Keep on Learning

Over the past 10 weeks I was lucky to be in Zoe Branigan Pipe's Technology class at Brock University! I have learned so much and I can't wait to continue using everything she has taught me in my future classrooms. One of the many things she did for us was pair us off with a "Virtual Associate Teacher" who offered us a whole different learning experience within the world of Technology! I was lucky to be paired with Shannon Smith, a Vice Principal from Ottawa who is extremely active in the online world! I have been following her blog posts over the past 10 weeks and have gained so much insight into how important and useful technology is in a 21st century classroom. I have to point out one particular blog post by Shannon that has really stuck with me over the past few weeks. Shannon's post is about her own ongoing learning project of learning how to play the clarinet. Zoe has been teaching us that blogging is about expressing yourself and not holding back, so I really feel like Shannon demonstrates this ability to put herself out there and show everyone that she too is constantly learning. For students to be able to go online and see that their Vice Principal is still learning and that she is willing to put in hard work and dedication into something she is passionate about then that is what counts! Shannon is an amazing role model for her students and everyone out there in the online world! As teachers, (me being a future teacher) I believe that it is so important to show your students that you are still learning too! Even though teachers are the ones who 'know all' in the eyes of the students, I strongly believe that students will have even more respect for you if you show that you are vulnerable too and still want to practice hard at things in order to succeed. Teacher's are role models and what better way to teach your students to learn than to show that you are learning yourself! Learning needs to be fun, and to show students that you are choosing to learn something and practice hard at it, shows them that learning really can be fun, and doesn't always have to involve the classroom. I have to thank Shannon for allowing me to follow her blogs over the past 10 weeks. I really have learned a lot and I look forward to her updates on her own learning project!

It's official!

I've been in school for the last few months just doing what i'm told, writing assignments, handing them in, making presentations...always knowing that I'm doing all of this to become a teacher! It's been a great couple of months!I've learned so much and feel like i'm on my way to becoming a successful teacher! However!! I had my first Job Fair for French teachers on Monday and everything changed!! I quickly realized just how real this all really is! It's so easy to put the end goal in the back of your mind and just coast...While I was waiting in line to talk to one of the members of the Halton District School Board, I kept thinking, WOW, this is so much more real than I imagined. I'm actually going to talk to someone about getting an actual job! I will potentially be talking to my future employers!! I am so excited that the process has started! But i'm not going to lie, i'm a little frightened. Looking back, I can't believe i've been at school for only a few months, it seems a little sureal that the job hunting has started! I'm ready! LEt's see what happens next!

My first Google Site!

So I have officially completed my first Google Site! I am very pleased with it but if anyone out there in the Cyber world can offer me some advice on what I can do to improve it that would be great! It’s only my first site, so I am sure there is so much more out there that I don’t even know about that can only make my site better! Although it took some time to set it up and organize it, I can see how useful it would be in a classroom! It takes the traditional 'agenda' to a whole new level! Not only is it great for students, but it gives parents and guardians a chance to see what their children are doing in class as well as tells them what their children 'should' be doing for homework. Sorry kids, the words, "I have no homework tonight mom," just won't cut it anymore! I strongly believe that by including the parents in their children's learning, it offers that extra push towards success as well as offers parents that extra level of comfort knowing what their children are up to everyday.

Although a Google site offers an excellent way for teachers, students and parents to work in a collaborative and inclusive manner, I have a few concerns about how open it is outside of the classroom. I will always have something like a Google site for my class, however I am still unsure of what I will and will not include. As a current teacher candidate I wonder how much the parents should be involved in their students learning in terms of keeping tabs on how much they have for homework and what they have for homework. For younger students in the primary level I think it is extremely important; however at what point do we let go of that controlled responsibility and give children the room to be independent? Part of learning and growing is being able to independently succeed on your own. I am not even sure what the answer is to this question, but it is something I think about and would love to hear any ideas or thoughts on this topic. As a future teacher I always want the parents to feel included and involved in their child’s learning, however I think at some point there comes a time where students need to learn to succeed on their own, whether it's as simple as finishing their homework without anyone sitting them down at the kitchen table and telling them they can't go out with their friends until their homework is complete.

This is one question that I hope to answer one day when I have a class of my own, however after creating my first Google site I know it will be something I can always incorporate in my classroom. Whether I use it for a presentation or as a class site I think it is something that changes the way we teach and the students learn.

The stories that shape me...

Last week, I was lucky to sit in on an online discussion with Alan Levine who is an expert on digital storytelling and how it can be applied in today’s classroom. The online session started out with a question from Alan, “Think of a story you have told in the past.” As soon as Alan asked this question, my mind started going and I realized, wow, I have so many stories. I have never thought of it before, but story telling is such a large part of my life, whether I’m telling fictional stories or stories about my life adventures, friends, happiness and even sadness.

