My final project for this course was to utilize an area of technology I had yet to put to use. My document camera has been a wonderful piece of equipment that has been in operation from day one this year. However, the only way it had been incorporated into lessons was having kids show their working/thinking/reasoning, or having me use it to illustrate a technique (live) for completing a task.
We are teaching science this year through the FOSS science system, which is an inquiry-based approach with lots of hands-on activities for the kids. My hope was to be able to take advantage of the technology here and make short video clips to demonstrate the method for experimental set-ups.
There are tremendous advantages to this. Many lab practicals are full of steps and details and it can be a challenge to ensure that the students understand all the steps and end up with the correct set up. Teaching multiple classes means saying the same thing over and over - in the case of grade 7 and 8 science teachers at ISB they may repeat this 4 times in one day with different classes!
So I genuinely looked forward to being able to produce these short clips. In some previous efforts to embed technology into the classroom, I was stunned to see how much time was required to make use of this; for example, hours of work resulting in a clip of only a few minutes long. A few days ago, I decided I would see if it was possible to use the document camera and make a worthwhile clip relatively quickly.
With 45 minutes before my class was to arrive, the parameters were set: attempt to complete my goal, and embrace 2.0, or go back to "old school" teaching and have the kids listen to me drone on while I flutter several pieces of equipment past their noses.
I was staggered. Within ten minutes, I had made a short clip that was of a reasonable enough standard to be used immediately. I played it to the kids, and at the end of the 2 and half minutes I fired questions at the class to check for understanding. To my jaw-dropping amazement, the level of comprehension appeared near-perfect. The kids had got it. Totally. I was anticipating showing it again, or even reviewing the procedure verbally myself to reinforce, but it was unnecessary.
The next step was to watch the students as they went about their business. Everything proceeded smoothly.
In previous years, I would need to field a few questions from groups, and sometimes kids would still be completely confused as to what they were trying to achieve. I believe it was the power of the visuals giving the kids the whole picture, from start to finish so that they REALLY understood what they were doing; they were then able to use common sense to complete the task efficiently and effectively.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Saturday, October 10, 2009
COETAIL Courses Changing my Classes....
Five years ago my technological abilities consisted of hotmail: login. Successfully, as long as it was on a computer that I was familiar with; internet cafes while traveling often posed a tremendous puzzle.
The commencing of teaching at ISB catapulted me into the day-to-day use of technology on all fronts: Outlook, word documents, letters, spreadsheets and power points, culminating eventually in the use of Smartboard technology.
The continual use of the Smartboard had been my greatest technological achievement until I began this Coetail course in early 2009. Since then, I have been on yet another steep and interesting learning curve.
Setting up my first blog was an experience. Initially strange, I have since warmed to this method of communication, and this year one of my goals is to have student’s blog about their progress in math and science. I have already been in close contact with Ross Tague, my teaching partner who encourages our students to post reflections about their work in humanities. The ultimate goal will be for our students to have an electronic portfolio that is far more accessible, “organic” and exciting than the paper and cardboard one that sits in the corner of the room.
The use of the document camera has been another new tech piece I have picked up this year. My aim is to have kids come and present their ideas and strategies to the class, with the kind of regularity that allows them become comfortable doing so. This also fits in with the philosophy of our new math curriculum, which places emphasis on finding, using, and explaining strategies to solve problems.
Another new skill I am still refining is the use of creative commons, for example Flikr, as a resource to find images that I can use to improve presentations. An example of this can be seen on this blog.
Panthernet has been yet another tool that I have used this year for the very first time. My "baby steps" involved nothing more simple than posting a letter that was to be accessed by students, printed out, shown to parents, read and signed, and then returned to me. The next, ongoing steps have been to upload answers to already completed math homework questions. Students use this system to check and then correct; if any specific questions still remain, they are then to check with me the following day (or during homework club). This system allows us to be more efficient with valuable class time, while highlighting any concerns with specific questions/concepts.
In short, this course has provided me with a wealth of ideas with which to use to improve my teaching. The challenge will be to make the time to use as many of these ideas as possible, in order to then select the ones that will best suit my style and subject.
