Monday, July 26, 2010
Final Reflection/ Goodbye.
What I've learned...
about teaching: Dr. Strange and his staff were most helpful in displaying the teaching style that is best for the way students now think, and need to learn. Teachers are not giving information previously unknown to their students. Instead, they are showing students how to develop their own ideas and opinions, and how to research and defend those opinions to make the world a better place. For some time, I'd always thought in an ego driven teacher-centric style: I have information that they don't. The true story could not be farther away from that mindset. I've corrected my beliefs in a way that supports shared learning. It does not just pass from me to the student, in a straight line, but instead is a circle of knowledge and ideas shared both ways.
about collaboration: I've always disliked group work because of my introverted nature, and because I always believed that other students could not help me. In the past, I've had trouble in groups because there was never an open forum in which everyone could discuss and present ideas. This changed somewhere in the class. I had to seek out group members because I didn't know anyone else in the class. I learned that everyone has something to contribute. A distinct example of this was my project about burp-back education. I realized that I am such a creative and idea person, but that execution is not my strong point. Once my group members and I discussed the many things we could do for our project, I presented an idea for our video. It was everyone else that made it happen.
about comments for kids: These assignments helped me the most because I really had to think about how what I said to those kids would engage them and expand their interest in learning.
about technology: This was the biggest lesson. Before this class, I was part of the anti-tech backlash, but this was really because I had no idea how to use the tools available. I was at dinner last night with some very influential people in the educational field, and someone told me about their four-year old grand-daughter, who could read and write poetry. She then said that the reason this little girl could do so much is because her mother did not keep technology from her...she'd learn to read, spell, and write by sending text messages to her grandmother and other family members. How cool is that?!?!?! For centuries, the world as we know it has been growing smaller. Globalization is a key term in today's economy. Shouldn't this world view be spread to education as well? Think about how many intellectual revolutions are/ will be happening because of our ability to communicate around the globe. Our future can only continue to be so exciting and inspiring if we embrace these changes and come together to make our impact global and lasting.
Classmates, Dr. Strange, and others: This is it, for now. But come find me in the future. I will be actively participating.
As a student of quotes, I leave you with this:
"Who dares to teach must never cease to learn."
-- John Cotton Dana
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Final Project
Our group thought it would be best to implement the things we've learned by actually teaching someone. We showed Caleb how to set up his own email and blog, and discussed some of the things he could do now that he has a blog.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
My PLN
I chose to use Symbaloo for my PLN. I still have the links on my class blog, though. I really like the program for organization and having all of my resources in one easy-to-find location. It helps me keep up with new posts, too, because you can add an RSS feed to your tiles. It's still pretty basic, but I look forward to developing it more. I also added the EDM310 page and Anthony Capps' blog as resources.
Blog 12: On McLung's Lessons and FabLab 4 Teachers
Adapt: The bit about the difference between middle and Jr. High students expounds on the educational psychology of development. Both are sensitive development periods, but children in Jr. High do exhibit more independence, and a need for such. So, adaptive teaching is needed to balance the cognitive development of students in certain age groups. In middle school, children are still experiencing industry vs. inferiority, needing more encouragement and confidence in their skills. But in Jr. High, they are entering into identity vs. role confusion. They are exploring independence and developing a sense of self.
When Mr. McLung didn’t know how to teach history without becoming the “ghost of history teachers past”, he decided to do the research on classroom management, tactics, lessons, etc. Learning and discovery is a major part of adaptation.
The Path Less Traveled: AWESOME! Here, Mr. McLung explains how many educators present their own biased opinions in class discussions. Instead of fostering an environment in which students are free to discover their own opinions, teachers who stay hooked on their own biases are detrimentally affecting their students. As a teacher, you hold the “right” card. If you’re constantly expounding on your own views, students are likely to soak up the information as a lesson, automatically assuming the teacher is right. This does not give students an opportunity to think for themselves: a harder and harder task in today’s society. We need to realize that no matter how passionately we may believe some things, it is okay for people to hold opposing opinions, as long as those opinions are well-researched and defended. We have the obligation to allow people to believe whatever they want, and to foster their search about why they believe those things. If we simply go on and on about our own beliefs, students feel there is no reason to research.
This reminds me of an AP Psychology teacher I had in high school. He was by far the best teacher I’ve had. The reason is because he would take on the characteristics of whatever concept he was teaching. When he was discussing behaviorism, he would BE a behaviorist; when talking about Freud, he “believed” in psychoanalysis. This kept him from running into his own biases, and kept the students from knowing his views on any subject. This plays into the “check your ego at the door” section, which we’ll get to in a moment.
Find Your School Mom: Not all schools provide mentors, and sometimes when they do, the mentors aren’t too good at mentoring. Finding an educator with experience, excellent classroom management, and who will coach, encourage, and “stick up” for you is so important for newer teachers. Not only do you have a friendly fish in the crazy sea of school, you have someone who can tell you about “sharks” they’ve encountered in their career.
Check Your Ego at the Door: salesman is a good term if you take away the negative connotation of a greased-up man in a 50s style suit trying to sell you a car. The best teachers are the ones who aren’t afraid to “make a fool” of themselves, display passion about what they’re teaching, and who encourage interest in that subject. I have recollections of the same psych teacher mentioned above standing on his head, arguing about what made a coffee mug a coffee mug, and encouraging debate. He was so thrilled about schools of psychology, his students were too!
Don’t be a Control Freak: Flexibility is key. This is something mentioned in the first “What I’ve Learned This Year” reflection. I responded to that in a previous blog, saying: Perfection doesn't happen in a classroom, but the lessons are absorbed best when mistakes are made (by both the students and the teachers).
Scope and Sequence: The material that is to be presented must be presented in a logical order. While teachers do not need freak about time or script, they need to make sure that the order in which they’re presenting information is methodical and makes sense to the schemas of the students.
Don’t Lose Sight of What’s Important: Yes, evaluations, colleague relationships, administration, rules, laws, etc can all be pretty daunting, and we can lose a lot of our time and energy focusing on and dealing with these things. But at the end of the day, we’re in school for the students. It’s an ideology that dies too young, and we’d do well as educators not to forget it, at whatever level.
It’s the Things You Learn After You “Know it All” That are Important: The phrase “Don’t become a professional stagnant” pretty much sums it all up. We’re in education; therefore, we must continue to seek education, alongside humility.
Mr. McLung:
I've read "What I've Learned This Year" versions 1 & 2 as assignments for Dr. Strange's EDM310 class. Here is a link to my comments on version 1.
Your comment about the differences in independence in middle vs. Jr. High students is extremely perceptive, and is a well-needed point for teachers. In middle school, children are still experiencing industry vs. inferiority, needing more encouragement and confidence in their skills. But in Jr. High, they are entering into identity vs. role confusion. They are exploring independence and developing a sense of self. This is based on Erik Erikson's stages of psychosocial development, and is basically a bunch of "flim-flammery" to say, awesome! I agree whole-heartedly.
We have the obligation to allow people to believe whatever they want, and to foster their search about why they believe those things. If we simply go on and on about our own beliefs, students feel there is no reason to research.
This reminds me of an AP Psychology teacher I had in high school. He was by far the best teacher I’ve had. The reason is because he would take on the characteristics of whatever concept he was teaching. When he was discussing behaviorism, he would BE a behaviorist; when talking about Freud, he “believed” in psychoanalysis. This kept him from running into his own biases, and kept the students from knowing his views on any subject.
Salesman is a good term if you take away the negative connotation of a greased-up man in a 50s style suit trying to sell you a car. =) The best teachers are the ones who aren’t afraid to “make a fool” of themselves, display passion about what they’re teaching, and who encourage interest in that subject. I have recollections of the same psych teacher mentioned above standing on his head, arguing about what made a coffee mug a coffee mug, and encouraging debate. He was so thrilled about schools of psychology, his students were too!
I appreciate your posts, as they have been a great learning tool, and a reminder that we must all be reflective. I've added At the Teacher's Desk to my PLN, and I hope we can communicate more in the future.
video 1.
This looks like a really cool program to do projects. I like how it engaged the students and motivated their excitement when they were finished.
video 2.
I will certainly use this tool in my history class to help students learn about geography! Not only will it help them place situations in a global context, but it also shows topography, which is very important when considering state-building.
video 3.
This is a very relevant viewpoint when it comes to education nationally. Students need to be engaged in scientific and mathematic learning, and it needs to be through tools that do not frighten them.
video 4.
When Mr. McLung didn’t know how to teach history without becoming the “ghost of history teachers past”, he decided to do the research on classroom management, tactics, lessons, etc. Learning and discovery is a major part of adaptation.
