It's the final countdown..♪

It's here... the final week of ICCT2 is upon us!  This month has been tough but it was so worth it! I am so excited to go back to school with all the new ammo I have after this course!  I think that most people in this course would say the same.  There are so many new tools and strategies that I want to use in my French program and throughout August I will be organizing and planning how I am going to do that. That being said, the one last thing to do is to reflect on the process to help me move forward in my learning.

Describe one significant idea or issue that has arisen for you, as you were engaging in the topics during Learning Experiences #3 and #4.

LE 3 & 4 have been interesting because they have really encouraged action.  The planning for staff development and training has been realistic and helpful in thinking about what my role will be in the coming years in my school. There are often AQ courses where the activities are not realistic or even really relevant to some teachers.  For me, being a French teacher, I found that all of the E-tivities were easily applicable to my job and they made me really plan real plans for the coming year.
One significant issue that arose for me was thinking about how to be a leader in technology when you are not the person with the most experience or knowledge on the subject? What I have realized is that as one of the qualities of a good leader is to know your limits and your strengths and weaknesses, I have other qualities and experiences that will help me to be a leader within the school such as the organization skills and being proactive, and the technical stuff can still be led by other leaders within the community.

Elaborate on how specific resources, ideas or experiences in these Learning Experiences have contributed to your learning. e.g. reading material, course activities etc.

I have done Webquests in the past, but they were very basic and were written step by step on a Google Doc.  Making a webquest using an actual webquest maker was really great for me because I now know how to go about making mine better in the coming years.  I realized that I really dislike Zunal, but I would definitely use www.webquest.org.

Another specific activity that contributed to my learning in the last two modules was having to create a parent night presentation.  I have never had to present to parents before and so I really had to think about my communication with parents because it is different than communicating and presenting for colleagues.  It made me consider my communication with parents in general and how I could improve it in the coming year.  I teach so many students and so I have only spoken to parents as needed.  I think technology and the idea of keeping a blog is a great approach to parent communication,  If I create a blog where I will write updates of what students are doing in class in each grade, and sharing that blog with parents would be a good way to open that line of communication.

Share how your participation in the discussion forums have contributed to your learning and connect this to your understanding of the Standards of Practice for the Teaching Profession.

As I stated in my last reflection, I think that my participation in discussions forums and also the collaboration with a peer in LE3 was a way of displaying my commitment to professional learning and being a leader within a learning community. Although it is an expectation in AQs, not everyone monitors their own posts and responds to questions as they come up and people often just put comments on other people's posts such as "I like your post" or "nice chart" whereas I try to make thoughtful responses that are specific, and I ask for clarification from others as needed.  That helps me to show leadership and commitment to my own professional learning. 

Discuss any outstanding questions and the steps you may take to further explore your interests as part of your learning in the course.

^{I plan to continue my learning in this subject area over the coming years.  I will do this by first, being more involved in the management or technology and training at my school.  I will hopefully be able to start a tech committee this year and I will also be  using more technology in my French program.  The first being that I will trial XpressLab with my grade 8s, the next being that I will have a blog for each grade level I teach to help students and parents stay on top of what's going on and what is due. The next step is that when I go back from my maternity leave in the 2018-2019 school year, I will take ICCT part 3. I don't think I will take an intensive as it would be a bit  much with two kids, but I will take it throughout the school year.} 

Final comments...
One final note about this course is that although I have said on many occasions that it was very difficult for me, it was absolutely worth it!  I think it was just the schedule I had for myself this month wasn't conducive to an accelerated AQ. I'm sure all the other teachers were in the same boat because once summer hits, we tend to book ourselves up. I am so happy we all made it through and that I got so much out of this course even though it went by in a blur of activity.  Thanks to Joe for being a great instructor!

LE3 - Another one bites the dust...

Well another module has come and gone and it's time to think back and reflect on the whirlwind that was this week.  I'm not sure if I am the only one who feels this way, but these intensives really do create a whirlwind in your life.  Maybe it's trying to balance this week's course load with a family vacation with my inlaws and my 1 year old and being pregnant ANT the CRAZY heat but MAN AM I GLAD THIS WEEK IS NEARING COMPLETION!!

To save myself time, I have just copy and pasted this week's reflection form directly into the blog.

