K-
I knew a lot about technology in general. I've always been very comfortable with it and loved to use computers and the internet. I also have taken a SMARTboard class.
W-
How can I use technology to make my classroom better, instead of just putting my lessons on the internet?
What is global education?
L-
This class really changed my idea of technology in the classroom. Last quarter I took a class on assessment and the teacher used the metaphor of creating a "Disney World" system of assessment. From the moment you walk into Disney they collect data on everything that you do, and you don't notice because everything is so seamless. I really feel like this applies to technology as well. I had thought that you use technology in certain ways. Over this course, I learned that if it is just part of everything in a subtle way, you can make your classroom more efficient and effective. You can also give them new experiences, like collaborating with other classrooms; or enhance existing lessons, like letting them collaborate on notes while watching a video or presentation. Possibly the biggest thing I learned is the importance of blogging. We did a lot of blogging in this class, so I started talking to high school teachers about their experiences with students blogging. I was amazed by the results that teachers have gotten from their students, simply by having them blog instead of writing papers.
I also learned what going global can do for your classroom. Its an amazing way to expand your classroom and give your students an opportunity to really practice some business skills. I think it will also increase the accountability of the students in their projects because they aren't just working with their friends, they are responsible to other students as well.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Week 9- Pecha Kucha
Pecha Kucha - Find a Pecha Kucha you like and post to your blog. Why was this interesting? Do they have a place in education? Thoughts??
Firstly, Pecha Kucha is awesome. I absolutely hate powerpoint, mostly because it is more often than not used inappropriately. No matter how many videos we see, people just cannot use powerpoint. Pecha Kucha, in my opinion, is the answer to a lot of our powerpoint problems. The slides automatically change every 20 seconds, and you only get 20 of them. Pecha Kucha has many uses in education. Instead of having students do a powerpoint presentation in your class, have them do a Pecha Kucha presentation. They won't have to worry about length or content, they know exactly how much time they have, and you won't have to worry about some students talking for 20 minutes and not getting to everyone during a class period or two.
http://pecha-kucha.org/presentations/269
That is the link to a Pecha Kucha named Ramendan. Naturally, I took a website full of incredibly useful and informationally sound presentations, and chose to link to the one about a fake holiday in honor of Ramen Noodles. Firstly, this guy is hilarious and I love people that are ridiculous. Secondly, I also love ramen and think this is a fantastic idea. Thirdly, I want my students to do something like this in a marketing class.
Marketing is no longer limited to print ads or tv spots. Marketing happens in so many ways, with social networking, online presence, and things like contest and games becoming ever more effective. When I do a marketing unit with my students, they will have to design their own marketing campaign as one of the major projects. In the past, I have heard that most students do the same things (print ad, tv spot, radio ad, etc.). If my students are to be truly successful, they need to know how to do guerilla marketing, or create and online presence. I want my students to each do something like ramendan for their product. It is fun, goofy, creative, and will get youth/young adults involved in consuming the product.
Yay for Ramendan!
Firstly, Pecha Kucha is awesome. I absolutely hate powerpoint, mostly because it is more often than not used inappropriately. No matter how many videos we see, people just cannot use powerpoint. Pecha Kucha, in my opinion, is the answer to a lot of our powerpoint problems. The slides automatically change every 20 seconds, and you only get 20 of them. Pecha Kucha has many uses in education. Instead of having students do a powerpoint presentation in your class, have them do a Pecha Kucha presentation. They won't have to worry about length or content, they know exactly how much time they have, and you won't have to worry about some students talking for 20 minutes and not getting to everyone during a class period or two.
http://pecha-kucha.org/presentations/269
That is the link to a Pecha Kucha named Ramendan. Naturally, I took a website full of incredibly useful and informationally sound presentations, and chose to link to the one about a fake holiday in honor of Ramen Noodles. Firstly, this guy is hilarious and I love people that are ridiculous. Secondly, I also love ramen and think this is a fantastic idea. Thirdly, I want my students to do something like this in a marketing class.
Marketing is no longer limited to print ads or tv spots. Marketing happens in so many ways, with social networking, online presence, and things like contest and games becoming ever more effective. When I do a marketing unit with my students, they will have to design their own marketing campaign as one of the major projects. In the past, I have heard that most students do the same things (print ad, tv spot, radio ad, etc.). If my students are to be truly successful, they need to know how to do guerilla marketing, or create and online presence. I want my students to each do something like ramendan for their product. It is fun, goofy, creative, and will get youth/young adults involved in consuming the product.
Yay for Ramendan!
