Twitter

A requirement for our "Internet for educator," class is to set up a twitter account. I already had a personal account (@AgiusTiffany), but I thought this would be a good time to start a professional account (@missTA24). After having my professional account for about 2 weeks I am already making connections with many fellow classmates and educators. I am also realizing more the importance of the #hashtag as a great professional  search tool. -T

Coffee and Conversation with John Finch

This afternoon, our "Internet for Educators," class was able to have a sit down chat with John Finch in the flesh! Up until now, we have only been able to see or hear our presenters through our computer screens, so John's visit to Brandon University was really nice. John's presentation also differed from others, in that he did not talk as much about the many uses educators have for the internet. Instead, he talked about some of the current "hot topics" in the education field, that involve the use of the internet.

The first topic he addressed was cyber-bullying  He said if you were to ask most educators, or even just people, they would tell you that this is a huge issue right now. If you were to ask me, I would probably agree with that. The reason for this is the media. Cyber-bullying gets a tone of media attention. Unfortunately, most everyone recognizes the name, "Amanda Todd," as the girl who lost her life due to cyber-bullying  which John pointed out was not actually a case of cyber-bullying  but blackmail. Soon people will recognize "Brandon," as a community where students have been arrested for cyber-bullying  It is easy to see why people's perceptions of cyber-bullying are that it is rampant and must be stopped. However, data collected from a student survey called the "Tell them for me survey," shows that cyber-bullying is not rampant at all. This survey measured 4 different types of bullying, and the results showed that cyber-bullying had the smallest percentage (8-12%). The reality is that bullying takes place every day, in many forms... all of which need to be stopped. Physical bullying came in at 25%. Should we not then spend more of our efforts on physical bullying then on cyber-bullying? This survey just shows the importance of collecting data so that as educators, we know where to focus our efforts and where our big problems (or strengths) lye.

John also talked to our class about the importance of having conformed consent from parents before publishing student's work or pictures online. This went without saying for me, but John brought up another point about this that I hadn't realized. He told us that the moment our students create something, they own the copyright. It is against the law to share their work without conformed consent from not only the student, but also from the parents. He also mentioned that even with this consent, it is always a good idea to cover your bases and let parents and school administration know ahead of time about your online activities, to avoid any unnecessary problems.

The last few presenters have left us with the message to "share, share, share." I think it was really important for us to hear John's message about how to share safely. Before we click the "share" button it is important to know what we are getting into, involving the rights and agreements with the sites we are using, and making sure that we are protecting our students before publishing anything online. If teachers are not careful about this, the results could be devastating for them and their students. - T

21st Century Connected Students

21st century students have more connections than any previous generation. With devices such as laptops, smartphones, IPad's etc., students can retrieve data and connect with family, peers and anyone in the world at anytime and anywhere. The world is literally at their fingertips. There's a great difference between today's generation of young students compared to when I was in school. When I was in elementary school, a typical classroom did not have devices such as laptops, netbooks, SmartBoards and IPad's for use of research projects etc. We simply used the good old dictionary, encyclopedias and books... we made sure the librarian was our best friend. Students and teachers are very fortunate to have such quick access to information today. Above is a display of my interpretation of a 21st century connected learner.

My PLN... On my way to becoming a well connected educator!

After creating my PLN, I realize the many different uses I have for the internet and feel that I have made a good start at being a well connected educator. However, I know that there is still a lot of room for growth in this area. I look forward to making more connections and adding to my PLN with fellow classmates in our, "Internet for Educators," course. To create my PLN I used: http://www.bubbl.us

Thoughts from Dr. Alec Couros's Presentation

"The world doesn't care about what you know, it cares about what you can do with what you know."

-Tony Wagner

Dr. Alec Couros shared this Tony Wagner quote with us yesterday, during his skype visit to our "internet for educators" class.  He shared many great quotes with us, but this one struck me the most. I guess I always thought that it was enough just to know the subject material which you teach, and present it in a way that students will understand and be interested in learning about. 

I still think its important for teachers to do that, but Alec's presentation made me realize that there is so much more we can do with "what we know" through the internet. With a simple click of the "share" button, teachers and students can reap benefits of sharing their knowledge and experiences with the world. These benefits may not just come from outside influences. Dr. Alec talked to us about the difference in motivation of publishing for your class and publishing for the world. Through this increase in motivation, teacher's start to see their students' best work and students' can realize their full potential. 

It is no longer enough to do powerful work if no one sees it."

-Chris Lehmann

This quote by Chris Lehmann is another powerful one that Alec shared with us. After hearing his presentation, I can say that he has given me a fresh perspective about using technology in the classroom. I used to think about what I could get from the internet, but now I realize that by sharing on the internet, you can reap so much more. Like the old saying, "You reap what you sow."- This is my new motto for technology in the classroom and I'm really excited about it. 

Reinventing the wheel....

Teachers have a long list of tasks, from classroom management, formative and summative grading, communicating with staff and parents, attending meetings, coaching a team or two, and the list continues. So it is safe to say that our time is extremely valuable. Why spend it reinventing the wheel? 

When it comes to lesson planning, reinventing the wheel is something that teachers luckily do not always have to do. This is one of the main points I took from Dean Shareskie’s skype lecture to our “Internet for Educators,” class. As teachers, we can work collaboratively through the sharing of resources and ideas so that we don’t always have to reinvent the wheel. 

Thanks to the internet, we can work with teachers not only in our school, but in our division, province, country and our world. The internet is a great tool to connect with people and resources, if you know how to use it and are willing to put yourself out there. This is especially helpful for new teachers who without the internet, would likely have to start everything brand new. I enjoyed learning from Dean and look forward to learning more in class about using the internet to improve my teaching and my students’ learning. -T

About this Rookie Blogger:

Hello everyone! Thanks for checking out my blog. I have to admit that this page did not come about voluntarily, but is a requirement for a course I’m in called “Internet for Educators.” If it weren't for this course my blogging experience would likely entail “creeping” on others pages and admiring their insightful words, resources and experiences. That part I’m good at, but now that I have joined the world of bloggers, I hope that some of my words, resources and experiences will be of use to others as well. My intention for this blog is to share my learning and experiences with you as I complete my education degree and start my teaching career.

I guess I should have started by telling you a little about myself (rookie blogger mistake). My name is Tiffany, and I am a first year education student at Brandon University. I have always been passionate about sharing my knowledge with others. I realized this passion when I started working as a personal trainer. During my grade 12 year I became a certified personal trainer, and enjoyed improving clients’ lifestyles through exercise and nutrition plans for the next 3 years. After taking a year off from school to train full time I enrolled in BU’s Physical Education program. I was excited about the idea of being a gym teacher and having the opportunity to teach kids at a young age how to live healthy lifestyles and the importance of staying active beyond their school years. Now that I am in the education faculty, I have become excited about teaching not only physical education, but all subjects. Although I may have a sweet spot for physical education, I truly think that I will be happy teaching any subject because they are all so important.

In preparation for a career in education, I changed roles from personal trainer after my second year at BU. Now, during the school year I work at an after-school program called “Lighthouse,” where my role is to provide supervision for students and participate in fun activities with them. This has allowed me to develop some mad dodgeball skills! During the summer, I work as a youth activity coordinator for the cities “YAC” summer camps. Both of these jobs have provided me with valuable experience interacting with youth as a leader and mentor, much like I will when I am a teacher.

Outside of education, I enjoy travelling, playing sports (mostly baseball, tennis and soccer), curling up with a good book, playing and cuddling with my chocolate lab Gracie, and spending time with family and friends. Thank you for reading!