Week #3

       This week in class we have been learning about making websites for both our ePortfolios and for a classroom. When I think back to high school, creating a website was fairly difficult, and I definitely struggled with where to start, and how to format different sections of my web page. With Weebly, a website for creating web pages, I feel it is quite simple and basic. I feel the pre-made templates and layouts definitely ease the stress of creating a website. I also feel that the templates make the page look fairly professional, as oppose to when I created them in high school. I am pleased so far with the overall look of my web page, but I still have a lot of work to do!

       For my tentative classroom website, I want to create a practical website that someday I could use and just have to tweak depending on the job I get. For my web page there are a few things I want to include such as: an "About Me" page, "parents" page, "resources" page (with embedded Symbaloo), "Calendar" page (showing holidays, events, due dates, homework, etc.), "classes" page, and a few other different pages.

      I believe there are many benefits of having a classroom website. Some parents are very involved in their child's school experience, and therefore love to know what their child is doing at school. Parents also like to know when different events are taking place, as well as when different homework, assignments, and tests are. I also believe that having a "parents" page with current topics on parenting, and different issues that are arising in schools would help keep them informed. I also feel a website is beneficial for the teacher because posting resources and extra help sites that are teacher approved, and readily at students' fingertips has the ability to maximize learning. I believe a web page also assists in the planning and organization of a course, as you want to show the parents and students the trajectory of the course, and different expectation that you have for students as a teacher. According to different school policies, I also think posting pictures of students and their work, when appropriate and necessary, keeps parents informed about their child's learning.

      However, I do feel there are only a few disadvantages of classroom websites. Due to the involvement of today's parent, I feel posting due dates for different assignments, homework, tests, etc., takes away student responsibility. Knowing different due dates prepares students for high school, or university, and for their job. It also teaches students time management and planning. If parents are constantly reminding, and forcing their son or daughter to do different assignment, I feel it does not teach them valuable life skills that are essential for success.

       In all, I think there are many advantages to having classroom websites. If used wisely, and in accordance with divisional policies, I feel websites can enhance students' learning. I believe these advantages and disadvantages can also change due to the location, grade, and parental group of the class.

      Here is a link to my website that I have just started if you would like to check it out: http://learningwithmissj.weebly.com/

Week #2

               Curation is essential in the technological world to organize, remember, and use past websites and applications. Due to the expansion of technology, teachers must try to use some type of curating website to track websites that aided in the explanation or application of a lesson. Some teachers may use favourites or bookmarks, however, the disadvantage is that those sites only remain on that computer. Technology and its advancements may seem overwhelming, but if one can organize there courses in a manner that saves time, both the students and the teacher will benefit.

               We have learned about a few curating websites that are created solely for an organizational purpose. The site I liked best that we learned about was called Symbaloo. Symbaloo is a very visually organized site that allows you to create different tiles to organize and track sites. It is also very user-friendly because a google search bar is located right in the center of all the tiles. This makes it easy to use and search without having to go between two different website pages. In Symbaloo you can make as many "webmixs" as you want, according to similarities of the topics or usages.  

               I feel Symbaloo could be a very helpful teacher tool, as you could include different websites related to that specific course or subject. For example, on your teacher homepage for a course, you could embed the Symbaloo related to that course right on the teacher's class website. This would make it easy for students to access different websites, that you have approved, and feel would be beneficial for their learning. I also feel Symbaloo is very user-friendly especially for students who may have learning disabilities. Symbaloo does not contain a lot of text on the page, but uses symbols that relate to that site. I feel this may be helpful to some students who have trouble reading, but who are able to match different pictures, for example with math games that they often play. Symbaloo can also be used to publicly share different webmixs, which expands the knowledge and ability, instead of having a private Symbaloo. Teachers may find different websites they feel they can use in their classroom through Symbaloo. A teacher could also have a Symbaloo webmix dedicated to parents who visit their class home page. They could include websites that educate parents on different development changes in their son or daughter, sites that help the parents address issues related to different teen struggles, and many more. There are many uses of Symbaloo and different webmixs, that I feel will be very beneficial to the classroom.