Week 9- New Media Literacies
Your thoughts/understanding about New Media Literacies... Do they fit in your content area? Yes, No, Why not or how? Do they fit in education in general? etc...
In general, New Media literacies fit into every single content area that I can think of. Even elective high school courses like art and music now rely on New Media Literacies. Students are downloading sheet music, creating deviantart accounts, sharing their content and absorbing other people's through the web. To navigate the new world created by Web 2.0, people need to have the new set of skills known as new media literacies. The same skills that are required to do these things will make our students successful in the workplace. One of the videos shown this week listed the following skills and new media literacies:
Judgement, transmedia navigation, negotiation, simulation, collective intelligence, performance, distributed cognition, visualization, multitasking and play. Play is defined as experimenting with your surroundings as a form of problem solving. This is in my opinion one of the most important skills that our students can have. The American workforce is not about manufacturing anymore. We are a nation of entrepreneurs, problem solvers, creative thinkers, and innovators. Whether you are finding a new tool to help your company be more efficient, or solving problems in your small business, having the skill of play allows you to problem solve. I see this problem when trying to teach my parents or grandparents how to do something on the computer. They are afraid to touch anything because they will "break it." As a result, they don't learn new software or see out new technology well. They are dependent upon other people (like their children or grandchildren) to bring them new tools.
My content area is Business Education, which is all about real world business problems. This is one content area where new media literacies are so important. The business world is essentially constant problem solving.Whether you have your own start-up, or work in an office, your job is to solve problems to make the company work better or run smoother. In most jobs, no one holds your hand and says do steps 1,2,3,4 and then you have fixed the problem. I worked in construction management for a summer and I was constantly asked to meet deadlines while staying in budget, prepare reports for the next weeks staff meeting and solve little problems that came up along the way. How I did that was up to me, I just needed to get it done. In my opinion, teaching our students skills like play and judgement is more important than having them be able to recite the "P's of marketing."
In general, New Media literacies fit into every single content area that I can think of. Even elective high school courses like art and music now rely on New Media Literacies. Students are downloading sheet music, creating deviantart accounts, sharing their content and absorbing other people's through the web. To navigate the new world created by Web 2.0, people need to have the new set of skills known as new media literacies. The same skills that are required to do these things will make our students successful in the workplace. One of the videos shown this week listed the following skills and new media literacies:
Judgement, transmedia navigation, negotiation, simulation, collective intelligence, performance, distributed cognition, visualization, multitasking and play. Play is defined as experimenting with your surroundings as a form of problem solving. This is in my opinion one of the most important skills that our students can have. The American workforce is not about manufacturing anymore. We are a nation of entrepreneurs, problem solvers, creative thinkers, and innovators. Whether you are finding a new tool to help your company be more efficient, or solving problems in your small business, having the skill of play allows you to problem solve. I see this problem when trying to teach my parents or grandparents how to do something on the computer. They are afraid to touch anything because they will "break it." As a result, they don't learn new software or see out new technology well. They are dependent upon other people (like their children or grandchildren) to bring them new tools.
My content area is Business Education, which is all about real world business problems. This is one content area where new media literacies are so important. The business world is essentially constant problem solving.Whether you have your own start-up, or work in an office, your job is to solve problems to make the company work better or run smoother. In most jobs, no one holds your hand and says do steps 1,2,3,4 and then you have fixed the problem. I worked in construction management for a summer and I was constantly asked to meet deadlines while staying in budget, prepare reports for the next weeks staff meeting and solve little problems that came up along the way. How I did that was up to me, I just needed to get it done. In my opinion, teaching our students skills like play and judgement is more important than having them be able to recite the "P's of marketing."
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Week 8- Article Review #2
Overview
I read A Technological Reinvention of the Textbook: A Wikibooks Project.
This was an amazing article about a university who is doing what I wish every school would do: using technology to enhance their class. There is a teacher preparation program at the Old Dominion University in Norfolk Virginia. In one of the classes in that program, the professor started a project where the students would write their own textbook on a wiki.
The article opens by telling us what is wrong with the traditional textbook model: outdated information, limitation of perspective, they are a passive medium, and their limitations. It goes on to say that the time it takes to research, edit and publish a textbook means that some of them are outdated even before they hit the shelves. ODU attempted to solve these issues by having the 300 students in a Cultural Foundations of Education course write their own textbook. In doing so they researched online, read sections of many other textbooks, conducted interviews, made videos, and anything else that they thought should be included to enhance the information.
