Week 7-9:
I'm following a blog by Russ Goerend. It is a blog about other people's thoughts. The first one that I commented on was about firing all teachers. Dealing with education problems with wholesale changes is not effective. I replied with that the problems are primarily in the individual classrooms. The link to this blog is here.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Dr. Richard Miller's "Is This How We Dream"
See Video Here: Part 1, Part 2
Dr. Richard E. Miller of Rutgers University Department of English talks about moving away from solely print documents and books to multimedia literature. Miller talks about how he used online literature to create a document about Virginia Tech. The idea of using library research has been incrementally changed. Collaboration and web based documents give a wellspring of knowledge in just a few seconds. Web based documents give us the possibility of sharing knowledge with having to search and sometimes wait for a copy of a book at library. Documents can now be composed with images, visuals, and sounds.These documents composed with information on the web are readily circulated as seen in the example Martin Luther King Jr. document. NY Times uses an online document as a source to share information about the last presidential election. Miller describes this as an incremental change, not fundamental change in the way literature is changing.
Materials online are changing instantly. Documents with visual representations can be accessed by anyone. Educators are beginning to use iTunes U to share their academic lectures. Part of these ideas being shared is becoming our culture. Miller suggests that as educators, we should want to share ideas freely and use these materials to produce alternative ones. The only limits and restrictions that are placed on this is ones we put on ourselves. The only real difficulty would be in accessibility. The emerging changes in the classroom will be new ways to form compositions. Students will have to pay attention to auditory aspects of compositions. The beauty of how things are read and compelling ideas will be of importance.
There are now new forms of publications. The pushing of new ideas has become part of the culture. Composing with the web itself is the new trend. Blog sharing is a new way to share ideas. This is a new attempt to share our thoughts and feelings will trying to understand visual literacy. The future will be a blend of humanities and the sciences. The idea of the university is sharing of ideas that belong to know one, but are for everyone.
Networked Student
Learning through 'connectivism' can be done through tools of technology. This 21st century student" is in a class with no textbook. The student is taking control of his learning. He is building a Personal Learning Network. By researching credible sources and bookmarking sites on his topic of interest. He also is searching blogs, which usually reflect opinions rather than facts, but can comment on those that interest him. By managing the blogs that he comments on, he will be notified when they are updated. The 21st century student also uses his ipod to learn. Through audio and video podcasts on iTunes U, he can continue to learn. With iTunes U, he has access to the best professors in the world, like those at Berkley.
Asking others about a topic is good and in the video, it says people love sharing their knowledge and expertise. Utilizing the RSS Reader will also keep you updated on a topic. By posting finding in a blog, someone else can learn from your work. I really enjoyed this video. I liked the simple animations and concept. The idea of learning effectively through the PLN is a great concept to take away from this video. How to ask questions and use technology effectively is an important concept as a student of connectivism.
The idea of using technology to continue learning outside of the classroom is great. I'm not sure how well it will work with young students because I fear they won't want to take the initiative to learn. As a future English teacher, I really want to instill the longing for more knowledge, but the rest will be up to students. Providing the tools and skills of how to get this knowledge is just one step in the process of connectivism. As educators, I think it is really important to encourage students to seek out new knowledge for themselves, just as educators should as in the PLN.
Michael Wesch
"The Machine is (Changing)Us"
Media is affecting our life and changing our culture. The impact of television affects us 30 seconds at time. Planning ahead is critical especially in education. Teachers have "a front row seat" in the classroom and it is a discouraging atmosphere. Students are being lost in this mass. How do we reach these one-in-a-millions? By making the making the classroom more engaging, right? But how? The structure of classrooms isn't exactly friendly to conversation in the typical lecture setting especially if you are one of 200 students. The most engaging classroom that I've been in was a small class of 16, and we would move into a circle and talk about the topic of the day--including the teacher.
See Video Here: Part 1, Part 2
Dr. Richard E. Miller of Rutgers University Department of English talks about moving away from solely print documents and books to multimedia literature. Miller talks about how he used online literature to create a document about Virginia Tech. The idea of using library research has been incrementally changed. Collaboration and web based documents give a wellspring of knowledge in just a few seconds. Web based documents give us the possibility of sharing knowledge with having to search and sometimes wait for a copy of a book at library. Documents can now be composed with images, visuals, and sounds.These documents composed with information on the web are readily circulated as seen in the example Martin Luther King Jr. document. NY Times uses an online document as a source to share information about the last presidential election. Miller describes this as an incremental change, not fundamental change in the way literature is changing.
