Techleaders+PLC



At the Brock Technology Showcase, one of the workshops that i attended was the Smart board workhop. This workshop provided a very informative overview of the wide variety of techniques that can be applied using a Smartboard. Unfortunately, there was not enough time to train us to actually do all of these techniques, but the session was a great quick overview of what can be done using a Smartboard. We were also directed to a website, www.smarttech.com, where we can participate in free online professional development sessions about how to use a Smart board. I attended this workshop because I had never had an opportunity to use a Smart board before, and I knew that I would probably get the chance to use one during my upcoming teaching block, so I wanted to get a head start on how to use this form of technology. One very useful feature about the Smart board that I learned about at the workshop was that you can record everything that is done during a lesson. This enables you to save lessons from start to finish, and to record student work from start to finish for later review. This could be a great way to teach students step-by-step procedures, by re-playing what other students have done. Recording the lessons would also simplify helping absent students to catch up, since the lessons could be saved and sent to students who were not present. Another interesting feature of Smart boards, is that in addition to having students touch the board, the board is strong enough that they can select things by throwing a kusch ball at it! What an interesting way to bring some variety to the classroom.



Cara Crandlemire

 Angela Stone I attended "A Gold Mine For Teachers: The Ontario Educational Resources Bank" at the Technology showcase. I chose this workshop because it seemed like a very useful and practical online resource and I wanted to find out more, and to see if it really was as useful as it seemed it would be. This site is a place where Ontario teachers share everything from games, lesson plans, and activites to entire unit plans. You are supposed to be a practising teacher to use this resource but you are able to get a username and password from the school you are doing your internship at. (Every school should have one). We were shown how to navigate the site and I found that it was actually quite easy and that I was actually able to find information relevant to what I was searching for. This workshop was useful for anyone who will be teaching in the province of Ontario. (You aren't supposed to use it if you are outside the province). I also attended a workshop called "GPS in the Classroom" which I didn't find was very useful to me because while we learned how to use a GPS, we didn't learn much about how a GPS might be used in the classroom. I wish I had registered earlier so I could have attended the smart board workshop. I feel like that one would have been much more useful. --Angela Stone



Smart Boards

I attended the Smart Board presentation at the Tech Showcase. I wanted to attend this particular session because a Smart Board was installed in my Grade 3 classroom during my practicum. I had the opportunity to use the Smart Board on several occasions, but I realized after using it briefly that I had much to learn about the various ways the Smart Board could be implemented in the classroom and used to address multiple intelligences.

The presentation was more of an informational session than a training or strategy session. However, it provided a fantastic overview of the Smart Board and the various tools that are available to teachers when planning a lesson. The session also made participants aware that several Smart Board training options are offered on the Smart Technologies website, [|http://smarttech.com]. These options include live online training at no cost, training events at different locations throughout North America, and on-site training in the classroom.

One feature of the Smart Board that I found intriguing and that would be extremely useful in the classroom is the recording feature. This feature allows the teacher (or student) to record any information or task that the student performs on the Smart Board. For example, if a student was asked to show how to solve a Math problem displayed on the Smart Board, the student could use the Smart Board markers or any applicable Math tools available on the Smart Board or through Smart Notebook to show his/her Math thinking and problem solving. The student’s work then could be reviewed, assessed, or shown to another student struggling with the particular Math concepts learned that day or a student who was absent for the lesson.

In November I taught a Smart Board Math lesson that focused on vertices, edges, and faces of geometric solids. The Grade 3 students were able to physically touch the three-dimensional solid as it spun on the Smart Board. The vertices or edges were highlighted if touched correctly. They students could also choose to create a net of the solid. There was no other lesson during my practicum that fully engaged the class in the same way.

With the installation of Smart Boards in many schools and classrooms throughout the province, it is in our best interest as future educators to be familiar with this interactive whiteboard and able to incorporate it effectively into our lesson plans. Smart Boards make differentiated instruction nearly effortless, and future employers will appreciate and possibly require our acquaintance with this useful technology.

