I spoke with a friend of mine who is in his first year teaching elementary in New York last Thursday when we did not have class. As old college friend he and I have spent a lot of the past year talking (and grumbling) about our first couple of months as teachers. Unsurprisingly as the pace of the year has picked up I have spoken to him less and less and since about a week before this course began I had not spoken with him at all.
I spoke about the course quite a bit (and positively too) which took him by surprise. He knows I am generally happier on a 5-day backpacking trip miles from civilization than in front of a computer…which isn’t the case for with him. In his bewilderment, he asked “Can you tell me why you liked the course?” I started talking about the class again. Then he says “I still don’t get it. Is it that you are actually learning or that you are going to be using the stuff in your class?”
I guess the answer, which I have yet to tell him is that it is a little bit of both. I really fell empowered by the amount of things I have learned in the class in the last two weeks. I am not saying this to make a good grade in the course and I feel many in the class or my following will agree that sometimes college courses just feel like a hoop to jump through, not a learning experience. With this class I can walk away with a tangible set of tools that are pertinent not only to my job as a teacher but also my personal life. For example, after showing “our” movie (see below) to my sister, we decided to scan pictures from our childhood with our grandparents and share it with them as a wonderful grandparent’s day gift.
I also believe unlike some of the other “pie in the sky” things I have learned in U of L, that the technologies-blogging, Flickr, podcasting, Moviemaker,etc. are actually things that are practical to do in the classroom. They aren’t expensive, they were quite easy to become skilled at, and most importantly they are important tools to teach kids. I think over the course of the class I have realized more and more that incorporating technology isn’t just a way to lure kids into doing work or entertain them. Using technology in the classroom, and more importantly getting kids to use it teaches them valuable skills they will use in higher education and the job market.
Ultimately, I still do not believe we should turn away from using tangible experiences in the classrooms. Moving totally toward a virtual “world” is no substitute for getting your hands dirty or talking to a real person. Our students need social skills acquired from interacting with real people and the dexterity and problem solving skills developed in setting up and performing labs. Like all things technology in the classroom should be used in moderation ( this article talks about the downside to kids having too much screen time http://health.usnews.com/blogs/on-parenting/2009/02/03/television-and-adolescent-depression.html).
I do not feel however the tools presented in this class were meant to be used as replacements for other types of learning experiences. They have often been introduced as ways to present or publish learning experiences instead of take the place of them. Others, such as trailfire and gardenquest do become the learning experience, but they keep students from wasting time on the internet thus making their experiences more productive.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
A Note to the Administration (choose your tool)
Mr. X-
I am interested in installing a software called trailfire on the three internet ready computers in my classroom. As I know that we are trying to keep from cluttering our computers or getting viruses on them by avoiding downloads, I thought I would let you know what the software is and why I think it would be helpful in my classroom. Hopefully, you will see the utility of this software and allow me to install it into my room.
Trailfire is completely free software that can be downloaded from the web (http://trailfire.com/). This software is referred to as a “social bookmarking tool” because it allows its users to make groups of bookmarks to related sites under a single title. While this concept may seem confusing when put in words it is simply a way of keeping records - for example instead of looking in a shoe box for a receipt it might take a long time but if you had them organized by month of store in file folders it would be very simple. Thus, instead of searching a topic through search engines that bring up lots of stuff, you can narrow it down into a single “file folder” called a trail by using trail fire.
One of the neat features of this in the classroom is that you can narrow down the amount of inappropriate material students come upon on the internet while still letting them see a variety of sources on your research topic. It also prevents off-task time by not allowing students to have any excuse for stumbling upon websites not pertinent to their research. Additionally, the teacher (or whoever set up the trail) can tag questions, comments, or information which makes it’s a great way for students to do assignments on the web.
Not only is this tool great for the students but I can also use it for professional development by hooking into other science educator’s trails in which they have narrowed down sights they really like on the web. This reduces the need for other higher cost programs such as netrekker that also clusters sights together for educators. Check out this trail marked for 7th and 8th graders http://trailfire.com/mbeisch/trails/62753.
I know this concept is difficult to understand via this memo and would love to have the opportunity to show it to you should you be interested. I think after having seen it you will be very excited about the way it can revolutionize the way we use computers in the classroom. Just contact me if you or the whole faculty would be interested in seeing how to use this tool. Thanks for your consideration.
I am interested in installing a software called trailfire on the three internet ready computers in my classroom. As I know that we are trying to keep from cluttering our computers or getting viruses on them by avoiding downloads, I thought I would let you know what the software is and why I think it would be helpful in my classroom. Hopefully, you will see the utility of this software and allow me to install it into my room.
Trailfire is completely free software that can be downloaded from the web (http://trailfire.com/). This software is referred to as a “social bookmarking tool” because it allows its users to make groups of bookmarks to related sites under a single title. While this concept may seem confusing when put in words it is simply a way of keeping records - for example instead of looking in a shoe box for a receipt it might take a long time but if you had them organized by month of store in file folders it would be very simple. Thus, instead of searching a topic through search engines that bring up lots of stuff, you can narrow it down into a single “file folder” called a trail by using trail fire.
