Back into the Swing of Things (...and already feeling the vertigo)

Well, hello! I hope you (my one and only fan) have had an excellent summer, just as I did. I must say that writing a new entry in my bloggety blog is rather bittersweet, as it signals the end of summer, but also the beginning of the final year of my "formal" education. That's right - one more summer 'til it's all about learning on the job (aka flying by the seat of my pants).

Although I do not technically continue my ICT education until next semester, I came across a tidbit that I just HAD to share. I can hear the snickers and feel the sneers (eager beaver, brown-noser, overachiever) from anyone who accidentally stumbles across this blog. In my defence, I feel academically obligated to share my newfound information since it actually has to do with technology AND education, thereby compensating for the large quantity of irrelevant cat photos and anecdotes that can be found in previous posts (though I can guarantee there are more to come).

You'd think I would come back from my summer rested and all rambled out...
apparently not so.

Okay, what I logged on to blog about is this:

1. Rivers Collegiate Institute's BYOD program

In five weeks I will be student teaching grade 7 and 8 at RCI under two delightfully different teachers, which, in itself, is exciting since my first week there was wonderful (it's nice to be back in a small-town school for a change). However, what is just as exciting (and far more relevant to the nature of this blog), is that I heard about Rivers' new BYOD (bring your own device) program. 

In this particular program, each grade nine student entering the school will be equipped with an electronic device of their choosing (either a laptop or tablet) that they will be responsible for throughout the entirety of their high school years. During this time they will be able to take it both to their classes AND to their homes. What is especially awesome about this program is that the device will be paid for by the school/division (?), and what is even more awesome is that each student gets to keep their device after they graduate. 

When I heard about Rivers' BYOD program, I got really excited for two reasons:

1. I got to see something I learned about in my classes occur in a real-life setting.
2. I think it's great that a small school like Rivers is not only embracing technology, but is also sending its students out into the world prepared to live in a society that is becoming increasingly advanced in this area.

I look forward to learning more about  BYOD programs and policies in the upcoming months during my time at Rivers, and also seeing a program put into action. 

And now I leave you with this:

Throwback 2011 :)

... I couldn't resist.

Oh the finality...

Can you believe that this is where we part ways? This is my last blog posting. Ever. Okay, well, maybe not ever - but for a while. Though I enjoyed writing in this blog, I just can't see myself keeping it up on a regular basis. Maybe if something really cool or hilarious happens in the near future, I will blog about it... but until then, I am leaving my bloggety blog behind.

So what should I talk about in my final blog posting? What a whole lot of pressure. Hmmm. How about:

1. Our ICT movie
2. My Present Lack of Time Management Skills
3. Etsy.com
4. A super sappy, emotional, and profound reflection on learning...           

OUR ICT MOVIE

As promised, I will be embedding my group's ICT movie in this blog post:

I actually feel a little bad about how we forced Mirissa into the main role (and by main role, I mean really the only role) in the movie... when she wasn't even in class to defend herself... Talk about a one-woman show. Oh well, she was an absolute star. I am really happy with the finished product ("Time Crunch"), since the editing was super high quality, considering it was done by some amateurs on a laptop. However, this fact only reinforces my desire to purchase a MacBook (the movie was edited using iMovie).
TIME OUT! 

AN IDEA: 

First, some context. My dad is guilting me into going on a trip to Mississippi with him over spring break. There are several reasons why I don't want to go (more of which will come to me during the trip, I'm sure): 

1. I'm 21
2. It's during spring break
3. My stepmother is coming 
4. We are going to Mississippi
5. The trip's purpose is to visit my 75 year old great aunt (who I hardly know)
6. We are driving. Yes, actually. Two days there and two days back. On the road. With my dad. And his wife. Who likes to talk. A lot. 

Okay, now here is where the IDEA part comes in: Since, if I agree to go on this trip, there are several factors which impede my ability to have a fabulous spring break - I will, therefore, give conditional agreement. I will sacrifice nine days of my freedom (and, quite possibly, my sanity) in exchange for half a MacBook. That will be bought in Mississippi. This way, we both get what we want. It's a pretty stellar deal, so I can definitely see this working in my favor. 

