Be The One…

For one of my classes we were required to make a short cartoon strip.  Seeing as how I’m not very artistic, I went into Toondo.com to accomplish this task.  It is a short and simple cartoon strip, but has a good lesson.  I have been thinking a lot about the issues of bullying and respect in schools, so this was the theme of my cartoon strip. It is geared more towards the younger grades, as the solution to the problem shown is quite simplified. It’s called “Be The One”. Here it is.

It wouldn’t let me embed it, so here’s the link. Be The One.

Collaboration Project Wrap-up…

Amazingly we have come to the end of another semester.  Now is the time to reflect on all that we have learned, to sort through everything and decide what we will carry with us.

I have learned so much through this class, ECMP 455, and I am grateful for the many opportunities for connecting with different educators from around the globe.  For my collaboration project I had the opportunity to connect with Allanah King’s class from New Zealand.

For this project Allanah asked me to make a series of voicethreads about “connections” for her class.  At first I was a little nervous about this a) because I had never used voicethread before and b) I really don’t like the sound of my voice.  I decided to swallow my fears and jump in.

The first voicethread I did was about various ways that people connect.  I loved receiving the kids comments, they sounded so cute.

The second voicethread I sent to them was about how no matter where we are from in the world we are all similar in the ways we evoke emotion, such as laughing, crying, anger and so on.  There is no language barrier when it comes to emotions.

The third voicethread I sent them was about communication “then” and “now”.  I really enjoyed making these voicethreads. It was a new experience for me and I’m sure that I will use voicethread in my own classroom.  The other thing that I would like to try is the videothread tool that voicethread offers.  It looks really interesting and looks like a lot of fun.

I also check into Allanah’s class blog quite often and I love seeing all of the different ways that Allanah has integrated technology into her classroom.  It looks a really great class to be in.

I wish there was more time to do other projects for Allanah King’s class, but I plan to continue to follow her classroom blog and also plan to continue to follow her on Twitter.

Thank you Allanah, and class, for a really great experience. I hope to stay in touch with you.  If there is any other way that you would like to connect please don’t hesitate to ask. I know this project is over, but it would be great to continue with the communication and even work together on other projects. Just let me know.

All in all this was a really positive experience, and like I said before I would love for it to continue.

Presentation Reflections…

So, I finished my teaching assignment on Zoho and overall I thought it went pretty well.  Joni and I teamed up to do a bit of a comparison between Google Docs and Zoho and in doing this we came to the conclusion that both have strengths that could be used in various situations.  The thing that I really like about Zoho though, is that there are so many applications.  You can do so many things within one area.

I find that many people are very used to using Google Docs, so they have a hard time trying something new.  My conclusion is why not use both?  The collaboration part of Zoho is very much a focus, so it’s great to use this tool when collaboration is necessary.  Zoho is easy to use and it really doesn’t take long to get used to it. They have great customer service as well.  When I had some difficulties or questions I contacted them and they responded within one or two days.  I really appreciated this about Zoho.  The applications on Zoho are really great and fun to use, so I will definitely continue to use these applications and I hope that those who heard my presentation will take the plunge and give it a try.

For those who did hear my presentation, I apologize for the length of time it took.  It was really difficult to explain all that Zoho has to offer within a 10 -15 minute time frame.  If I were to do this again I would probably focus in on more specific applications instead of trying to cover them all.

I found it interesting that even though this was an online presentation and not face-to-face, I still felt the nerves.  I do think that this was a valuable experience and I know with each opportunity like this it will get easier and easier.  Oh, and note to self: Slow down when screen sharing.   I will have to remember that for next time as well.

Zoho vs. Google Docs…Who’s Going To Win???

I am looking forward to sharing all of the interesting applications that I have encountered on Zoho.com.  There are a few things that I really like about it, but there are still some applications that do not fully convince me.  I was required to do a presentation on authors in one of my classes.  I decided that I would make my slide show with Zoho show.  While I was making the presentation I found the application really easy to navigate around and the process went really smoothly.  When I was finished I decided to save it to powerpoint (I thought it was great that I could do this), and am I very glad that I did that.  When it came time to do my presentation, I was not able to load it.  I went to the Zoho site and it would not let me in.  Thankfully I just used it from the powerpoint file and everything turned out okay.  I’m not sure why this happened because when I tried to load it later on it worked.  Maybe it was just a bug in the system at that time.  I can’t say that I am an expert with Zoho or google docs yet, but I can see so much potential with both.

