Life on the Lefthand Side

If we ran businesses like (publicly-funded) education; A Prologue

2011-02-20T12:22:00.001-06:00

If we ran businesses like (publicly-funded) education: A Prologue

Analogical? What's this?

2011-02-05T12:21:00.001-06:00

New blog post "Analogical? What's this?"

Techno Tutor Qu'est-ce que c'est?

2011-01-30T10:40:00.003-06:00

I've started experimenting with Tumblr --- just because! Here is a link to my most recent post about using technology to teach reading fluency.

Tiptoe with the Tutor...

2010-11-15T11:02:00.003-06:00

Retirement from something I love to do but am too tired to continue doing it has been interesting. I really didn't want to quit working; I just wanted to quit working so hard. In order to continue in the field of education without burning myself to a crisp, I've opted to try out tutoring for awhile.

I am particularly fortunate to have an office of the Learning Disabilities Association of Saskatchewan within walking distance of my home. One of their programs, ABSee, hires people with B.Ed's to tutor students. I work by the hour. Most students contract for 1 to 2 hours per week. Presently, my youngest student is 7 and the oldest is an adult.

Since in one of my previous teacher incarnations I was a resource room teacher, some of this work is familiar. I work one on one with a student to teach specific skills or help with homework. What is profoundly different, however, is not having any contact at all with the students' regular educational institution. I know from my special ed days that what a student can do one on one with you, isn't what that student does in a classroom. When I've asked parents if their child is doing better in school, they expect that I should be able to tell by how the student is progressing with their tutoring.

I had looked forward to being able to use all that cool online technology to supplement my tutoring. The good news is there is an incredible amount of "stuff" online and a lot of it is incredibly good. (Here's a "link to my links"; I still have Google Notebooks, so if you go to "More from Pat.Cone, you should find other pages.) The bad news is that internet access is even flakier in downtown Saskatoon than it had been in Hafford! (I don't know if everyone checks email and FaceBook before they leave work?)

It took awhile to orient myself to my new surroundings and working conditions, but I must say I'm starting to enjoy what I'm doing. I get to teach without burning. Bonus.

Notes from Somewhere over the Rainbow...

2010-10-12T08:49:00.004-06:00

"Billy is spastic in time, has no control over where he is going next, and the trips aren't necessarily fun. He is in a constant state of stage fright, he says, because he never knows what part of his life he is going to have to act in next." (23) Slaughterhouse 5

My former tekkie colleagues who have read this blog in the past know that I retired from my teaching job last June. My life has been somewhat "Billy Pilgrimesque" in that, now that I'm legitimately unemployed, I often have these time-travelling mental experiences of who I am and what I am doing with my time. Let me try to explain.

For 29.2 odd years of my life I've needed a mental front-end loader to get me up, get me dressed, and get me out the door to work. I'm not a morning person. This is how I've survived teaching until about noon each day. Now I can park the loader, but I'm more than a little lost without it. Often I get this overwhelming panic that I'm going to be late - and then realize "for what?"

I can walk pretty much where I need to just like I could in high school and university. Sometimes, en route, I revert to this pre-working self. I like her. I love being in Saskatoon with my feet on the ground that I've trodden all my life. The landscape alternately confirms and shatters my sense of where and who I am in time and space.

I have to say, one of the biggest reasons I liked teaching was for my creativity fix. Those adrenaline rushes were wonderful. Other than taking photos I haven't really found a substitute; the rush made the drudgery of the front-end loader life worthwhile. I love teaching and much of what it entails, but I don't have the energy to keep up with the grind. Creativity takes energy.

Am I old? Mentally I can feel 18 to 22 again, but physically my body tells me I'm not. I hurt. "I ache in the places where I used to play," as Leonard Cohen put so eloquently. I love listening to my iPod, but I worry about hearing loss. I'm a step-grandmother, but the kiddies aren't anywhere nearby for me to dote on. My hair hasn't even turned grey! I swallow pills, and I have to watch what I eat.

I'm sitting writing this post about the time I would have been starting work for 29.2 odd years. I'm fighting the urge to go back to bed. The sunshine and blue sky beckon me, and I know I'll have much more pep if I shower and get dressed. Maybe I'll finally make the NIA class at Lawson Civic Centre today...

The Day the "World" Came to My School

2010-05-23T17:07:00.005-06:00

"Everybody" assumes if you are the "computer" teacher all you do is teach "geeky" and "tekkie" things. Right?

Ummm...not quite. Let me explain. I'm a TEACHER that teaches with "technology" in order to "communicate".

Last Friday, students, parents, teachers, EA's, and young siblings from Walter Murray Collegiate's ESL (English as a Second Language) classes - about 70 of them - came on two school busses to Hafford to have a visit with my grade 6, 7, and 8 social studies students. We had a video scavenger hunt (9 groups, 1 video capable digital camera, videoing 3 places - one in the school, one on the playground, and one "downtown" ) and then went to Redberry Lake park for an incredible international potluck lunch and wienie roast, games in the rosebowl, walking around, playing, and visiting. (Soccer and eating really are international languages!) It was a WONDERFUL day.

How incredibly..."geekie?"

This adventure all started quite a few years ago and has its genesis in the Educational Communications master's program at the University of Saskatchewan. Koreen Geres and I are both graduates, but knew each other because of mutual friends in the program. One Showcase 2008 convention day, after meeting up in a Dean Shareski session, Koreen, an ESL teacher at Walter Murray, and I had lunch. She was working on a doctorate concerning problems encountered by refugee youth, and I was a grade five and six ELA teacher, teaching a novel study on social issues. Wouldn't it be cool, we thought, if somehow our students could communicate with each other. I should also mention, that my school, Hafford Central, is a UNESCO ASPnet school. I'm always looking for ways to integrate learning about international cooperating and understanding into my classes.

Two years passed, and we met again. I was teaching the same novel study and we discussed again how our students could communicate. Koreen decided she could arrange for her students to visit Hafford, and sent email addresses so my grade six, seven and eight social studies students could begin emailing each other. My students emailed to 6-10 of her students who felt comfortable enough writing in English. This was great as my students were looking for their epal buddies when the visit began.

Technology is a tool that allows us to communicate. I'd say that we did a lot of communicating and had a heck of a lot of fun that was possible in part because of the technology available. The day worked because of all the INCREDIBLE people involved especially the Hafford and Walther Murray students!

What is old is new again.

2010-04-11T07:53:00.003-06:00

I went to high school from 1968 to 1972 (yes that makes me OLD). For the first two years it was an "old school" system: streamed homeroom classes based intellectual "ability", dress codes (no pants for girls, no facial hair for boys!), and regular exam sittings. After my grade 10 year the administration changed and brought with it new and "enlightened" practices. Term and final exams were abolished and replaced with "continuous evaluation." Teachers experimented with new teaching and evaluation styles. (All my social studies evaluations were "oral exams"). We didn't write essays. We had quite a bit of choice as to how to structure our time and when we would complete assignments. We didn't even have to go to class. Dress codes - we had to wear clothes. In total the school experience was supposed to be modern and "relevant."

I should also add we were working class kids. Most of our parents had working class jobs and little experience with post-secondary education. Post-secondary ed was possible because we could live at home and take the bus to tech school or university.

I chose to go to university. I remember how ill-prepared I was for the experience. Most of my academic survival skills came from the first two not the last two years of high school studies. I survived but many others did not. ( I should add that the technical schools are even more demanding than university and often more difficult to enter.) Students who came from more traditional educational experiences coped a whole lot better than I did.

A lot of the people who didn't survive post-secondary studies went to work and stayed in those jobs. In the seventies, you could go to work at potash mines or meat packing plants and make pretty good money. Interestingly now most of their kids pursue university or some form of post-secondary training.

I think we need to be EXTREMELY careful when we talk of educational reform. I see a lot of people arguing for something VERY MUCH like what I experienced my last two years of high school. My students write exams and essays not because I think they are particularly superior educational activities. They may need these skills in order to help them move onto something they really want to do with their lives.

