting to look at data like who has been logging on to what and for how long. I was told last week that I might get a social 9 next semester which should be interesting. I’ve learned a lot from this experience. My other math class is being handled by my intern. She is very good and it’s been a great experience for both of us. I have brought her out of her comfort zone a bit with technology. She tried my Minecraft Rollercoaster project to learn slope and it worked out well for all involved. She asked a lot of good questions and so did the students which in turn helped me make some adjustments to the project to make it better. It’s also impressive how my intern is using MS One Note. It has been our digital binder and contains lesson plans, target sheets, and more. I enjoy going into the target section, finding her target sheet, typing up the observation and feedback and then just adding the file right back into One Note for post conferencing. Very slick. Very organized. We also did a video analysis observation (TIFA) that I picked up from Dr. Kathy Nolan at the U of R and was productive and growth experience for both of us. At school, I’m also responsible for our school Twitter account and indoor/outdoor signs. At the end of each month I put together a Wakelet of the month that was and share that with staff and the community. It’s easy to put together and I always enjoy doing it because it’s cool so see all the great things happening at our school. We also use a product called Rise Vision to push out content to our in school monitors and have been using a product called LED Videostar to get content on our outdoor sign. We have had a lot happen and a lot of days without students lately that keeping up to date with the signage has kept me busy. I am not a fan of signs that haven’t been update (have seen some welcome to school messages still up at some schools). I’ve also have been asked to join a couple of coding initiatives that will have me at some workshops in December. One is a SaskCode workshop and the other one is a program called GoIT that I hope to get running at my school. I have also have had some Minecraft visit request from a few people inside my school division and one from Curtis in our class. I always look forward to these types of visits. I have published past articles for the SFT Bulletin called Tech Talk … I just typed one about using podcasts for PD and sent it in (check this blog to see what I wrote). Also looking at getting a RCSD Connected Educator podcast series started too. I’ve also enjoyed working on my learning project and I’m continuing my block coding journey. I think I’m getting a little better. There have been some great challenges that have had me thinking for sure. I have worked hard to put up my videos and share them on Twitter. Got another like and retweet from Minecraft Education Edition and one from Dr. Bryan Sanders who helps run the program with Meeno. Meeno also gave me a shout out for people to follow on game based education. So that’s been a look at my week J When I first sat down to do my post for this week, I was going to go in a different direction. I hadn’t watched RIP Manifesto for a few years. I knew there was a guide that went through the documentary and asked many guided questions. It was a great experience just getting access to the NFB Campus edition through the Ministry of Education. There is a wealth of accessible information and resources that are free for Saskatchewan teachers. So this experience in itself reminded me that there are many open resources available to teachers if we just do a little more research and ask a few more questions. (Here’s a copy of the guided questions along with my responses from RIP Manifesto (I took off the music questions). I sat down at my computer wondering where I should start this blog. Then I thought what if I checked out the blog hub and see what others thinking. As always, there are some great posts filled with great insights and resources. I feel that our class blogs are a great source of open source learning. I wrote replies to the blogs I viewed put thought using a couple of points from each blog to write my blog would be in the spirit of what open source learning can do. So here’s my attempt at a blog remix.
copyright on the entries we got. There were some amazing projects that did not get submitted because copyright permission was not obtained. I always thought that was too bad because it limited what students were producing and submitting. There were some success stories to as some people granted permission and students created medium like their own music which was awesome. I also appreciate open source like BCcampus Open Educational Resources. Last semester I tool ECI 834 and have access to Tony Bates’ textbook was amazing. It was free and extremely useful. I didn’t not expect a university level course to provide free access to a resource. The costs of textbooks can provide a lot of stress when deciding on if a taking a university class is feasible. Her story about the Cpl. Funduck is also very interesting. I know that in my own school division we have received e-mails from lawyers of people whose work has been included in newsletters or other materials basically saying you need to pay for using their images. Even though she gave permission, I’m sure she could look for compensation if her images were being used for profit or gain from the people using them.
