Stop Motion Animation:

How to bring it into the classroom:

  • using an ipad, moving post-it notes and moving at timed intervals across the floor.

StopMotion: free app you can download to help take pictures

Then animated the pictures through Photoshop

  • Go into window tab
  • Go into timeline
  • create different layers
  • Use twinning botton to make it look like object is moving from point A to point B (instead of having to take many more photos of the object in slightly different spots
  • used IMovie to overlay photos transitioning into animation

Pros:

  • can use it cross-curricularly: math, p.e, etc. – makes learning fun and exciting

Cons:

  • if you’re limited in the amount of technology you can use
  • can be frustrating (projects getting deleted, or not working how you intended)

Things to watch out for:

  • using bluetooth remote to take pictures so there’s no movement of camera
  • take your time

Resources:

  • makerspaceforeducation.com
  • iste.org
  • sites.google.com/site/waldoportfolio
  • wiobyrne.com
  • blog.ed.ted.com
  • onf-nfb.gc.ca
  • education.microsoft.com

 

 

Bringing Digital Mapping into the Classroom:

  • Google My Maps: focuses on putting information into maps instead of just getting information out of google maps.
    • Good for letting kids create their own maps
    • calculate area, colour code areas, points of interest, can add photos and videos to icons
    • make maps about family heritages, map languages, fictional settings, field trip planning
  • Google Street View:
    • Natural wonders
    • walk through museums
    • Google Cultural Institute
  • Google Earth vs Google Maps
    • Google maps is more utility
    • google earth is experience over utility, gives high resolution 3D experiences
    • flight simulator
    • View the Past – see how the land has changed over the past 15-20 years
    • Make different layers : ie. endangered habitats/species
    • Google Moon, Mars, and Sky – immersive interactions with all the space missions, narrated by people who did the missions
    • Voyageur: curated tours of various places around the world (ie. Jane Goodall and chimpanzees)
  • Lesson Planning/Project Ideas:
    • 20 questions
    • real-world math
    • global awareness layer
    • can create a scavenger hunt – through coordinates
  • Can build off curriculum
    • for example, to follow the routes explorers traveled during the gold rush
    • historical timeline
    • add pictures or link to videos to help represent historical context
  • Be informed:
    • google maps has a lot of information about you
      • google can track you if you don’t opt out
      • if you take pictures during your day, will link in to your day and can few infinitely
    • Google Earth doesn’t automatically track you

 

Digital Literacy and how to teach it in the Classroom:

  • Digital literacy is information literacy : what is real and what is fake
    • know the quality of the websites they’re encountering
    • think critically about information being presented – how much bias is on the site they’re exploring
    • how to properly cite the online information you’re using – what information you can use and what information is copyrighted
    • understanding digital footprints (what you’re leaving behind when you use the internet – ie. cookies, search history, etc)
    • how to properly protect yourself on the internet – how everything on the internet is permanent
    • how to properly handle digital communication – don’t let the screen dehumanize your behaviours and interactions
      • cyberbullying: the steps students should take and how teachers should react
  • Pros, Cons, and Risks:
    • tech usually increases motivation, doesn’t use paper (yay environment), endless resources
    • tech can involve many distractions if not monitored, can encounter innapropriate content more easily
    • cyberbullying is a big risk, digital footprints, and that everything posted is permanent
  • Strategies, Tips, and Best Practices:
    • Crash Course videos great for:
      • Lateral reading: if you find information on the internet, you read other sources around the internet to ensure that the information is actually legitimate and free of bias
      • Fact checking
      • Evaluating Evidence
    • MediaSmarts.ca – Canadian specific content for internet safety and lesson planning
    • Including student choice and voice in how you incorporate digital literacy
    • A focus on more creation than consumption – will be naturally more aware of privacy issues
    • Focus on multi-modality – try to include more than just 1 tech focus
    • Ensure accessibility for all learners — provide class time! Don’t expect students to use technology at home. Have assisitive technology for tech programs (UDL)
    • Getting them involved in the community outside of school – citizen science
    • teaching skills for social media and peer-to-peer interactions online
    • related to core competencies
      • Digital literacy is part of the BC Curriculum – helps with communication with parents who may have reservations
  • Using digital literacies to help educate about sex education
    • Help guide students to useful resources around the topic of sex education, so they they’re not coming across information that gives them a skewed perception based on a single story
    • using websites to complement the discussions that are necessary to have in class