My summary of learning

For my summary of learning I decided to make a prezi presentation which can be found here.  I chose to use Prezi because I could include video, screencast, and photos which allowed me to display many of the tech skills I’ve gained while taking this class.  I really enjoyed going through all of the work I’ve done this semester and aside from a few computer crashes (thanks iMovie) it was a lot of fun to make.

 

 

Starting from scratch

For my ECMP 355 class we were challenged with using Scratch; a coding site designed to teach students basic coding skills. At first I found this very difficult as I have never coded before and kept restarting the project. As a visual learner it was difficult for me to use with just the written instructions I found on the site so I ventured to YouTube where I found this video. Once using this video I was able to complete this project in a way I was happy with.

I believe that Scratch can be a great tool to teach students how to code if students are given the resources they need to use the website.  Coding is important for students in today’s world because as we’re becoming more technology centered more jobs are requiring the knowledge of coding.  Code is another language that is becoming more and more  necessary to communicate as a digital citizen.  Here is my project; let me know what you think!

The Delivery

For my ECMP 355 class we were challenged to create a five card flickr story to demonstrate our use of digital storytelling. Mine is titled The Delivery.

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Five Card Story: The Delivery

a Five Card Flickr story created by Lexi Milligan

flickr photo by bionicteaching

flickr photo by bionicteaching

flickr photo by bionicteaching

flickr photo by Serenae

flickr photo by bionicteaching

One gray and dreary day Lucia was told by her mother to deliver a cake to their new neighbor the elderly Mrs. Stueck. Now Lucia was not normally a fearful child but there was something about that house that unnerved her. Not wanting to disobey her mother she set off to complete the task at hand…that is until she reached the gate. You see; the gate was old, grey, and run down; something Lucia knew was a sure sign of a haunted house. Her nerves getting the best of her she decided it would be best to try the back door, but to reach the back door Lucia had to go through the deserted alley and past many cold metal fences. As she was just about to knock on the door Lucia heard something creeping down the alley, and with the cake still in hand ran from the horrifying creature that must have been chasing her. Out of breath and exhausted Lucia reaches the park just down the street and collapses onto the bench next to the tree, and eats the cake. For it’s tiring work trying to deliver a cake.

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Ed Tech and today’s parents

Recently I read this blog post about how teachers/schools can use technology to increase parent engagement.  I found this useful because in my own school experience parental involvement was minimal right from elementary school.  It was 2000 and at the very beginning of the push for schools to go paperless which is great; what wasn’t so great was that the tech hadn’t really caught up and many homes didn’t have computers quite yet.  Rather than finding other ways to communicate with parents they relied on having students writing notes about school events in their agendas and hoping parents remembered to check them.  The article goes over 5 tech that can be used to connect with parents including social network accounts, iTunes U, Remind HQ, Seesaw, and Blippar.

I use remind HQ currently to get updates about #Saskedchat  and love the system.  I have known for awhile that I want to use it as a tool to remind my students of homework or just for class/school updates, as I know as a university student there have been a few times where I could’ve used a reminder about assignments, room switches, or even if a class is cancelled.  I also love that it is a safe and secure system with no students receiving your number and that students can get the reminders as texts to their phones. The idea of using remind for parents is one I had never thought of before but would be great when needing parent signatures, snow days, and big homework assignments, and would allow parents a glimpse into their child’s school life.

I also like the idea of a class social network account, and would probably go with a class blog and Twitter account.  I like the idea of parents getting to see what their child is working on in real time. And as a student at Globe Theatre School seeing snippets of our classes on their youtube channel was always really exciting.

Posting short videos like this of drama students rehearsing a scene or English students giving a presentation would both be beneficial for students who could watch their rehearsal back and learn from it and to parents who can see their child’s learning in progress. A class blog would also allow parents to come to you with any questions or concerns they may have about the lessons rather than hearing something from their child.

The other three I can’t quite see myself using in my classroom as I think that too much tech may overwhelm parents who do not have as much experience in using technology. iTunes U, Seesaw, and Blippar are also less common and thus there would be more of a learning curve for both teacher and parents.

Digital citizenship in the high school classroom

The Ministry of Education here in Saskatchewan is making digital citizenship a mandatory part of our curriculum as per the digital citizenship continuum; using both the continuum and the Saskatchewan curriculum I was able to create some lessons to teach in a grade eleven English classroom.

Lesson 1 

Outcomes and indicators

Connection to the continuum:

I would use this lesson at the very beginning of a class; as it sets the tone for use of technology in the classroom.  For this lesson I would begin by explaining what terms of service are and where they can be found; then moving into a class discussion as to why these may be important.  I would then have students go online and find a terms of service page and write a journal entry/blog post about what they found/why certain points may be in the terms of service.  The next day I would work with the class to create a terms of service/responsible use policy for use of technology in the classroom.  This policy would then be displayed in the classroom and sent home to parents, and be a guide for students as to responsible digital citizenship.

