My Privacy, My Choice, My Life is a website from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. It is extremely important to protect your privacy online, especially as technology rapidly evolves and continues to significantly impact our personal lives. On this website, students, parents and teachers can find out current privacy information, resources and tips. The homepage offers up two important questions…along with interesting answers:
How does technology affect my privacy? Why should I care?
What is RSS? RSS (often called Really Simple Syndication) is a digital format for delivering regularly updated web content from blogs, news sites and other online information pages without the laborious task of visiting individual websites. Using RSS feeds benefits online users who want to subscribe to important or timely updates from favourite websites or to aggregate feeds from many sites into one place. RSS feeds can be read using software called a RSS reader, feed reader, or aggregator. Sometimes online users will see RSS enabled webpages that have an orange feed icon located directly on the page (XML and RSS icons are also used); sometimes the Internet browser has this icon on the toolbar.
Lee LeFever’s RSS in Plain Englishvideo provides a basic explanation of RSS feeds and how this benefits regular Internet information seekers.
Renovated Reading Through Aggregated Feeding Subscribing to RSS feeds solves a problem for people who regularly use the Internet. Feed readers can display subscriptions from hundreds of different websites on a single page in the form of a short summary. Users then can scan through summaries quickly and decide whether they should open up the headline links to read complete articles or postings. There are plenty of choices to sign up for a free feed reader, here are a few examples: Google Reader NewsGator Netvibes Pageflakes
Expert Village has created a How to Use Google Reader 15 part video series, detailing how to change settings, find and organize content, searching and sharing tips, subscribing to feeds and bookmarks. Ms. Tonhauser
2P students have created a digital picture of a munching caterpillar after studying the picture book The Crunching Munching Caterpillar by Sheridan Cain. Using Word 2007, students created the caterpillar picture by: •Inserting, copying and pasting shapes •Colouring and shading using drawing tools •Using fill effects and shape styles
Grade three students have completed part three of their four part social studies series studying communities from India, Tunisia, Ukraine, and Peru. Enjoy this social studies journey to Peru!
To view a full screen version of this VoiceThread, please use the following link: 3HW Peru…Wish You Were Here
To view a full screen version of this VoiceThread, please use the following link: 3S Peru...Wish You Were Here Ms. Tonhauser
Grade three students have completed part two of their four part social studies series studying communities from India, Tunisia, Ukraine, and Peru. This VoiceThread postcard project allows students to demonstrate an appreciation in the differences among communities with technology infused learning.
Qwiki is a multimedia website that synchronizes information drawn from Wikipedia articles and other sources on the Internet. Text and images are summarized on the screen like a moving slideshow with a digital voice narrating the information. This website offers visitors free access, although you can sign up for an account to receive more information access.
Grade three students have completed part one of a four part social studies series studying communities from India, Tunisia, Ukraine, and Peru. This VoiceThread postcard project allows students to demonstrate an appreciation in the differences among communities with technology infused learning.
“Social Studies provide opportunities for students to use the processes, tools and techniques of various forms of technology. The Alberta Social Studies program of studies includes selected outcomes from its Information and Communication Technology (ICT) program of studies.” The student resource, Many Voices, suggests incorporating technology as a vehicle for inquiring, communication, representing, decision making and problem solving. Technology can be used as a tool to: • Gather and identify information • Express and create • Organize information
Ms. Kwan (Assessment Coach), Ms. Langford (Social 7 teacher) and I (Technology Coach) are working with Grade 7 students on an Aboriginal inquiry-based learning project in social studies. In May, 2011, students will celebrate Education Week by hosting an interactive museum called the L'nu'k Student Expo. As expo presenters, students will share and provide evidence of learning and collaboration through various appropriate mediums of technology.
A social 7 wiki and blog has been created to encourage students, parents, and educational guests to participate in collaboration, information sharing, student engagement, and project communication. Please visit the sites to follow the project, view student work and join in the discussion.
We are all back and looking forward to another year of sharing, collaborating, creating, engaging and participating in new technology learning opportunities. The library computer lab has been updated and we are excited about having the addition of another mobile lab available for classrooms.
On August 31st and September 1st teachers attended workshops by David Warlick titled Leading & Learning in the 21st Century and Cracking the Code. Some of the key points from David’s presentations included: • Promoting life-long learning • Preparing students for an unpredictable future • Learning to live in a culture driven by hyper-connectedness • Redefining and reinventing what it is to be an educator • Teaching students ‘how to teach themselves’
On April 17th our blog visitor ClusterMap was archived and a new visitor map was created. ClusterMap archives the map automatically after one year. Hard to believe this blog is already one year old! In the first year of Camilla School’s technology blog, we have hosted over 1500 visitors from around the globe. It is interesting to notice that we have had visitors from almost every continent. Ms. Tonhauser
Camilla School is currently transitioning staff and students into using Microsoft Office 2007 software. This new software is running in a mode which allows students to save files that are fully compatible with Office 2003. Microsoft Office Online offers free training for all 2007 products.