Google docs is by far more popular than Zoho.  I tried to do a bit of a poll to see what people prefer and most people I asked had never heard of Zoho. Although many people have not heard of Zoho, it is starting to gain popularity and some people that use it and sing its praises.

There are some people who are not comfortable with sharing all of their information with one company on line, and I tend to agree with them.  I think that it’s great that there are two sites that are comparable and have so many handy applications.  For me to say which one is better is still a little bit premature for me, and I probably will not come to final decision until I use them both more.  I really do like Zoho and have had fun experimenting with it.  I’m looking forward to sharing this cool tool with you.

Bullying and Cyberbullying…It needs to STOP!!!

I know lately my postings have had pretty loaded questions with no easy answers, but I have really appreciated some of the feedback that I am receiving.  With that being said I have another heavy hitting post just waiting to materialize. So here it goes….  This time my topic of great concern is bullying.  I know that there is no easy fix to this problem, but I just feel the need to talk about it.

Recently I was speaking with a parent about some of the struggles that their child is facing with being bullied in their school.  She told me that her son is picked on everyday at school by kids who were his close friends only a year ago.  I asked her what the change was and why she thought this may be happening and she simply stated that his friends have grown physically faster than him and now he is an easy target.  My heart broke when I heard this was happening and thought of the thousands of kids that are going through the same thing.  This boy hates going to school now and his mind is being consumed with what these kids are doing to him.  He can’t concentrate on his studies, he has lost his appetite and he has even developed stomach ulcers over it.  I know that the school is trying to stop this from happening, but it is a difficult situation because sometimes the bullying is cyberbullying which is much more difficult to detect.  As this woman was speaking to me I was reminded of an incident I encountered about two years ago.

I was at a gas station filling up my car with gas and while I was refueling there were about 60 teenagers standing in the parking lot talking.  It was not difficult to over hear the conversations consisting of, “I’m gonna kill him when he gets out here,”  “what an f^&*%@ loser”  “he’s such a cry baby” etc, etc.  It was not difficult to peace together that all of these teenagers were waiting for a boy that hid himself in the gas station store.

Me, not being able to stand the thought of what this boy must be going through decided to get involved.  I walked into the store and looked around for a kid that may be the age of the teenagers waiting outside.  I found a boy about 16 years old standing in a corner.  He looked really afraid, so I approached him and asked him what was going on.  He told me that the group of teenagers were from his school and they followed him to the gas station during lunch hour, hurling rocks and threats at him.  He hid in the gas station for refuge.  When I asked him why they were after him he said it was because he was standing up for another boy who was being bullied, which caused a bit of a fight.

I told him that I would drive him back to his school so that he wouldn’t have to face the kids waiting outside for him.  I walked out of the store and in as menacing a tone as I could muster told the crowd of kids that what they were doing was illegal and that authorities would be brought into it. My heart was pounding so fast. I don’t usually get involved in confrontation, but I knew that something had to be done.  The boy seemed scared and thankful at the same time.

When we got to the school I walked him inside and took him to the principal’s office to tell the principal of the incident.  Once we were inside the office, the principal called me into his office for a private discussion.  I proceeded to tell him what had happened thinking in my mind that something would be done about it.  To my complete and utter dismay the principal told my that the boy brought it on himself. WHAT????  I don’t care what anyone does, no one deserves to be threatened this way!  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing and I could feel my face turning red and getting very hot with frustration.  I felt like I was at a loss.  If the administration in this school was not doing anything to reprimand these bullies then what sort of outcome is there for these children.  I told him that if he didn’t do anything about I would get the police involved.  He told me he would look into it.  I said that it wasn’t enough to just to look into it, something further needed to be done.  I can’t even imagine the fear this boy must have felt during this incident.  As far as I know the principal did very little and the boy ended up transferring schools.  I know that most schools have zero tolerance toward bullying and there are a lot of programs to stop it, but maybe more needs to be done.  Consequences for bullying need to be much greater than just a slap on the wrist.  Countless kids have taken their lives because of bullying and others have had long term affects from bullying. I think that we as educators need to do more to save these lives and to make sure that there is zero tolerance to bullying.  What are some things we as educators can do? What are some of the warning signs of children facing bullying and cyberbullying and not telling anyone?  What should parents be watching for? Here are a couple of videos from YouTube that show the effects of bullying.  I also think that kids need to be educated in ways that they can stand and be the one to help a bullied classmate. Kids also need to be taught to come forward if they are a victim. Are classrooms talking enough about this? What do you think? I know I pose questions with no easy answers, but sometimes continued discussion and collaboration is what’s needed to figure out a solution.

