Technology in the Classroom

As a recent graduate from the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT), I would say that technology is used in my classroom on a daily basis. Below is a working list of some technology and how my teaching partner Trista Dutt and I use them in our classroom:

• SMART Board: morning message, DPA (gonoodle.com), learning collages (reflecting on what was learned/what students wish to learn, YouTube, read-aloud stories, educational games, transitions
• IPad: documenting students learning through photos/video/audio/pic collages/google docs, educational games such as letter tracing, allowing the students to document their own learning and voice, sharing documentation with staff, admin, parents, and other educators through our social media accounts (IG: Educate.Invest.Inspire IG: KindieKorner P: educate.invest.inspire P: Trista Dutt) 
• Laptops/Computers: to print off lesson plans, instructions for experiments, checking e-mails (parent/staff/admin communication), educational games and websites for students to access, research for teachers and students, collaborating and creating lesson plans, writing blogs
• Cell Phones: often used when IPads have run out of battery and are charging back up
• Document Camera: Our Tech Lead has recently asked if we could put one of these to use, to which we responded most definitely! In our FDK class we could use these for projecting our storybooks during our daily read alouds, presenting any work or small items so everyone can see it, and much more!

Over the 6 years of my educational career and work experience with children, I have compiled a variety of web-based resources and APPs which assist me in providing the best innovative educational programs and learning opportunities to meet the needs of all students. 

I have included a list of resources that my ICT professor Laura Morrison curated for us at UOIT:

Movie Making Programs

• Movie Maker
• iMovie
• Animoto
• PopcornMaker

Storymaking Programs:

• Comic Life
• Comic Master
• iBooks 
• Storybird

Digital Poster Making Tools:

• Glogster
• Tackk
• Smore
• Thinglink
• Canva

Curation Tools:

• Evernote
• Mindmeister
• Diigo
• Storify
• Symbaloo
• Pinterest

Accommodation Tools:

• Dragon
• SmartIDEAS
• VoiceThread
• Word Q

Collaborative Brainstorming Tools:

• Mindmeister
• Popplet 
• Linoit
• Padlet

Feedback/Tutorial Tools:

• Screencast-o-matic
• GoodNotes

Online Learning Tools:

• Desire2Learn
• GoogleSites
• Weebly
• Wix
• Wikispaces

Social Media Tools:

• Google Hangouts
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Tumblr
• Vine
• Twitter
• Edmodo
• Ning
• Celly

Math Tools:

• ixl.com
• funbrain.com
• link to learning
• nlvm.com 

Another great resource that I have recently found out about is EducatorsLog which is an “app that has been specifically designed by teachers for teachers to help them meet classroom expectations. EducatorsLog provides fast and efficient methods for documenting student learning for all grades including full day kindergarten” (Spence). 

Should you wish to learn more about this you may visit: www.educatorsLog.com.

I look forward to trying this APP within my classroom!

I have recently completed my Mathematics Pt.1 AQ, ESL Pt.1 AQ, Reading Pt.1 AQ, and Health and Physical Education ABQ where I have received and curated a variety of web-based resources and APPs that are specific to Mathematics, ESL, Reading, and Health and Physical Education. Should you wish to obtain some of these subject specific resources, you may leave a comment or e-mail me at educate.invest.inspire@gmail.com  

I feel that educators are always learning and growing as individuals and as professionals. To further my professional development and knowledge base in Technology I will be attending an EdTech Camp Conference which is hosted by York Region District School Board on April 9th, 2016. This conference will allow educators to gain practical insights into how to use Google Apps for education and other technology tools and resources in their school in with their students. I feel that this conference will strengthen my technological skills within a classroom setting. Thank you to Trista Dutt for informing me of this wonderful learning opportunity!

I would like to leave you with this quote:

Technology in the classroom allows us to better prepare students for the future. Teaching content, methods, criteria, are constantly changing and adapting to meet the needs, interests, abilities, and future career paths for our students. We cannot teach our students today how we were taught in prior generations because there has been so many advancements in technology, in content, in methods/strategies. All children are capable, competent, and creative and we need to provide them with the resources for them to be able to express that.