Lesson 2

Outcomes and indicators

Connections to the curriculum

For this lesson I would have students in groups of two or three research one of the following topics in regards to online activity/digital citizenship (piracy, gambling, shopping, online fundraising, digital currency) and create a powerpoint based on the information found.  After they present to the class each student would write a blog post/journal article looking deeper into one of the topics that interested them.

Does Twitter belong in schools?

The following conversation has been written in two parts to examine potential perspectives on a classroom Twitter account. Madison Osterhout has taken on the role of a questioning or concerned parent, and I have written the response as a teacher, to advocate for the use of Twitter.

It is important to recognize that not all parents or staff may be ‘on board’ with the use of Twitter in schools, at least not initially. As with any tool or pedagogical technique, we as educators must thoughtfully consider why we do what we do, and be able to explain our reasoning to others when necessary.

Dear Teacher,

When my daughter came home today, she told me the class will be using “a classroom Twitter account.” She’s excited, but I have reservations. Namely, how is Twitter of value to students? And why does it need to be in school? In my opinion, kids are spending far too much time on their devices nowadays. It’s all I can do to get my kids to look up from their phones when I am trying to talk to them. It just seems that social media is taking over and we’re losing something as a society. Everyone is on Facebook, Twitter, and those other social media sites at all hours, filling up every spare minute of their day. And now the thought of it being a part of my daughter’s schooling, too? I just don’t understand. I send my daughter to school to learn, not to waste time online. I’m just not certain that it is a wise use of class time. I certainly respect you as an educator, and hope this letter is not taken in the wrong way, but I am hoping you can help me understand. Like all parents, I just want my daughter to receive the best education possible. 

Thank you,

A Concerned Parent 

Dear Concerned Parent

Thank you for taking the time to write to me. I understand your skepticism in connection with the use of Twitter in my classroom, and hope that this letter may answer some of the questions you have raised. As a teacher I am required by the Saskatchewan government to teach my students about digital citizenship as per the digital citizenship continuum which can be accessed on the Saskatchewan government’s website here; as per this continuum students must “practice communicating appropriately for an intended digital audience and purpose” and “use technology to engage as active citizens” among other things. I plan to reach these objectives by having students use Twitter to connect with one another and the wider community using the popular social network. It is my goal to teach my students how to respectfully and affectively navigate the digital world, which is important in todays technology centered society. It is important for young people to understand how to navigate this online world and begin to create positive digital identities for themselves as a digital presence is required for everything from keeping in touch with friends to applying for jobs nowadays. I look forward to our continued conversation regarding this matter, and welcome any other questions, comments, or concerns that you may have.

Thank you,

Teacher

What are your thoughts on Twitter in the classroom – distraction or asset? Let us know in the comments below!

The balance of teaching digital citizenship

I watched the documentary The Sextortion of Amanda Todd found it extremely eye opening, as I didn’t know the whole story behind her suicide; the extent the extortion had gone to. If you don’t know the story already Amanda Todd was a young girl who was extorted and bullied into committing suicide after pictures of her flashing were released online and sent to people at her school; with the extorters goal being to get more pictures. This documentary really affected me; I felt a lot of anger and disappointment towards the RCMP who told her parents asking for help for their underage daughter who was being extorted that “if Amanda does not stay off the Internet and/or take steps to protect herself online there is only so much we as the police can do”(The Sextortion of Amanda Todd); this essentially teaches kids to not come forward with issues surrounding the internet as they would have to give up their online identity. I also felt both hope and sadness; hope when I did research afterwards and found that there is a person believed to be connected with Amanda’s extortion in custody (Vanmala and Lundman), and that law enforcement will take future cases more seriously, and sadness because this all came much to late to save Amanda.

Knowing that there are places on the internet where adults will gather and coldly and methodically plan the extortion of a young girl is extremely terrifying, and made me realize the importance of teaching online literacy/digital citizenship in my future classrooms. This is important because hopefully we can encourage our students to both become a part of the many inviting communities that can be found online and to alert us if they find something that they are uncomfortable with rather than trying to deal with it on their own. One thing I worry about is how to teach my students to be wary of the internet without making it seem evil, as I know in my educational experience this was not the case; our teachers didn’t know the internet very well if at all and taught us to stay away from it. This teaching method led to us finding our own way into the vast areas of the internet with no support system. It seems like a delicate balance between teaching them about how to be safe/create positive digital identities while supporting them through their exploration.

“The Sextortion of Amanda Todd.” The Fifth Estate. Prod./director, Tamar
Weinstein; prod., Rachel Houlihan. WEB. CBC, 2013.

Vanmala, Surbramaniam and Lundman, Susan. “Dutch man suspected of tormenting Amanda
Todd had 75 other victims, Facebook report says.” CBS News-Canada. CBS News-
Canada, 5 December 2014. Web. 18 October 2015.