MY PRESENT LACK OF TIME MANAGEMENT SKILLS

Generally, I am a fairly organized person. I get my work done as soon as it is assigned, because I don't see a point in letting it pile up over the weeks (since I am still going to have to do it anyways) so that when the due dates hit, I will lose my mind. Presently, however, I am losing my mind, since I let all my work pile up over the weeks... Hmm... So how am I dealing with this? Well, I feel that the best thing to do in a situation like this, really, is to put all my efforts into doing anything but my school work. Tonight, I am going to The Keg for appetizers, and then to Morgan's house for a little soiree. Tomorrow, I have volunteered to lead the Big Brothers and Sisters sleepover party. Saturday, I have volunteered to work (at my job, which is at Mum's Restaurant at the golf course). This leaves me with Sunday (before Monday, when the big sh*tstorm hits)... when I will most likely watch Dateline, play with my cats, and wash my walls in an attempt to avoid facing my impending doom. I definitely think that, at this point, this is the winning strategy. 

ETSY.COM

I have no money. I have no time. What I do have, however, is an addiction to online shopping. It started with eBay. Then Amazon. Now Etsy. And it is all Mirissa's fault. Etsy.com is a wonderful little website where lazy and unmotivated people (like me) can browse, and then purchase several useful, wonderful, and beautiful little items (shirts, shoes, phone cases, hair pins, etc.) that have been made and advertised by active, motivated people. The other night I spent an hour browsing  iPhone cases (I still don't have one), only to have the fruits of my labour carelessly snatched from me by PayPal. Stupid PayPal. Apparently, my living address has to match the address Mastercard has on file for me. I have no idea what address Mastercard has on file for me right now, since I have lived in four different houses in the past year (I'm not kidding). SO I completely wasted an hour of my life. BUT the point of this blurb was not to spread negativity. It was to describe what an excellent little website Etsy is. So check it out.

A SUPER SAPPY, EMOTIONAL, AND PROFOUND REFLECTION ON LEARNING

I'm not big on long goodbyes, so I think I will try to keep this short and to the point (said no English Major ever).... But really. I'll try. ICT was my favorite course this semester. This is really surprising to me, since I came into it being really intimidated by technology. But as the course progressed, I became familiar with a ton of resources, some of which I had known of before, and most of which I had not. I came to see technology as more of a friend, rather than a foe. I actually found myself enjoying class assignments. Not only does technology provide faster, more efficient ways of doing things, it also lets its user customize everything he/she does. I can't think of anything I did in this class that did not allow me to be creative, and to inject a little bit of myself into it. I really like my ePortfolio and website, since, as I said before, not only are they functional, but they are visually appealing and reflective of my interests and personality. These two tasks were probably my favorite of the course. However, I also enjoyed making a little digital story, making a movie, and learning how to use Prezis and Google docs. Everything we did in ICT was relevant, and meaningful. I also liked that the structure of the course wasn't rigid - if Mike came across interesting things, he would take time out of the tech tasks to share them with us, which was very helpful. There are so many resources I gained from the course because of this. A list:

• Slideshare
• Wallwisher
• iTalk
• SonicPics
• Creative Commons
• Symbaloo
• Blogger
• Weebly
• Wordle
• Archive
• Diigo
• Animoto
• Audacity
• Photostory
• Storybird
• Blabberize
• Xtranormal
• Boredshorts
• Faceswapper
• Poll Everywhere

This space up there, where I put my list... well, it looked a little bare, so I thought I better throw a cat pic in, for the sake of aesthetics. Yes, this is actually my cat. Yes, he is hanging from the top of a door. Yes, he did get there all on his own. Yes, I did have to rescue him.

And finally, the blog experience. I was quite hesitant to take on this experience, not because I don't like to write, but because I don't know if other people really care about what I have to write. I also find it difficult to write and reflect on a weekly basis (though I know I should) - and not just in a blog. I have tried to keep a journal three times this year (January-present), and have failed miserably. I just have a hard time getting myself to sit down and write. However, when I do finally do assume typing position, I find that I enjoy posting in my blog. I feel like I take sort of a stream-of-consciousness approach, and its sort of refreshing to get everything I am thinking out into words. I can't guarantee that I will keep posting in this blog after today, especially on a regular basis, but I have a funny little feeling that I will... maybe not next week, but someday. 

