Week+5

Before class: (Feb 6 2010)
//Just heard on CBC Radio 1 : Sparks (Feb7):// There is an 'honesty box' option on Facebook where people can post their opinions of the person anonymously. The teenaged girls in the clip are willing to risk having negative comments, in hopes of having positive ones!
 * Cyberbullying:** I did not attend the session last Monday. I am aware of what cyberbullying is and I know that it can be very difficult for those who are the target of it. It is important to report any cases of bullying (cyber or otherwise) of which I become aware but I do not see myself having a large role with this topic. I will model and promote appropriate behaviour but I am not yet convinced that I will be the person to whom students will turn when they are bullied. I think that I have a plan should I need one for if my own children are bullied. I was teased and bullied in Grade 6 and eventually the main contributor received consequences. It took time. Evidence had to be collected. Once we reached highschool for Grade 7, there was no more bullying for me.


 * Our movies:** Our product shows that we have some mastery of the skills but we did not take the time to generate a highly-polished result. If the school has the equipment I can see using it. I know that we will be discussing how this type of project should be assessed. If a student knows taht the product will be shown to the class, and not just the teacher, this puts a lot of pressure to generate a more professional product. There is a diminishing rate of return for time spent. If my podcast had been an assignment, I would have spent some extra time polishing it (so that the photos matched the text a bit better, for starters). As it was, I felt that I had made a product which was acceptable, and which demonstrated what I had learned.


 * Markbook and other similar software:** During my practicum I was exposed to Markbook. My AT showed me how it worked and then I did input data. I am quite content to use the software provided. There seemed to be plenty of opportunity to print out pages so that there was a sense that the data was backed up. I liked the seating plans and classlist possibilities. My AT incorporated marks input into his day and it did not seem to be an issue that he could not do it at home.


 * Marking products generated with technology:** I think that is is important to remember that it is the content of the output/product which is important. The clarity of the presentation and the material, how well-organized it is, and how well it demonstrates learning can all be done independently from the technology. The issue comes when the technology hinders the content, just like messy handwriting can make it harder to 'receive' the message. The skill is in separating the medium from the message :-)


 * Plagiarism:** This is an on-going challenge. I am more concerned about **collaborations**. At lower grades parents are often very involved in homework. This should evolve over time. By high school a parent may nag, proofread, quiz, chauffeur, or whatever that does not involve original thought. The ideas must come from the students. In elementary school a parent may identify a selection of suitable (subject and level) resources for a project from which the child selects the ones to use. By high school the parent may discuss the strategies to find the resources but should not be finding them. They can buy the materials, but not create the list. Support, not do! Last week I wrote about translator software. It is a tool.


 * Smartboards:** I`ve seen them. My brother who teaches grade 3 loves his. My thought is: if there is one, I should use it to create some student-centred lessons/activities. If it's not there, oh well. I will have a plan for uncooperative technology anyways. It is another tool for the teaching and learning.