Well we had to come up with a "plan" for our own learning, and since I've been working on a number of things... mainly trying to find stuff that engages the students and holds their interest, as well as making my life easier rather than harder. Here goes...
C:\
cd\the plan
C:\The Plan
/dir
...
1. Learning Goals/Objective:
A. To develop and implement a course website
i. Video tutorials
ii. Course content for parents
iii. Daily lesson plan for students to review missed work
iv. Links to course related materials
v. Message board to generate online discussions
B. To create Video/podcast tutorials from lessons
i. Learn to use:
a. Jing
b. Vixy.net
c. Miro.net
2. Resources:
A. Internet tutorial sites
i. Creative Cow
ii. Video Apex
iii. DVXuser.com
iv. XSlimits
B. Mike Schoenhals (Film teacher at Heritage Woods)
C. Jodey Udell (Multimedia teacher at Glen Eagle)
D. Spencer Dunlop (Tech. at Port Moody Secondary)
3. Implementation:
A. Research various options for a course website:
i. Sharepoint (via district)
ii. Wiki's
a. wikispaces.com
iii. Website
a. Create my own (html, dreamweaver, etc...)
b. Free hosting/creating site
- googlespaces
- others?
B. Become an expert on Jing (free version... too cheap to purchase full version):
i. Download program
ii. Install program
iii. Watch online tutorials at jing.com
iv. Play around with program until comfortable with it.
C. Find online resources and useful links/sites:
i. Pay attention to all the cool sites talked about in LTT
ii. Stay in contact with my Resource people
iii. Search the internet
a. google
b. RSS feeds
c. message boards
/dir
C:\The Plan
cd..
C:\
Shutdown
...
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Defining Assumptions
1. An assumption I have about teaching and/or learning is:
That students need structure in order to stay focused and on task; to learn, to feel comfortable and safe enough to explore. If they don’t see a clear “leader” they will not step outside of their comfort zone.
2. Because I assume this to be true, when I create a learning environment I pay attention to:
The layout of the classroom, seating plans, and who works with who. I also make sure that students will be put into “uncomfortable” situations (ie. away from their friends) so that they can succeed on their own. I don’t tolerate disrespect.
3. Because I assume this to be true, when I create a learning environment I do not pay attention to:
The benefits of connecting on a personal level with the students. I often focus on the “this is what we need to get done” side of things and I don’t pay enough attention to getting to know the students. Part of this is that I am still learning to be comfortable with being “myself” around the students and finding the balance between being a “teacher” and being friendly. I put distance between myself and them because I worry that I will lose their respect if I’m just the “guy who tries to be cool.” I know that I need to bring more of my personality into the classroom, but I throw up walls and fall back on what I know… how to get things done and get others working on a task.
That students need structure in order to stay focused and on task; to learn, to feel comfortable and safe enough to explore. If they don’t see a clear “leader” they will not step outside of their comfort zone.
2. Because I assume this to be true, when I create a learning environment I pay attention to:
The layout of the classroom, seating plans, and who works with who. I also make sure that students will be put into “uncomfortable” situations (ie. away from their friends) so that they can succeed on their own. I don’t tolerate disrespect.
3. Because I assume this to be true, when I create a learning environment I do not pay attention to:
The benefits of connecting on a personal level with the students. I often focus on the “this is what we need to get done” side of things and I don’t pay enough attention to getting to know the students. Part of this is that I am still learning to be comfortable with being “myself” around the students and finding the balance between being a “teacher” and being friendly. I put distance between myself and them because I worry that I will lose their respect if I’m just the “guy who tries to be cool.” I know that I need to bring more of my personality into the classroom, but I throw up walls and fall back on what I know… how to get things done and get others working on a task.
Learning on my own...
Okay, so part of the LTT program (a big part) is reflection on our learning. Great. The program is also about self directed learning, and that means thinking about past learning... past self directed learning. So...
The last thing I taught myself to do was a demon face morph in After Effects. I came across a tutorial online that showed me what to do and I was quite successful. I’m going to be using it and various other effects I’ve been learning in a short movie. Hopefully its scary.
I think the coolest thing about learning this, and other things, on my own is that you really feel successful when finished. The sense of reward is greater, I think, when you succeed at something that you chose to pursue, took it upon yourself to struggle through, and finally mastered... or at least finished. This was a first draft... the second version was better, but I don't have it on my laptop... if you want to see it, let me know.
The last thing I taught myself to do was a demon face morph in After Effects. I came across a tutorial online that showed me what to do and I was quite successful. I’m going to be using it and various other effects I’ve been learning in a short movie. Hopefully its scary.
I think the coolest thing about learning this, and other things, on my own is that you really feel successful when finished. The sense of reward is greater, I think, when you succeed at something that you chose to pursue, took it upon yourself to struggle through, and finally mastered... or at least finished. This was a first draft... the second version was better, but I don't have it on my laptop... if you want to see it, let me know.
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