Throughout the process, this project has changed to address concerns, adding a peer review portion, and incorporating exemplars from previous semesters. Public policy students at the college have even conducted surveys between this course and other courses that use a textbook and found that students who write their own do “at least as well” as those who read a traditional textbook.
The wikibooks idea is becoming very popular as many educators begins to ask questions surrounding students writing their own textbooks:
Should they?
Can they?
Relate to Course Objectives
This course has many goals and objectives. It attempts to teach us how to use technology effectively and how to utilize it in the classroom. It also educates us about digital citizenship, using technology to teach cultural awareness, how to respond to the ever changing world of the web. One of the biggest things that it teaches is to shift our thinking. Most students enter the classroom thinking that you can add technology to your lesson plan. This class teaches a shift in thinking so that you leave thinking about the world as your classroom and that the technology is your lesson plan.
How does this impact my teaching?
I think that at the high school level, this might be difficult to do. The scope and depth of a project required to a textbook mixed with the smaller class sizes make it less of a reality. But I do think that there is potential to change how we use textbooks in the classroom. I have never been a fan of textbooks and have often made the case that the information is so outdated they are of little use in a business classroom. While my students may not be able to completely create their own textbook, this article really got me thinking about how I can shift their attention to online tools, and how I can have them create their own products instead of reading the thoughts of others.
Reflection
One of the things that the article says is that as the world changes “it becomes less important for students to know, memorize, or recall information, and more important for then to be able to find, sort, analyze, share, discuss, critique, and create information.” This is one of the many things that we have been discussing in our class. Our students aren’t prepared for the real world, and our reliance on the old teaching model and textbooks may be a big part of that.
The wikibooks project was also another idea for a project to do in my classes. I love projects, and the idea of my class being project-centered. While I may not have enough time to create a whole textbook with my students, I love the idea of having them create their own guides or crib sheets of information instead of reading it from a book.
I read A Technological Reinvention of the Textbook: A Wikibooks Project.
This was an amazing article about a university who is doing what I wish every school would do: using technology to enhance their class. There is a teacher preparation program at the Old Dominion University in Norfolk Virginia. In one of the classes in that program, the professor started a project where the students would write their own textbook on a wiki.
The article opens by telling us what is wrong with the traditional textbook model: outdated information, limitation of perspective, they are a passive medium, and their limitations. It goes on to say that the time it takes to research, edit and publish a textbook means that some of them are outdated even before they hit the shelves. ODU attempted to solve these issues by having the 300 students in a Cultural Foundations of Education course write their own textbook. In doing so they researched online, read sections of many other textbooks, conducted interviews, made videos, and anything else that they thought should be included to enhance the information.
Throughout the process, this project has changed to address concerns, adding a peer review portion, and incorporating exemplars from previous semesters. Public policy students at the college have even conducted surveys between this course and other courses that use a textbook and found that students who write their own do “at least as well” as those who read a traditional textbook.
The wikibooks idea is becoming very popular as many educators begins to ask questions surrounding students writing their own textbooks:
Should they?
Can they?
Relate to Course Objectives
This course has many goals and objectives. It attempts to teach us how to use technology effectively and how to utilize it in the classroom. It also educates us about digital citizenship, using technology to teach cultural awareness, how to respond to the ever changing world of the web. One of the biggest things that it teaches is to shift our thinking. Most students enter the classroom thinking that you can add technology to your lesson plan. This class teaches a shift in thinking so that you leave thinking about the world as your classroom and that the technology is your lesson plan.
How does this impact my teaching?
I think that at the high school level, this might be difficult to do. The scope and depth of a project required to a textbook mixed with the smaller class sizes make it less of a reality. But I do think that there is potential to change how we use textbooks in the classroom. I have never been a fan of textbooks and have often made the case that the information is so outdated they are of little use in a business classroom. While my students may not be able to completely create their own textbook, this article really got me thinking about how I can shift their attention to online tools, and how I can have them create their own products instead of reading the thoughts of others.
Reflection
One of the things that the article says is that as the world changes “it becomes less important for students to know, memorize, or recall information, and more important for then to be able to find, sort, analyze, share, discuss, critique, and create information.” This is one of the many things that we have been discussing in our class. Our students aren’t prepared for the real world, and our reliance on the old teaching model and textbooks may be a big part of that.
The wikibooks project was also another idea for a project to do in my classes. I love projects, and the idea of my class being project-centered. While I may not have enough time to create a whole textbook with my students, I love the idea of having them create their own guides or crib sheets of information instead of reading it from a book.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Week 6- Article Review #1
Overview
I read Staking the Claim for the "T" in STEM by Todd Kelley.
