What?
This week we spent time in class looking at the resources UEN has so gratefully put together and created for the use of educators.
So What?
What this means in simple terms, is that without spending money or vast amounts of effort in dealing with html, a fairly inexperienced technologically focused teacher could put together a fairly basic but usable interface for themselves and the classroom. As a student in the program it gives me a chance to have a third back-up for my documents (1- computer, 2-google doc, 3- UEN document site).
Now What?
As far as for my students in the future, I likely wouldn’t rely on UEN. As a jumping off point, its great. I prefer more control on format and presentation. I will and fully plan on using a website. A course wiki, blog and website all created to help students engage in more conversation should aid in course work and in-class discussion. The ability to use the web gives more opportunities for creative learning at a lower cost (the idea of not needing a set of text books at home and in the classroom). There is only good that can come of mixing media for a better teaching format.
Video Reflection
This video brought me back to my childhood. I watched Tom Lehrer on a regular basis growing up and was pleased to be taken to a pleasant memory. That being said, and aside from the fact that the lip sync was truly well done, how true is it that we tend to make education harder than it needs to be? Presentation is so vital and if we can’t make heads or tails of our own content area, how can we expect our students to do the same? A simple pathway to the knowledge mixed with a variety of approaches needs to be incorporated for engagements sake as well as the ability to comprehend what’s is being shoved down their throats. How can we require them to hold on to what we say when they have a myriad of other courses all doing the same thing? If we come up with a cohesive and concise way of teaching, hopefully our students can at least reflect in a way that gives the ability to retain and enjoy.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Module 1: Reflection
What?
During this time frame we read many articles about web standards, technology wants and the future of the classroom. We then took these aspects towards the bent of writing a cohesive paper that delved into how these same articles reflected and meshed within our personal beliefs.
So What?
I apologize for the redundancy between what I am saying now and what I wrote in my PDP paper. For me as a teacher, I can only say that there is a problem with how the students want to be taught and how they really are being taught. This dichotomy is where I come in to play. I am a new teacher who has been given the opportunity to learn some of this new tech that everyone is constantly babbling about. I have chances to use it so I can find out how and where it would properly apply in the classroom setting. As a student I see the need for change. You can tell a tech savvy teacher from one who is just pleased they discovered power point. At least the latter teacher was trying. Just hopefully they don’t feel they’ve done enough with that. Power point will put anyone to sleep in great length. I like technology. I think it has the potential to do a great deal of good. But I know many people who are on the fence or completely against it all. Like before, there is a balance between all things so we can try new approaches to education and give them time to succeed or fail. We can learn from each other and our students. It could make for a more unified school experience.
Now What?
Not being one of these kids so many questions are geared toward and being asked to speak for them, I will do my best to assume what they want and need. I do see this technology giving them chances at changing the way everything is done. They can have a truly international experience and learn firsthand with all the amazing software out there. This technology is where jobs are all moving to. They will be the job force to reckon with and the rest of us will be left behind hoping to try to catch up. Knowing, or at least believing this in part, I know my students need to have as much time with media as possible. They have to look at it, consume it, explain it, and rationalize it all out until they can reform it into something even more creative and ground-breaking but equally as beneficial. I think I luck out being in the arts. Media lends itself naturally to use blogs, wikis, cameras, discussion boards and social networking. I just need to make sure to incorporate this the same way we were once taught how to type up professional letters to multiple receivers. Social networking works this same way. We can help show our students that the world they will soon be entering is one of networking. And what is fantastic about this new medium is they can gain contacts and build portfolios while still in school. We already should be doing this with students but don’t. Yet now as we hold responsibility for educating on the proper use of the web, we can utilize it for that which is worthwhile and will continue to hold the same clout; networking.
Video Reflection (Week 2-16)
Forgive me, but I found the videos to be weak and uninspired. Watching the same stats being thrown at me saying how useless the American’s really are, well, it didn’t go anywhere. Tedious graphics with uninformed statistics do not inspire. They felt like fear tactics being played to get lowest common denominator responses. Yes, China will have more English speakers than the U.S. Of course they will. For one, there are more of them then us. And also, they make their students learn multiple languages from a young age. Bravo to them. But at the same time, you can constantly compare the U.S. to India and China where they only educate a select few. We could offer a same few and then have some number crunching comparisons.
What we had were simple fear tactic films telling us how useless American Education really is when we compare it other statistical data.
