My Final Genius Hour Blog Post

The end is bittersweet! I have thoroughly enjoyed this class, developing and learning more about my Genius Hour topic, creating my Genius Hour movie trailer, and creating my TED talk on a subject that I am passionate about.

I have also really enjoyed the gamification of this course. Through the series of badges I completed, I built my skills as a technological teacher and learner, creating a technological toolbox to bring with me in the classroom.

At the beginning of this course, I felt anxious and apprehensive because I am not the most technologically savvy individual. I have come to realize that my fears were unfounded, and that with the right guidance I am able to engage with the digital and online world, professionally and in a respectful way.

Overall I have exceeded my personal expectations and I look forward to continuing to explore online tools and resources so that I can provide a fun and engaging classroom for our emerging digital learners.

Genius Hour Final Reflection

I am really glad that we completed the Genius Hour assignment. I recognize how important passion based learning is for students and how it expands their knowledge by encouraging them to ask questions and make discoveries for themselves. 

My question that I asked is based upon my curiosity and desire to learn more about how I can be the best educator that I can. I want to engage future learners and inspire them with my desire and passion for learning. I will always be a lifelong learner but as an educator I believe it is my duty to stay current with changing approaches to teaching and tehchnology to ensure that how and what I teach is relevant and engaging for students. 

I wanted to say thank you to my professor. Without his guidance and support I believe that I would have struggled with learning a large quantity of technological tools and programs in such a relatively short amount of time. I appreciate how this course has been taught and I look forward to putting my newfound skills and resources to good use!

Review of Tech Class #5

Today in tech class we are learning about new tools that we can use in the classroom. I specifically focused on two tools which I will explain for you and provide links to.

Paper.li

Paper.li is a program that makes daily newspapers following the tweets that a Twitter user follows, hash tags, or lists. This is a great program because the newspaper is in a reader-friendly format that uses Twitter updates and links to bring readers stories, tweets, videos, photos and more. Overall creating the newspaper is simple and the end result is great. This is a great tool to use in the classroom or to bring together a group or class hashtag!

Watch the following video to find out more about Paper.li and how to use it.

WebQuest

A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented activity that uses resources throughout the Interent. these online quests help students develop problem-solving and decision-making skills. WebQuests are interesting, motivating and engaging for teachers and students. When developed correctly, WebQuest help to develop critical thinking skills and can incorporate a cooperative learning component to the lesson. As students explore the Internet, they are learning and absorbing information pertaining to the Quest while exercising problem solving skills and critical thinking to solve a problem. When designing a WebQuest, teachers should encourage students to go beyond fact finding and to ask students to use their creativity and critical thinking to solve problems effectively. WebQuests also helps to encourage students to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information. WebQuests can be both short term and long term.


A great example of a WebQuest Can be viewed below at the following site.

Learning Object

Another interesting and creative tool that I have learned to use is called Wordle. Wordle is on online tool that can be used to generate “word clouds” from text that the user provides. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in a source text. You can be creative with your clouds by using different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. Once the Wordle is created, it can be used as desired (online, printed, etc.). See below for an example of how I used Wordle to create a "word cloud" incorporating key words for my Genius Hour project. 

Genius Hour Update 

As I finalize my research, I am beginning to research and understand the significant role that nutrition plays in education systems. Countries such as Finland, Sweden, Czech Republic and Estonia are only a few countries that provide free nutritious lunches and snacks for students at school. I believe that this is important because it helps prevent childhood obesity and malnutrition in children.

Providing free lunches and snacks for all students is also imperative because when only a few children qualify for the meals, it creates divide and negative stigma for children. Studies have shown that when I child feels that there is a negative stigma attached to the meals, they will not accept them. Also some children may not exactly qualify for the meal, however, they have no access to nutritious meals otherwise and they end up falling through the cracks. 

I believe that providing nutritious snacks and lunches is important for ensuring that the minds and bodies of students are fed. This in turn effects the performance of students and helps them in their learning. 

Cheers until next week!

Ashley

Review of Tech Class #4

Week four of tech class has proven to be valuable in terms of the information I am learning about my Genius Hour topic. I'm beginning to complete my research and compile my own data. I feel that having the teachers candidates complete this assignment is important because it provides us with an opportunity to fully understand the process of Genius Hour, as well as the impact that enabling a student to discover their passions has on the quality of education they ultimately receive.


I am learning so much about various online tools. I especially enjoy the online tool Popplet to capture and organize ideas on both the computer and tablet. I also like how this tool incorporates media literacy in the classroom in a fun and interactive way.

Mayra. Popplet Encouraging Active Learning [Online Image]

Located at: http://bit.ly/2dS6Wul

With all of the information regarding technological innovation in the classroom that we are learning, I am starting to see myself as a successful teacher in a digital age. It is important to look at the benefits that media literacy offers our students and how it can prepare them for future success. I see myself as a teacher who will understand how to incorporate and balance the use of technology in the classroom to best suit the needs of my students and engage them in a meaningful way.

Genius Hour Progression

As I continue my educational journey into my Genius Hour topic, I am realizing that education is something that is important throughout the world. Every country has it's own education system that varies greatly while some are better than others.