This article is about government initiatives like STEM and MST and how they affect our schools. The article open by talking about the different between multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary education. Multidisciplinary is when people from many different disciplines come together to work on different pieces of a project. For instance, students from different grades working on students council. Interdisciplinary is when you actually combine different kinds of knowledge in what you are doing. The article then goes on to talk about the MST(math, science, technology) movement and how vocational education began. It talks about how different programs market themselves in order to gain funding through grants targeted at specific types of programs.
The article then goes on to talk about the new STEM initiative (science, technology, engineering, math) and how important those areas are. It also talks about how STEM teachers will be in high demand over the next decade and teacher preparation programs need to redesign themselves to meet that need.
The article then discussed project-based learning and how it aids children’s test scores. It then discussed STEM’s role in project-based learning and how technology factors into that. The article also addresses how STEM works with No Child Left Behind, and what is being done to improve school performance.
I read Staking the Claim for the "T" in STEM by Todd Kelley.
This article is about government initiatives like STEM and MST and how they affect our schools. The article open by talking about the different between multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary education. Multidisciplinary is when people from many different disciplines come together to work on different pieces of a project. For instance, students from different grades working on students council. Interdisciplinary is when you actually combine different kinds of knowledge in what you are doing. The article then goes on to talk about the MST(math, science, technology) movement and how vocational education began. It talks about how different programs market themselves in order to gain funding through grants targeted at specific types of programs.
The article then goes on to talk about the new STEM initiative (science, technology, engineering, math) and how important those areas are. It also talks about how STEM teachers will be in high demand over the next decade and teacher preparation programs need to redesign themselves to meet that need.
The article then discussed project-based learning and how it aids children’s test scores. It then discussed STEM’s role in project-based learning and how technology factors into that. The article also addresses how STEM works with No Child Left Behind, and what is being done to improve school performance.
Here are a couple of great STEM links if you don't know anything about it:
Video: Entire STEM School
Relate to Course Objectives
This course has many goals and objectives. It attempts to teach us how to use technology effectively and how to utilize it in the classroom. It also educates us about digital citizenship, using technology to teach cultural awareness, how to respond to the ever changing world of the web. One of the biggest things that it teaches is to shift our thinking. Most students enter the classroom thinking that you can add technology to your lesson plan. This class teaches a shift in thinking so that you leave thinking about the world as your classroom and that the technology is your lesson plan.
This article was an extension of all of these things. STEM is a great initiative that is in part designed to provide schools with money for technology education. The article further brings awareness to the need for us to utilize technology and even suggests some ways to do that.
How does this impact my teaching?/Reflection
I currently work in an after school program that was just recently approved to receive a STEM grant. Four “specialists” were chose to head each of the areas of STEM in our school. I was chosen to be the M(math) specialist for the school. It was helpful to learn more about the intentions of the program, and how other people are making the most of their STEM money. We have spent the last few months gathering information about what the students are interested in to see what to focus on. I was even part of a trip where we took 80 students to the Boston Museum of science to look at all the different exhibits and get some ideas for lesson planning. However, this article really makes a case for using technology in each of the other 3 STEM areas in order to really teach technology. It definitely gave me some lesson plan ideas.
Relate to Course Objectives
This course has many goals and objectives. It attempts to teach us how to use technology effectively and how to utilize it in the classroom. It also educates us about digital citizenship, using technology to teach cultural awareness, how to respond to the ever changing world of the web. One of the biggest things that it teaches is to shift our thinking. Most students enter the classroom thinking that you can add technology to your lesson plan. This class teaches a shift in thinking so that you leave thinking about the world as your classroom and that the technology is your lesson plan.
This article was an extension of all of these things. STEM is a great initiative that is in part designed to provide schools with money for technology education. The article further brings awareness to the need for us to utilize technology and even suggests some ways to do that.
How does this impact my teaching?/Reflection
I currently work in an after school program that was just recently approved to receive a STEM grant. Four “specialists” were chose to head each of the areas of STEM in our school. I was chosen to be the M(math) specialist for the school. It was helpful to learn more about the intentions of the program, and how other people are making the most of their STEM money. We have spent the last few months gathering information about what the students are interested in to see what to focus on. I was even part of a trip where we took 80 students to the Boston Museum of science to look at all the different exhibits and get some ideas for lesson planning. However, this article really makes a case for using technology in each of the other 3 STEM areas in order to really teach technology. It definitely gave me some lesson plan ideas.
STEM is becoming popular enough that lots of websites and resources are emerging to help teachers who are part of STEM. PBS Teachers has launched a STEM resources site tht is actually really good!