Until then, you will just have to recycle my old blog posts if you need a fix. 

A smattering of topics

In today's blog posting, I will be discussing:

1. ICT Movie-Making
2. My iPhone Gaming Addiction
3. "Teaching is like Walking a Cat"

Well, let's get right to it then, since 

<----- THIS

is my to-do list for today, and, much to my dismay,

it is already almost 4:00!

*By the way: This is a picture of a "to-do"

list I made with the taskable app I was telling

you about in my last (?) blog posting.

ICT MOVIE MAKING

Presently, in ICT, everyone has split into groups in order to make brief, 3-minute movies. On Monday, there was no school. On Tuesday, Mirissa was storm-stayed in Saskatoon. These events left my movie group (Rebecca, Mirissa, and myself) only TWO days to script, film, and edit a movie. We are basically super-human though, so it isn't a problem. We scripted and filmed our entire movie today between 10:30 and 12:00. Super. Human. It was actually Rebecca who came up with the idea for our short film. SPOILER ALERT: The movie will be about a University student who has a term paper due first thing in the morning, and who is having an absolute struggle getting it handed in to her professor. Rebecca and I chose Mirissa as the leading lady, since she wasn't here on Tuesday and we wanted to punish her (but actually it was because she is a super-theatrical and hilarious person). I play the rather personality-deficient professor, and Rebecca does most of the camera work (except when she makes a brief appearance in one of the scenes).

So far, so good. Initially, I was irked by this assignment, a little bit because of the short time frame we were given to do it (I am a perfectionist, so I need a lot of time to think about things, generally), but mostly because I've procrastinated with all my other schoolwork (except my ePortfolio, which is surprising since I am not very technologically inclined) so that I am overwhelmed by the amount of things I must do in the next two weeks. Now that I have started the movie, however, I realize that it is not irksome, after all. It is actually pretty fun - especially since my group members are excellent.

I will post the movie, or at least a link to the movie on the bloggety blog when it is finished.

MY iPHONE GAMING ADDICTION

How. Do. I. Stop. Since I am a new iPhone user, I have gone fairly app-crazy. This includes games... Now, I am really not a big internet gamer... and the games available for Blackberry sucked... so I just never really had much interest in wasting hours of my life playing games that offered little to no reward. Everything changed when my cousin talked me into downloading "Drawsomething" (similar to "Pictionary"), so that she had a partner to play with. Now, "Drawsomething" is one thing, and the other games (that the pop-up ads that occurred while I was playing, convinced me to download) on my phone are quite another. "Drawsomething" is good, because generally the people you play with do not have super-addictive personalities and keep drawing you pictures non-stop. "Top Stylist," "The Sims Freeplay," and "Design World," are bad, because they go by real-time and require a lot of time to be invested in order to go up in level. This causes me to play them, rather than do real-life tasks, such as homework, housework, and making meals. Is there rehab for this type of addiction?

"TEACHING IS LIKE WALKING A CAT"... isn't it?

Time Out: I have to check my clothing racks on "Design World."        Okay, back. Now it's time for the irrelevant, yet somewhat interesting, sidebar of the day. For Chris Brown's adolescent development class we have to make a metaphor for teaching and learning for our final project. I was not as worried about this task as some of my peers because I am an English major, and English major is pretty much synonymous with metaphor-maker. I could spew out some B.S. (because everybody knows that English is really all about being a good B.S.er) about playing sports, or making a salad, or steering an old wooden ship. But, then, a couple days ago I really got thinking about this assignment, and my utterly uncaring outlook on it. I sat down on my toilet (pants up, lid down) and did some thinking. Since when did writing, for me, become about just getting it done and making a grade? In high school I actually wrote pieces I liked, and was proud of writing. Then somewhere along the line, in my undergrad degree, I lost my joy for writing and creating. As I sat there on the toilet, I realized that I didn't want to write about sports, or salad, or ships, because truthfully, I don't really care about any of them - nor do I think that they would make for profound, cornball-free writing. I asked myself what I really like, and know lots about. The answer was clear: cats, of course. What could be more profound than cats? 