In the month of December class 2P studied the Caldecott winning picture book “The Polar Express” by Chris Van Allsburg. This book’s rich vocabulary and theme of believing without seeing created many learning opportunities for students. Naturally most of the learning outcomes derived from the use of this book were directly tied to the Language Arts curriculum. This year however, we decided that under the guidance of Ms. Tonhauser that we would integrate the “Polar Express” unit into technology. The students and I were given Microsoft Word as our toolbox and Ms. Tonhauser as our conductor guided us to creating these awesome cars and train. The kids were encouraged to be creative and by the looks of these train cars we were not disappointed. Enjoy the slide show thanks to Ms. Tonhauser!
2010 is hear and we will continue create, collaborate, investigate, motivate and communicate technology learning @Camilla School. Technology continues to evolve rapidly and new trends in education are always an interesting read. Here are a few of the attention-grabbing articles circulating throughout online media sources and social networks. Some predict technology trends will continue to grow in the areas of: • Interactive whiteboards • Mobile devices • eBooks vs textbooks • Realtime searches • Educational social networking
Thank you to the Friends of Camilla (FOC) parent group who have allocated fundraising money to purchase new and exciting technologies for Camilla School.
Last week Mr. Byrne announced that the following technology would be purchased for our School: • Promethean Boards • Flip Ultra HD Digital Camcorder • Nintendo Wii • New Digital Camera
We look forward to even more learning and growing academically with technology infused 21st century instructional lessons!
On November 4th Technology Learning Coaches in Sturgeon School Division attended an Edmonton Regional Learning Consortium session titled Literacy and Learning in the 21st Century presented by David Warlick. This was the first time many of us had the pleasure of listening to David speak in person and what a great learning day we had!
How do we define literacy today? Is literacy still simply defined by the 3R’s? David emphasized that literacy today is just not about reading and writing, but instead knowing how to find information, ask questions and find answers. What will the web look like in five years? What kinds of technology will emerge? For the first time ever, educators must prepare students for a future we know nothing about. We are preparing students for a future we cannot predict, or what David calls The Perfect Storm. Being literate today means questioning information, exposing information and becoming an informational ‘digital detective’.
David Warlick is an educator, author, public speaker, and blogger with over 30 years of experiences working with students and teachers.
Grade 4 students have been working on the process of recording their first podcast the past couple weeks and we are finally done! Students were asked to think about why they were excited to be in grade 4. Their responses were creative and varied. Some thought about favourite subject areas, favourite school activities or what they were looking forward to throughout the year.
The recording application used for this podcast was Audacity. This 'easy-to-use' application is great for recording and editing audio files. Using a microphone and a laptop, small groups of students took turns recording their voice, listening to the quality of the recording and rerecording their audio file if necessary. After the recording process was completed, the audio file was uploaded into PodBeam. This free web tool converts the Audacity file into a podcast sharing format available for upload to the school blog.
The school year is quickly coming to an end. There has been a great deal of enthusiasm about technology-infused lessons and learning this year, and it is sure to continue in the fall. Before summer break begins, it is worth reflecting on just a few of our technology highlights from the 2008-2009 school year: • New wireless mobile lab • Introduction of document cameras and Promethean boards • Videoconferencing projects throughout the year • January 29th PD focused on technology in-servicing for all staff • Creation of the Camilla School blog • May 15th PD day included Promethean board demonstrations
Camilla’s technology learning for teachers and students is a work in progress. Teachers will continue to be dedicated to providing cutting-edge learning opportunities through current technologies and 21st century tools.
2009 marks the 40th anniversary of Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Eric Carle is an acclaimed author and illustrator of over seventy innovatively designed children’s picture books. Grade two students at Camilla recently studied this beloved author’s works by reading a few of his books including: • The Very Hungry Caterpillar • A House for Hermit Crab • I See A Song • The Very Lonely Firefly
The main focus of the author study was The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Students followed the main character’s incredible life-changing journey through the book as well as studying Eric’s various illustrative techniques on each colourful page. Eric produces different textures on coloured tissue by using a variety of brush and fingerpainting techniques as students discovered by watching the author give demonstrations through an educational video. Students were now ready to digitally create their own version of the very hungry caterpillar character.
Using Microsoft Word, students were guided through the creative process by focusing on drawing skills such as: • Inserting appropriate shapes • Copying and pasting shapes • Colouring and shading • Adding detail to the character (feet, hair, facial features, anntena)
This project was an extension of The Marvelous Toy song introduced to grade three students in music class. In the first verse of the song, the lyrics describe the toy as “A wonder to behold it was with many colors bright”. Students were asked to create a digital image of their interpretation of the marvelous toy. Using Microsoft Word, students used skills such as: · Inserting drawing toolbar · Accessing autoshapes menu · Drawing using lines, rectangles, ovals · Colouring and shading using fill colour, fill effects, line styles · Inserting text · Copying and pasting shapes/images
Camilla has joined the blogosphere! This blog is intended for students, staff, parents and the public to view and comment on technology learning at Camilla School.
What is a blog? Blog is short for ‘weblog’. Wikipedia defines a blog as: “A blog is a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order” (2009).
Blogs are usually composed of several entries, however each entry will have its own title along with the date and time it has been published. Blogs show the latest posting first and allow you to scroll down to read archived postings. Basically, a blog is an online journal.
Welcome to our school blog! Camilla School is a K-9 school located in the Hamlet of Riviere Qui Barre, Alberta, Canada (Sturgeon School Division).
Our "Catch the Dream...Build the Future" school motto recognizes our commitment to engaging and educating students in the 21st century.
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