The Path Less Traveled: AWESOME! Here, Mr. McLung explains how many educators present their own biased opinions in class discussions. Instead of fostering an environment in which students are free to discover their own opinions, teachers who stay hooked on their own biases are detrimentally affecting their students. As a teacher, you hold the “right” card. If you’re constantly expounding on your own views, students are likely to soak up the information as a lesson, automatically assuming the teacher is right. This does not give students an opportunity to think for themselves: a harder and harder task in today’s society. We need to realize that no matter how passionately we may believe some things, it is okay for people to hold opposing opinions, as long as those opinions are well-researched and defended. We have the obligation to allow people to believe whatever they want, and to foster their search about why they believe those things. If we simply go on and on about our own beliefs, students feel there is no reason to research.
This reminds me of an AP Psychology teacher I had in high school. He was by far the best teacher I’ve had. The reason is because he would take on the characteristics of whatever concept he was teaching. When he was discussing behaviorism, he would BE a behaviorist; when talking about Freud, he “believed” in psychoanalysis. This kept him from running into his own biases, and kept the students from knowing his views on any subject. This plays into the “check your ego at the door” section, which we’ll get to in a moment.
Find Your School Mom: Not all schools provide mentors, and sometimes when they do, the mentors aren’t too good at mentoring. Finding an educator with experience, excellent classroom management, and who will coach, encourage, and “stick up” for you is so important for newer teachers. Not only do you have a friendly fish in the crazy sea of school, you have someone who can tell you about “sharks” they’ve encountered in their career.
Check Your Ego at the Door: salesman is a good term if you take away the negative connotation of a greased-up man in a 50s style suit trying to sell you a car. The best teachers are the ones who aren’t afraid to “make a fool” of themselves, display passion about what they’re teaching, and who encourage interest in that subject. I have recollections of the same psych teacher mentioned above standing on his head, arguing about what made a coffee mug a coffee mug, and encouraging debate. He was so thrilled about schools of psychology, his students were too!
Don’t be a Control Freak: Flexibility is key. This is something mentioned in the first “What I’ve Learned This Year” reflection. I responded to that in a previous blog, saying: Perfection doesn't happen in a classroom, but the lessons are absorbed best when mistakes are made (by both the students and the teachers).
Scope and Sequence: The material that is to be presented must be presented in a logical order. While teachers do not need freak about time or script, they need to make sure that the order in which they’re presenting information is methodical and makes sense to the schemas of the students.
Don’t Lose Sight of What’s Important: Yes, evaluations, colleague relationships, administration, rules, laws, etc can all be pretty daunting, and we can lose a lot of our time and energy focusing on and dealing with these things. But at the end of the day, we’re in school for the students. It’s an ideology that dies too young, and we’d do well as educators not to forget it, at whatever level.
It’s the Things You Learn After You “Know it All” That are Important: The phrase “Don’t become a professional stagnant” pretty much sums it all up. We’re in education; therefore, we must continue to seek education, alongside humility.
Mr. McLung:
I've read "What I've Learned This Year" versions 1 & 2 as assignments for Dr. Strange's EDM310 class. Here is a link to my comments on version 1.
Your comment about the differences in independence in middle vs. Jr. High students is extremely perceptive, and is a well-needed point for teachers. In middle school, children are still experiencing industry vs. inferiority, needing more encouragement and confidence in their skills. But in Jr. High, they are entering into identity vs. role confusion. They are exploring independence and developing a sense of self. This is based on Erik Erikson's stages of psychosocial development, and is basically a bunch of "flim-flammery" to say, awesome! I agree whole-heartedly.
We have the obligation to allow people to believe whatever they want, and to foster their search about why they believe those things. If we simply go on and on about our own beliefs, students feel there is no reason to research.
This reminds me of an AP Psychology teacher I had in high school. He was by far the best teacher I’ve had. The reason is because he would take on the characteristics of whatever concept he was teaching. When he was discussing behaviorism, he would BE a behaviorist; when talking about Freud, he “believed” in psychoanalysis. This kept him from running into his own biases, and kept the students from knowing his views on any subject.
Salesman is a good term if you take away the negative connotation of a greased-up man in a 50s style suit trying to sell you a car. =) The best teachers are the ones who aren’t afraid to “make a fool” of themselves, display passion about what they’re teaching, and who encourage interest in that subject. I have recollections of the same psych teacher mentioned above standing on his head, arguing about what made a coffee mug a coffee mug, and encouraging debate. He was so thrilled about schools of psychology, his students were too!
I appreciate your posts, as they have been a great learning tool, and a reminder that we must all be reflective. I've added At the Teacher's Desk to my PLN, and I hope we can communicate more in the future.
video 1.
This looks like a really cool program to do projects. I like how it engaged the students and motivated their excitement when they were finished.
video 2.
I will certainly use this tool in my history class to help students learn about geography! Not only will it help them place situations in a global context, but it also shows topography, which is very important when considering state-building.
video 3.
This is a very relevant viewpoint when it comes to education nationally. Students need to be engaged in scientific and mathematic learning, and it needs to be through tools that do not frighten them.
video 4.
Monday, July 12, 2010
C4K # 4
2km blog: Clancy and Tom's "smories"
Dear Clancy and Tom:
Both of your stories are wonderfully entertaining! I liked hearing the story instead of reading it for a change. It gave my eyes a break.
Both of you had excellent progression in your stories! I like how both of you described the scene, set up a problem, and then solved it! That’s a great way to tell a story and to set up a plot, or story line.
Clancy: I was sorry to hear that the boy fell off the merry-go-round, but I bet the puppy was a great surprise. If that happened to you, what surprise would you like waiting for you? I would like ice cream!
Tom: I loved the idea of finding James on a merry-go-round! I guess he didn’t have motion sickness. Was Dylan relieved to find his father at the mansion?
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Dear Clancy and Tom:
Both of your stories are wonderfully entertaining! I liked hearing the story instead of reading it for a change. It gave my eyes a break.
Both of you had excellent progression in your stories! I like how both of you described the scene, set up a problem, and then solved it! That’s a great way to tell a story and to set up a plot, or story line.
Clancy: I was sorry to hear that the boy fell off the merry-go-round, but I bet the puppy was a great surprise. If that happened to you, what surprise would you like waiting for you? I would like ice cream!
Tom: I loved the idea of finding James on a merry-go-round! I guess he didn’t have motion sickness. Was Dylan relieved to find his father at the mansion?
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Blog 11: Twitter brings us conversation from Canada--
--and no, it's not on bacon, beer, or hockey.
I think that Mrs. Cassidy has a realistic approach when it comes to technology in the classroom. She is progressing, which is a lot more than many teachers. She’s experimented with different technological mediums, and how they can help her in her classroom. I liked when she was explaining how she got started: 10 years ago when 5 computers just showed up in her classroom, she wouldn’t let them go to waste! Then, she figured out how to build a webpage for her classroom, and it went on from there. Now, here first grade students are using blogs, videos, the class webpage, wiki, skype, and other materials in their education. I think this is great for the students because their interest and motivation doesn’t decrease when they arrive at school, it increases! Think about how great it must be for them to watch a video they’ve made or read a comment someone left on their blog. Blogging creates an audience other than the teacher (who gives the grade, but can’t share the ideas of everyone who has access to a blog)!
In the Skype conversation she had with Dr. Strange’s Spring 2010 EDM210 Class, she said that her administration neither encouraged nor discouraged her technological journey. While it is crucial that admin does not discourage anyone who is creating ways to implement technology and motivate students, I wish I’d heard that she got more support from them. She did, however, have a “tech guy” for her district who would help her when she got hung up. Even if there weren’t one, though, she could’ve asked anyone on her network! Oh collaboration, you’re cool!
I plan to implement a class webpage, blog, and videos in my classroom. I can use Skype to hold debates with other classes in different schools (wouldn’t that be fun!!!!?!?!?!) I really don’t know anything at all about wikis, but I’ll definitely find out (they’re all the rage: I think wikis are the new encyclopedia).
Oh the benefits….duh, just pay attention.
Blog 10: On PLEs, PLNs, and Questions That Will Change Your Life
JUST KEEP SWIMMING!
A 7th Grader's Personal PLE
The 7th Grader’s PLE is a lot more interactive than my PLN, since I have yet only interacted with the professionals on my PLN through blogs and comments. I have not had the opportunity to Skype with anyone on my professional learning and development path, yet. Her PLE includes things from all of her classes, and mine is only for professional educational development.
I am using links on my EDM310 blog to share my PLN with others, and I am following all of their blogs through blogger. This way, when someone posts on their blog, I can see an RSS feed on my blogger dashboard. I saw on a classmate's blog that she was using a website called netvibes for her PLN. I plan to continue working on my PLN through my college and into my professional life, and I like the way netvibes is set up. It’s so awesome that in classes like these and with networks like this, we can share so much with each other. I have to give credit to my classmates Martha Yim and Alana Carpenter, through whom I learned about netvibes. If you’d like to check it out, click here.