information and ideas. To me this represents the ultimate view of open source learning. We have so much access that it can be an intimating and frustrating process. That’s why developing a PLN is so important to help and share with this process. The opportunities are endless.
resources in Google only not realizing that many of the resources on the first page paid to be there. This is probably due to the fact they want their message promoted for whatever reason. I also feel that Wikipedia is a great open source information and a good starting point, but definitely need to sift through the information on there. The need to create critical thinkers is more important than ever before. Open source can provide amazing information but it can also be a haven for misinformation as well.
for students and can prevent students in developing countries to improve through education. If all teachers had access to quality educational content without barriers, and educators had the ability to collaborate with the materials, teachers can and will make a positive difference. I also like the checklist of eight ways teachers can share. I’m happy to report I can check all eight:
I’ve also experienced using MOOCs (like the Saskatchewan Education Digital Citizenship MOOC that was developed in part by Dr. Alec Couros and the Innovator’s Mindset MOOC by George Couros) and other online learning endeavors. There is a wealth of amazing learning opportunities that exist out there. I am also interested in Matteo’s learning project as there are similarities to mine. I also sometimes question myself is this good enough to share especially online (such as a blog or You Tube series)? Sometimes you just have to let go and enjoy the learning experience for yourself and more often than not the material you share will reach at least one person ‘out there’ even if you don’t get a response. Kinda like this blog remix :-) Bonus Material
Found a Quizziz on Open Educational Resources Give it a go by opening joinmyquiz.com and enter this code 476500 Here's a MOOC one can join (might be a bit late) https://www.europeanschoolnetacademy.eu/courses/course-v1:ITELab+Networked_21C+2019/about Coding With The Agent Update
and I have always felt coding is an important skill (even helped me with the few times I needed HTML on some early websites I did). I even had to 'teach' Computer Science a few years ago and my knowledge of BASIC (again I adore my 64) made me a 'qualified' instructor of QBasic . In the past few years, block coding has emerged to help students (especially younger students) be able to explore the world of coding. One of the most known ventures in this area is MIT's Scratch (check out their About Page for some background information). There are many other block coding programs out there including one I dabbled with when I had access to iPads called Hopscotch. I truly believe that providing students with these opportunities to become familiar with coding and computational thinking are important. Movements like Hour of Code and books like Code Breaker have attempted to awaken educational institutions that coding is not only fun and engaging for students but it is educationally sound (with references to Seymour Papert) and critical in future industry (who will program the robots). I also think we need to instill our students the need to be producers of technology not just consumers or risk being at the mercy of those who are the producers. I love using Minecraft in my classroom. In the last couple of years, Minecraft has been bought by Microsoft (see article) and Microsoft has since made an education version (see previous link). One of the features of Minecraft Education Edition is the addition of the Agent. The Agent is your block coding friend and is a great fit in the world of blocks (click here to learn more). The Agent uses a similar block coding to Scratch called MakeCode ( which is also used to program Microbits which I may also explore more on this journey). I also like the fact that I can 'look under the hood' in MakeCode and check out the JavaScript that goes into each block. That may be a journey for another day and one I can work with my own son on as he is learning JavaScript in his AP Computer Science class. I am starting to be able to predict what block code will come next, understand the logic in how the blocks are connecting, and seeing how I can use this feature in my social and math classes and provide students with valuable coding experience while meeting curriculum outcomes. I have been using Screen-Cast-O-Matic (see Matteo's Review) to record my tutorial videos and I really like this tool. I also can appreciate Matteo's journey with his class on creating coding tutorials. I am also grateful to Curtis for sharing his coding journey and I can relate to the 'debugging' process which is a great learning experience in itself. I have been tweeting at least on tutorial a day and I'm pretty happy with my consistency. It was also encouraging to get a shout out from Minecraft Education Edition on my work on this too. I'm looking forward to continuing my 'block party'. Check out my playlist below for episodes of my fun with the Agent.