Friday, July 22, 2011
Week 4- NETS Standards
You are in charge of ensuring all of the NETS standards are met within your school and this week you must meet with teachers to explain what it means to be a good "digital citizen". By using resources you have discovered through your research, the PBS Frontline videos, short video clips you have come across, explain how you would "teach" your fellow teachers about digital citizenship so that they are better prepared to teach about it within their own classes before they begin any type of digital project.
I'm a little behind on my blog posts, so let me catch up.
I think that everyone recognizes the value of digital citizenship, the problem is execution. Teachers have a lot on their plate, and if you give them this information and then tell them to go make materials"xyz" to teach digital citizenship, it won't happen. They will just end up reminding the students to be good digital citizens right before they hand out computers.
I think the best method would be to create a pack of "Digital Citizenship for Dummies" for each teacher. Give them a short video to show students, a powerpoint or handout, talk notes/crib sheet, and a handout for students. Teach them all about digital citizenship, but give them everything they need to teach it. They will appreciate that you're not just dumping it on them. Some of them may not think the materials are they way they would like them, but most will be happy to have them. They can take these and already have a digital citizenship lesson plan complete.
I would also get the school involved by adding digital citizenship to the student handbook, having a student led assembly on digital citizenship, and putting up goofy posters about it (ie and Uncle Sam poster where he wants YOU to be a good digital citizen).
I'm a little behind on my blog posts, so let me catch up.
I think that everyone recognizes the value of digital citizenship, the problem is execution. Teachers have a lot on their plate, and if you give them this information and then tell them to go make materials"xyz" to teach digital citizenship, it won't happen. They will just end up reminding the students to be good digital citizens right before they hand out computers.
I think the best method would be to create a pack of "Digital Citizenship for Dummies" for each teacher. Give them a short video to show students, a powerpoint or handout, talk notes/crib sheet, and a handout for students. Teach them all about digital citizenship, but give them everything they need to teach it. They will appreciate that you're not just dumping it on them. Some of them may not think the materials are they way they would like them, but most will be happy to have them. They can take these and already have a digital citizenship lesson plan complete.
I would also get the school involved by adding digital citizenship to the student handbook, having a student led assembly on digital citizenship, and putting up goofy posters about it (ie and Uncle Sam poster where he wants YOU to be a good digital citizen).
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Week 3- #2 Digital Citizenship
Digital Citizenship is a broad topic with many different branches, yet it is part of the NETS standards that we include it in our curriculum. How can we ensure we are touching on all of the facets of digital citizenship prior to introducing a digital technology project in the classroom? What makes a good digital citizen?
Hopefully, students are learning about digital citizenship from the moment they first touch a computer. Ideally, we would only be doing a "refresher course" for our students when we introduce a digital technology project. However, with everything that we do, we do a diagnostic assessment to find out where our students are at. I suggest doing that here as well. We can quickly fill in any gaps they have and then proceed. Most students have computer as part of their "specials" rotation throughout elementary school. In this time they learn to word process and navigate on a computer. Can DC be incorporated into this as well? If the students are hearing this information at every level, it will become second nature to them-like the english language, or addition.
I wanted to also bring something kind of fun to the class. A UK company called Think You Know created a cartoon series about digital citizenship aimed at elementary school students. Its a relateable way to talk to young students about how to behave online.
Hector's World
In addition to the cartoon videos, the site has lots of stuff for lesson plans or activities and is designed as a sort of "One stop shop" for introducing digital citizenship. Another part of the Think You Know website has resources for teachers, including actitives on DC for ages 4-16.
DC Resources
Hopefully, students are learning about digital citizenship from the moment they first touch a computer. Ideally, we would only be doing a "refresher course" for our students when we introduce a digital technology project. However, with everything that we do, we do a diagnostic assessment to find out where our students are at. I suggest doing that here as well. We can quickly fill in any gaps they have and then proceed. Most students have computer as part of their "specials" rotation throughout elementary school. In this time they learn to word process and navigate on a computer. Can DC be incorporated into this as well? If the students are hearing this information at every level, it will become second nature to them-like the english language, or addition.
I wanted to also bring something kind of fun to the class. A UK company called Think You Know created a cartoon series about digital citizenship aimed at elementary school students. Its a relateable way to talk to young students about how to behave online.
Hector's World
In addition to the cartoon videos, the site has lots of stuff for lesson plans or activities and is designed as a sort of "One stop shop" for introducing digital citizenship. Another part of the Think You Know website has resources for teachers, including actitives on DC for ages 4-16.
DC Resources
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