It has never been more vital to be effective and efficient with technology for educational purposes. Using current, engaging and relevant platforms and softwares designed to help students' minds grow is an important part of being a 21st century educator. At the same time, it's perhaps never been more important to know the limits or drawbacks of tech, and when to demonstrate restraint.
The Integrating Technology Into the Classroom course I took with the wonderful Dr. Rebecca Hughes @ OISE saw us complete a number of workshops exploring various forms and uses of technology in the educational setting. Please scroll down and enjoy some of my experiences and creations, which are but a taste of the things students and I may get up to with tech in the classroom.
The Integrating Technology Into the Classroom course I took with the wonderful Dr. Rebecca Hughes @ OISE saw us complete a number of workshops exploring various forms and uses of technology in the educational setting. Please scroll down and enjoy some of my experiences and creations, which are but a taste of the things students and I may get up to with tech in the classroom.
~ Intro to Coding ~
Code.org has some wonderful approaches to teaching coding, and this workshop was a very fun and simple one where I coded my own bird flying game. You can try it out here - just click to flap. Good luck dodging the obstacles!!
~ Podcasting ~
I made a podcast! The above loom video gives a brief insight into the process, how it came about, and which softwares I learned to utilize for it-chiefly Zencastr (recording) & Hindenburg (editing). I hope the takeaway is how easy it can actually be to make one yourself! As has been the case building this very website, I am continually impressed with how intuitive and efficient software is these days. People with seemingly limited tech experience, or who may be somewhat trepidatious like myself, can rest assured a whole bunch of design, thinking and coding has occurred, making tech more accessible than ever before. It's exciting times!
Here is the slideshow referenced in the video. Just one click on the handy Spreaker platform was all it took to automatically go live on all the major podcast publishing platforms! Spreaker has also been a very fun and easy way to track its growth - In the 7 months since its early October 2021 release, we've reached over 650 total downloads, in 22 different countries! Episodes 7 & 8 are our most popular, accounting for over 1/3 of our total downloads for the series.
Here are some links to listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible, Google Podcasts, Spreaker, or VoiceEdRadio's own site. It's live on almost every other major podcast platform, so if you are looking just type in the series title 'Teaching in a Climate Crisis'
Here is the slideshow referenced in the video. Just one click on the handy Spreaker platform was all it took to automatically go live on all the major podcast publishing platforms! Spreaker has also been a very fun and easy way to track its growth - In the 7 months since its early October 2021 release, we've reached over 650 total downloads, in 22 different countries! Episodes 7 & 8 are our most popular, accounting for over 1/3 of our total downloads for the series.
Here are some links to listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible, Google Podcasts, Spreaker, or VoiceEdRadio's own site. It's live on almost every other major podcast platform, so if you are looking just type in the series title 'Teaching in a Climate Crisis'
~ Visual Diary ~
This workshop asked us to create a visual diary of our pandemic time so far - images to capture what our life has been like over the past year or so. Looking back on all my photos, it's surprising to reflect on how much fun I've been able to have. Indeed, as the pandemic has laid bare the inequalities in our society, so too it has reminded me just how extraordinarily lucky I am. Clockwise from the top, here's some descriptions of the photos:
Page 1 - Trying out the Wim Hof method in the fall at Balmy Beach, Toronto - let me tell you, it wasn't all that balmy. It became quite a ritual though, we kept going until first week of Dec! Stopping into Quebec City for my first time ever. The boys I've been doing outdoor education with in Magwood Forest, Toronto. Playing Nintendo Switch projected in my friends 'yard'. My dad and I hiking Gros Morne Mountain in Newfoundland - it was on his bucket list and was so nice to take him up there for his first time, and with perfect weather too, something extra special! Homemade crème brûlée through my friend's window - I brought him some plants, he made me a delicious dessert. Win win!
Page 2 - Winter bike rides from Niagara-On-The-Lake to Niagara Falls and back, a ride I often enjoy but this was the first winter I made a habit of it. Good old cod fishing back home in Newfoundland - I think I caught the biggest one that day...Halloween shadow fun. Sunset skateboarder on a quiet street by Broadview park, captures the vibe of those evening walks through my neighbourhood. Pre-home-haircut photo. Collecting and sorting rocks by colour at Tommy Thompson Park - just the kind of thing I like to do with free time, getting lost in the meditative act of beach combing...There is a special joy in reflecting upon the photos of the past year, and picking out your favourites.
~ QR Codes ~
Inspired by everythingisalive's comedic show that gives voices to inanimate objects, we were tasked with making and recording our own representations, using Vocaroo's impressively simple software. Scan the QR Code above with your smartphone or tablet camera to enjoy my creation, The Ballad of the Lonely Doorstopper. I'm in the middle of a move, and need to buy a couple doorstoppers, that's where the idea began for me...
Also, for one of our assignments some classmates and I focused upon the uses of QR, and more so AR, in the education setting. Feel free to browse the slideshow of our presentation here.
Also, for one of our assignments some classmates and I focused upon the uses of QR, and more so AR, in the education setting. Feel free to browse the slideshow of our presentation here.
~ Make a Comic Strip ~
This workshop involved trying out a few comic strip creation applications, and it blew me away how intuitive and expansive StoryboardThat was to use. Our comics were supposed to speak to one of the tech-related terms that we had chosen to research a little bit into during the course. I chose FOMO (Fear-Of-Missing-Out); something we've all experienced, social media can greatly exacerbate/exaggerate, and, well - I hope it speaks for itself.