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Week #1 (July 5-9/2010) For the record, I will start out by stating my professional goals, as I stated them when applying for this program:
- To improve my practice as an educator by learning and understanding more about the tools at my disposal .
- To examine and develop effective formative and summative assessment practices through use of technology.
- To learn from others either by examining research or by working in a cohort group.
- To share any knowledge I have within the program
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Week #1 (July 5-9/2010) For the record, I will start out by stating my professional goals, as I stated them when applying for this program:1. To improve my practice as an educator by learning and understanding more about the tools at my disposal .2. To examine and develop effective formative and summative assessment practices through use of technology.3. To learn from others either by examining research or by working in a cohort group.4. To share any knowledge I have within the program
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The Livingstone Case Study This article chronicles the journey of one interactive whiteboard from one classroom to a whole school, and subsequently to other schools in the district and beyond. A single teacher managed to get a grant to start the project and was able to then influence others to come on board. What ensued was a school with a IWB in every classroom and a collaborative, inquiry based approach in the school. Students and staff alike reported increased engagement..
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The Five Characteristics of Active Learning (1) Students are involved in more than listening.
Emphasis is placed on developing student skills and ideas
Students are involved in higher order thinking (analysis, synthesis, evaluation)
Students are engaged in activities (reading, discussion, writing)
Emphasis is placed on student’s exploration of their own attitudes, values, and prior experiences. -
After only the first week, I can see that my thinking is changing. i did not realize how fixed my thinking could be. i also thought that my reality in education was everyone's. Not so. I feel like I am opening up to a world of new perspectives. i am excited to make this trip!
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When I arrived into week 2, my understanding of the virtual was synonymous with simulation. I really only thought of the virtual in terms of technology. Shields taught me differently. Through his book, the virtual, we explored the concept of virtual in varying contexts through the ages.
Of particular interest to me was the concept of how memory is vital in forming our experiences. In a virtual world or experience, the one component that is missing is memory. -
This was probably the most difficult week of all. Working on little sleep, and delving into abstract and difficult articles, while at the same time abc=sorbing a lot of new technology, was a daunting task. I loved it, but it was a challenge. I was used to thinks being more structured!
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There is no doubt that technology can enhance many authentic educational experiences by allowing students to reflect on their learning through blogs, e-portfolios, video, online quizzes etc.
However, neither technology alone, nor the indulgence in virtual experiences, can guarantee authentic and meaningful learning. . Interaction with others is a key factor, whether it be face to face, online or a mixture of both. -
This was my first attempt to master Wordpress to create an e-portfolio. Given that I had no idea what the master's program had in store over the coming years, I did a poor job of setting up the site. I had a limited knowledge of WP and was as yet unaware of my needs.
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My Wordpress Story
This was a time when I began to work on my e-portfolio. This would be a place where I could record my personal growth. I was frustrated and it did not always seem to do what I wanted. See the Wordpress link above to get the whole story. -
Through the eyes of Murphie and Potts. Instructor: Stephen Petrina
In this timespan I had an opportunity to step outside the confines of my educational world and see technology in a much larger framework. It was significant to see how technology has played a role through the ages. I began to see that technology is about so much more than devices. During this timespan, I had an opportunity to think about technology as a concept rather than a concrete resource. -
I actually really enjoyed reading the introduction and Chapter 1 of this text. It dealt with theoritical frameworks for technology. It made me think and question how I see technology. I have a tendency to see things as back and white, cause and effect. Reading the first chapter of this book forced me away from what I fear was my technological determinism!
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Does art reflect changes in technology and social organization? Does it respond to them? Does it engage with them, influence them? I believe that the answer to all of these questions is a definite yes. Historically, art in all its forms has reflected what is happening in society. In turn, society is made to reflect on what is presented in art. This has never been more evident since mass media has been able to bring all strands of art to everybody.
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The internet culture relies on sharing of information and the collaborative process, and much of this culture does not believe that information should be copyrighted. I can see that when there is money, or recognition to be had for the creation of something, then it is deemed to be important to safeguard the ownership of this property.
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I call this my active learnig period because i became so much more aware of some bad (mable a little too teacher-directed) habits I had fallen into. I worked hard at making sure I was thinking about the five characteristics of active learning when I was planning and executing my teaching.
