ASL Project Over, But Not Done

I am going to start off my explaining my title, “ASL Project Over, But Not Done”. Though my course is over and I have no obligation to continue learning ASL, I will for the benefit of me and my future classroom. I still have a long way to with ASL though my course that I decided to learn this for has officially ended.

I wanted to learn ASL for several reasons, those reasons being, 1) To gain a better understanding of the deaf community, 2) To benefit my future classroom and students, 3) I have just always wanted to learn ASL and figured it could be a benefit for me in my future.

I am glad I began my joinery on learning ASL, I find it very enlightening, and practical to learn. I have been learning slowly but I have been improving. I have even got the chance to speak to a family friend that is mostly deaf. I have known him since I was younger, and him and his family stopped by for a visit, and I got a chance to have a conversation in ASL, however it wasn’t a lengthy conversation. I didn’t record the conversation as I felt it would be rude to do considering they were there for a visit. Either way, he was pretty excited and told me that I pretty good for a beginner, but I think he was just being nice. Our conversation basically consisted of him and I talking about me learning ASL and where I stand with it, as well as making fun of my dad. He loves to bug my dad.

So lets recap of what I have done:

1. What to Learn, What to Learn…
   1. I decided what to learn and let you all know
2. My Journey Continues – ASL Learning Project
   1. Here I learned introductions as well and numbers up to 10.
3. Learning Project ASL #3 – What Day is it Anyways?
   1. Here I learned the month, days and a few others.
4. Live and Learn
   1. With this day I learned words that revolves around family, as well as learned some conversation questions.
5. Back From the Break, and the Learning Doesn’t Stop
   1. Here I continued with words that resided with family that I forgot to do the week before.
6. Welcome to the Farm… In ASL!
   1. This was one of my favourites, I learned words that I could possibly use more, were signs that resided with the farm, such as cow, horse, duck, tractor, etc…
7. What’s your Favourite Colour?
   1. This one was rather short but here I learned the more common colours such as the primary colours and secondary colours.
8. What Should I Wear?
   1. Here I learned practice signs about clothing.
9. All the World is Made of Faith and Trust and Pixie Dust!
   1. This was my favourite blog to make about ASL, I learned a song in sign “Lost Boy” by Ruth B.
10. One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish!
    1. This was my last video blog on ASL and I learned a Dr. Seuss book with signs that I was already familiar with.

I have had such a great time learning ASL, and I am sure I will continue to enjoy it. To learn ASL, I used the internet and used many different sites and phone apps. Some of the online resources I used were Sign Savvy, ASL University, ASL Resource, and Youtube. Some Apps I used were ASL, Sign School, The ASL App, and Learn ASL Lite (sorry I can’t link all of the apps).

I have received lots of feedback on my blogs/vlogs on my ALS journey and as time went on, the comment got more and more helpful. Some blogs got more comments than others but I made sure to do my best to answer everyone.

I asked for help several times throughout my blogs, and I finally received some help by the end, thank goodness and it was a great idea and thats how my last video came to be.

I had a wonderful time in this course and I am glad the opportunity to learn ASL, this course gave me the budge that I needed to get started, and now that I have started I can continue with my learning. Though this #LearningProject, I didn’t just learn ASL, I also learned how great online resources are and how helpful they can be. I also discovered that to have online resources you don’t just have to use the internet, you can also use apps. This can go to show how important technology can be for a classroom. There are apps that you can use with your students and they are still learning something. Though books can still be good resources, there is just so much more that you can find online and on the internet in todays day in age. I am glad I took this course and would recommend it for anyone who wants to learn about technology in the classroom.

Catch ya’ll later!

 Via Giphy

Final Networked Learning

Throughout this semester I learned a lot of new things to do with blogs, twitter, and everything in-between. I learned that having a positive digital identity on social media, including twitter and blogs, is a very important thing. This doesn’t just mean having an identity, it also means to comment and support other professionals through social media.