One of the neat features of this in the classroom is that you can narrow down the amount of inappropriate material students come upon on the internet while still letting them see a variety of sources on your research topic. It also prevents off-task time by not allowing students to have any excuse for stumbling upon websites not pertinent to their research. Additionally, the teacher (or whoever set up the trail) can tag questions, comments, or information which makes it’s a great way for students to do assignments on the web.
Not only is this tool great for the students but I can also use it for professional development by hooking into other science educator’s trails in which they have narrowed down sights they really like on the web. This reduces the need for other higher cost programs such as netrekker that also clusters sights together for educators. Check out this trail marked for 7th and 8th graders http://trailfire.com/mbeisch/trails/62753.
I know this concept is difficult to understand via this memo and would love to have the opportunity to show it to you should you be interested. I think after having seen it you will be very excited about the way it can revolutionize the way we use computers in the classroom. Just contact me if you or the whole faculty would be interested in seeing how to use this tool. Thanks for your consideration.
Chapter 9- What it all Means
I enjoyed the format of Richardson’s last chapter of the book-it describes the big shifts in how we can best teach children in order to prepare them for the future. I know each of my readers have read (or are getting ready to read) the section so I won’t bother to summarize each of the “big shifts.” I will however say that I agree, with many of his ideas like learning being collaborative, writing no longer being limited to text, mastery being products, etc. All of which brings up a question in my minds and hopefully yours- if U of L subscribes to this idea enough to have made it a course then why haven’t we seen more of our courses using these types of technology? Why haven’t our methods course been filled with the latest techie ways to present materials? I am frustrated to think of all the Powerpoint’s I have made to present material on education theory, simple reflections I have handed into instructors, and lesson plans that I have placed on Livetext that have not incorporated the types of technology we should be using in our classroom. (Not to mention what a waste Livetext seems to be now that I understand there are tons of FREE ways to put portfolios online and share them.)
I believe that if we owe it to our children to teach them to be responsible, literate citizens in the world of technology U of L should not teach this course in such isolation. Classes that are to train teachers must teach them the skills that society wants passed on to our students. So here is a challenge to U of L make this course a prerequisite to many of our other classes then require us to podcast our assignments and include blogging and updating wikis in our lesson plans. In doing this we will be perfecting our training before we are sent out to train others.
I believe that if we owe it to our children to teach them to be responsible, literate citizens in the world of technology U of L should not teach this course in such isolation. Classes that are to train teachers must teach them the skills that society wants passed on to our students. So here is a challenge to U of L make this course a prerequisite to many of our other classes then require us to podcast our assignments and include blogging and updating wikis in our lesson plans. In doing this we will be perfecting our training before we are sent out to train others.
Podcasting and Screen Casting- A Reflection on Chapter 8
First a confession-I may be the only person under 25 in this class, or maybe on this campus, or possibly in the city of Louisville that doesn’t have an Ipod or other MP3 device. They became popular my freshman year of college and I will be the first to say I certainly thought about buying one. After all- those 20 minute walks across campus would be more pleasant if I were able to jam to my favorite tunes, right? At least that is what everybody else thought. What people began to miss out on as they walked “plugged in” to their own little bubble was the opportunity to meet new people, to talk to people outside their major or social circle. I can’t tell you how many times I would be walking the same path with a student and say hello in order to strike up a conversation with them only to be ignored. Then, I would see those little white tubes feeding into their ears.
The same thing has happened on planes (for those of you that don’t like to talk on planes this is your warning never to sit by me) those who are plugged into their Ipods might as well be in a sound proof box- they have no intention of interacting with you even when you are politely asking to get into the aisle to find the lavatory. I am not saying I am opposed to entertainment on a plane- I began and finished a John Irving novel on my way to Thailand. It just seems that those with a book in hand don’t seem to mind talking with you about their career, reason for traveling, etc. while Ipods seem to make people very anti social.
I think we have already established that I have some real issues with people ignoring the world around them wrapped up in technology frenzy. The bottom line is that I don’t think anyone should leave their office where they have sat in front of a computer all day and put their Ipod in for the ride home, then go turn on the television or another computer. I am not implying that this is the intention of the author but it does seem that he probably spends a hefty portion of his day checking his RSS, getting updated, then seeking out the news or blog that has most recently been published.
To give Richardson credit I do think podcasts are an interesting way for students to publish. I have several students that can verbalize answers but cannot or choose not to ever write anything. I think by using a tool such a podcasting we could capitalize on those students’ skills instead of constantly making them struggle to work at their weakness.
The same thing has happened on planes (for those of you that don’t like to talk on planes this is your warning never to sit by me) those who are plugged into their Ipods might as well be in a sound proof box- they have no intention of interacting with you even when you are politely asking to get into the aisle to find the lavatory. I am not saying I am opposed to entertainment on a plane- I began and finished a John Irving novel on my way to Thailand. It just seems that those with a book in hand don’t seem to mind talking with you about their career, reason for traveling, etc. while Ipods seem to make people very anti social.