Amanda Riel

I attended the SMART workshop at the Technology showcase in Hamilton.

I choose this workshop because I have never used a smart board in the past and wanted to learn more about this tool. The smart board can be used in vertiually every subject area in the Ontario curriculum. I believe this was an important tool to learn about because it is used in so many Ontario classrooms. I believe there is a real need for this type of instructional strategy because children have different multiple intelligences and therefore we as teachers need to plan our lessons according to the needs of our children. Using smart boards in the classroom is an interactive way children can get involved in the lesson. The smart board technology was fascinating to me from a personal view point. I am always amazed how far technology has come from even a few years ago. There are so many different lessons you can do on a smart board that it is definitely something that I am looking forward to using in the future and getting to know more.

Ela Styrczula 

I attended the SMART workshop at the Technology Showcase. It was the first time that I actually saw a SMART board and was introduced to all the different ways you can incorporate technology into your classroom. I would definately use a SMART board if I had one available in my classroom. I love that you can do every subject imaginable on the SMART board. Our workshop leader was very entertaining and engaging. He showed us how to locate premade lesson plans and how to create your own using the templates. I feel that there is just so much to learn about the uses of SMART boards that I think I really need to attend a longer workshop to become more comfortable with it.I choose to go to this workshop because I have never been introduced to a SMART board and was very interested in seeing how to use one. I am very glad that I was able to get an introduction to this amazing teaching tool and I am going to look for more workshops that will help me learn even more about how to use one in my own classroom.Christa Morrison__I was fortunate enough to attend a workshop on clickers during the fabulous Technology Showcase Workshop! This was my first workshop of the day and I am very glad to have taken part in it. The topic highlighted the different uses of clickers and how they can effectively be implemented into any classroom, grade or subject. I chose to participate in this particular workshop because of my unfamiliarity with using clickers as a tool in the classroom. As a classroom teacher I will use the information given in the presentation to create my own lesson plans that center around the use of the clickers. For example, the clickers provided a highly engaging learning-based approach which provides instant feedback for the students. Although the clickers are expensive, they can be purchased by the school and rotated throughout the classrooms on a scheduled basis. Clickers can also be used from a smartphone so that is a cost efficient alternative for older students! As our workshop leader, Kate Nicoll explained, students have an attention span of 7-15/20 minutes depending on the age of student and the researcher. Just the physical act of picking up the clicker starts the timer of attention back the beginning. For this reason alone, I do see a real need for using clickers in instruction and assessment. Also, clickers provide the opportunity for assessment as learning; learners are asked a question and formulate their own answers; they discuss with an elbow partner and this enables learners to think through arguments and enables own assessment of understanding of concepts. There are countless benefits to creating clicker-based lessons; for example, they are very time efficient since they take minimal time to prepare and have the added benefits of being altered on the fly! The presenter Kate talked a lot about how using clickers is a form of agile teaching; meaning that the teacher can adapt and change the pace/alter the course structure to suit the needs/abilities of the learners. The clicker lesson that I was apart of was an overall great experience. I learned that by asking a question initially and having students be responsible for their own clicker response, the teacher can then facilitate a large group discussion and then re-poll to consolidate the learning. Personally, I will be using the clickers in my classroom as a tool to engage students in meaningful learning that is teacher facilitated and discussion based. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif; line-height: 0px; overflow: hidden;">



JULIE BENNER



<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Carol Gaudet HWDSB, Presenter: An Introduction to BitStrips for Schools & Sarah Bishop <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">TEACHING AND TECHNOLOGY: A COLLABORATIVE EDUCATIONAL SHOWCASE January 28, 2011

