All posts filed under: Educational Technology

Using the Design Cycle & SketchUp for Schools

Published by Tara Avenia

I had the pleasure of presenting to a group of engaged and talented educators at the annual Independent School Association of BC, Professional Development conference. If you work at a GSuite School, you will find SketchUp for Schools in the Google Marketplace. It is free to use, easy to learn, and has limitless potential. My husband and I introduced teachers to the software during this workshop. Take a look at our presentation and get in touch if you would like to collaborate on an exciting project.

Learn Book Creator, for iOS 

Published by Tara Avenia

I had the pleasure of teaching Grade 3 students how to create their very own eBook using the iOS app, Book Creator. To support the students through their journey, I created this 5 minute Book Creator tutorial. In it, you will be shown how to edit pages and styles, copy text from Google Drive, add photos, record audio, export, and share your eBook.

Using iMovie to Create Student Videos

Published by Tara Avenia

For all the  enthusiasts out there, I’ve created this 5 minute video tutorial that will show you how to import, slice, change the clip speed, add transitions, edit audio and export an .mp4 file using iMovie.

Teaching Kids To Code

Published by Tara Avenia

My goal is to show people how anyone can code, and to share strategies for getting even those who may be reluctant to do so, to teach just a little bit of programming to their students.

The Future of Technology

Published by Tara Avenia

The History, Present and Future of Educational Technology: Web 2.0 and Beyond: The Masters of Educational Technology course, Text Technology: The Changing Spaces of Reading and Writing, introduced me to the debate that is concerned with the role that technology has played to modify both reading and writing processes. I began the course with a simplified definition of text, something that is written, and technology, a tool that aids production. Thirteen short weeks later, after reading “Orality and Literacy” and, “Writing space: Computers, Hypertext, and the Remediation of Print”, among others, I would argue that text is no longer something that is written. Text is technology, it is a thought process, it is a picture, a video, a podcast, and is represented everywhere in everything. Technology is another ambiguous term, it has been defined as “an application of … knowledge for practical ends” (Dictionary.com, technology). Educational technology is a conglomerate term that suggests an updated teaching pedagogy, a transition to a student centered classroom and a combination of tools that are meant to facilitate learning. …

The Effect of one-to-one Technology on Students’ Engagement and Approach to Learning

Published by Tara Avenia

I designed a mixed-method, causal-comparative action research project to determine how one-to-one technology affects students’ engagement and approach to learning when it is introduced into a Grade 7 classroom. This action research has been designed after noticing that one-to-one technologies are gaining popularity in elementary and secondary education, and also remarking on the need for educational technology research that focuses on elementary aged students.