Sunday, September 25, 2011
Blog Post 5
In Don't teach your kids this stuff. Please? Scott Mcleod uses a satirical rant detailing the reasons why parents and teachers should "avoid" teaching young people how to use various technologies. He uses this rant as a way of illuminating the fact that learning these useful tools early on will give kids an advantage in the future. Scott Mcleod is a renowned professor on technology education at the University of Kentucky, and he is also the co-creator of the Did You Know? video series.
Dr. Mcleod makes some very good points in this blog post, specifically that learning how to use different technologies at a young age could become an advantage in the near future. It is important for kids to be exposed to a variety of technologies throughout their school years, but the fact is, most of the learning in this area will most likely take place away from school. As a future English teacher, I believe my responsibility is to prepare kids for college and future career work. If possible I would like to incorporate a few of Dr. Mcleod's ideas into my curriculum, but I still believe that these ideas come second to teaching the fundamentals of the English language.
The iSchool Initiative is a video created by Travis Allen, a high school senior at the time, and describes a way in which he believes the educational system can be completely revolutionized. He says that schools should completely abandon the use of all paper and textbooks and rely solely on the use of iTouches. He details the reduced cost that would occur if this were to happen by saying that the school system could save six-hundred dollars per student.
I have no clue if these figures are close to correct, but it does seem like a school system strapped for money may eventually resort to something similar to this. While I do believe it could possibly be an effective cost saving option, I do not think it should be considered as anything but a last resort. I applaud Travis Allen's creativity in creating this movement, but it just seems that students would miss out on many important aspects of learning. I do not believe that books are going to go out of fashion any time in the near future, and paper is still going to be used for many things in the near and distant future.
The performance of Lux Aurumque by a virtual choir of 185 people and conducted by Eric Whitacre was an extremely impressive video. The amount of time and effort put into an undertaking like this had to have been incredible. This is a case of the internet and technology being used for something that almost everyone can appreciate.
I've seen a couple of videos similar to this before, where someone compiles a video from many different sources and people who have never met. Lux Aurumque is not the type of music I would normally listen to, but in this setting it's far more enjoyable than any orchestra or choir performing it could be. It is a situation where you can not only appreciate the talent of the individuals but also of the person who compiled and pieced together all the videos. There is another video I found on YouTube where someone put together a compilation of thirty-six different YouTube artists and made a cover of Radiohead's Paranoid Android. That is one of my favorite videos on YouTube, and it is a unique use of technology.
Teaching In The 21st Century is a slideshow presentation created by Kevin Roberts that presents a great deal of information and ideas about teaching in the modern age. He shows numerous ways in which teachers can include technology in the classroom such as blogs, presentations, and research projects. He also makes a good point about how computers in the classroom are a temptation but don't cause problems themselves.
I liked several of the ideas presented here especially some of the homework research type projects. These could lead to some really interesting discussions in the classroom. Another point that I thought was a good idea, was to start by adding one technology based item to the curriculum. I think it is important to not inundate high school students with too much, especially in classes that require a great deal of writing and reading.
Dr. Mcleod makes some very good points in this blog post, specifically that learning how to use different technologies at a young age could become an advantage in the near future. It is important for kids to be exposed to a variety of technologies throughout their school years, but the fact is, most of the learning in this area will most likely take place away from school. As a future English teacher, I believe my responsibility is to prepare kids for college and future career work. If possible I would like to incorporate a few of Dr. Mcleod's ideas into my curriculum, but I still believe that these ideas come second to teaching the fundamentals of the English language.
The iSchool Initiative is a video created by Travis Allen, a high school senior at the time, and describes a way in which he believes the educational system can be completely revolutionized. He says that schools should completely abandon the use of all paper and textbooks and rely solely on the use of iTouches. He details the reduced cost that would occur if this were to happen by saying that the school system could save six-hundred dollars per student.
I have no clue if these figures are close to correct, but it does seem like a school system strapped for money may eventually resort to something similar to this. While I do believe it could possibly be an effective cost saving option, I do not think it should be considered as anything but a last resort. I applaud Travis Allen's creativity in creating this movement, but it just seems that students would miss out on many important aspects of learning. I do not believe that books are going to go out of fashion any time in the near future, and paper is still going to be used for many things in the near and distant future.
The performance of Lux Aurumque by a virtual choir of 185 people and conducted by Eric Whitacre was an extremely impressive video. The amount of time and effort put into an undertaking like this had to have been incredible. This is a case of the internet and technology being used for something that almost everyone can appreciate.
