Learning (un)plugged by Stephan Hughes

Getting things started - an outline of what I wanted to cover with the student teachers - two attending physically and eight to ten online via live broadcast

TeacherStephan — 2015-08-19 12:51:36 UTC

Inevitably the discussion on Technology in the classroom led to the use of social media in the classroom. I couldn't help but peddle my wares and talk about the #nt2t chat (I'm one of the founders and co-moderators. Coincidence had it that the topic of the chat was on tips and tricks to making good use of Twitter as a teacher.

TeacherStephan — 2015-08-19 12:53:50 UTC

NOTE: The #nt2t chat is dedicated to helping NEW TEACHERS TO TWITTER. It runs every Saturday at 9AM EST for one hour (most chats last this time) and is open to all those who want to connect with other teachers around the world and grow a PLN (Personal Learning Network)

Participating in a Twitter chat is not always possible due to other commitments. The use of online archiving tools like Storify make it possible to keep a record of the amazing interaction and sharing of ideas, resources, links and so much more.

TeacherStephan — 2015-08-19 13:02:30 UTC

As soon as I presented the tool and showed them how to create a file on Storify, students started thinking of how they could use it with their students or how their students could make use of it autonomously.

Talking Storify

TeacherStephan — 2015-08-19 13:20:01 UTC

I seized the opportunity to record my explanation of Storify during the class. What was good was that students asked questions about the functionalities and made comments in the course of the explanatory demo

Where would I be without my Skype?

TeacherStephan — 2015-08-19 14:15:59 UTC

With the help of two great educators (Sarah Thomas and Valerie Lewis)I met on Twitter and with whom I throw ideas around on Voxer, we had a mini-Skype conference in which we talked about issues pertinent to using technology in the classroom

TeacherStephan — 2015-08-19 14:18:55 UTC

TeacherStephan — 2015-08-19 14:19:19 UTC

Why (not) blog?

TeacherStephan — 2015-08-19 14:39:14 UTC

The need to find ways to CURATE information, to organize and SELECT what is relevant was duly addressed. Blogs continue to be a valuable tool for this endeavor and the discussion we had even become a blog post on one of my blogs.

A "meta" padlet

TeacherStephan — 2015-08-19 14:44:02 UTC

Since the topic was CURATION, we cannot forget the tool in question here. To illustrate how we could use PADLET, I created one and tweeted it to get some participation. Here are the results

My biggest takeaway from those two days was the notetaking skteches I did on a traditional whiteboard. AS we tackled the subjects, brainstromed ideas and offered solutions, I tried to represent all of that on the whiteboard. My drawing skills are not top-notch but I believe I was able to achieve the aims of the lesson and foster learning in the process.

TeacherStephan — 2015-08-19 14:49:15 UTC

This was Day 1

Day 2 in a sketch

TeacherStephan — 2015-08-19 14:52:55 UTC

I had a go at the "artwork" again on the second day.

Benefits and barriers - make the most of them

TeacherStephan — 2015-08-19 14:55:12 UTC

One of my student recommended we watch this video as he felt it tied in directly with our discussion about teaching with/without technology. A valuable input that should force us to reflect on how these numbers pan out in Brazilian contexts.

It's just a tool

TeacherStephan — 2015-08-19 14:58:20 UTC

We understood that we should only prioritize the use of technology if it enhances or facilitates what we alrready do. It is dispensable and disposable. And changing the technology does not automatically change the teaching.

QR CODES? How Pinteresting!

TeacherStephan — 2015-08-19 15:06:11 UTC

Pinterest has also become a highly effective way to curate resources. Along with QR codes, teachers have immens potential to explore with their students.

With students in the classroom and others watching via live streaming at home, the conversation that goes on simultaneously with the lesson was able to flourish. I decided to explore the concept of facilitating the BACKCHANNEL with Evernote, Socrative and Todaysmeet

TeacherStephan — 2015-08-19 15:09:21 UTC

TeacherStephan — 2015-08-19 15:14:17 UTC

TeacherStephan — 2015-08-19 15:18:42 UTC

TeacherStephan — 2015-08-19 15:20:56 UTC

No class on integrating technology in the classroom, especially web 2.0 tools, can be considered a good one without including some kind of quiz or collaborative work. These exploratory questions sought to stimulate discussion and ongoing individual relfection, so the task was optional.

TeacherStephan — 2015-08-19 18:36:41 UTC

This video in Portuguese highlights the primary challenge for teachers who adopt new digital resources in their classrooms. This adoption involves a change in materials design and application, idealized in the SAMR Model

TeacherStephan — 2015-08-19 18:46:17 UTC

Using internet-based tools in the classroom requires concerns on the part of teachers with privacy, security, responsibility, and citizenship. Students must be aware of their digital footprint and that they need to act as responsibly online as they behave in the physical world. These ideas were represented in the form of four memes based on songs.

TeacherStephan — 2015-08-19 18:49:50 UTC

TeacherStephan — 2015-08-19 18:56:16 UTC

TeacherStephan — 2015-08-19 18:56:54 UTC

TeacherStephan — 2015-08-19 18:57:55 UTC

TeacherStephan — 2015-08-19 18:58:24 UTC