I think we have already established that I have some real issues with people ignoring the world around them wrapped up in technology frenzy. The bottom line is that I don’t think anyone should leave their office where they have sat in front of a computer all day and put their Ipod in for the ride home, then go turn on the television or another computer. I am not implying that this is the intention of the author but it does seem that he probably spends a hefty portion of his day checking his RSS, getting updated, then seeking out the news or blog that has most recently been published.
To give Richardson credit I do think podcasts are an interesting way for students to publish. I have several students that can verbalize answers but cannot or choose not to ever write anything. I think by using a tool such a podcasting we could capitalize on those students’ skills instead of constantly making them struggle to work at their weakness.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Wikis, Blogs, Podcasts and Chapter 6
Taaaa-daaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!! I made my very first Podcast (and surprise it is about podcasting) tonight. We used a software called audacity to make our podcasts. It is a FREE software that is fairly simple to use once you get the hang of it. I am exited to put this to use in my classroom to "publish" the results of our experiment...what a great way to be real scientists. I also have teacher friend doing the same content and staying on a similar module schedule and I think sharing our podcasts (that is assuming he is interested in doing this with me) would be a great way to rev up the competition and the quality of our work!
Why didn’t anybody tell me about Furl as an undergrad?!?!?! I can’t believe there is a way to bookmark pages, save them in categories, and best yet export them in MLA. I had my own complicated system of emailing myself links that I thought I might use for research paper or sometime I would loose links and have to start my searches over using a search engine. I might just get evangelical about this tool and share it with all my friends still in college.
As stated earlier, this is a tool I can buy into, because it actually makes your use of technology more efficient rather than suggesting you use it more often and in other forms ( i.e. RSS podcasts). I am currently not on my computer in location without internet access (this post will be saved in Word prior to its publishing), but if I were I would already have an account. I can certainly see this as a valuable tool for my classroom and my professional life. (I personally like the format of Furl better than del.icio.us.)
In My Classroom
(Blush-this is how old-fashioned I am) I am currently having a couple of the students in my literacy class explore good literacy websites and write down the Title of the site and a brief description of what it was about and why they did or did not like it. I was planning to compile a list and use them next year in class to make literacy more fun for my middle schoolers who hate reading- from books. Using Furl it looks like I will be able to streamline this process. I also plan to have similar folders for supplementary links to each of our lessons-sometimes for webquest purposes and other times just for student who complete their assignments and need enrichment material.
In My Professional Life
Richardson, the author, mentions how great Furl can be as a PD tool. I mentioned in an earlier post-I believe in response to Chapter 1-that I think it would be amazing for the teachers in JCPS (or around the country) that are using a particular module to create a library of enrichment links that supplement each of the investigations. I know in my brief searches I have found neat games, applets, and short videos online that go along perfectly with investigations- but to collect and make a library of these links as a group would be awesome. It would be a great way to find quality material and to save time! Why have hundreds of science teachers doing the same work when you can streamline the process?
I am hooked on Furl, as you can see but my final thought on the chapter is how interesting a reversion the idea of “Folksonomies” are. He says that “back in the old days we relied on librarians and others to sort and classify information for us” (pg.92) but actually in the older days in terms of taxonomy at least lots of people were classifying information in lots of ways and we purposely went to set standards of classification in order to clarify and make a universal system. I studied science in college and took a graduate level taxonomy course so our classic example was what if three people were calling three different plants “snakeroot” one was highly toxic, another harmless, and the other somewhere in between. The consequences of mix ups when using this plant for medicine, food, etc. are endless. The moral of the story is that it could be very dangerous to not have one set system of classification.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
The Films
I was amazed tonight during class to see the variety of films created- those about friendships, births, core content, vacations, cooking instructions, cars, etc. Each person added an artistic element unique to what the film revealed to be their very own personality.
Personally, I was most interested (not that the rest weren't great) to see the ones that provided instructions and content. These provided examples of how I can use MovieMaker in my classroom.
Personally, I was most interested (not that the rest weren't great) to see the ones that provided instructions and content. These provided examples of how I can use MovieMaker in my classroom.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Podcasting and Screen Casting- A Reflection on Chapter 8
First a confession, I may be the only person under 25 in this class, or maybe on this campus, or possibly in the city of Louisville that doesn’t have an Ipod or other MP3 device. They became popular my freshman year of college and I will be the first to say I certainly thought about buying one. After all- those 20 minute walks across campus would be more pleasant if I were able to jam to my favorite tunes, right? At least that is what everybody else thought. What people began to miss out on as they walked “plugged in” to their own little bubble was the opportunity to meet new people, to talk to people outside their major or social circle. I can’t tell you how many times I would be walking the same path with a student and say hello in order to strike up a conversation with them only to be ignored. Then, I would see those little white tubes feeding into their ears.
The same thing has happened on planes (for those of you that don’t like to talk on planes this is your warning never to sit by me) those who are plugged into their Ipods might as well be in a sound proof box- they have no intention of interacting with you even when you are politely asking to get into the aisle to find the lavatory. I am not saying I am opposed to entertainment on a plane- I began and finished a John Irving novel on my way to Thailand. It just seems that those with a book in hand don’t seem to mind talking with you about their career, reason for traveling, etc. while Ipods seem to make people very anti-social.