Wordle Link & Example

Here is the link for Wordle! I also included one I have created about teaching!

Week #1

Well my blogging experience has begun, and surprisingly it is a lot easier than I thought it would be! I have created this blog for a course I am currently enrolled in at Brandon University. The course title is Using Information & Communication Technology in Education. Through using my blog, I will update you on what I am currently learning about, and my thoughts with regards to my learning experience. I will also post photos, videos, and links that I feel will enhance the purpose of my blog.  I will use this blog to discuss and reflect on different technology and applications I have learned about in class, and provide examples of how I could use or implement these ideas in my future classroom.  I am super excited to learn about different applications I could use in the classroom to enhance and revive learning for my students.

                This first week of class was an introduction and summary of the course. Our instructors suggested that we set up a Dropbox account or some form of ‘cloud’ storage. Using ‘cloud’ storage is very useful because as long as you have internet access, you can use Dropbox to obtain any document you have saved, using any computer or device you wish.  I have not used it very much yet, but I feel I will take advantage of this program because I cannot keep track of all my flash drives! 

                I also created my own YouTube channel to keep track of all the videos I feel will be useful  for the classroom. In doing this, it will save myself time instead of constantly searching for a video I have seen, but cannot seem to find.  I feel YouTube is a necessity in today’s classroom because of the interactive experience it provides for the audience. Students live in a time where technology is a large part of their lives, therefore, I feel if students are interested in technology we should incorporate it in our lessons when appropriate. I also feel that a video, at times, can go beyond what one teacher can teach in a class. Educational videos have the ability to describe a topic in depth, while providing real life footage to further explain the topic.

                A neat website we learned about this week was called Wordle. Wordle allows you to create a word splash, and format it in any way you wish. To use Wordle you type any words you wish to have in your word splash into the text box. The more times you type the word, the bigger it appears in the word splash. I feel a teacher could use Wordle in a variety of ways in the classroom. At the beginning of the year a student could create a Wordle using words that describes his or her personality, interests, name, interesting facts, likes, dislikes, etc. This allows the teacher to learn more about his or her students, while introducing them to Wordle, a website you may choose to use  later on in the course. In any course I feel a teacher could use Wordle for students to create a title page for a unit they will be studying. The teacher could have the students predict what they think the unit may be about, and create a word splash for the title page. Then to follow up with this activity, at the end of the unit the teacher could have his or her students create another Wordle to demonstrate their knowledge on that specific topic. This could also act as a final project to conclude the unit, in which the students could present their Wordle and discuss different key concepts they chose to include in their Wordle. They could also explain and give reasons for the significance of the size they chose to have each word. Other websites similar to Wordle are worditout, tagul, and tagexedo.

               One last website I learned about is called Padlet, in which the teacher can create a "wall," and students can type the desired response on a sticky note. The whole class is able to see what is typed on this stick note, so it is a great resource to use when sharing ideas. In my future classroom, I feel I could also use Padlet to get to know my students during the first week of school. The teacher could prepare a list of questions the students should answer, and each student can type in their response. Padlet could also be used for a KWL type of response. Each student could type what they know about a specific topic, what they want to know, and then what they learned. It would be a great way to revive the traditional pencil and paper KWL worksheet, and the students could help each other and share what they've learned by just looking at their screens. However, for this to be useful I feel the teacher must have the students type their name on the top of the sticky note, so the teacher and fellow students know who is typing what. 

              This week I have already learned about some excellent websites that I will be able to use in my classroom. I have shared only a few ideas about the possible usages, but I know there are many more. I am excited to use these websites and applications when I go out for my next field experience placement. I am also looking forward to learning more about integrating technology into the classroom!
          ~Jenna :)