Teaching with (more) Technology: The Adventure So Far

2010-02-16T06:53:00.005-06:00

I like teaching social studies. Really. I loved social studies as a student. Now I get to teach it...sometimes. I even did my masters project ( in 1998) on using the internet to teach grade 6 social studies

At my present school, I've taught grade 5 and 6 social studies for at least 5 years. This year, much to my surprise, I'm teaching grade 7 and 8 social studies for the first time in at least 5 years.

I'm also the "computer teacher" at my school. After somewhat of a hiatus of a few years, I'm back in the lab.

I've decided I'm going to experiment to my little techno-teacher heart's content this year. Here's the summary of some adventure highlights and lowpoints:

1. Every student I teach has a Google Docs account. I have them complete and share as many assignments as possible on them. I can "mark" them (or even PRE-VIEW them) and give suggestions how to improve the assignment. Some students are actually revising their work. They can email me with questions. (Buzz just came out last week. I wonder if that will be useful).

1a. Students started playing with Buzz the minute they saw it. I don't think they quite get how public it is. There is a 78 comment conversation between some of my grade six students that strays into the realm of cyber-bullying. We'll have to deal with that when we get back to school next Monday.

2. I have been composing "study units" using a Google Doc. I do run off a paper copy for students. What is really useful, however, is having my unit online by linking the doc as a web page. All the links are live. Students can copy and paste parts of my doc (a chart for example) into their work. I've been able to scan useful pages of their ancient textbook into PDF format and link them. Graphics are in colour. No student is ever without a copy of the assignment as long as they have access to a computer and the internet.

3. Online videos and photographic slide shows are wonderful teaching tools. Unfortunately they clog up bandwidth. We've choked up the network on many occasions. We are still working on possible solutions. I'm not sure how legal it is, but I made screenshots of a particularly wonderful slideshow and put them on a Google Doc presentation. When the original website chokes, students have an alternative.

3a. We need to reframe the idea of watching video and looking at pictures as "work."

3b. We need to reframe the idea of being on a computer as "work."

4. I'm finding I have to provide a lot of modeling and framing for students. For example: I've started to include frame paragraph outlines to help students structure short answers. I provide cut and paste charts for compare and contrast activities. I'm finding that If I want to get students to use higher order thinking skills to finish assignments, I have to provide pretty concrete instructional examples on how to complete the assignment. Some students don't need this structure and can create their own. I'm fine with that. Some will always need that structure. (Did I mention I used to be a special ed teacher?)

5. My grade six classes have been epals with a school in Illinois for a few years now. We usually have a Skype session at the end of their quarters. Just this week I've made contact with a teacher in New Jersey to do more Skyping and online collaboration.

6. I'm liking the conversations I'm starting to have with my students. I'm liking that I can incorporate information sources from close to home and analyze them.

7. I'm tired. This kind of teaching, no matter how much fun, is a LOT of work and takes even more time.

7a. You can't always get what you want. Some online stuff, no matter how cool or useful, just will never be available on our school network.

8. The adventure continues...

Wall-E, the Flu, and Me

2009-11-21T14:17:00.002-06:00

I was taken with the movie Wall-E. I was fascinated with the animation, and how I could be entertained by an animated piece of technology. I was also a little horrified how close to the truth the depictions of future humanity might be. So what does this have to do with the 'flu.

I'm one of those teachers who has been stricken with the "flu du jour". I'm also an asthmatic. The two don't go together well, and suffice it to say extreme fatigue, aches, pains, and coughs have kept me away from work this week in the flesh. (I thought it would be extremely rude of me to cough in parents' faces during parent-teacher -interviews even though I've finished a course of Tamiflu.)

Interestingly enough, despite my illness and because of technology, I've been "working" a lot.

No matter how sick I am, no matter how much sleep I need, I still need something to do when laying on the couch and staring at the ceiling. To the rescue: wireless internet and a laptop.

Most of what I do with my laptop has to do with...you guessed....work. On it I can make up my dayplan, email my sub, mark emailed assignments, and enter marks all done between naps and creative staring at the wall. My sub is email literate and we've emailed back and forth during class time. I've even made up two quizzes and a new social studies major assignment. I'm not to the point Eldon G. was where he was teaching from Edmodo, but the possibility is there. I could see myself teaching from my laptop connected continuously to my ever-becoming-techno-literate sub!!! (She's great! Always up for a new challenge).

It scares me to think how much like one of the techno-humans of Wall-E I've become.

Am I a digital teacher? Am I stupid or am I addicted to my job?

2009-10-18T19:01:00.004-06:00

At our I-SITS meeting, Donna showed a video of a first year "digital teacher". The young woman in question was very definite in her opinions of her teaching methods and why they were the right ones for kids of the "digital generation". I found her presence irritating and arrogant and in response my back went up. Whatever she was saying might have been true, but I didn't want to listen to it.

On reflection, I wonder about my reaction to her. Is it that she is young, beautiful, and a recent graduate of UBC. (I checked her web page). Is it her definite "know-it-all attitude" that implies to my aging ears that she knows a whole lot more about effective teaching than I do. (I've been at it 29 years and I'm a graduate of the U of S Masters in Educational Communications program albeit 10 11 years ago.) In her defense, someone else has edited her talk, and perhaps presented her as being more forceful and know-it-all than she appears on the video.

I love being part of the I-SITS committee. I love the spirited debate, the thirst for knowledge, the camaraderie of educators that rejuvenates me and helps sustain me when I spend most of my weekend prepping "digital" lessons and marking. Right now, I'm trying to imagine this teacher or someone like her on this committee. Would she have anything to learn from us? Would she have the patience to teach us something or share with us her not-so-successful experiments in the classroom? I hope so. The video presentation doesn't leave me hopeful.

As I said, I've been teaching somewhere around 29 years. I'm still "prepping my face off". I feel guilty if I use the same lesson and lesson plan more than once without revising and enriching it. Somewhere in all of this, my "real life" continues to suffer? Am I stupid, inefficient or addicted to my job? I don't know. I still love to teach and prep lessons. I'd also really like a "life."

A plea to those of partisan politics; Please teach me something I didn't know.

2009-09-13T16:48:00.002-06:00

Here we go again. Another Canadian election is happening possibly as soon as this fall. The last one wasn't supposed to happen because Prime Minister Harper and his ruling Conservatives had passed a law mandating Canadian elections be held once every four years. Hmm....the last election was against the law and almost no Canadians wanted to have it. This possible coming election is equally as popular as the last one.

South of the border there is a never-ending stream of partisan politics Republicans versus Democrats. Right now, the rhetoric concerns universal health care. We Canadians - at least many of us - look smugly and condescendingly upon Americans for their "pay-per-use" healthcare. Is healthcare in Canada truly as good as we think it is? Are there any reasoned and calm Republicans out there who can explain to Canadians why publicly-funded healthcare is not what we think it is?

Could everybody please stop with the mud-slinging and scare tactics? When you persist, I tune you out.

I am pleading with people of all political persuasions to please teach me something I don't already know. Provide me with facts and figures and the results of reputable studies. Treat me like I am a world citizen hungry for knowledge to help me make my own mind up about economics, politics, and social good. I'm not stupid. I want to be informed.

The somewhat open, social, and highly connected wedding.

2009-08-08T10:25:00.006-06:00

As my FaceBook and Flickr friends know, my oldest step-daughter, Jennifer, was married last week at her mother's country residence. The bride was beautiful, the groom handsome, the wedding party stunning, the location breathtaking, and the weather perfect. How did Web 2.0 have, and not have, a role in the wedding.

First, my step-daughter keeps a blog. The official announcement of the relationship happened sometime in March of 2008. We were treated to pictures and stories about their shared adventures in the Caribbean and at the Medical University of the Americas.

We did meet Brandon, then the "significant other" at Christmastime of 2008. It was a face-t0-face visit and turkey dinner at our house.