I think we have already established that I have some real issues with people ignoring the world around them wrapped up in technology frenzy. The bottom line is that I don’t think anyone should leave their office where they have sat in front of a computer all day and put their Ipod in for the ride home, then go turn on the television or another computer. I am not implying that this is the intention of the author but it does seem that he probably spends a hefty portion of his day checking his RSS, getting updated, then seeking out the news or blog that has most recently been published.
To give Richardson credit I do think podcasts are an interesting way for students to publish. I have several students that can verbalize answers but cannot or choose not to ever write anything. I think by using a tool such a podcasting we could capitalize on those students’ skills instead of constantly making them struggle to work at their weakness.
The same thing has happened on planes (for those of you that don’t like to talk on planes this is your warning never to sit by me) those who are plugged into their Ipods might as well be in a sound proof box- they have no intention of interacting with you even when you are politely asking to get into the aisle to find the lavatory. I am not saying I am opposed to entertainment on a plane- I began and finished a John Irving novel on my way to Thailand. It just seems that those with a book in hand don’t seem to mind talking with you about their career, reason for traveling, etc. while Ipods seem to make people very anti-social.
I think we have already established that I have some real issues with people ignoring the world around them wrapped up in technology frenzy. The bottom line is that I don’t think anyone should leave their office where they have sat in front of a computer all day and put their Ipod in for the ride home, then go turn on the television or another computer. I am not implying that this is the intention of the author but it does seem that he probably spends a hefty portion of his day checking his RSS, getting updated, then seeking out the news or blog that has most recently been published.
To give Richardson credit I do think podcasts are an interesting way for students to publish. I have several students that can verbalize answers but cannot or choose not to ever write anything. I think by using a tool such a podcasting we could capitalize on those students’ skills instead of constantly making them struggle to work at their weakness.
So here it is my first movie. It was overall much easier to make than what I was expecting. The software was rather facile to use- I am not sure I ran into a single problem. The hardest part for me was organizing the photos and my thoughts- I should have gone with the storyboard first...listen to your teacher. These videos go over really well with parents and grandparents. I think they are my new cheap gift idea.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
3-5-7 Thought and Reflections on Blogs, Wikis, and Podcasts
Three, 3, Tres
Chapter three has several good points- if you aren’t blogging why should your kids be? I think that showing students example of good blogging at the peer level would be more effective than showing them my own. Right now for example my students are all excited about how “tough” people from NYC are. I think that showing them some blogs from students their age in NYC might be a motivational tool to get them reading, thinking, and writing.
I am left wondering if Jefferson County Public Schools have any groups of students that are currently blogging and if so, what site they are currently using. I know as a new teacher we have far more technology programs than I am aware of, thus I am wasting school funds. If anyone has any information on this let me know.
Finally, here is a link { http://questionsforschools.blogspot.com/} to a friend of mine (and Andrew D.) who has both a website and blog called “Questions for Schools.” He is a good example of a Kentucky educator that regularly blogs.
Five, 5, Cinco
I just read about setting up my own RSS and to be quite honest it sounded like a pain and something else to keep up with. It seems like one more thing to check while I am on the internet and get sucked into burning hours more of my life in front of a screen. However, I can see uses for it in my classroom. For example when we were studying our earth science unit in January and February I was constantly searching Google news to see if there was any updates on the volcanic activity of Mount Redoubt. It would have been nice to have had a constant stream of updates throughout the year, particularly as we moved into a new unit and I stopped being as faithful about getting the students updates.
Anyhow, I have decided to be a good sport and sign up for Bloglines. I will let everyone know how my adventure goes.
Seven, 7, Siete
Since we already played with Flicker in class this article was easy to approach, and I felt confident I could conquer this bit of technology. By the same merit since we had already played with it, I didn’t find anything in the article to be groundbreaking. However, when I saw the little girl’s project where she annotated all the different elements of Jane Goodall’s camp I thought of my own unique Flickr use. For labs with complicated set ups, I might be nice to have students who have done a good job take a picture of their set up, then annotate what was where (and perhaps why. It would be a good way for older student to capture the set up of their labs in order to better write a “procedures” section and have a way for people to reference their set up.
Chapter three has several good points- if you aren’t blogging why should your kids be? I think that showing students example of good blogging at the peer level would be more effective than showing them my own. Right now for example my students are all excited about how “tough” people from NYC are. I think that showing them some blogs from students their age in NYC might be a motivational tool to get them reading, thinking, and writing.
I am left wondering if Jefferson County Public Schools have any groups of students that are currently blogging and if so, what site they are currently using. I know as a new teacher we have far more technology programs than I am aware of, thus I am wasting school funds. If anyone has any information on this let me know.
Finally, here is a link { http://questionsforschools.blogspot.com/} to a friend of mine (and Andrew D.) who has both a website and blog called “Questions for Schools.” He is a good example of a Kentucky educator that regularly blogs.