Sorry for some reason wordpress would not allow me to embed the videos.  I hope you will take time to click on the links and watch them even if you have seen them before. Also, there are many other awareness videos on the web that could be shared with students.

Seeking Ideas and Advice…

I have four children and each of them are very focused and are very independent when it comes to their academic school work.  They can focus really well and are not easily distracted.  I have never had to deal with issues that so many parents face as they watch their child struggle through school.  I have worked with many children that have been diagnosed with a learning or behavioral challenge, and I have found that over time you start to build up strategies that work one day and not so much the next.  I’ve watched students, parents, teachers, educators and counselors become frustrated, so I am hoping to find some insight into ways I can help.  I have so many questions about how to manage a classroom with a diversity of learning needs, and sometimes I begin to feel afraid that I won’t be able to meet all of the students needs.  While working with some children who have been diagnosed with ADHD and ADD, there are times that I feel that I am at a loss and I’m not sure what direction to take.  Then there are other times where I feel so blessed to be able to spend time with these children and work through some of the difficulties they are facing.

In recent years there has been an increase in the amount of students in classrooms who have learning and behavioral difficulties and my question is why?  Is it diet?  Is it surroundings?  Is it over stimulation from t.v, computer and other technological sources? or biological?  When I was in school there was not even close to as many designated kids in my classes as there are now.  Why this increasing trend?

I would also love some ideas on classroom management.  I find that it’s very difficult even working one on one with some children, so I don’t know how I will handle a classroom where there are many who require a lot of extra attention.  I really want to find ways of helping all my students find and excel in their strengths and not to give up or become frustrated because they may learn in other ways.

I know that I still have a lot to learn and that’s why I am seeking help.  I hope that people who have had experience in this area will read this and will be able to share some of their expertise.  I really want my students to feel loved and special for who they are and to realize the great the potential that they have building up inside of them.  Any ideas would be so greatly appreciated.

Included, not separated…

There were two instances that happened this week that I would really like share my thoughts on. These instances center around the idea of inclusion in classrooms. Recently educators have really been trying to have an environment of inclusion within their classrooms. This is where all students no matter what types of special needs they may have are to be a part of the classroom community with adjustments to their academics and environment to meet their needs. As far as I am concerned I think that this is a great thing and I really believe that all of the students will find greater success in this type of learning environment. From what I could see I thought that this way of thinking was making great strides, I saw less pull-outs in the classrooms that I have been in and I saw programming being made that would make all students feel comfortable. Or so I thought….

But this is where my rant begins. The other day I was in a high schools watching a basketball tournament. In between games I decided to walk around the school to view the artwork and the photos of graduating students displayed on the walls. As I was looking a little more closely at the pictures of the students I noticed to my utter dismay that the school had the pictures of the students separated by regular program students and then on the bottom of the display a title that said “special education students” with these students pictures under this category. As I looked at it I was a little shocked to see that all of the students pictures were not all mixed together under one heading “Graduating class of 2009″, for the life of me I can not understand why they had to separate the class this way. Inclusion means that all should be included, not separated. How does this picture help students to feel included and not singled out?

The other instance that happened is that one of my classmates Kyle Webb did a teaching presentation the other day and he spoke about his profoundly deaf brother. I can’t even imagine the challenges his brother has had to deal with, but when Kyle mentioned that his brother worked so hard to make the honor roll in his school but was denied because he had a modified class, made me feel like I was biting into aluminum foil. I still can’t shake that feeling. Here is a young man that has overcome many challenges, worked extremely hard in school and made honor roll grades and yet was not recognized for this. My question is, why? I can not understand how this sort of action could be justified, it just makes me feel sick inside. There are some educators who obviously don’t get it. How could a student who has worked so hard not be recognized for their efforts? Obviously there is still a lot of work to be done in this area and a lot of thinking that needs to be changed, I just hope it happens soon before any other students are treated in this unfair manner. In my mind this in not a hard concept to grasp. Included, not separated… is it really that complicated?

I came across a great blog with ideas about inclusion and how important it is. Check it out here.

What’s the Value of Community?

Our instructor Dean Shareski posted these questions on our class Ning and I thought it would be a great discussion for people outside of our class as well. I have responded int his blog. What is your opinion on this issue.