Officially the wedding announcement didn't happen until invitations were sent out. An official wedding site was created, and prospective guests had the option of confirming or declining their presence on the website. The gift registry was on Amazon.com.

The "bride-to-be" kept us updated on her blog. Upon returning to Saskatchewan to study fot her US medical licensing exam, Mondays were reserved for wedding plans. She updated her blog faithfully.

The bride and groom had arranged photographers from Edmonton to pictorially document the wedding and the wedding rehearsal. People like me, the evil-wicked-stepmother, had a field day taking digital photos (I snapped over 200).

Interestingly enough, no one "officially" videotaped the wedding. I'm thinking that photographs are moments in time from the point of view of the photographer. We can use the images to pique our own memories and feelings of the event. I'm not sure a video could evoke being there in the same way. Unless one could be there, physically. for the event, I think photos are the next best thing.

The bride and groom took off the next day so the bride could start her clinical rotations in Oklahoma city. We the family, check her blog, Twitter, and Facebook accounts regularly. After the wedding, guests have been uploading images to the group Flickr site.

Life goes on. Some of it gets shared via Web 2.0.

Why I Really Liked Being on the In-School Technology Committee

2009-05-18T21:09:00.003-06:00

I've always known why I love being in Educational Technology. It isn't machines, or computer scripts, or games, or....

The real reason I love it so much is that I get to indulge my passion for eclecticism and to hang out with an eclectic group of people all concerned with teaching and learning. We all come from different academic and technical backgrounds so for us to "talk shop" we need to focus on how we teach not what we teach. I can't think of getting any closer to educational heaven than that!!!

What Have I Learned? A Response to the REAL Gary's Post

2009-04-19T09:45:00.002-06:00

What is the most recent thing I've learned as a teacher? I've been mulling that over since Gary wrote his post and put out the "challenge". I guess I have to haul out my "dirty little secrets" about why I wanted to become a teacher in the first place.

Way back when (1976) when I finally finished my first degree (Arts 4 year, sociology) I began to re-ponder the question..."What do I want to be when I grow up?" I'd had one disastrous (for me) year in the (now defunct) College of Home Economics (I wanted to learn interior design). I'd always said I didn't want to become a teacher; however when I sat down to look at my career options one of the things I always like to do is learn. It seemed to me at that time that teaching was a logical choice to meet that need.

Even though teaching has been difficult (I'm a pretty hardcore introvert) it has met my need to learn (and learn and learn....). Teaching is never dull. If it becomes dull (for me) it means I need to learn something new which has meant going back to university ... in 1981 -82 to study special education, and in 1994 to start a masters in educational communications.

Sometimes I wonder if I'm teaching something new just for the sake of meeting my need for novelty as opposed to being a truly innovative teacher. Am I meeting my students' academic needs or are we just mucking around in the unknown for the sake of doing it? Is it even ethical to depart from the "tried and true" in order to forge new pedagogical territory? My step-daughter has just finished five semesters of medical education; her studying arsenal includes piles of flashcards to prepare her to write multiple choice exams.

. I know I have to follow "the curriculum". My experience and what I have learned from my studies in grad school don't always match up to what "the curriculum" tells me to do. Teaching ro me is a never-ending series of questions, and experiments in order to teach my students effectively.

Inspired by the TL Summit and Cool Math Teachers...

2009-03-27T11:51:00.004-06:00

This morning as I was driving my 1 hour drive to Hafford, I had a "ping" moment. My students could take definitions from their geometry unit and with the help of a drawing program create slide images to explain these geometric concepts. I could import them into Windows Movie Maker, or just put them on a Google Docs slide show and post it in our blog.

Yesterday, I had all my students copy a portable program that cannot be named into their documents folder. This program has draw tools that can create circle pies. While the student creates them, he/she can see the exact angle of the pie in a tiny window. I wanted them to have some practice creating and measuring angles, as well as learn how to use draw tools. (Never teach anything that doesn't go with at least 3 other things I always say; it's the wardrobe planning method of instructional design...but I digress).

Today with the same program, each student created a slide and we exported them to .gif. I learned that I had to save the documents to their accounts and then copy them to the homework file, rather than saving them directly the homeowrk file.

Kids said it was the most fun they'd had in a math class. I guess I'd better not do this again. School, especially math class, is supposed to be miserable.

Educational Reform = Societal Reform

2009-03-07T08:45:00.003-06:00

I think education has become the scapegoat of society. Schools are expected more and more to perform the duties that only a whole, well-functioning and integrated society can.

I remember some things learned back in my caveperson university days, an era when calculators had just replaced slide rules. I remember learning that schools are a reflection of the communities they serve. If this is true, (I think it is) then it is nearly pointless to ponder educational reform until social reforms take place.

It would seem in our society that we have compartmentalized everything, for example religion, food production, commerce, health care, families, child rearing, elder care, education of the young, safety. We have created experts and institutions for each of these social functions. These experts and institutions tend not to take any responsibility for matters not considered under their authority. The individual must deal with a dizzying number of experts and institutions in order to just survive from day to day.

Somehow in our 21st century world we are getting worse and worse at effectively meeting the needs of the people who live here. Society needs to function as a whole unit since a whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Until we world citizens can de - compartmentalize our institutions and learn to communicate and effectively problem solve together, I don't think anything will get much better, and probably will get a whole lot worse.

Apology to Dean Shareski

2009-03-06T09:48:00.002-06:00

I need to apologize to Mr. Shareski. In the heat of an intense tekkie meeting I responded to an image projected by Donna D. and obtained via Dean's flickr. I meant to find the image to attach to my blog to complete the context...but my eyes are failing me and I couldn't see the projection and then I couldn't find the flickr image...and then we had to go home.

Without the image the post made it sound like Mr. S. himself had made the quote, when in fact, he had just posted it from somebody else. Thank you for graciously pointing this out to me in your comment. I am honoured that you would read "Life on the Lefthand Side". I enjoy your blog tremendously and have also enjoyed hearing you present at conferences. You make me think (I hope not just react!) For that I am indebted.
Pat

Personal Lerning Networks: A response to Donna's presentation

2009-03-05T10:56:00.002-06:00

This is a response to our tekkie meeting and a comment posted by Dean Shareski that I can't find at the moment but it struck a nerve anyway...so I'll write about it.

I don't think personal learning networks are new. They are the way of the world.

I find Shareski's quote so arrogant. While "technology" is useful (don't get me wrong I LOVE it) I have to ask myself, What constitutes technology?" Isn't a note in a bottle a form of technology? A nail dipped in blood can be used to write. What does it mean "to advance"? Does one need a computer to promote learning and wisdom?

If one does not value learning, expanding one's own horizons, and questioning what one holds to be true, it doesn't matter how much technology one has and how many people one can connect with. Learning is a way of being, a lifestyle, a spiritual practice if you will. Technology, whatever it is, is merely a tool.

It takes a whole (global) village to raise a child doesn't it?

2009-01-31T16:43:00.002-06:00

Friday afternoon, fourth class, second day of the second semester, first day second semester with this class. I had an unpleasant incident with two grade 10 students the details of which don't really matter.

What really matters is that the situation in which the students found themselves isn't the situation that most met their needs at that particular time. Neither of them wanted to do what I, the school, society, and possibly the other students wanted them to do. Their actions involved insubordination. The consequences needed to address that were provided by the administration (to whom I am extremely grateful).

Later on, I whined on Twitter, "If we are such an advanced society, why are we keeping kids in school when they don't want to be there. We have nothing better for them?"

The school cannot give either of these students precisely what it is they most need. To succeed in schools, students need to become skilled in time management and delayed gratification. Successful time management and delayed gratification become possible only if the child's needs for food, shelter, clothing, safety,nurturing, identity, love and belonging are adequately met. I don't believe that the school, on its own, can begin to meet these basic human needs. Schools CAN be part of a co-parenting of children with all the rest of the village.

For these two kids, and a whole lot of others, co-parenting from the village isn't happening. Until it does, some teachers and some students are doomed to play out the unpleasant drama we enacted yesterday afternoon.