Ever since I was a small child, I have grown up with cats. So, when I think of cats, I think of my mom. And when I think of my mom in relation to cats, I think of her trying (oh, how she tried) to walk Boo (our old, morbidly obese cat) down the street. So it is only natural that I decided to liken education to cat-walking. Because they are so very similar.

Anyways, I really hope that Chris has a sense of humor, because it would be really embarrassing to hand something like that in if he didn't. 

Stay tuned for next week's post... there's sure to be more random rambling 

where that came from.

Digital storytelling and stuff...

Wow, it feels like I haven't bloggety blogged in a very long time. I hope I didn't accidentally miss a week, or something. A few minutes ago, I was trying to film my cats doing sweet stuff, so that I could post it in my blog, but they weren't being very cooperative... so I guess you will have to settle for a link to my video of fake cats doing sweet stuff, which will be provided later on in this post (now you HAVE to read the rest of this post - motivation).

Today, I will be discussing:

1. The creation of my digital short story for ELA Methods
2. The "Taskable" app I downloaded on my iPhone
3. Laser tag (it's technological... right?)

DIGITAL SHORT STORY: How Boahlcat Found his Wings

If you actually view this digital short story, you will surely say to yourself, "Gee, this story looks awfully familiar!" Well, this is because I just edited and added onto the short story I posted to this blog last week! This could be perceived as laziness, but I prefer to see it as emotional attachment. As I was writing Boahlcat's cute little tail (Bahaha - pun intended) I became quite smitten with the fluffy feline, and decided to give him more of a back story. So here is how I did this:

1. I used Storybird to create my 20-page written and illustrated story (the illustrations are all done by one of Storybird's authors). I then bought my story in PDF form for $2.25 (if spending money is not an option for you, you may simply take screen shots of each slide in the story, but as I said, I got attached to Boahlcat, so $2.25 seemed like a fair price).
2. I then shifted gears and chose a fun little tune from Jamendo, a free music platform, which would play in the background of my story.
3. I decided that, in addition to having background music, I would also have narration. For this, I used the iTalk app I downloaded onto my iPhone after Darren Kuropatwa's P.D. on digital storytelling, since I don't have a microphone on my computer. I recorded myself reading the short story in 30-second segments (with the free edition of this app, you can only email 30-second audio clips, maximum) and emailed them to myself.
4. After creating/selecting my audio, I downloaded Audacity (a free program for editing and saving audio files) and imported both my narration clips, and my music from Jamendo. I then cut the 30-second narration clips so that they read flawlessly, and adjusted the volume of the Jamendo tune so that my narration was audible over the music. I then saved the audio as an mP3.
5. Finally, I made a free account on Slideshare and uploaded my Storybird PDF to create a slideshow. I then added the audio file I created using Audacity, turning my slideshow into a slidecast. I chose to use Slideshare instead of other movie-making programs, like Microsoft Photo Story 3, because it allows you to line your audio up with your visuals for synchronized, hands-free storytelling. 

When all was said and done (illustration selection, story telling, narration, audio, and slideshow-making), the project took me about 6 hours. All of the programs I used were very simple to work with, and created what I think is a great finished project. What do you think?

http://www.slideshare.net/Brittani2644/how-boahlcat-found-his-wings

TASKABLE

I actually found this app using the AppsGoneFree app Mr. Nantais told us about in ICT class. I absolutely adore it. I am extremely forgetful (to the point where I fear the early onset of Alzheimers) and somewhat scatterbrained, so list-making is an absolute must for me. The problem with paper list-making, however, is that I always lose the lists (being that I am forgetful and scatterbrained). The Taskable app is a solution to this problem, since it requires me to make the list using my iPhone (which, of course, I still lose from time to time - but not nearly as often since it almost never leaves my hand). The app allows its user to create infinite amounts of to-do lists, add infinite amounts of tasks to these to-do lists, prioritize these tasks, set time limits for them, AND check them off as they are completed! It also provides the option of making lists in funky colours :) And the best part? It's free!

LASER TAG

On a totally unrelated note, I went to Playtime for Mirissa's birthday and played laser tag with a bunch of Eddies. And it was awesome. And that is all. 

