Wow! I can’t believe it is the end of the semester already! Never did I think on my first day of teacher’s college that it was going to end like this! And yet… This has been an incredible learning year. From building working relationships with teachers and colleagues, to getting to know my students and classmates; from hands-on learning opportunities to online and digital learning, this has been an incredible and informative year! I am particularly grateful to have helped out my associate teacher get sorted with Google Classroom and helped her to build lessons and activities for our grade 2 and 3 students. Not only has this been great practice for building lessons and writing very specific and simple instruction, but it has also been a great way to give back. Many teachers in this current situation haven’t had a ton of experience putting learning online, so to be able to impart my knowledge and expertise with Google technologies has been a very rewarding experience.  As a wise and electrifying man often quotes “help someone today”. 

My colleagues really hit it out of the park for our last class of educational technology, with not 1 but 2 really amazing interactive tech tools! We started out learning about BrainPOP, an interactive and engaging learning site that allows students to learn, create and practice skills in all subject areas. Students can watch videos, do quizzes, make and create their own content and even practice coding skills. BrainPOP also has two extension programs called BrainPOP Jr (great for Kindergarten to grade 3) and BrainPOP ELL (great for english language learners). 

The other really cool website my colleagues introduced us to is called PebbleGo and is specifically geared for Kindergarten to Grade 3 (shoutout to all the awesome primary teachers using technology in their classrooms!) The site has a variety of modules across subject areas (animals, science, biographies, social studies and dinosaurs) that students can dive deeper into. Since many students using this site are still learning to read, this website actually reads to the students and highlights key words. This is a great way for students to not only learn new information, but also to practice literacy skills like reading, listening and research skills! 

Over the course of this semester we have been exposed to so many amazing tech tools, apps and websites; many of which I have seen being implemented with the distance learning that is taking place! It excites me to know that what we have been learning about has real impact and real benefit to our students.  Most importantly, it is clear to me that we need teachers to be proficient in our use with technology and get our students on board. We need to teach our students skills of not only using technology, but also how to create, analyze, be critical and apply their understanding to new and emerging technologies. There is great power and agency that comes with giving our students meaningful learning opportunities that they can take advantage of and make their own. After all, they are only our students for a portion of time; eventually they move into the world to make a difference of their own! 

Signing off! Stay safe folks! 

• Katarina (Group C – April 29, 2020)

It is hard to believe that we are wrapping up our first year at NU. The time has flown by and we are ending it in a totally unexpected way. Katelyn and I figured the best way to write our last blog post would be to write it together…to collaborate. Collaborating online to write our final post fits the current situation and is a very appropriate way to capture the essence of educational technology. Without technology, how would we be able to finish up our year? We are very fortunate that we have had the opportunity to continue our learning through the online platform of Canvas Conferences here at NU and this experience has certainly been a memorable way to end our first year of Teacher’s College.

Technology is a powerful collaborative and instructional tool and, as teacher candidates, it is imperative that we fill our educational technology tool-boxes with the most current and applicable technology-based pedagogical resources and strategies to be prepared for the classroom! We also need to be prepared to guide our students to be responsible digital citizens, something we learned when we discussed Interland and Paul Davis. In addition, we need to be aware of human and material resources into which to tap for new information and recommendations now and in the future. We were lucky to have a learning environment within our cohort that helped us to develop our Professional Learning Network through social media, blogging etc. Throughout the time of this course we have learned about so many valuable tech-based tools to help us build relationships with other teachers, our students/their families, as well as the broader school community. This is something that will help us to provide a more meaningful and purpose driven learning experience for our students. 

By taking advantage of all that educational technology has to offer, we can expand the classroom into the world, encouraging our students to analyze situations and possibilities through many different lenses, become critical thinkers, creative problem-solvers, and empathetic, global citizens! ISTE is a great source to help us achieve these goals in the classroom. ISTE readings have shown us that by empowering ourselves with technology focused tools and pedagogical approaches, we in turn empower the next generation of learners to be successful in the ever changing world that we live in.

Speaking of educational tool boxes….my once-empty tool box is filled with some fabulous tools, thanks to my fellow Cohort 14 people! This is just another example of the importance of making connections and collaborating with your fellow teachers and classmates.