While many things are changing in schools and classrooms because of technology, one idea that is still missing is the intentional inclusion of social learning as a integral part of a classroom. I’m currently reading a book called, The Book of Learning and Forgetting and in it, the author says that real learning directly linked to who we associate and identify with. Without expanding too much on that, I truly believe the most under utilized resource in our classrooms is each other. Students sitting in rows, doing work as individuals represents a waste in my view. They can do that at home, they don’t need to come to school to learn in isolation. Given today’s access to information and ideas and the ability to connect with others, schools cannot continue to offer the same experiences they have for the past 100 or so years. Great teachers can be found anywhere. What can’t be found anywhere are people, together in a physical space and moving in and out of virtual spaces, learning together.

Do you believe this is an important part of school, if so how important?

How do you measure it?

What has your experience been in other courses/classrooms? Has learning together been integral or peripheral?

Is this class helping you to connect with others? Are you learning from them? Do you have any examples to share?

I will admit that when I took my first on line class last spring, I was very skeptical. First of all I had no confidence whatsoever in my computer skills and I felt there was so much to learn I would never be able to figure it all out. I decided from the beginning that I would jump in with both feet and swallow my pride and seek help when I needed it. I learned so much in my last session of this class that I was really excited to get started with this one. Last class I had the opportunity to skype in with Mike Poluk and his class from Ontario. This was my first experience with skype. I was completely nervous, not knowing what to expect. To my delight it was an amazing experience. I wish that I would have had more time to talk with this class, but it was a spring class so time was limited. Since this experience my kids have been skyping with their cousins from Winnipeg a lot and they love it. Also, when my kids heard the possibilities of talking with people from different countries they were so excited. They have asked the teachers at their school if they could do a project with something like this in class, but the school doesn’t allow these types of things online projects. I find this a little frustrating because I want my kids to have all the opportunities to learn that other children are having. I guess this is coming from a parents perspective and I feel that because of people’s fear, my children may be left behind in this area. I know that we have to be careful and there needs to be some guidelines and boundaries, I just hope that these boundaries are not so much so that some kids get left behind, or they learn unsafe methods because of a lack of guidance. I really feel classrooms do need to have a sense of community and this needs to be instilled into students early on. If the students in the classroom feel safe, they will open up and share their learning. Not all students are really outspoken and say everything that comes to their minds, so I think that an online place for them to share their views is a great place for them to start. Also, when students have the opportunity to see how other students around the world learn and collaborate there is a sense of community outside physical walls. These relationships may not turn into “best friend” relationships, but not all of our face-to-face relationships turn into “best friend” relationships either.
In my last online class I was one of the ones that said that schools should have the internet blocked from students because I heard a lot of fear mongering, but I have since changed my opinion because most of my experiences thus far have been positive. I learn from people on the ning, twitter and even facebook. I check twitter often and click on the learning links that people such as Dean Shareski and Alec Couros leave, and it is expanding my knowledge about education and other issues around me. We even started a family ning because I have family reaching across western Canada. I love it because my brother is not allowed to have face book because of security reasons with his job, so we use ning as an alternative. It’s great because they can post pictures and videos of their kids and we can keep in touch. The possibilities really are endless. If one application doesn’t suit your situation, there is another one that will. I really believe that classrooms need to have face to face interactions, with students helping one another and I also think there needs to be the online collaboration. Why not have the best of both worlds?

Zoho vs. Google Docs

For my teaching presentation in March I will be looking at the application called Zoho. This really appealed to me because it is basically an online office application. This is much like google docs and I am curious to find out which one would suite me better. Joni and I will be exploring the differences between the two. I have been trying a few of the Zoho applications out and so far I really like how easy it is to use. I really like the online word processor and the easy way to make databases. There is also a presentation application which I think could be really useful, but I will have to explore it more. I love the idea of having much of my work online so that I can access it from any computer. Since this is a newer site I am not sure about the security measures they take with information, so I would also like to explore this more as to see what measures they have taken to protect their users. Google docs is such a huge company and I wonder if Zoho will ever come to having even close to as many users, but I think it is worth giving it a chance. So far I find it extremely easy to use and I could totally see myself using it for various school related documents that I will need to create. I look forward to sharing this with you in the near future.

VS.

Picture Quote

Adding new life to a quote with a picture…. Seems like fun, thought I would give it a try.