23 Matching Annotations
  1. Mar 2019
    1. How do you factor in equity, beyond access, as you plan for technology integration in your school or classroom?

      Some strategies that I would suggest include: -accommodating for differing levels -offering extra help outside of class time for students or maybe even families who need it -professional development -reviewing progress often -collaboration -allowing for frequent practice and use of the technology

      Does anyone else have any other suggestions?

    2. If students aren't encouraged to engage with a challenging curriculum, it doesn't matter whether they learn from that curriculum on paper or on a computer.

      I agree with this. I have been substitute teaching in the 2018/2019 school yea and I have noticed that many assignments are just scanned into the computer and the students type the answers is. This is no different than writing the answers by hand. I believe that there needs to be a greater level of teacher training on technology before it can be effectively implemented. In my division, we have opportunities to learn about google, however, I have yet to hear of other professional development sessions in which teachers come away with concrete examples of how to provide challenging learning opportunities with technology for students.

    3. Technology adoption can accelerate inequalities within individual schools.

      In my experience, I have noticed differences between cultures and their priorities to implement technology or not. I teach a significant population of students who come from traditional Indigenous families. Integrating technology at home is not a priority for most of these families. Many students are very inexperienced and new to the technologies they are experiencing at school.

    1. Does the technology allow students to focus on the task of the assignment or activity with little potential distraction?

      I find this a particularly frustrating part of technology and would love some other strategies for this. I find that the students are very easily off-task and distracted. There are websites, such as Hapara, that are helpful for monitoring activity, however it is still very easy for students to be off task. In situations where I need to work one-on-one with a student, it is even easier. A quick glance around the room and it appears that all students are on task but then, if I check further, some students have not accomplished any significant amount of work in the amount of time that they've had.

      I also find that many students like to use headphones and listen to music while working, but I would be interested to know if the music is actually helping the students focus or not.

    2. Yet they do not have a strong conceptual framework for how technology should be integrated.

      When the shared vision is built as a team and people buy into the vision, there should be less pressure on the administrator. In my school, the framework was given to our administrative team and we had a team of 5 people who were enthusiastic about the changes and took leadership in implementing the changes. These people were available to answer questions, demonstrate use of technology after school or during PD days so that some of the pressure was taken off of the administrator.

    1. Starting with a vision is the key to success.

      Building a shared vision seems to be the key to success in implementing any lasting change!

    2. The lesson is that schools and districts can seize opportunities to rethink and refocus technology strategies by clarifying priorities and building staff knowledge around them.

      I think this is really important in the implementation of technology. If teachers use it as a tool to keep students busy, we are not creating enriched and innovative learning experiences for students.

    3. From an implementation standpoint, the key differences in the new project were a laser-like focus on professional development and an emphasis on a common vocabulary around leveraging technology for active and creative learning across subject areas. These priorities sparked greater teacher ownership of the project.

      In my school division, we have transferred all accounts into google drives. Our school division did an excellent job of providing training for all staff members. I thought it might be interesting to some people or provide people with some ideas for their own division. Our school division had levelled professional development sessions throughout the year. There were training sessions starting with the very basics (logging in to google) all the way to creating a google classroom. People had the option to sign up at the level they felt comfortable with and could progress from there. The people who had completed all levels were the team 'helpers' and could be approached with questions and for help if people needed it. Levelled groups was a great way to minimize fears and anxiety about the changeover and at the same time, keeping people at higher levels engaged in learning the new system.

    4. This implementation led to infamously disappointing results

      I can relate to this. Our school budgeted for an Ipad cart. There are about 30 Ipads in the cart. There was no training for teachers in regards to using the Ipads in the classroom. Unfortunately, if teachers did not learn how to use the Ipads on their own time, they were just being used for listening to stories online. Ipad's have many other uses. Another problem, was that the Ipads were not synced and some had different apps than others, making it difficult to use them. Another challenge was that some students were really good at using Ipad's and created passwords without telling their homeroom teachers. When the Ipad's would get sent to another classroom, the other students could not use them because of the passwords. Many times the students who created the passwords couldn't remember them and teachers did not have the ability to reset the Ipad's once the passwords were created. Over time, they became more of a frustration in the classroom and many teachers didn't bother with them.

    1. It is therefore unclear whether anxiety symptoms caused impairment or whether poor academic performance (e.g., difficulty with reading) increased anxiety.

      I think this is a very important limitation. Often times, if a student is not understanding something, it increases anxiety. Especially if the child is already anxious when it comes to asking for help.

      Also, just out of curiosity, what would be the benefit of surveying mothers and children instead of parents and children?

    2. here has been debate over the effectiveness of extended time (Kettler, 2012), with some studies finding that extended time improves student perceptions of the testing experience but not actual test results

      I have experienced situations in which providing extra time for students with anxiety only made the situation worse. There were two students in my 5 years of teaching who were given extra time that they would spend questioning or second guessing and changing answers.

