EDU 776: The Birth of a New Blogger

(Picture from McCrindle.com.au) This week's assignment was quite fascinating to me.  The info graphics from McCrindle's social research on comparing the different generations really captivated my interest. Not only did I compare my generation to my students', I also looked at the generation that taught me.  I'm from Generation X and my students are at the end of Generation Z with Generation Alpha at their heels.  These kids were born with tech in their blood.  One of the graphs shows how the big tech of my generation was the Walkman.  I remember my first Walkman when I was 12, it changed my world.  Now, technology is moving at such a rapid pace, it's challenging to keep up with it all.  I also was intrigued by the different learning styles.  I wish I was a student during today's times, active learning, collaborating and using different modalities for learning are far more engaging than elementary school instruction in the 70's.  My teach...

Active Learning This week we looked at Active Learning in the classroom.  Active Learning  is all about getting students more involved in their own learning.  Letting them collaborate together, investigate, create, and make those real world connections to their own lives. Getting away from all day whole group direct instruction.  Having the teacher leave the center stage and become the facilitator so students can shine in their own learning.  I really enjoyed this assignment.  I'm not new to the idea of active learning in my classroom.  I tend to get bored listening to myself speak and I love to hand it over to the kids.  I love to see my students collaborate together.  Even though now I only teach math, I really get goosebumps watching them engage in math talks and discussions with one another. I have always been a huge fan of Kagan Strategies , I included a link to some of my easy favorites to do in class. With math, ther...

My Digital Spaces What an unexpectedly fun and interesting assignment.  I am obviously just a visitor in most cases. This visual really makes me rethink how I am using the Internet. Admittedly, I do a lot of shopping via online. Whether it is for clothing, food, things for the house or school.  Amazon and Kohl's are my favorites but I could have added a few more. Also in the Personal Visitor quadrant is my Chicago Bear App ( Football fanatic) and Kayak. I love to travel and I am always checking airfares. Uber is another favorite, along with Uber Eats.  Thank goodness for them both.  Soaring heights International is a site I visit often for emotional support.  Another place where I could have added more pics was in the Visitor Professional quadrant. This is just a snap shot of the things I use for classroom and professional use.  In the past, I have been very involved in my teacher union.  I have held several positions.  I'm often vi...

(Taken from Triple E website) When I looked at all the frameworks, the Triple E Framework resonated with me the most because I automatically started relating it to how technology is used in my district and classroom. The Triple E framework had a very easy to understand rubric that allows educators to assess or evaluate how different technologies are used.  This framework does make it very clear that good instruction is important for the use of technology to be successful in the classroom.  To be successful, the rubric focuses on the Three E's, Engage, Enhance, and Extend. ENGAGE Engaging a student's attention to new technology entered in the class is usually not a challenge.  However, the Triple E Framework looks past the first initial attraction.  It assess on whether students are collaborating together, not just sitting alone isolated working independently.  In addition, students should be "motivated" to learn and stay on task.  Simply put, it's...