Would This Qualify as "21st Century Skills"?

2009-01-28T13:45:00.002-06:00

My grade 5/6 social studies class is ticked off with me. Really.

We are studying the geographic regions of Canada. We've already gone over what they are by reading a section of a book and making notes. We've even marked the notes together as a class.

As a follow - up, I've put them into groups of 3, given them short articles on the geographic regions of Canada from 2 different photocopiable activity books (which means that the printing is big and the headings and sub headings are large) and I've given them a frame (aka "note taking sheet") into which they have to put the correct information to complete the notes. In order to do the task, hopefully, a) they will work as a group; b) they will use headings and subheadings to help locate information; c) they will look for specific bits of information by skimming and looking for key words or clue words from the notes.

Yes we are using pencil and paper. Yes we are getting information from two different sources and putting it together. Yes maybe we are getting the idea that the information really DOES EXIST even though I can't locate it in 2.5 nanoseconds (Ms. Cone wasn't really lying after all.)

My experience with kids using the internet for locating information is that they have no, or almost no clue that they actually have to READ something beyond the first sentence or paragraph. Hopefully this kind of activity will translate into the development of better over all research skills so that they will use the internet (and other sources) effectively.

Wish us luck.

A different type of social studies test.

2009-01-25T13:32:00.003-06:00

As I have previously Yammered, I've signed my class up for the 80 Schools Around the World project. Not being certain how to start, I just started anyway, as Sylvia has us all on a Google Docs database. I contacted Nadine Norris a tech consultant from Oak Forest Illinois (near Chicago). Actually I Skyped her; my class was working on an assignment and she was eating lunch in her tech room.

Nadine had a fourth grade class who was studying government and wanted to ask my class some questions about Canadian government. Nadine was shocked to learn (as are many Canadians) that the prime minister is not the head of our governemnt; Queen Elizabeth is.

Friday morning came and the appointed Skype hour. My grade six group protested that they didn't really know anything about Canadian government ("Too bad," I said.) I had trouble connected to the wireless with my Mac and had to use the Dell (I don't really like the web cam as well as the one on my Mac). In my haste, I had forgotten to re hook up the data projector, so my group of 12 or so was clustered around the laptop.

What I found interesting was the kinds of questions the American kids asked; for example, how long has the Queen held her position. (Since 1953 I supplied the answer). My class asked the fourth graders if they were happy to have Obama and the kids clapped (I guess that's a yes.)

On reflection, I think it was a great experience for the kids. Most of the time, we Canadians don't get this kind of experience until we leave the country to visit an other one. I still wish I had better technology for a big group; Skype is after all best suited for an individual to individual conference. However, what better way to do a crash course with a test on Canadian government? (Well, maybe go to Ottawa and have to work for an MP?)

7 Things You May Not Know About Me

2009-01-01T17:45:00.002-06:00

I assume (perhaps incorrectly) that being "tagged" on Donna's blog post means I am to write my own 7 things. So far, I've found everything else everyone has written FASCINATING; I'm not sure I can write anything that would keep anyone awake long enough to read the whole post, but here goes:

1. I spent one year in the (now-defunct) College of Home Economics at the University of Saskatchewan. I come from a working class background. After a year of studying Arts and Sciences, I felt like I needed to study something to get "a real job". I actually was able to transfer all my credits and at the end of 1973 had two years towards a HomeEc degree. I hated every minute of HomeEc and transferred back to Arts.

2. I have an advanced degree in Sociology meaning I have a 4 year arts degree. I have an equal number of French classes, but double majors in French and Sociology weren't recognized.

3. At age 14 I attended an election rally for Pierre Trudeau. It was more like a rock concert than a rally. I got a "psychedelic" TRUDEAU poster on a stick and after the ralley, I proceeded to carry it home through my working class neighbourhood. Every yard had black and orange NDP lawn signs. I was not attacked or verbally abused; however when I walked into the 25th Street Grocery (owned then by my uncle), the clerk told me to "Get that thing out of here."

4. I spent the summer before the election of the Partie Quebecois taking an amazing summer immersion course in Trois-Rivieres. It had been cooperatively offered by the U of S and Memorial University in Newfoundland. We didn't study French; we studied Quebec history, literature, and culture in French. We didn't live on campus; my "proprietier" (sp?) was head of the PQ in Trois-Rivieres. Needless to say, my political vocabulary improved immensely as did my understanding of the world view in Quebec.

5. I was a sick little kid. I had asthma and eczema. At 8 days of age I had a brain puncture to alleviate pressure on the brain. I was hospitalized once for two weeks and my parents weren't allowed to visit me (times have changed).

6. In 1990 or 91 I "crashed" the Edmonton and area teachers convention (over 5000 teachers at the Edmonton convention center) and happened to attend a session on multimedia. Someone wheeled in a large card with a Mac computer, televisions, laser disc reader, speakers, etc. etc. and proceeded to explain how this was the future of computing and media. I was hooked.

7. I got my first dog 11 years ago while I was working on my project for my masters degree. Lukey was an adorable miniature schnauzer. Rick Schweir even allowed him to play on his desk, after welcoming Lukey into his office like a beloved colleague. Lukey died in 2003.

Laptops, Google Docs, and Grade 5/6 Social Studies Oh MY!!!!

2008-12-18T12:58:00.004-06:00

I must admit, I had a wonderful lesson on graphing climate averages for ten Canadian Communities using the spreadsheets on Google Docs.

What made it particularly pleasant was the portability of the laptops; I could create small groups of 3 students per laptop and move them well apart from each other. This way, there were no other computers and students to distract group members from the task at hand. Three can cluster around a laptop and be totally involved.

We started with one of those S & S Learning maps which showed 10 communities all over Canada with their minimum and maximum average temperatures. Students had to create a spreadsheet with 3 columns: Communities, Average Winter Temperature in Degrees Celcius, and Average Summer Temperature in Degrees Celcius. They entered the data from the maps. (One group member could read as another typed). They then created a bar graph; winter temps for the most part below the zero mark in blue and summer temperatures above the zero mark in red. I then asked them to share the document with their two buddies so all had a copy. Too too cool. (No more, "The document is stored on his/her computer and he/she is not here.")

(As well, grade six has been studying basic integers in math; this ties in with integers and data management. Not bad eh?)

Is blogging becoming passe?

2008-12-14T10:17:00.002-06:00

I've noticed fewer and fewer blogs (mine included) - not only from LSKYSD teachers, but also from the formerly prolific bloggers to whom I subscribe? Is this because we have found new tools - Twitter, Yammer, Edmoto..... in order to communicate our peals of wisdon and insight, or do we have less and less to say? Have we lost our sense of wonder with these new tools, or are we being more judicious about what we do say? Are we just plain tired, or have we found our networks and are we sticking to them?

For me, I'm not sure I have as much to say. I am not directly teaching a technology class per se; however I am using technology to teach most of my classes. I'm experimenting with Edmodo. I'm using Google Docs for students to complete short historical research assignments in ArtsEd 9/10. My grade 5/6 social studies class is epaling with Epals, and teleconferencing using Skype. Of course, we are wordprocessing assignments! I've written about these already; how much more can I say? As well, like everyone, I'm "busy, busy, busy....".

We are still Skyping with a class in the states. I'd like to Skype with a class in LSKYSD. Anyone interested?

"Don't ever kid yourself....everyone in this room is wearing a uniform..."

2008-11-23T07:45:00.003-06:00

Somewhere in my seventies socializations, I learned to attribute the above quote to Frank Zappa, whose music I loved, but whose lyrics sometimes escaped me (thank goodness).

Which brings me to this website http://www.exactitudes.com which explores the uniforms of different identifiable social groups in various cities around the world.