I've seen a couple of videos similar to this before, where someone compiles a video from many different sources and people who have never met. Lux Aurumque is not the type of music I would normally listen to, but in this setting it's far more enjoyable than any orchestra or choir performing it could be. It is a situation where you can not only appreciate the talent of the individuals but also of the person who compiled and pieced together all the videos. There is another video I found on YouTube where someone put together a compilation of thirty-six different YouTube artists and made a cover of Radiohead's Paranoid Android. That is one of my favorite videos on YouTube, and it is a unique use of technology.
Teaching In The 21st Century is a slideshow presentation created by Kevin Roberts that presents a great deal of information and ideas about teaching in the modern age. He shows numerous ways in which teachers can include technology in the classroom such as blogs, presentations, and research projects. He also makes a good point about how computers in the classroom are a temptation but don't cause problems themselves.
I liked several of the ideas presented here especially some of the homework research type projects. These could lead to some really interesting discussions in the classroom. Another point that I thought was a good idea, was to start by adding one technology based item to the curriculum. I think it is important to not inundate high school students with too much, especially in classes that require a great deal of writing and reading.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Blog Post 4
In Integrating ICT into the MFL Classroom, teacher Henry Dell discusses many ways that integrating podcasts into the classroom can benefit students as well as teachers. The video shows a situation where a student is out sick but is able to access the days lecture by downloading the podcast and listening to it on their iPod. It also shows several students recording their own podcasts, which they seem to thoroughly enjoy.
I thought this video showed an interesting way to help students gain interest in subjects they normally may find boring. Some of the the techniques are pretty useful; however, several of them seem like they would only apply to elementary education. Personally I don't really see a way that I could incorporate many podcasts into a high school writing class. There are definitely ways to utilize videos, but not podcasts in particular.
The Langwitches Blog tells about a first grade classroom where the teacher incorporated podcasts into the curriculum and how much it benefited her students learning. She talks about how excited the students got when they were trying to perfect their podcasts. The blog also tells several other situations where teachers have used podcasts and to what degree they were successful.
Some of these ideas were really useful especially the section in which a group of students retold "The Tell-Tale Heart" in a podcast. I'm not sure I would ever use this assignment exactly, but it definitely demonstrated how much more exciting a story can be when students engage in it this way. The way the students incorporated sound effects is also something I could use in my podcast assignment.
The Curriki Blog introduces podcasts and describes what exactly they are; there are also a couple of useful links on how to create them using Audacity. The blog also gives detailed instructions of how to manage the students time when introducing them to podcasts for the first time.
I thought that a lesson plan very similar to this could be very useful for a teacher that wanted to use podcasts in the classroom. The most useful aspect of this blog; though, are the different links that thoroughly explain exactly how to create and upload podcasts to Itunes.
I thought this video showed an interesting way to help students gain interest in subjects they normally may find boring. Some of the the techniques are pretty useful; however, several of them seem like they would only apply to elementary education. Personally I don't really see a way that I could incorporate many podcasts into a high school writing class. There are definitely ways to utilize videos, but not podcasts in particular.
The Langwitches Blog tells about a first grade classroom where the teacher incorporated podcasts into the curriculum and how much it benefited her students learning. She talks about how excited the students got when they were trying to perfect their podcasts. The blog also tells several other situations where teachers have used podcasts and to what degree they were successful.
Some of these ideas were really useful especially the section in which a group of students retold "The Tell-Tale Heart" in a podcast. I'm not sure I would ever use this assignment exactly, but it definitely demonstrated how much more exciting a story can be when students engage in it this way. The way the students incorporated sound effects is also something I could use in my podcast assignment.
The Curriki Blog introduces podcasts and describes what exactly they are; there are also a couple of useful links on how to create them using Audacity. The blog also gives detailed instructions of how to manage the students time when introducing them to podcasts for the first time.
I thought that a lesson plan very similar to this could be very useful for a teacher that wanted to use podcasts in the classroom. The most useful aspect of this blog; though, are the different links that thoroughly explain exactly how to create and upload podcasts to Itunes.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Blog Post 3
In It's Not about the Technology, Kelly Hines discusses the problem with the assumption that brand new technology automatically produces better teachers. She makes several great points about spending a great deal of money on technology for schools can be a waste because they turn into "game systems and word processors," in the wrong hands. She also makes a point to say that many great learning opportunities are available for students that require little or no technology.
I thought Ms. Hine's article made some excellent points. I wholeheartedly agree with the fact that technology is not a necessity for good teaching and learning to take place. In an earlier post I made a statement that a lack of funding for technology was the root of the problem; however, I have changed my opinion about that now. I believe now that it is the misuse of technology that causes a waste of the funds that are available.
The Fischbowl has some very strong opinions on the current state of teacher qualifications. Karl Fisch equates technological illiteracy in the 21st century to actual illiteracy in the beginning of the 20th century. He also discusses how many teachers are proud to be technologically illiterate despite a rapidly changing educational landscape.
