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Final Thoughts and Takeaways

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  Final Thoughts and Takeaways           This course allowed me to see so many fantastic uses of technology for myself as an educator and for the students that I will be teaching for years to come. One major takeaway that I found with this course was the use of Twitter and blogging as a way to retrieve information for lessons and to also share my work with other educators and students. I found that during my practicum, I was able to use both of these resources as a great support if I was ever looking for creative, COVID-friendly lessons and activities for the grade fives that I was teaching. I also found this course to be incredibly helpful in easing any concerns that I would've had if I had to switch to teaching virtually in my practicum. Furthermore, it was really exciting to look more into learning about coding for kids as this was an area that I had never known anything about and I know that coding is something that we are going to be seeing more a...

Coding For Kids!

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 Coding for Kids! Click on this image to access my Scratch lesson plan! Creating this lesson allowed me to understand how many different directions I could bring coding into the classroom with my future students. I was able to understand how coding isn't restricted to only mathematics, but can be used in all curricular areas. In this lesson, I planned to use Scratch at the Grade 6 Level in the unit of Trees and Forests. This lesson integrates both the ICT and Science curricular outcomes seamlessly and this is a lesson that I really hope I will get to teach one day! In this activity, students would be challenged to use scratch in order to create a code that would provide viewers with a mini presentation about an animal that lives in our Canadian Forests. Students would choose a sprite, and insert different movements and comments in order to share at least 5 interesting facts about the creature of their choice. By the end of this lesson, students would have an incredible grasp of ho...

Digitally Connecting With Nature

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 Digitally Connecting With Nature Click on this image to access my lesson plan! This lesson was inspired by our partners' interaction with the educational app that they taught their peer technology lesson on. This lesson provides students with the opportunity to use the app called SkyView Lite in order to connect with nature and build an understanding of constellations and how the earth works. In my future practice, I would definitely use this app as a tool with my students in order to encourage students in their relationship with nature. As technology evolves, we must also adapt as teachers and find exciting ways to engage students by using their interests and also encourage positive relationships with the land we inhabit. I hope that I will have the opportunity to teach this lesson one day in the classroom as I believe it would prove to be an inventive and exciting way to engage students in deeper connections with nature.

Machu Picchu Exploration

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 Machu Picchu Exploration  (A Virtual Field Trip) Click this image to access my virtual tour! This is a virtual field trip of Machu Picchu that I created using Google Tour Creator. This was an exciting and educational activity for me to take part in. In my future teaching practice, I could see myself using this in integrative lessons using technology, where students are asked to create a tour that provides both historical and scientific information about natural sights around the world. This would be a great tool during a time such as this when much of our teaching is forced to be online and is also a great resource for students to feel like they get to travel around the world. 

A Mini Lesson In Technology

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  A Mini Lesson Using Scratch! My group had the chance to teach a mini lesson on using scratch as a technology tool. We found that it was very engaging with all of the exciting features it offers. Our peers were excited to take part in the activities and enjoyed experimenting with this tool and overall, it was a success! Our peers were also able to show us their understanding of using this tool to create a mini band which exemplified their ability to manipulate technology in a way that made sense to them. One thing I would change for next time is simply making sure we don't lose track of time with the excitement of this tool! In my future practice, I could see myself using this tool in music classes or in the arts. I could also encourage students to use this tool as a way for them to creatively create presentations as I noticed that the user is able to record their own voice and place it into their scratch creations! How cool! Click this image to access the lesson plan my group cre...

Digital Story

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  This digital story gives a brief history of the history of the Stoney Nakoda Nation and Nakoda Elementary School while providing insight into what I have carried away from this experience that is applicable to my future teaching practice. I used the program called Screencastify and also used Google Slides for this creation.

Twitter and Education

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 Twitter in Education: Is it Useful? I am quite new to the Twitter-world, but have been blown away by how useful Twitter can be as a resource for myself as a future educator. Through following some of my peers, educational "gurus" and educational mentors, I have discovered what a useful tool Twitter can be when used effectively. I have seen some of these educational influencers use Twitter as a way of keeping parents up-to-date with news in the school and classroom, teachers share articles that they have found interesting, and many people sharing advice about how they have approached different road-blocks in the classroom.Twitter is an incredible resource for educators, parents, and students. I have been so impressed with all of the information that is so accessible through Twitter and look forward to using Twitter even more as I move further in my educational career! Some educational "gurus" that I have found helpful: @mr_polsky @BredahlHeidi @ksonico @nvaughan @Po...