It's time to re-think of the ways in which we communication with students and parents outside of the classroom.

As part of a project for my ETEC565M course with UBC's MET programpr I wanted to focus on communicating with students and parents outside of the classroom.  As a society that predominantly lives with our mobile devices in hand, often the traditional methods of communication are less successful.  How many times have you opened up an email to forget about it shortly thereafter.  With the use of mobile devices many of us are looking for communication to be quick and to the point.  This is where Remind comes into play.

As a tool that I have been using with my classes for nearly two years, I cannot say I have found anything quite like it.  I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce you, and others in my PLN, to the benefits of Remind.  I have created a YouTube video to introduce educators to Remind.

It is my hope that you enjoy the video and find it useful.

D'Alice

Overwhelming.  Scary. There’s no way. What am I doing?  All thoughts that had passed through my mind in the beginning of an assignment for my ETEC565A course, as a part of the UBC MET Program.  Creating an introductory module using the learning management system (LMS) Moodle was both a frustrating and rewarding experience.

I then set out to design the course content I would provide in the introductory module (start off small right?); outlines, assessment guidelines, instructor introductions, along with a handful of others.  Once the content was created offline, it was time to upload it to the Moodle LMS.  Panic sunk in.   

Learning how to navigate through Moodle was quite frustrating at times.  The barrier in front of me did not want to be broken down.  I had attempted to learn how to use Moodle by watching a variety of YouTube videos, such as Getting Started with Moodle and Moodle Tutorial 1: Basic Layout, which helped me with the basics but did not answer all of my questions, nor did they eliminate all of my frustrations.  After a few dedicated hours in attempts to conquer Moodle, I came to a realization.  A realization that I have a personal learning network (PLN) that I could call on for help and guidance.  I replied to a tweet from @qflokstra that another member, @MsVictoriaOlson, of my PLN saw, she then led me to another member of my PLN, @Math_Johnson, for help and support.  From here I was able to ask for help and support and learn within a community of educators with a variety of experiences in Moodle.  Additionally, I had sent an email to my colleagues in the Adult Learning Center, that are moving to a predominantly online learning environment, inquiring if any of them were familiar with Moodle and were willing to help me in person.  I was set!  I had two tutoring sessions in person with a colleague and had countless conversations with @qflokstra and @Math_Johnson on twitter.

After countless questions to my PLN, hours of playing around I can now say that I am happy with the product I have created (sorry, I cannot share - it is currently being hosted by a secured UBC Moodle site.  In future I will try to remember to share).  While I was quite anxious and frustrated during the outset of this assignment, by the end of the activity I found Moodle to be not as frightening as I first thought.  With my PLN by my side, I am now looking forward to learning more about Moodle as a LMS.

References

Clarkson, Alexander.  (2012, May 19).  Moodle tutorial 1: Basic layout.  [Video file].  Retrieved from http://youtu.be/8yD3jIyrjNQ 

Lynda.com.  (2011, August 29).  Getting started with Moodle.  [Video file].  Retrieved from http://youtu.be/8JJaXJdgxh4 

Please bear with me. This post will be a little more academic than most blog posts. I am also writing this post as a way to share my positive thoughts on Twitter as a tool to connect educators and develop a PLN for my ETEC540: Text Technologies - The Changing the Spaces of Reading & Writing course.  Encouraging those that are unfamiliar with Twitter, or those that do not see the benefits of Twitter, to consider some of the positive impacts it can have.

If you are not interested in reading the long post, I encourage you to jump to the embedded Pinterest board below.

So here it goes… 

I believe that I have always been a connected educator, although not entirely connected through technology.  Over the years I have spent sometime on Twitter lurking in the background, sourcing out new ideas to use in my classroom.  However, since starting the Master of Educational Technology (MET) program at UBC (September 2013) I have begun to fully embrace the use of Twitter for my professional development by participating in conversations and authoring my own texts.  

As an educator that uses Twitter to connect and to engage in conversations for the purpose of learning through meaningful dialogue, I cannot speak more highly of the use of Twitter as a source for professional development.

What is Twitter?

While there are many people that use Twitter as an open source to receive celebrity gossip, viral Internet memes, current traffic information, and developing new stories, there is another side of Twitter as well.  “Twitter is an online social networking and micro-blogging service” that allows users to send and receive texts of 140-characters or less (“Twitter”, 2014 & Grosseck, G. et al. 2008).  Twitter enables real-time interactions between users to communicate, to ask questions, to receive advice, and to provide advice (Grosseck et al., 2008).