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1) The topic highlighted was BitStrips. (Which one teacher in the workshop recommended over Comic Life. Apparently some schools in the Hamilton District have been having a hard time using Comic Life, losing the students’ work, etc.) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2) I would use BitStrips in the classroom because it’s free (if you are a Brock student or a teacher you can create an account), and it’s a great way to reach boys in particular, since they enjoy comics and graphic novels. The students can create their own characters, choose the settings and props, to tell a story. This is useful in a literacy class or as the presenter says-she uses it in any class. For example, in science or math they can demonstrate what they learned, or they could use it as a reflection (students can reflect after class on two things they learned, or something they didn’t understand or would still like to learn). Also as was pointed out in this workshop, students today don’t have to be sitting and staring at you to be listening. They can be drawing or doodling etc and still be absorbing what you’re teaching. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The presenter said that teaching visual literacy is important, and that comics are the gateway to get some students to read, and that BitStips allows students to speak with pictures. She said that 60% of Ontario schools already uses BitStrips. Gaudet also pointed out that BitStrips really engaged ESL, IEP and any reluctant students. She left the students’ accounts open over the summer and found out some of them had been going on and using them over the break! BitStrips can also be used for telling a health and safety story or for social stories (anit-bullying etc.). <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3) I chose this presentation because when I attended the showcase last year, I heard people say it was good. It also sounded like an interesting, creative way to get students engaged. I will use this in the future, perhaps in my second block. I am teaching government in Social Studies, and this might be a fun way to make an otherwise dry subject interesting (every character could have a role, ie. mayor, etc). I do see a need for this type of strategy, especially to reach disengaged students or boys who enjoy comics and graphic novels. I was fascinated by the whole days’ workshops because my Master’s work is in technology. I struggle myself to be ‘good’ with technology but I desperately want to be, because I know it’s the future for our students and we do a disservice if we don’t share this world with them.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">﻿ On Friday, January 28, 2011, I attended the Technology Showcase workshop at the Brock Hamilton Campus. My first workshop in the morning was the SMART Technology Workshop. In this workshop, the presenter demonstrated several ways that the SMART board could be used in the classroom; he basically showed what a SMART board could do. He did not really show us how to do things, as it would be difficult to provide an in-depth instructional session. The presenter showed us programs that could be used with the SMART board (Notebook Math program), which was incredibly neat as it could give students so many opportunities to manipulate math objects (graphs, geometry, etc) on the board! There is also a website where teachers can share full SMART board lesson plans (exchange.smarttech.com) which would save copious amounts of time so that teachers can focus on the students instead of creating lesson plans! The SMART board is a wonderful tool to use in the classroom. With a SMART board, it is easier for teachers and students to interact more during a lesson; students can come up to the board and do certain interactive activities. Interaction facilitates learning, and involving students within a lesson is more effective than simply teaching to them! Also, teachers may save SMART board lessons and email them to students who are away or sick; therefore, a student will have less difficulty catching up in class when they return. There is a setting in which the teacher can show students all the steps to do an activity or solve a problem. This provides students with something to go back to if they need to review a concept again. I selected this presentation as SMART boards are becoming more and more popular within the school boards. It is also such an amazing and neat tool – I just wanted to learn more about what it could do! If I have access to a SMART board in my classrooms in the future, I would definitely incorporate it into my lessons. After all, this is the age of technology and students can relate more easily to lesson and be more engaged in lessons. I think it is important for teachers to learn how to use technology within the classroom; it gives us an easy way to connect with students! Being able to connect with students is the most important thing, especially since we’re teaching them skills and concepts they’ll use in the future!