So What we have to do is ignore it and continue to try and create something that matters more. We educate all (which is wonderful). But we as a nation seem lost as to the goals within educating all. What is more important? Is it better to give everyone a good shot at a liberal education or do they want competitive test scores more? If they could decide and as well take on the brunt of anger for high rates of teen stress related suicide, than we as educators would know how to move on.
Now We have to take what has been given us and in conjunction with NCLB, find some way to teach what is more important than either; not the stats, not the federal interference, but the student themselves. We need to find a way to reach them.
During this time frame we read many articles about web standards, technology wants and the future of the classroom. We then took these aspects towards the bent of writing a cohesive paper that delved into how these same articles reflected and meshed within our personal beliefs.
So What?
I apologize for the redundancy between what I am saying now and what I wrote in my PDP paper. For me as a teacher, I can only say that there is a problem with how the students want to be taught and how they really are being taught. This dichotomy is where I come in to play. I am a new teacher who has been given the opportunity to learn some of this new tech that everyone is constantly babbling about. I have chances to use it so I can find out how and where it would properly apply in the classroom setting. As a student I see the need for change. You can tell a tech savvy teacher from one who is just pleased they discovered power point. At least the latter teacher was trying. Just hopefully they don’t feel they’ve done enough with that. Power point will put anyone to sleep in great length. I like technology. I think it has the potential to do a great deal of good. But I know many people who are on the fence or completely against it all. Like before, there is a balance between all things so we can try new approaches to education and give them time to succeed or fail. We can learn from each other and our students. It could make for a more unified school experience.
Now What?
Not being one of these kids so many questions are geared toward and being asked to speak for them, I will do my best to assume what they want and need. I do see this technology giving them chances at changing the way everything is done. They can have a truly international experience and learn firsthand with all the amazing software out there. This technology is where jobs are all moving to. They will be the job force to reckon with and the rest of us will be left behind hoping to try to catch up. Knowing, or at least believing this in part, I know my students need to have as much time with media as possible. They have to look at it, consume it, explain it, and rationalize it all out until they can reform it into something even more creative and ground-breaking but equally as beneficial. I think I luck out being in the arts. Media lends itself naturally to use blogs, wikis, cameras, discussion boards and social networking. I just need to make sure to incorporate this the same way we were once taught how to type up professional letters to multiple receivers. Social networking works this same way. We can help show our students that the world they will soon be entering is one of networking. And what is fantastic about this new medium is they can gain contacts and build portfolios while still in school. We already should be doing this with students but don’t. Yet now as we hold responsibility for educating on the proper use of the web, we can utilize it for that which is worthwhile and will continue to hold the same clout; networking.
Video Reflection (Week 2-16)
Forgive me, but I found the videos to be weak and uninspired. Watching the same stats being thrown at me saying how useless the American’s really are, well, it didn’t go anywhere. Tedious graphics with uninformed statistics do not inspire. They felt like fear tactics being played to get lowest common denominator responses. Yes, China will have more English speakers than the U.S. Of course they will. For one, there are more of them then us. And also, they make their students learn multiple languages from a young age. Bravo to them. But at the same time, you can constantly compare the U.S. to India and China where they only educate a select few. We could offer a same few and then have some number crunching comparisons.
What we had were simple fear tactic films telling us how useless American Education really is when we compare it other statistical data.
So What we have to do is ignore it and continue to try and create something that matters more. We educate all (which is wonderful). But we as a nation seem lost as to the goals within educating all. What is more important? Is it better to give everyone a good shot at a liberal education or do they want competitive test scores more? If they could decide and as well take on the brunt of anger for high rates of teen stress related suicide, than we as educators would know how to move on.
Now We have to take what has been given us and in conjunction with NCLB, find some way to teach what is more important than either; not the stats, not the federal interference, but the student themselves. We need to find a way to reach them.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Nothing like an autobiography
I am an aspiring artist, writer and strong Ken Robinson supporter. I would love to continue on his work but more along the parallel side of drama therapy, cognition and learning theory in education as a method towards emotionally healthy and focused kids. It’s vague, it’s not fleshed out, it doesn’t translate well to the written word, but somehow makes sense inside my head. To begin what I would like to do in the end, I need to teach. I need to gain experience so I can figure out where the states of things are for myself (not just from reading and most assuredly not from test scores). I am hoping to study under Howard Gardner and be a part of Project Zero. To do this I need teaching experience in the public school system. So when hoping to work on learning theory and curriculum instruction, teaching and gaining firsthand knowledge are key.
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