I had several problems with this article and basically found it to be a little ridiculous. First of all, I do not know a single person who is proud to be truly technologically illiterate. Almost every person who is in school now to become an educator knows the basics of most technology, and those who don't, are generally willing to learn. The most outlandish statement Mr. Fisch made was when he talked about the similarities of the two illiteracies. I would love to see the facts that tell how exactly people were able to be successful in the middle of the 20th century without being able to read or write. I understand that technological illiteracy could cause some problems in the future, but comparing these two is ludicrous.
The Social Media Count is a very interesting site that shows an estimation of an up to the minute count of many different social networking sites. It shows the number of Tweets, Facebook posts, and many other other networking tools, that have occurred since logging on to the site.
I thought this was a pretty fascinating site that really puts the magnitude of social networking into perspective. The number of posts on all of these sights every second is mind-boggling; however, I don't really see much of a correlation between the numbers on the sight and teaching methods. It is an interesting tool, but most future teachers are already on Facebook and other social networking sites.
A Vision of Students today is a video that was created by a class from Kansas State that discusses many of the same things we talked about in the class survey from the beginning of class. It shows how students in todays classrooms face many challenges that are completely different from even the generation before us.
Our generation is bombarded with a great deal of information and technology that is relatively new, but the profession we have chosen is not that different than it has been in the past. There may be far more technology and methods for delivering information to students, but a good teacher is a good teacher. Caring about young people's education and truly striving to help students learn is far more important than any method of dispensing information.
I thought Ms. Hine's article made some excellent points. I wholeheartedly agree with the fact that technology is not a necessity for good teaching and learning to take place. In an earlier post I made a statement that a lack of funding for technology was the root of the problem; however, I have changed my opinion about that now. I believe now that it is the misuse of technology that causes a waste of the funds that are available.
The Fischbowl has some very strong opinions on the current state of teacher qualifications. Karl Fisch equates technological illiteracy in the 21st century to actual illiteracy in the beginning of the 20th century. He also discusses how many teachers are proud to be technologically illiterate despite a rapidly changing educational landscape.
I had several problems with this article and basically found it to be a little ridiculous. First of all, I do not know a single person who is proud to be truly technologically illiterate. Almost every person who is in school now to become an educator knows the basics of most technology, and those who don't, are generally willing to learn. The most outlandish statement Mr. Fisch made was when he talked about the similarities of the two illiteracies. I would love to see the facts that tell how exactly people were able to be successful in the middle of the 20th century without being able to read or write. I understand that technological illiteracy could cause some problems in the future, but comparing these two is ludicrous.
The Social Media Count is a very interesting site that shows an estimation of an up to the minute count of many different social networking sites. It shows the number of Tweets, Facebook posts, and many other other networking tools, that have occurred since logging on to the site.
I thought this was a pretty fascinating site that really puts the magnitude of social networking into perspective. The number of posts on all of these sights every second is mind-boggling; however, I don't really see much of a correlation between the numbers on the sight and teaching methods. It is an interesting tool, but most future teachers are already on Facebook and other social networking sites.
A Vision of Students today is a video that was created by a class from Kansas State that discusses many of the same things we talked about in the class survey from the beginning of class. It shows how students in todays classrooms face many challenges that are completely different from even the generation before us.
Our generation is bombarded with a great deal of information and technology that is relatively new, but the profession we have chosen is not that different than it has been in the past. There may be far more technology and methods for delivering information to students, but a good teacher is a good teacher. Caring about young people's education and truly striving to help students learn is far more important than any method of dispensing information.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Vicki Davis: Harness Your Student's Digital Smarts
On Harness Your Student's Digital Smarts, Vicki Davis tells the ways in which she is attempting to broaden students learning through the use of a great of technology. She explains how much the students learn independently when given these sorts of assignments, and how they sometimes end up teaching her. Because of all this work, her students were even able to attend a technology conference Qatar.
While I agree with some of the points in the video, it seems to me that in using exclusively technology in the classroom Vicky Davis is closing as many doors as she's opening. Some students simply learn better through the use of books and paper. I, for one, have always performed much better in classes that revolve around more traditional methods, and it is not because I am computer illiterate. It may not be the popular opinion today, but I prefer books to Ipads and records to mp3's. I enjoy having a physical copy of whatever I work on and not one that has been typed or manipulated by any technology. There is never anything physical that can be held and admired anymore, and I think that is a travesty.
While I agree with some of the points in the video, it seems to me that in using exclusively technology in the classroom Vicky Davis is closing as many doors as she's opening. Some students simply learn better through the use of books and paper. I, for one, have always performed much better in classes that revolve around more traditional methods, and it is not because I am computer illiterate. It may not be the popular opinion today, but I prefer books to Ipads and records to mp3's. I enjoy having a physical copy of whatever I work on and not one that has been typed or manipulated by any technology. There is never anything physical that can be held and admired anymore, and I think that is a travesty.
