This semester has flown by and my time in ICT 362 has come to an end. This class has been so beneficial to me and my teaching practices. I have learned so much and cannot wait to implement some of the tools into my own classroom. Looking back, I have learned so much it is hard to pick my favourites however, if I absolutely have to... I have compiled my major takeaways below in two separate lists, one is based on the topics and concepts that impacted me the most while the other focuses on the resources that I found most useful.
My Top 2 Favorite Topics:
1) Digital Citizenship and Literacy
One of the major things I learned about in this course was the importance of teaching digital citizenship and literacy. Digital citizenship is all about being able to use online sources safely and responsibly. This involves navigating the web, communicating with others, researching, and using social media platforms. citizenship also means that we are respectful while using these different online platforms. Often digital literacy is seen as being included under the broader term of digital citizenship. Digital literacy is the ability to effectively and appropriately use online resources to differentiate between fake and truthful material.
This was one of my major takeaways as I believe it is very important to teach our students about both digital citizenship and digital literacy so they will be able to safely and responsibly use online sources. The benefits of teaching this to our students largely outweigh any potential negatives, especially in today's world where most of our students will already be using technology before even stepping into our classrooms. I take this away with me now feeling more prepared to tackle this topic in my own classroom and less afraid to take on such a big topic. I believe this is a topic I can even begin to utilize in my own life which is why it is so important in my eyes.
I talk more about my thoughts on digital literacy specifically, in an earlier blog post. Click the link to be directed to that post: https://jennamillerportfolio.wixsite.com/jenna-miller/post/digital-literacy-in-the-classroom
2) Digital Storytelling
Digital Storytelling is yet another topic that I loved learning about throughout the course. Digital storytelling is all about combining the digital world with the age old tradition of telling stories. It allows stories to be told using digital tools such as podcasting, videos , or other online websites. It is a great way to engage students in their work while also incorporating technology. I learned all about different websites that can be used to create student-made books and I found them to be very interesting. These tools got the wheels in my head turning and I thought of many neat ways that digital storytelling could be incorporated into your classroom. (Another post on my blog goes into more detail on such ideas: https://jennamillerportfolio.wixsite.com/jenna-miller/post/digital-storytelling-in-the-classroom )
I believe digital storytelling is very important to incorporate into the classroom as it allows students to begin to have a voice even for those students who might normally be very quiet. Students can share their thoughts and ideas non-verbally and through pictures. It allows students to also get creative with their work and gives them choice with how they what to tell a story. Not only does digital storytelling allow students to explore their own mind, it also can teach students many different skills without them even realizing. As you can see in the image above, digital storytelling leads to a whole array of skills. Students will learn how to use and explore new technology while also learning writing skills such as how to make their story flow and how to keep their audience interested through their word choice. These are all great skills that can help them in many areas of life and many different careers. Student will see it as being able to complete a fun project while they are also gaining many valuable skills.
My Top Resources to Incorporate into Your Classroom
This class has also opened my eyes to the vast array of resources that are readily available to help you incorporate ICT and digital literacy into your classroom. Here are a few of my favourite resources that I learned about throughout the course
1) Interland (Be Internet Awesome)
Interland is an resource created by Google to teach kids how to use digital resources safely and to teach them what it means to be a digital citizen. The best part about this resource is that it gets students to learn by gamifying the material. There are multiple different worlds that students get to explore and play mini games to learn about topics such as phishing, cyberbullying, and hackers.
This is very useful to incorporate into your classroom when you are covering digital literacy or digital citizenship. It is also free which means there is no extra cost for you as the teacher. Students will feel like they are just getting to play games in class which will make the learning happen more naturally.
I have attached a video below so you can get a sense of what this resource is all about. Also here is the link if you are interested in trying it for yourself: https://beinternetawesome.withgoogle.com/en_us/interland
2) Minecraft Education
Minecraft Education is another great resource that I learned about within the course. Minecraft is a very popular game that many students are likely to play outside the classroom and Minecraft Education offers a way to bring this student interest into the classroom. The Minecraft Education Edition offers many of the same experiences that traditional Minecraft does, however, it goes much beyond to help students learn. There are many different worlds and lesson plans associated with the worlds, that teachers can use in a variety of different subject areas and you can also create your own. (You can see all the offered subject areas in the picture below). Another great aspect about Minecraft Education is that there are options to have all your students learning and interacting in the same world where the teacher can supervise all their students. There is also options to have chalkboards or display boards placed throughout each world to display learning objectives or instructions to the students as well as there are options to have non-playable characters which students can interact with to learn more information from.
I believe Minecraft Education is a great tool to incorporate into your classroom. It allows you to connect the curriculum to student's interests and allows them to explore, play, and design throughout the learning process. Students can also practice using online tools in a safe and supervised environment. I am sure many students would love to have this incorporated into their classes.
I have attached a video from the Minecraft Education Youtube page which introduces the tool and if you are interested, there are many other videos also available on their page.
3) Common Sense Media
Common Sense Media is another really useful resource that I learned about throughout the course. It is an online website and organization that offers reviews of any tools or resources that kids may interact with. In terms of education, they offer reviews on all things edtech as well as lesson plans and professional development on the topic of digital citizenship. The reviews offer a rating out of five stars, a price breakdown, a privacy rating, as well as a grade level or subject area that the tool could be used for. (See the attached screenshot of a review below). The lesson plans are sorted by grade level and by different topics to make it easy to find exactly what kind of lesson you are looking for. (I have attached an image of an example of a resources below as well)
This resource is very useful in that there are so many reviews that can help you pick the tool that best fits your class as well as it may open your eyes to other available tools that you may not have known about previously. The available lesson plans are free to use with slides, handouts, and videos that can be included. They would be great to use if you were in a pinch and you needed a lesson to use. I should also note there are also many resources available for parents that may want to learn more about the tools their children are using. Take your time and explore the website, there are so many available extra resources that I have not touched on here that can benefit you in the classroom, I have attached the link to the homepage if you want to check it out: https://www.commonsense.org/
Conclusion
Overall, ICT 362 has been a very beneficial course for me. I have been introduced to so many resources that I can carry with me into my future as an educator. I would highly recommend looking into some of these resources to incorporate into your own classroom. For anybody thinking about a future in education or that is currently working in education, looking into a class that covers ICT would be highly recommended as well as looking into professional development that covers some of these tools would also be beneficial. I know I will myself be keeping an out out for more professional development opportunities to deepen my ICT skills even more.
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