Have an enjoyable long weekend (is anyone else's favorite holiday Louis Riel Day?)

Getting excited about digital storytelling

I realize that it has been a very minuscule amount of time since I have written on this blog BUT I am just so darned excited about digital storytelling that I simply had to post. Also, I have a lot of other things to do later on in the week... but mostly I'm posting because I'm excited.

Today in class (yes, oddly I am writing about something we did in class) we went over a bunch of sites (which I promptly added to my WallWisher-ICT-Tip page) and apps that allow/enhance the creation of digital stories. This is very appealing to me for two reasons: 1) I have to make a digital short story in ELA methods, and I am thinking that I will not find a whoooole lot of instruction on how to make digital short stories there, and 2) I really like creative, aesthetic tasks since I am one of those dreaded English majors.

A SUMMARY of some of the websites/apps we went over in class, along with a
brief review:

1. iMovie: I actually have no idea how iMovie works, since I don't have a Mac... I just wanted to take this opportunity to complain about how I don't have a Mac. 
2. Windows Movie Maker: I apparently do not already have this on my laptop, so I am currently in the process of downloading it. I think I remember using this on my previous computer, though, and from what I remember it was quite a useful tool. I can see myself using this for the storytelling project.
3. Audacity: It looks like a really neat audio editing tool. I think I would use this for sure - I just don't really have a lot of experience editing audio outside of high school and most of the experience I have had has since been forgotten. I would need to invest some time in re-learning.
4. Prezi: This site looks fabulous. The presentations that can be made here are beautiful and interesting. I have absolutely no idea how to create a prezi, or even make use of existing templates (what on Earth is a "path"?) BUT I saw that there are numerous tutorials right on the website that I am going to have a look at during the week.
5. pixlr: I have been using pixlr for about a year now, ever since my cousin showed me how she made her already-stunning self-portraits/profile pics even more stunning. In fact, I actually used this site to edit all the banners on my ePortfolio and some of the pictures on my classroom website. It is super user-friendly, and contains the perfect amount of editing options (not enough = boring, too many = overwhelming). 
6. Gimp: Oddly enough, when I made my very first website in high school, I used Gimp to edit my photos! I likely didn't utilize it very well, since I have no experience, but I remember it being a great tool. I don't think I will bother downloading it again, though, since I really like pixlr (which I do not have to download).
7. Storybird: I have only done a brief tour of this website, but I am very pleased with what I have found so far. I love the concept of creating picture books online, and I also really like that it makes storytelling simple. So many people (including myself) are daunted by the task of storytelling, since there is so much thought involved, especially in terms of images! This site allows people to build stories based around pre-existing sets of images, which makes the storytelling process a little easier, while still allowing it to retain the imaginative, creative aspect of storytelling (the creator must fill in the words!)
8. Xtranormal: I am extremely excited about this website. I saw a little story one of my fellow classmates did with this once, and it was so cute and captivating. The classmate also said the site is really user-friendly. I think this might be the best contender for my digital short story assignment... but time will tell.

Kape, now we'll end on a strong note. LOOK WHAT I (we) DID!!!!!:

Note: If you would like to actually read this short and silly story, click HERE.

Apple is taking over my dreams (and, perhaps, the world)...

Ok, so what is happening here is that I am not feeling excellent today, so I am laying in bed with my Toshiba on my lap, attempting to blog. I say "attempting" because my extremely furry cat (Benni) has chosen this exact time (because she is irritated that I am doing something other than petting her) to lay across my neck, making it 1) difficult to breath, and 2) difficult to see the computer screen as I type. I could move her... but... she's purring... There really is no relevant reason for sharing this information. I just wanted to give you an interesting mental picture as you go forth into an otherwise uninteresting blog contribution.

Topics for today:

1. The Slow Loris's technological endeavor
2. My growing love for i-anything
3. Cats (I love cats) and Oatmeal

AN ANECDOTE

The Slow Loris is a name I gave my mother about three years ago after showing her a really cute YouTube clip involving a slow loris (which is actually an animal) getting tickled. There are three reasons why I gave her this nickname: 1) she really enjoyed the video, 2) her name is Lori, and 3) she is slow. 