1. Describe one significant idea or issue that has arisen for you as you were engaging in the topics during the Learning Experience:

The most significant idea for me this week was the idea that we have so much staff training in different technologies, but rarely any follow up.  How are we to know if what we are doing is making a difference if there is no follow up? Not even something so simple as a Google form to ask how many participants have actually implemented whatever they have learned in a PD session in their classroom.

2. Elaborate on how specific resources, ideas or experiences in the learning experience have contributed to your learning. e.g. reading material, course activities etc:

I liked having to think about the upcoming year in the calendar activity and finding ways that I could help further the use of technology at my school.  I would really like to form a tech committee and really start holding these sessions.  The teachers that I mentioned in my calendar are already using certain technologies really effectively in their classes and I think that other teachers could really benefit from teacher-led sessions. I also really liked using Google Forms.  I have taken Google Forms before but believe it or not I have never created one.  This is a practical tool that I will be able to easily use in French. Because I don't teach math at all (probably for the best) I have never actually got to play around with the resources we use at the school, and so trying out Tinkerplots and Geometer's Sketchpad was actually fun for me.  I found the Sketchpad a bit tough as it's not very user friendly for learning.  I ended up using YouTube to teach me.  I LOVED Tinkerplots though! What a great way to sort and manage data! The inquiry based learning opportunities here are endless.

3. Share how your participation in the discussion forum has contributed to your learning and connect that to your understanding of the Standards of Practice for the Teaching Profession.

As a teacher, we make a commitment to ongoing professional learning, and I think that this is being accomplished through such rich discussion and postings from my colleagues in this course.  I think that even if people don't make a comment on your post or don't start a discussion about it, they are still learning just from reading what you have written.  We don't have time to learn it all or look at all of the resources (in the math activity for example), but by reading each other's posts, we can learn a bit about those resources and decide whether or not it might be something that could be useful to us in our teaching.  Teachers are coming together as a learning community, which is one of the best ways for us to learn and it aligns with the Standards of Practice.

4. Discuss any outstanding questions and the steps you may take to further explore your interests as part of your learning in the course:

I actually plan to use Google Forms when I go back to school as my introduction survey. Every year when I get new students I have them fill out a (paper) survey about their interest and experiences in French to get a read on how they are feeling about the subject in general.  This often produces a handful of students who write how much they HATE French and nothing will make them like it.  This is where I focus my attention for the first while is forming a bond with these students that has nothing to do with French but more about their personal interests (which is also a question on the survey).  I think this data will be much easier to compile and read online and much more engaging for them to complete.

Halftime reflection

1. Describe one significant idea or issue that has arisen for you, as you were engaging in the topics during Learning Experiences #1 and #2.

The most significant idea that has arisen for me was from both modules and it was the overarching idea of frontloading your work.  What I mean by that is that with technology, it takes a lot of planning and learning and preparing ahead of time, but once your pre-work is complete, it really makes your work a lot easier and more efficient and effective.  It's important as a teacher to maintain that ongoing commitment to professional learning especially in regards to technology.  It is always changing and advancing and you can't stay stagnant and use the same technology that will become outdated in no time. It's not only necessary to spend time LEARNING about new technology so that you are ready to made an educated decision on whether it is useful to implement for you, but you also must spend time UPLOADING content for a lot of the apps and sites that you will have your students using.

1. Elaborate on how specific resources, ideas or experiences in the Learning Experiences have contributed to your learning. e.g. reading material, course activities etc.

I really liked the activity where we had to alter our ALP.  I didn't have the opportunity to make one last year as I was on maternity leave, so this was a great opportunity for me to create my ALP for next year with the integration of technology in mind.  I liked that this was an authentic task which will actually serve me well for the next school year.  

Another thing I really  liked was learning about OSAPAC, and using that as a resource for finding digital resources available to teachers.  It's amazing that I had never been given a link to this site https://www.osapac.ca/dlr/ before, because it has a large list of digital resources free to use for Ontario teachers.  What this has shown me is that there needs to be more leadership in schools around technology and sharing information like this website so that teachers are more aware of the tools at their fingertips.

1. Share how your participation in the discussion forums have contributed to your learning and connect this to your understanding of the Standards of Practice for the Teaching Profession.