Christina Au

I selected the SMART presentation from the Technology showcase to share with my peers because I was very interested in the presentation and wanted to know what SMART boards had to offer within the classroom. The presenter from SMART was very enthusiastic and shared some very interesting facts on SMART board. Like did you know that SMART boards are a Canadian made product, 80% of the boards sold are sold within the field of education, and that 90% of boards in Ontario own a SMART board. But those are just facts, throughout this presentation I realized just how much an interactive white board can bring to the classroom. It has so many advantages, such as, focusing in on a specific part of the lesson that is being discussed at one point in time (you use the proper tool to circle what you want to focus on and it darkens the surrounding images/texts so that what you want to look at is clear and noticeable). Other advantages of the SMART board in the classroom are that it minimizes transition times in between lessons or throughout lessons, which I see as a key in any classroom because that maximizes the amount of time you can use to teach, and by using other tools such as the SMART projector to copy students work and then compare student work while taking up/reviewing lessons. One particular feature of this presentation that was fascinating to me was how the presenter demonstrated the many ways SMART boards can be used to enhance student collaboration which leads the teacher to become more of a facilitator of education instead of the primary provider of education. It was definitely a demonstration that I would love to use in my own class. By having the technology easy to use, able to provide features that speak to the users, and has the potential to become multi-user (such as the SMART table). Though the presentation was more of a general overview of SMART boards and an introduction to how they work within an educational setting I feel that SMART boards/interactive white boards should be used by all educators because the help facilitate 21st century learning for our 21st century learners. ~ Stephanie DeLaronde

Last Friday, I attended three workshops at the the Tech Showcase: SMART, Google in the Classroom and the Ontario Educational Resource Bank. I am choosing to highlight the SMART workshop that I attended because I think that I gained the most from this presentation. Many school boards are already making use of SMART boards in their classrooms and this is a fascinating educational tool that can be used to enhance learning for all students. Not only does it address many multiple intelligences, but using a SMART board allows students to become more involved in their own learning. One of the aspects of SMART technology that intrigued me was the fact that students and parents can download SMART notebook software and teachers can make the lessons they do in the classroom available for students at home, which can help them with their homework. For example, using a SMART board during a math lesson, the teacher can go through the entire process of solving a math problem and save the entire lesson. Students can access this lesson using SMART notebook software in the event that they need a refresher after the original lesson. I wanted to attend this workshop because I had never had the chance to see a SMART board in action. By attending this workshop, I can see how the SMART board can be used in many different ways in the classroom. Jenna Moore _

I chose to highlight the Kidspiration and Inspired Data workshop. This workshop highlighted how you can use Word Q and Speak Q in tandem with this technology softwear. Each softwear presented cater to all MI and incorporate differenciated instruction for students with visual organization problems.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Inpired Data looks a lot like Word Excell. It's a great way for teachers to conduct secure surveys and a great tool to use in tandem with clickers. This provides instant feedback for the teacher so that he or she may make on the spot decisions regarding instructional direction. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">I chose to attend this workshop because I have never heard of this technology before and thought this was a great opportunity for introduction. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The presenters provided their contact information for further assistence with this technology. This was a very helpful workshop and I would definately use it in my classroom! <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">

-Ashley Fidlin

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">I attended the Teaching and Technology show case and attended the Assisting Struggling Writers with Word Q/Speak Q and Microsoft Word workshop. This program can be used alongside any other computer program as an aid to help students write a paper, or be used to help struggling readers read any written print. Word Q does not automatically correct a students work, however it predicts what a student is trying to write, and provides the students with a list of words. Word Q will say each word out loud for the students, as well as provide the students with definition of each word. When a student highlights their work, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Speak Q will read the students work out loud for them. I would use this program whenever the students were using the computers, as student’s who require additional support with their written communicational skills or reading, will greatly benefit from using this program. I attended this workshop because I wanted to learn about computer programs available to help students with learning disabilities and for students who are struggling in school. I believe there is a need for this program, as students often get stuck on a particular word when doing a written assignment, and as a result they do not write long paragraphs. This program anticipates what the students are trying to write, so the student is able to concentrate on the message they are trying to convey, versus focussing on the spelling of the words. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">

Place your cursor BELOW the three lines. Type in your Professional Learning Community Reflections below. Add your image - ** IT MUST BE OPTIMIZED **. Then place a line under your entry to prepare a spot for the next student's reflection. **BE SURE TO ADD YOUR NAME!!**
 * TECHLEADERS PLC Reflections (8Y34 Lab 2: Tuesday 10-12)**
 * HINT: DO NOT post when others are posting. Be patient and wait till they finish. Likewise, post your information as quickly as you can as others may be waiting.**

