Let’s Get Creative!

Let’s Get Creative!

This week’s class was presented by Sylvia Martinez.  I thoroughly enjoyed the presentation…I think!  I say that because it felt like a whirl wind with all the information came at us so fast that I could not absorb it all nor could I keep up with the “chat” conversation going on!

I spent some time exploring the websites:  http://www.inventtolearn.com and I literally got lost!  I discovered so many links to great websites that provided practical, hands-on learning activities for people of all ages!  I also toured around the Maker Faire website and this too, was amazing!  http://makerfaire.com/be-a-maker/

I am a strong proponent of hands-on learning activities.  I found the power of this teaching approach when I was asked to take on the role of Activity Specialist working with children who have significant behavioral challenges.  My job was to go around to 9 different school programs and do activity-based learning.  This could range from arts and crafts to wood-working projects and even included school-based field trips.  Every school group was different and so were the activities.  What worked at one school may not exactly work at another school!  In the end, I would say that any time kids had the opportunity to be hands-on and creative, th

 

ey were very engaged!  In fact, the biggest thing I learned was the strengths that these students had was in the hands-on learning activities compared to the traditional regular pen and paper!

To give you an example of some neat projects we worked on:  (1) we read the book “Stuart Little” and students were asked to build a model scale room based on what they would imagine Stuart Little’s house to be.  Supplies were:  cardboard, construction paper, toothpicks, miniature furniture from toys at home, etc.  I was amazed at their creations. 

Another example was when I took students to the Science Center and we watched a movie based on Tornado chasers.  I went to the Dollar Store and bought these plastic cars which were about 8 inches wide X 3 inches high and we used cardboard, glue, tape and paint to build our very own Tornado Intercept Vehicle (TIV).  Students had a blast creating their very own TIV’s!   

 

Google “Eye Opener”

Google “Eye Opener”

Google Apps for Education by Michael Wacker (Oct 7, 2014)

This session was a great ‘eye opener’ and introduction for me.  I kept trying to make connections with the power of Google Docs (iGo) and with my current job and this was a challenge because in our department, we don’t currently make any use of Google Docs or iGo.  Much of our work is stored and shared on a secured drive for confidentiality.  After giving this more thought, it occurred to me that I was probably limiting my view on how this tool could help me.  So, I came up with three ideas/areas that I could use this tool:

1)      Share out general information with the 4 people I work with. 

2)      Share out general information to principals I work with.

3)      Share out documents/calendars/etc. with teachers/programs that I work with.

It’s going to take getting in the habit of utilizing this new tool and asking other teachers to do the same.  I’m actually quite excited about the potential of this tool.  I see it opening the doors to greater collaboration amongst colleagues!

 Action Plan:  I’m going to set up 1 document I can share with 4 of my colleagues and it will be related to our “Weekly” Meeting Agenda.  I know it sounds pretty simplistic but it’s a start and a good intro to our team!  I’m hoping this will start a wave of new thinking in our office! 

Special thanks to @MichaelWacker for his time tonight!

Effective Blogging...

Sue Waters – Edublog Presentation (Sept 30/14)

Effective Blogs:

1)      Allow for reflection and feedback;
2)      Collaboration in the classroom;
3)      Encourage Family involvement;
4)      Create a way for people to share;
5)      Are a place to lend your voice & ideas;
6)      Improve your ability to write;
7)      Build a community;
8)      Show the process of learning;
9)      Give writing a purpose;
10)   Create a total learning experience;
11)   Allow marginalized persons a voice;
12)   Show student’s thought processes;
13)   Allow for ownership = powerful.

Hurdles to overcome:

1)      Assessment of blogs – debate on whether they should be assessed, marks given

2)      Access to technology.

3)      Getting more teachers to be comfortable blogging!

Summary/Action Plan:  I have been thinking about how I can incorporate this into my current role and I believe that there might be an opportunity.  I honestly didn’t plan on this but the more I think about it, the more I think it might be a good way for me to communicate to the teachers/programs that I work.  I will think of it as a newsletter going out.  There can be a calendar, events listed, resources shared and a place to share good news!  It will also model with them how they might be able to incorporate this into their classroom.  One of my goals this year was to find a better way to communicate (messages and resources) with the teachers I work with.  This might be a very good experience for me!  Thanks @SueWaters!

 

Twitter Bumps...

 

Well, 3 weeks into class and I wanted to share my experiences thus far on Twitter:

1)     The pro’s: Searching “key words” has brought up so many good sources and resources!   Once I figured out how to search key words, it was easy!

2)      The cons (for a beginner are):  (a) hard to break my old habits (Google searches);  (b) struggled to make any sense of value of Twitter and too proud to ask for help (at first) (could have saved myself a lot of time!);  (c) started Tweeting and was making a bunch of mistakes because I didn’t understand all the symbols, etc.

It's been an interesting journey!  It has not always been easy, that's for sure - but it is worth the effort!!  Thanks! 

 

 

 

 

Week 2: The "Age of Distraction" (article)

The article "Age of Distraction...Why it's crucial for students to learn to focus" posted by Raelynn Smith sums up my week!  I have been feeling distracted with the amount of information out on Twitter and this new way of learning!  Don't get me wrong, it's been a tremendous learning tool but when you are first starting out...it feels like there is just so much to read and learn about and it's not always easy to navigate because there is so much out there.  I know with each passing week it will get easier and more interesting! 

I have found Twitter and other student blogs to be a very interesting way for me to learn and to share.  I am pleased with all that students are willing to share and the diversity is incredible.  I am beginning to realize the power of Twitter but if you've never been on it before, it takes a while to get comfortable with things.  I set up TweetDeck and I like this format better.  I appreciate all the students who are willing to learn along side you.  Very impressive learning community!

 

 

This is my very first blog!  My teaching experience began around 10 years ago.  Previous to this I had worked in the business community.  I majored in Business Education with a minor in Special Education.  During my internship with Regina Public at Campbell Collegiate it became very evident to me that I wanted to be a full time special education teacher and here I am today! 

My career with Regina Public has taken through many programs in high school and elementary and I've loved every experience!  I have taught FIAP, VAP, and SLC/SE programs.  Last year I accepted the role of Coordinator of these special programs at Division office.  This too, has been a great experience in my career. 

I'm married to a teacher as well!  Gwen is the VP at Henry Braun School.  We have 3 lovely girls: Emma, Natasha and Abby.  The two oldest attend Winston Knoll and Abby is at George Lee (Gr 6).  We love to travel over the summer months but I've been told on our last vacation that, "Dad, I'm going to be getting a job next summer so that I can make some money to buy a car!"  So, our big travel plans will be on a hiatus for a few years while we go through this next chapter of our lives.