The sharing of information and ideas amongst the participants in this course has been a very enriching part of this course.  I think that this aspect of the course aligns directly with three of the standards of practice; ongoing Professional Learning - The participants are showing their commitment to this by participating in the discussion boards and completing the e-tivities, Professional Knowledge - participants are learning about new assistive and educational technologies which helps them to stay current in their professional knowledge, and leadership in learning commmunties - we are all being leaders by sharing our knowledge and experiences from different areas of the education system, different grade levels and subjects, and we are teaching each other what we know.

1. Discuss any outstanding questions and the steps you may take to further explore your interests as part of your learning in the course.

I would really like to explore some of the resources I saw on OSAPAC.  Specifically, I would like to try using XpressLab with my intermediates next year.  I have seen it in use, and have used it for tutoring, but I haven't used it in a classroom setting before.  I would also like to explore Comic Life because  I got an email saying Bitstrips would no longer be accessible in September, and I am looking for something similar to use in core French.

Reflections on technology for students with special needs...

Necessary for some, good for all

Technology in the classroom is the way of the future and I feel we are so fortunate to be teaching in this day and age because assistive technology is so readily available to  help us help those who are the most vulnerable of slipping through the cracks in the education system. I think students with special needs are getting a much better education now that they have such incredible tools at their disposal.  

I think that the best way to describe my learning in the last week on this subject is that I have had my eyes open to the technology that can help in a mainstream classroom as most of my experience with special education technology was in a school with only students with special needs.  I really like the idea of universal design, and using technology that is necessary for some and applying it to all.  I think it makes the job of teaching easier because you are using all the same technology for all even if you are having to differentiate the task. I think that the technology that is necessary for students with special needs is actually more engaging for the rest of the class to use too.  

I have learned about so many new things to use from my peers in this module! There are many websites that I can use in my French teaching that as the quote says are 'necessary for some' but that would be 'good for all'.

Reading my colleagues staff manuals were interesting too because the tools and technology that was described are mostly things that we already have in most schools, or would be able to easily access.

One thing I have never used but would like to try for my students on IEPs in French class is Google Read and Write. I read about it in this module and when I investigated further I realized that it could be used in French as well, you just have to change the settings.  

This has been a very engaging and interesting module for me, and I am looking forward to continuing my learning about staff training in the next module.

LE 1 - ICCT 2

                       

Well, my first module is complete in ICCT 2 and I just have to say I am SO glad I switched courses in the ninth hour!! I am already feeling like I am getting a lot out of this course!
The first part of the ICCT course ignited an excitement for technology and gave me a ton of new ideas, and so far this second part has been doing the same.  I love seeing all the new resources that people share. I feel like above all else, this course brings ideas and resources that are real world and can be used immediately.

I have loved reading my peer's posts over the past few days. I think that there are so many people with such different teaching experiences that we will all end up with a very broad list or resources from each other.

What stood out the most for me in this specific module was the importance of responsible use.  I think that idea underlies everything in the first module because it's about using technology responsibly and for an educational purpose.  Even when I think about the face that teachers have so much technology at their fingertips, and that they have to ensure that they use technology for a purpose still relates to responsible use. I think that it's important that everyone (not just students) use technology with a purpose and use it responsibly. 

I really liked having to think about what I would do with a $2000 for a technology budget.  I especially liked seeing what everyone else would do with it.  It allowed people to really put down what they through would be best for their students and for different purposes.  I never thought about using it to provide PD on the use of technology but I really thought that was a great idea.  That is probably one area where I wish we had more opportunity for PD!  I have to attend a lot of French PD on PD days, but none of it has ever focused on technology, and I think that with French being such a difficult subject to garner interest in, it would be really useful to have a session focused on technology in the French classroom.

I'm really looking forward to the next module as I feel it is right up my alley.  I spent 6 years as a teaching assistant in a Special Education high school, where I used assistive technology and software daily.  My passion lies in Special Education.  I would love to teach in the life skills program one day.  My undergrad is in Disability Studies.  I am excited to share my knowledge and to learn from my peers on this subject that is so close to my heart!

Why reflect? Why blog?

In 2013, I had the honour of meeting George Couros.  He did a full day PD at my school on re imagining the use of technology in our schools.  He is a GREAT speaker! I left feeling energized and motivated for the future of education, and I wasn't even a teacher yet!  I was happy to see him referenced as he was the first person to ignite that spark in my head for the integration of technology. 