To summarize from their website:

"Rotterdam-based photographer Ari Versluis and profiler Ellie Uyttenbroek ...Inspired by a shared interest in the striking dress codes of various social groups, they have systematically documented numerous identities over the last 14 years...
They call their series Exactitudes: a contraction of exact and attitude. By registering their subjects in an identical framework, with similar poses and a strictly observed dress code, Versluis and Uyttenbroek provide an almost scientific, anthropological record of people's attempts to distinguish themselves from others by assuming a group identity....

I love this site. When you go to the home page, all you get is a grid of torsos. You click on a grid where most of the torsos look the same, and voila, there is a grid of 12 people. The name of the group and the date taken is at the bottom.

Eldon you are right: Edmodo does rock!

2008-11-02T06:49:00.003-06:00

Silly me; at the technology meeting I did not hang out with Eldon and listen to what he does with Edmodo. It was only later that I twigged onto its possibilities. However, when I did create an account, I had nothing but difficulties. I assumed them to be due to my incompetence and only in desperation did I seek help. Enter Jeff O'Hara of Edmodo. Through email communications he and his colleagues worked tirelessly until my Edmodo account was functioning perfectly. That was service above and beyond!!! And imagine: it wasn't my fault after all that it didn't work.

Keep me posted Tekkie ones as to what you are doing with Edmodo.

Our Final Assignment for the Day...

2008-10-16T15:00:00.003-06:00

DDonna said we had to blog before we go home...so I'm blogging.

Tech committee meetings are great. Wonderful. Superb. Why? We learn lots. We network. We schmooze. We network some more. We exchange ideas. How can one adequately describe what one learns when the fruits of the meeting only have their genesis here. I guess these meetings never really end. They are a professional and personal development day that keeps on giving and growing.

Thanks Donna. Thanks Living Sky School Division. I come out of these meetings wanting to go back to teach and keep on learning with my tekkie colleagues. Does being an educator get much better?

My brain is full.

C

Does not teaching a computer class mean I have nothing to say?

2008-10-09T20:30:00.003-06:00

Yikes! I haven't posted anything since September 3. I'm not teaching any "computer classes" this semester, but I am using computers with my teaching of classes. For example:

I'm teaching Arted 9 and 10 this semester. I've asked my students to create a Google Docs account so they can create and post some assignments. So far, I've asked them to create a presentation of 10 digital greyscale photos as part of a unit on Value. In my next unit, on colour, I am having them create a short research presentation on De Stijl Art (for primary colours). After they do research (art history) I'll have them create a project based on it.

My Grade 5/6 Classes: I remember back in the day spending long periods of time on handwriting skills. Now I spend time on keyboarding skills. As I am lefthanded, I find keyboarding a lot less stressful than handwriting. I start with All the Right Type, but soon have students keyboarding language arts assignments. Social Studies: We are still Epaling: we are still writing to Waterloo, Illinois and Lagos, Nigeria. As well, I've started experimenting with Google Earth (just baby steps mind you!) Next on the agenda is using an online "game" to practice latitude and longitude. I also want my grade 5/6 students to get Google accounts. We have a class blog, but haven't been updating too much.

Me: I'm still record keeping with Google Spreadsheets. So far it's going!!! I also faithfully read my Google Reader every day.

Have a great weekend, and we'll see the tekkie types at the tech meeting next Thursday!

I love having a laptop on my desk...or how Google Docs are changing the way I organize myself at school

2008-09-03T14:46:00.002-06:00

Thank you Living Sky School Division for giving me a laptop for my desk. Thank you also for the wireless internet that goes with it. I am finding that I am finding new ways to use it productively while I am at my desk. For example, I've been experimenting the first days or weeks of school with the Spreadsheets on Google Docs to not only create class lists, but also to record marks, lockers, locker combinations etc. etc. I know I can use Open Admin; however it takes time for all the info to be inputted into the system. So far, I've created a spreadsheet for each grade I teach, and have been adding pages as I need them. I can keep them open all day with out them logging off. I can also access them on any computer on any network. I can also add student names when I need to. I'm a little nervous going "paperless"...

So far, after 4 days, it seems to be working. Any tips from anyone using it for the same thing?

Cool Tools for Schools

2008-08-30T23:14:00.002-06:00

Cool Tools for Schools is a wiki with a fabulous collection of Web 2.0 tools. It is well organized and easily navigated. Check it out.

So...what exactly IS 21st Century Learning?

2008-08-13T10:43:00.003-06:00

My step-daughter is in medical school, and publishes a blog about her experiences. Some interesting recent quotes (she is writing 3rd semester finals this week)

"today’s final is blocks 1-3 cumulative with a bunch of neurological exam stuff thrown in. i know my spinal cord transections and syndromes way better than i did when we first learned them in May. and i know blood supply like nobody’s biznez."

and

"Dr. L indulged us in a seemingly never-ending 4 hour Genetics review yesterday afternoon for the seemingly never-ending 4 month Genetics cumulative final. he just stuck around and kept teaching as long as there were students (about 15 of us) willing to listen. it was great! and really very generous of him. i mean, it’s not like the Assistant Dean isn’t a busy man.

i found the review session particularly helpful because even though i don’t like studying in groups, i have a hard time identifying the small bits and pieces i’m neglecting or forgetting."

From her posts, I gather that she has a LOT of straight memory work to do to get through these exams. She also has to write standardized exams which I assume require the same kinds of memory skills to get through.

This is 2008. I know she will need to be able to look up info and come to some new kinds of creative constructive knowledge, but she will also have to rely on a fair chunk of stored basic knowledge aquired by good old fashioned pre-21st century methods in order to be a good doctor.

Are we sometimes forgetting this when we write about "the learners of the future?"

If Eldon can do it...

2008-07-07T21:34:00.001-06:00

Why being the tekkie teacher AND a homeroom teacher doesn't suck....

2008-06-13T12:55:00.003-06:00

I have a great class. A fabulous class.

We have worked hard this year on many academic pursuits. Now we are doing projects...tekkie projects. One is (I'm so glad you asked) are Animoto slide show/animations based on quotes from Twelfth Night, a Shakespearean comedy.
The assignment was: 1. pick a quote from the play; 2. select photos (we've collected many of our own digital photos on the public drive so there are no copyright issues); 3. manipulate photos (we've used GIMP); 4. upload photos to Animoto; 5. Post them on our Grade 5/6 blogsite

Check them out. Be entertained. Get cultured. We did.

Thanks for the mention Pricilla...

2008-06-04T21:36:00.002-06:00

...and just because I CAN, I'm going to post a video that succinctly expresses how every teacher and student feels from 9 to 3:30 every school day in June...

Congratulations Donna!

2008-05-30T13:50:00.003-06:00

Our fearless techno-leader, Donna D. has just convocated with her Masters Degree in Education. Best wishes Donna, and congratulations for graduating from one of the coolest masters programs anywhere with one of the coolest advisers.

(Picture credit thanks to Dr. R. Schwier).

Success! We had our best videoconference ever!

2008-05-27T21:44:00.003-06:00

Today we videoconferenced with our epals from Waterloo, Illinois. (We had tried to do it last Thursday, but the internet flaked out too many times. Seems lots of us had that problem that day.)

What also made it wonderful was that we could do it from the "comfort" of our own classroom. Wireless is WONDERFUL. We used Skype and projected the screen using a data projector. (No smart board for us....GARY! where are you when we need you!)

Mr. Theobald was the "quiz master" and Waterloo students asked us geography questions.

We conferenced for half an hour. Our sound wasn't great, but if people spoke clearly we could hear them.

The only downer...our epals start summer holidays this Friday. NOT FAIR.

Now if we could show this to all kids...

2008-05-20T21:28:00.002-06:00

This is a fabulous video about internet safety and privacy.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2040279957016988423

I ask the question: at what age or grade level would this video be appropriate?

This is sometimes how I feel when I read too many Ed Tech blog posts

2008-05-18T12:17:00.004-06:00

Some days if I hear buzz terms like "21st century skills" I think of this famous movie clip

Podcast Central

2008-05-14T12:01:00.001-06:00

...hello....this is patriciaellencone aka "Ms. Cone" reporting live from the computer lab at Hafford Central School.