#1 South Korea 

wcm1111. South Korean Flag 003. January. 27, 2006 [Online Image]

Retrieved from: http://bit.ly/2eVIWvc 

On the Social Progression Index (SPI) for 2015 South Korea is ranked as #1. What makes South Korea stand out is the fact that they have school 7 days a week and each subject is tought thoroughly for greater understanding. Also the South Korean government invests 11 billion dollars into their education system. 

#2 Japan  

Nicolas Raymond. Japanese Grunge Flag.  April 9, 2012 [Online Image]

Sourced from: http://bit.ly/2dtXbGW

A combination of strong work ethic and technology has played a major role in making the Japanese education system so great. No other country uses technology in the classroom like Japan does. Students have access to resources to answer some of the toughest questions that other students cannot. Japan also has a strong focus on extracurricular activities meaning that they are more expected than optional.  

#3 Singapore

Russell. Flag of Singapore. October 6, 2009 [Online Image]

Sourced from: http://bit.ly/2eBiZwH

Singapore has one of the best primary education systems in the world. The reason why it is so great is because they scrapped the traditional model of teaching (ie. repetition and rote memorization) and rebuilt their primary education system to allow more room for Problem Based learning and Conceptual Learning. 

#4 Hong Kong

AwesomeWiki. Flag of Hong Kong. January 10, 2009 [Online Image]

Sourced from: http://bit.ly/2eZAdbjHong Kong

Hong Kong's educational system is modelled largely off of that of the United Kingdom. Hong Kong's system is run by the Social Welfare Department of the government. Each level of schooling works together to create an overall educational experience.

#5 Finland 

Engineer Jamal. Flag of Finland. July 19, 2011 [Online Image]

Soured from: http://bit.ly/2dtXbGW


Education in Finland has no tuition fees and provide fully subsidized meals for full-time students. Their strategy for achieving equality and excellence is based on the construction of a publicly funded comprehensive school system that does not select, track or stream students (ie. no EQAO testing) during common basic education. Finland has also focused on spreading their school network so that students have access to schools from their homes whenever possible. If it is not possible for a student (i.e., rural areas), then free transportation is provided for students to access more widely dispersed schools. I also admire how Finland focuses on inclusive special education within the classroom and how they utilize various instructional efforts to minimize low achievement.
Finland has short school days and fills the rest of the learning time up with school sponsored educational activities. They believe that a good portion of learning is done outside of the classroom. This helps to build community and foster identity in students. 

#7 Canada

Gersophile. CANADA: Flag. November 7, 2010 [Online Image]

Sourced from: http://bit.ly/2eBK97G

English and French literacy are key components of the the Canadian educational system. Canada also has the world's highest ratio of college graduates. Provinces such as Ontario are going toward child-cantred approaches of education and are working to identify and help students who are at risk of not succeeding early on, to help ensure success in the long run. Also students of different schools, backgrounds, socio-economic status all perform well. 

Resources:

Fair Reporters October 25, 2015 The Best Education Systems in the World 2015

Sourced from:http://fairreporters.net/world/the-best-education-systems-in-the-world-in-2015/

MBC Times. 20 Best Education Systems in the World. February 9, 2016 

Sourced from: http://www.mbctimes.com/english/20-best-education-systems-world 

Online Assessment

See below for a quiz I created using Google Docs regarding the book I Need My Monster, written by Amanda Noll.

Review of Tech Class #3

This week I really enjoyed learning about TED talks, especially the one that we watched today The Child-Driven Education by Sugatra Mita. This presentation was centered around self-organizational models of education in developing, isolated and troubled areas for children who need the most help.


This then feeds into my Genius Hour question. I have lived and worked throughout Labrador, Canada for the past four years as a vision rehabilitation therapist and have recognized the need for good teachers in remote communities. Oftentimes teachers will not stay long or will not want to work in such an isolated part of the country which makes retention especially difficult.


I am interested in how the child-driven educational model would benefit children in these communities, and how an educational model incorporating more self-organizational models of education would function. It would also be beneficial to understand what may not work with this model and most importantly the thoughts and feelings of the students who have completed the experiment.


Next I need to complete research on educational models, and which countries have proven to have the most effective educational systems. I would then need to research to better understand education in Canada and where we fit on the worldwide spectrum. I will then compile my data and to identify what we are doing right or wrong (in my opinion) and how we can incorporate aspects of other successful educational strategies into our schools.

As I have begun my research, I have decided that it is important to look at the top 5 countries on the Social Progress Index (SPI) in terms of education. I have identified that the top 5 countries are; South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Finland. Canada is #7 on this scale.

I am also looking at what makes each country unique and why their educational models are so great. I am learning. Next week I will elaborate more on each country, highlighting their educational accomplishments.

Cheers till next week!


Ashley

Review of Tech Class #2

 Another day and another new way to learn how to incorporate technology into my lessons. I am learning new and interesting free websites that I can use to make my lessons fun and interactive. I especially appreciate learning how to successfully implement Genius Hour into the classroom. I believe that passion is imperative to learning and that children not only attend school to learn a curriculum, they also learn to find their passions and happiness in life.