Materials online are changing instantly. Documents with visual representations can be accessed by anyone. Educators are beginning to use iTunes U to share their academic lectures. Part of these ideas being shared is becoming our culture. Miller suggests that as educators, we should want to share ideas freely and use these materials to produce alternative ones. The only limits and restrictions that are placed on this is ones we put on ourselves. The only real difficulty would be in accessibility. The emerging changes in the classroom will be new ways to form compositions. Students will have to pay attention to auditory aspects of compositions. The beauty of how things are read and compelling ideas will be of importance.
There are now new forms of publications. The pushing of new ideas has become part of the culture. Composing with the web itself is the new trend. Blog sharing is a new way to share ideas. This is a new attempt to share our thoughts and feelings will trying to understand visual literacy. The future will be a blend of humanities and the sciences. The idea of the university is sharing of ideas that belong to know one, but are for everyone.
Networked Student
Learning through 'connectivism' can be done through tools of technology. This 21st century student" is in a class with no textbook. The student is taking control of his learning. He is building a Personal Learning Network. By researching credible sources and bookmarking sites on his topic of interest. He also is searching blogs, which usually reflect opinions rather than facts, but can comment on those that interest him. By managing the blogs that he comments on, he will be notified when they are updated. The 21st century student also uses his ipod to learn. Through audio and video podcasts on iTunes U, he can continue to learn. With iTunes U, he has access to the best professors in the world, like those at Berkley.
Asking others about a topic is good and in the video, it says people love sharing their knowledge and expertise. Utilizing the RSS Reader will also keep you updated on a topic. By posting finding in a blog, someone else can learn from your work. I really enjoyed this video. I liked the simple animations and concept. The idea of learning effectively through the PLN is a great concept to take away from this video. How to ask questions and use technology effectively is an important concept as a student of connectivism.
The idea of using technology to continue learning outside of the classroom is great. I'm not sure how well it will work with young students because I fear they won't want to take the initiative to learn. As a future English teacher, I really want to instill the longing for more knowledge, but the rest will be up to students. Providing the tools and skills of how to get this knowledge is just one step in the process of connectivism. As educators, I think it is really important to encourage students to seek out new knowledge for themselves, just as educators should as in the PLN.
Michael Wesch
"The Machine is (Changing)Us"
Media is affecting our life and changing our culture. The impact of television affects us 30 seconds at time. Planning ahead is critical especially in education. Teachers have "a front row seat" in the classroom and it is a discouraging atmosphere. Students are being lost in this mass. How do we reach these one-in-a-millions? By making the making the classroom more engaging, right? But how? The structure of classrooms isn't exactly friendly to conversation in the typical lecture setting especially if you are one of 200 students. The most engaging classroom that I've been in was a small class of 16, and we would move into a circle and talk about the topic of the day--including the teacher.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Podcasting, Technology Resources, & iTunes U, Comment 4 Kids Week 7
Comments for Kids Week 7:
This week for my Comments4Kids assignment, I was assigned to a young girl who recently moved from Samoa to New Zealand. Her name is Jordenne and she is 3rd grade. Her video on that she posted on her blog page was about her goal for the school year. Jordenne said, "She wants to learn how to post her story to the computer." I told her that I thought that this was a great goal, and that I'd come back and read her story later.
PLN update:
I'm actually just getting started with my PLN. I want to focus primarily on the subject of English--writing and literature. Here are some ideas and goals I have thus far:I want to find new ways to teach about classic literature, preferably at the high school level. I'm interested in helping students with new approaches to writing. I created a Twitter account today, so if anyone wants to follow me my name is springtylr . I started following Richard Byre and am right now using it as a home base until I can discover more on my own.
A Resource for Teachers:
Dr. Alice Christie's Site
Dr. Christie's site is a resource for teachers that would like to use technology in the classroom. The site is filled with resources that can help a teacher get started. The site also provides a list of articles on technology based topics such as text messaging and the average 13-year-old. It provides an extensive list of emerging uses of technology for the classroom, for example electronic portfolios. The site even has a guide for parents and teachers to help them understand the new lingo of Instant Messaging. She provides fundamental principles of the internet, including safety and defines internet terms.