Through the semester I have shared resources on twitter, as well as links to articles I read for my blogs. Sharing resources is a big part of being in the educational world.

It is important to help others out by giving advice or ideas, and just supporting each other. One way I did this was on Google Plus, one classmate was asking about video editing programs for computers, and since I have had a P.C and now have a Mac, I have worked with different video editing programs, and put my two cents in. I also answered a similar question on twitter.

As I blogged through the semester, I found it helpful by reading others blogs and seeing what they had down. which this sometimes led me to asking questions about what they wrote about, to get further information.

I also commented when I found the blogs I was reading interesting and gave encouraging words.

I also took every opportunity to reply to people who commented on my blogs, and gave me their inputs and thoughts.

I also took opportunities to share resources on twitter, as well as comment on tweets and answer comments on my tweets.

This class has come to show me how wonderful the internet can be, but sometimes you have to take the good with the bad (trolls). There is such a great caring community on twitter and on blogs. Its nice to be able to connect to other educators and other professionals on different areas of social media.

If you are interested in seeing other comments I have made check out this link below.

Comments and Replies 

Thank you for following me on my journey in this course, but now its time to start my own journey through twitter and blogging on my own.

 Via Giphy

Summary of Learning

Throughout this semester I have learned so much about technology in my EDTC 300 class. I have all this to thank Katia Hildebrandt for, she has been an amazing instructor and brought many things that follow technology to my attention, such as how important it is not only to have a positive digital identity, but how important it is to have a digital identity of some sort at all. We learned how to blog and how to create a twitter account, and how we can use them for educational proposes.

Thought this course I had my struggles and difficulties, as I’m sure others have had as well. In the beginning I had a lot of trouble with figuring out how blogging worked and all the other tricks that come with it. Though this course I learned how to create pages within my blog, as well as categories for every type of topic to fit into. Katia also gave us great advice, and encouraged us to have a positive E-Portfolo on out blogs. Which on mine you can find my Teaching Philosophy, an example unit plan, assessment, and planning.

We have been taught how to be responsible on the internet and how important it is to teach our students to be responsible with an online presence. We also got a great opportunity to learn something new throughout the semester, in which I chose to learn ASL, and if you want to check it out, it in on my University Sources page, under the category Learning Project.

For my summary of learning, I paired up with Rebecca Hitchens, and we created a video that summarizes all areas of what we learned throughout in the semester through a little skit we put together.

I had a great time with this class, and a big shout out to Katia Heldebrandt for being such an amazing instructor, thank you for everything.

 Via Giphy

Example of Grade 9 Science Atoms and Element Lesson Planning

Title of Unit	Atoms and Elements	Grade Level	9
Subject	Science	Time	90 -120 min
Developed By	Sydney Wall

 

Big Ideas:   Atoms and their structures  Subatomic Particles  Models of Atoms

Essential Questions:   What components make up an atom?  How are atoms of one element different from atoms of another element?

Guiding Questions:  GQ.1 – What is a theory?  GQ.2 – How do the various atomic models compare with current scientific evidence?   GQ.3 – How do models in science change over time?   GQ.4 – What is the interior structure of the atom and how was it experimentally determined?

Classroom Management:  Deal with disruptions as they come while not disrupting the rest of the students.  Be sure directions are clear and easily understood.  Be sure students are on task

 

Outcomes/ Objectives:

Indicators:

AE9.1 AE9.2 Analyze historical explanations of the structure of matter up to and including:  Dalton model  Thomson model   Rutherford model  Bohr model of the atom [SI]

Use appropriate scientific terminology when describing atoms and elements (e.g., mass, charge, electron, proton, neutron, nucleus, atom, molecule, element, compound, neutral, positive, negative, ion, isotope, and periodic table).  Identify major shifts in understanding matter that have enabled more detailed explanations of the structure and composition of the atom up to and including the Bohr model of the atom.  Construct models to illustrate the structure and components of matter, including the major historical atomic models (e.g., Dalton, Thomson, Rutherford, and Bohr), using information selected and synthesized from various sources.

