TechKNOW Teacher

It's official, I completed my first course in teacher's college. It was only a 6 week course but in that time I learned so much valuable and applicable information. My digital learning course was jam packed with new online tools, tips for improving your online identity and information on how to use technology effectively in your classroom. With the format of class being gamified there was no getting around using and improving my online skills. 

After spending some time in my placement school I know that many of the skills I learned in class will be useful. My school has tons of technology and students have access to all the devices and media they could ever need. There is something for every type of learner and students are encouraged to use online tools to further their in class learning. If I am going to do my teaching block at this awesome and forward thinking school then I am going to have to be prepared to introduce and use new tools. These students already know what it's like to have teachers who bring media into their classrooms and so the bar has been set ... very high.

Luckily, I feel ready. I'm confident that I can use more entertaining and engaging presentation tools then I would have previously thought. I'm ready to create PowToon presentations and gage what my students know by using real time quizzing applications like Kahoot! Even the creation of this blog can be credited to my digital learning course. I'm grateful that a course like this was created so I, as a 21st century teacher, would be prepared to face tech savvy students. I'm thankful for my professor DJ Dave who came to class with passion and excitement about the subject while remaining patient as many of us struggled through learning something new.

With one class under my belt I feel like my journey to becoming a teacher is truly underway and I'm moving forward as a #techknowteacher!

Techknow Teacher

©Breakey, D. 2015. Genius Hour Worldle.

I've said it before, I feel very comfortable using technology. I'm young enough that I still grew up with media being apart my life and my schooling. At least that's what I thought! Laptops were just starting to come to school with students when I was in high school. University was my first big introduction to online learning. We used a forum called CourseLink where I would login and see all my courses displayed. Each of my professors would add things to their course page that students needed to know. I could find my course syllabus, powerpoint presentations, class notes and whatever else the professor felt was important. Some classes would have videos of lectures posted while others were sparse and rarely used. For the first time I completed quizzes online and submitted assignments to an online dropbox.

It was efficient but at times isolating. In university I took my first completely online classes. The irony is that those classes were more expensive even though no class time was required! I'll save that rant for another day. Online learning was great because I could do it from anywhere at any time. While volunteering for a summer in Dominican Republic I was able to access my courses online and complete summer school. That being said, it was difficult at times as you had very little access to a professor. The technology overwhelmed me and exploring these tools alone was tough.

Now that I'm in teachers college I'm learning about a whole new world of online learning for students as young as grade 1. Technology, for them, is second nature and there is so much access to applications and tools that directly relate to specific ages and learning levels. I thought I was ahead of the game but I am just beginning. The good news is, my students do not have to feel alone in navigating technology! Using mobile devices doesn't have to mean being far away and separate. By bringing media into my classroom and apart of our world I can connect my students with one another and with me.

They can use so many learning platforms that meet their learning needs. Today, in class, I discovered a number of new tools that will make teaching so much more interactive. The days of boring powerpoint presentations are out and the days of interactive PowToon presentations are in! I'm looking forward to making use of these tools and applications in my classroom in the very near future.

Team Building at Teen Ranch

©Breakey, D. 2015. Team Building.

Last week I talked about applying the Genius Hour concept to my hockey team. This past weekend I got the chance to put it to the test. I designated 20 minutes of my practice for "Gryphon Time". During this time players got to decide what they needed to practice and were given the freedom and support to focus on that. Coaches went around assisting players, giving them instruction and observing their collaboration. Each player had set individual goals for the season and they are rarely given time to work on these individual things. Applying the concept of Genius Hour into my practice was a great way to get the girls excited to learn about something they felt was important.

By now, if you've been keeping up with my blog, you know I am exploring how team building impacts the success of a hockey team. This past weekend I used my own team as research! The team travelled to Teen Ranch where they stayed as a team in a beautiful cottage, rode horses, did team building activities and spent time establishing what they wanted for the upcoming season. If you've never heard of Teen Ranch check them out because this place is amazing! The property is beautiful and big enough to host several teams. There is a hockey rink on site and there are plenty of fun activities to choose from.