Five, 5, Cinco
I just read about setting up my own RSS and to be quite honest it sounded like a pain and something else to keep up with. It seems like one more thing to check while I am on the internet and get sucked into burning hours more of my life in front of a screen. However, I can see uses for it in my classroom. For example when we were studying our earth science unit in January and February I was constantly searching Google news to see if there was any updates on the volcanic activity of Mount Redoubt. It would have been nice to have had a constant stream of updates throughout the year, particularly as we moved into a new unit and I stopped being as faithful about getting the students updates.
Anyhow, I have decided to be a good sport and sign up for Bloglines. I will let everyone know how my adventure goes.
Seven, 7, Siete
Since we already played with Flicker in class this article was easy to approach, and I felt confident I could conquer this bit of technology. By the same merit since we had already played with it, I didn’t find anything in the article to be groundbreaking. However, when I saw the little girl’s project where she annotated all the different elements of Jane Goodall’s camp I thought of my own unique Flickr use. For labs with complicated set ups, I might be nice to have students who have done a good job take a picture of their set up, then annotate what was where (and perhaps why. It would be a good way for older student to capture the set up of their labs in order to better write a “procedures” section and have a way for people to reference their set up.
Thoughts on Wikis in the Classroom- Reflection for Chapter 4
I am the typical teacher that Richardson describes a little wary of the idea that anyone could post anything on a website linked with my classroom. My first of teaching has been all about learning to let go of things I can’t control so that I am not as uptight in the classroom. I for one couldn’t sleep at night knowing that anyone (particularly certain questionable characters in my own class) could put anything on the website- I would probably have to for my own sanity use a that is password protected particularly one like Jotspot where I could track which student posted what.
In my experience with middle schooler’s is that the statement “everyone together is smarter than anyone alone” (pg 61) goes against the hormones that create pack mentality…the more middle schoolers in one room the less intelligent they become.
As I do tend to worry and be a bit controlling, as I read this imagined someone wrecking or vandalizing a Wiki that a class had made. The author mention that wikis can teach students about “collaboration…publishing….and writing as well” (pg. 68) but I also realized despite the initial frustration that web vandalism would create it could be a great tool for teaching “web morals.” I think if student had to spend a lot of time reworking a site that had been destroyed it might prevent them from pulling this prank later on. So perhaps as he described, going with as few restrictions as possible might be an opportunity for students to learn by natural consequences.
Finally, I thought Richardson's section "Wiki Tools for Schools" was great in that it gave some examples of site on which could create your own wiki and direction. However, I thought the format of the directions was hard to follow...I like directions in numbered lists and bullets not paragraph form!
In my experience with middle schooler’s is that the statement “everyone together is smarter than anyone alone” (pg 61) goes against the hormones that create pack mentality…the more middle schoolers in one room the less intelligent they become.
As I do tend to worry and be a bit controlling, as I read this imagined someone wrecking or vandalizing a Wiki that a class had made. The author mention that wikis can teach students about “collaboration…publishing….and writing as well” (pg. 68) but I also realized despite the initial frustration that web vandalism would create it could be a great tool for teaching “web morals.” I think if student had to spend a lot of time reworking a site that had been destroyed it might prevent them from pulling this prank later on. So perhaps as he described, going with as few restrictions as possible might be an opportunity for students to learn by natural consequences.
Finally, I thought Richardson's section "Wiki Tools for Schools" was great in that it gave some examples of site on which could create your own wiki and direction. However, I thought the format of the directions was hard to follow...I like directions in numbered lists and bullets not paragraph form!
Friday, May 15, 2009
Reaction Chapter 2- Wikis, Blogs, and Podcasts,......
Alas, I have my book thanks to a friends who is letting me borrow it. Unfortunately, by the time I got it last night I was too exhausted to read it. And, for those of you that read this before beginning your MovieMaker Project...follow her directions of making a script and organizing your pictures before trying to actually put a project together. It is not as difficult as I expected to use the software, but going in with a plan is helpful if you don't want to waste time. Speaking of waste, according to Chapter 2 I am wasting value reflective, educational space by just using my blog as a diary to record the days events. So here is the meat!
I thought Richardson did a great job of presenting Weblogs as an academic tool mainly because he gave so many real-life example. Many of the other classes I have taken at U of L have presented concepts and ideas (like differentiation techniques) but given no concrete way to execute them, thus this book is more helpful. I found it particularly useful that he provided examples of using blogs across the realm of education- one for a general school website, one for a Calculus class, one for an elementary class, blogs by teachers for teachers, and so on.
I also found his list of of what educational (or connective) blogging is and isn't very interesting on pg. 32. He says journaling or posting assignments are "not blogging" while "listing links with analysis" is "real blogging." I think having my literacy class participate in some blogging where the reflect on sites in the manner he suggests (and hopefully, with this teach them to be a hint of reflective). I tried it a little bit with journals and the stories/pictures from the New York Times Learning Network Site ( http://www.nytimes.com/learning/). However, my kids weren't very interesting in writing with pen and paper so perhaps having an audience would inspire them to improve their writing. I also think if I relayed to them the idea that writing for a blog is like a conversation (an idea that came from that fellow Kondrad Glogowski) and made it akin to texting back and forth some of my students might latch onto the idea. They certainly love to argue back and forth so perhaps I could tract it into a positive literary argument. Something to try anyway....