I've given some creative writing / performing assignments to go with our study of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Many of my students are creating podcasts using Audacity. I have no idea (much) how all of this will turn out, but right now the kids are having a blast (so am I if the truth be told).

I've created a notebook with some podcasting links from where we can download sound effects and music loops.

...We'd like to have any tips that anyone out there can pass on about the use of Audacity. We'll pass any one that we learn.

Keep posted...

Observing the Obvious

2008-05-09T15:21:00.003-06:00

I've taught Google Docs to my grade 7/8 computer class as an introduction to word processing. I've been requiring my grade 5/6 class to use the slide show to finish an assignment in Social Studies.

Guess which class is more motivated not only to use it, but to explore it's uses?

Google Docs Presentation, Create a Graph and Social Studies

2008-05-08T14:08:00.003-06:00

Google Docs adventure continued....

I've assigned my Grade 5 and 6 (Grade Six content) a "mini" research project. Using (mostly) the CIA Factbook (I know, I know, but it works well for this assignment) students collect data on an assigned country in the Atlantic Region. I've given them an identical data sheet for Canada. They are then to create a Google Docs presentation comparing the data from their country and Canada. We've looked at GNP per capita, population, birth rate, poverty rate etc. etc. Basically, I want them to compare statistics to know whether their country is richer or poorer than Canada.

Next, we are graphing some of the data: Using Create a Graph.

This is an online program that creates graphs and charts from which the students can download the images in .jpg form (and others) and/or print the data. My students are inserting their .jpg graphs into the appropriate pages of their presentations.

The adventure continues.

Google Docs? The experiment continues.

2008-05-02T16:17:00.004-06:00

I'm having my grade 5 and 6 class use the presentation tools in Google Docs with which to present their Social Studies research data. So far, it seems to be working well except for the day the internet was down. They are loving doing something new, and I'm liking being able to have a collaborative link to their ongoing work.

If anyone has any useful information regarding Google Docs, let me know.

Are there cyborg teachers?

2008-05-01T23:38:00.004-06:00

From my university days, I recall that the definition of a cyborg was a "seamless melding of human and machine" (or something like that). I'm wondering if frequent (one day or more a week) bloggers are in fact, cyborgs; their brains are seamlessly connected to a computer or cell phone and they can write up endless blog posts?

I've noticed how few blog posts even our most frequent bloggers make compared to some bloggers I have on my reader...

Maybe they really ARE out there....(gulp).....

Adventures with Google Docs: The next frontier?

2008-04-23T21:02:00.005-06:00

I've taken a bit of a plunge into (for me is) the unknown. I've introduced my grade 7/8 computers, and grade 5/6 homeroom kids to Google Docs.

The grade 5/6 kids are ENTHRALLED (or at least some are, and some more are prepared to be). When they had their 5 paragraph essays to word process (yes! I make my kids do 5 paragraph essays because of some traumatic events of my past resulting from my inability to write an essay of any kind), a few of them elected to use Google Docs because they could work from home. Today, I shared a "view only" copy of their new social studies mini-research assignment. Hopefully, this will be a back up for those pesky missing papers and will lead into some interesting sharings with their data. However, I was jolted with pangs of guilt when, after school, two students were "chatting" with other students already at home. (Well, looseleaf and pencils can be used for academic purposes OR writing nasty notes to your recent enenmies).

I've created a word processing unit which covers word processing as a process and allows students to learn 3 kinds of word processors: commercially available (ie Word), open source (ie Openoffice.org), and online (Google Docs). I've put it together for my grade 7/3 computers class and I'm teaching it now. I'll share with anyone provided they contribute to the refining and extending of it. (It is pretty basic!)

I'd also like any kind of feedback, sharing, tips, suggestions, inspirations....from anyone using these or similar online tools.

Zoeybot - a search engine for kids

2008-04-19T09:29:00.002-06:00

I just happened upon a link for Zoeybot

This is a search engine/ wikipedia for kids. I tried looking up an entry on a country and it was actually readable. Worth checking out.

Please blog with us!

2008-04-16T22:34:00.002-06:00

My grade 5/6 class has a class blog at http://www.haffordgrade5and6.blogspot.com

We'd love for some bodies to read us and write comments on our blog.

ArtsEd meets ELA and Voicethread with Interesting Results

2008-04-11T09:49:00.004-06:00

My grade 5 and 6 class had truly wonderful plasticine art projects of their favourite places to be. I thought the project results were too good not to take further, so I asked Jennifer Shumanski, grade one teacher extraordinaire, if she wanted to partner up and help us with an online story project about the grade 5/6 favourite places to be.

First, I took pictures of all the art projects. Next, I had some students in 5/6 scale the images in GIMP and then upload them to Voicethread. Yesterday, armed with a story framework and their art projects, grade 5 and 6 students went to the grade one classroom, buddied up, wrote stories, practiced reading, and enjoyed Timbits. My students will word process the stories with large fonts, and have their buddies read their stories as Voicethreads. I've taken "mugshots" of the grade ones, and will upload them soon

Track our progress: Our Favourite Places to Be

The Most Basic and Effective Technology There Is...

2008-04-05T15:21:00.007-06:00

My husband, my mom, and I participated in a "community walk" today along with 2000 or so other humans and doggies.

I had found out about the walk from FaceBook. I had joined a group called, "Friends of Station 20 West" after I'd seen a newsfeed announcing one of my FaceBook "friends" had just joined. I emailed the premier with my concerns. I signed an online petition. I also had emails from PAVED ARTS/New Media, and my yoga teacher urging people to get out and support the march. All of this happened BEFORE I read about it in the Star-Phoenix.

We gathered on a vacant lot at the intersection of Avenue M and 20th Street. There were the usual rousing speeches and outrageous songs of the "Raging Grannies". Motorists honked their support as they drove by. Police on bicycles escorted the walkers as they streamed down the sidewalks. Volunteers helped organize the parade.

We found out just how well organized everything was when my 81 year-old mother tripped and fell on a curb. An organizer with a cell phone appeared and contacted a volunteer "medic". A police officer on a bicycle came by and radioed the EMS people. Mom is OK, but had she not been, she would have had almost instant assistance to the medical help she might have needed.

There were also hundreds of cameras not only belonging to professional media services, but also ordinary people. One fellow had a "You Tube" label on his ultra small video camera. I'm sure hundreds of digital pictures and videos will be sent and uploaded during today, as well as many blogs (such as this one) written.

So what was the best of the technologies there? Human presence: people who cared about an issue and spent part of their Saturday morning showing it. They chose to get out of bed, get to one location and just BE THERE. Nothing replaces the presence of other humans en masse to broadcast the most effective message of all.

I'm glad I was there.

Followup on "Vindication for OLD 21st Century Learners"

2008-03-26T09:12:00.002-06:00

I found this video from the blog "Free Technology for Teachers" written by Mr. Byrne. This is my response.

Thanks for including this video. At 54 years of age, it is nice to be told I'm not an archaic artifact of outdated education.

One thing that disturbs me greatly about all the "hype" around 21 century learning and skills: no one seems to answer the question (for me at least) "What do we need to learn in order to learn something else?" We all need to have some kind of knowledge and experience base in order to learn something else. If students do not have this base, then they will spend their time designing endless Zwinkies and playing mindless games with their 21st century technology.

Are present-day schools REALLY that bad? Is there NOTHING they have to offer to "21st Century Learners?" After all, even we old people have graduated to these new technologiesand ways of thinking from the "old schools".

Vindication for Old 21st Century Learners

2008-03-26T08:49:00.001-06:00

Flock?

2008-03-23T11:08:00.002-06:00

I've been playing around with a "new" browser- Flock (Flock.com I think). It's specialty seems to be keeping track of social networks (Flickr, Facebook, Twitter, etc etc). Does anyone use it? I'm sort of figuring it out, but I'd like to get rid of the standard feeds of news I NEVER read and don't want to start.

