The Haydn Hideaway

I'm so glad I took the time after class to really edit my Final Project the way I wanted it to be. I figured, I had a rough version available if needed to present to the class today (i.e. everyone else had gone already) so I could  present if need be, but I really didn't want to. I learned the video editing program I had didn't allow me to edit the video the way I wanted - adding extra audio over the video files. So, after downloading a few too many video editing apps, HERE WE ARE! So yes, while technically late, this is a version of my final project that I am really happy with. I never used TikTok before making this, but I admit I really liked using it. It was fun to be creative! Thanks for reading.....and watching!

This week, we had our guest speaker Dr. Rennie Redekopp zoomed into our classroom. This was the week I had been waiting for! Redekopp taught my high school business class when I was in Grade 10... almost 10 years ago! It was neat to have to opportunity to work with him again. Presentation Dr. Redekopp began his presentation with a quote: "You can't have the benefits of globalization without some of the responsibilities" by Bono. He began talking about how our smartphones and devices affect others in the world by their design, materials, manufacturing and shipping, and energy use.  By their design, cellphone companies almost ensure that we need to replace our phones every few years. Many designs do not allow the user to remove the battery of their phone, which is typically the first thing to go in a cellphone. Though the phone is in otherwise perfect condition, consumers will be likely to throw their phone away because the battery life doesn't last as long as...

This week in our Internet for Educators class ( #I4Ed ) we talked about ways to use social media in the classroom. In Monday's class, we had  Tyler Letkeman  who is an English teacher from Vincent Massey Collegiate in Brandon present to us about how he uses technology in his classroom in a meaningful way. On Wednesday, we had  Kirsten Thompson  (familiar face!) and  Andrew Mead  call into our class using Zoom and discuss using social media in the classroom. Tyler Letkeman He described how he does writers workshop in his classes and makes the work authentic and gives it purpose. Letkeman uses writers workshop to introduce students to the craft of being an author - the goal is publication and writing for an audience, not for grades. He uses  BLURB  to publish the works into a book that is added to the school library for other students to read. Knowing their stories will have an audience after its written, students are wanting to do their be...

For my second Tech Task of the term, we are discussing the digital world our students do, and will, live in. First, we examine diagrams provided of a "typical teacher" and compare it to a "networked" teacher. Then we are to think about what a typical student's diagram would look like, and what the digital world means for their learning, and for us as educators. Let's get started! Typical versus Networked According to diagrams by Alex Couros , the typical teacher has few relationships that influence them. Curriculum documents, popular media, and print/digital resources are influences that act as a one way street. They inform the teacher, provide information, but the teacher does not interact with them anymore than that. The teacher does not  influence the documents, media, and resources. They are also influenced by their colleagues, family, and local community, and the teacher has influence on them. The teacher is able to interact with these relationsh...

Hello everyone! As previously mentioned, my Internet for Educators course includes Tech Tasks, small assignments that we need to do in blog posts separate from our weekly blog. I'm going to start with Tech Task #1 today, all about our own digital footprints! Our task is to discuss what online services we use, and what appears when we Google ourselves. Then we are to discuss the importance (or lack thereof) of our digital footprint and if it is important to address in schools. Google Searching I am an avid social media user. My main apps/websites (as included in a "Social Media" folder on my phone) include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, Pinterest, Snapchat, Linkedin and YouTube. I think I also have accounts on websites such as Soundcloud, but I haven't logged in in ages. If you Google search my name, this is what pops up. None of these links are me! I may pop up if you click the Facebook or Linkedin links, but that is not my Twitter account, my we...