I chose to highlight the Smartboard presentation, even though my picture was taken in the Microsoft presentation. I found that the Smartboard presentation did not give us a chance to practice or try any of the programs that it offered, but rather we were able to see the possibilities that the Smartboard could offer our students. I have had some training in my last practicum with the smartboard, but I could only learn so much in such a short period of time. Mr Ward was the leader of the presentation and gave us some amazing insights into the complex world of Smartboards. Using these boards really would make life easier. I also had the opportunity to already download the software from my school previously and I have been able to search around and play with the program seeing what I can create or do for my children this upcoming March. Mr. Ward showed us how lessons could be created from scratch or how we could go so studentexchange.com and use lessons that teachers had already created. It is truly amazing technology that is useful and helpful for all teachers. This product could really be used for every and any subject and it is reasonably priced for school boards. Mr. Ward had a great sense of humour and sometimes when he went to load the action he wanted to do he would experience a little "glitch" which made me feel better about becoming frustrated with specific types of technology because even the professionals need some help. It was a very educational day and a learning experience that I hope I get to implement in my upcoming practicum placement! Great Day!



Jennifer M

<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">I chose to highlight the seminar “Tech to Teach: Welcome to the New Classroom” presented by Microsoft with Lia De Cicco. I went to this seminar because I wanted to get an overall picture of the kinds of technology being used in the classroom today. She also talked about the classroom of the future, around 2020, where students will have an ipad or “slate” on which they will do all of their work. Learning will be primarily collaborative, with groups of students meeting together either outside of school or at a “hub” such as a library-type setting, and they will conference weekly with the teacher in small groups and also individually. I found this truly fascinating! She also introduced us to some of the Microsoft products, such as Bing, Microsoft OneNote and Microsoft Office, all for teachers. What I liked the most, however, was Windows Live Movie Maker. This may well replace the classic book report! Students can instead create a movie of what they have learned and accompany it with a written outline. I like this idea, because it will promote group learning and bring creativity and imagination into the learning process. I could definitely see myself using Movie Maker in class, as it could be incorporated into virtually any subject, and it seems especially suitable for language and drama.

<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Heather M.



I chose the Kindergarten workshop because I am interested in teaching this age group. Rod Peturson shared many ideas, and strategies that any teacher could incorporate into their classroom. We were shown the importance of self-regulation. I couldn't believe how easy it is for students to self-regulate when they are given the chance. In the video, a little boy came up and asked to join the water station. One of the little boys counted every person at the water table and said “no, sorry there are 4 people here, but you can watch if you would like”. I couldn’t believe how flawless this was! I think that any classroom teacher can use this, especially when it comes to bathroom policies. I plan on putting 2 hooks in my classroom and allowing the students to just put their name card on the hook, and go to the bathroom without having to ask. This would cut down on so many interruptions! Another important point Mr. Peturson made was to not focus your activities on themes. When you focus your classroom on themes, the learning turns to a program based on holidays. The kindergarten program is based on emergent curriculum. If the students are constantly talking about butterflies, then as a teacher, you should make the effort to teach your students about butterflies. If you teach what the children are interested in, then they will be more focused on the material being taught. Overall I learned so much from this workshop, and will use some of his kindergarten strategies when I teach other grade levels in the future.

Ashley L.