 

Assessment Strategies:  ·                 Formative:  Bohr Model Worksheet  Atoms and Their Structures Worksheet  Textbook questions

Instructional Strategies:  ·                   Direct Instruction  Lecture

Adaptive Dimension: (Differentiated Learning)  Textbook reading: if any students struggle reading the text, they may sit and read with the teacher or partner up with a classmate.  Slime Lab worksheet will be done in groups of two

Materials Needed:  ·           Smart Board – PowerPoint   Pencils & erasers  Loose leaf    Textbooks

Prior Knowledge:  ·           Origin of atoms, Matter, Physical and Chemical Properties

 

	Learning Experiences:	Time:
Set:	Reminders  Anyone that needs to re-do the bouncy ball lab, can on Oct 11th, at noon.  Do a short quick review to refresh the students on what they are learning.  Before we begin to continue from last day, we will do a few Bohr Models on the board as a class to bring them back into learning from last day.
Development:	After the reminder, students are to take out their notes, and a pencil or pen.  The students will continue on the worksheet they were handed on the last day to practice some Bohr Models on their own, this will give them practice on constructing the Bohr Model. This is for me to see what the students are understanding and what they are not of the Bohr Model. (due Thursday oct. 12th)  Once they finish the worksheet, we will continue with notes on atoms and their structures. (this will be fast paced)   After we go over these notes, students will be handed out an assignment based on atoms and their structures and subatomic particles. This assignment will show me what the students are picking up and what they are struggling with. This assignment will have them show me where the protons are and nucleus is, how to calculate the neutron, what the numbers and letters stand for on an element from the periodic table. (due Friday Oct. 13th)   After students accomplish this, the Bohr Model Poster assignment will be introduced. With this assignment, students can get creative when making their poster. They will choose an element to create a Bohr model and do the write up that follows with this assignment. They will be given time in class time to work on the assignment. This will show me what the students grasped and understand based on the terms they learned over the last couple of days.    Once students are finished they can start to work on the textbook reading, pages 149, 151-154, and answer questions on page 155, 1, 2, 4, 6, 10, 11, 13 & 14. (Still debatable if this gets assigned or not, depends on time)  From this, students will gain more information to understand Models of Atoms. They will answer questions that will challenge what they know and help them gain new understandings  They will work individually.  Students are not allowed to use their phones. If students are using phones inappropriately, such as using social media when they should be on task, their phones will be taken away, and put into a bin until the end of class.  As students read and work on the questions, I will be moving around the room making sure everyone is understanding what they are reading, and helping out if students are struggling.  If students finish, have them write their name on their paper and put page number at the top, and hand it into the science bin in the back.
Closure:	Review models of atom, and subatomic particles. See what students know based on the days of learning.

Exam Example of Grade 9 Science (Hands on Component at End of Exam)

Science 9 – Electricity Exam

Matching

Match the correct term to the definition or sentence on the right. 

____ Current

____ Voltage

____ Series circuit

____ Repel

____ Friction

____ Attract

____ Conductor

____Parallel circuit

____ Insulator

____ Switch

____ Load

____ Grounding

____ Ohm

____ Resistance

____ Electrical discharge

1. 1. Resistance is measured in these.
   2. The degree to which a substance slows down the flow of electric current through it
   3. The flow of an electrical charge through a circuit.
   4. A material that allows the flow of electrons to pass through it.
   5. Process of connecting a wire to the Earth’s surface for lightning.
   6. An electric circuit in which devices are arranged in parallel paths.
   7. A device that turns a circuit on or off by closing or opening the circuit.
   8. A material that stops the flow of electrons.
   9. A device that converts electrical energy to another form of energy.
   10. The difference in electrical energy between two points in a circuit.
   11. Particles with similar charges _______________ each other.
   12. Electric charges are transferred very quickly (ex: is a spark)
   13. Occurs when objects rub against each other.
   14. An electric circuit in which the components are arranged one after another.
   15. Particles with opposite charges ________________ each other.
       

