Posts

End of Semester

Image
  What did you learn or “take-away” from this course and how has your perspective about integrating technology into K to 6 education changed/grown throughout the course? This course has been very interesting and helpful in regards to integrating technology into a classroom, especially this year with its extenuating circumstances. At the beginning of the semester, I was worried about students relying on external technology to solve problems for them, as well as take up their free time. This worried me because of the amount of parents I would see using technology to distract their child, and how that might affect their focus and attitude towards technology in the classroom. However, in my experience this year, many students had useful knowledge to share with me about apps I thought I knew everything about. I was shocked and delighted to see that they didn't really get distracted, and stayed on task whenever they were given technology to use. I think I am still cautious about how muc...
1 comment
Read more

Coding for Kids

Image
  Coding is something that I am almost entirely unfamiliar with. In our society, coding is made out to be a big, scary endeavor which only professionals and technology experts have access to. However, since coding and technology are becoming more and more important in students lives, and in the Education system, it is imperative that we teach students the basics when they are young so that they do not fear coding, but instead have an understanding of it.  Scratch has proven to be a fantastic avenue for young coders, it allows students to understand the basic of coding without the intimidating aspects that come with complex programs. I have created a basic lesson that allows for the introduction of coding to be made easy in an elementary classroom, and gives students an opportunity to see how and why coding is so important. Lesson Plan Link here!
1 comment
Read more

Digitally Connecting With Our Natural World

Image
  This week, we focused on creating a lesson plan that focuses on digitally connecting with our natural world. I took this as an opportunity for students to take technology outside the classroom and use it for inquiry and research purposes in the Small crawling and flying animals unit. My lesson plan can be read here! I plan to use technology like this in the future, not only because tech is becoming so prevalent in young students lives, but also because students should be able to see the benefits of using technology for research instead of using it for games, or as a class distraction. I really think that the application of technologies in the classroom have unlimited potential for creating engaging, and meaningful lessons that foster skills for students to use in later grades, as well as in their personal lives.
1 comment
Read more

Virtual Field Trip - Chernobyl

Image
  My virtual field trip takes place in the Chernobyl exclusion zone in Ukraine. I chose to use this location as an example of how I can use virtual field trips in my future practice.       As we are well aware by this point, field trips are becoming more difficult to plan. This is largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the inability to visit public places in large groups. Virtual field tips such as these are extremely handy as teachers, as we can plan out specific points of interest that we can educate students with. The great thing about these points of interest is the also allow students to explore the surrounding areas, and make observations about the areas presented.      In my example, students would be able to see three key areas surrounding the Chernobyl blast zone without any risk of radiation, and can also view more areas within the city of Pripyat. Not only is it beneficial to students in that they can visually explore these areas, b...
1 comment
Read more

Blog 4 - Teaching with Kahoot

Image
  Link to our Lesson Plan  and Slides What Worked? Creating the lesson over Kahoot was a breeze, it was so intuitive and user friendly that I think I could even throw a quiz together in class and have it ready for students within 15 minutes. However, one thing that did not work because I did not troubleshoot it was the actual link to the Kahoot. I was able to have students join in, although they weren't able to see the questions or answers for some reason. Just another online-teaching mishap that I get the benefit of learning from though! Any challenges I encountered? I encountered problems mostly with the format of the app. Students had used Kahoot before and so they were familiar with how it was supposed to work, unfortunately when I tried to have them play through a pre-made Kahoot, they apparently could not see the questions or the answers so they had to completely guess what the correct answer was. I think I need to spend a bit more time with the app to fully grasp its fu...
1 comment
Read more

My First Nations Digital Story

Image
You can access my Digital Story Here!  I talk about the treaties signed by the Stoney-Nakoda First Nation, review a brief history of Indigenous Schooling and Residential schools, and I talk about what I learned and want to bring with me into my future teaching practice!  Make sure you click the audio buttons on each slide to hear me talking! -Mr. Graham
1 comment
Read more

The Ever-Expanding Resource

Image
  The internet has changed the way we look at the world around us...mostly because we look at everything through our phones now, but that doesn't mean we can't use that to our advantage as teachers! As we navigate this new technological landscape, we must find ways to innovate, create, and share our knowledge across a variety of platforms. This includes sharing resources with our fellow teachers, and giving streamlined access to resources for our students. Luckily, we have the tools to be able to do that with a variety of websites! One of these websites is Twitter, which was honestly the last website I expected to use, however its applications are already proving to be useful in many ways.  From instant access to the most urgent news stories, to interesting facts and technological discoveries, it is a very diverse and accessible application. As teachers, we can use this resource to spearhead research, cooperative learning opportunities, and incorporate multiple subjects with c...
2 comments
Read more