If you have any additional resources you would like to share with me, please do as I enjoy learning about new technology!

Fostering an Inclusive and Respectful Learning Community

As an Educator I foster an inclusive and respectful learning community where everyone feels safe and valued by maintaining positive relationships and infusing TRIBES in my classroom. “The TRIBES process not only establishes a caring environment for cooperative learning, but provides structure for positive interaction and community for working groups whether in the classroom, the faculty, the administration, or the parent community” (Gibbs, 2006, p. 9).

The 4 pillars of TRIBES are:

1. Mutual Respect
2. Attentive Listening
3. Appreciations/ No Put-downs
4. Right to pass/participate

**Research shows that bullying is decreased by 80% when TRIBES is implemented in schools and becomes a whole-school initiative.

The 4 pillars can be infused within any grade level. I have previously implemented it through the co-creation of a teach chart (looks like/sounds like/feels like) at the beginning of the year and referred to it throughout the year for consistency and to build community. The 4 pillars are our classroom agreements which all staff and students strive to uphold.

Currently, I have created TRIBES Transition sticks where both myself and my teaching partner Trista Dutt implement TRIBES activities during transitions and in community circle. 

Some examples of the TRIBES activities are: 

• Something good (each child shares something good that happened to them either that day, week, or year)
• Do after me (a repeat after me game where the leader chooses an action and the players follow suit, kind of like Simon Says)
• Wishful thinking (each student shares something positive they want to happen in their lives i.e. to go to the park on the weekend with mom or dad)

An abundance of activities can be found in the book, a sample of what one looks like/entails is shown below:

During the day, there is always opportunity for each of these groupings to take place in our classroom. Large group teachings or gatherings usually takes place within a community circle (children are seated in a circle formation around the carpet). This circle is to represent how the First Nations/Inuit/Metis Peoples sat in a circle for their traditional storytelling/teachings.

Through my Restorative Practice Framework and Circle Training workshop, I learned that it is important to foster a respectful, inclusive community where each individual feels valued and included right from the start. The students also need to be comfortable amongst their peers prior to engaging in community circle because those who feel uncomfortable or those who are bullied will not want to share openly and freely in the group. As an educator it is up to us to create a positive atmosphere from day 1 and have the children collaboratively working together with a growth mindset so that the 4 main pillars of TRIBES can be reflected in our classroom community and community circle can be effectively implemented.

My goal as a teacher in the 21^st century is to create a student-centred classroom. Opposing research proves that “when classrooms are re-organized into student learning groups, ‘teacher talk’ time lessens from 70% to 25% and that 75% of the teachers time can be spent in praising, encouraging initiatives, giving feedback, facilitating student communication, and helping students” (Gibbs, 2006, p. 51-52). Student learning groups are when the desks are arranged into several smaller groups with 4-5 students per group as seen below:

This classroom arrangement fosters active engagement, positive behaviours, collaboration, inquiry, and an inclusive environment. The blue circle represents the teacher who circles around the room and provides encouragement and assistance as needed and the white circles represents the students that are seated in small groups/"tribes" within a community.

Last Summer, prior to commencing the Bachelor of Education program at UOIT the option of attending a TRIBES Learning Community workshop was provided to us. Even though it was presented as optional, I decided to attend because it was advertised that they would provide us with insight on new teaching and learning strategies. Also, I have never been known to turn down a great learning opportunity…and what a great learning opportunity that was! :) That summer I was officially TRIBES trained and I have to say that I infuse TRIBES into my teaching practice on a daily basis for:

• Attention grabbing strategies
• Appreciations
• Energizers
• Behaviour guidance
• Teaching strategies
• Learning Opportunities
• Most Importantly: Community Building which is fostered through the aforementioned points 

I would highly recommend all educators to obtain their TRIBES Certification as it truly is a valuable learning opportunity that is filled with a wealth of teaching and learning resources. 

Visit: TRIBES Learning Communities and watch this video to learn more about what TRIBES is or to obtain certification.

To end off I would like to leave you with a quote that resonated with me from the above video:

 “TRIBES is a process that creates a culture that maximizes human learning and development”