I just spoke of students as the audience of other students in my classroom and it made me think about the following my potential student bloggers would have. I don't feel like the author has taken into account (at least not at this point) that many students have very little support at home particularly in the realm of education. I feel it is highly unlikely that the students of parents that regularly let them skip school and fail classes would take interest in their blog or an email that generates updates about the classes latest assignments. I understand your blogs aren't supposed to be viewed only by parents but often, I would imagine this is the beginning of a following. Thoughts?
I thought Richardson did a great job of presenting Weblogs as an academic tool mainly because he gave so many real-life example. Many of the other classes I have taken at U of L have presented concepts and ideas (like differentiation techniques) but given no concrete way to execute them, thus this book is more helpful. I found it particularly useful that he provided examples of using blogs across the realm of education- one for a general school website, one for a Calculus class, one for an elementary class, blogs by teachers for teachers, and so on.
I also found his list of of what educational (or connective) blogging is and isn't very interesting on pg. 32. He says journaling or posting assignments are "not blogging" while "listing links with analysis" is "real blogging." I think having my literacy class participate in some blogging where the reflect on sites in the manner he suggests (and hopefully, with this teach them to be a hint of reflective). I tried it a little bit with journals and the stories/pictures from the New York Times Learning Network Site ( http://www.nytimes.com/learning/). However, my kids weren't very interesting in writing with pen and paper so perhaps having an audience would inspire them to improve their writing. I also think if I relayed to them the idea that writing for a blog is like a conversation (an idea that came from that fellow Kondrad Glogowski) and made it akin to texting back and forth some of my students might latch onto the idea. They certainly love to argue back and forth so perhaps I could tract it into a positive literary argument. Something to try anyway....
I just spoke of students as the audience of other students in my classroom and it made me think about the following my potential student bloggers would have. I don't feel like the author has taken into account (at least not at this point) that many students have very little support at home particularly in the realm of education. I feel it is highly unlikely that the students of parents that regularly let them skip school and fail classes would take interest in their blog or an email that generates updates about the classes latest assignments. I understand your blogs aren't supposed to be viewed only by parents but often, I would imagine this is the beginning of a following. Thoughts?
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Reaction for Chapter 1- Wikis, blogs, podcasts, etc. (because it is all I have right now)...
The first concept the author explored that I identified with was the idea that because of the influence of technology so early in our lives (he quotes from Dr. Winn) “children think differently from us.” Because of this different manner of thinking students also learn differently- many of mine see answering questions in a webquest as fun while the same questions from a book are seen as painfully boring. I know from observing many students on my team get more quality learning time from spending time on computer based learning programs like “Study Island” or “SuccessMaker” than in a traditional classroom setting because they are less easily distracted when they are plugged in. Because I yet to have the full text (thanks google for getting me ahead)I am not sure if the author goes into more detail about the Rich Site Summaries, Aggregators, of Social bookmarking he mentions on pg. 8. However, I having never even heard of this am interested to know more about it. It seems very advantageous for a group of teachers-lets say all the JCPS teachers using the 8th grade module to be able to create a “social book mark” of all the sites relevant to our module on light. You could organize it per investigations and it would be a great timesaver as each teacher wouldn’t have to do as much searching. Finally, I could not agree more that students will, willingly or unwillingly come across inappropriate content anytime they use real resources. My funny teacher related to this is when my students looking through a stack of my grandmothers magazines found “porn” or at least a cartoon of how to do a breast examine… Anyhow, from this experience I realize that students will find inappropriate content on the internet. However, I am not sure that my students would be as easily trained to quickly turn away from this content as the author’s students. In fact, I think mine seek it out and I sometimes avoid letting them on the computer for that very reason.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Article Reaction- Student as Contributor-The Digital Learning Farm
Perhaps it is my overall interest in all things agrarian that contributed to my fascination with this article. I thought the author was heading in the right direction immediately when he spoke of how the “work of children had been replaced” as machines took the jobs of humans on farms. I feel that many students like the feeling of self-worth he describes because until they get their first job at 14 or 15 they make little meaningful contribution to society. Not only does this hinder their self worth but also the development of their social skills and responsibility level. Having student contribute in a “techie” manner is something I had not considered as a solution to the problem but his argument was convincing and I immediately found myself thinking of ways I could adapt his idea in my classroom.
By adapting some digital jobs into my classroom I would, as the old saying goes, kill two birds with one stone (not a very high-tech weapon-sorry). First of all, I would have students working on assignments for the “real” audience that you hear so much about in reference to best practice. Secondly, I would be solving problems that hinder progress in my classroom. For, example, if I combine his examples of filming tutorials and posting notes I have the perfect solution to the my ongoing problem of keeping prolific absences from thwarting progress on module investigations in my 8th grad classroom. Students could film (and maybe edit) key parts of investigations to show their absent classmates some of the main ideas from an investigation. Having students add notes or scan lab sheets might enhance the video. Perhaps learning to use Movie Maker could help me with this undertaking- I think it might be too much for Flickr?