Here are some tools that I intend to master and apply in the classroom: Raz Kids, Google Expedition, Google Earth, Story Jumper, Google AR, Vooks, OSMO, Kandinsky Method, Interland, and Pinterest, to name a few!

And who knows? …there may be another pandemic!! I will be prepared to collaborate with my colleagues and parents to have the best educational technology resources at hand to make online learning a great and productive experience for my students.

Snaps and claps for a great term,

Sarah and Katelyn

Claire McKinnon: Group C

Throughout this course, we have be introduced to a wide range of technological tools that can be effectively used to enhance student learning through creative teaching practices. Today, some of our classmates introduced us to an educational site called, BrainPOP. BrainPOP is a powerful educational tool that engages students and teachers in the learning process through various virtual learning opportunities. It offers an abundance of educational content that can be used to support and strengthen students’ knowledge and understanding. While searching through this website, I found several tools that prompt students to think critically and creatively about what they are learning. In our current situation, I can imagine that it is a struggle for teachers come up with creative ways to empower and engage their students remotely. The website, BrainPOP, is the perfect educational tool to support distance learning by inspiring and engaging learners from afar!

Fostering Creativity in the classroom was a fitting topic for our final Instructional Technology class. Promoting creativity in the classroom is something that I am very passionate about in my teaching philosophy. After learning more about the benefits of technology integration in the classroom, I will definitely be making an effort to incorporate technology to support my teaching practices and inspire creativity in my future students’ learning experience.

Speaking of creativity, this BrainPOP robot has inspired me to make some chocolate chip banana bread. It is time for me to get creative in the kitchen and experiment with some tasty ingredients. Wish I could share! BYE

I often wonder who else is familiar with the website or app named ” Raz-Kidz”?

Never before I have I had experience or heard of the app Raz-Kidz, never mind of the benefits it reaps for our students today. During my placement, Raz-Kidz was a popular and one of the most visited apps on the classroom Ipads. The classroom teacher used this app as a big part of her literacy program for her grade one/two class. Students had their own passwords of which they were familiar with, therefore, were able to access this web at home and while at school. Students were encouraged to read on this site at home as part of their homework responsibilities. Raz-Kidz encompasses all of the reading levels and books appropriate of that level. Once students read the book, they are to orally discuss the problem and the plot of the story in order. Additionally, there are comprehension questions of the book read. Students are then to submit their word and teacher is to grade the students based on the recording of their reading of the book and to assess their oral presentation of the book.

Due of the current situation of COVID-19, I’ve had the opportunity to practice assessing students readings on Raz-Kidz. This has been a great experience and I have learned that this is indeed a great resource for a language program. It helps teachers assess how their students are reading, how often they are reading and the percentile of which their students fall in. Teachers are able to use this resource and comments as a way to conclude a language grade.

Google Expedition was presented in this weeks class as a technology that can be used in class room to allows students to experience different parts of the world through the Google Expedition platform. This platform is a great tool for teachers to incorporate in their lesson plans and allow for student centered learning, where students are in charge of what they are learning. This platform can help students develop their inquiry thinking, either in groups or individually. Another great aspect of this technology is that it can allow for many different cross curricular opportunities such as connections to mapping in geography, understanding habitats and weather for science as well as language and culture. It can ultimately help to create a jumping off point for many future lessons.

By: Sarah F

Group A – Kleine Manansala

In this week’s class, the Ed Tech presentation focused on a Google program that allow students to have an immersive experience of different parts of the world using Google Expeditions as a platform. Google Expeditions is a platform that teachers and students can use in the comfort of their own classroom, as they can virtually explore different sites and places in the world. Teachers can create their lesson plans around the platform as they can have students travelling through various countries, learn about different subjects such as the human body to outer space, and experience these lessons in their own classrooms. This platform is a perfect example of student-centred learning in our reading for this week.

Using Google Expedition can enable students to explore these sites set by the teacher and use their inquiry skills to further their learning. Students can work/collaborate within groups or individually explore and navigate their thinking through the expedition. It enables them to be engaged with the source material, their peers, and their teachers. With the virtual and augmented reality feature of the platform, students can engage with the information available to them with ease and the visuals can help them understand the material and lesson better, the teacher is creating a more positive and fostering a more inquiry based learning for the students.

