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Monday, February 28, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Blog #6
The Networked Student
I believe we have no choice but to be ready for this type of education. Whether we choose to be activists of this style of teaching or not, others will be, and it is the direction our world is heading. Personally I believe that if we are not a part of this evolving world of technology, we are failing our students. We are stepping into a world where innovation is catapulted by technology, and by the time our students step into our classrooms, their world will be unlike anything we can imagine. To give them the means for their success we must show them how to use this technology as a tool for them to engage their world. We must challenge them to become active on their own creativity and individual innovation in order for them to step into their world and engage it, rather than accepting the standard, coping with problems, and watching opportunities roll by.
As a future teacher I can honestly say I am learning how to incorporate connectivism into the classroom. If you were to throw me into a classroom today I would find myself facing a very steep learning curve on my part, but even if I did understand more, the learning curve should always be steep. Even after we get a degree our education should never stop. Teachers are needed to guide youth through this online world. This online world is always changing so teachers must always stay up to par with the latest and greatest ideas in order to keep up with their students.
Although the need for teachers may seem irrelevant, they are very much needed in this world of technology. Technology is not replacing teachers, but it is causing teachers to adapt and re-mold their pedagogy. We are guides. It's confusing and intimidating trying to figure out new technologies, blogs, networks, documents, etc. on our own. We are here to help navigate and explore with our future classrooms.
Personal Learning Environments
After seeing this 7th graders personal learning environment, I have been inspired to use the project she uses! Mine is much like her's with the use of multiple mediums and numerous websites. She talked about using blogs and networking with other students to gain feedback or pass ideas around. It's much like the learning environment I have created through the stuff I've learned in EDM310. The only difference is she is in 7th grade and I'm a sophomore in college... wish I could have had the same opportunities at that age!!
The Smartboard Battle
There are numerous opinions revolving around the use of Smartboards. Michael Staton presents his article Why Smartboards Are Dumb in opposition to the new equipment, and Bill Ferriter apparently agrees in his work Why I Hate Interactive Whiteboards. On the other hand James Hollis has designated a twitter account where teachers share ideas and find new possibilities using the smartboard. It is a network based on people who use, and love smartboards! Where is the disconnect?
Both Staton and Ferriter point out very valid problems that smartboards cause. One of their main concern is money. Smartboards are extremely expensive, and they are often burn up much of the funding designated by the schools for technology. They are also a misinterpretation of how well your school is doing. Administrators will point to their boards and say "We're doing pretty well," while in reality they don't make that much improvement in the classrooms. But Hollis along with his network have overcome those ideas. They understand the smartboard is very complex and very time consuming to learn, but it in turn can lead to some pretty neat things inside the classroom. There tweets are full of online resources for different lessons for all ages that are centered around the use of the smartboard.
I cannot say which side I agree with yet because I have not put in the time using a smartboard. After constructing a few lessons with the interactive white board, I'll let you know what I think.
I believe we have no choice but to be ready for this type of education. Whether we choose to be activists of this style of teaching or not, others will be, and it is the direction our world is heading. Personally I believe that if we are not a part of this evolving world of technology, we are failing our students. We are stepping into a world where innovation is catapulted by technology, and by the time our students step into our classrooms, their world will be unlike anything we can imagine. To give them the means for their success we must show them how to use this technology as a tool for them to engage their world. We must challenge them to become active on their own creativity and individual innovation in order for them to step into their world and engage it, rather than accepting the standard, coping with problems, and watching opportunities roll by.
As a future teacher I can honestly say I am learning how to incorporate connectivism into the classroom. If you were to throw me into a classroom today I would find myself facing a very steep learning curve on my part, but even if I did understand more, the learning curve should always be steep. Even after we get a degree our education should never stop. Teachers are needed to guide youth through this online world. This online world is always changing so teachers must always stay up to par with the latest and greatest ideas in order to keep up with their students.
Although the need for teachers may seem irrelevant, they are very much needed in this world of technology. Technology is not replacing teachers, but it is causing teachers to adapt and re-mold their pedagogy. We are guides. It's confusing and intimidating trying to figure out new technologies, blogs, networks, documents, etc. on our own. We are here to help navigate and explore with our future classrooms.
Personal Learning Environments
After seeing this 7th graders personal learning environment, I have been inspired to use the project she uses! Mine is much like her's with the use of multiple mediums and numerous websites. She talked about using blogs and networking with other students to gain feedback or pass ideas around. It's much like the learning environment I have created through the stuff I've learned in EDM310. The only difference is she is in 7th grade and I'm a sophomore in college... wish I could have had the same opportunities at that age!!
The Smartboard Battle
There are numerous opinions revolving around the use of Smartboards. Michael Staton presents his article Why Smartboards Are Dumb in opposition to the new equipment, and Bill Ferriter apparently agrees in his work Why I Hate Interactive Whiteboards. On the other hand James Hollis has designated a twitter account where teachers share ideas and find new possibilities using the smartboard. It is a network based on people who use, and love smartboards! Where is the disconnect?
