Category Archives: Assignment 3

Future Vision Project Post #4: Project Challenges LET IT BE

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There will be an answer; let it be, let it be. — Paul McCartney

My biggest challenge so far has been… wait for it… you guessed it… CULLING!

Main Entry:
cull  [kuhl]  Show IPA
Part of Speech: verb
Definition: pick out for reason
Synonyms: choose, discriminate, elect, extract, glean, mark, opt for, optate, pluck, prefer, select,sift, single out, take, thin, thin out, winnow

There is so much out there on iPads and literacy that my biggest challenge is winnowing it into short, usable ‘blips’ on our website. I keep thinking of more things to add that other educators might find useful, and then when I click on one website, I end up looking at 4 more, then 2 apps, then a video… and agh, I forget what I’m looking for in the first place! I need to let it be. I need to remember Julie’s and my objective of keeping our website simple.

Bear in mind, I don’t even ‘know’ if some of these ideas or apps are that great… I haven’t tried them out in my Grade 5 classroom! Instead, I am basing my inclusion of them on a cursory read and a quick think about whether I think the idea or app is implementable and helps students learn. I feel bad that I haven’t officially tried them in the classroom or reviewed them for longer. As I try the ideas out in the fall term, I plan on CULLING from the website again, if necessary. Who wants to use, or has time for, a tool or idea that isn’t that great, after all?

I found today’s discussion of blind spots and blind sights interesting. I think I’m guilty of having a blind spot or bias towards teachers who DON’T use tech… one teacher at our school proudly said she only turned her SMARTboard on twice this year… I definitely formed a negative impression of her teaching! I have a bias!  Then 9 of her students were in my class and they were superb readers and writers, and comfortable with technology. I’m not sure what to make of that but wanted to share. I guess it’s not a blindsight as I am aware of my bias!

 

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Future Vision Blog Post #3: “Don’t think, Meat, Just Throw”

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“Don’t think, Meat, just throw.”

A wise piece of advice from one of my favourite movies, Bull Durham. Tim Robbins’ character, Meat (or Nuke) is trying too hard to throw perfect pitches, so the catcher, and his mentor, Crash (Kevin Costner) gives him this sage advice.

That quote popped into my over-stimulated brain today, as I started to over-think everything about my inquiry project, our related website, my school’s vision (or lack thereof) for technology, how to narrow down my abundant ideas, how to actually begin implementing them instead of just gathering information, about the futility of life (just kidding)…

Thinking too much can derail you, paralyze you and be so counter productive. It’s related to paralysis in perfectionism – I want to do ‘it’ (use technology) so well! So perfectly!

In the movie, Meat the pitcher on the Durham Bulls baseball team, has a 100+ mile per hour fastball, but, thinking too much causes him to lose control of it. So, I return to my theme (this week) of needing to HARNESS and CULL… and just DO. That is: STOP looking for neat ways to use technology creatively and authentically in my classroom. instead just START doing one new technology ‘thing’ in my classroom (and hopefully one day, library). Start small, add one more small thing, Change one more habit and make it more technologically integrated.

Maybe I’ll make a poster: “Don’t think, Bodt, just throw.”

BUT:  I’m not going to look at 7 different poster-making websites and apps first.

And, in my quest to not over-think… I’m signing off now.

 

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Future Vision Blog Post #2: Who are we targeting, and why?

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Who are you planning to connect with through your project? What are the qualities and characteristics of the learners who will participate in this project? What might their history or experience with ICT be?

  • Junior grade teachers (4 – 7), teacher librarians and possibly technology faculty and/or decision makers. Eventually I would like to specifically target the website to girls schools, using the research into the difference’s between the ways girls learn and their brains, and targeting the iPad related activities to that information.
  • Generally, our audience would be comfortable with technology overall and are open-minded to trying new technologies,
  • Many are like Julie & I who have had iPads ‘dumped’ on them with little PD, or thinking behind why buy them, yet want to use effectively and authentically in literacy related activities.
  • Our audience is B U S Y, they don’t have time to read through “75 Ways to Use iPads” or “50 Great iPad Apps for Teachers” which seems to be the pervasive type of iPad information out there.
  • They need quick-to-read and easy-to-process, useful information that is not overwhelming and easily implementable in classrooms and libraries.
  • We are assuming a wide range of experience, but will target our site to a general to intermediate level of comfort with opening websites, using iPads and ability to try new thing.

How can you design your project to maximize the possibility to foster connectivity?

Originally we wanted to set up an RSS feed so that users who are interested can receive an email when we update the site, however, we have since discovered that Weebly does not offer RSS feeds on their free websites. Now we are thinking we will have a Twitter feed linked to the sight, @iPads4Literacy, along with a hashtag, so that we can create a PLN specifically related to this use of iPads.

 Why is this project important at this time in education?

When I found out I had access to a class set of iPads coming this fall, I was thrilled… and then overwhelmed when I began to research ways to use them. As I said before, there is a plethora of ‘lists’: 150 Great iPad Apps for Education! 49 Ways to Use iPads in Your Classroom! and more. Agh! I needed a site that was direct, simple, concise and targeted to my grade level(s) and to skill areas (e.g. literacy). If I’m feeling that way, I am positive others are too.

 

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Future Vision Blog Post #1: Project “iPads 4 Literacy”

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Project Scope: 

Last week I described the need for a funnelling or narrowing down process as “iPads in the classroom” is just too broad a topic. From there, Julie and I have chosen to focus on iPads in literacy class, and in particular for reading. Our project will comprise of a website (made via Weebly) with 6 sub pages divided into the following topics:

1) Reading Fluency

2) Responding to literature

3) Accessing literature

4) Use with lit circles

5) Use for classroom management/how to manage them in the classroom

Within each section, we want to include related apps, video (if applicable), examples and photos (if applicable).

Even as I type this I am wondering about other topics within our topic of literacy — including writing with the iPad, speaking/listening with the iPad, digital literacy via the iPad and more. Typical me, to be shooting off in a million directions. Thank goodness Julie and I worked on a project scope!  And, I know this doesn’t have to be a final, finished product project. I can add to this website in the future, and could even make it my own and more specific to girls’ school culture by importing it into a separate website.

Both Julie and I are adamant that the website is not overly wordy, that it is simple, and that it offer clear, easy advice that benefits student learning and won’t overwhelm teachers. Today was my first time playing around on Weebly and I was glad to see that it offers simple layout ideas and themes, clear fonts and a simplified palette of colour options. I personally prefer a very clean, simple look, similar to this blog, for a website.

Julie and I have divided up the actual content and will separately on it, then come together to work on the coherence of the site and ensure we are using similar tone and style in our writing, conventions, font and colours.

I’m excited!

 

 

 

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