Like Alan, I truly believe that everyone has a story to tell, whether it’s about being happy, sad, angry or even proud. Whether we’re shy or self-assured, we all have a story we want to share. After listening to Alan’s online session and thinking back to that first question, I realized how meaningful storytelling is. We all tell stories, whether we know we are or not. When we tell stories, we want people to listen, and when they listen we feel accepted. Especially in today’s classroom, it is so important for students to connect and feel accepted by one another. As Allan said, we all have shared stories, by telling them, we learn our similarities and our differences. I strongly believe that allowing students to share their stories will only make them feel accepted and help maintain an inclusive classroom. Children need to feel accepted and as a teacher, by showing them that I want to hear ‘their’ story, they will feel appreciated and included. As a hopeful French Teacher, there are so many meaningful ways I can incorporate digital storytelling into my classroom. During the live and interactive session, we talked about incorporating it as a ‘get to know you activity,’ at the start of the year or even as a beginning of unit activity. In a language class, it's also a great way to get students to practice their speaking and listening skills. At the beginning of the year, it is so important to create an inclusive environment right from the beginning. What better way to do that by getting students to tell a story about themselves in order to show who they are. For example, I could assign each student the task of finding a picture of themselves, family…etc. and ask them to tell a story about themselves that relates to the picture. Would this not be a much more meaningful experience when a student introduces themselves with a personal story, rather than telling the class or writing down what their favorite colour is, or subject is? You can really see who a person is when they tell a story about themselves. Using images and videos to tell a story about yourself is not only a fun way to use technology, but it’s also an extremely meaningful way to allow students to build connections with one another and to gain a deeper understanding of who each other are. Alan has an excellent website entitled "50 web 2.0 ways to tell astory," which is an excellent tool to help guide you in finding appropriate media to use for digital storytelling, as well as how to create a good outline and tools to help build your story. Ultimately, I thank Alan Levine for opening my eyes about the importance of storytelling, particularly through using digital technology. I always want my students to feel accepted and included, and what better way than to start them off with forming connections with one another. I recommend all storytellers to follow Alan’s blog and wiki which is full of insights into the digital storytelling world. All I can say is keep creating stories and never stop sharing them with the world around you!

I picked this picture because it represents an entire year of my life where I was pushed outside of my comfort zone, met new people from around the world and gained new experiences as I travelled from Country to Country. Each person in this picture is from a different part of the world, which not only represents the bonds I formed with different people I came across but it also represents the unforgettable experiences I had along the way. These 4 people each had a story to tell that created a meaningful bond between us and helped shape my own stories and views about the world. I am lucky to have had an experience that has provided me with a lifetime of stories to share with those around me.

A whole month of learning...

My first placement has  now come to an end. I look back and wish I had written more about my experience, but I think it simply shows how intense the last month has been! Although I lacked sleep and any form of interaction with the 'outside' world, the past month was unforgettable. I am lucky to have worked with a teacher with so much to teach! I hope that one day I can be half as good of a teacher as her. I never thought I would see a class so eager to learn! Everything she taught, was complete with enthusiasm and energy!

Looking back I wish I could have told myself not to worry. I spent my first 3 or 5 days wondering what to do, and how to do it. I had a unit to teach with absolutely no clue where to start and how to start it. It was definately a bit of a rocky start but once I became comfortable with the students and the lesson making process, everything became much easier and I soon realized how much I love teaching! The students were so much fun to teach! Their attitudes and energy made my first placement unforgettable!
Now it's back to school, so I am eager to hear about everyone elses placements! It will be interesting to return back to class and see how everyone has transformed into experienced teachers!

The world as my classroom - That's what makes me smile!

I realized last night, as I am working on two presentations with a giant smile on my face and singing to music, that I am a ‘keener!’ This week has been one of my busiest weeks, but I’m still enjoying myself! I found myself wondering why? I might be busy, but I’m enjoying every minute of it! Studying, assignments…tests…How could this possibly be fun?

Five years ago, if you asked me what my goals were in life, I would have said finish my undergrad, go to grad school, get a job, buy a house, have a family… Until I met Mark, an amazing man who told me that I should take a step back and explore the world around me. So that’s what I did, very uncertainly…But for this reason, I think I have a much stronger appreciation for what I am doing now, and I know 100% that Teaching is what I want to do for the rest of my career!

 

I remember stepping onto the plane on my way to Iceland thinking, “what am I doing,” I should be at home, at school, working towards that house! I could not have been more wrong. A year later I returned with more knowledge about the world that I would have ever gained inside of a classroom! I learned so much about myself, and the way I view the world. People always told me, the world is a small place…I didn’t believe them, until I bumped into some girls who live down the street from me in Toronto, all the way in Australia! The world IS a small place, and yet it has so much to offer! It felt like I had an ‘observation day’ every day. I went from only ever seeing a small piece of Europe and the United states, to exploring the volcanoes in Iceland, camping on the Adriatic Sea in Croatia, to camel trekking through the Sahara desert in Morocco. After Morocco, we flew to South East Asia where I met some amazing groups of people and ate like a queen! Then we headed down under to the Land of Oz and then over to New Zealand where we settled in a little town called Kati Kati and worked in a Kiwi Factory. Who knew that putting kiwifruit into boxes would be so much fun! The past year is something I will cherish forever! It truly was a life lesson! For this reason, I have returned home, after a year of self-reflection and learning, knowing exactly where I should be and what I want to do! These life experiences are what cause me to smile while I’m working on 2 presentations, studying for a test and writing ‘this blog!’ I can honestly say that I have no regrets and I look forward to the next adventure!

Back to school!

I survived my first Observation Day! It was a little (more like a lot) nerve racking but it was a success! Being back at my old High School was an interesting experience... I walked into the school proud to say that I knew exactly where I was going..until I realized the entire top floor had been completely turned upside down! I'm looking forward to working with my Assistant teacher! I knew that I would have a great first teaching experience when she told me that the first order of business was to pick out halloween costumes for the departement! (...team building... right?) I'm looking forward to the next couple of months! I'm confident that I'm going to learn a lot, and I'm lucky to be working with a Teacher who has valuable insight into the world of teaching! She is definately someone I can learn from!