Twitter as a PLN

It is through this networking that educators can build their personal learning network (PLN).  Through the use of common educational hashtags, such as #ntchat (New Teacher Chat) or #edtech (Educational Technology), educators are able to find a wealth of information at their fingertips.  A lurker, someone who consumes the content, is able to find links to websites with lesson plans and ideas to bring to the classroom without having to attend a structured conference, and from the comfort of their home. 

As the confidence level of the educational tweeter grows, so does the amount of networking and learning.  Slowly over time, as you begin to recognize frequent tweeters which you determine you have commonalities with, you will follow them.  You will learn who to go to for ideas and help in educational tech, in Moodle, in math, in science, in the elementary class, in genius hour, in any thing you are interested in. 

To help keep you organized, you may wish to create Twitter lists. By creating a list, you are curating a group of Twitter users with similar interests.  You can create your own list, such as I have with UBCMET, or you can subscribe to lists created by other users.  A list will allow you to view a timeline of all tweets by only users within it.

Much the same as relationships develop when in person; relationships begin to develop online as well.  There are many educators that I follow that I would consider to be more than just acquaintances, I would consider to be friends.  They support you in your needs for education discussions and help; but you also begin to share your personal lives with them.  Making deeper connections and building stronger ties to a global community of educators.  These are the people you seek out to meet in person at conferences, to meet for coffees on the weekend.

Let me start by saying, this is not my typical post.  However, I needed a place to upload and share Image Citations for my project.  So, here it is. 

As a part of my ETEC540 course, Text Technologies: The Changing Spaces of Reading & Writing, I was required to create a video documentary.  We were to choose a piece of technology and to contextualize the technological development historically and culturally.  This assignment has been a definite learning experience.  

Up until the start of this assignment I did not know what a stereoscope was; or so I thought.  It turns out; I had seen some stereoscopic painting by Dali last spring.  I wound up being so fascinated with the stereoscope, and its connection to photography, that I have already been to a couple of antique stores looking at views to start collecting.

The overall process was fun, long, stressful, enlightening, just to name a few emotions.  I even went to a physical library, first in seven years, and borrowed some books.  (Side note; apparently Burnaby Public Libraries do not charge interest on overdue fines).  I struggled though a lack of creativity, struggled with software, and as I write this, I am struggling with uploading the video to my YouTube account.

To create the documentary I used the following software programs: QuickTime (Audio & Screen), iMovie, PowerPoint, and Word.  All programs I had used before.  Although I was familiar with all of these programs I took the time to learn something new with each of them. 

What did take me by surprise was how time consuming this project was.  It has taken far more time than I had anticipated.  I am happy to say that I have finished and that I have learned a lot.  Not only did I learn about the stereoscope; but also about the support from others.  For this I owe my family thanks.  Pamela a huge thanks for pushing me to the end.  

If you'd like to watch the documentary, The Invention of the Stereoscope, you are more than welcome to do so.

All of images were retrieved from Wikipedia Commons, Flickr Commons, and websites that provided a Creative Commons License.  

To view the Work Cited (also included at the end of the documentary) and Image Citations please open the following document.

I must be completely honest; I had signed up to attend EdCamp35 as soon as registration was open.  I love EdCamps, so why wouldn’t I.  As Saturday morning was approaching, I was debating whether I was willing to give up this day.  In desperate need of sleep, with it being the start of my Spring Break, going to bed on the eve of EdCamp35 I was unsure if I was going to rise in the wee hours (6:30am) of a Saturday morning to attend.  I did.  The alarm went off and I rolled out of bed to get ready.  The best decision I had made that day.

Despite needing copious amounts of caffeine to get me started, once at EdCamp35 I began to be awakened.  It is impossible not to feed off of the energy of everyone else around you.

What stood out to me…

Energy was in the air.  It was hard not to wake up with all the excitement in the air.

Passion was all around.  In all the discussions I heard everyone was speaking from their heart, from their concern, and from their desire to have the best for the education system.  Even when ideas were opposing all voices were heard and were respected.

Food trucks!  My growling stomach was thrilled to have a hot lunch from the food trucks.  I was salivating in line while waiting.

Conversations were great!  It was impossible not to have conversations.  The rooms had been torn apart and set up with circles for equal opportunity to be heard; there was no chance to be lectured.  The front of the room did not exist.

Awesomeness of the EdCamp35 Team.  All members did a great job at setting up and promoting the day.  For their first EdCamp they had an excellent turnout of all stakeholders.  There were a bunch of us teachers; but there were also a number of parents, students, administrators, and district personnel there too.  And, not to forget the large contingent of BC student teachers, #bcstuteach, represented there too.  They EdCamp35 Team was so awesome, that people came from the Sunshine Coast, Nanaimo, and as far away as San Francisco, California!   