The commencing of teaching at ISB catapulted me into the day-to-day use of technology on all fronts: Outlook, word documents, letters, spreadsheets and power points, culminating eventually in the use of Smartboard technology.
The continual use of the Smartboard had been my greatest technological achievement until I began this Coetail course in early 2009. Since then, I have been on yet another steep and interesting learning curve.
Setting up my first blog was an experience. Initially strange, I have since warmed to this method of communication, and this year one of my goals is to have student’s blog about their progress in math and science. I have already been in close contact with Ross Tague, my teaching partner who encourages our students to post reflections about their work in humanities. The ultimate goal will be for our students to have an electronic portfolio that is far more accessible, “organic” and exciting than the paper and cardboard one that sits in the corner of the room.
The use of the document camera has been another new tech piece I have picked up this year. My aim is to have kids come and present their ideas and strategies to the class, with the kind of regularity that allows them become comfortable doing so. This also fits in with the philosophy of our new math curriculum, which places emphasis on finding, using, and explaining strategies to solve problems.
Another new skill I am still refining is the use of creative commons, for example Flikr, as a resource to find images that I can use to improve presentations. An example of this can be seen on this blog.
Panthernet has been yet another tool that I have used this year for the very first time. My "baby steps" involved nothing more simple than posting a letter that was to be accessed by students, printed out, shown to parents, read and signed, and then returned to me. The next, ongoing steps have been to upload answers to already completed math homework questions. Students use this system to check and then correct; if any specific questions still remain, they are then to check with me the following day (or during homework club). This system allows us to be more efficient with valuable class time, while highlighting any concerns with specific questions/concepts.
In short, this course has provided me with a wealth of ideas with which to use to improve my teaching. The challenge will be to make the time to use as many of these ideas as possible, in order to then select the ones that will best suit my style and subject.
Video and Video Editing
Today my heading is spinning as usual after several hours of technology absorption. My usual feeling of bewilderment is somewhat enhanced by seeing the speed with which others seem to be able to use some of these applications. However, I am committed to keep on trying to twiddle, tweak, twist and tumble my way through a variety of these programs, to the ultimate goal of being able to use some them effectively in my classes.
The session yielded a bunch of treasures I knew little or nothing about, including movie maker, jing, and notebook recorder. In addition, I also learned how to use the document camera to make movie clips, something that has been on my list since I started using the camera at the start of the year.
The jing and notebook recorder I am eager to use for the purpose of showing students a flow of instructions that I often have to repeat. Examples where I could use this is when showing students how to log into a particular website for example, Connected Math or FOSS Science that requires quite a series of steps (as well as usernames and passwords).
One area that I am keen to use further is the use of the document camera to produce video showing certain science procedures (e.g preparing a slide). In the past I have use different methods to get this across; the old school “gather round and watch this", and more recently, using YouTube or other media to show the students the process. I would much prefer to show the students the procedure while I narrating the procedure. I can now do this by recording the steps with the camera, and having this clip on my PC desktop for instant access.
Watch this space for the upcoming “How to Make a Slide”.
The session yielded a bunch of treasures I knew little or nothing about, including movie maker, jing, and notebook recorder. In addition, I also learned how to use the document camera to make movie clips, something that has been on my list since I started using the camera at the start of the year.
The jing and notebook recorder I am eager to use for the purpose of showing students a flow of instructions that I often have to repeat. Examples where I could use this is when showing students how to log into a particular website for example, Connected Math or FOSS Science that requires quite a series of steps (as well as usernames and passwords).
One area that I am keen to use further is the use of the document camera to produce video showing certain science procedures (e.g preparing a slide). In the past I have use different methods to get this across; the old school “gather round and watch this", and more recently, using YouTube or other media to show the students the process. I would much prefer to show the students the procedure while I narrating the procedure. I can now do this by recording the steps with the camera, and having this clip on my PC desktop for instant access.
Watch this space for the upcoming “How to Make a Slide”.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
JS Open House 2009
This is my original power point presentation:
Watch this space for the updated version!
Js Open House 2009
View more presentations from jonathansteenwijk.
Watch this space for the updated version!