I had the opportunity to go to a Smartboard workshop. The smartboard workshop didn't teach me how to use a smartboard, instead it highlighted all of the actions on a smartboard, and how it can be used in a classroom. I was amazed. I had heard about how we should be using them and how integral and engaging they could be in a classroom they could be but I was astonished to see how truely valuable they could be in a classroom. I would use the information provided in his presentation as a stepping stone into Smartboards. The presenter (mr. Ward) worked for SMART board, and was extremely knowledgeable about them. In a little over an hour and a half, he showed, a number of different ways to use the board. A couple of ways that he used the board that I found extremely useful and would definately consider using was the handwriting tool. Being a male, I have always had terrible writing. One tool the smart board would allow me to do, was write something on the board and then quickly change it to a font that was more legible for students. I think this tool would also be a cool tool for students to use as well. Something else that Mr. Ward kept encouraging us to do with the Smartboard is to not depend on us, as instructors standing at the front and being the ones to manipulate the board. Instead he encouraged us to have students up at the front manipulating the board and using it, stating that this would allow the students to become even more engaged in the lessons. One thing that really resonated with me throughout this presentation was how easily it was to use the smartboard and useful it can be for not just instructors, but students. An example of this was, image you don't have time to complete a lesson or you're teaching math and you don't have enough board space so you have to erase one board to write more information down. With a smartboard, you can save the information you erase so that if a student doesn't understand something and needs to see that first step again, it is possible (quickly). Secondly, there is a tool that allows you to play back your notes as students are completeing in class assignments. I thought that would be very useful. I selected this presentation because I had heard a lot about smartboards, but didn't really comprehend how useful they could be in a classroom. After viewing this presentation, I am intrigue by smartboards, and will definately take courses to expand my knowledge on smartboards. I can definately see smartboards being used in the future. With all the easy things to do on it, why wouldn't it be included? Manipulating things has been made so simple through the use of smartboards.

Jon Hallett

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">I really enjoyed attending the technology showcase on Friday. Although I did not get the opportunity to choose my own workshops (signed up late so I had a limited choice), looking back I was glad I was able to learn of some excellent technology tools that are available to use in a classroom. The first session I attended was called “Pedagogical Approach to Clickers in the Classroom”. This workshop focused on the tools of clickers to use for teaching in the classroom. There is the software called turning point 2008 (can use PowerPoint) a responsive device called a clicker, and a receiver that plugs into a computer USB (collects responses). The way the clickers work is that the teacher asks the class a question (questions put up on a PowerPoint slide) and the students who have the clickers answer the questions and the receiver transmits the students answers to the computer where there is immediate feedback given. This tool is very useful for both the students and the teachers. The students get immediate feedback on their answers and are all able to participate in class discussion and questioning. The teachers find this tool useful because they can get feedback on students understanding, participation and knowledge in order to adjust if further explaining is needed and to plan better their lessons. The three points we looked at was how it helps with //class management// (keeps students engaged), how it reflects students //comprehension// (great to introduce new topic or do a review) and it also creates //discussions// (students can discuss their choices with each other). <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">I would love to have a class set of clickers in my classroom because the possibilities for using this tool in the classroom are numerous. On way we were shown for using this tool is to poll our class with questions based on our lesson being taught. For example, if I was teaching a lesson on math and I wanted to see if students were grasping the steps I had done in the previous math class I could review homework questions and have students use their clickers to answer the question on my PowerPoint. From the results I could see if majority of my class understands and even if I created a class list see which students might be struggling with an area. Another suggestion we were shown was to observe learning progression. I could ask a question to the class at the beginning of the lesson and then after teaching re-poll the class and see if the results show learning progression. Also creating a challenge using the clickers could be useful for review before a test or just to engage the students by making the lesson exciting. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">When I looked through the list of available workshops I really wanted to choose the workshop dealing with clickers. I remember using the tools in my own schooling in the past; however I wanted to see how I might be able to incorporate them into an elementary style setting. I only remember using them once or twice in my high school and university school days. What surprised me was that I really could adapt the lessons in a primary and junior classroom to have students use clickers to develop learning. I remember just how engaging it made the lesson be when I used them and how excited I was to see if I got the question right and how the rest of the class did. With the 21st century being highly technologically based, this tool can really be simple to integrate into my teaching lessons. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">

