IDC Blog

 Project Weighting

Placements:

-Spent lots of time doing this in class and at home

-Had two placements so we had a lot to do

Blogs:

-Spent time at school and home to finish these blogs

-Spent a lot of time writing and editing the blog posts

Project 3:

-The website project lasted for about 5 weeks to update the visuals and content

-Took a long time to get all the information in order to post everything on the website

Project 2, Project 4, Greatest Hits:

-I spent a few days doing these projects

-Did not take that long to finish, just lots of work to do but was simple work

Give Back Project, Additional Tasks:

-The give back project lasted for like 2 hours so it did not take long to complete

-The additional tasks that we helped with a science teacher was simple to do and took about 3 days to finish

What part of the course did you enjoy the most? Why?

I enjoyed the course overall. It was really interesting and a different style compared to "traditional" classrooms. I liked how there were no tests and just assignments that weighed a lot because I generally do better on assignments rather than tests. Also, I learned many skills that I can carry around throughout my life such as how to use Google Docs or Google Drive.

What part of the course did you enjoy the least? Why?

     While working on the William Lyon Mackenzie C.I. website, there were many problems along the way. However, one of the biggest problems that we faced was getting the content from the club members of the Boys to Men group. To overcome this challenge, we went to the Boys to Men club meeting and asked them to email us the content as soon as possible so that we can wrap up the project. Overall in my opinion, the project went quite smoothly and we finished most of the assigned tasks on time.

     If I were to be involved with a project similar to the website project, I would approach it the same way as we did with this one. The reason is because I liked how well organized it was.

     The TED Talk with Mikko Hypponen is basically about how the NSA has gone too far and intruded into people’s online privacy. There is a law where if any foreigners go onto any owned American entity (eg: Google, Facebook, Skype, etc.), the people who work for the NSA is basically allowed to watch what you are doing and keep a record of it. One of his supporting points is how Edward Snowden leaked the information of what the NSA was doing and spread the information of how the government has surveillance of what we do when accessing American entities. The argument of the speaker is that it is wrong to intrude into people’s online privacy.

     I agree with this because it is wrong for someone to be watching over everything you do. For example, it can feel like a person is following you everywhere you go and taking notes on what you are doing. Obviously you would feel uncomfortable and feel that your privacy has been invaded.

     As a consultant hired by the TDSB, I would consider having tablets, interactive whiteboards, and game based learning as the tools/strategies that will be taught in this school. I feel that these are really effective tools for most students of the 21st century because of how much we depend on technology.

      Tablets: I feel that tablets are an effective tool because it helps everyone visualize the thing that they are learning. For example, if students are in a biology class, they can visualize and explore the different types of systems in the body. Also, I feel that tablets replace textbooks because students can just get the file for the textbook and put it on the tablet. Another point why tablets are an effective tool is that if student do not understand a point brought up while the teacher is teaching, they can go on the internet and Google what they do not understand.

     Interactive Whiteboards: Interactive whiteboards are an effective tool especially in courses that needs a picture with the explanation. For example, in math, I find it helpful when teachers can draw the graph in various colours to represent different functions and compare them. Also, the teacher can show videos or a good site for test reviews during the lesson. Another feature is that teachers can store notes from the lesson and post them online for students to see. 

     Yes I agreed with the material presented. When I look at the education system now after the video, I see that our education system is like this so the more education you get, the higher pay your job is. From the video, I almost believe that all of us has become alienated so that we see a purpose to go to school. However, it is also true that we need education for a good job. For example, if you were to become a doctor, you need the knowledge on how to identify different signs and symptoms of the patient in order to find out what is wrong with them. I think that they wait and give you other things to do in high school ,like taking math that you won't use in the real world (advanced functions), so that we could have time to mature and grow up to see what we really want to become. Personally, I learn best through visual and demonstration of what we are learning. For example, in math, my teacher taught us a lesson and then went over several examples on what we just learned.

     For most classes, I do not take away the knowledge I learn unless I need it or is related to my future career. The things that I do take away from classes is life lessons that are taught by the teacher sometimes in class. For example, one of my teachers always relates what we are doing to something she encountered during her life through school. I feel that this is really useful information especially because we are going through the education route and it is important to see what it is really like going through school and see how the real world operates. 

Goals and Tasks For Week 6

Plan for October 28th-November 1st:

- Do blog prompt 5

- Go on Wednesday for special education teacher

- Do technology and learning project

October 28th-November 1st Review:

- Finished blog prompts

- Have more things to do for special education teacher

- Special education teacher wants us to make his website from the previous people who made a template for him. In the end we have to make a whole new website for him

     For our placement, our teacher wanted a documentation on how to update her website for her grade 10 science and grade 11 chemistry class. We also included extra links and resources (jeopardy, science games, test reviews)  for her grade 10 science and grade 11 chemistry class. Overall, I really enjoyed the experience because I also learned a lot. I learned how to use Google Sites and how to update the site. I also learned how it feels to have clients (teachers) and teach them, which is a great experience for jobs with a similar concept.

     The thing that went well with our placement is that our teacher was really satisfied with the documentation and extra resources we gave her. Also, we completed early so we did not have to stress it until the last week to finish it. 

     The most difficult part of our placement was researching on how to update her website. To research on how to do this, we played around on her site mainly with Google Calendar. After we found out how to use it, it was simple to write out the documentation on how to do this for her. 

     I think that our placement was a huge success based on her satisfied reaction with the documentation and extra resources. She also told us that it was an excellent documentation which was very neat, organized, and well structured.  