TWO ?S THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE
WOW! As a student of quotes, I love this one by Claire Boothe Luce. Also, as someone interested in the history of women in literature, I love that it’s from the female Congresswomen, who was also a playwright, editor, journalist, and ambassador. I like the video footage of her asking JFK question # 1. I really just love the concept of the question, and its thought-provoking nature. I’m not entirely sure of my answer to the question, but I’m excited about the journey and the reflection.
I think everyone should watch this video. We are contracted to make the world a better place because we’re in it. This is the base of the second question.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Monday, July 5, 2010
Comments 4 Kids (C4K) # 3 on McLung's World
McLung's World, Discussion on Little Rock Central, 50 Years Later
Mr. McLung:
Although some of your students were a bit hard to hear, I enjoyed listening to their responses dealing with racism in the present-day. Many of them seemed to be paying attention to the details of the film, like people's names and the different arguments made by Caucasian and African-American students and faculty. They explained and expounded the black vs. white points-of-view about the school; and they seemed perceptive and responsive to the fact that although the school was technically integrated 50 years ago, segregation is still a big issue.
I believe that it was very beneficial to present the race vs. socioeconomic status. There were also some things I thought about concerning question number 3, about the quote that "MLK's dream is now a nightmare." I think he did achieve his first two goals of integration and voting rights. However, he was killed before he could achieve his third goal of battling poverty along racial lines.
Along with being a student in Dr. Strange's EDM310 Class, I also work at the Museum of Mobile. We currently have an exhibit from The Field Museum, Chicago, on George Washington Carver. I found it very interesting that his technique on race relations was not to address the actual problem, but to talk about his scientific discoveries and how nature could unite all people. There are so many contributors like MLK who have accomplished evolution in the integration struggle. I appreciate the interest you and your students have shown in discovering the achievements and failures of that struggle.
If you're interested, here is my class blog. Thanks for sharing your discussion!
Onward,
Leah DiVincenzo
Blog 9: On Evolution of Education, ALEX, ACCESS, and how I like using pictures!
Just to clear up--> Today, we're not discussing this:
![]()
but this!!!
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Morgan Bayda's response to An Open Letter to Educators, Dan Brown
I appreciate Brown’s simple breakdown of the evolution of education from kingdoms, to class societies, to present-day. It is true that institutionalized education was the center of knowledge in the time before “the clouds”, and that the internet provides free information. Schools and educational institutions [should] come in by coaching students to find legitimacy in the information they’re reading/listening/watching. I think that educators can “stoke creativity” by challenging them to find “facts” through their own processes. People absorb information better when they can understand why it’s relevant to them. Simulate a certain situation in any human rights’ struggle and have students create their own memoirs…then you could review a number of historical events: the Trail of Tears, Internment Camps, or the Civil Rights Struggle. By feeling about writing about these emotions themselves, students may be more motivated to promote change for a better world. It’s important to show them the shift between learning and doing. I just have to point out 3 of my favorite quotes from this video: a) “Providing students with facts does not prepare them for the real world” b) “[Education] is about stoking creativity and new ideas, not about teaching [students] to conform to the world as it is” c) “[Education] is about empowering them (students) to change the world for the better.”
Having said that, there are a few appraisals I have concerning Dan Brown’s video. Those who want to learn do well when surrounding themselves by people smarter than them. While this does not have to be in a traditional classroom building (it could be via Skype, or YouTube video), students still need someone to coach and foster different kinds of questions. It doesn’t take away from democratic education for it to be “institutionalized”. The democratic tendency is not in finding information, it’s in making it. Also, there is a huge difference between factual and relevant learning. My goal as an educator is to present facts in ways that are relevant.
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ALEX (or the AL Learning Exchange) is a website designed to give Alabama educators, administrators, students, and parents free educational information and resources. These resources include lesson plans, web links, and activities. ALEX is funded through donations from various groups, and through the FedGov.
These resources foster the collaboration of all employees and recipients of Alabama Department of Education tools. In addition to the above-mentioned resources, there is also a “podcast treasury,” which hosts educational podcasts on topics from art to science! For a link and to join the ALEX group, check out ALEX's facebook page
ACCESS = Alabama Connecting Classroom, Educators and Students Statewide, an initiative launched in 2004 to provide a “distance education initiative”. It is a technological initiative, with existing videoconferencing labs. Students can use Access to take classes not offered in their schools, or as a remediation program. It is part of an education goal to provide equal access (oh, I see) “to high quality instruction through distance learning”. It also probably trains students on how to collaborate via distance learning.
According to the ACCESS 2006-2010 Plan, by this year they were supposed to expand classroom technology. This includes:
• a tablet computer for every student
• wireless access
• videoconferencing equipment with capabilities to send courses to at least three additional sites
• interactive whiteboard
• digital projector
• and document camera to enable communication over distance
After reading this I think the thought on every Alabama educator’s mind is:
![]()
but this!!!
Morgan Bayda's response to An Open Letter to Educators, Dan Brown
I appreciate Brown’s simple breakdown of the evolution of education from kingdoms, to class societies, to present-day. It is true that institutionalized education was the center of knowledge in the time before “the clouds”, and that the internet provides free information. Schools and educational institutions [should] come in by coaching students to find legitimacy in the information they’re reading/listening/watching. I think that educators can “stoke creativity” by challenging them to find “facts” through their own processes. People absorb information better when they can understand why it’s relevant to them. Simulate a certain situation in any human rights’ struggle and have students create their own memoirs…then you could review a number of historical events: the Trail of Tears, Internment Camps, or the Civil Rights Struggle. By feeling about writing about these emotions themselves, students may be more motivated to promote change for a better world. It’s important to show them the shift between learning and doing. I just have to point out 3 of my favorite quotes from this video: a) “Providing students with facts does not prepare them for the real world” b) “[Education] is about stoking creativity and new ideas, not about teaching [students] to conform to the world as it is” c) “[Education] is about empowering them (students) to change the world for the better.”
Having said that, there are a few appraisals I have concerning Dan Brown’s video. Those who want to learn do well when surrounding themselves by people smarter than them. While this does not have to be in a traditional classroom building (it could be via Skype, or YouTube video), students still need someone to coach and foster different kinds of questions. It doesn’t take away from democratic education for it to be “institutionalized”. The democratic tendency is not in finding information, it’s in making it. Also, there is a huge difference between factual and relevant learning. My goal as an educator is to present facts in ways that are relevant.
ALEX (or the AL Learning Exchange) is a website designed to give Alabama educators, administrators, students, and parents free educational information and resources. These resources include lesson plans, web links, and activities. ALEX is funded through donations from various groups, and through the FedGov.
These resources foster the collaboration of all employees and recipients of Alabama Department of Education tools. In addition to the above-mentioned resources, there is also a “podcast treasury,” which hosts educational podcasts on topics from art to science! For a link and to join the ALEX group, check out ALEX's facebook page
ACCESS = Alabama Connecting Classroom, Educators and Students Statewide, an initiative launched in 2004 to provide a “distance education initiative”. It is a technological initiative, with existing videoconferencing labs. Students can use Access to take classes not offered in their schools, or as a remediation program. It is part of an education goal to provide equal access (oh, I see) “to high quality instruction through distance learning”. It also probably trains students on how to collaborate via distance learning.
According to the ACCESS 2006-2010 Plan, by this year they were supposed to expand classroom technology. This includes:
• a tablet computer for every student
• wireless access
• videoconferencing equipment with capabilities to send courses to at least three additional sites
• interactive whiteboard
• digital projector
• and document camera to enable communication over distance
After reading this I think the thought on every Alabama educator’s mind is:
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Blog 8: On Learning Lessons
Mr. McLung's "What I Learned This Year", from At the Teacher's Desk
This is a very informative, thought-provoking, and inspiring post by Mr. McLung. Optimism is certainly the best outlook. Perfection doesn't happen in a classroom, but the lessons are absorbed best when mistakes are made (by both the students and the teachers). Selflessness is also key. McLung mentions this in his "How to Read the Crowd" section. Being a teacher does not mean that school is all about you: how you perform is not the question; it's how your projections inspire students to perform. I concur with McLung's statement about "[letting] the audience drive your instruction". It's okay to succumb to tangents in your lessons if it's something students are interested in. Just make sure the tangents are relevant to them and what they want to learn. Teachers should not be speech-makers, they should simply guide students into an area of study, and then let the students immerse themselves.