I wholly agree with his idea that this provides a means by which students can make “important and rigorous contributions” however, I am not sure that it equates perfectly from the lessons learned from a day of back-breaking labor….. Students should see a share of both worlds, which might be where the Kiva.com plays into the picture.
By adapting some digital jobs into my classroom I would, as the old saying goes, kill two birds with one stone (not a very high-tech weapon-sorry). First of all, I would have students working on assignments for the “real” audience that you hear so much about in reference to best practice. Secondly, I would be solving problems that hinder progress in my classroom. For, example, if I combine his examples of filming tutorials and posting notes I have the perfect solution to the my ongoing problem of keeping prolific absences from thwarting progress on module investigations in my 8th grad classroom. Students could film (and maybe edit) key parts of investigations to show their absent classmates some of the main ideas from an investigation. Having students add notes or scan lab sheets might enhance the video. Perhaps learning to use Movie Maker could help me with this undertaking- I think it might be too much for Flickr?
I wholly agree with his idea that this provides a means by which students can make “important and rigorous contributions” however, I am not sure that it equates perfectly from the lessons learned from a day of back-breaking labor….. Students should see a share of both worlds, which might be where the Kiva.com plays into the picture.
Flickr
Below is the link to the flicker set “Waves” my group (Mark Smythe, Nancy Lawrey, Andrea Weaver, Joel Lommansson, and Andrew Digan) created this evening. The photo/video set demonstrates the following Kentucky Core Content Standards:
KY-4-1.SC-07-4.6.3 Students will understand that waves are one way that energy is transferred. Types of waves include sound, light, earthquake, ocean and electromagnetic.
KY-4-1.SC-08-4.6.4.2 > describe the transfer of energy via waves in real life phenomena.
Ideally this would be a review in which students would test their ability to look at a photo of a real life phenomena (flag waving in the breeze, a traditional ocean wave, the stadium wave,etc) and 1) identify it as a wave then, 2)describe the energy transfer taking place. We added a note the students could look at in the event that they were having difficulty so that they could “self-assess.”
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewpdigan/sets/72157618105550472/
I could see myself using a tool like this in the classroom for similar projects with my students- for projects that serve as assessments in particular. I personally struggled verbalizing the comments in the “notes” thus think for a student to make a project like this they would have to really have a good understanding of the content.
Finally, I was impressed with how quickly the group became adept at using flickr. None of us had previously used the site (I am a SnapFish girl) but within 7-8 minutes we were very comfortable and picking up real skills.
KY-4-1.SC-07-4.6.3 Students will understand that waves are one way that energy is transferred. Types of waves include sound, light, earthquake, ocean and electromagnetic.
KY-4-1.SC-08-4.6.4.2 > describe the transfer of energy via waves in real life phenomena.
Ideally this would be a review in which students would test their ability to look at a photo of a real life phenomena (flag waving in the breeze, a traditional ocean wave, the stadium wave,etc) and 1) identify it as a wave then, 2)describe the energy transfer taking place. We added a note the students could look at in the event that they were having difficulty so that they could “self-assess.”
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewpdigan/sets/72157618105550472/
I could see myself using a tool like this in the classroom for similar projects with my students- for projects that serve as assessments in particular. I personally struggled verbalizing the comments in the “notes” thus think for a student to make a project like this they would have to really have a good understanding of the content.
Finally, I was impressed with how quickly the group became adept at using flickr. None of us had previously used the site (I am a SnapFish girl) but within 7-8 minutes we were very comfortable and picking up real skills.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
How I Researched...and how Tonight Changed that
The way I approach research depends on what area of my life I am researching in. I take distinct approaches to looking for information for my personal life, school (my education), and my students/lesson. The common element in all my forms of research is a computer-more specifically one with the internet.
I am a huge google user for personal research. What can I bake with two overly ripe bananas and whole wheat flour…whatever google tell s me to do. Where is the closest book store that might have the elusive “Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and other Powerful Web Tools for classrooms?” Once again google is going to have to find the store and make a map to get me there. For my own scholarly research and former job in a lab I use library databases, ebsco host, etc. These are the sorts of source that were approved by my professors and boss. I began the school year using basic search engines to look for supplementary materials like google, yahoo, dogpile, etc. I have found however that these sources often lead to sites you must pay for, or expired links. Thus, I have moved on mainly to education specific search engines that my district subscribes to.
As a reflection on the evening’s lesson (I do not yet have the book) I think that understanding how search engines work is very important both as an educator and in general. I am afraid at some point or another I have taken fiction for fact when quickly looking for information. I certainly see myself using the REAL method and some of the links you have provided to verify information. I, too, am certain that my students have or will come across bogus websites and taken them as fact. In order to help my students not become victim to false information I will probably do a lesson early next year using some of the invalid sites to teach my students the “REAL” method of validating sites.
