Saturday, September 25, 2010
Blog Assignment #5
I listened to podcasts on Eagle Nest Radio and The Practical Principles. I also watched the video on The Benefits of Podcasting in a Classroom. I was surprised the third graders in Eagle Nest Radio did such a good job. I noticed that the background music they used matched the subject they were talking about and it made it more interesting.
I found the podcast on The Practical Principles to be somewhat tedious. Although the format for this podcast was more like a radio show, I could not appreciate the small talk at the beginning. There were some good suggestions for use of technology in education.
The video I watched on The Benefits of Podcasting in a Classroom brought out interesting applications. One of the most applicable would be to keep students who have to be absent informed of the assignments and lectures though podcasts. Another thing that occurred to me would be having students listen to their own podcasts to help them improve their expressiveness and use of punctuation when reading.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Blog Assignment 4
Don’t teach your kids this stuff. Please?
I love how Dr. McLeod is being really sarcastic here, and it made it a great post. He’s showing how ridiculous some people can be when it comes to the internet and technology. Obviously, the dangers of the internet should be discussed, but everything thing else should not be taken away because of concerns like that. He’s saying, fine, don’t let your child do any of this, but I will. His children will be much more technologically literate than others.
Dr. McLeod is a professor of education at Iowa State University and the creator of “Did You Know”.
The iSchool Initiative
Travis was advocating the use of an iTouch for dedicated instruction. He believes that it will revolutionize the way that education is conducted today and could save large amounts of money. He was saying that it will allow more accountability of students and teachers. He is also banking on future apps that haven’t been created yet.
My reaction to this is that it was idealistic, but not practical. Perhaps this technology is wave of the future, but it will probably be with a larger format, such as the iPad. For me, any extended reading on my iTouch, gives me a headache. This wouldn’t be something I would enjoy.
The Lost Generation
This was very effective when it came to communicating the issue at hand. It used a good combination of visual and audio techniques. The way everything was reversed was effective in making her point.
My reaction is… I just hope there are more people like her out there!
Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir
This was interesting. The technology makes this type of project possible for the average person that would otherwise be impossible. It shows that people have the same interest all over the world.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Additional Assignment #1
Educational Implications of Google Square and Wolfram Alpha:
Google Square and Wolfram Alpha have more concentrated information that is available more quickly. These have more potential to provide faster research than other ways you can search like encyclopedias or even traditional web search engines. You have to be careful because the data may or may not be accurate. Although in Google Squared it has a confidence indicator, which is helpful. It makes it easier to find the information so you can spend more time studying it than looking for it.
I did not know about either of these before I read about them recently.
Screen shot of the Pitcairn Island:
“Did You Know” Update:
For most part, I think my comment on the “Did You Know” video was pretty accurate. I guess I concentrated more on the big picture. I have learned not to take all statistics at face value without understanding specifically what data is being used, where it is coming from and, potentially, what it’s being used to “sell”.
Food for Thought:
This is a peftect example of a high level man-machine-interface.
Google Square and Wolfram Alpha have more concentrated information that is available more quickly. These have more potential to provide faster research than other ways you can search like encyclopedias or even traditional web search engines. You have to be careful because the data may or may not be accurate. Although in Google Squared it has a confidence indicator, which is helpful. It makes it easier to find the information so you can spend more time studying it than looking for it.
I did not know about either of these before I read about them recently.
Screen shot of the Pitcairn Island:
“Did You Know” Update:
For most part, I think my comment on the “Did You Know” video was pretty accurate. I guess I concentrated more on the big picture. I have learned not to take all statistics at face value without understanding specifically what data is being used, where it is coming from and, potentially, what it’s being used to “sell”.
Food for Thought:
This is a peftect example of a high level man-machine-interface.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Blog Assingment 3
Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today
My college experience, to date, has been somewhat different then shown in this video. Though Faulkner State is not a nationally known college, I experienced small class sizes, teachers who knew my name, actually used my text books most of the time, and reasonable tuition. Technology was embraced at a basic level though on-line classes. I believe that the education that I obtained, while not always inspiring, was adequate and a good value.