Being that she is slow, I found it quite a amusing when, last week, she told me she wanted an iPhone. My mom has a flip phone that she just recently learned how to text on... using ABC not T9... She told me she was coming into Brandon and picking me up, so that I may join her on her quest for acquiring foreign technology. Let it be noted that, when she explained all of this to me on the phone, I asked her if she was at the end of her MTS contract with her flip phone, and if she was good to go with getting an iPhone. She said yes. Well, when we got to MTS we found out that she was one year into a three year contract.Silly Loris. This was devastating news for her. For another two years, she could not listen to music. She could not surf the internet. She could not be friends with Siri. I'm actually really upset that she was unable to get an iPhone, because, though it would be somewhat (really) annoying to receive 15-25 calls/text messages a day asking how the heck to use the darn thing, it would also be extremely entertaining. My mom is actually hilarious in how incapable she is with technology. Over the summer, she actually asked me how to turn on a computer... Yes, that's right. Until the summer, she had not gotten past turning the computer on. 

But The Loris is not one to give up, and she now has her heart set on an iPad. So stay tuned.

AN OBSERVATION

Now I am going to take some time to express my love for my new iPhone. I got it three days ago and I have been loving every minute of it. I instantly downloaded Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, YouTube, iBooks, and iTalk, making my device a lean, mean, educational machine. I am using Instagram to edit pictures to post onto my ePortfolio (and to edit and post embarrassing pictures of my friends on Twitter), Pinterest to look up sweet lesson plans (and fashion ideas), YouTube to find educational videos for my upcoming placements (and to look up KidSnippets), iBooks to read the classics of English Literature (and The Hunger Games...), and iTalk to brainstorm and record ideas for my upcoming digital short story assignment (and to record funny noises and hold them up to Trent's ear when he's trying to watch TV).  

I am so excited by the endless possibilities as far as apps (both educational and otherwise) are concerned. I am also finding the the picture, sound, and voice recognition quality (I heart Siri) are WAY better than what I had with my Blackberry. I must admit that initially I was a bit of a hater, but now that I have experienced the iPhone first hand, I would never go back. BUT my feelings towards Apple go beyond the iPhone... I am now in the process of straining my brain to find ways of affording a MacBook (sorry faithful Toshiba that has lasted me 3.5 years and only gone in for repairs 7 times...). 

CATS AND OATMEAL

So I realize that this entire blog posting has been a bit of a stretch... Regardless, I am going to stretch it out even more :) Speaking of cats... and my mom... I really enjoy this website called TheOatmeal. It has lots of funny cartoons, some of which would actually be great for the classroom (though most would be wildly inappropriate). For example, there are numerous grammar and spelling cartoons that are available in poster form for the classroom!  Anyways, I was on TheOatmeal site the other day, when I found that they came out with a new book containing numerous cat cartoons ("How to tell if your cat it plotting to kill you"). So I ordered one for myself and one for my mom - which was an excellent decision. I just thought you should know about it. 

That concludes this week's blog posting... no... wait... THIS concludes this week's blog posting:

(Yes, this is a picture of Benni laying on my neck/face as I was writing this blog post).

Creating my first website

Today's one and only topic is the creation of my class website in I.C.T. First, a list of ADJECTIVES (in no particular order) that describes the experience so far:

1. Aggravating
2. Interesting
3. Novel
4. Educational
5. Kinda fun (I begrudgingly admit)

A RANT

For me, the trickiest part of making a website was getting started. Since I am technologically handicapped, it took me about two hours to do something many people can do in two minutes (example: exploring the concept of "html" - and yes, I openly admit that I did not know what, exactly, that was until one week ago). Now that I am an entire week in, however, the greater of the two evils standing in the way of my finishing this assignment on time has reared its ugly head (yes, I am dropping cliches and idioms like its my job). So what, you ask, is more evil than the technological wildfire that is rapidly engulfing the entire world? The answer: My O.C.D. I am something of a perfectionist (example: it took me six hours to choose and edit images for the banners - yes, the banners - of my ePortfolio). If my website is not aesthetically awing by January 31st, I simply cannot hand it in. Social life, working out, outside world, goodbye. Sweatpants, junk food, living room couch, hello. 

