Final Project

Here is mine and Janine’s final project….not gonna lie, this took way longer than it should have for a 2 and a half minute video. Maybe because we are both perfectionists and everything had to be perfect, and also because we both weren’t familiar with a Mac before we started our project, but 11 hours later we finally finished it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvLzEhUAqWI

My Future Classroom

Since the beginning of the semester, my views on what my future classroom will look like have changed quite a bit. ECMP 355, cross cultural education and my education language class have all shown me that there is so much diversity in Saskatchewan classrooms nowadays, that we need to be open to change in the classroom as well as open to having ever changing technology in the classroom. I want to make sure that all cultures and languages are present in my classroom so everyone feels welcome and valued. This will be a challenge, but will be beneficial for all the students in the end.

One thing that I have learned from ECMP and from my blogging mentorship is that I would really like to have a classroom blog set up for the students sake and also for the parents. I think that this is a great idea and I think most students would enjoy being a part of it. By each student having their own blog, they can showcase their individual talents, thoughts and ideas. They can also get feedback from people all over the world which would be a motivator to want them to blog more regularly. As for the parents, with a classroom blog set up they can stay up to date with what is going on in their child’s school life whether it be in the classroom, extra curricular activities or just basic news around the school.

I would also like to have smart board in my classroom. I don’t have too much experience with them but think that it could be a useful tool to use. I have a few friends who are teachers and they always say how much they love using the smart boards and how much time they save using them as opposed to a black board or white board.

I may also try and incorporate cell phones, Mp3 players, digital cameras and video cameras into my class if ever possible. Students may not be aware of all of the options that these tools have and how they can be used for educational purposes. I know I wasn’t until this year! I also think that once the students understand that these tools can be used in the classroom for learning purposes and that their teacher is giving them the opportunity to use them in the classroom, then they may begin to respect the teacher more when they are to not use them in class, for example such as cell phones.

Podcast

So I am still trying to do my podcast for ECMP. I don’t know if it was my computer or what, but it kept freezing up when I was trying to record on podomatic so I am still going to try and figure this one out! Did anyone find a certain program easier to record with or to put onto your blog?

Mastercard Commercial

So here is my Mastercard commercial we had to make for ECMP 355……enjoy!

iTunes Podcast #2

For the second iTunes Podcast review, I chose to listen to “The Law of Attraction” from Richard Lloyd Jones’ Thinking With Somebody Else’s Head. I chose to listen to this podcast because I have been very interested in the law of attraction for a couple of years now, ever since The Secret came out. I originally thought that this review would be about the positives about the secret, but it was actually about the negatives associated with it. One point that he made that I really agreed with was when he disagreed with the point made in the secret about how we are the centre of the universe and the world revolves around us. He said that we are in fact part of a large universe and the world does not revolve around us. I agree with this because it proves why so many people in the world are selfish and inconsiderate nowadays because they think that the world revolves around them and that they should get whatever they want in life. He talks about how if we only use the secret to our personal benefit and continually wanting more in life, then that will get us nowhere and the world will continue to have poverty, war and injustice. I also agree with this point in that we need to use the secret to benefit everyone in the world, and not just for ourselves. He also talks about how the secret says that anyone in the world is able to get anything they want in life, if they just think positively and use the law of attraction. He said that this is impossible, as every human being has their limits and may have a goal in mind that is unattainable. Of course this may be true for everyone as we may have certain dreams or goals that are a little far fetched, but isn’t that part of living your life is thinking about what you want, what you want to be, or where you want to go? That’s what keeps you going in your life is always having a goal to reach.

