Internet for Educators

 

     This week we had the opportunity to listen to Dean Shareski's presentation about making learning a joyful experience.  He spoke about incorporating surprise and delight into our lesson plans to help make learning a more joyful and memorable experience. As Dean said towards the end of his presentation, "Don't postpone Joy."      While in my first placement I was chatting with the divisional numeracy coach about her youngest son. Laughing she told me "yeah my son has reached that age where school isn't fun anymore." At the time I had laughed even though it had made me sad. Her son is in grade two, he is seven years old and already there is a lack of joy in his daily life. Having worked in a few different day cares I have always loved seeing how completely excited the kids are to start kindergarten. "Dad says this many more sleeps until I go to school Katrina!" is what one student said to me holding up 7 little finger covered in dirt from the

You can check out my alternative CV at this link here!   https://mm.tt/1785674522?t=QhwvRmZ9QP

    An info graphic is a visual representation of information. They are useful for condensing large amounts of information into small simplified packages using eye catching visual designs. Infographics would be a great resource to have in the classroom.  They can be used to convey all kinds of different information that students can consistently refer back to. By placing important infographics around the classroom student can access the important information on their own. Not only is this great for student development and independence but it also helps to free up some of your time as the teacher. Instead of repeatedly answering the same question you can build the routine of students looking at the info graphics for the information.     I have created my own infographic about writing at this link here:  https://create.piktochart.com/output/52578550-how-to-write-a-story

     One of my favorite resources to have for a middle to senior years classroom is the absolute history YouTube channel. This is a great resource for senior years but I would be selective in the episodes that I share with a middle years classroom. It isn't a secret that I am a bit of a history nerd so I do find this resource particularly interesting.       This you-tube channel is essentially a collection of British documentaries. Many of the videos are focused on giving more specific and detailed accounts of the lives of people who lived in the past. For example there are a number of videos centered around the life of a person in a particular profession, such as the match girl, or stone mason. There are also series on this channel that take a more detailed look at the lives of people from a certain profession over a period of time. One of the series that they have follows the lives of three people who spend a full calendar year living as Edwardian farmers. This channel really foc

     As a teacher in 2021 I have easy access to all of the elements available to the connected teacher. I can choose which elements to focus on and which ones to utilize only on special occasions. Students are also connected to many of the same things that I am. They are connected to their families, their peers, social media, the internet, video formats and more. With access to the internet comes access to information.      Having access to the internet and so much information is a good thing however it can be a bit overwhelming. The internet never stops or takes a break it is always available, even at 3am. As an adult it can be a bit overwhelming at times trying to sort through all of the information that is presented with a google search. When creating a lesson plan the majority of my time is spent googling different ideas, approaches, theories and videos. There are so many different ideas and options, how do I know if I chose the best one?      Many students are given complete unreg

    My experience with Twitter has been neither good nor bad. For the most part it has been something I look when I don't want to study but want the illusion of productivity. I personally am not a huge social media user. The few platforms that I do consistently use are typically fulfilling specific needs. For example I use platforms like Pinterest to assist me in wedding planning, and to find new resources for the classroom. I have not developed any attachment or specific use for twitter however I do intend to keep my account. While I may not use it consistently and it is unlikely that I will ever be active on it and post things it is a good way to keep tabs on what is happening in the world of education.       If I decided to use social media as a professional in the future it is not unlikely that I would consider twitter. I would first need to consider what my goal is and then choose a platform that would support this goal. For example if my goal is to connect with parents than I

     Manitoba First Nation Education Resource Center is a blog that is over flowing with a large variety of great resources. Some of the resources can be used in the classroom, at home and even used to self educate on important and current topics related to First Nations education and culture.  There is such a variety of resources collected here that there is something appropriate for ever age level. From sensory play ideas to interviews done with First Nations artists there is a wide range of topics. Many of these blog posts can be used in the classroom to help non indigenous teachers indigenize the curriculum.      This blog is curated by the Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Center or MFNERC, and can be reached either through their website or through the link at the bottom of this blog post. The MFNERC was established in 1998 by the assembly of Manitoba Chiefs. After its creation this organization continued to grow and adapt its self to meet the needs of First Nations educat

     After scrolling through a few different lists of great podcasts for the classroom I have selected the podcast, "But Why?" This podcast would be a great resource to use in the classroom as a way to supplement the lessons that have already been planned. I can see this podcast being a great option to have on sick days when a substitute teacher has to be called into class.      This podcast focusses on answering all of the "but why?" questions that students have, "But why do cactuses have spikes? Do animals get married? Are unicorns real?" These are just a few of the questions that this podcast answers. The nature of this podcast encourages students to explore the world around them and ask those hard to answer questions. This podcast is teaching students that all questions have answers, some may be harder to find than others.      If anyone has ever worked with or babysat a toddler then they know the importance of those, "but why?" questions. Th

       In this weeks presentation by Tyler Letkeman, he touched on the topic of racism in the education system. He spoke about how so many of the resources that we use in ELA have typically all been written by white men. It isn't a bad thing to look at sources written by Caucasian males but it is not okay to ignore all of the literature written by other demographics.      It is important to remember that it is not just ELA that has been white washed in out western styled education system. It has only been in recent history that women's contributions to science have started to be recognized as well as the contributions of other non Caucasian individuals. In social studies the history that we teach is the history that has been recorded by the colonizer. We talk about slavery being a bad thing and occasionally talk about what happened after slavery but typically we neglect to talk about all of the vibrant and divers cultures that these people came from. In every subject area there