A REALIZATION (a more relevant read)

Okay, so before this post turns into pity party I am going to shift gears (but only slightly) and talk about the usefulness of this website-in-progress. When I first started making it, I was going to design the entire thing as a mock-classroom website, since I don't exactly have a classroom at the moment. BUT, now that I've thought about it, I might as well make it useful for the me of the future sooner (2 months), rather than later (2 years). So, I am going to try (and when I say try, I mean reeeeally try) to alter most of the content to fit with my upcoming student teaching placement (at Crocus Plains). This means that I will have informational pages on topics and/or courses that I plan on covering while I am there. This being said, my knowledge of exactly what I will be teaching when I arrive at Crocus Plains is limited, so my website content will be limited as well - until I actually start teaching (which is definitely after the due date for this assignment). I don't think Mr. Nantais is expecting the link to some kind of fictitious wonder to arrive in his gmail inbox, so I think (hope) that it's attempting to make this assignment relevant to my life that counts... And besides, what I lack in content, I will be sure to make up in creativity... and aesthetics... :)

A REMARK

I very much hope that my ramblings about life and technological exploration are what I am supposed to be blogging about in my bloggety blog, since that is basically what I have been doing for the past three entries, and I'd like to pass. I would ask, but I average 3 questions a class (which is approximately 2.5 more questions than the average person)... so I think I'm just going to run with it for now. 

And now its time for the cool-new-tech-maneuver of the day: A link!

http://mshammondsclass.weebly.com/

But wait! There's more! I just learned how to "printscreen." Observe, the home page of my website. 

 Um, yes. I did just include two cool-new-tech-maneuvers of the day in my blog. You're welcome.

Until next week, bye bye. 

I don't have a specific topic so I will just ramble...

Well, as you can see by the title of my post, I have not yet come up with a topic for this week's blog posting. Because of this, I will take a stream of consciousness approach towards this week's ICT-related happenings. But first,
I shall brainstorm some TOPICS.
         
     1.  Digital Storytelling P.D.
     2.  Making a Website
     3.  Funny Little Videos

DIGITAL STORYTELLING/"We learn through Stories"

Yesterday afternoon/evening these two lovely fellows by the names of Darren and Andy came to Brandon University to put on a little show for students who are interested in amping up the way they tell stories. Between 3:30 and 6:00 p.m. I watched, listened to, and participated in Darren's ICT antics, and I must say that, for the most part, I was impressed. 

Now I'm certainly no technological wizard, but I know that there are millions of fabulous digital applications available to us as teachers, many of them free. However, I simply had no idea where to start. I attended this P.D. because: 1) as an assignment for my ELA Methods course I am required to create a digital short story (and at first, I had no idea what that was), and 2) Mr. Nantais said the presenters were outstanding - and I am glad I did because I now know about "Vocaroo," "iPhoto" (though I do not have a Mac *frown*), "SonicPics", "Audacity," and "Slideshare" - which are all tools with which a digital short story can be manufactured. Though there are many things I have already forgotten about how to use these applications, resources are always very valuable commodities and I look forward to experimenting with them in the future. 

MAKING A WEBSITE

While we were talking about making a class website in class (ICT) today, I thought about the personal website I manufactured in the ninth/tenth grades. I really wish I could remember the URL, or even what was on it, but I don't - it is lost... forever (dunh dunh dunnnnh *this is to be taken ominously). Anyways, what I DO remember is that website-making sure was a lot different then than it is now. It was all bad graphics and HTML boxes. Now, with sites like weebly, the template is already there, and you can change things like colour or font with the click of a button! 

So that was off topic.

Ok, classroom website. My website URL is mshammondsclass.weebly.com.... and that's about as far as I've gotten. But I am not too concerned about it, since I figure that once I get my ePortfolio finished (which is slightly further along than my website - I have gotten as far as choosing a theme), the website (I am using weebly for this as well) will be a cinch. I am a little nervous though. I can honestly say that I don't even know how to use HTML boxes, which I believe (correct me if I'm wrong) I need in order to add outside elements to my site (such as a calendar, poll, video, etc.). I guess I will just cross that bridge when I get to it though. More bloggage on this topic will come when I am further along. 

