This is the end....

I can't believe the end of our first year in the Education program is coming to an end! In ICT we have learned many tech tasks that I will bring along with me through my teaching career. I am looking forward to my placement at New Era school in kindergarten so I can use some of the great apps we have discussed in class. For instance, I think that kindergarten students would enjoy making an iMovie and they would love to watch a kid snip it on you tube.
My first year of education has been a great experience, I am looking forward to gaining experience at my next placement, having the summer off and starting this journey again in my final year of the Education program!

Movie making in ICT...

Last week was a great week to learn about how to make movies using iMovie. As a group we found it fun to think up creative ideas and put it on the big screen. I was the producer of the movie and I had a great time editing after class time, although it was a long process. Maybe it was because I was using an iPad rather than a mac book. Thankfully, my son Brenden assisted me with some of the technical editing like getting the music in the right spot.
Again, it blows me away how much my kids know about technology. Apparently, they make iMovie's in their own classes. I am defiantly excited to be able to have "tech" conversations with them now that I am a little more knowledgeable in the subject.
On that note, as the term comes to an end, I have to say that I have really learned a lot in this ICT class. I am looking forward to implementing some of these tech tasks in my own classroom.

Cool App!

I just found the best app while surfing through Pinterest called "Remind 101"!
The app allows you to keep in touch with students and/or parents via text message without them being able to see your phone number. I think it is a great way to communicate important events or reminders that are going on in your classroom. The best part is that it's FREE!!
Check it out at the App Store. I am totally looking forward to using this is my future classroom.

Picture Editing...

I love the picture editing programs that we were introduced to this past week in ICT. It is awesome that many of these editing programs are free to use which is helpful for educators that want their students to try these tasks. Haiku deck was the program that I chose to use because I could download it onto my iPad. I liked that you can use pictures from the program or your own. The possibilities are endless when it comes to using technology in the classroom.
I am looking forward to performing new tech tasks next week, I only wish that I understood more about technology so it came easier to me.
Slowly but surely I am learning....
Over and out until next time.

Animoto

Animoto is fun! What a great way to share class work and projects. Using this one again!

What's up with this weather?

I was trapped at home on Monday due to bad roads and my car not starting (even though it was plugged in, I might add). I panicked a little bit when I realized that I may not be able to make it to class because our class time is limited and I knew that I would be missing out on valuable information.

That's where the beauty of technology comes in. I was able to work on a few of my projects at home and not feel as if I was too far behind. No matter where you are, if you have access to the internet, you can stay connected. 

As a teacher, technology works in our favour for a couple reasons. One, you can stay connected with your school, even when you have to stay home due to weather or illness. Two, if students are unable to attend school they can access the class website to find out what work they missed.
That's my thought of the week....technology allows us to stay connected even when you physically can't be there.

Kids today....

This past weekend I was playing around with my iPad with my son and he went into a folder of stuff I have bookmarked for school. Prezi came up and he says, "Mom, you have Prezi? We make Prezi's in my class." I thought to myself, I have no idea what this kid is talking about because we were introduced to so many new programs in class last week I wasn't even sure if Prezi was a blog, a website creator or a YouTube video, but I nodded and said, "yea that's a neat thing, show me what you know about it."
This freaky little genius child (sarcasm, I'm not that kind of parent that thinks their child is the most intelligent on the planet) took my iPad and made his own Prezi. ANNOYING! Just like that he created a presentation about the Blackhawks with pictures and stats from the games, all organized in these cute little circles. This would have taken me a long time to figure out with many inappropriate words included and it took him a matter of minutes. I have much more work to do in order to learn all of these technological gadgets.

On that note, I have to get back to my ICT tutor, Noah. His next home lesson is how to create eyecatching websites. Until next time.....