Muck-ups happen. You have to learn to work "on the fly", because nothing ever folds out perfectly, especially lesson plans. There are constant interruptions. Students will not be able to absorb anything if educators are constantly frustrated about being interrupted. I really like the section about expectations. While we all want our students to achieve certain things, I think the most dangerous thing would be to set their expectations. If they don't make it, they're down on themselves. If they jump over it, they may become bored. I think the best option is to let the students make their own expectations....a stairway of goals intended to inspire children to believe in themselves. Whether group or individual goals, students should be able to apply their own skills and knowledge to analyze what they want to do better. Educators are there to coach them to the next level...not to tell students what the next level is.
"Never stop learning" and "don't be afraid of technology" go hand in hand. If there is any profession in which students should continue their education after their undergrad, it's education. And this doesn't mean do your few professional development classes, go to school, and go home. It is my opinion that educators should constantly search for resources to engage their students. The more we're excited about learning, the more that excitement will project into our classrooms.
Listening: This was the part that stood out to me the most. Respect is a two-way street. Don't just hear...listen.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Blog 7: On Realizing "Head Fakes" and Pausch's Last Lecture
Pausch's Last Lecture
Pausch has the right attitude to be in education (and life, for that matter--I was tickled at the joke about "If you're going to tell me you have some herbal supplements for me to take, stay away"). He mentioned that enabling the dreams of others is even more fun. This is the way it should be for an educator. It is unfortunate the number of people who go into the field because they like to hear their own voice (or because they really like the months June, July, and August). Being an educator means finding out ways you can enable others to realize and achieve the things that THEY want to do; not what you want them to do. Impossible is [still] nothing. As educators, we should realize that permission to dream is huge. A lot of students need the inspiration.
He also said that “walls are there for us to prove how badly we want things.” We don’t want to think of things this way. We want to prove that we want something by saying that we want it, but the work barely moves on from there. This is not finger-pointing, but realistically speaking, no one ever really wants to run into walls or to have to prove themselves. To quote a cheesy Marvel Comic Quote from Spiderman: "With great power comes great responsibility." As future educators, there will be many walls. We should knock them down because we want better for our society, for our children, and for our future.
Critics are ironically there for support. If you’re doing something where you don’t receive any criticism, it means people have given up hope. Don’t get upset when someone tells you how you could’ve done better. Let the advice soak in, and make practical changes. It's the hardest part, but certainly the most beneficial.
He talks about putting artists and engineers together. In This is How We Dream Richard E. Miller talks about putting the sciences and the humanities together. We are in a place in our global system that in order to move forward, we must collaborate. In order for good ideas not to die out just as good ideas, we have to work together. We are at a place where we have the technology to collaborate. Now we just have to figure out how to get that communication to move from “let’s talk about me, and what I want, and my ideas, and making everyone else work on my ideas” to “this is our project, we’re all doing the work”. This is the only way to for any field to progress in this age. It takes action, and it takes togetherness in that action.
Another important point was about "head fakes". The man spoke for an hour and at the very end, he revealed the greatest one about his lecture. Pausch said “Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted.” Head-fake learning is important, and it's everywhere. Sometimes you learn something completely different than what you set out to learn. "The best way to teach someone something, is to make them think their learning something else." (I'm looking at you, Dr. Strange).
This isn't what's meant by the phrase:
TimeToast
The point of this timetoast is to take you through E. O. Wilson's main works from his birth through 1990. He's had many more than the ones in this timetoast. :)
Friday, June 25, 2010
Comments 4 Kids (C4K) # 2
Little Voices, Little Scholars: Elizabeth U's Mom & Dad visit
This is a great video and you explain yourself very well. I like how your excitement shows in your speech. Stay delighted in your education, and keep up the positive attitude!
This is a great video and you explain yourself very well. I like how your excitement shows in your speech. Stay delighted in your education, and keep up the positive attitude!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
On PLN's and Educational Resources
Resources were not at all hard to find when approaching the setup for my PLN, but sifting through the information to decide what was most helpful was a little tougher. Wendy Drexler and I have been communicating about how being a facilitator of networked learning is not an all or nothing proposition. I would like to continue brainstorming with her to discover small changes to make in a classroom to evolve into a networked educator. Deon Scanlon is an Australia educator who teaches the equivalent of our Middle School grade levels, and is interested in connection. I will be following and commenting on this blog in the future. We all know Karl Fisch. His brutal honesty has intrigued me, and I've kept up with his blog and commented on a few posts. Paulo Simoes is a pedagogical instructor in Lisbon. There are a few more people I chose for different reasons. Sir Ken is brilliant and Phyllis Anker has a smorgasbord of information on her blog.
I also added some educational links such as the NEA site and EDUTOPIA. This is the beginning of an exciting journey! To my fellow EDM 310 students: Find resources that interest you; and happy networking. :)
Also, just check the main page of my blog under My PLN and Educational Resources to find the links to all of these exciting places!
I also added some educational links such as the NEA site and EDUTOPIA. This is the beginning of an exciting journey! To my fellow EDM 310 students: Find resources that interest you; and happy networking. :)
Also, just check the main page of my blog under My PLN and Educational Resources to find the links to all of these exciting places!
Blog 6: And What[ever] About the Future?
1. These videos carry such intrinsic brilliance. The dichotomization of the videos creates the simulation of the difference between where technology in education is now (in incremental changes), and how it could be. After watching part 1, it hit me that even though we’ve progressed this far, the changes made to education (and the humanities) have a long way to go if those fields are going to succeed (and survive) in the coming century.
“The limits and restrictions are largely ones we place on ourselves,” mentioned Miller. My reaction will seem ambiguous, but what a simply profound statement! Time and time again, colleagues and fellow students attempt to persuade me that I am capable of something because I don’t believe I am. Or, as another example, the hardest part for injured athletes is not for their ailment to heal, but for their minds to believe the ailment has healed. We can accomplish so much more if we throw “can’t” out of our vocabulary. It sounds like a vapid and ideal expression, but why does that make it less true?
The author also stated that [he] “can’t imagine doing it himself, but it’s already being done”. I think that we are all waiting for the resources to come to us, instead of finding the resources to make Miller’s (and many others) idea happen. The only way we will have pedagogy like the kind described is if we embrace this resource as “a way to push ideas into our culture.” Our world is so large, diverse, and globalized, that this is the new way to spread ideas. To succeed to change, we must be the frontrunners of [r]evolutionary ideas.
2. The networked student provides legitimate reasons for future educators to realize that teachers will not become obsolete. They simply will be teaching in a different style. The motivation is the same: to empower students to ask their own questions and search for their own answers; to instill a love of learning; and to guide and coach students toward their successes in our world. Our world now has experienced much more globalization. My reaction in regard to my future classroom is one of excitement. Instead of presenting history lessons and telling the students why this history is important (or why I or the curriculum thinks it is important), I can use a networked classroom to ask them why they think it is important. This is a simple video, but it expounds the ongoing need for teachers and the need to network in this age.
This video also explains some positives of globalization. Obviously there are many negatives, debated over again and again through economic geographers and others who study social sciences. But I like this view of “the world getting smaller”. The connections we make with people around the world help us develop our own schemas. We will not know how to communicate in the 21st century if we do not embrace the possibilities.
I would deceive myself if I said that I was completely ready to be a teacher of a networked student. However, I am aware of the need to be ready, and I believe this class is an excellent starting point. Being an educator, to me, has always been about empowering and enriching student’s educational experiences and opportunities. That being said, it isn’t about the technology, per say, but technology is the best resource we have today to achieve that goal. I realize that there are many obstacles. If we are creative enough, I think we can overcome them.
3. I think that both Orwell and Huxley feared the future because they did not know what it would hold. Their pessimism is not central to only their times and places. We all fear the unknown. The quote "In the midst of a fabulous array of historically unprecedented and utterly mind-boggling stimuli... whatever," does not only describe today. It also describes yesterday and tomorrow. But it means something different for us today, because of the evolutions made in technology. I agree that we are a part of an “entitled” generation, [insert psychosocial schools of thought here] and that our feelings of entitlement have caused disengagement from and fragmentation of the community as a whole. It’s ambiguous though, because we are now connecting with people on a level that we have never seen. Michael Wesch expands on this ambiguity in two equations:
anonymity + physical distance + rare ephemeral dialogue= hatred as public performance
anonymity + physical distance + rare ephemeral dialogue= freedom to experience humanity without fear or anxiety
I think our expansive resources in communication are still clouded by that narcissism and disinterest. This reverts back to a comment in a previous post where I mentioned that Just because the internet is an infinite space does not necessarily mean that it should be filled up infinitely. The democracy inherent in communicating by this medium is unprescedented, but I have to reiterate a question of Wesch’s : “How can we use this to conquer the narcissistic disengagement we see today, in a culture still ruled by triviality?” I don’t have an answer, but it is critical to meditate on this question. If we connect this way, are we disconnecting in some other way?