Monday, September 21, 2009
Visual Imagery Supporting Curricular Content: Connecting, Cycling, Collaborating
The start of the year has seen significant changes at school. A new math curriculum, in addition to a new team has resulted in even more time spent meeting to plan and organize our new math course. Consequently, time has been a precious commodity; fortunately in the spirit of collaboration I have benefited from brainstorming sessions with math and COETAIL colleague Martin Hermann.
Our new math curriculum is more student centered and problem-solving based. It requires students to not just memorize an algorithm, but to genuinely understand the math concepts involved, and to be ultimately able to explain, and reflect upon, their thinking.
With this in mind, it is important that the problems we choose to illustrate concepts are ones that the students take note of and remember, as we will use these problems as "anchors" to refer back to later on, when we are connecting concepts.
Martin Hermann's recent blog, Ferris Wheels & Multiples: Monday's Math Lesson Intro provided students with an important visual "hook" as an introduction to dealing with common multiples. As we both team-teach a group of ESL learners, his video clip of Ferris Wheels allows his students to come to an immediate awareness of the situation described in the textbook problem.
The very next problem posed in the math text concerns the life cycles of cicadas. To allow ESL students to comprehend the type of organism we are dealing with, and why it might be important to be able to predict when the cicadas hatch, I initially thought that a aural connection may prove powerful. However, after talking with Martin Hermann and seeing the way he used bliptv, I decided to utilize the power of the visual imagery which also has the associated aural component.
This has the effect of making the problem instantly relevant to the students, as they will see (and hear) exactly what a cicada is. The visual imagery, in tandem with the distinctive noise of the creatures, will allow the students to identify the organism itself. This recognition will allow the teacher to inform students that these cicadas can (and do) make problems for farmers.
Leading on from this, the fact that different species of cicadas have different life cycles (13 years and 17 years) can be explained. Why it would be beneficial for us to be able to determine when their life cycles coincide is a great question to launch the idea of common multiples. This further reinforces the previous section (Martin's Ferris Wheels), which was also concerned with cycles (of rotating objects).
Visual imagery can be used here as a powerful tool to create recognition, understanding, and interest in students, as well as providing a great anchor on which to attach new concepts.
Our new math curriculum is more student centered and problem-solving based. It requires students to not just memorize an algorithm, but to genuinely understand the math concepts involved, and to be ultimately able to explain, and reflect upon, their thinking.
With this in mind, it is important that the problems we choose to illustrate concepts are ones that the students take note of and remember, as we will use these problems as "anchors" to refer back to later on, when we are connecting concepts.
Martin Hermann's recent blog, Ferris Wheels & Multiples: Monday's Math Lesson Intro provided students with an important visual "hook" as an introduction to dealing with common multiples. As we both team-teach a group of ESL learners, his video clip of Ferris Wheels allows his students to come to an immediate awareness of the situation described in the textbook problem.
The very next problem posed in the math text concerns the life cycles of cicadas. To allow ESL students to comprehend the type of organism we are dealing with, and why it might be important to be able to predict when the cicadas hatch, I initially thought that a aural connection may prove powerful. However, after talking with Martin Hermann and seeing the way he used bliptv, I decided to utilize the power of the visual imagery which also has the associated aural component.
This has the effect of making the problem instantly relevant to the students, as they will see (and hear) exactly what a cicada is. The visual imagery, in tandem with the distinctive noise of the creatures, will allow the students to identify the organism itself. This recognition will allow the teacher to inform students that these cicadas can (and do) make problems for farmers.
Leading on from this, the fact that different species of cicadas have different life cycles (13 years and 17 years) can be explained. Why it would be beneficial for us to be able to determine when their life cycles coincide is a great question to launch the idea of common multiples. This further reinforces the previous section (Martin's Ferris Wheels), which was also concerned with cycles (of rotating objects).
Visual imagery can be used here as a powerful tool to create recognition, understanding, and interest in students, as well as providing a great anchor on which to attach new concepts.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Mass Collaboration
This concept is where large numbers of individuals work independently, but combine their collective knowledge in order to produce a project. The power of the internet has allowed this to become an idea that many of us are familiar with, for example Wikipedia.