Twitter peeps!!!  I must say, that by far one of the highlights was getting to meet all the people behind the @handles from twitter PLN (Personal Learning Network).   My PLN is great, it is growing, and they are a wonderful group of tweeps.  Being able to meet them in person, and have a face-to-face conversation strengthens those relationships making them much more meaningful.

These are just a few of the things that stood out to me.  There is one more thought….

No matter how tired you are, how much you want sleep, get dressed and get out that door and get yourself to EdCamp.  I’d never forgive myself if I hadn’t!

It started with a simple side chat during #bcedchat's conversations about EdCamps.  Here is my simple description of an EdCamp in a haiku.

Yesterday I spent my Saturday hanging out with a couple hundred others sharing in a passion.  A passion for education!  Waking up early for some professional development isn’t what most people think of doing on their weekend; I mean isn’t being in school five days a week enough?  To go in for a sixth, that’s crazy, right?   Well, this was EdCamp (EdCamp Delta) – something I’ve learned you don’t pass up. 

EdCamp is a conference that is an unconference.  Bright eyed, bushy tailed, with caffeine in hand over 200 participants congregated in a high school library at Delta Secondary School; board members, administrators, teachers, parents, AND students!  Going in there are no set topics for discussion, everything is decided on the day in person.  Participants are encouraged to suggest topics they wish to discuss and post them on a bulletin board.  From there all participants are encouraged to vote on which topics they want to make happen.  Voting yesterday was done with stickers; each participant was given 4 stickers to place on the topics we wanted.  (Last year we were given post-it notes).   Then the fun begins, a short welcome for the day, you turn around and voila the schedule of the day is posted; room numbers, times, topics and all.  With a buzz in the air we were off!

If there were two words I could use to describe EdCamp they would be connections and reconnections.  

Making connections with the people I have spent the last few months with tweeting with.  Getting to put a face to a name.  Having this face-to-face interaction allows for deeper connections and relationships to be built.  I am able to embrace these newfound relationships, to embrace the energy and the drive that they provide me, to embrace the encouragement I have to try new things and to persevere when they’re not successful the first time.  These connections help rejuvenate me and my desire to challenge myself!  Sure, I’m still feeling a little burnt out, who doesn’t; but I feel that I can push through, break through the barrier and come out on top.

Of course there was plenty of opportunity to reconnect as well.  Not only was I able to reconnect with those I had met at previous EdCamps, I was able to reconnect with a fellow teacher that I had not taught with in the past couple of years, Tracey D.  We were able to reminisce about the times we had working together, how things always seem greener on the other side (why is that?).  We had a great time catching up on the changes we’ve both made professionally, along with the moves we’ve made in our personal lives.

Furthermore, I was able to reconnect with what is important, my passion for teaching!.  I have been struggling recently with frustrations that directly impact my self-importance and my teaching position.  These frustrations of course have an impact on my teaching, as a result affect my students learning.  It's not their fault I'm experiencing frustration, so why should they be the ones to suffer.  Well, yesterday gave me the opportunity to reflect and to reconnect with my desire to teach.  I became a teacher, not for the money, not for the politics but for the students.  To teach the students, to share their lives, to share their successes, and to share their failures; these are the reasons I became a teacher.  For the chance to make a difference. 

At the end of the day, I was exhausted.  I had been so thoroughly engaged my mind needed a break.  I took last night to sit and to reflect, of course jotting some notes down along the way.  I don’t want to forget all the valuable ideas that were shared.  I need to focus.  There are so many possibilities for change, that I couldn’t possibly implement them all without overwhelming myself or my students.  

Where do I want to focus my focus?  After a lot of thought, I have decided that I want to place more of an emphasis on inquiry-based learning and in Genius Hour.  It’s my hope that students will become more engaged and less passive in their learning.

I can do this!  I can and I will challenge myself and my students in our learning together.  I know I can do this; I have the support of those that I have connected with and reconnected with.

PS. If you ever have a chance to attend an EdCamp – DO IT!  Don’t pass up the opportunity to connect and to reconnect with those who share a passion for education.

PPS. Sign up for EdCamp35, it’s being held on April 12th, 2014 in Langley, BC.  I’ll be there, will you?

Okay, so this is an idea I’ve been toying with for quite sometime.  And I’ve decided to take the plunge.  I’ve decided to create and maintain a professional blog.  Is there a better way to start off the New Year?

I decided the best way to start off this blog is to start with a mini-autobiography and explanation of my reasons for creating a professional blog.

My name is D’Alice (pronounced Dallas) Marsh.  When I was in French Immersion my name drove me nuts; teachers would always pronounce it as if it were French  Meaning “of Alice” or “from Alice.”  Then I grew to love it and appreciate it.