ANIMOTO VIDEO

2008-03-16T23:04:00.001-06:00

Online video production. My doggies are famous?

Current Affairs for Kids CBBC

2008-03-15T10:07:00.002-06:00

I've always wanted to do current affairs with my grade 5 and 6 social studies classes, but have found the reading level of newspapers and news sites to be too difficult for most students to read easily. I've stumbled upon CBBC (which I assume is the BBC for Children?) Here is an article on Child Soldiers.

The Difference Between Canadians and Americans?

2008-03-01T20:11:00.003-06:00

As I have previously blogged, my class has been involved with Epals all year. Our most faithful correspondents have been from a school in Waterloo, Illinois. We have corresponded with the available class in the quarter of Mr. Bill Theobald, the technology teacher. We've even videoconferenced with them. The last time was a few days ago, but (blush) I wasn't able to check my sound connections thoroughly and I didn't press one tiny switch on my powerbar that powered my (own) speakers (obtained from a garage sale last summer for $2.00 - a fabulous bargain - but I digress.) Our conference was scheduled for 9:15 February 27...and our entire school had gone skiing February 26. I wasn't able to set up the day before, as our library (where I could get wireless internet) was being used for a community group (tapdancing??) . Things would have gone much better had we'd been able to conference from my classroom the next day- Rayleen brought out a wireless router so now we can get wireless connections down the oldest wing of HCS. Next time (there will be one), all will be better!

Which brings me to my blog title: In Waterloo, the conference was a BIG deal. My colleague, Bill, wrote to me "Our newspapers will have some VERY complimentary things to say about the videoconferencing experience. Pictures from the videoconference will be posted on the Waterloo School District #5 website. I will send you copies of the newspaper articles when published. " Earlier he had written that officials from the school division would be in monitoring our conference, and the one after it with a school in Italy.

As I said in my previous post, I really appreciate the opportunity to blog with my colleagues. I know that people can identify with the agonies and ecstasies of technological experimentation. I can write about my success and goofy failures and know that no one will laugh at me. That's all that matters to me, really. But how many of us are plugging away with virtually no notice and support from anyone else other than our tech committee buddies, and our students?

I LOVE the Tech Committee and each of their Blogs!

2008-02-20T10:36:00.002-06:00

I've been spending some time over the February break reflecting over my role (and my passion) as a "tekkie" teacher. I've been feeling kind of down and out - and isolated. Then today I started thinking what a (professional) lifesaver it has been to be part of this group of professionals. We are (mostly) all here because we want to be. Even if we have no one else on our respective staffs with whom we can work creatively, we always have each other. I have not only loved reading everyone else's blogs, I have NEEDED them to feel professionally nourished, inspired, and connected. This is gushing, I know, but not far from the truth.

I know that those of you who are in university programs have this connection and continual stimulation. For those of us who are not yet or no longer in this loop, I find this committee and these blogs a kind of lifeline. Last year, I started listening to edtech podcasts. While these were wonderful, most of them (Ed Tech Posse excluded) were not locally focussed.

Please keep writing. I have always found the networking approach the best way to be creative. I find most teachers and administrators to operate more from a "work beside" rather than a "work with" perspective. In the "work beside" environment, not a lot of "collective creative consciousness" ever happens. For most of us who work in "work beside" environments, (in my experience) the best we can do is be here, doing what we do, passing on any information to the interested, and hopefully inspiring by example.

ELA, Social Issues, Technology, and Grade 6 SocSt. Curriculum.....

2008-02-02T18:18:00.000-06:00

My first degree is a BA(adv) in Sociology, and I realized that a) it took me 4 years to acquire all the jargon and concepts to be able to have some understanding of social science; and that b) after acquiring all that knowledge I didn't have a clue how to speak about it in everyday English to a non-sociology grad. I don't know if that experience really colours my experience teaching middle years social studies, but somehow I STILL look at the curricula and think, "My gosh, how many years of university did it take me to make sense of some of this stuff!!!)

I still struggle with "teaching the skills" as Prof. Dhand would say, and covering the curriculum.

One attempt for me is tying the study of literature 2ith the study of social issues. A few years ago, my (then) co-grade 5/6 teacher and I decided we didn't like any of the Canadianized American ELA reading programs, and so we decided to order various novels from Oxford University Press (which yes, are unabashedly British). While a lot of work, I've found that having these novel sets have given me instructional flexibility. I have some novels that are written at a 2-3 year reading level, and a middle level interest level. I have some that are at year 5 and 6 reading and interest level, and I have some that can provide enrichment.

I have created a page of Youtube video links to add to the study of the social issues aspect of the novel studies.

On Thursday when no students were here, Donna helped me via Skype to create a new page of video links for my Grade 5 and 6 page. (The few students who were in the lab thought I was off my nut speaking into my computer screen!) I found some cool stuff, and a lot of school project type stuff (well, Youtube IS democratic!!!) I even found out that Grace the Pirate isn't just a level 3 reading story, she is in fact an historically documented Irish female leader of the Elizabethan age.

We haven't been able to start the novel studies yet...Monday's the day. I hope all this work is worthwhile.

Audacity Tutorial

2008-01-26T18:35:00.000-06:00

http://mikeygolden.wordpress.com/

has a downloadable Audacity tutorial in a .doc format.

The RED PANDA! (Or how Canada's greatest superhero taught my class how to make podcasts!)

2008-01-24T21:39:00.000-06:00

I've always wanted to get my students to make enteratining podcasts, but I didn't know where to get inspiration and modeling for them. Recently, on iTunes, I've listened to "Old Tyme Radio Network" podcasts, and by chance I stumbled onto Podiobooks.com . The Red Panda season one is Decoder Ring Theatre (from Canada)'s tribute to old radio programs. I've played both the old radio and Red Panda for my class. They definately prefer the Red Panda because it has better sound quality, and moves at a quicker, more modern pace. (As well, can you imagine the Red Panda's sidekick, his driver, Kit Baxter, as the Flying Squirrel?)

Today, some students started experimenting with recording podcasts. One group used my laptop MacBook, and the other group and I experimented with Audacity. GarageBand is AWESOME as we all know, but we were all surprised at how well Audacity worked. We still need to do a lot more work, but today was one of those great days in education.

PS....any tips on using Audacity and/or GarageBand gratefully received!

Google Alerts and De.licio.us

2008-01-19T15:00:00.001-06:00

Being once again (yegadz I am SO old) in the position to have to prepare lessons for yet another set of applications (am I whining?) , I have been using "Google Alerts" to locate online teaching resources, tutorials, and hints, and then saving the links to de.licio.us in order to keep them until I need them.

For example , to day there is :
An intro tutorial to Microsoft Word http://www.baycongroup.com/wlesson0.htm

How to make a realistic pupil in Fireworks (and lots of other cool stuff)
http://www.tutorialsphere.com/tutorial/fireworks/special-effects/2262/how-to-make-a-realistic-pupil-in-fireworks

Gimpusers Flickr Blog http://www.flickr.com/groups/gimpusers/

Building a better podcast http://www.thejournal.com/articles/21814

Ipod Dancer Tutorial http://sglider12.blogspot.com/2007/12/ipod-dancer-tutorial.html

I can screen the possible tutorials, and add the one's I think have instructional possiblitities to my de.licio.us account http://del.icio.us/patriciacone

It comes in handy. I especially love having these laptops; it makes sitting crosslegged on the couch more productive!

Hi Donna...and yes, I'm learning to love my Google Reader.

2008-01-16T15:38:00.000-06:00

Out of sheer desperation...every other day trying to log into the "Learning Technology Blogs" one by one...and out of the cyber blue I figured out how to use Google Reader! It was like the heavens parted - briefly!

Then I began to add a few blogs that seem to have some useful information (see my previous posts).

As Lao Tsu says, "The journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step."

LANGWITCHES' Blog

2008-01-13T21:06:00.000-06:00

This is another highly informative blog to which I have subscribed:

http://www.langwitches.org/blog/

As she describes herself:

"LANGWITCHES' Blog contains thoughts, ideas and projects on my journey as a Technology Integration Facillitator.