=
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">At the Technology Showcase I attended the SMART board presentation. This presentation talked about various features of the SMART board that can be utilized by a teacher in a classroom and explained how to use these various tools. ======

=
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Do to the fact that SMART boards are being implemented in all boards across Ontario I will be able to used all aspects of the SMART board in my classroom. There are various features that are more advantageous than others but the simple fact that students can take the SMART pens, or any object for that matter, to write on the SMART board make it very interactive and engaging to all students no matter what the subject being taught. One example of a lesson that was discussed at the presentation was a math lesson that involved balloon popping. Students are able to use a Koosh ball and throw it at the SMART board to pop balloons. Under each balloon was a math question that the student who popped the balloon had to answer. ======

=
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I originally chose this presentation because I knew that SMART boards were becoming a very popular tool in school. I felt that by attending the presentation I would be able to learn some of the basic concepts of the SMART board. One other thing I found interesting is that any teacher is able to go online and download lesson templates (even interactive lessons that are pre-made) and use then in their classroom. I found this presentation very useful and would recommend it for and person who is becoming a teacher. ======

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">- Eric Ruffo
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 0px; overflow: hidden;">

I attended the Building Futures workshop. The presentations I attended was "Full-Day Early Learning Kindergarten Program." The topic highlighted how the new program would be implemented in schools and how ECEs and teachers would work collaboratively together.

I'm not too sure how I would use the information I gained for instructional purposes. I guess if placed in a kindergarten room, I would be able to understand and appreciate the ECE greatly with my ECE background. If not in a kindergarten program, I would definately support the program through classroom news letters or having a program where my students could work alongside the kindergarten students.

The main reason for selecting this particular presentation was to see how ECEs would be implemented in a classroom and if teachers would openly accept the different educational styles. This was a personally interesting presentation that really got me thinking about switching from desiring the jr. grades to possibly wanting to experience a kindergarten class. I learned so many great ideas from the presenter, Rod Peturson, that I now feel comfortable with the educational system and the idea of having wee little ones in school for a full day.

B. L.

====<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">On January 29, 2011, I attended the Project Wild Workshop. This Project is sponsored by the Canadian Wildlife Federation. It was a one day workshop and I really enjoyed it that I chose it to be my Professional Learning Reflection. I am a lover of nature and Wildlife. The workshop invites teachers to integrate nature and the environment into their teaching. I think this workshop was very beneficial as it helps future teachers to implement in the younger generations an interest to learn about nature and how their actions will affect the sustainability of life on the the planet which will create in them the sense of responsibility and devotion towards the current environmental issues. Students would become future advocate of wildlife if this Project is fully implemented in the school program. During the workshop, we played a game called: "O Deer", then we went on a hike. I really enjoyed the activity and the outdoors. Being a city dweller, I always look for those opportunities to go outdoor, and enjoy nature away from the city and pollution. This was enjoyable especially that the activity incorporated fun with education. ==== ====<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">At the end of the workshop, each teacher candidate left with a special resource: an "Activity Book" that is very handy, valuable and well designed. The book activities incorporate different curriculum subjects, such as language art, math, science, health and physical education into Wildlife learning for all grades. I would like to encourage all teacher candidate who didn't attend the Project Wild to look for the next opportunity to attend it because it is not only very useful but also fun. ====

<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">Yvette Salib


I went to the Building Futures workshop and attended 3 different topics. My favourite topic was full day kindergarten. The speaker talked about what differences it creates for the students, differences for the teacher/ECE and differences in classroom management and planning. I found this workshop most benefical due to the fact that full day kindergarten is approach us quickly and will soon be found all over. The changes are quiet large and it was interesting to take a look into this brand new day and what benefits it brings to the ontario education. This workshop was a great experience for me because I hope to one day have my own kindergarten class and soon all kindergarten class will be implemented in the full day program.It was great to find out the mechanics of the full day kindergarten program with changes to the students day as well as roles of the teacher with the introduction of an ECE in the classroom. Chelsea Walker