Both Staton and Ferriter point out very valid problems that smartboards cause. One of their main concern is money. Smartboards are extremely expensive, and they are often burn up much of the funding designated by the schools for technology. They are also a misinterpretation of how well your school is doing. Administrators will point to their boards and say "We're doing pretty well," while in reality they don't make that much improvement in the classrooms. But Hollis along with his network have overcome those ideas. They understand the smartboard is very complex and very time consuming to learn, but it in turn can lead to some pretty neat things inside the classroom. There tweets are full of online resources for different lessons for all ages that are centered around the use of the smartboard.
I cannot say which side I agree with yet because I have not put in the time using a smartboard. After constructing a few lessons with the interactive white board, I'll let you know what I think.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Belated Blog Post #3
Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today
Michael Wesch's video put into perspective the challenges we, as students, deal with. It was interesting to see the different and aspects that each student had that were either similar to mine or not. I believe everyone has their on set of individual challenges, but there are many universal issues we bear together. The challenges of our generations to understand that "I did not create these problems. But they are MY problems," or to recognize that when we graduate we will be competing for a job that currently doesn't exist, those things are not easy to hear. Our education holds weight that is hard to understand. How do we prepare for this world that is shifting right under our feet?
To fit more of my college experience I would add something concerning the number of pages I read a night for classes. A sheet of paper that stated "I more hours in a text book than anywhere else." Another thing that could make this video grow would be to add a sense of cultural diversity. Imagine how much more of an impact this video could hold if it was based on a global level. I understand this was most likely a classroom project, but what if...
I want to know the visions the students have on a global perspective in today's world.
It’s Not about the Technology
Kelly Hines reminds us not to lose what started the fire. In her post she describes technology and teachers pedagogy as a beautiful combination rather than technology becoming a replacement for teachers. She is not preposing that we keep technology outside the classroom, she's encouraging to incorporate it into the teaching style. What she preposes is that we change our teaching strategies to step up to the world we live in.
Teachers must continue their education outside of the occasional faculty meetings, they must try different ways to teach students who don't understand where the class is going, and they must collide technology with critical thinking and problem solving skills. She encourages the use of technology to customize the learning experience of each class in a way that each child can better understand the world around them. To use technology as a tool to reach their own conclusions instead of an answer.
Is It ok to be a Technologically Illiterate Teacher?
Teachers must continue their education outside of the occasional faculty meetings, they must try different ways to teach students who don't understand where the class is going, and they must collide technology with critical thinking and problem solving skills. She encourages the use of technology to customize the learning experience of each class in a way that each child can better understand the world around them. To use technology as a tool to reach their own conclusions instead of an answer.
Is It ok to be a Technologically Illiterate Teacher?
Karl Fisch takes a pretty critical stance with the relationship between teachers and technology. Although some might believe his statement of technology holding of equal importance as being literate, I agree with him. We are preparing students for a wold we cannot imagine. The only thing we are certain of that world is the influence of technology will be much greater than it is now. How can we expect them to flourish if we don't know how to navigate the technology we have today? We will not know what the computers in their future will be able to do, but we can teach them how to learn. How to discern the different uses and think critically around problems and ideas they come across through the lens of a technologically savvy person.
Fisch collaborates with a post from Terry Freedman, who vocalizes a pretty strict set of standards for teachers. Freedman states "Head-teachers and Principals who have staff who are technologically-illiterate should be held to account,"
and I agree with this standpoint. How are we supposed to bridge the gaps if we don't understand how the system works?The Social Media Counter....
It's amazing how much goes on in just a matter of seconds. I know my students are apart of this world. I mean I'm a student now who's sitting here typing up a blog post. I saw the iPad purchases added to the list and it made me wonder what other products or types of media will be added by the time I am a teacher. It means, for my career, I need to keep up with what's going on in the world. For my students sake, I can never stop learning.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
#4
Dr. Scott McLeod's Post
Dr. Mcleod is a professor Iowa State University in the Educational Administrative Program, and he encourages the use of technology as a style of leadership. His post Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please? catches the contrast between the benefits and the risks of using technology inside the classrooms. The opposition is technology grants access to bad materials on the internet, and yes this is true, but there is also lots of good coming from the internet. To me it's just like when you go anywhere else in the real world, you pick and choose what you do. You don't have to go to the bad places in town just because they are there. It's same thing online. Also the way the world is shifting, it is potentially more dangerous to withhold technological education from your students. They will have no idea how to function in the world around them if they are never taught how to use it.
The iSchool Initiative
This student has found himself in the same position that other students across the United States are in. Their schools funding has dried up and now there are cuts being made, resources lost, and classroom sizes growing; however, Travis Allen (student) is aware of what's happening and is encouraging technology as the answer. He first shows the use of numerous applications on the iTouch and explains how each of them can be used int the classroom. Applications like the graphing calculator, formula plug ins, space walker, and also basic things like the email system are all on his list of resources.
After explaining the uses of the application he puts a spin of practicality in his argument by revealing the benefits to the schools who would use this technological system. Allen examines the budgets that holds students in the schools today resides around $600, yet if this new technology is integrated into classrooms it would only cost around $150. These numbers are per student. Imagine how much the school could benefit from simply trying this out with a hundred students? I say it's worth a try.