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In reading this chapter, I was most interested in exploring how science fiction has, over time been a venue for the probing of ethical values in relation to technology. I had not thought about its potential for expressing cultural attitudes towards technology.
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In my mind, this topic explored the dark side of technology. It appears that science fiction is coming to life and is being lived out in offices and research labs throughout, in particular, the Western world.
I dont like the concet of cyborgs. I did see however, that we could all be in some way considered to be cyborgs. -
Facebook Media ProjectIf we think differently about things because of mass media, we therefore think differently about how we socialize and about how we interact. Heim believes that thought and expression take on the attributes of whichever technology is being used. This is very true. Different online activities have different “rules”. Facebook has its own culture and ways of doing things.
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In my opinion, the word ‘networking’ is key. It links all of the concepts, from the military need to develop networks, the need for business to make use of networking, to the modern world ‘reterritorialized’ onto networks.
“Technological change… is not by itself, productive of social change. Instead, the direction of change is a product of the particular alignment between the technological possibilities and the society and culture that exists.” (Stephen Hill) -
During this period I became more aware of monitoring active learning in my classroom. I took more pains to ensure that my students were involved according to the five charistics of active learning. I varied my instructional strategies and enjoyed seeing my students take a more active role.
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If the internet is now seen as a new social space, we need to develop new sets of controls to manage it. It has implications in the area of our concept of community. I think the real problem is that we have moved faster than our capability to keep up and regroup. The concerning questions raised through all of this are those questions relating to ethics, identity, and sense of community. Since technology has fast exceeded the uses it was designed for, there are areas in which there is not yet g
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In thinking about the Chilean mining disaster the other day, I was struck by how the dynamics of the situation fit the last module of our course. Here we had a natural disaster that could have defied technology. The technology defied the natural disaster, and spirituality in the form of faith, over-rode everything.
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Technology has had, and continues to have the potential to have a profound impact on human development and learning: Not only has medical technology been able to alter what we know and what we can do, but technology in general impacts how we learn, how we interact as humans, and what experiences we can be exposed to. As an educator, I must be aware that the development and learning of my students is influenced by many intertwining factors. These factors constantly themselves change and develop.
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This class was a turning point for me. I felt that it has been important to examine the history of human development and to see how technology has evolved and impacted this development. It forced me to think about cause and effect on a stage bgger than a school.
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This article had an impact on me in terms of my teaching. I began to think about the needs of my students in this digital age. Were thy really distracted because of increased screen time and have the lost the ability to focus? Do we need to change how we teach? What do we throu out? What do we keep?
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Due to the articles I was reading in my human development course, I began to think more about the other factors feeding into the educational lives of my students. In particular, I was interested in the concept of distraction, a topic of interest because of the digital age. Students have so much stimulus. I began to observe how this impacted the lernign environment. I began to connect dots.
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Now that we have navigated the span of human development I can see that there are more questions than answers. Human life is a very complex thing. Much is known, much has been researched and discovered but so much is either unknown or unpredictable. These are the murky waters we have to navigate when thinking about the future of technology.
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I was not happy with my Wordpress site. As it happened, I was required to help teachers create wordpress websites. Because of this, I learned a lot about what I could do with my own. I started from scratch and completely redid the site. I had an opportunity to review my growth and to rganize my thoughts. I am more happy with the results.
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In thinking about my research project, I have decided to tie in active learning and the concept of distraction. I would like to explore how I can use technology to promote increased student engagement n the classroom, thereby creating an environment where students are more active and less distracted.
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This was a time to reflect on the role of social media in the classroom. I thought about, and reflected upon the role of social media in society, and how that could be applied in education.
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http://start.sd34.bc.ca/ddegagne/category/edcp-570/social-media/ I spent time examining how the Google environment could be used to create a collaborative environment in the classroom.
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The beginnings of the research project. I began to think more about how I would conduct my project. It is easy to have an idea but not so easy to put it into a research paper!