For my tech tool review, I decide to share one of my new go to tools (was mentioned and listed on our Oct 8th/19 class notes and also listed in classmate Matteo's Tweet on the 92 Tools to Check Out Before 2020 (https://twitter.com/MatteoDiMuro/status/1183126568408891392). I used an edtech called Storify to collect and curate our school social media and produce electronic newsletters. It was an effective tool, but unfortunately like some tech tools do ... it ceased to exist and left me search for a new tool to collect and curate social media posts. It took awhile, but I was able to come across Wakelet. Wakelet had all the features I was looking for and more. This tool can definitely help you sail the 7 Cs of 21st Century Learning (check out an amazing blog on The 7 Cs of 21st Century Learning from an amazing colleague and former ECI831 student Genna Rodriguez) The ability to collect and curate a multiple sources of media was now at my finger tips and now I could also collaborate these collections with my PLN, staff, and/or students. Recently, Wakelet has partnered up with Microsoft and now has some amazing bonus features such as Immersive Reader and Flipgrid integration that really take things to another level. There is also an app for that so you can work on a Wakelet right on your phone. I am enjoying riding the #WakeletWave.
Want to learn more about Wakelet:
1)Checkout my video review below (I used Screen Cast O Matic for this (to learn more about Screen Cast O Matic check out Matteo's Review - Great review / Great Tool)) 2)Check out my embedded ECI831 Wakelet below (or click on the link) with media from our current class, past classes, and related info (here's the code if you want to jump in and add to the ECI831 Wakelet - https://wakelet.com/i/invite?code=7632872) 3)Check out a few of class/school/professional development Wakelets I have done: Archeology Project Ancient Civilization Research Current Event Slope Help Videos O'Neill Newsletter Connected Educator Presentation RCSD Podcast PD 4) To learn more about Wakelet - Check out the tutorial at the Microsoft Educators Communiy Site (great site - lots of other great tutorials/courses, Skype in the Classroom Resources, and a chance to become a MIE) My ECI831 Wakelet Review
My ECI 831 Wakelet
Our blog prompts / questions for this week are the following: 1.How do you take up teaching in a world where knowledge is becoming obsolete? I try to embrace this and teach in a manner that accepts this and sees this an important concept to share with my students.I look for new ways to engage and empower students to help them learn how to learn that works best for them.I see myself more as a lead learner than a traditional teacher that possess the knowledge to disseminate to the masses.I find myself taking more risks with new lessons and tools to help create the conditions that promote the ability to analyze and synthesize knowledge. 2. What steps should/could we as educators take in relation to bringing social networks into the classroom? I try to model what I hope that students could see as an effective way to harness the power of social networks.I have implemented my social networks into class and I’m trying to great students to build theirs.I try to create and promote collaborative projects so students can build networks and realize learning is social and active. 3. How do we balance the “moral imperative” to educate children to succeed in a rapidly changing world (see the NCTE definition of 21st century literacies) with concerns around student safety and privacy? I think the balance comes with many factors.Knowing that this is the world that we currently live in and that students are experiencing this first hand (most times without a compass in this uncharted world), schools should be preparing them for their future and not the past or the futures we think should happen.A partnership amongst stakeholders (students, teachers, administration, and parents) needs to be established in order to provide these 21st Century opportunities.There are many that argue ‘get back to basics’, but I’m not sure those that argue this understand that there are new ‘basics’.Our students (and I would argue all of us) need to learn how to navigate these new ‘norms’ in order to be successful in a global society. (I also thought it was interesting that the NCTE site stated ‘This position statement may be printed, copied, and disseminated without permission from NCTE.’) Mulling and Musings on this week’s assigned readings and videos:
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AuthorDean Vendramin. Educator for over 20 years. Currently Education Leader for Math/Science at Archbishop M.C. O'Neill Catholic High School. Have a passion for all things in education with emphasis on technology integration, assessment, professional development, and 21 Century Education. Posts are articles he has written for the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation monthly newsletter The Bulletin, Saskatchewan Math Teachers' Society The Variable, blog requests from memberships he is a part of, and his own thoughts. Archives
February 2022
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