Friday, January 28, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Family Literacy Day
Monday, January 24, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
GED Student Stepping into the Ring
Jolene Ballantyne from Creighton will be writing her GED on January 27th. She has been a very dedicated and hard working student from the beginning and I know she will do great.
Good Luck Jolene!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Twitter? Social Media in the Classroom? Are you Crazy?
Social media in the classroom has been unfairly criticized by the fundamentalists as something that is distracting and adds to the already difficult management of a classroom. I equate it with not taking your dog out for a walk because it's more work for you, regardless of the potential benefits.
Two quick examples of how Twitter can not only function in a school setting, but thrive, are explained in the presentation by Samantha Morra below.
Firstly, the ability to rapidly disseminate information. The reality is more students are carrying cell phones and the trend seems to be cell phones becoming the main web connecting tool. Instantly, information such as meetings, dates, reminders, or emergencies can be sent and digested in a fraction of the time it took previously. Teachers can post a topic and instantly have a class brainstorming session OUTSIDE of the classroom, with students contributing from ANYWHERE in the world.
Secondly, the efficiency of collaboration with colleagues and other professionals. Professional Learning Communities are present in many schools and the ability to use a social networking tool like Twitter to collaborate anytime, anywhere makes for a continuing collaboration; as opposed to meeting within a confined space and time. Wouldn't you like to instantly get feedback on a problem you are experiencing, reflect on a great lesson, showcase a student's talent, or just see how a person's day went. Together we are better.
Two quick examples of how Twitter can not only function in a school setting, but thrive, are explained in the presentation by Samantha Morra below.
Firstly, the ability to rapidly disseminate information. The reality is more students are carrying cell phones and the trend seems to be cell phones becoming the main web connecting tool. Instantly, information such as meetings, dates, reminders, or emergencies can be sent and digested in a fraction of the time it took previously. Teachers can post a topic and instantly have a class brainstorming session OUTSIDE of the classroom, with students contributing from ANYWHERE in the world.
Secondly, the efficiency of collaboration with colleagues and other professionals. Professional Learning Communities are present in many schools and the ability to use a social networking tool like Twitter to collaborate anytime, anywhere makes for a continuing collaboration; as opposed to meeting within a confined space and time. Wouldn't you like to instantly get feedback on a problem you are experiencing, reflect on a great lesson, showcase a student's talent, or just see how a person's day went. Together we are better.
Introduction to Twitter for Educators
View more presentations from Samantha Morra.
What does your personal learning network look like?
I like to think that we learn something new every day, or at least more pieces for own puzzles are found. Some of what we learn comes as a direct result of living our daily lives and bumping into ideas or unexpected circumstances. The interesting thing is that there will always be more “brain food” out there than we can possibly absorb and we have the ability to make choices about what interests we follow. People around us who “know things” and are willing to share are part of our immediate personal learning network. Our ability to access information through our “immediate” learning network is dependent on how many discoveries our friends are willing to share with us and what we in turn are able to contribute to this network.
Fortunately, we have books, film, music and the Internet that allow us to access ideas that others beyond our immediate network have decided to share with the world. We are more connected than now than any previous time in human existence. So what?
In this age of digital communication, we can have access to huge learning networks, but it is up to us to create and develop the kind of learning network that suits us. We have the ability to select pieces of information that help us make sense of the world. We can aggregate news, automatically follow what others have written in blogs, establish connections with people through social networking tools like Facebook and Twitter but the thing that connects is our own contribution. We have to interact in some way to make our personal learning network meaningful. We must be citizens of a larger learning community.
Expanding personal personal learning networks requires commitment and time. The time we take to develop a personal learning network will be reflected in the ways we access and share ideas. The tools for learning are all around us. It is up to us to make it happen.
Fortunately, we have books, film, music and the Internet that allow us to access ideas that others beyond our immediate network have decided to share with the world. We are more connected than now than any previous time in human existence. So what?
In this age of digital communication, we can have access to huge learning networks, but it is up to us to create and develop the kind of learning network that suits us. We have the ability to select pieces of information that help us make sense of the world. We can aggregate news, automatically follow what others have written in blogs, establish connections with people through social networking tools like Facebook and Twitter but the thing that connects is our own contribution. We have to interact in some way to make our personal learning network meaningful. We must be citizens of a larger learning community.
Expanding personal personal learning networks requires commitment and time. The time we take to develop a personal learning network will be reflected in the ways we access and share ideas. The tools for learning are all around us. It is up to us to make it happen.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Arianna Huffington: How to succeed? Get more sleep
In this short talk, Arianna Huffington shares a small idea that can awaken much bigger ones: the power of a good night's sleep. Instead of bragging about our sleep deficits, she urges us to shut our eyes and see the big picture: We can sleep our way to increased productivity and happiness -- and smarter decision-making.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Cuba!
Everyone needs to get out and see another part of the world. This Christmas I was fortunate to travel to Veradero, Cuba. The experience opened my eyes to the differences in the language, history and culture of the Cuban society. It made me appreciate Canada and helped me to "slow" down and enjoy the moment by practicing patience.
This "sandman" was made by a group from Montreal. They are improvising and keeping up with their winter traditions. Many Canadians travel to Cuba in the winter. In fact our tour guide told us that there are usually 55,000 Canadians in Cuba during the cold season!
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