     I think that the project is useful because it really helps the teachers learn new pieces of technology that they did not have back in the old days. We taught our science teacher how to update her website so she can post notes, extra resources, and test review things on the site for the students in her class. From personal experience, I find it helpful if the teacher posts the notes and extra resources on their site. This is because I can listen better in class while the teacher is explaining a lesson rather than worrying about copying down the notes while trying to listen to the teacher explaining the lesson. Also, with the extra resources and test reviews, I find it really helpful because it refreshes your memory of everything you have studied for.

Goals and Tasks For Week 5

Plan for October 21st-25th:

- Continue with portfolio for Science Teacher Placement

- Work on placement with Special Education Teacher

- Learn how to connect Website to Facebook and Facebook to Website, add a donate button on Facebook that goes to the Donation page on website, make Facebook page and website accessible through the school website, and hyperlink on Facebook to associated associations for Special Education Teacher

October 21st-25th Review:

- Finished portfolio for Science Teacher Placement

Goals and Tasks For Week 4 

Plan for October 15th-18th:

- Meet with Special Education Teacher to see what we have to do or if he even needs us to do anything

- Wrap up placement with Science Teacher

- Work on blog to wrap up placement (For Science Teacher)

- Work on portfolio to wrap up placement (For Science Teacher)

October 15th-18th Review:

- Finished placement with Science Teacher

- Worked on portfolio for Science Teacher

Goals and Tasks For Week 3

Plan for October 7th-11th:

- Talk to special education teacher.

- Meet with special education teacher on Wednesday (October 9th).

- Confirm to meet with science teacher this Friday (October 11th).

- Learn/review material needed to teach science teacher on Friday.

- Teach material to science teacher on Friday during the P.A Day.

- Edit documentation for science teacher for Friday October 11th.

October 7th-11th Review:

- Talked to special education teacher, will meet on Wednesday (October 9th).

     My placement meets the number 2 skill in the interdisciplinary and ICT knowledge because our placement consists of using Google Docs to update the website.

     In the thinking and inquiry section, our placement meets the skill of number 1, 3, and 4. We demonstrate planning an ICT project and show initiative because we are planning the what to do with the science teacher's website and also we show initiative by trying to find the special education teacher everyday during period 2 and during lunch. We demonstrate showing creativity when using ICT when making the document for the science teacher. This is because we included screen shots for each step with the document to show her visually what to click on. We demonstrate the ability to reflect on personal learning and planing skills because if we do not know how to do something, we would search it up and learn how to do it ourselves to teach the teacher how to do it too. For example, we did not know how to insert a flash animation/game in a powerpoint but we searched it up and found resources on how to do it. 

     In the communication section, we demonstrate skill 1, 2, 3, and 4. We demonstrate professional instructional and informational written documents because she wants us to make a write up on how to update her website and show her the other skills that we wants to learn. We demonstrate the skill to create professional multimedia content to communicate with a variety of audiences because we are teaching her how to put animations in her powerpoint to show to her students. We communicate with the teacher clearly and effectively so we can get the information needed in order to edit the website. We demonstrate creating professional material with no spelling/grammar errors and is concise by using Microsoft Word because it has to grammar and spell check option. Also, we can go back and edit our work.  

Goals and Tasks For Week 2

Plan for September 30th-October 4th:

- Finish documentation for science teacher on how to edit website, insert YouTube videos in powerpoint, how to upload, and how to create/update the calendar.

- Meet with special education teacher if we can find him.

- Plan to meet with science teacher.

September 30th-October 4th Review:

- Done documentation for science teacher. Will review how to do the stuff to teach her next Friday (October 11th, 2013).

- Finally met with special education teacher.

Goals and Tasks For Week 1

Plan for September 24th-27th is to meet with teachers to find out what they want. What we have to do:

-Meet with teacher placements to find out what we are doing

-Science teacher wants calendar, post notes/memos, embed YouTube videos in powerpoint. Have to find out how to do that.

-Teach science teacher how to download YouTube videos and embed them.

-Get a documentation on how to do this stuff for science teacher to do it in the future.

-Get science teacher's email, classroom, location, get powerpoints and notes/memos.

-Meet with special education teacher to find out if he needs our help or to see what he needs.

September 24th-27th Review:

Got what science teacher wants from site.

Got science teacher's contact information, website and powerpoint slides.

     I am a procrastinator. I procrastinate projects with far away due dates, assignments that I find to be boring, and essays in English or other courses. This relates to the four components of the procrastination equation which is expectancy, value, impulsiveness, and delay.

     For English and other courses that I have to write an essay for, I expect to not do that well so I procrastinate until the night before and write the essay. I also do this for boring assignments such as daily logs in gym or when I had music in Grade 9. Another component that fits in is the value of the course/assignment. For example, if I had a health project for gym due and a math test tomorrow, I would study for the math test instead for doing the health project because I value it less.

     The two last components to the equation are impulsiveness and delay. When I have a project with a far away due date, I tend to wait until the last week to start on it. But then I delay and I keep it until the last day to finish it. I fall into all the bits of the procrastination equation.

     I use technology to learn by searching things that I do not understand on Google. Also I use Facebook to talk to friends and classmates about a question that I do not get on the homework or an assignment. Another way technology helps me learn is on Skype. I can contact my friends and we can talk about a question that we have trouble with.

     Classes that use more technology appeal to me because I find it really helpful to have notes/assignment sheets online because the papers could be misplaced or I did not have enough time to copy the slide for the notes in class. With notes online, it makes it easier to understand what the teacher is saying and absorb the information rather than struggling to scribble down the notes and trying to pay attention to what the teacher is saying.