1. Multiple Choice

1. What is coal made out of?   _______
   1. dead organisms (animals)
   2. dead plants
   3. living organisms
   4. living plants
2. which of the following gain electrons? ______
   1. air
   2. glass
   3. styrofoam
   4. human hair

1. Lighting strikes when ______
   1. negative charges at the bottom of a cloud are attracted to negative charges on the ground
   2. negative charges at the bottom of a cloud are attracted to positive charges on the ground
   3. positive charges at the bottom of a cloud are attracted to positive charges on the ground
   4. None of the above

1. What does this symbol stand for?
   1. load (light bulb)
   2. resistor
   3. fuse
   4. cell

1. What is an example of biomass energy?
   1. dead organisms (animals)
   2. sun light
   3. coal
   4. water

1. Which parlice moves around the atom?
   1. protons
   2. neutrons
   3. atommites
   4. Electrons

1. When two or more cells are put together, we call this a
   1. load
   2. volt
   3. wire
   4. battery

1. if one bulb breaks the whole circuit and the bulbs go out,
   1. series circuit
   2. parallel circuit
   3. optimal circuit
   4. linear circuit

1. the degree of which a substance opposes the flow of electric current through it
   1. current
   2. insulator
   3. resistance
   4. circuit

1. a material that allow the flow of electrons  and electric current to pass through it
   1. insulators
   2. electric current
   3. ground
   4. conductor

1. Short Answer  

1. What are the three subatomic particles of an atom and their charges? Write the name of the particle and circle the correct charge. 
   1. __________________   positive negative   neutral
   2. __________________   positive negative   neutral
   3. __________________   positive negative   neutral
2. Moving around the nucleus are even smaller particles called _____________            
3. Classify each of the following as either a conductor or an insulator: 

Copper, rubber, iron, plastic, wood, water
Conductor	Insulator

 

1. When we completed the Static Electricity lab, why did the can follow the rod? COMPLETE SENTENCE! 
2. A tablesaw in the woodshop is rated 1200W. It is used about 6 hrs/day at a rate of 13.740 ¢/kwh. What is the cost of using the table saw per week?                Cost = Power x Time x Rate   
3. What is electron buildup on clothes from the dryer called?  How do you get rid of it? Explain what happens to the electrons. COMPLETE SENTENCES! 
4. Why is a car a safe spot in a storm? COMPLETE SENTENCE! 
5. How do First Nations and Metis people explain uncontrolled lightning?  COMPLETE SENTENCE!
6. Why should you not swim during a lightning storm? COMPLETE SENTENCE! 
7. What are two things that must be present in order for a circuit to work properly? 

1. __________________________________________________________________
2. __________________________________________________________________

 

1. Draw a SERIES circuit that contains 2 batteries, a bell, a light, and a switch. 

1. Draw a PARALLEL circuit that contains two batteries and three lights.

1. Use Ohm’s Law to answer the following question: A 30 V battery generates a current through a 15Ω resistor.  How much current does the battery generate? 

V =

I =

R =

1. Use Ohm’s Law to answer the following question: A current of 2 A flows through a 40Ω resistor in a circuit.  Calculate the voltage.

V =

I =

R =

D. True or False 

______ 1.  A battery converts mechanical energy to electrical energy.

______ 2.  An insulator allows electricity to flow very easily.

______ 3. Similar charges repel each other.

______ 4. In static electricity electrons are transferred by rubbing two objects together.  

______ 5. Opposite charges attract each other.

______      6. In a series circuit the bulbs grow dimmer as more batteries are added.

______ 7. There is more than one pathway for current to flow in a series circuit.

______ 8.  D.C. stands for Direct Current.

______ 9.  A load changes electrical energy to another form of energy.

______ 10. If there is a break in a parallel circuit the flow of electrons will stop and nothing will work.

Circuit Boards

Using the diagrams below, draw the circuit (use your pencil to draw the wires) that completes the following circuits:

1. Create a series circuit using one battery, one light and a switch.
2. Create a parallel circuit using one battery and two lights.
3. Create a series circuit using two batteries and one light.
   1. What will happen to the light if you used three batteries?  Explain your reasoning.