Education consists of multiple parts. Students can be offered an education and not take advantage of it or they can be capable of attaining the knowledge and want it, but not have the circumstances so that it is available to them.
A person who is interested and wants to learn will typically make the effort no matter how the knowledge is offered and will often supplement organized education with additional self study to become proficient. Effective teaching methods and technology can make this process much easier and bring the students to a higher and more functional level faster. There will always be students who are derailed by outside influences such as social life. A higher goal for society is to make a free on-line college (and access) available to those who desire it, but for whatever reasons cannot obtain it under “normal” circumstances.
For me, some things that could be added to the video are statistics about junior/community colleges. Attendance, tuition rates, class sizes, student teacher ratio and success rates of students pursuing higher degrees are some of the statistics that I would like to see.
"It's Not About the Technology" by Kelly Hines
There is a difference between teaching and learning. Teachers must be able to do both of these and be able to recognize when their teaching results in learning and when it does not. One objective of a teacher’s commitment to life-long learning is to keep pace with technology and recognize how to use it effectively in the classroom.
Adding technology to classrooms without an objective is not going to fix most problems in schools today. It’s the way the teachers teach, technology or no technology, which can benefit or hinder the learning process. We all had teachers in school that were effective. We need to realize why we responded to these teachers and try to emulate their success. I do think technology in the classroom is a good idea, but as previously stated; it is the way it is used that matters.
Karl Fisch: Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?
Teachers should be aware of and even familiar with the “state of the art” technology and know how to use a level of that technology consistent with the educational objectives that they are teaching. Technology has a way of evolving with the successful being adopted and others being used briefly and then upgraded or discarded. Students should be taught that technology is ever evolving and they should take advantage of opportunities that they have to apply it, either inside or outside of the classroom setting. This message, if clearly communicated to the student will be more valuable than thirty minutes of “computer time” in a classroom.
Technology will be used if it is useful. You don’t see many engineers using slide rules anymore and not many sailors use sextants. Not because it was taught in class first, but because it made the job easier. However, these old skills will be important if the power ever goes out. There is a place for both in our society.
Gary Hayes Social Media Count
First of all, I just have to say… WOW. Do children play outside anymore these days!? That is mindboggling to me how consumed people really can be by the internet in general.
Technology is, and will be necessary. When teaching/using technology, we will be competing with digital entertainment and social networking sites. We need to take advantage of the basic skills acquired by the students in these activities and apply that to their education.
My college experience, to date, has been somewhat different then shown in this video. Though Faulkner State is not a nationally known college, I experienced small class sizes, teachers who knew my name, actually used my text books most of the time, and reasonable tuition. Technology was embraced at a basic level though on-line classes. I believe that the education that I obtained, while not always inspiring, was adequate and a good value.
Education consists of multiple parts. Students can be offered an education and not take advantage of it or they can be capable of attaining the knowledge and want it, but not have the circumstances so that it is available to them.
A person who is interested and wants to learn will typically make the effort no matter how the knowledge is offered and will often supplement organized education with additional self study to become proficient. Effective teaching methods and technology can make this process much easier and bring the students to a higher and more functional level faster. There will always be students who are derailed by outside influences such as social life. A higher goal for society is to make a free on-line college (and access) available to those who desire it, but for whatever reasons cannot obtain it under “normal” circumstances.
For me, some things that could be added to the video are statistics about junior/community colleges. Attendance, tuition rates, class sizes, student teacher ratio and success rates of students pursuing higher degrees are some of the statistics that I would like to see.
"It's Not About the Technology" by Kelly Hines
There is a difference between teaching and learning. Teachers must be able to do both of these and be able to recognize when their teaching results in learning and when it does not. One objective of a teacher’s commitment to life-long learning is to keep pace with technology and recognize how to use it effectively in the classroom.
