Blogging is quite the tool. I am able to reach more people than ever before, just by writing a few sentences out and pressing a button to send it on. What I really find amazing about it is that I seem to have more readers from the United States than I do from Canada. This is interesting, considering I don't really know anyone from the US, and I live in the small province of Saskatchewan! Maybe not all of these hits are readers, but I am at least reaching out to them - maybe they stumbled upon my blog and were interested? Maybe I said something they didn't like and wanted to see more ramblings for the fun of it! Who knows!? All I do know, is that I am excited to have broken 2000 hits on my cluster map, and amazingly enough, over 13,000 on my apple counter that I put on my first day blogging. I hope all those hits are not just my family!
Give me a shout out in a comment if you're reading this and find my blog is useful or interesting to you...I will take no comments as that I need to try a lot harder to get your full attention!
Take care out there on the information superhighway - you never know where it may take you!
Friday, May 21, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
Social Media Revolution
Check out the newest Social Media Revolution video. Scary statistics! We better know what our students are getting themselves into, and be part of the process ourselves or we will all be left behind in 'soundbite dust'!
Friday, May 14, 2010
Retro Nintendo Video Concept
A sweet new video that shows Retro Nintendo characters (Pac Man, Donkey Kong, Tetris, etc.) invading NYC. I hear that this is in the works with Happy Madison Productions because Adam Sandler is interested in making this video into a big screen film! Quite exciting! - http://www.thescreeningroom.ca/2010/05/8bit-characters-to-invade-the-big-screen.html
Check it out!
Check it out!
Classrooms and Technology Use
My classrooms is quite small. I find myself wanting it bigger every time I need to use technology. Why is it that whenever I need to use something that is supposed to help me gain a bigger perspective, I need a bigger classroom? Ok, maybe it is just the set up, but I am constantly changing stuff around to make things like plug-ins more accessible for my technology. My desk needs to be moved, always closer to the outlet just like when I want to watch something using my projector and I have to move a minimum of 3 desks each time, just to get it in a spot that works to fit on my board (and reach a plug in)!
Maybe this is just a rant, but why can't there be more money for schools to be properly set up to use this technology that they are pushing on us. It's not like I hate the technology - because I don't - I absolutely love being able to use a projector, speakers and computers in my classroom on a daily basis! But, the problem lies in how the classrooms themselves are set up. Having cords laying on the floor all the time is not really ideal, and neither is having to move desks every time you want to show a video. I know my projector is in the works to hang from the ceiling, but who knows how long that could take? It doesn't exactly fix the speaker problem, or my computer cord problem! Maybe this problem is specific only to me, but I want to know how small schools deal with these sorts of issues. Do we get left in the dust and only receive attention once the large centers are in superb shape? I don't know the answer, but it is a concern that could become a real problem once more teachers start using these tools in their classrooms and need the access available for every class period. My frustrating rant is now done, but I want to post a question to all you listeners out there...When technology use in a classroom becomes a hindrance, and stops you from wanting to use the technology because of the issues you always encounter, is it all because of human error (how an individual approaches the problem), or something entirely different?
Maybe this is just a rant, but why can't there be more money for schools to be properly set up to use this technology that they are pushing on us. It's not like I hate the technology - because I don't - I absolutely love being able to use a projector, speakers and computers in my classroom on a daily basis! But, the problem lies in how the classrooms themselves are set up. Having cords laying on the floor all the time is not really ideal, and neither is having to move desks every time you want to show a video. I know my projector is in the works to hang from the ceiling, but who knows how long that could take? It doesn't exactly fix the speaker problem, or my computer cord problem! Maybe this problem is specific only to me, but I want to know how small schools deal with these sorts of issues. Do we get left in the dust and only receive attention once the large centers are in superb shape? I don't know the answer, but it is a concern that could become a real problem once more teachers start using these tools in their classrooms and need the access available for every class period. My frustrating rant is now done, but I want to post a question to all you listeners out there...When technology use in a classroom becomes a hindrance, and stops you from wanting to use the technology because of the issues you always encounter, is it all because of human error (how an individual approaches the problem), or something entirely different?
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
Cool Tools - iT Summit 2010
COOL TOOLS
I absolutely loved this part of iT Summit 2010! It was one of my favorite ending sessions to a conference I have ever attended. It was 2 great information technology leaders, just showing each other up by giving a bunch of tools to check out and I found it so great. I love hearing about a bunch of new tools - it saves me the work of farting around on the internet for hours to find cool things! I know sometimes it feels like overload of information - but I wrote them down - for myself as well as for you - to try to chip away at for the next month or so. Check them out, try them out, blog about them, implement them in a classroom and/or move on to the next one!
Here is my google doc that has ALL the cool tools they talked about!
http://docs.google.com/View?id=dfkttrnr_21cvmb9whd
I absolutely loved this part of iT Summit 2010! It was one of my favorite ending sessions to a conference I have ever attended. It was 2 great information technology leaders, just showing each other up by giving a bunch of tools to check out and I found it so great. I love hearing about a bunch of new tools - it saves me the work of farting around on the internet for hours to find cool things! I know sometimes it feels like overload of information - but I wrote them down - for myself as well as for you - to try to chip away at for the next month or so. Check them out, try them out, blog about them, implement them in a classroom and/or move on to the next one!
Here is my google doc that has ALL the cool tools they talked about!
http://docs.google.com/View?id=dfkttrnr_21cvmb9whd
Rob Wall - iT Summit 2010 - breakout session May 4/10
Rob Wall - iT Summit 2010
May 4/10
Notes from the presentation...
http://docs.google.com/View?id=dfkttrnr_20hf26nmhh
May 4/10
Notes from the presentation...
http://docs.google.com/View?id=dfkttrnr_20hf26nmhh
Tuesday, May 04, 2010
Will Richardson #2 - Breakout session notes - iT Summit 2010
Will Richardson - From Information Literacy to Information Leadership
Breakout session - iT Summit 2010
May 4/10
Here are my notes...use as you see fit (if you can understand them) :-)
http://docs.google.com/View?id=dfkttrnr_19gdbc69dh
Breakout session - iT Summit 2010
May 4/10
Here are my notes...use as you see fit (if you can understand them) :-)
http://docs.google.com/View?id=dfkttrnr_19gdbc69dh
Will Richardson - iT Summit 2010 - Amazing Keynote Presentation
Will Richardson - iT Summit 2010 - Saskatoon, SK
My notes from the presentation to share with all of you...
He is really inspiring. He re-ignited the flame of teaching in me today. I can not wait to get back to my classroom tomorrow and begin to implement some of these things! I know that I need to do more. I do many technology based things, not just in my classroom, but on my own - I blog, I have 3 wikispaces, I am in many groups, I have an RSS feed, I read and read, I learn and learn, but I can do so much more. I know time is short in a day, but more needs to be done, and so it will. Thanks goes out to Will Richardson! I am excited to teach again!
http://docs.google.com/View?id=dfkttrnr_18d8mvx5dx
My notes from the presentation to share with all of you...
He is really inspiring. He re-ignited the flame of teaching in me today. I can not wait to get back to my classroom tomorrow and begin to implement some of these things! I know that I need to do more. I do many technology based things, not just in my classroom, but on my own - I blog, I have 3 wikispaces, I am in many groups, I have an RSS feed, I read and read, I learn and learn, but I can do so much more. I know time is short in a day, but more needs to be done, and so it will. Thanks goes out to Will Richardson! I am excited to teach again!
http://docs.google.com/View?id=dfkttrnr_18d8mvx5dx
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