  I really enjoyed learning to use Powtoon. It is fun to use and something that I think my students could utilize successfully to create presentations of their own. Being as my students would be younger I would alter the lesson by providing brief guidelines for choosing images, objects, themes etc. and brief explanations of each. I would never want to restrict their creativity, rather my goal would be to gently guide them to a full understanding of how the site works and how to apply all setting properly.


 I really like how we have to come up with our own Genius Hour assignments and presentations. I think that learning through doing is essential to education and that this will help me understand hurdles, thoughts and the process that my future students may go through. My Genius Hour question is centered around educational models and which ones are most successful around the world. I wonder why they are most effective? How does Canada compare? Also what could I potentially take from this assignment and apply to my method of teaching? I'm excited for what I will discover while completing my research and I will keep my blog updated as I go.


Cheers!


Ashley

A Review of Tech Class #1 A Welcome Review

My first day of tech class!

With both eyes open, I have leapt into the world of technology and technological innovation in the classroom. I have to say I am pleasantly surprised with what I am learning in class. Prior to today I never considered myself a highly technological person. With this being said, in the span of three hours I have created a Google account, Twitter account and learned how to create a blog.

The part I have enjoyed most of all during today's class was learning about the concept and practice of Genius Hour in the classroom. The reason why I have chosen to attend Teachers College is because I want to learn how to be a teacher who can help children find their passions and happiness in life. I believe that education extends far beyond a textbook or classroom. I also believe that as educators,  it is our role to help facilitate the process of teaching a child how to find intrinsic motivation and to develop a passion for learning.

I'm also interested in learning innovative technology that I can utilize in the classroom. Through this class, I know that I will be able to implement lessons using technology and programs that will make my lessons multifaceted and engaging for learners.

Check out this awesome video about Genius Hour and how it works.

Cheers!


Ashley

Copyright and Why You Should Care 

What is copyright and why should you care?

Read below for my comprehension on what Copyright is and why it is imperative to teach to your students the fundamentals of copyright law.

Original, tangible work is protected by copyright laws in North America and many other countries. Copyright notices are not required, the simple act of creating the work enables the copyright which ensures that only the author of the original work has the right to use it and all others must obtain permission.

What does this mean for teachers? This means that teachers may not show a video in class without acquiring public performance rights. In order to use the video, a teacher must have a CC (Creative Common license that allows distribution). A standard Youtube license will not suffice.

Teachers must also know that distribution or the use of copied documents in class is not allowed. This can only be done if payment is made to the copyright owners (often done through Copibec).  

There is a need for access to open educational resources for educators and students to readily make available and share digital media on the Internet. Creative Commons was founded by the Center for the Public Domain, in order to address the need for copyright licenses that promote open sharing of creative work.

Creative Commons set out six licenses that allow authors to declare how their creations or products can be used. Below you can find four types of copyright. Some of these types can be combined to form six:

Attrition: Letting others copy, distribute, display, and perform your copyrighted work, and derivative works based upon it, but only if they give credit the way that the creator requests.

Share Alike: The creator allows others to distribute derivative works only under a license identical to the license that governs the creators’ work.

Non-Commercial: The creator allows others to copy, distribute, display, and perform their work as well as derivative works based upon it. It can only be used for non-commercial purposes only.

No Derivative Works: The creator allows others to copy, distribute, display and perform only verbatim copies of his/her work, not derivative works based upon it.

How to Teach Students About Copyright

It is very important to teach students about copyright laws because the availability of digital tools to students at home and at school means that they are able to take media from the Internet on a daily basis with the purpose of uploading and sharing. This would then infringe on copyright laws. Students must learn what basic copyright law means. Copyright law means that all rights are reserved (copying, distributing, performing, displaying, or adapting of digital media found online are prohibited).

The best way to demonstrate to students the importance of following copyright is to encourage them to make their own images and apply Creative Commons license, and if they must use other images, they must use images with Creative Commons license or a clear identifiable license.

With this being said, students will have to learn how to create their own graphics and be shown how to search the Internet for images with the proper license (attribution or no conditions only). Students would also benefit from learning to create their own music using online tools and programs such as Soundcloud or GarageBand.

Students w also benefit from learning how to properly use an image created by someone else, and how to locate creators who provide Creative Commons licenses on their products. Students should also learn how to determine if a video clip or image can be legally used. Proper use of citation of sources and copyright, should be an essential part of every assignment, especially when students are incorporating digital media.

A works cited page is also a great way for teachers to encourage students to collect information and to organize those sources in an effective manner.



Cheers until next week!

Ashley

 Reference:

Figg, Candace: Copyright for Tech-Enhanced Teaching
 http://www.handy4class.com/tpack-teacher-game/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Copyright-2013c1.pdf 
 
 

Imanka, An Open Book [Online Image]
Retrieved from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/31331191@N07/6774007012/



Immsm. (2011, Oct 11). More Fun [Online Image]

Retrieved from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/immsm/6241451699/