the end is near

So the AQ course on technology in education is coming to and end....but not my use of technology in education....both the education of my students and my own education.   Today I will be attached to my laptop once again...it has become another appendage....as I work with my teaching partner on MxWeb writing final reports for the year. It is amazing that, although we spend so much time creating electronic files, my dining room topography is mountains of paper piles.

This course has taught me a great deal...including being able to recognize how much I already know, and of course, how much more there is to learn.  New programs, websites, apps etc. appear everyday.  It would be impossible to keep up with everything, and not everything is useful to me.  Being selective, sharing personal experiences and learning from others is essential to the effective use of technology in education..and in general.  A person could easily spend thousands of dollars on equipment and programs unnecessarily....only to find they have a lot of useless stuff.  Listening to peers and checking out free trials is a great start.

Computers and technology in education are essential, but that is not all there is to 21st Century Learning.  It is choosing the best tool for the job and knowing how to use it effectively.  Sometimes a pencil and piece of paper are still the best tools.  As educators we need to assist our students in the choosing of tools and how to best utilize them.  Having the fastest computer or newest tablet is irrelevant if you don't know how to effectively operate them.  And with the rapid pace that things change in technology, the valuable learning is in the ability to adapt, explore, apply and not fear....difficult skills to teach...but essential for success.

Thanks for the Memories

So the power point presentations were completed and the Closing Ceremonies a success.  It can be very difficult to create a presentation that contains all the pertinent information and images, but that doesn't drag on forever.  The accompanying music or sound bites also play an important role in the presentation and can help elicit the desired response.  Knowing the audience and the purpose of a presentation is key.  Unfortunately, we had two audiences and one presentation which made things more difficult.  We had to please the  Grade JK to 6 students during the morning assembly, and alumni of a variety of ages in the evening.  The students did enjoy seeing how kids dressed in the sixties and seventies, and of course, how their teachers used to look (except for Mr. Rush, who still looks exactly the same).

Working with the students to create the presentations was a great deal of fun, and for the most part, a positive experience. The biggest problem was time.  Everyone was overwhelmed with preparations for the open house, along with EQAO and regular studies, plus sports, dance and artistic endeavours. The fact that the materials from the archives were not available until a day before the 'big day' also left a big whole in our collection of images.  Our original intention was to present life at the school 'Through the Years' by grouping images by the decade. We wanted to accompany each set of images with popular music from that decade. A serious lack of photos from the seventies while creating the slide show necessitated a change in plans (these photos arrived the day of, and were put on a bulletin board).  Instead the images were organized into staff photos, class photos, and event photos and the soundtrack was of a more sentimental nature (Good Riddance by Greed Day, Here I Am by Bryan Adams and Sarah McLachlan's I Will Remember You).  The presentation concluded with a salute to contributions of staff, students and community in a segment expressing how even though there are big changes happening at our school, some things will remain the same. In the end, it all turned out pretty good.....even the weather co-operated on the big night.

Live, Love, Laugh, Learn