1.  Create a Circuit on board in the back of the room.

 

Grade 9 Science Unit Plan

Electricity Unit Plan

Title of the Unit: Static electricity, currents, and ohms.     Grade Level: 9      Length of Unit: (3 weeks)

UNIT OVERVIEW

Goals are broad statements identifying what students are expected to know and be able to do upon completion of the learning in a particular area of study by the end of Grade 12. The four goals of K-12 science education are to:

• Understand the Nature of Science and STSE Interrelationships – Students will develop an understanding of the nature of science and technology, their interrelationships, and their social and environmental contexts, including interrelationships between the natural and constructed world.
• Construct Scientific Knowledge – Students will construct an understanding of concepts, principles, laws, and theories in life science, in physical science, in earth and space science, and in Indigenous Knowledge of nature; and then apply these understandings to interpret, integrate, and extend their knowledge.
• Develop Scientific and Technological Skills – Students will develop the skills required for scientific and technological inquiry, problem solving, and communicating; for working collaboratively; and for making informed decisions.
• Develop Attitudes that Support Scientific Habits of Mind – Students will develop attitudes that support the responsible acquisition and application of scientific, technological, and Indigenous knowledge to the mutual benefit of self, society, and the environment.

OBJECTIVES / LEARNING OUTCOMES

Please refer to curriculum documents.

Outcome: CE9.1 Demonstrate and analyze characteristics of static electric charge and current electricity, including historical and cultural understanding.

Outcome: CE9.2 Analyze the relationships that exist among voltage, current, and resistance in series and parallel circuits.

Outcome: CE9.3 Assess operating principles, costs, and efficiencies of devices that produce or use electrical energy.

Outcome: CE9.4 Critique impacts of past, current, and possible future methods of small and large scale electrical energy production and distribution in Saskatchewan.

Topics/Lesson Focus	O&I	Resources	Teaching Strategy	Assessment	Differentiation
Static Electric Charges 1st Lesson 2nd Lesson	Outcome: CE9.1	John Travoltage Bill Nye – Static Electricity Video (23 mins) Lightning Video (3 mins) Electric Field Hockey Balloons and Static Electricity	Interactive Media PPT	Bill Nye: Electricity Notes Student Notes Textbook Reading	Kinistetic
	Indicators: B,C,F
Friction, Contact and Induction (moved this lesson)	Outcome CE 9.1	The Physics Classroom Styrofoam Ball Puzzle retrieved from	Demo PPT Pair Work	Student Notes Comparison Chart Textbook Reading
	B, I, K, L
Static Electricity Lab	Outcome CE 9.1		Lab-Based	Static Electricity Stations Worksheet
	B, C, F

 

Topics	O&I	Resources	Teaching Strategy	Assessment	Differentiation
Static Electricity Applications   Thunderbird	Outcome CE 9.1	Static Build up dangers(1:20) Textbook Cars and lightning(5:20) Tesla Coil(1:30)	PPT	Quiz Student Notes Thunderbird Worksheet (summative) Textbook Reading
	D
Electricity and Current	Outcome: CE9.2	Bill Nye – Electricity(23) Electricity and Circuits(8:40)	PPT	Bill Nye Notes Student Notes Textbook Reading Homework Assignment
	A, B, C
Solving Circuit Diagrams	Outcome CE 9.2	VariousVideoscontained on the PPT (elapsed total time 15 mins)	Using Circuit Boards PPT	Webquest Circuit drawings
	A, B, C, D, E

 

