I think this one was the most work yet! Phew! Glad to be done!!
I really enjoyed activity 9 that was about writing up 2 lesson plans that use technology with another subject... I think it's important for students to see context and value when being introduced to and using a tech tool. We shouldn't just be using tech for the sake of using tech!
It was also neat to think of a series of workshops/lunch & learns that could be offered to staff - this would allow people to sign up for what they were actually interested in, and expand to allow staff to showcase their own tech tools.... I wonder if our staff would use this? At Holly, we did this when the new report card program was introduced, and it seemed to go over well. But was that because we were being forced mid-year to change reporting programs?!?
Tuesday, 24 July 2018
Monday, 16 July 2018
Module Two Wraps Up!!
As I'm finishing up Module Two, one thing that has really stood out for me is the idea that technology tools for students with special needs is really just an excuse to use tech tools for ALL students... as we need to recognize that every student would benefit from these benefits!!
Universal design allows us now, more than ever, to customize the learning environment to reflect the varying needs of every child, and to offer more choice and input than ever before. Yes, the curriculum and expectations are still the same, but does it matter is Johnny writes about it while Suzy sings about it? No, as long as they content is there and each student si comfortable with their choice.
Last year (grade 6), I thought I was honouring this idea with Genius Hour - kids got to pick their topic, do their own research, show their learning via Google Slides... until I had a parent contact me about a student who was being kept up at night in worry about having to present his slide show. Of course it would be OK if he just presented to me or if he just handed his slideshow in! Why didn't he know that?!?! OH... I wasn't explicit in my explanation. My bad.
This idea of fitting the learning to match the student happens frequently in kindergarten, but I think it gets lost once they move onto a more formal curriculum... it's time to take this flexible design and put it into all classrooms to benefit all students!
Universal design allows us now, more than ever, to customize the learning environment to reflect the varying needs of every child, and to offer more choice and input than ever before. Yes, the curriculum and expectations are still the same, but does it matter is Johnny writes about it while Suzy sings about it? No, as long as they content is there and each student si comfortable with their choice.
Last year (grade 6), I thought I was honouring this idea with Genius Hour - kids got to pick their topic, do their own research, show their learning via Google Slides... until I had a parent contact me about a student who was being kept up at night in worry about having to present his slide show. Of course it would be OK if he just presented to me or if he just handed his slideshow in! Why didn't he know that?!?! OH... I wasn't explicit in my explanation. My bad.
This idea of fitting the learning to match the student happens frequently in kindergarten, but I think it gets lost once they move onto a more formal curriculum... it's time to take this flexible design and put it into all classrooms to benefit all students!
Monday, 9 July 2018
End of Module One
So, it's the end of Module One - phew! Managing 2 AQs at the same time means I have to keep trying not to repeat myself!!
What did I learn in this Module? First off, I'm reminded of the value of being able to collaborate with other educators... in a few simple discussion posts, others share so many new tools/software/ideas that can go on to change the way someone teaches - crazy powerful!!!
The final task was to do a 2-year Annual Learning Plan - that was an interesting task. I found it tricky to come up with strategies for achieving my goals that weren't just attend this specific conference... I guess I should spend some time thinking up some ACTUAL strategies to get what I want, rather than just relying on some workshop or conference to figure that out for me!
What did I learn in this Module? First off, I'm reminded of the value of being able to collaborate with other educators... in a few simple discussion posts, others share so many new tools/software/ideas that can go on to change the way someone teaches - crazy powerful!!!
The final task was to do a 2-year Annual Learning Plan - that was an interesting task. I found it tricky to come up with strategies for achieving my goals that weren't just attend this specific conference... I guess I should spend some time thinking up some ACTUAL strategies to get what I want, rather than just relying on some workshop or conference to figure that out for me!
Reflective Blogging: Proactive Through Reflection
Response to Article: https://georgecouros.ca/blog/archives/3531
I think it's important to take a minute to recognize all the decisions and calculations that happen in a split second during the school day - an answer to a single (and seemingly easy) question has a multitude of facets. For instance, a student asking "Can I take a walk" can spark "Does s'he REALLY need a break, or are they trying to avoid the task?", "What will admin/colleague think when they she him/her out there?", "Should I sent them with a task?", "Can I trust them to go alone?", "Should I document this for SERT or is this just a walk?" and the list goes on and on. Every single decision can have all these mini-decisions inside them.
But what does that have to do with the Reflection part... simply that taking the time to notice & name those mini-decisions can help us to actually hone in on what factors we use to judge a situation. If I'm concerned that my admin is going to question WHY I let a student go for a walk to take a break, then I probably need to focus some of my time and energy on that relationship with admin.
And how would that become apparent?!? I guess when you read back through how you handled situations, you can notice a theme. During my TPA this year, I was trying to explain to one of my admin about the value of digital documentation, and how we need time to see patterns emerge in young students. He had suggested that "really important stuff" be transferred to paper, and I told him I wouldn't know what the really important stuff was until I saw it over time. WOW! I was just defending my digital documentation... but I think I was really onto something! Maybe documenting my "rationale" for some of the decisions I make will help me to understand what's really important?!?
I think it's important to take a minute to recognize all the decisions and calculations that happen in a split second during the school day - an answer to a single (and seemingly easy) question has a multitude of facets. For instance, a student asking "Can I take a walk" can spark "Does s'he REALLY need a break, or are they trying to avoid the task?", "What will admin/colleague think when they she him/her out there?", "Should I sent them with a task?", "Can I trust them to go alone?", "Should I document this for SERT or is this just a walk?" and the list goes on and on. Every single decision can have all these mini-decisions inside them.
But what does that have to do with the Reflection part... simply that taking the time to notice & name those mini-decisions can help us to actually hone in on what factors we use to judge a situation. If I'm concerned that my admin is going to question WHY I let a student go for a walk to take a break, then I probably need to focus some of my time and energy on that relationship with admin.
And how would that become apparent?!? I guess when you read back through how you handled situations, you can notice a theme. During my TPA this year, I was trying to explain to one of my admin about the value of digital documentation, and how we need time to see patterns emerge in young students. He had suggested that "really important stuff" be transferred to paper, and I told him I wouldn't know what the really important stuff was until I saw it over time. WOW! I was just defending my digital documentation... but I think I was really onto something! Maybe documenting my "rationale" for some of the decisions I make will help me to understand what's really important?!?
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