I graduated with a BHkin in 2006 and my BEd in 2008.  My core subject areas at the time were PE and English with a highschool option.  Over the past two years though I’ve taught a lot of Math and Science.  And as of September 2013 I started my masters online through UBC, I am currently working towards completing a Masters of Educational Technology.

I have decided it is time.  After months of lurking and reading other educational blogs and lurking on twitter (now becoming more of a contributor).  I decided it was time to join the conversation and to share my learnings and my experiences with others.  

Now, I must say, this is not my first blog.  I do have a couple of class blogs and a personal blog, My Life, My Thoughts, My Words.  However, after a couple of months of a good run that quickly fell by the wayside.  So it will be my realistic goal, to post a minimum of once a month.  Don’t want to set myself up for failure.  Not to mention, I want to contribute things that are meaningful.

I am hoping to use this blog as a reflection of my own learnings.  It’s a strong belief of mine that we should all strive to be lifelong learners, continuously challenging ourselves to be better and not settle into a comfort zone.

I also thought it would be a good place to document my “learnings” and my thoughts while working through my masters.  Although I have yet to decide if I will publish all my thoughts and assignments.

A small disclaimer....This section goes into more details than most will want to read or to know.  Choose to read as much or as little as you want.  The reason I've provided so much detail, is that it's my experience that few educators have had little, to none, experience in with alternate school settings.

I currently teach at the POWER Program, an alternate school, in New Westminster, School District #40.  This is my third year here.  We have three semesters and teach September through July, going year round.  We have six teachers in the program, 3 teach 5 days a week with regular hours and 3 teach 4 days a week with extended hours 9:30-5:30.  I’m one of the ones with the extended days.  So I teach the equivalent of 5 days in 4, so I’m lucky enough to have Mondays off.  (Only this year my position was cut back and I’m only teaching a 0.9FTE, which has lead me back to TTOCing on Mondays to make up for the loss of income).

Our students come from a variety of backgrounds, aged 16-19 typically; mental health (autism, social anxiety, developmental, …), behavioral (corrections, D&A, ADHD, removed from home schools & districts), MCFD - often on independent living, and those that simply just don’t fit into the regular stream and need a schedule that will allow them to work to support themselves financially.

The one thing that most of our students have in common is that they are not at grade level.  We tend to have an inverted bell shape.  Many of our students have been out of school for years and are just returning, many have moved so many times that there were never able to complete anything, others excel with their supportive families and test at post-secondary levels.

Here I teach six courses a year, two each semester.  The courses I teach are Applications & Workplace Mathematics 10 and 11, Science 10, Earth Science 11, PE 10&12 Combination,  Photography 10 & 12 Combination.  I have also taught Science & Technology 11.

“When others ask, do you really teach?,” “ Why would you want to peg yourself as an alternate teacher?,” “ Could you not get a job anywhere else?”  My answer is “Yes,” “I’m not,” and “I could’ve”.  

POWER is a structured program, with classes, with class times, with absences, and with lates just like any other regular stream school.  This is what sets us apart from the majority of other alternate programs.  Not only are we teachers, we are ears to listen, we are the support our students need.  There is no denying there are days that are struggles for us and our students.  But there are no two days that are the same; and there are the awesome days!  The days we get to share moments with our students, the day a concept finally clicks after weeks of struggles, the day they decide to accept help with their addictions, the day they come in beaming with pride having worked really hard on a project.  Then there are those moments that we share as a community, sitting down and breaking bread with each other over a nice hot lunch, ice skating, bowling, going on fieldtrips to locations they would not be able to afford to go on their own.  

I once was afraid of pigeon-holing myself into an alternate position; but, that fear quickly dissipated.  During my BEd, I begged and pleaded to be able to spend a portion of my practicum in an alternate setting.  I got my wish.  There is something to be said about the meaningful relationships that are built within this setting.  You can see what a difference it makes in the lives of students who would not normally have a chance or an opportunity to graduate and to thrive in a learning environment.

As for getting a job somewhere else.  I was requested as a TTOC by a teacher within the POWER Program, and as it turns out it turned into a contract.  Since then, I haven’t looked back.  I’m sure I won’t spend my entire career in an alternate setting, I believe it is good to experience change to continuously challenge yourself, and on the difficult days I sometimes wonder why not get a position in the regular highschool.  But those thoughts go as quickly as they come.

I thought for the rest of the “Who I Am” I’d make a mindmap.  I was brainstorming using a mindmap, and then thought it’d be less threatening to post it instead of writing more.  The mindmap was created using SimpleMind+.

I hope that through this journey I am able to help contribute to discussions in education, while sharing my own thoughts and experiences.  (I will also limit the length of future posts, trying to be mindful of words dragging on.)