Topics	O&I	Resources	Teaching Strategy	Assessment	Differentiation
Resistance	Outcome CE 9.2		PPT	Ohm’s Law worksheet Ohm’s Law answers Student Notes
	E, F
Electric Circuits Lab	Outcome CE 9.2		Circuit Boards Lab	Circuit Board Worksheet
Renewable and nonrenewable energy	Outcome CE 9.3   Not sure what indicators to put down		PPT Let the kids be the expert (create a graphic organizer, put them in groups and have them create an energy type. Hands on component	Student Notes Renewable/Non Renewable Student-lead discovery/expert of one with a partner Stations Activity
Power, Electrical Energy and Efficentiency	Outcome CE 9.3	Bill Nye video kinetic and potential energy video	PPT	Bill Nye worksheet Student Notes energy transformation worksheet
Electricity Consumption	Outcome CE 9.4	Saskpower for calculating energy consumption Use an interactive online	PPT	Saskpower Instagram Story	Study Notes (here’s what you need to know)
Review Plickers
Exam Nov 15th	Cumulative			Answer Key

Notes:

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish!

Last week, I asked for some help, and I received it (thank goodness, and thank you to all that gave me ideas!). There were a few tossed around, and I liked them all, but I decided to do the storytelling about words I (somewhat) already knew.

The story I decided to do in ASL, is a favourite story of mine, from my childhood by Dr. Seuss! Though he has many good children books, I decided to go with one in my top five, “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish”. I found the story on Google, on an online PDF. There were a few signs that I didn’t know so I had to look them up and I used my favourite website to learn ASL on, Sign Savvy.

Any way enough about me rambling on, please enjoy my video below: (p.s. sorry about the random, obvious later in the day clip, put into the video, I accidentally deleted the video with that part in it)

Thank you for watching, I hope that you will join me next week on my journey with my ASL Learning Project!

 

I Cant(‘t) Code, How About You?

I have never tried to code before in my life… and let me tell yeah, that stuff get complex fast. I practiced coding on Code Camemy with the Code of Hour, and it was harder than I expected. I decided, since I’m a HUGE Disney fan, I decided to do the “Frozen” Code of Hour.

At first I was a little cocky, and thought it would be easy, well let me tell you, I counted my ducks before they were in a row. By the time I got to level five, it had been easy, then it all started to go over my head. And I feel pretty dumb now, because it was supposed to be easy, yet I struggled. I did eventually pass, but then struggled on level six… I was barely over a quarter way and I was failing hard. I couldn’t figure out why I wasn’t passing level six, I got all ten squares done…. just not the way the game wanted me to. And as it turned out I made it more difficult that it had to be.

Every thing after that seemed to go swimmingly, and I wasn’t really struggling anymore, even though I had no idea what I was doing the whole time. I just went with it and guessed most of the time. I did eventually get the certificate, but I don’t think I’d like to do it again.

Coding just isn’t my thing, I don’t find it fun, infuriating yes, challenging yes, but its not something I enjoy. I know how important coding is, but I think if you got into it, I has to be something you are very interested in. I know without coding people would have games, and computer programs, which for a teacher these things can be very important.

Hats off to people who enjoy (and can do) coding.

 Via Giphy

All the World is Made of Faith and Trust and Pixie Dust!

Good evening! Hope everyone is having a great day!

Last week I told you guys that I wanted to learn a song, because I saw some other people doing it and I thought it was a great idea so I “stole” it. I didn’t tell you what song I decided to learn last week, and I thought about it for a while. I got a song stuck in my head and I thought “what a perfect song to learn, if its stuck in my head anyways might as well”, also I really like the song. The song I learned in ASL was “Lost Boy” by Ruth B.