I do agree with Wesch’s main point: identity is defined by relations to others; new media allows new ways to relate to others; new media therefore allows new understanding of the self. The collaborative side of globalization surely has its benefits. But to what extent are we truly collaborating? If communication is only heard, or only seen through video, it is harder to judge the true meaning of this form of conversation.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
On C4K
1. 2KM @ Leopold Primary School: Learning Origami on the iPod touch
*I found this class blog for an assignment in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 Class Microcomputing Systems in Education. I like that the students have the opportunity to learn by watching and listening. It gives them more resources to learn other than traditional lecture or reading steps in a book.
Bianca, Ashleigh, Tyler, Kamarah, and Maddie: what a great picture! Your origami turned out wonderful. I would like to ask what your favorite part about this lesson was?
I do like origami! I have not done it in a long time, but I enjoyed it very much when I was younger.
As for the iPod: I like listening to music, NPR (National Public Radio) and This American Life podcasts.
**@ Leah DiVincenzo,
Thanks for your comment on the 2KM blog!
My favourite part about doing origami was making the box and listening to the instructions [but it was really hard].
What did you make in origami? Was it hard or easy?
Your friend,
Kamarah
2. podcast page of Ft. England School
a.Duster, read by Litia and Vivienne
I am visiting this site for Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class Microcomputing Systems in Education at The University of South Alabama.
Litia and Vivienne: I thought you two did an excellent job reviewing the story of Duster! I was very excited to hear that the teacher took him home. If he hadn't, then the fire probably would not have been put out in time. Do you agree with the author that every dog needs a good home?
18 June 2010 4:49 AM
b. Getting Board, read by Crusader and Gabriel
Leah DiVincenzo's EDM 310 Blog believes that this is an outstanding first podcast for Crusader and Gabriel! Please feel free to leave a comment on my blog! What did you like the most about this book?
c. How the Kumara came to Aotearoa, read by Cruz and Joe
This is very well done! You guys do a good job on the podcasts! They sound very professional, like an impromptu conversation almost! I enjoy hearing you guys work out what the moral(s) of the story is (are). Keep up the great work, and come visit my class blog anytime!
d. No More Moas, read by Cruz and Kayde
Hi Cruz and Kayde! I really enjoyed this podcast because it was very educational! How did you feel after making the podcast about "No More Moas"? What did you like the most about making this podcast? I look forward to hearing from both of you! You can answer/ask questions, or just leave a comment at my class blog.
Great job! Keep it up!
e. Boot and All, read by Matthew and Joshua
Joshua and Matthew: I enjoyed this podcast for many reasons! First of all, I think that is a very good moral for the story. Do you agree? Secondly, I like how CJ wanted to play rugby, but her brother didn't. Which would you guys prefer: to do art or play rugby? I'd really like if you left me a comment on my class blog!
Keep up the great work.
3. Check out the comment I received from Cruz and Kayde !!!!!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
On "Smart" Boards/ Interactive White Boards
picture courtesy of: elementary teacher files @ wordpress.com
Links to Negatives of Smart boards: Teacher Magazine, Bill Ferriter
The Innovative Educator, Michael Stanton
Links to positives of smart boards: teachers net, Dr. Mary Ann Bell
1. As an occurrence that happens often in any career field, I think that the debate over Smart Boards is one that is distinctly influenced by politics. Certain factions praise and awe them, and others dismiss them as something to show off, not to use. A personal definitive opinion will not be reached until I've had more experience with the tool, but I have some ideas based on what I have read in the links above.
I do see it as a show-off tool. If a school can brag about owning smart boards, it can be "the reason" for any improvement the school is making. My concern is that once the schools get smart boards, they're not training fully, or analyzing the benefits and negatives of the classroom tool. The message seems to be: hey, here's a smart board. It'll make learning better for the kids. stop.
Sure, it may be a slow way to try to pull along technologically illiterate teachers, but there are many other resources available that do not reinforce "teacher-centric" lessons. It CAN be more interactive and collaborative than one-computer classrooms, but only if educators assess the possibilities and MAKE it collaborative. My guess, however, is that teachers are simply using it as a lecture tool, and not as an interactive.
IF the tool can be used as more than a PowerPoint/ overhead projector substitute, there are some perks. Students will be more interested in interacting with this tool than answering worksheets. Color appeals to people, which would probably cause responses to smart board teaching to be above that of traditional lecture. (Side Note: If you're at work and are leaving a note for someone, highlight the most important things/ steps in orange--studies have shown that people respond to this color more than any other).
It minimally helps (again, based on user capability) to better accommodate different learning styles. Tactile learners can benefit from touching and marking at the board, audio learners can have the class discussion, visual learners can see what is taking place as it develops at the board.
2. These were both great videos. Social norms have changed in our generation to an "owe me" attitude. People truthfully think that they're entitled to whatever they want, even if they don't work for it. The "EDM 310 for Dummies" was an excellent YouTube video. I would like to participate in a video dealing with the many ways to implement technology in a history classroom. I believe this is the field that will have the most trouble implementing technology.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
On Podcasts: Thoughts, Benefits, and Essential Resources
I think that podcasts are good for students to communicate outside of the classroom. By making podcasts, they can share information internationally. By listening, they can hear/ learn information. Both activities keep children engaged because they are actively working to share their knowledge. Also, podcasts (and many other forms of technology) are used by students, making the act of podcasting relevant to them.
One of the websites The Benefits of Podcasting in a Classroom explains that with podcasting, students are learning through project-based activities. This allows for higher-order thinking skills described by Bloom’s taxonomy. Project-based activities allow students to move beyond the knowledge and comprehension stages and develop application, analysis, and even synthesis. In short, this helps students move away from regurgitating information. Instead, they learn to separate material or concepts into component parts so that its organizational structure may be understood, and can make judgments about the value or the idea of materials.
I chose Eagle Nest Radio, and listened to the “Take a Bite at of Shark Facts” and “Roamin’ with the Ancient Romans” podcasts. This is a fantastic learning tool for third graders to college students (remember, 91.3 uses NPR podcasts to bring us the news)! In both podcasts, the “eagle eyes in the sky for news kids need to know”, the students used catchy vocabulary ("sharktastic"!) and energy to engage the audience. There were a number of short lessons in each podcast.
In the Shark Facts lesson, Eagle nest radio host took us under the deep blue to reveal some tidbits about our sharp-toothed friends. The lesson included “Poetry Corner” where a student read an underwater poem by Ogden Nash. A musical intermission then takes us to the vocabulary vault, where another student tells us the definition of cartilage, and we hear two examples of it being used in a sentence.
I went to a link from
From FDR’s famous speech on fear to post-9/11 politics, the emotion is harnessed by advertisers to tell us things we should fear. There are obviously some things we should legitimately fear. We should fear global warming. However, we should not fear technology! It’s fantastic I happened upon this “Technology Talk” podcast on fear. It helped me realize that while I may not know much about living “in the clouds”, I shouldn’t fear checking it out.
This is a great tutorial from the Wise Women.org site! It defines “podcast”, explaining when the term was coined and the root words it stemmed from. Then, it goes into creation basics. To start a podcast, one needs a microphone (a headset is recommended). It explains that most sources recommend starting with audacity, which is a free app. Luckily, we already had to download it for Dr. Strange’s class. However, if you haven’t done it, a link is provided. ;-)
There is a link to How to Podcast, a site with step-by-step tutorials on making and promoting your podcast. Everything you need to be successful is right at your fingertips. Just click away and get started. Also, the wise-women site gives a like to Odeo, an easy-to-set-up site that introduces you to podcasting. These are very good tools for anyone who wants to create a smart-content podcast for their classroom, book club, or community!
The EPN will be my new favorite website! This is the Educational Podcast Network, a collection of educator podcasts on all subjects. These are educators who have found the benefits (see paragraphs 1 & 2) of podcasting: to share knowledge, experience, insight and passion…in any field of study. Today, I listened to a podcast about Consciousness and the Universe.
One of the websites The Benefits of Podcasting in a Classroom explains that with podcasting, students are learning through project-based activities. This allows for higher-order thinking skills described by Bloom’s taxonomy. Project-based activities allow students to move beyond the knowledge and comprehension stages and develop application, analysis, and even synthesis. In short, this helps students move away from regurgitating information. Instead, they learn to separate material or concepts into component parts so that its organizational structure may be understood, and can make judgments about the value or the idea of materials.
I chose Eagle Nest Radio, and listened to the “Take a Bite at of Shark Facts” and “Roamin’ with the Ancient Romans” podcasts. This is a fantastic learning tool for third graders to college students (remember, 91.3 uses NPR podcasts to bring us the news)! In both podcasts, the “eagle eyes in the sky for news kids need to know”, the students used catchy vocabulary ("sharktastic"!) and energy to engage the audience. There were a number of short lessons in each podcast.