Group A -Blog post #4， Guoying Zhang

According to the article “How student-centered learning is delivering on its promises”, student centered learning seems to be a very popularized educational philosophy in recent years. This philosophy empowers students to take ownership of their education and allows them to follow where their curiosity and creativity lead them. Most teachers are in favor of it and willing to try to assimilate into the daily teaching. However, it is not easy for the transition from the traditional teacher led pedagogy, it is a big challenge to make this mindset shift. Therefore, it will be necessary for schools to provide professional learning opportunities in order to support teachers to  develop the new skill sets required to help students direct their own learning.

Another way to support student-centered pedagogy in the classroom is to personalize students’ learning with interests through the usage of technology. Technology can take an active role in choosing, achieving and demonstrating competency in students’ learning goals, teachers should develop strategies leveraging technology to achieve them and reflect on the learning process to improve outcomes. At this stage, the main task for teachers is to teach students self-directed learning skills, students need to learn how to work in a self-directed learning environment. Of course, teachers should assist students in making right choices and keep them on track.

Hey guys,

Last week we began class by talking about Vooks. Vooks is an education technology program that helps bring children books to life. The app has a free streaming library of animated storybooks that encourages imagination, creativity and engagement through reading. The service is ad free and perfect for some at home reading, especially during the Covid-19 apocalypse. Vooks not only benefits children and students but teachers as well. Teachers can find lesson plans online and can be used as a centre resource or during lessons. The service helps encourage literacy development in their students in a fun way. It has a huge library for students to pick from since most students don’t have their own book library at home. Vooks benefits children by providing a read-a-long text so children can have “eyes on text” and have the exposure of written words. Vooks is also a great tool for special education teachers as they can use e-books for students who have visual impairments, physical disabilities or learning disabilities.

We also had a presentation on juggling and I thought it was awesome. I have never had the opportunity to witness a lesson as such and will try to use it in the future. I thought the lesson was super fun and engaging. The lesson can be done in the classroom or at home, even during tough times.

-Dan Meschino

This week, the ed tech group taught us about Vooks, an app that promotes children’s engagement and creativity by encouraging reading.  This is an app that brings storybooks to life both inside and outside of the classroom.   Aside from reading, this app also exposes students to oral language which is a foundation to helping students with their reading and writing skills as well as helping them become strong communicators.   Parents / teachers also have the option to select read-a-long text which so children can have their “eyes on text” and also be exposed to the written word.  This app is a great option for schools that do not have adequate libraries.  This provides students with the option to choose from a variety of books and topics to read and explore.    

One of the lessons taught this week was on incorporating technology in the physical education class.  I thought it was a very creative lesson because it was about juggling – not a very common subject taught in school, but something students would definitely enjoy having the opportunity to practice and learn.  The teacher demonstration of the skill along with YouTube videos are a great way for students to explore different strategies that work for them to be able to successfully juggle.  I thought this was a great lesson that can be shared with parents to have their children at home practice during this time – definitely sharing it with my friends and family that have kids at home (Thanks Sarah ☺). 

During this pandemic, it is important to learn about the different technological resources available so we can share them with our associate teachers, family and friends.  Teaching is about collaborating and helping others, especially at a time like this.

– Katryna

Hello everyone!

We had our second virtual class today where we got the opportunity to explore some AI apps that are being used in the classroom today. My group looked at OSMO, something that I saw was being used in my kindergarten room during my last placement. OSMO is a unique gaming accessory, which is designed with reflective artificial intelligence. The students in my class loved it and my placement teacher would allow a couple of students at a time to use it. They really enjoyed playing with the tangrams and being able to re create was being shown on the IPAD using the shapes. I was really happy that this presentation allowed me to remember this APP because if I do teach kindergarten one day I would use this.

The ED tech group also got us to look at something called Vooks. Vooks is a streaming library of animated children storybooks. I think this was perfect to do during this time we’re living through because libraries are closed and for families for who can’t afford to buy their children multiple books, can use this app for only $5 a month. As a teacher this also good to know about because the group told us that as a teacher we would get the first year free which gives us a chance to try it out with a class and see if the students enjoy it.

A few more weeks OTECB, we’re almost there! Stay safe! 🙂

Claudia Argento