Getting away from the hustle and bustle of home was a great way for the girls to focus solely on the team. We had a campfire one night and even did a fun relay race where half the girls were blindfolded and the other half had to lead them by only using verbal cues. They had to tape a hockey stick, lace a skate and find a hidden hockey puck! They had to learn to use clear communication and trust their teammates. It was a great team building activity and without a doubt the girls came away feeling closer and more united. I noticed a difference in our next practice as the energy seemed higher and the intensity was better. I attribute this to the team building weekend. My team is ready to tackle this upcoming season!

Before our first season game the girls have one more team building day to complete. On Sunday they will travel to McMaster University where they will spent a day at Altitude. This is a day spent completing trust activities. The girls will climb a rock wall, complete a high ropes and low ropes course, make their way up the " Alpine Tower" (a 52 foot climbing tower) and spend the day getting through challenges as a team. I bet that our next practice after we complete Altitude will be even better. Stay tuned!

©Breakey, D. 2015. Horseback Riding.

©Breakey. D. 2015. Relay Race. 

Genius In More Ways Than One!

Pixabay. 2015. Lightbulb [online image]. Retrieved from
 https://pixabay.com/en/light-bulb-lighting-electric-341059/

We've been learning all about Genius Hour in the classroom. After researching the concept and starting my very own Genius Hour project, I really get the idea. I understand why this would be so engaging for students and how exciting it feels to learn about something you're passionate about. It got me thinking - could I apply this to other learning environments? I believe the answer is YES!

I'm always trying to relate what I'm learning back to the hockey team I coach. I work with 15, 16 and 17 year-old athletes who dedicate six nights a week to our team. It's my job as their head coach to develop their physical skill and mental understanding of the game. I do all of the facilitating of this learning and create my practice plans well in advance. What if I gave my players Genius Hour time? 

If players had the ice time and access to coaching staff to work on skills that they felt are important maybe we could increase their development even more! Players could get 20 minutes of ice every week to decide what they want to learn. As coaches, we could provide guidance, critique and even structure if they so wished. Would this create more buy-in from my players? Would they feel more engaged in something they prioritized as important? These are questions I can answer by testing it out and that is exactly what I'm going to do! Stay tuned. 

My Genius Idea

If you've been following my blog you'll have read about Genius Hour. Just to recap, Genius Hour gives students a designated amount of time each week to work on a  project of their choosing. This gives them a chance to incorporate their personal interests, develop a question and conduct research which they will present in a format of their choosing. Luckily, we are putting this Genius Hour to the test in my Digital Learners class. 

I bet you're dying to know what my Genius Hour question is. I've chosen explore one of my passions - hockey! I'm asking: How does strategic and detailed team building initiatives impact the success and cohesion of a hockey team?  The goal is to explore a variety of team building strategies and see which ones seem to be most effective. I'll examine proven successful hockey teams and a few unsuccessful teams and contrast their team building strategies. This project can help me right now with coaching the Guelph Jr Gryphons Midget A hockey team. We emphasis team building as a key component to our season. I am going to use my team, and their experience, while they are at a team building retreat weekend and then draw ideas and research on what works best for them. 

The contrast between successful teams and unsuccessful teams in professional hockey will help demonstrate which team building strategies work best. I will also examine the strategies suggested by Hockey Canada. I am very excited to get started on my project and I love that I was able to pick something I am passionate about to study. I can only imagine how excited younger students must feel! Stay tuned for updates on my Genius Hour project!

How To Stay Infringement Free

Jone, D. (2014, Sept 7). Child with laptop [online image]. Retrieved from
https://www.flickr.com/photos/donnieray 
 

It’s simple really, if it’s not yours cite it. Wait … even if it IS yours cite it! For some reason copyright can be a tricky thing to understand but if you stick to a few key points you’ll protect yourself from copyright infringement. The first thing to understand is that all original work is protected by copyright and you must get permission before using it. The trouble is, in a world where resources of all kinds are available with a simple Google search, it is easy to forget that those resources or works belong to someone. Here’s the good news, in Canada there is something called the Fair Dealing law and, in short, it says that if you’re using the work for purposes of private study, research, criticism, review or news reporting you’re not guilty of copyright. Still, in a classroom setting you cannot show a video, YouTube video or distribute documents in class without making a payment to the copyright owners. Luckily, the Creative Commons was founded in order to create a place where open sharing was promoted and authors could choose how their creations could be used by others. This is a great way for students and teachers alike to find what they need while making sure they are legally allowed to use it. 