The Lost Generation
I'm not sure if the video is a program you simply plug things into, or if she designed it herself. Either way she had to write the speech so it could be read both backwards and forwards. It was pretty neat the way it scrolled, and her message was really powerful. As bleak as it sounds, this is the prediction of my generation. But as the girl explains, it doesn't have to be. The odds are stacked up against us and the problems we are dealing with are massive, but it doesn't mean we should give up. The second we start thinking we cannot make a difference is the second we have lost the power to make that difference.
Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir
I have actually had a chance to meet Eric Whitacre in person. Like I said, both my parents are music teachers and both have performed woks by him. When I first saw the video a while ago I was amazed that this could even be possible, but that's how fast the world of technology is changing! It is amazing that we can have such a close interaction with people who are literally on the other side of world. These people used technology as an outlet to create, converge, and explore music in a whole new medium. I can only wonder where we'll be in the next few years.
What Does I Mean To Teach in the 21st Century?
This video could also be named "A Guide for Teachers in Classrooms Today." I strongly agree with the points made in this video. To use technology, because the students already are, in a way that can be brought into the school systems. To use computers not as a source on entertainment, but as a way of engagement. I think that is the biggest disconnect. Teachers think technology is a toy and not always a resource. They look at the games and negative images associated with it, but they don't always see the potential behind a single iPod. One of the new iPods can do more things than we can imagine, but we won't harness that power until teachers look at it as a vessel rather than a game machine.
To teach in todays world means to engage. To embrace the resources we have and explore how far they can help us grow. Not to accept everything we find using technology, but to use technology to examine and come to our own conclusions. We need to know how to use these computers, but still think critically about what we find. As teachers we are outdated if we are still trying to pump facts into their heads because they can find the facts out in a matter of seconds on their cell phones. Instead we should teach them how to examine the world and draw their own conclusions.
Dr. Mcleod is a professor Iowa State University in the Educational Administrative Program, and he encourages the use of technology as a style of leadership. His post Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please? catches the contrast between the benefits and the risks of using technology inside the classrooms. The opposition is technology grants access to bad materials on the internet, and yes this is true, but there is also lots of good coming from the internet. To me it's just like when you go anywhere else in the real world, you pick and choose what you do. You don't have to go to the bad places in town just because they are there. It's same thing online. Also the way the world is shifting, it is potentially more dangerous to withhold technological education from your students. They will have no idea how to function in the world around them if they are never taught how to use it.
The iSchool Initiative
This student has found himself in the same position that other students across the United States are in. Their schools funding has dried up and now there are cuts being made, resources lost, and classroom sizes growing; however, Travis Allen (student) is aware of what's happening and is encouraging technology as the answer. He first shows the use of numerous applications on the iTouch and explains how each of them can be used int the classroom. Applications like the graphing calculator, formula plug ins, space walker, and also basic things like the email system are all on his list of resources.
After explaining the uses of the application he puts a spin of practicality in his argument by revealing the benefits to the schools who would use this technological system. Allen examines the budgets that holds students in the schools today resides around $600, yet if this new technology is integrated into classrooms it would only cost around $150. These numbers are per student. Imagine how much the school could benefit from simply trying this out with a hundred students? I say it's worth a try.
The Lost Generation
I'm not sure if the video is a program you simply plug things into, or if she designed it herself. Either way she had to write the speech so it could be read both backwards and forwards. It was pretty neat the way it scrolled, and her message was really powerful. As bleak as it sounds, this is the prediction of my generation. But as the girl explains, it doesn't have to be. The odds are stacked up against us and the problems we are dealing with are massive, but it doesn't mean we should give up. The second we start thinking we cannot make a difference is the second we have lost the power to make that difference.
Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir
I have actually had a chance to meet Eric Whitacre in person. Like I said, both my parents are music teachers and both have performed woks by him. When I first saw the video a while ago I was amazed that this could even be possible, but that's how fast the world of technology is changing! It is amazing that we can have such a close interaction with people who are literally on the other side of world. These people used technology as an outlet to create, converge, and explore music in a whole new medium. I can only wonder where we'll be in the next few years.
What Does I Mean To Teach in the 21st Century?
This video could also be named "A Guide for Teachers in Classrooms Today." I strongly agree with the points made in this video. To use technology, because the students already are, in a way that can be brought into the school systems. To use computers not as a source on entertainment, but as a way of engagement. I think that is the biggest disconnect. Teachers think technology is a toy and not always a resource. They look at the games and negative images associated with it, but they don't always see the potential behind a single iPod. One of the new iPods can do more things than we can imagine, but we won't harness that power until teachers look at it as a vessel rather than a game machine.
To teach in todays world means to engage. To embrace the resources we have and explore how far they can help us grow. Not to accept everything we find using technology, but to use technology to examine and come to our own conclusions. We need to know how to use these computers, but still think critically about what we find. As teachers we are outdated if we are still trying to pump facts into their heads because they can find the facts out in a matter of seconds on their cell phones. Instead we should teach them how to examine the world and draw their own conclusions.
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