I am a huge google user for personal research. What can I bake with two overly ripe bananas and whole wheat flour…whatever google tell s me to do. Where is the closest book store that might have the elusive “Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and other Powerful Web Tools for classrooms?” Once again google is going to have to find the store and make a map to get me there. For my own scholarly research and former job in a lab I use library databases, ebsco host, etc. These are the sorts of source that were approved by my professors and boss. I began the school year using basic search engines to look for supplementary materials like google, yahoo, dogpile, etc. I have found however that these sources often lead to sites you must pay for, or expired links. Thus, I have moved on mainly to education specific search engines that my district subscribes to.
As a reflection on the evening’s lesson (I do not yet have the book) I think that understanding how search engines work is very important both as an educator and in general. I am afraid at some point or another I have taken fiction for fact when quickly looking for information. I certainly see myself using the REAL method and some of the links you have provided to verify information. I, too, am certain that my students have or will come across bogus websites and taken them as fact. In order to help my students not become victim to false information I will probably do a lesson early next year using some of the invalid sites to teach my students the “REAL” method of validating sites.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Technology Autobiography...It began with a typewriter
Peck, tick, peck, tick…ding. My typing class in high school is the only class I have ever dropped. It was the typewriters and their endless noises that drove me out of the class, not to mention that weird white correcting tape. If you get right down to it was a combination of the noisy machines and the fact that in 2001 it was archaic to be taking a typing class on a typewriter. Compared to my parents’ trusty Gateway (though probably operating a snail’s pace now) the machine was painfully slow and unforgiving. The sound too, was deafening and endlessly distracting. So I dropped the class and leaped forward into the world of technology- well, maybe I didn’t exactly leap.
Personally, I find myself having pretty ambivalent feelings on technology- I have never had cable but can’t live without my cell phone. I find I keep up with friends in distant places better with email than letter, yet, like my grandmother I still find letters entirely more charming than emails and frequently write and receive them. Despite my complete lack of directional sense I have resisted the urge to buy a GPS. I have decided that it might make me stronger to learn to use a make or, better yet, the sun or stars to guide me through Louisville. Thus, I embrace some of the luxuries of technologies while trying to resist living life in front of a screen
Perhaps dating back to the horrible typewriter experience, I feel more compelled I use technology more in my classroom than in my personal life. With the JCPS middles schools science modules students are expected to obtain lots of information through experiential learning which isn’t the style of some of my students so I have found summarizing lesson with quick videos or applets can be helpful. Nonetheless, I firmly believe it is silly to completely replace a simple lab-like rolling a ball down a ramp with an applet.
I have also been amazed to see during the course of this year; students who refuse to work on a daily basis sit down and complete a complicated web quest. More than once I have been baffled by the computer’s ability to “entice” students into learning. The students have also been enticed on some inappropriate websites when they have, in the 10 seconds I turned my back, hacked the schools blocking system. Managing students on computers can be exhausting, but at the same time technology has saved me tons of time as a teacher. I have been astonished during the course of my first year, how much easier teaching is when you’re using shortcuts like Netrekker and online grade book.
Writing this reflection has made more aware of my mixed feeling on the role of technology in my classroom and also in my personal life. Despite its lure of instant access, information, and communication I still firmly believe it cannot, and should not, be used as a substitute for many experiences or human interactions. This conclusion has made me think back to an article I picked up at a friend’s house last fall called “Is It Time to Unplug Schools?” (http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/334/) It is a little extreme but a good piece to get you thinking if you have time for a read….
Personally, I find myself having pretty ambivalent feelings on technology- I have never had cable but can’t live without my cell phone. I find I keep up with friends in distant places better with email than letter, yet, like my grandmother I still find letters entirely more charming than emails and frequently write and receive them. Despite my complete lack of directional sense I have resisted the urge to buy a GPS. I have decided that it might make me stronger to learn to use a make or, better yet, the sun or stars to guide me through Louisville. Thus, I embrace some of the luxuries of technologies while trying to resist living life in front of a screen
Perhaps dating back to the horrible typewriter experience, I feel more compelled I use technology more in my classroom than in my personal life. With the JCPS middles schools science modules students are expected to obtain lots of information through experiential learning which isn’t the style of some of my students so I have found summarizing lesson with quick videos or applets can be helpful. Nonetheless, I firmly believe it is silly to completely replace a simple lab-like rolling a ball down a ramp with an applet.
I have also been amazed to see during the course of this year; students who refuse to work on a daily basis sit down and complete a complicated web quest. More than once I have been baffled by the computer’s ability to “entice” students into learning. The students have also been enticed on some inappropriate websites when they have, in the 10 seconds I turned my back, hacked the schools blocking system. Managing students on computers can be exhausting, but at the same time technology has saved me tons of time as a teacher. I have been astonished during the course of my first year, how much easier teaching is when you’re using shortcuts like Netrekker and online grade book.
Writing this reflection has made more aware of my mixed feeling on the role of technology in my classroom and also in my personal life. Despite its lure of instant access, information, and communication I still firmly believe it cannot, and should not, be used as a substitute for many experiences or human interactions. This conclusion has made me think back to an article I picked up at a friend’s house last fall called “Is It Time to Unplug Schools?” (http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/334/) It is a little extreme but a good piece to get you thinking if you have time for a read….
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