In the Shark Facts lesson, Eagle nest radio host took us under the deep blue to reveal some tidbits about our sharp-toothed friends. The lesson included “Poetry Corner” where a student read an underwater poem by Ogden Nash. A musical intermission then takes us to the vocabulary vault, where another student tells us the definition of cartilage, and we hear two examples of it being used in a sentence.
I went to a link from
From FDR’s famous speech on fear to post-9/11 politics, the emotion is harnessed by advertisers to tell us things we should fear. There are obviously some things we should legitimately fear. We should fear global warming. However, we should not fear technology! It’s fantastic I happened upon this “Technology Talk” podcast on fear. It helped me realize that while I may not know much about living “in the clouds”, I shouldn’t fear checking it out.
This is a great tutorial from the Wise Women.org site! It defines “podcast”, explaining when the term was coined and the root words it stemmed from. Then, it goes into creation basics. To start a podcast, one needs a microphone (a headset is recommended). It explains that most sources recommend starting with audacity, which is a free app. Luckily, we already had to download it for Dr. Strange’s class. However, if you haven’t done it, a link is provided. ;-)
There is a link to How to Podcast, a site with step-by-step tutorials on making and promoting your podcast. Everything you need to be successful is right at your fingertips. Just click away and get started. Also, the wise-women site gives a like to Odeo, an easy-to-set-up site that introduces you to podcasting. These are very good tools for anyone who wants to create a smart-content podcast for their classroom, book club, or community!
The EPN will be my new favorite website! This is the Educational Podcast Network, a collection of educator podcasts on all subjects. These are educators who have found the benefits (see paragraphs 1 & 2) of podcasting: to share knowledge, experience, insight and passion…in any field of study. Today, I listened to a podcast about Consciousness and the Universe.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
If You Open Your Eyes, You'll See the Benefits.
1. Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff, Please.
Scott McLeod is an Associate Professor of Educational Administration at Iowa State University and the Director of the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education. This information was found on his website.
Mr. McLeod’s “Don’t Teach Your Kids This Stuff, Please” is dripping with spite and sarcasm. People who can communicate in this medium are respected by those who appreciate the irony. His point is to persuade others to keep their children away from technology, making it easier for his children to succeed. This ironically conceived attempt reminds me of Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal”. This form of satire draws attention to the mounting aggravation at the ineptitude of technological illiterates. However, that is enough about my admiration for the presentation style.
About the content: I've read Scott's two posts: Fear and Online Predators: Overblown Threat?. I’d like to read more of Mr. McLeod's blogs (The one's he mentioned are listed in a comment here) so I worry less about the unlimited content on the internet. Perhaps there is fear of children teaching us things, since it is a young concept: an exchange of information from the student or child to the adult.
2. The iSchool Initiative
The ischool initiative is a movement in the progress of education. Travis Allen explains the many ways technology can [and will] revolutionize the education system. The applications already available today interact with students, collaborate with parents and teachers, and limits access to apps not used as educational tools all while reducing our carbon footprint. Making pencils and paper a thing of the past, this initiative can shift education to the kind of interactive learning students have already encountered. Collaborative learning is not another term for cheating. It is the act of shared creation and discovery. This kind of learning fosters communication. In turn, communication is an indispensable tool in contributing to humanity and to future societies.
I do not think the ischool initiative is only an idealistic goal. With enough support, educators and lawmakers should see the advantages of a change like this. The benefits of the ischool are many. They counter the threats to our natural resources and the struggles of our educational system. It is necessary for our students to be skilled in all of the resources available to them. In order to teach, we must continue to learn.
3. A Lost Generation
I think this message conveys a determination we should carry. We can choose to contribute to society and to each other. We can proclaim that environmental damages and catastrophes are unacceptable. The opponent is the lack of motion. Many consider these choices a right, and not a duty. They say it’s just going to get worse, anyway. I think that the best way to change is by small, thought out (not stationary) movement. It’s the same with the ischool from the previous video. Progression is inevitable. We now have the opportunity and the responsibility to make it positive and beneficial.
The style and structure of the presentation of “The Lost Generation” reminded me of a stretched out mirror sonnet (where one writes 7 lines, and recites them forward and then in reverse). The idea is to completely rotate the meaning, feeling, or point of the poem, normally in order to point out two choices or alternatives. The juxtaposition makes the audience aware of both choices’ consequences.
4. Eric Whitaker’s Virtual Choir
I really thought it was fascinating! My reaction is that t is a bit overwhelming that communication in so many forms can take place these ways: a choir of people who’ve never met, magazines and newspapers online, instructional videos from overseas, etc, etc. But that a possibility of these forms is enhancing the human network.
Scott McLeod is an Associate Professor of Educational Administration at Iowa State University and the Director of the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education. This information was found on his website.
Mr. McLeod’s “Don’t Teach Your Kids This Stuff, Please” is dripping with spite and sarcasm. People who can communicate in this medium are respected by those who appreciate the irony. His point is to persuade others to keep their children away from technology, making it easier for his children to succeed. This ironically conceived attempt reminds me of Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal”. This form of satire draws attention to the mounting aggravation at the ineptitude of technological illiterates. However, that is enough about my admiration for the presentation style.
About the content: I've read Scott's two posts: Fear and Online Predators: Overblown Threat?. I’d like to read more of Mr. McLeod's blogs (The one's he mentioned are listed in a comment here) so I worry less about the unlimited content on the internet. Perhaps there is fear of children teaching us things, since it is a young concept: an exchange of information from the student or child to the adult.
2. The iSchool Initiative
The ischool initiative is a movement in the progress of education. Travis Allen explains the many ways technology can [and will] revolutionize the education system. The applications already available today interact with students, collaborate with parents and teachers, and limits access to apps not used as educational tools all while reducing our carbon footprint. Making pencils and paper a thing of the past, this initiative can shift education to the kind of interactive learning students have already encountered. Collaborative learning is not another term for cheating. It is the act of shared creation and discovery. This kind of learning fosters communication. In turn, communication is an indispensable tool in contributing to humanity and to future societies.
I do not think the ischool initiative is only an idealistic goal. With enough support, educators and lawmakers should see the advantages of a change like this. The benefits of the ischool are many. They counter the threats to our natural resources and the struggles of our educational system. It is necessary for our students to be skilled in all of the resources available to them. In order to teach, we must continue to learn.
3. A Lost Generation
I think this message conveys a determination we should carry. We can choose to contribute to society and to each other. We can proclaim that environmental damages and catastrophes are unacceptable. The opponent is the lack of motion. Many consider these choices a right, and not a duty. They say it’s just going to get worse, anyway. I think that the best way to change is by small, thought out (not stationary) movement. It’s the same with the ischool from the previous video. Progression is inevitable. We now have the opportunity and the responsibility to make it positive and beneficial.
The style and structure of the presentation of “The Lost Generation” reminded me of a stretched out mirror sonnet (where one writes 7 lines, and recites them forward and then in reverse). The idea is to completely rotate the meaning, feeling, or point of the poem, normally in order to point out two choices or alternatives. The juxtaposition makes the audience aware of both choices’ consequences.
4. Eric Whitaker’s Virtual Choir
I really thought it was fascinating! My reaction is that t is a bit overwhelming that communication in so many forms can take place these ways: a choir of people who’ve never met, magazines and newspapers online, instructional videos from overseas, etc, etc. But that a possibility of these forms is enhancing the human network.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
On the Ignorance of Technology
1.Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today
I think this video does well in capturing the uncertainties students feel in converging technology with education. While most people see it as a communication device and a way to quickly access information, the “clouds” could also be used to support and incorporate other forms of learning. I completely empathize with this uncertainty. The video itself is proof of new ways to learn something, but I just have one concern when it comes to using technology as an educational tool: Everything in moderation. Just because the internet is an infinite space does not necessarily mean that it should be filled up infinitely. I understand that we are now of the “technology age”, but not everyone “lives in the clouds”.
Globalization has caused and will continue to cause the four walls of the classroom to melt away. I think this is the message of the video: young people are adapting easily to the technology transition. In order to motivate them, we must be aware that school is no longer about studying classics and living in our heads. Collaboration has become the tool of the future, and the point of this video (and the class) is to realize that technology is the road to collaboration.
2.It's Not About the Technology by Kelly Hines
It’s not blasphemy to say that education today is not about technology. Education is about fostering an environment where learning is allowed, not criticized, fun, and relevant. I say allowed because brain development studies show how diverse learning is, and many educators expect students to learn exactly as they do. Hines’ number one point is that teachers must be learners. Without passion, education will not succeed with all the technology in the world. It is important to understand the shift we’re in, and to try to implement tech-savvy tools and assignments. I think it is more important that the people implementing these tools are aware of the many facets of learning.