Via Giphy

This song was a bit tricky for me to learn and it took a lot of practice. I only new a sign or two going into it, so I had a lot to learn. One thing I enjoyed about learning a song is that I learned a bunch of new words that I would have otherwise probably have not gotten too for a while. To learn this song I went to Youtube and looked up people who have done the song. The first one I went to was “ASL How to for Lost Boy” then I went to “Lost Boy by Ruth B in Sign Language” to see if how they did it, and I noticed they did it somewhat differently so I kind of mixed them together once I did my video. Before I made my video I also checked out “Lost Boy by Ruth B in ASL” to see if this girl did it a different way, but hers was the same as the second. Oh but there was this one “Lost Boy – ASL Cover” that I looked at, and it confused the heck out of me, I am too much of a newb for it, lol!

Unfortunalty my attempt is no where as good as the ones I have listed but I did try! Check it out below!

I now there is a bit of a glitch in my video, and that is because I had to edit it and put in the last bit of the song. I had too many interruptions and after restarting the video 9 times I decided just to edit it. My cat kept scratching at the door, my Fiancé kept yelling at the cat, people were coming in and out of the house, and my dogs decided to bark. So, yeah I got annoyed, so I just finished the ending and edited in.

 Via Giphy

As for next week I have no idea what to do! I need ideas, and if you have any, please comment and let me know. Maybe its something you want to see done.

 Via Giphy

Are you Disorganized? Well do I Have the Thing for You!

There are so many tools out there that are great for educators and some that maybe not so much. But I found a really great tool for teachers that are disorganized, which you really can’t afford to be. In saying this and keeping you wondering what I am talking about, let me get to it. I looked into a tool called Planboard. The site has aids that tells you what to do when you being. You do have to create an account, but it is free. Yay!

When you start up you account, it asks you to put in a semester, so I just put in what would be next years first semester to Christmas, just so I could see what this tool was all about.

From there you create your class schedule by adding in classes and the times you will be “teaching” them.

Once you have your classes in, you can you schedule daily, weekly, or monthly.

Here is were I began to get confused. It wanted my to put in the expectations for the class, and I wasn’t sure what it meant, and the search bar continued to say “No matches”. I was getting frustrated, until I decided to try numbers, and bam, something popped up. It was mostly USA curriculum stuff, so I attempted putting in Saskatchewan Curriculum, and the search lite up with different grades, and classes. However, it didn’t have everything and that was a down fall, but it does allow you to add, what they call “Standards”. The only thing with adding your own, you have to add in everything, outcomes and their descriptions.

This isn’t the only thing this tool has though. It also has a Mark Board as well as and Attendance Board.

To do a lot of the things on the Mark Board you need a student list, and you can do anything in attendance until you have that student list. However there are still some things you can do with the Mark Board. These things include adding types of assessment,

adding your students (when you have them),

and fixing or changing the categories and weight of assignments.

One thing I really like about this tool is that you can add your daily plans onto the board and project them onto the smart board for the students to see. there is also a little yellow sticky note thing that you can add anything to. You can also link google drive documents to your classes, so I linked all of my unit plans that I had for the classes that I created.

As teachers, we all know we enjoy our time off to recuperate, and on this tool you can add in holidays, which is important to add in. The reason it is important is because it adjusts your schedule so you can pick up right where you left off and not have to remember was day you were on last. And if you are really organized, you can create another semester and its classes so its ready for you when you get back after the winter break.

This tool is a very great tool for teachers that like to be organized or need to get organized. It is a bit confusing at first to navigate around, but it gets easier with use, as most things do. I do recommend it, I know I will be using it once I am teaching.

To set things a bit more straight:

Strengths:

1. helps with organization
2. does attendance
3. has a marking board
4. has a reminder post
5. you can create a class schedule/ timetable
6. you can link google drive docs
7. can add daily plan
8. can add different sections to the same class if you are teaching it to multiple groups.

Weaknesses:

1. “standards” are confusing to use in the beginning
2. doesn’t have every sask curriculum grades
3. doesn’t have every sask curriculum classes
4. if it doesn’t have your class you have to manually put everything in.

 

Me when I first started to use Planboard

Via Giphy