In our October 12 Column, Vincent Tanguay of CEFRIO (Centre francophone d’informatisation des organisations) introduced us to the new generation of digital natives who have used the Internet almost from birth to Create, Communicate and Collaborate. We welcome Generation C!
Since the publication of this text, the Profweb team has been looking at stories in our pages in the light of the Triple C! We were pretty certain that teachers who were looking to make their classrooms more interactive would rapidly get on the Triple C bandwagon. Below are several stories where the three Cs have made the leap from theory to practice.
Communicating in “My Journey in Blogland”
Robert Rembold
Communication in some classrooms is taking on a whole new meaning.
Robert Rembold relates,
Class sizes appear to get bigger with each session and the obstacles to stimulating class discussions, the goal of many English teachers, seem increasingly daunting. Discussions that do occur are often carried on the shoulders of a few students, those interested, motivated, and at ease with public speaking. Organizing small group discussions is often a solution; however, students who are natural public speakers can take over.
Although a report of each group’s discussion at the end of class can give a sense of closure, it does not ensure that all have participated nor had a chance to formulate their ideas. Yet, class essays and writing assignments suggest that despite their silence, quiet students often have opinions and ideas that would advance class discussion if they had a chance to express them. So, how to create a space for discussion that is open to all students? Ready to try anything, I opted for a blog.
Creating in “Give Your Students the Ultimate IT Experience”
Jean-François Roy
Creating in other classrooms means helping students to learn through the fruits of their labours!
Jeff Roy writes,
I know two infallible ways to fire up my students’ motivation; I have them create something, and then I provide them with an audience to share their creation with. For me, the website software Joomla has turned out to be the best tool to reach that goal.
Teachers are now aware of the great advantages of having an online meeting place with their students, and nowadays many user-friendly platforms are readily available. You can either set up house in a space often especially designed for teachers that already exists; or you can create your own teaching environment with HTML editors and other IT tools.
Collaborating in “Computer Science Constructs Common Cause”
Ken Fogel
Collaboration takes on a whole new meaning. Cooperation can now happen beyond the classroom, in fact around the world.
Ken Fogel writes,
What this experience has taught me to date is the value of networking. I know that once the departments of Computer Science from around the province have acted in unison, we won’t easily drift apart. Using IT to coordinate our activities can prove to be beneficial to all! While our project will be developing media about the IT industry I am sure that there is a lot of material already produced for the same purpose as ours. Your company or your school may have developed recruiting videos.
Your industry association may have developed programs for students. Whatever you may have and if you are willing to share it, we would like to see it and possibly include it in our project. This is another opportunity for all to profit from IT communication. Everything that we produce we will share as well.
The common denominator in all of these stories is that teachers have created environments where students can take charge of their own learning. The information technology that has been a part of Generation C’s environment since birth has moved into their classrooms.
Do you see yourself in any of these stories? As teachers around the province prepare their course plans for the upcoming Winter Semester, this is the time to take action and make your classes Triple C! Are you ready to make the leap from theory to practice? Are you ready to make the leap from practice into the pages of Profweb? Wherever your IT adventures take you, bring your colleagues along by sharing your experiences in our pages! Fill out our suggestion form or talk it over with your IT Representative or drop us a line at info@profweb.qc.ca.
We welcome you back to another semester of Triple C inspiration!