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In the course of the past year, I have learned new things about myself. I have realized that a large part of my philosophy could be described as interpretivist. Through study of the constructivists I feel a connection between their philosophies and mine. My ontological position is such that, despite the structure, I wish to allow students to construct much of their own learning in a collaborative environment. I seek to observe and understand how knowledge and skills are being acquired, what w
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My epistemology is that I believe that the students’ knowledge will be gained collaboratively through experience and problem based learning, and through hands-on experience. They will be less likely to forget this newfound knowledge and more likely to internalize it and apply it in new situations.
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My first Research Paper
In thinking about my research project, I have decided to tie in active learning and the concept of distraction. I would like to explore how I can use technology to promote increased student engagement n the classroom, thereby creating an environment where students are more active and less distracted. -
This timespan dealt with the development of curriculum theories and with curriculum design. I realized that I took for granted much of the existing curriculum and its connection to how one teaches. I began to think more about three big questions: What is important to learn? How should it be taught? How will it be assessed?
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Phenomenology: The lived experience – going from the essence of the (particular/present) to the essence of the whole concept.. Has to do with “tactful” teaching – sensitivity (affective/emotive methodologies)
Hermeneutics – ancient traditions – trying to interpret that which is devine – through scripture (the Bible, The Koran etc) – moving between the parts and the whole. “I am now going to open the greatest books and see what -
A Class DIvided
Could teachers ge away with this today? This was an example of how curriculum can be created to meet a current need. -
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Innovation Innovation is a key word. The current climate that exists as a resutt of technology, is ripe for all kinds of innovation. "Innovation has nothing to do with how many R&D dollars you have… It’s not about money. It’s about the people you have, how you’re led, and how much you get it."
Steve Jobs -
I was successful in being offered a job as a district technology helping teacher. The lerning curve was huge in many ways: I hd so much to learn just about the teacnology ad the mechanics of the job. in addition, I had to look at things from a whole different perspective: personal beliefs vs. district policy/politics. Viewpoint different from in my own classroom.
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This is a period of incredible growth. The learning curve is huge on many fronts. I have to learn everything that gos with the job, including being a resource for teachers in many areas of technology. Some of this is new to me. In addition, I have to work within the framework of the district teacnology plan and with policies and procedures. I also need to find out who I am in this picture.
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As I moved out of the classroom and began my job as a district helping teacher, I got to grapple with issues I had not faced before. There was the district technology plan, dictating what technology would be used, different teachers' abilities and needs, and my own competency and learnign curve to contend with.
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WORDPRESS e-portfolio
I was not happy with my Wordpress site. As it happened, I was required to help teachers create wordpress websites. Because of this, I learned a lot about what I could do with my own. I started from scratch and completely redid the site. I had an opportunity to review my growth and to rganize my thoughts. I am more happy with the results. -
TPACK MODELDuring this period of time, I have found who I am and what my philosophy is in terms of my role in my job. In looking at the TPACK model, I see that I want to bring teachers to the center of those intersections. My helping teachers become more comfortable with their technological knowledge, tey can then use their content and pedadogical knowledge to drive what technology they need to use to deliver meaninglul lessons.
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The TPACK modelDuring this period of time, I have found who I am and what my philosophy is in terms of my role in my job. In looking at the TPACK model, I see that I want to bring teachers to the center of those intersections. My helping teachers become more comfortable with their technological knowledge, tey can then use their content and pedadogical knowledge to drive what technology they need to use to deliver meaninglul lessons.
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This course provided the opportunity for vigorous discussion and exploration of the complex ethical issues involved in f2f, hybrid, and distributive learning technology policies and practices in educational settings.
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Professional Ethics, Codes of Conduct, Moral Responsibility
My small group examined these topics and created an online space through which we had the class read and respond. -
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http://start.sd34.bc.ca/ddegagne/ethics/edcp-473-digital-media-in-ict-education-ethical-uses/
To see the individual assignments completed for this course, use the above link and then use the drop down menu. -
E Waste
I was completely shocked by the magnitude of e-waste that is out there. It is a huge ethical problem. -
What I have learned in all this time
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My own thinking has changed over the past two years. While I started out two years ago clearly supporting one device as the answer to everything (the IWB), I have now shifted my thinking to believe that it is not the specific device one uses that matters, but any device that will meet the needs of the learning situation. Sometimes it is more than one or two.In the end, instead of me controlling my project, my project led me in a direction I had not planned. Where I go now - it's completely open