Mass collaboration can be researched further here, where the article refers to these 4 important points
This form of collaboration certainly covers the four points mentioned above. It is open, as anyone with access to a computer can contribute. Peering means that any contributers who write "nonsense" will be sorted out and discarded by the self-policing nature of a wiki. Sharing means that certain products (in this case the product would be the new act) can be brought to the market more quickly, because the open and peering nature of the process allow information to flow more freely, with less restrictions. As for acting globally, in this case it is certainly acting country-wide.
This type of collaboration may be new with respect to writing laws, but other examples exist in recent history. They include other important issues such as the human genome sequencing project.
In fact, with regard to writing laws, there exists the potential to have an entire government designed mass-collaboratively. This is a theoretical from of governement, but, as the New Zealand example shows, in the near future we may be set to see profound changes that will change the way we do everything; from mixing music and maintaining health to determining government policy.
Mass collaboration can be researched further here, where the article refers to these 4 important points
- being open
- peering
- sharing
- acting globally
This form of collaboration certainly covers the four points mentioned above. It is open, as anyone with access to a computer can contribute. Peering means that any contributers who write "nonsense" will be sorted out and discarded by the self-policing nature of a wiki. Sharing means that certain products (in this case the product would be the new act) can be brought to the market more quickly, because the open and peering nature of the process allow information to flow more freely, with less restrictions. As for acting globally, in this case it is certainly acting country-wide.
This type of collaboration may be new with respect to writing laws, but other examples exist in recent history. They include other important issues such as the human genome sequencing project.
In fact, with regard to writing laws, there exists the potential to have an entire government designed mass-collaboratively. This is a theoretical from of governement, but, as the New Zealand example shows, in the near future we may be set to see profound changes that will change the way we do everything; from mixing music and maintaining health to determining government policy.
The Power of the Web
"The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect." This quote from Tim Berners-Lee, one of the inventors of the World Wide Web. The power lies in the fact that the web allows all of us to provide and receive information, and to interact with others via this medium.
Day to day use of the web finds many of us providing information (social networking, blogs, twitters), not to mentions the millions of businesses that provide information to customers about their products or services. Looking for information can be seen via the ubiquitous use of such products such as the many Google applications (earth, reader, scholar) to refine and narrow the search for sought-after information.
Information is the new currency that oils this system. As a consumer, the power of this information has altered the traditional "informational assymmetry" that previously existed between customers/clients and service/product suppliers.
Once, people in need of decision-determining information had to rely on others with specialized knowledge to provide that information. These providers of that information could use the fact that the consumer was not privy to the same set of facts and trends, and could use that inside knowledge to advantage when encouraging a sale or closing a deal.
It would have been very difficult for the consumer to address this imbalance; it would require time and energy to gain enough of this "informational currency" to be able to make an informed decision completely independent of the actual "expert".
Now, the web has allowed all of us the potential to become experts. We can access stock information, medical literature, house prices, school reviews, hardware specifications, our children's grades; all at the click of a mouse. This revolutionary change has made it possible for us to take a more active and critical role in our own lives. The power of the web has in turn given each of us more power and greater guardianship over ourselves....what could be more powerful than that?
Day to day use of the web finds many of us providing information (social networking, blogs, twitters), not to mentions the millions of businesses that provide information to customers about their products or services. Looking for information can be seen via the ubiquitous use of such products such as the many Google applications (earth, reader, scholar) to refine and narrow the search for sought-after information.
Information is the new currency that oils this system. As a consumer, the power of this information has altered the traditional "informational assymmetry" that previously existed between customers/clients and service/product suppliers.
Once, people in need of decision-determining information had to rely on others with specialized knowledge to provide that information. These providers of that information could use the fact that the consumer was not privy to the same set of facts and trends, and could use that inside knowledge to advantage when encouraging a sale or closing a deal.
It would have been very difficult for the consumer to address this imbalance; it would require time and energy to gain enough of this "informational currency" to be able to make an informed decision completely independent of the actual "expert".
Now, the web has allowed all of us the potential to become experts. We can access stock information, medical literature, house prices, school reviews, hardware specifications, our children's grades; all at the click of a mouse. This revolutionary change has made it possible for us to take a more active and critical role in our own lives. The power of the web has in turn given each of us more power and greater guardianship over ourselves....what could be more powerful than that?
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