Cecilia Gault's Interview
Cecilia Gault's interview with Sir Thomas Robinson covered several interesting topics that all related to creativity and learning. They discussed the three myths of creativity and how they hinder education. The three myths revolved around the thought that it's possible to be completely uncreative. Robinson believes that creativity can be learned and cultured in every single person. He also discussed the true definition of intelligence by saying that there really is not one, and it is a very fluid concept.
I believe the two of them talk about some very interesting things, and the fact that these types of questions come from a young student such as Cecilia is promising. She attends a performing arts school that places a much greater emphasis on creativity than averages schools; this could be a great example that shows how fostering a creative learning environment is conducive to a child's curiosity about the meaning of knowledge and learning.
I believe the two of them talk about some very interesting things, and the fact that these types of questions come from a young student such as Cecilia is promising. She attends a performing arts school that places a much greater emphasis on creativity than averages schools; this could be a great example that shows how fostering a creative learning environment is conducive to a child's curiosity about the meaning of knowledge and learning.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity
The Importance of Creativity is a fascinating video about the way the current education system suppresses creativity and discourages any kind of original thought. With the help of some humorous anecdotes and asides, Ken Robinson describes the ways in which creativity of any kind is frowned upon in the school system and explains that schools are teaching only subjects that have traditionally helped young people in their future careers. The problem with this, according to Robinson, is that our rapidly changing world has made college degrees almost standard issue, and without creatively pursuing other avenues of thinking, students will be at a great disadvantage.
This video really made me take a step back and look at what it is we should actually teach young people. I am planning on being an English teacher, so of course part of me feels that grammar and language are pretty rigid subjects that don't allow much room for creativity. The other part of me sort of realizes now just how important it is to foster creative thinking in some ways, whether it is through creative writing or some alternative.
This video really made me take a step back and look at what it is we should actually teach young people. I am planning on being an English teacher, so of course part of me feels that grammar and language are pretty rigid subjects that don't allow much room for creativity. The other part of me sort of realizes now just how important it is to foster creative thinking in some ways, whether it is through creative writing or some alternative.
Mr. Winkle Wakes
Mr. Winkle Wakes is a short, partially animated video about a man who wakes from a hundred year slumber and finds the world as he knew it has completely changed. First, he visits a business where computers are everywhere, and then he visits a hospital and sees a great deal of new technology in use. To finish his journey, of course, he visits a school where he feels at home because of the lack of technology that is being used.
Honestly, I felt this video is a little ridiculous and helps to further the stigma towards the entire education system of America. Everyone already knows that the education system is behind where it should be in terms of technology and the actual use of it in the classroom. That is the reason colleges of education are implementing courses like EDM 310 into their curriculum. The root of the problem is lack of funding for technology in the classroom because I'm pretty sure even Mr. Winkle would know how to use that dusty old computer that sits alone in nearly every classroom in America.
Honestly, I felt this video is a little ridiculous and helps to further the stigma towards the entire education system of America. Everyone already knows that the education system is behind where it should be in terms of technology and the actual use of it in the classroom. That is the reason colleges of education are implementing courses like EDM 310 into their curriculum. The root of the problem is lack of funding for technology in the classroom because I'm pretty sure even Mr. Winkle would know how to use that dusty old computer that sits alone in nearly every classroom in America.
Did You Know? By: Karl Fisch and Scott McLeod
Did You Know? is a really interesting video that concerns the constantly evolving technological world we live in as well as America's slowly eroding place in the global market. It makes several surprising points, but two of the most shocking are that China will soon be the number one English speaking country in the world, and that the top twenty-five percent of India's population with the highest IQ is greater than the population of the United States. It also describes the recent boom in websites such as Google and the social networking sites, but unfortunately it includes Myspace, which ironically dates a video thats chief concern is showing how rapidly the world is changing. In a way that proves the point the video tries to make.
One of the things I believe a video like this could do, when watched in the context of being a future educator, is to show just how daunting a task it is to even attempt to maintain a culture that is intellectually on par with the rapidly growing countries of Asia. The numbers are definitely stacked against us, but I guess determination and sheer will has kept America in the forefront of the technological world for enough years that hopefully those same characteristics will help us remain there for generations to come.
One of the things I believe a video like this could do, when watched in the context of being a future educator, is to show just how daunting a task it is to even attempt to maintain a culture that is intellectually on par with the rapidly growing countries of Asia. The numbers are definitely stacked against us, but I guess determination and sheer will has kept America in the forefront of the technological world for enough years that hopefully those same characteristics will help us remain there for generations to come.
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