Technology 1

This year have been a very draining one for me.  I have stayed busy with school, especially with my energetic grade 8's.  In all the hustle and bustle, somehow I lost track of why I got into this job in the first place and what a teacher's job really is.  After realizing that I was at root of my problems I have reconsidered what I am doing my classroom, returning to a student-driven approach. 

Inspired by Miss L, I have channeled my own learning toward technology.  For now, I am mostly focused on my own exploration of technology but the ultimate goal is to be able to integrate more technology into my classroom. 

Some ideas that I have as of right now, other than the standard research/typing/presenting modes include:

• Blogging as a means of student reflection
• Twitter as a tool to network with people in related fields, ask questions and share links
• Instagram to document what we are doing in class
• QR codes bring displays to life off the page

Step 1 to integrating technology in my classroom:  figure out how to use it!  

I've started using Twitter this week.   When it first came out I was a skeptic - I didn't see the value in it, as it was essentially the status update part of Facebook.  Turns out, it is a whole lot more.  It's amazing how fast you can grow your PLN - all you need to start is one person!  I'm still experimenting with #hashtags but I found a pretty cool explanation of how to use them here.

QR codes are a bit easier because all it takes is a URL and some technology to read the code.  I was away from school today so part of the science lesson I left was a webquest to fill in a notes skeleton.  We'll see how it went!  Luckily, one of the other teachers had already taught the students how to register the QR codes on the iPads.

And finally, I'm going to be blogging!  (You may have guessed that already).  The better I get a handle on this whole blogging thing, the more accessible and authentic I can make it for my students.

Wish me luck!  I'll keep you posted.