The second, and very important thing to remember, is you must cite your work. You have to give credit to the original author otherwise it could look like the work is yours. This is something I would make an area of focus for my students. They have to understand how to check if something has a Creative Commons license and how give credit to this work properly. This is a skill they will need for their academic and professional life. You can check out the Creative Commons website for more information. Do your research, site your work and stay infringement free!

Pixabay. (2013). Student using computer [online image]. Retrieved from
https://pixabay.com/en/photos/download/students-99506_1280.jpg

Genius Hour Is A Genius Concept!

Last week, I went to my first Teaching Digital Learners in the Digital Age class (I know, a bit of a mouth full!). The purpose of the class is to give me the knowledge and practical skills I need to bring media and technology into my classroom and use them as tools for teaching. Pretty great right? Teaching a generation that is growing up with landlines cellphones,  paper and pen iPads and books google is not easy! The world is at their finger tips and I have to be able to not only keep up but lead the way! In class on Friday I learned about a teaching tool that I wish was being used when I was a student. Genius Hour is a designated period of time during class where students can work on a project of their choosing based on their interests. Students brainstorm a list of things they are interested in or passions they have. They narrow it down to one and come up with a question or focus for their project. They then do research on their topic and present their findings ... wait for it ... however they want! For example, I love hockey and could choose to do research on the rate of concussions amongst NHL players. I would conduct research and present my findings in a manner of my choosing (poster, speech, essay etc.). This is an amazing way to get students to self direct their learning. It creates an environment where students can explore their passions, are engaged in their topic and can share their results in a way that suites them. This has excited students written all over it. Check out the video below for more details. Genius Hour is a genius idea I won't pass up!

Let Me Introduce Myself!

Breakey, D. ©2015

Welcome to my blog! My name is Darcy and I'm a 23 year old teacher education student. I graduated from the University of Guelph in 2014 with my Bachelor of Arts in International Development Studies (IDS). When I embarked on my post grad education I envisioned graduating and working my dream job at the United Nations! I had unlimited optimism about changing the world and making a difference. After 4 years of discussing big world issues and complex problems facing people around the world I felt overwhelmed. There are two major things I learned from taking IDS: First, there is no right answer. Everything is circumstantial in a world that is ever changing and becoming more global every day. The second thing is, you can't take on the entire world all at once but you can find your place and make an impact. I went in to my freshman year with all the optimism a young eager student could bundle. During my third year I hit an all time low feeling extremely cynical and questioning my decision to take IDS. But, by graduation I had come to realize I just needed to find my place. All the talk I had done about issues abroad and learning about everywhere else had given me this urge to stay right here at home and make change in my own community. This is the moment I knew I wanted to be a teacher. 

I have always had a passion for coaching an instructing. My first love is hockey. I put on a pair of skates when I was 4 years old and have never taken them off. When my competitive career ended I jumped right into coaching. I always felt I'd be a better coach then player and I think I was right! Today, I take all the experiences I had during my time playing and pass it on to the next generation of players. I am the head coach of the Guelph Jr. Gryphon's Midget A team and there is nothing I love more then giving back to a game that gave so much to me. I enjoy working with kids and helping them realize their own potential. I am a big believer that players (or students) have the capability already within them and that it is my job to help them bring that capability to the surface. I am the facilitator of their development but they are the leader in their journey. Nothing satisfies me more then to see a player or student realize their goal and knowing that I helped them along their journey to success. 

I am beyond excited to finally start my journey to becoming a teacher. I hope I can inspire my students to think in a global context, to be socially responsible citizens of the world, to find something they love and create dreams out of it and most importantly to find their place and make a difference. But, before all that can start I have to get through the next 2 years of teachers college!! This is me, making my first ripple in the sea of teaching and this blog will chronicle that journey.