Archive for 2015

Digital Citizenship Week 2015

2:07 PM 0 Comments A+ a-

Hi folks!

I'm joining in with the responsible web gurus at sites like Common Sense Media and InCtrl to support Digital Citizenship Week this October 19th-26th.

With all the technology that children are being exposed to, it is definitely time to "have the talk" with them about how to be safe and effective in the online world. The talk: parent version (teacher version).



This is a huge topic (you can find the main points from the link at the top of my blog). The important thing to note here is that this isn't just new for kids. Most of the technology and social media issues we are dealing with are new to adults as well as children; we are learning this stuff together. If you think you fall into the "learner" category on this, or rely on your kids to teach you about technology, check out this amazing parent concerns knowledge base to bring yourself up to speed on what may be happening in your child's digital world and how to learn more about these issues.

Did you see that last link there? It was important. Let's do it again.
Find help for parent concerns about technology here.

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Now for the fun stuff. It is a pretty serious topic, but it's something kids can relate to with the right tools and examples. Here are some interactive videos and games that will teach kids about digital citizenship issues that they can relate to!

Digital Passport (Recommended for Grades 2-4)
This free site has five clever games that are both fun to play and teach valuable lessons about digital citizenship with included videos by elementary students.
  • In Twalkers, students learn why it's important to avoid multitasking with a cell phone. They consider the benefits of focusing on one task at a time.
  • In Share Jumper, students evaluate examples of online messages. They decide what information is appropriate to share and when. Students are also reminded that nothing is truly "private" or "erasable" online.
  • In E-volve, students make choices about what to do if they or their friends are cyberbullied. They are encouraged to "evolve" into an “Upstander” – someone who takes action to stop cyberbullying, rather than standing by.
  • In Search Shark, students learn how to choose effective keywords for searching online. They practice selecting keywords that are most relevant to a search prompt. Along the way, students discover hints for narrowing their search results.
  • In Mix-n-Mash, students remix media content to create a new creative piece. Along the way, they give proper credit to the artists whose images and sound clips they use.
Requires a free account. ISPP Students in Grade 2 and 3 can get their account from their teacher, or you can create your own family account at home. It's also available as a $2 app for iPad.


Digital Compass (Recommended for Grades 5-9)
This free interactive adventure puts students in the shoes of cartoon characters experiencing real-world digital dilemmas and allows them to choose their own path to experience the possible outcomes of the choices they make. Good or bad decisions reveal interesting plot twists and mini-games. No account required and it's also available free on iPad and Google Play!

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I really hope you'll try these out and help raise awareness for Digital Citizenship week. Help me build a future where our information is safe, we celebrate sharing, and no one TYPES IN ALL CAPITALS UNLESS THEY ARE SHOUTING.
:)

Thanks for reading!

-M

Hunt and Peck

2:07 PM 1 Comments A+ a-

**UPDATED: 22/9/2015 with new "for fun" typing games**

Cartoon courtesy of Jim Benton Design (jimbenton.com)
With all the technology flying around education these days, many schools are looking at traditional skill-based drilling exercises such as keyboarding or typing as inefficient use of instructional time. Plenty of time is allocated to writing exercises though, and with a technology integration strategy, that means lots of opportunities for students to practice their typing skills. Some students develop these skills naturally with some teacher advice on the side of the writing lesson, but others may need extra support to practice healthy typing habits and improve the performance and quantity of work they can produce during a lesson.

Proper typing practice can also improve your health by ensuring proper posture and ergonomics.



So what can you do about it?

The two-finger "hunt and peck" strategy is a waste of 80% of your hands!

In years past, typing keeners would purchase software such as the venerable Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing, and although this is still a fantastic typing tutor packed with games and features, it's failed to keep up with the times when it comes to the web. It's also expensive!
Online typing tutors are easy to find these days, and many websites offer their apps free of charge and will even track and remember your progress if you make an account. Here are some recommendations for free online typing tutors:

BBC Dance Mat Typing uses animated characters to encourage typers toward proper technique while playing a "guitar hero" or "dance dance revolution" style game. Starts slow but gets pretty challenging! No account necessary.

Ratatype promises to use typing practice and tests to build muscle memory and speed without losing accuracy. It's free if you create an account, but is very drill-based without any fun games or extras. Good for students who are easily distracted, but not particularly engaging.