I agree with some of the points that he made in his talk, but I also still believe that the secret is a very positive and good thing for people to have in their lives. We are continually surrounded by negativity in this world through the media, whether we know it or not. Having a positive outlook on life and having certain goals in mind allows people to have something to work towards, and not always having the negatives in life to focus on. The positives in life always outweigh the negatives, and I think people need to see that more nowadays.

iTunes Podcast #1

I decided to listen to “Is Sleep that Important?” from Stuff you Should Know. This topic interested me because I know its a very busy and stressful time of year for all university students and a lack of sleep is not uncommon, so I wanted to see what they had to say about that! They talk about how there have been a number of studies done to prove why we need sleep, but nothing has really been proven. The main theory that has been thought up is that our brain is like a computer….it takes in all of the information during the day and needs a chance to cool down and process everything at night. A study with lab rats showed that a rat that went without sleep for 3 weeks died from a lack of sleep. So obviously this proves that we need sleep to survive! Getting too much sleep in a night can also be a bad thing though. We need to make sure that our bodies get the right amount of sleep each night to function, which is about 8 hours a night. So all this talk about sleep is now making me even more tired……but I will be up all night, and for the rest of this week, doing homework! Oh, the life of a university student!!!

For my ECMP class we had to put together four pictures to represent who we are and what has made us who we are today…..so here are my pictures!

K-12 Online Conference Presentation #3

I watched “Travelling Through the Dark” by Steven Kimmi who talks about integrating technology into the classroom and some of the obstacles that teachers need to overcome. He had many very good points about technology and one that stuck with me the most was he said if teachers continue to teach the path that they are familiar with, then their students will become citizens of the world who are not ready for the ever changing future. From taking ECMP 355 I have learned many ways to integrate technology into the classroom. I am going to find this rather challenging, as a future teacher, as I am not a very tech saavy person, but if I want my students to benefit and to be engaged in school and society then this will need to be done. A quote he used in his presentation was “Change is hard. Change is hardest in those caught by surprise. Change is hardest on those who have difficulty changing too. But change is natural; change is not now; change is important” (David Schlesinger). Like anything in life, most people do not like change and try to avoid it, but as the world is changing and becoming more advanced every day, teachers need to be open to change and willing to try new things in order to benefit their students, as well as themselves.

He said that teachers should try and take the time to learn technology before using it in the classroom and I agree with him. If the teacher does not feel comfortable using this in class, then the students may sense that and take advantage of the situation. He also said that teachers should find support groups to help them with technology in the classroom and it doesn’t necessarily have to be people in your community or people you know as there are many people online who have the same interests, questions or ideas as you.

Basically, he said that the opportunities are endless for technology in the classroom. There are so many options that you will have to narrow down your choices to find what works for you in your classroom. He said not to get overwhelmed by all of the options out there. I agree with this statement because when I first started ECMP I found alot of it very overwhelming and I never thought that I would understand everything or be able to use it in my future classroom. As the semester has gone by, I now know that the tools I have been shown will be an option and I am so glad that I have taken this class because I have learned so much!

Skype Chat

Last Friday, Janine and I did a skype chat with Maria Knee and her kinderkids class from New Hampshire. We met at the university, as neither of us had a webcam at home, and Janine got the laptop ready by downloading skype. The class “called” us and they could see us, but we could not see them so Maria was trying to fix the problem. Then the laptop we were using froze up and would not do anything, so we had to find someone to let us into the laptop room and then download skype onto another computer which seemed to take forever! We eventually connected with the class and all of the children introduced themselves. Some of them showed us pictures they had made and were asking us if we have snow yet, because they don’t. Then Maria showed us around her classroom. It was short, due to technological errors, so it would be nice to chat with them again!

Moscow Ballet

Tonight I went to the Moscow Ballet’s Russian Nutcracker performance at the Conexus Arts Centre. Four girls that I teach dance to were in the ballet and they did an amazing job! It was great to see them on stage performing with professional dancers. They represented Sheridance Studios very well and made all the teachers very proud! I think that this was probably a great motivator for them to want to become stronger dancers because they saw where dance can take them. I have heard the comment too many times “what can you do with dance” and many people do not consider it a sport. If people would actually try it before judging, then they could have the right to say that….but many people have never even tried dance and also believe that it is only for girls. Many boys are talented dancers and even stronger than the girls. Because boys bodies are shaped differently, they are able to jump higher and turn better than girls. Dance is an extreme cardio workout. I can run on the treadmill for half an hour and not be sweating half as much as I am in a half hour dance class! Dance uses every muscle in your body from your head to your toes. So I challenge anyone who says dance isn’t a sport to come try out a class and then see what they have to say!!!