Hi OTECB fam!
I am sure many of us can relate to the last two weeks feeling like they have been much longer than fourteen days, with March Break, social distancing, and new routines and ways of life settling in. I will say that I am enjoying the return to school and the added structure to my days. We are truly living examples of how the use of instructional technology and technology in general can allow for use to still communicate with each other, learn and build community during trying times.
We are fortunate that we are still able to complete our courses through virtual learning and online conferences, and today’s class was a great example of how we can utilize technology to continue to learn in our current reality. It is also lovely to “see” one another via conference, I have missed my school friends! Thanks to technology, we are still able to experience and explore our world through a variety of ways, such as augmented reality, virtual reality and and specific programs like Google Earth. We had a group present on ways that you could use Google’s AR technology to bring animals and experiences for your students directly to the classroom. I played around with the website after class and was able to have a horse and penguin in my own backyard!
This was a really fun thing to do, and it is really neat to see how you can bring exotic animals to your own environment and see them in real life! The lesson taught by Tania explored ways that teachers could integrate Google Earth trips into their classrooms and we were able to follow the journey of Hana Brady during WWII and her family’s experience during the Holocaust. This was a really great example of how we can give our students experiences they may not get to experience without technology. I look forward to the upcoming weeks as our class gets more comfortable with our new reality of Canvas Conferences.
Sending everyone snaps and claps in the meantime,
Katelyn
p.s here is a picture of some pretty spring flowers from my garden.
Cohort B 