It is blasphemy to say that education today is not about helping students. It is evident that technology can be used to foster evolutionary education. The point is that education today is still about giving as many resources available to the student. As we continue through the 21st century, technology has become a greater and greater resource. Educators therefore must be aware educated in this resource.
3.Karl Fisch: Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?
No.
I’ll start with the quote: "If a teacher today is not technologically literate - and is unwilling to make the effort to learn more - its equivalent to a teacher 30 years ago who didn't know how to read and write."
YES, it is extreme. Literacy in reading and writing and literacy in technology ARE on different planes, but sometimes people need extreme to kick them out of their comfort zones and off of their fannies. (Note: I am completely outside my comfort zone)! However, I will never condone or champion ignorance. I am ashamed when I say I don’t know much about technology, just as people should be ashamed about any type of ignorance. And sometimes I don’t want to be nice, either, but I don’t think that means we should stop being nice. There’s a difference between being helpfully forceful and being mean. When it comes to helping educators through the 21st century, it will probably be easier for everyone to stick to the former.
Next Quote: Technology is the underpinning of just about everything we do today - and especially so in relation to how we communicate with each other. And isn't communication one of the essential ideas that runs through all of our disciplines?
The answer here is yes. Communication works as a social tool and as a means of expression. The collaborative nature of the internet and the tools available cause that communication to be even more widespread and influential…even beneficial. My question back to Fisch would be: Shouldn’t we use this communication to encourage the evolution of technology instead of berating ignorance? It seems like our efforts to create tech-literate teachers would work better with encouragement…I know that’s really all I need when it comes to embracing this shift. And as annoyed as I get with people who are ignorant of the things that I find worth learning and paying attention to, I try to remember the things that I’m ignorant of too.
4.Gary Hayes Social Media Count The numbers are indeed astounding, but less so since this is not the first time I’m seeing that the world is growing exponentially. As an educator I think these numbers simply prove that I am unaware of what my job (and the duties entailed in that job) will be in the future. Most importantly though, I think it just shows the need to BE AWARE of the growth….its sounds like such a ridiculous thing to be aware that we’re unaware. However, that’s exactly what going into education shows us. We HAVE to keep learning about the changes affecting our world.
I think this video does well in capturing the uncertainties students feel in converging technology with education. While most people see it as a communication device and a way to quickly access information, the “clouds” could also be used to support and incorporate other forms of learning. I completely empathize with this uncertainty. The video itself is proof of new ways to learn something, but I just have one concern when it comes to using technology as an educational tool: Everything in moderation. Just because the internet is an infinite space does not necessarily mean that it should be filled up infinitely. I understand that we are now of the “technology age”, but not everyone “lives in the clouds”.
Globalization has caused and will continue to cause the four walls of the classroom to melt away. I think this is the message of the video: young people are adapting easily to the technology transition. In order to motivate them, we must be aware that school is no longer about studying classics and living in our heads. Collaboration has become the tool of the future, and the point of this video (and the class) is to realize that technology is the road to collaboration.
2.It's Not About the Technology by Kelly Hines
It’s not blasphemy to say that education today is not about technology. Education is about fostering an environment where learning is allowed, not criticized, fun, and relevant. I say allowed because brain development studies show how diverse learning is, and many educators expect students to learn exactly as they do. Hines’ number one point is that teachers must be learners. Without passion, education will not succeed with all the technology in the world. It is important to understand the shift we’re in, and to try to implement tech-savvy tools and assignments. I think it is more important that the people implementing these tools are aware of the many facets of learning.
It is blasphemy to say that education today is not about helping students. It is evident that technology can be used to foster evolutionary education. The point is that education today is still about giving as many resources available to the student. As we continue through the 21st century, technology has become a greater and greater resource. Educators therefore must be aware educated in this resource.
3.Karl Fisch: Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?
No.
I’ll start with the quote: "If a teacher today is not technologically literate - and is unwilling to make the effort to learn more - its equivalent to a teacher 30 years ago who didn't know how to read and write."
YES, it is extreme. Literacy in reading and writing and literacy in technology ARE on different planes, but sometimes people need extreme to kick them out of their comfort zones and off of their fannies. (Note: I am completely outside my comfort zone)! However, I will never condone or champion ignorance. I am ashamed when I say I don’t know much about technology, just as people should be ashamed about any type of ignorance. And sometimes I don’t want to be nice, either, but I don’t think that means we should stop being nice. There’s a difference between being helpfully forceful and being mean. When it comes to helping educators through the 21st century, it will probably be easier for everyone to stick to the former.
Next Quote: Technology is the underpinning of just about everything we do today - and especially so in relation to how we communicate with each other. And isn't communication one of the essential ideas that runs through all of our disciplines?
The answer here is yes. Communication works as a social tool and as a means of expression. The collaborative nature of the internet and the tools available cause that communication to be even more widespread and influential…even beneficial. My question back to Fisch would be: Shouldn’t we use this communication to encourage the evolution of technology instead of berating ignorance? It seems like our efforts to create tech-literate teachers would work better with encouragement…I know that’s really all I need when it comes to embracing this shift. And as annoyed as I get with people who are ignorant of the things that I find worth learning and paying attention to, I try to remember the things that I’m ignorant of too.
4.Gary Hayes Social Media Count The numbers are indeed astounding, but less so since this is not the first time I’m seeing that the world is growing exponentially. As an educator I think these numbers simply prove that I am unaware of what my job (and the duties entailed in that job) will be in the future. Most importantly though, I think it just shows the need to BE AWARE of the growth….its sounds like such a ridiculous thing to be aware that we’re unaware. However, that’s exactly what going into education shows us. We HAVE to keep learning about the changes affecting our world.
Summaries of Comments 4 Teachers (C4T) 1-6
Comments for Teachers 1, 2, & 3: David Warlick
June 8th: My name is Leah DiVincenzo. I am initially responding to this post as a class assignment, but will likely continue to follow your blog as a learning tool. If you’re interested, the class is Micro computing Systems in Education. (I will also include a link to my personal class blog).
Introduction aside, I’m only aware of Steven Levy due to his “I found Einstein’s Brain” article, which I found on NPR.com some days ago. Regardless, I see the reason any of his posts would propel one toward these questions. Since I do not own any apple devices (less because of lack of want, more because limited funds cause me to wait for something “better” to come out—i.e. the ipad), I may be biased. Nevertheless, I do agree with Levy that they will need to become cheaper to not be dubbed “elitist machines”. I’m not holding my breath for it to be as light as paper.
June 16th: Mr. Warlick:
I love the idea of being unsure and having to collaborate to find what's "right". I even like the possibility of having to redefine what "right" is. Each problem facilitates a solution. As the problems grow bigger and more complex, so do the solutions- and they may have to go through many drafts and changes before we find out. But the adventure and the learning are in the search. We now have the technology to accompany others (even around the world!) in their searches. I'm excited about the possibilities. And I'm excited it seems you are too.
June 23rd: David,
I agree that we’ve been waiting too long to for students to “figure it out”. Either they will or they won’t, sooner or later: the attitude I’ve seen from many of the educators I’ve encountered, from elementary school to pursuing my undergraduate degree.
Empowering learning has always made more sense, but we seem to be stuck in this cycle of not being able to raise the bar or expand ideas because of so much red tape. The encumbrances then lead to battles like this one: where some argue that we should not concern ourselves with long term goals.
To reiterate Mr Klein’s comment, How is this done? I’ve heard over and over again in my education classes what we NEED to be doing, and what NOT to do; however, without the passion of the educator (or in my case, student) to figure out how to do what needs to be done, we will continue to to ask ourselves why we’re waiting for public education to “work”.
Mr. Murry said that “something bigger is at the heart of this issue.” I completely agree. We can only begin to help change it if we give students resources that instill in them the want to learn, read, investigate, and change. You mention this. My question is about specifics. Do you have any advice, resources, or ideas to inspire future educators to really enable and empower students in the midst of the budgetary and political quandary?
Leah DiVincenzo
Comments for Teachers 4, 5, & 6: Ann Carnevale's Bits 'n Bytes
June 29th: Ann:
I appreciate all of the resources you're sharing at Bits 'n Bytes! The Free Technology for Teachers has been very helpful in showing the irony of web restrictions and educating students in the least restrictive environment (LRE). Technology Chatter by Dodie Ainslie now has a post describing a book dealing with the pros and cons of technology in the world beyond the classroom.
This collaboration and information makes it even more possible for us to learn about how these changes are influencing us: personally, professionally, and globally. I am a student in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class at The University of South Alabama. I've really enjoyed my brief experiences in networking, and I hope to continue my journey in the "inter-web"! I'd like to leave you with a few resources that have been helpful to me, along with my class blog.