Adding technology to classrooms without an objective is not going to fix most problems in schools today. It’s the way the teachers teach, technology or no technology, which can benefit or hinder the learning process. We all had teachers in school that were effective. We need to realize why we responded to these teachers and try to emulate their success. I do think technology in the classroom is a good idea, but as previously stated; it is the way it is used that matters.
Karl Fisch: Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?
Teachers should be aware of and even familiar with the “state of the art” technology and know how to use a level of that technology consistent with the educational objectives that they are teaching. Technology has a way of evolving with the successful being adopted and others being used briefly and then upgraded or discarded. Students should be taught that technology is ever evolving and they should take advantage of opportunities that they have to apply it, either inside or outside of the classroom setting. This message, if clearly communicated to the student will be more valuable than thirty minutes of “computer time” in a classroom.
Technology will be used if it is useful. You don’t see many engineers using slide rules anymore and not many sailors use sextants. Not because it was taught in class first, but because it made the job easier. However, these old skills will be important if the power ever goes out. There is a place for both in our society.
Gary Hayes Social Media Count
First of all, I just have to say… WOW. Do children play outside anymore these days!? That is mindboggling to me how consumed people really can be by the internet in general.
Technology is, and will be necessary. When teaching/using technology, we will be competing with digital entertainment and social networking sites. We need to take advantage of the basic skills acquired by the students in these activities and apply that to their education.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Summary Post C4T Teacher #1
Summary to Mr. Joe Bower’s Blog post - Stuck in Our Ways:
Mr. Joe Bower is saying that we should not be afraid to challenge the norm and be willing to try new and different methods when it comes to teaching.
Summary of my comment:
I agreed with Mr. Bower. I said that people may be more accepting if new methods are slowly incorporated into the classroom and that earlier grades are probably the best place to start.
Summary to Mr. Joe Bower’s blog post - What we have here is failure to communicate:
Mr. Joe Bower is saying that some adults are failing to communicate with children. That communication in itself is difficult and when a child has a limited vocabulary, it can be even harder. We need to make sure we understand the message, even though it may be hidden. He also gave an experience about his daughter.
Summary of my comment:
In my comment to him I said that like his daughter, most children express their frustration in limited but familiar ways. I also said that I work with children on a daily basis and that I knew his daughter was just frustrated that she couldn’t actually express what she wanted to communicate.
Mr. Joe Bower is saying that we should not be afraid to challenge the norm and be willing to try new and different methods when it comes to teaching.
Summary of my comment:
I agreed with Mr. Bower. I said that people may be more accepting if new methods are slowly incorporated into the classroom and that earlier grades are probably the best place to start.
Summary to Mr. Joe Bower’s blog post - What we have here is failure to communicate:
Mr. Joe Bower is saying that some adults are failing to communicate with children. That communication in itself is difficult and when a child has a limited vocabulary, it can be even harder. We need to make sure we understand the message, even though it may be hidden. He also gave an experience about his daughter.
Summary of my comment:
In my comment to him I said that like his daughter, most children express their frustration in limited but familiar ways. I also said that I work with children on a daily basis and that I knew his daughter was just frustrated that she couldn’t actually express what she wanted to communicate.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Blog Assignment 2
Did you know?
Although I realized there are always new ideas becoming reality, I was not aware of how quickly technology is changing. It’s intimidating to know how much I need to learn, just to be able to keep up. It is even more intimidating to think about how much I will need to learn to be able to get ahead.
One main thing I was thinking throughout this movie was, “I was not aware of that.” I was not aware of how much information is transmitted and how quickly. It is amazing to learn that many of the jobs that students are training for today don’t even exist yet. I now understand that I will have to be a lifelong learner to be able to keep up and contribute.
Mr. Winkle Wakes
Industry has changed so much, but in the classroom things are being taught the way they were a century ago. “Mr. Winkle” finds himself comfortable in the classroom on the video. To him it was what he was used to a century ago, because there was not much change. Everywhere outside of the classroom was very uncomfortable to him because it was so technologically different.