My name is Silvia Tolisano. I was born in Germany, raised in Argentina and am living in the United States. I hold a Bachelor's Degree in Spanish with a Minor in International Studies and a Masters in Education with an emphasis in Instructional Technology.

My areas of interest include technology in the classroom and multicultural and global education."

Save Our Prairie

2008-01-13T10:12:00.000-06:00

This is a blog site about globalwarming with a local concern.

Deidre Bonnycastle is an educational technologist (UofS grad) and an instructional designer for the College of Medicine at the UofS (aka a teacher teaching doctors - novel idea eh???) She has let me know about a blog http://prairiesaver.blogspot.com/

Esnips.com

2008-01-12T08:51:00.000-06:00

Esnips.com is an online storage and sharing site. Everyone can sign up for a free account and get 5 gigs of online storage space. (Google gives you 1 gig?) The idea of this site is that you will share things like video and images; however you can set the preferences so that nothing is shared. I've been using this recently to upload my school files for backup. So far, so good. I know I could save things to my flash drive, but dang it, then I would have to know where it is at all times.

Holiday Surfing Finds

2008-01-04T08:21:00.000-06:00

I've found a few cool things as I've surfed over the holidays.

Paint. Net I tried downloading this onto my laptop. It seems to be more like GIMP than MS Paint is. http://www.getpaint.net/

Pete's Online Typing Lessons These seem to work well (depending on your connection speed).
http://www.typing-lessons.org/

Well, back to coffee - part two - and more surfing.

TeacherTechBlog

2008-01-02T10:19:00.000-06:00

I've subscribed to TeacherTechBlog http://teachertechblog.com/ It seems (so far) to be a very practical blog for teachers in the K-12 community.

A good blog entry to start on is "The Best of 2007" http://teachertechblog.com/the-best-of-2007/130/

I'm going through it right now and have found some useful tidbits.

Technology Shopping Cart

2007-12-23T22:13:00.000-06:00

I subscribe to Google Alerts, one of which is under the ambiguous topic "K-12" Educational Technology.Very rarely do I get anything of note; however I did stumble across this blog "Technology Shopping Cart" http://techshoppingcart.blogspot.com/ which seems to be a promising place to stop by once in awhile. It is even in a podcast (I'll have to check out iTunes).

Have a Joyeux Noel!

Grade 5 and Six Skyped with Students in Illinois!

2007-11-09T16:10:00.000-06:00

I spent most of my Thursday afterschool trying to set up the Dell laptop connected to the data projector working with Skype. Hmmm....after 3 hours (or so after skyping Donna numerous times interrupting her while she worked on her master's project and ate supper) we seemed to get it to work. It seems that the Dell I have has a built-in microphone and the headset just didn't want to work with skype. My MacBook worked PERFECTLY but I don't have a connection cord to the data projector.

The next morning, I was able to skype the teacher, Mr. Bill Theobald, in Waterloo Illinois. THEY start classes at 8:00 AM! All my grade five and sixes piled into the library at 9:05 (I had warned them that I didn't know what to expect) and promptly the pre-setup Dell had somehow unset itself up. We had no luck with it...so we went back to my tiny Mac...and it WORKED. The kids had a blast. They did get to talk to some of their epals; as well after the classes changed there they talked to some 6th graders.

Anyhow, THANKS DONNA!

We definitely want to do this again.

By the way, we connected with the Waterloo Illinois class via Epals www.epals.com A teacher can get 35 free email accounts with this service and access to classes all over the world. I've been doing Epals with my social studies classes for about three years now with mixed results. If the class writes back on a regular basis it is a wonderful experience; if not the kids get frustrated. This year, I've agreed to exchange with pretty much any class that's written to us. Waterloo Illinois has been the most faithful correspondants. Check out the city site at http://www.waterloo.il.us/

We have wireless at HCS (and other mildly exciting news).

2007-10-31T07:24:00.000-06:00

I took my MacBook to school the other day as I hadn't yet finished an exam. As I sat in the staffroom I noticed the Airport icon all lit up! I danced and sang (well I made a scene anyway). My principal tried to tell me that the connection was unpredictable but I DON"T CARE. We have wireless internet - sometimes - at Hafford!!!! WAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Also, I've learned how to use Google Reader to help keep current on these blogs. Keep writing...I know you are out there.....

Commuting and Web 2.0

2007-10-24T20:14:00.000-06:00

As many people know, in my "new" life as a teacher (now 7 or 8 years old) I commute by vehicle to and from work. During these long hours (driving to Hafford is one hour there and then one hour home) I have discovered the joys of listening to podcasts. I've even done some "professional development" in the comfort of my car (while trying to avoid deer and errant motorists).

One of my continuously favourite podcasts is "Tech Chick Tips" http://www.techchicktips.net/
I Like it because these women work with elementary kids as well as adults in academia. They review what's new in online applications in a free-flowing conversational manner. I've picked up some good tips from them - even if I only store them at the back of the filing cabinet called my head. Tech Chick Tips is available free for download on the website or iTunes.

I should have stayed in Hafford to try the Wiziq conference today. I thought that the Red Bull's advertisement of WI-FI meant that it worked. It didn't- but the coffee and muffin I ate while trying to connect were good brain fuel. I wanted to be able to use my MacBook which has a camera and microphone built in (I have nothing to connect it to in Hafford). No luck - but I did manage to get the last 5 minutes at home tonight. I wish I'd been there for the whole thing!

My attempts at Web 2.0 in my classes....

2007-10-13T21:07:00.000-06:00

I've been using Epals.com as part of Social Studies. If we are lucky, we get a class who answers us with regularity. This is the year we study the Grade 6 Social Studies, "Canada's Atlantic Neighbours" and I've attempted to establish contacts with several "Atlantic Country" classrooms. Some of my students get next to no replies no matter how many classes we contact, while some get gobs of emails. Go figure!

FlauntR.com is an online photo editor. I've allowed my Grade 7/8 technology class to experiment with it....with the proviso each one who uses it can teach me one thing about it. (I've put student photos in the public directory so they can play with their mugshots.) I myself haven't used it yet, but the kids seem to be having a blast.

I learned about FlauntR through Kathy Shrock's "Sites of the School Days" email that I subscribe to. She sends out an email weekly during the school year. It is worth subscribing.

Graphics

2007-10-02T17:35:00.000-06:00

We live in a visual culture. We need to learn how to see and see critically. One way we can take command of the visual process is by creating images.

One of my passions as a technology teacher is teaching kids to use graphics software. I've usually started out with OpenOffice Draw which I have found to be an extremely useful tool as an introduction to this instruction. What I miss is the layers and the ability to stack them behind and infront of each other. Learning layers in GIMP and Photosphop etc. is difficult enough and I thought this was a gentle introduction. Paint has no layers and one has to create a new document if one wishes to restack a selection.

This year I've been having Grade Seven and Eight start with Microsoft Paint. What I like about Paint is we can select parts of objects and then glue them together. Whatever graphics program we use, we learn about pixels, vectors, bitmaps, resolution....etc. etc......

My next plan is to move onto Microsoft Publisher before I go onto GIMP, Flash, Fireworks and Dreamweaver.

First Assignment: Create a Blog.....

2007-09-28T06:11:00.000-06:00

Last night I couldn't for the life of me remember the usernames and passwords I'd created for Wikispaces. I emailed Donna in desperation...and went to bed.

This morning after a cup of coffee I thought to check my saved emails and ...VOILA ....a username. Could it be I have really have some organizational skills?

Today we Haffordonian K - 6 teachers are off to the 4 Blocks learning conference. I am hoping that not only I'll learn some useful things about teaching ELA, but I'll get some ideas on infusing technology as a vehicle for instruction. I only have one "computers class" at HCS this year so I should have a lot more time to explore teaching with technology with grade 5 and 6 ELA and Social Studies.