I really enjoyed his blog post on blogging.  It is so true that you always feel like there is not enough time.  I have struggled with this, despite knowing that reflection should naturally be a part of my day.  Especially as a new teacher, as teaching can often be trial and error, you need to reflect on what worked and what didn't  in order to move forward and modify your practice to do better the next time.  I am guilty of not doing this in a written format.  I think it's natural for all teachers to reflect mentally on what they taught and how they taught it and then change their next lesson accordingly, but there are things that we forget from week to week ad year to year, which is where blogging could help.  I liked that George mentioned how helpful it was to tag his blogs.  That is something I haven't learned how to do, but that will help when looking back and searching for previous topics.

My personal challenge in the next school year will be to reflect AT LEAST once a week on my blog.  My goal for the next few weeks of the ICCT 2 course is to learn how to tag my blogs, so that I am ready to use that skill for September.

Reflection IS part of every teachers work, and I believe that we ALL do it just naturally to some extent when teaching (it's almost a survival tactic for new teachers especially), but the biggest challenge is to do it explicitly in a form that you can look back on later to see your progress and growth.

Why does it matter?

So here I am at the end of an AQ course about integrating technology into teaching and here are some of my thoughts...

I have to say, as a person who completed my undergrad through online education, I sill didn't see the full value until I started teaching and this course has just furthered my understanding and deepened my knowledge on the subject. 

So why does it matter? Why should teachers be learning more about technology and using it in the classroom?

And so in the style of David Letterman (who most of my students have never heard of).. here is my top ten list....

TOP TEN REASONS TO BRING TEACHING AND TECHNOLOGY TOGETHER...

10. They both start with 'T', so it makes alphabetical sense to bring them together :)
9. Students CHOOSE to spend their downtime on technology, so wouldn't it make sense that they would be more likely to CHOOSE to do their work on a computer or tablet vs. pen and paper?
8. Technology allows you the tools to reach a variety of learners.  There are apps and softwares to help you as a teacher create content that is good for visual learners, audio learners, musical learners etc.
7. Technology can help you to teach those students in your class with exceptionalities who otherwise couldn't learn in the same way as the other students
6. Teaching is more fun when you can find different ways to do it.  No one wants their job to get stale and boring.  Technology is ever changing and can keep you on your toes for the rest of your career if you put the effort in to learn to use it.
5. Teaching methods and ideas differ worldwide and the use of technology can connect professionals and allow them to share ideas and strategies and can enrich their teaching practice.
4.  Mastering technology can make your job more efficient.  There are many ways this is true, but one example is by having your own website, then schedules, content and reminders of due dates can be posted and students can go there to answer their questions as opposed to coming to you.
3. Knowing how to use technology to your favour could lead you to experimenting with different teaching models such as the 'flipped classroom' method.  Students will get to have more support when doing the actual hands on work, and most of the learning is done through online content that they access from home.
2. Technology can break down the barriers around and within your classroom.  You can see the world from the comfort of the class, talk to experts without leaving your seat and get a new perspective on learning.  The ability to contact other students and teachers around the world will naturally add a whole new layer to your teaching.
1. technology makes school more engaging for the digital generation.  They aren't interested in a teacher standing at the front of the class lecturing.  They need a dynamic lesson that mixes not just technology, but collaboration and action.  Technology is the future of Education.

So what's next?

For me, I have learned about so many new websites, programs, apps, softwares throughout this course, and I have already thought up lessons where they would come in handy.  I am going back to work from my maternity leave in mid-May, when kids are already checking out for the summer, and this will be my best strategy to keep them hooked in.  The students are getting their THIRD French teacher this year when I return, and in order for them to want to put the effort in, they have to be interested in what they are learning. I will be making a powtoon intro about myself and using that for a listening activity.  I will also be using pic collage for students to write about their summer plans, and I am trying to assemble a writing assignment using Gimp and other image manipulation softwares to create illustrations for a short story they write.

I think that I am a better teacher after taking this course and that I will be more effective at engaging my students and using technology in a purposeful and appropriate way to enhance my teaching.  As a personal goal, I would like to get more familiar with video conferencing so that I can make connections in other French speaking countries that I can then bring into the classroom,