Welcome to Miss Sebastian’s Blog

I know it has been a while since Leanne has posted anything on her blog, but I just wanted to point out that I have added a few things on the right here – under pages. There is a great you tube video I found on the Special Olympics that I think everyone should view. Let me know what you think of it. You can find under inclusive education under my pages.

I think I found out about 25 new websites tonight in my ed computer class. Had I not been enrolled in the class, I don’t think I would have ever found out about all these unique sites and useful links for educators. I even found out about lulu.com wish I am looking forward to sharing with my sister who happens to be a great writer. I never really thought before about how useful youtube could even be for our classrooms. If anyone happens to come across great videos for thought and discussion, be sure to let me know, I would really appreciate it. I think the youtube video I found on the Special Olympics could even be a good video for discussion in class. I can’t wait to surf the net some more so that when I do begin to intern I’ll have some great things to bring to the classroom….I’m getting excited!! Definitely finding this class very useful!

I would also like to bring your attention to a new project that I myself along with another young lady in my ed class are beginning to work on. We have just recently created a ning social network called selfesteemproject101. The site is called Pure Beauty 101. Our vision for this network is to bring young high school girls, teachers and mothers from around the world together in hopes of connecting thoughts and perspectives on what real beauty entails. There is a tremendous amount of issues around this topic in our world today and although there are several ways to deal and or seek advice, we feel that perhaps by creating this site we can help create a world of acceptance and respect for our bodies, our self-image and each other. This site is still in the making but if you are interested in becoming a member we would love to hear from you. Feel free to post your thoughts on this ning page about self-image and self-esteem in our world today. If you are as passionate about it as we are and have some other great ideas for this network email us at selfesteemproject@gmail.com.

The title for this post – “A post in the making,” is what I had to title this post today because I have been wanting to post and have been trying to be creative about what I would like to write about. I did start writing earlier today on something and hopefully I can share it with you all soon. Till next time, don’t forget:

“The best way out is always through.”
Robert Frost

I think I am going to try to add great inspirational quotes to my posts! Who doesn’t love to read a good quote?

I found George Siemens presentation last night on ustream fascinating.  It was interesting enough having had the opportunity to see something happening live over the net let alone hearing about an information revolution, “an age of resonance.”  Our world today is changing fast and I too admit that there is a desire in me to understand and connect with the technological world.   George mentioned the difference between complicated and complex.  Complicated we know – complex we don’t know, we just sense.  Our world is no longer complicated but complex.  Technology is continually being upgraded while new things are being invented.  Keeping up with all of this is very overwhelming yet if we think about our future classrooms it is also very exciting!

I don’t recall ever having the opportunity to connect with someone from the other side of the world when I was in grade school.  It was hard enough connecting with my friend from across the street at times.  Today our students can engage in conversation with students from around the world, they can even learn about another culture almost first hand through the net.  I often worry that the technological world is going to increase barriers between people because there is this fear that people are going to stop communicating among themselves and just live in this so called cyber world.  Siemens presentation however allowed me to see the role of technology in a different light.  The use of technology in our classrooms can help us to teach our students to be creative thinkers.  It can also help to break down barriers among peoples if we are informed and aware of the many possibilities and uses of net. 

 It may be true that we as teachers may someday become, as George Siemens said, network administrators.  Our schools do often teach in a single direction manner, meaning we often only teach what needs to be taught and in a way that maybe only suits one type of learner.  As future teachers we need to be open to change, big change.  Our schools have not changed much over the years and it seems fitting with the times that teachers and schools today take on a challenge.  A challenge to face this fast paced technological world and challenge our students to become more aware of their world and their future.

I started mentioning to my parents, my coworkers and others about the use of cell phones in the classroom and how their are teachers right here in our very own province using text messaging as a teaching tool. I was curious to know where abouts this was happening. The digital learning in Prairie South 2008 you tube video mentions the town of Craik using this teaching strategy. I found it so hard to believe, yet after viewing this little you tube video I think I recognize the need for us young teachers in training to begin connecting with these so called digital natives that just so happen to be only about 5 years younger than most of us! Being a teacher really is all about connecting..building relationships and relating our worlds, our views and our lives. If we wish to engage our students in our subject areas we are going to need to explore this foreign cyber world!! If there are any young students or student teachers out there who would love to help me embark on this high speed journey of technology, I would love to hear from you!!!

Check out this link.  This is a friend from school who writes her own music and someone I really admire. If you like her style share this link! Her name is Amy!

Jesse and his friends group! Want to hear some great French folk music…check out this link!

Video, dvd’s and some power point here and there was about as far as technology went for me in my school years.  I took a computer class in grade 10, but it consisted mostly of typing….getting better at typing.  I must confess though that it was the frequent use of msn that helped me to become the fast typer I am today!  I loved msn…I mean who really didn’t?Since I began my addiction to facebook however msn has kind of gone down hill in my world.

I’m excited for this class mostly because  I feel like most of the students I will soon be teaching know far more than I do about technology…lets put it this way I just got myself a cell phone in the last 5 months, even the use of a cell phone was foreign to me.  I think I tried to avoid it as long as I could…because really, people in the past had never had an issue in trying to get a hold of me.  It’s like our society is pretty much setting us up to be dependent on the use of technology…I mean really when was the last time you had to make a firm decision to be at a certain place at a certain time to meet someone or make official plans?  You don’t really have to right?  Just say hey I’ll call you! Now we are just getting confused and flying by the seat of our pants more often than ever!

The impact of new technologies on our students learning and achievement is huge! I think one thing we must remember is that we are in control and we must always remain in control.  Some of us do have addictive personalities and some of us often feel the pressures of society to buy and feel like we must be continually be upgrading our computers, cell phones, ipods, etc.  Our busy lifestyles seem to be taking a hold of us….what’s wrong with slowing the pace down..I mean we are going to be around for 1000 more years or so what is the rush?

Speaking of rush I got to rush off here cause my wrist hurts already from all this writing and heck man my eyes can only hack so much time staring at this unlovable and unsociable thing called the monitor.  Bye for now!