The message it is bringing across is a little sad. Everywhere new technology is booming around us, but in a lot of school, they stick to the traditional way of teaching. It’s a different way of teaching that people aren’t used to, but it could be a very positive thing if taught the right way. It almost doesn’t seem fair to not bring the new forms of technology into the classroom and not give children the means to learn with the tools we have now.
Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity
Mr. Robinson is saying the Arts should be just important in the school as Math, Science and English. Creativity is so important and can help many children to learn more. Mainstream education is making an effort to change with school of the arts (magnet schools) but even these schools are steeped in the traditional approach to learning.
Mr. Robinson says, "Creativity is as important as literacy." There needs to be more creative ways to learn in the classrooms because not everyone responds well to the traditional classroom environment. I think being willing, and actually using different methods of teaching would have a very positive effect in schools.
Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts
Ms. Davis’ approach is interesting to me. I think it’s a great way for learning. Though, it may not be for every student, just like the traditional classroom isn’t for every student. If nothing else, it will produce a class of extremely capable video game players. The video, to me, was not very clear if this was a dedicated technology class or whether all subjects were approached in this manner.
I do think it’s great that technology is being used in this classroom, but what if it’s too much? In the video “Mr. Winkle Wakes” there was no technology being used in the classroom. In this video though, I almost though it was too much. Every class has an objective, and the best educators find the way to relate with the students to achieve that learning objective. As Mr. Robinson outlined, traditional education can be limiting, but so can bombarding a student with technology. Bringing technology into the classroom is a great thing, but I do think it is very important that students need to be comfortable in that surrounding.
Although I realized there are always new ideas becoming reality, I was not aware of how quickly technology is changing. It’s intimidating to know how much I need to learn, just to be able to keep up. It is even more intimidating to think about how much I will need to learn to be able to get ahead.
One main thing I was thinking throughout this movie was, “I was not aware of that.” I was not aware of how much information is transmitted and how quickly. It is amazing to learn that many of the jobs that students are training for today don’t even exist yet. I now understand that I will have to be a lifelong learner to be able to keep up and contribute.
Mr. Winkle Wakes
Industry has changed so much, but in the classroom things are being taught the way they were a century ago. “Mr. Winkle” finds himself comfortable in the classroom on the video. To him it was what he was used to a century ago, because there was not much change. Everywhere outside of the classroom was very uncomfortable to him because it was so technologically different.
The message it is bringing across is a little sad. Everywhere new technology is booming around us, but in a lot of school, they stick to the traditional way of teaching. It’s a different way of teaching that people aren’t used to, but it could be a very positive thing if taught the right way. It almost doesn’t seem fair to not bring the new forms of technology into the classroom and not give children the means to learn with the tools we have now.
Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity
Mr. Robinson is saying the Arts should be just important in the school as Math, Science and English. Creativity is so important and can help many children to learn more. Mainstream education is making an effort to change with school of the arts (magnet schools) but even these schools are steeped in the traditional approach to learning.
Mr. Robinson says, "Creativity is as important as literacy." There needs to be more creative ways to learn in the classrooms because not everyone responds well to the traditional classroom environment. I think being willing, and actually using different methods of teaching would have a very positive effect in schools.
Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts
Ms. Davis’ approach is interesting to me. I think it’s a great way for learning. Though, it may not be for every student, just like the traditional classroom isn’t for every student. If nothing else, it will produce a class of extremely capable video game players. The video, to me, was not very clear if this was a dedicated technology class or whether all subjects were approached in this manner.
I do think it’s great that technology is being used in this classroom, but what if it’s too much? In the video “Mr. Winkle Wakes” there was no technology being used in the classroom. In this video though, I almost though it was too much. Every class has an objective, and the best educators find the way to relate with the students to achieve that learning objective. As Mr. Robinson outlined, traditional education can be limiting, but so can bombarding a student with technology. Bringing technology into the classroom is a great thing, but I do think it is very important that students need to be comfortable in that surrounding.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
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