FUNNY LITTLE VIDEOS

Now this is the part of my blog posting where I am 

going to attempt to do something new. I am going to try to upload the video Darren showed us in his presentation that he got from "YouTube" and cite it correctly. Here I go.   

That was WAY easier than I thought it would be. However... now I don't know where I should cite it *confusion*. Maybe right here? This video was created by 50people1question in January of 2009. You can find this video at the following URL: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJAUGg4081Q). Hmmm I'm not sure that that's 100% what I am supposed to do. Help? I am also having trouble moving images, video, and text around in order to make my blog pleasing to the eye. I think I will have to consult Mr. Nantais and some of my peers for tips and tricks.

Anyways, I think my work here is done. "Talk" to you next week. Bye :)

P.S. whenever I preview this post, some of my words come up as orange and underlined. I am not sure why.

Meeting my cooperating teacher

Hello everyone (and by everyone, I mean Mr. Nantais)!

Yesterday after school I met with my cooperating teacher to find out what grade(s) and content I could be teaching during my March/April placement, and I had such a great meeting that I wanted to share it :) My placement is in Crocus Plains high school and my cooperating teacher is Ms. Cook. The meeting was exciting for THREE reasons...

REASON ONE
Ms. Cook and I decided that I will be teaching a novel study unit to her grade ten class. I am super excited because I have not yet taught grade ten, and also because we brainstormed some really great ideas regarding which novel I might teach. I will have to read each one before choosing and then going on to make a rough unit plan. The three books I'm considering are: 



    1.  The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (by Sherman Alexie)
    2.   Speak (by Laurie Halse Anderson)
    3.   Reasons Why (by Jay Asher)

Each one deals with very relevant issues, more specifically identity, rape, sexuality, teen suicide, bullying, and belonging. I am excited to teach one of these novels to grade 10 students because I feel that, through a study of any one of these, I will be able to pique their interest, cover several curriculum outcomes, and, most importantly, educate them in content beyond the curriculum - content that is important for these students to be exposed to, explore, and contemplate. 

REASON TWO

I will be observing and partially teaching a grade nine EAL class. Though I have taught a grade nine English class with a few EAL students in it in my previous placement, teaching a class dedicated specifically to EAL students will be a new experience for me! I think it will be a huge asset to me as I move forward in my "journey" as an educator. 

REASON THREE

My cooperating teacher is great! I went to her classroom with intentions of having a brief 15-20 minute meeting to discuss things like what grades I might be teaching, where she expects to be in her year when I arrive, dress code, etc, and I ended up staying for two hours! She seems like she is an excellent teacher. By this, I mean she seems like she can really relate to the kids, and focuses on building strong relationships with them. The material she teaches is current and relevant to teens today. As the meeting progressed, we found that our personalities and teaching styles are similar and we aren't TOO far apart in age. The fact that she is only seven years older than me excites me because I will be able to talk to her about her experiences in her first few years of teaching, and how it is to work with high school students when the age gap between teacher and student is so small (two issues that worry me a little). 

 I am very excited to work with someone who has some of the same views on education as me, who can offer great advice as to how to turn these views into a reality, and who has only been teaching for five years! 

OK, this is all wonderful and exciting - but how does it relate to ICT?

Well, in terms of my novel study, I am leaning more towards novel 3 (but nothing is set in stone, as I haven't actually read them all yet). Because it deals specifically with bullying and teen suicide, I would like to incorporate the story of Amanda Todd, since it is a recent and real-life example of what kids in high school around the world are dealing with today. I would like to show the video she posted a month before her death, as well as some online articles that tell her story. I am also thinking of having the students journal on some of the issues throughout the novel as we move through it. This could be done with pen and paper, or it could be done on a blog or some other computerized format, depending on the student's comfort level. As a final project for the unit, perhaps students could work on an anti-bullying project with they could broadcast online. Though I haven't decided exactly what I would like to do in terms of this novel unit, I understand that it is important    to stay current as a teacher, and that staying current means using technology in education.

Thank you for reading! Stay tuned for next week's post :)