    3. group counseling at school and a safe place to go when upset

      I am curious to know how people effectively use 'safe spaces' in there school. In my experience, the students that I have had who have needed a 'safe space' have not been students who can be trusted to go somewhere alone and unfortunately we don't have enough staff support to be able to send a student somewhere with a staff member. How does your school find/utilize 'safe spaces' for students?

    4. More than half of the children (56.9%) reported that anxiety significantly interfered with at least one area of functioning at school (43.1% reported impairment in academic functioning, 35.3% reported impairment in social functioning)

      These percentages are higher than I expected. Anxiety is a very real impairment in academic functioning.

    5. Due to the high degree of unsure answers from mothers on this scale,

      I think that it is important to note that there is a need for further educating everyone about mental health. If mothers are feeling unsure about the experiences of their own children, how are teachers supposed to be sure? I think that mental health is something we need to pay more attention too. If we feel 'unsure,' I think it would be difficult to be successful in helping students develop the necessary coping skills.

    6. In addition, such information can be vital for out-of-school mental health providers, who often have limited information about existing school practices, accommodations, and supports that are provided to students

      I think this is very important. We do not have much to offer for out-of-school mental health support in my community. When a student is seeking out-of-school mental health support, they are often commuting between 3 and 5 hours for this service. Their parents would not be making the commute if it were not serious or necessary. This means that the person that is providing the service knows even less about the child, our community and the family. Communication and sharing of information between all parties is important. The people who are helping the child are a team and will be more likely to experience success if they can share ideas, strategies and relevant information.

    7. One concern raised previously about services provided for students with anxiety, is that Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) may include goals and objectives that are non-specific (Huberty, 2014). Identifying the particular ways in which anxiety interferes with academic and social functioning at school has the potential to inform the selection of more specific goals and services.

      In my experience, I am finding that many student could be on IEP's. One year, I had a class of 21 students. 9 students were on IEP's and at the end of June, I created 5 more new IEPs for students who needed them. This is 14 out of 21 students on an IEP. At this point, I almost felt like the IEP's were not really beneficial. It's not realistic to be able to manage this many IEP's without additional support in the classroom. Unfortunately, IEP's can sometimes become a document that gets made, submitted and then forgotten about until it is time to update the document. This was not how they were intended to be used. How does a teacher effectively manage this many IEP's in day-to-day teaching? Does this affect the learning of students who are not on IEP's?

    8. Children with anxiety are also more likely than their non-anxious peers to struggle in a range of social situations (Kingery, Erdley, Marshall, Whitaker, & Reuter, 2010; Strauss, Lease, Kazdin, Dulcan, & Last, 1989). Studies find that, in general, anxious children have poorer social skills and are less accepted by their peers than non-anxious children (Greco & Morris, 2005). Anxious children describe social activities as highly challenging, particularly those that involve being with strangers (Langley et al., 2014). Furthermore, anxious children are more likely than their non-anxious peers to avoid social situations all together (Greco & Morris, 2005), thus affording them fewer opportunities to engage in and practice interpersonal interactions.

      I would be curious to see information on how this has changed over time. I have only been teaching for five years and in that time, have noticed an increase in the number of students with anxiety. What is causing this increase in anxiety? I often wonder if the increased use of technology is causing some of the increase in anxiety because people are having to interact and use social skills less often. I wonder what else could be causing the increase in the number of people with anxiety.

    1. I am truly motivated to see a mission and vision built into the anxiety website! We have spent a lot of time in our MAEL programs, discussing MVV. I think it is important to see that an MVV should be a part of every organization.

  2. Feb 2019
    1. I am truly motivated to see a mission and vision built into the anxiety website! We have spent a lot of time in our MAEL programs, discussing MVV. I think it is important to see that an MVV should be a part of every organization.

    1. I had no idea that there were so many anxiety-related disorders. This is really helpful as an educator. I have had students diagnosed and medicated for anxiety, however, if I knew the specifics behind the diagnoses, perhaps I could be more helpful and knowledgeable with how to help.

    1. I really like the section on self-help. This is excellent. Where I live, there is not a lot of local help. It is important for people to build skills and gather tools that can be used when going for help may not always be an option.

    1. Video Library

      A video library is an excellent way to create understanding, increase awareness and perhaps decrease the stigma around anxiety. These videos are great for educators who may feel lost in terms of how to help a student.

    1. MindShift™ App

      This App looks really cool! In an age where we are dealing with youth who are constantly on their phones, it would be nice to see a shift in their use of time on the smart phones! More time spent on personal growth and development and less time spent or wasted on other things on their phones!

      Also, I know that mental health still faces a lot of stigma. An app would be a great help for someone who may feel like they would prefer more private options for dealing with mental health.

      Although I think an app is a great idea, I am wondering, do you ever think that technology is taking over too much? Will youth be able to practice these skills and behaviours on their own, without the use of technology?