Wendy Drexler's Teach Web
Karl Fisch's "The Fischbowl"
Leah DiVincenzo's class blog
July 5th: This post is so informative about the Google IM tool. We appreciate all of your resources and information about technology and the classroom.
Leah DiVincenzo
July 15th: Thinkfinity is now on my favorites! I like how it has lesson plans, student and parent interactives, and links to state departments of education. We appreciate all of the resources you provide! I also like Google for Educators
Thanks again!
Leah DiVincenzo
June 8th: My name is Leah DiVincenzo. I am initially responding to this post as a class assignment, but will likely continue to follow your blog as a learning tool. If you’re interested, the class is Micro computing Systems in Education. (I will also include a link to my personal class blog).
Introduction aside, I’m only aware of Steven Levy due to his “I found Einstein’s Brain” article, which I found on NPR.com some days ago. Regardless, I see the reason any of his posts would propel one toward these questions. Since I do not own any apple devices (less because of lack of want, more because limited funds cause me to wait for something “better” to come out—i.e. the ipad), I may be biased. Nevertheless, I do agree with Levy that they will need to become cheaper to not be dubbed “elitist machines”. I’m not holding my breath for it to be as light as paper.
June 16th: Mr. Warlick:
I love the idea of being unsure and having to collaborate to find what's "right". I even like the possibility of having to redefine what "right" is. Each problem facilitates a solution. As the problems grow bigger and more complex, so do the solutions- and they may have to go through many drafts and changes before we find out. But the adventure and the learning are in the search. We now have the technology to accompany others (even around the world!) in their searches. I'm excited about the possibilities. And I'm excited it seems you are too.
June 23rd: David,
I agree that we’ve been waiting too long to for students to “figure it out”. Either they will or they won’t, sooner or later: the attitude I’ve seen from many of the educators I’ve encountered, from elementary school to pursuing my undergraduate degree.
Empowering learning has always made more sense, but we seem to be stuck in this cycle of not being able to raise the bar or expand ideas because of so much red tape. The encumbrances then lead to battles like this one: where some argue that we should not concern ourselves with long term goals.
To reiterate Mr Klein’s comment, How is this done? I’ve heard over and over again in my education classes what we NEED to be doing, and what NOT to do; however, without the passion of the educator (or in my case, student) to figure out how to do what needs to be done, we will continue to to ask ourselves why we’re waiting for public education to “work”.
Mr. Murry said that “something bigger is at the heart of this issue.” I completely agree. We can only begin to help change it if we give students resources that instill in them the want to learn, read, investigate, and change. You mention this. My question is about specifics. Do you have any advice, resources, or ideas to inspire future educators to really enable and empower students in the midst of the budgetary and political quandary?
Leah DiVincenzo
Comments for Teachers 4, 5, & 6: Ann Carnevale's Bits 'n Bytes
June 29th: Ann:
I appreciate all of the resources you're sharing at Bits 'n Bytes! The Free Technology for Teachers has been very helpful in showing the irony of web restrictions and educating students in the least restrictive environment (LRE). Technology Chatter by Dodie Ainslie now has a post describing a book dealing with the pros and cons of technology in the world beyond the classroom.
This collaboration and information makes it even more possible for us to learn about how these changes are influencing us: personally, professionally, and globally. I am a student in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class at The University of South Alabama. I've really enjoyed my brief experiences in networking, and I hope to continue my journey in the "inter-web"! I'd like to leave you with a few resources that have been helpful to me, along with my class blog.
Wendy Drexler's Teach Web
Karl Fisch's "The Fischbowl"
Leah DiVincenzo's class blog
July 5th: This post is so informative about the Google IM tool. We appreciate all of your resources and information about technology and the classroom.
Leah DiVincenzo
July 15th: Thinkfinity is now on my favorites! I like how it has lesson plans, student and parent interactives, and links to state departments of education. We appreciate all of the resources you provide! I also like Google for Educators
Thanks again!
Leah DiVincenzo
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Blog 1: You Should Certainly Watch These Videos!
1.
Karl Fisch’s “Did You Know” video spawned more ambivalence than anything else. On the surface, it presents evolutionary statistics on the progression of technology. The numbers are indeed fascinating, and honestly, the information is highly overwhelming and a bit scary. Having said that, I believe it is necessary to consider a few things before discussing the video.
Fisch is comparing the United States to two other technically developed countries: India and China. First of all, the overwhelming population differences should be a factor when analyzing this video. China will become the number one English speaking country in the world simply because English is an international business language and China has 1.3 billion people compared to United States' 300 million. Sheer numbers lessen the shock of this factoid. Another thing to keep in mind is the differences in the people being educated in the three countries. It is true that China and India possess higher test scores than the United States. However, it is also true that the United States is the only country in those three that is required to educate the masses. For example, if school A is a college prep school, and school B is an inner city school, demographics explain the gap in test scores. If you mix the students in schools A and B, the test scores will even out. All of this garble is simply trying to explain that while our test scores are lower, it does not necessarily mean that students in the United States are dumber or not as well educated.
The rest of the video is on the development of technology in our world. It is indeed striking how quickly the evolution has happened, and is interesting to consider those people (me included) caught in the transition. I am one who has not embraced, discovered, or been made aware of the multitude of technology at my fingertips. While it is true that I have mostly avoided the information (on account of fear, disinterest, and lack of need), I do believe that in order for me to progress in this age I must at least be aware of the evolution. Brain functioning has shifted as a result, leaving us with shorter attention spans and without need to remember information. This will eventually cause two-hour lectures (a method my particular learning style actually prefers) to become null, and educators must be aware of alternate methods and quick transitions to keep up with the evolution of our brains “on technology”. I am but an infant in this sense (expressing such childish joy when I discovered wordle.net…how fun!), but I am excited to begin the journey into these “exponential times”.
2. Mathew Needleman’s “Mr. Winkle Wakes”
Mr. Winkle awakes from a 100 year slumber, obviously finding our planet drastically different! He is overwhelmed by the gadgets, doo-das, machines (and binary language —01 01 001—). He wanders helplessly, through offices and streets, overexposed all the time. Finally, he makes it to a classroom. Mr. Winkle feels much more at ease when he sees schooling is similar to before he was sleeping. Students sat all day, and were lectured to for hours on end.
I felt very sorry for Mr. Winkle! I can honestly empathize with the deluge of information in the present-day. Oftentimes the overstimulation is stressful. However, it is an interesting point that (with exception of some minor PowerPoint) education has really not evolved from the lecture-regurgitate method. Excluding technology for a moment, it is still proven that other methods (educational games, higher-order thinking questions, repeating and transitioning information, and noting relevance to present-day circumstances) help children far better than droning lectures. Since this class is designed to demonstrate other technological methods of teaching, it goes on to prove that while Mr. Winkle is an unfortunate soul, the structure of education should evolve alongside other fields of study in our technological age.
Having said this though, I must admit that I’ve been fighting this transition as much as any “old-schooler”. The difference is, though, that I am aware of the need for the progression, and am eager to discover, learn, and frequently mess up and re-learn the tools that are available to ensure success in my classroom.
3.
Ken Robinson essentially sums up the million problems with education in about twenty minutes, While his point may be extremely broad, it is spot on. Aside from the wit and charisma he’s equipped with, his message is important. I wholeheartedly agree that human intelligence is diverse, and that by focusing on skills for job preparation we are killing internal “artists” (whatever form that art takes).
While listening to this video, I was reminded of an overview an educator gave me about a PD (professional development) training seminar on the brain development of middle-school students. Essentially, the subjects we focus on in that range of our development are the ones we cultivate later in life. (A great example here is that when I was in middle school, I wrote a lot. Now, I have a number of published poems, and unfortunately for time management, my blogs will probably be way too long because of tangents like this one). It follows that if educators promote every subject equally, instead of with the hierarchy Sir Ken spoke of, we would produce well-rounded students who could contribute to society in more ways. Also, those people who can’t contribute in mathematics, technology, or language would not feel as though they have nothing at all to contribute.
Next comes attention spans. I absolutely love (when I say “love” here, I mean cringe) every time I hear the acronym ADHD. The idea that the mind is separate from the body should be outdated enough that we embrace the benefits of kinesthetic and diverse education.
4. Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students Digital Smarts
While this classroom seems like an anomaly, I’m sure that’s not the point of this video. I was impressed how she harnessed all the forms of technology available to teach lessons. In my field of study (history) it is easy to discard technology as a distraction. Obviously, I’ve had many teachers who would not even allow technological devices (phones, laptops, etc.) in class. This is negative not only because it bores the students, but because I think it makes them bitter toward the teacher and the subject.
The biggest impression I got from Davis’s video was something she said about educators. Teachers feel like they must know something to teach it. It seems like a pretty common assumption, one that I held up to now. But I really like the idea of learning (duh, education major) not only from educators and peers but also from students.
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