Keybr.com is similar to Ratatype with a more professional style, but adds one distinguishing feature that may be used to engage kids: races. If you create accounts, two users can compete against each other in races of typing speed and accuracy.

If Google Chrome is your browser of choice, you can install free app typing tutors from the Chrome Web Store. My favourite is TypeScout, packed with typing lesson plans, games and activities and is free for two months, after which it costs $1.50/year.

Type Fu is a polished, professional typing tutor that is completely free and has lots and lots of structured, adaptive lessons that adjust to the skill of the typer. The highlight here is the robust use of graphs and statistics that tell you just how you are doing, and how much you've improved.

Ninja Cat and Zombie Dinosaurs is a "for fun" speed and accuracy game. Little in the way of instructional content, it provides a fun landscape for practicing lessons learned from some of the more formal typing tutors. Has a two player competition mode!

My new favourite of the bunch, Icarus Proudbottom Teaches Typing is funny, structured, gamelike and engaging with clever retro graphics. Contains some strong language and mature references, parents should play through to the first exam if unsure.

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Hopefully you'll find these resources helpful in improving the speed, accuracy, and posture of your writing. Please leave a comment if you have anything to add!

-M


Growth

11:18 AM 0 Comments A+ a-


Let's talk about growth.

Personal growth, professional growth, becoming lifelong learners. These things are crucial to our time. 

Technology in our schools and workplaces has become a norm, rather than an exception, within the past 25 years. As the pace of change increases with new opportunities, tools, and methods of learning, so does our expectation for performance and development. The time of being a content-matter expert appears to be shifting toward a time of learning experts, with the skills of inquiry, experimentation, adaptation and collaboration providing the foundation for constantly changing personal and career expectations. 

To affect change, develop our communities and ourselves, one needs to be constantly growing. To be constantly growing, we need to be constantly learning.


These "learning skills" are sometimes considered as technology-related or as aspects of information literacy, with prospective job descriptions to match. With current definitions, a huge portion of future jobs will be labeled as "technology" jobs simply because they use tools that require constant evolution and growth. Technology is one of the leading proponents of new learner culture, providing efficacy tools and access to information on previously unprecedented levels. Let me share this infographic (again):

Projected growth in computer science jobs in the USA. (Source Data)

It's indicative of the fact that not just new jobs, but also traditional ones, must change to survive in these times. Future employers are probably going to be begging for information literate workers who can adapt to new programming languages, digital workspaces and communication methods while their focus is on the job at hand, not on doing constant training courses. The demand already appears to be increasing, albeit carrying some technology-specific job titles so far. If you're considering your finances, check out these numbers:

      
Top ten jobs with largest projected salary gains in the USA. (Forbes.com 2014)


The importance of throwing all this data at you on a Monday morning? Am I trying to convert you or your students/children into computer scientists? Never! (Well, maybe a little).

The point I endeavor to make is that a significant portion of the skills we need to become potent lifelong learners are information literacy skills, and that those skills are a foundation for academic and professional growth in children and adults alike. Technology education is not just skill development... it's about learning to be better learners. Information literacy skills are essential for the workplaces of the future, whether you are a programmer or not, and the more chances we have to develop them the better. Teaching the tools exclusively is a waste of time, a road to obsolescence. It is crucial that we learn to be better learners, to make better choices, and to never stop trying to better yourself and your community.



-M


Okay, go!

2:23 PM 0 Comments A+ a-

The 2015-2016 school year has begun!

Welcome or welcome back, for there is much to do and learn at our bustling new campus where our Primary and Secondary programs have come together in one place for the first time in 25 years. As I walked into my first day in our shiny new classrooms, I was asked to say in six words or less what motivates me to be a teacher. The answer was easy:


My name is Matt Dolmont, technology integrator and teacher of tiny humans! It's my role at the school to facilitate the use of technology in our learning of all things, making sure that it enhances and redefines learning in new and exciting ways. Technology exists in many forms though... the mighty pencil is technology in it's own right, and I also strive not to lean too heavily on tech that is not appropriate for the task.

This year we will take our learning to amazing places, just you watch. From literacy and numeracy, art, puzzles, games, digital design, photography, videography, coding and simulations, we're doing it all! Feel free to check back here for inside info on our initiatives, tips for parents and families, and some events you might like to join. Hope to see you around!

-M

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