This site is one to BOOKMARK! It is a well-spring of knowledge that can help any old-school teacher navigate through and make sense of the internet. I found this site beneficial to teachers because she has so many great ideas. I really like that she refers to teachers and students as "co-learners". She talks about not only podcast, electronic portfolios, and web design, but talks about emerging technologies like Second Life, Flickr, and Delicious. I see this site being very useful to secondary education teachers because using some of these technologies in the classroom could really engage students if used properly and enhance learning.
iTunesU Benefits as a Teacher and Student
iTunes U is part of the iTunes Store. It is a collection of free educational media available. This use of technology can be beneficial to students, teachers, and anyone else that wants to learn. Different campuses allow access exclusively to material on their own pages. This can be beneficial to the students in that they have readily available access to educational material. By using iTunesU teachers are allowing students to be active learner 24-7.
iTunes can also be beneficial to teachers too. Instructors at the college level especially, can post information to iTunes U. It becomes in a sense 'mobile learning' like the site says. iTunes U also allows a medium by which fellow instructors and professionals can collaborate. In the classroom, access to countless educational resources could enhance learning in a lecture. I think this can really change the way students learn in that they can move at their own pace. It would give students specific questions to ask regarding material they don't understand rather than expect them to unrealistically read entire chapters and books.
Duke at iTunes U
Not only just elementary school kids understand the benefits of recording podcast, but even Duke's University is using this educational tool. Duke University is participating in a podcast program, which contains free academic content in some cases at the global level. The site can be accessed at http://itunes.duke.edu/ Professors place content on this site in order for students to have easy access to material. There is a log in for students and a log in for the public. From lectures series to speeches, there are countless free podcasts at iTunes at Duke University. Check it out!
iTunes at Duke took me one click to access Duke on iTunes. I looked up English because that is what subject area I want to teach, but there are not many podcasts in the English Department, which was really disappointing. It seems like subject areas of law, history, business had more to offer listeners. As a resource for a future English teacher maybe iTunes U. at Duke University isn't the best resource. I'm at hoping for the sake of all English majors at Duke that maybe students have access to more than I do.
This week for my Comments4Kids assignment, I was assigned to a young girl who recently moved from Samoa to New Zealand. Her name is Jordenne and she is 3rd grade. Her video on that she posted on her blog page was about her goal for the school year. Jordenne said, "She wants to learn how to post her story to the computer." I told her that I thought that this was a great goal, and that I'd come back and read her story later.
PLN update:
I'm actually just getting started with my PLN. I want to focus primarily on the subject of English--writing and literature. Here are some ideas and goals I have thus far:I want to find new ways to teach about classic literature, preferably at the high school level. I'm interested in helping students with new approaches to writing. I created a Twitter account today, so if anyone wants to follow me my name is springtylr . I started following Richard Byre and am right now using it as a home base until I can discover more on my own.
A Resource for Teachers:
Dr. Alice Christie's Site
Dr. Christie's site is a resource for teachers that would like to use technology in the classroom. The site is filled with resources that can help a teacher get started. The site also provides a list of articles on technology based topics such as text messaging and the average 13-year-old. It provides an extensive list of emerging uses of technology for the classroom, for example electronic portfolios. The site even has a guide for parents and teachers to help them understand the new lingo of Instant Messaging. She provides fundamental principles of the internet, including safety and defines internet terms.
This site is one to BOOKMARK! It is a well-spring of knowledge that can help any old-school teacher navigate through and make sense of the internet. I found this site beneficial to teachers because she has so many great ideas. I really like that she refers to teachers and students as "co-learners". She talks about not only podcast, electronic portfolios, and web design, but talks about emerging technologies like Second Life, Flickr, and Delicious. I see this site being very useful to secondary education teachers because using some of these technologies in the classroom could really engage students if used properly and enhance learning.
iTunesU Benefits as a Teacher and Student
iTunes U is part of the iTunes Store. It is a collection of free educational media available. This use of technology can be beneficial to students, teachers, and anyone else that wants to learn. Different campuses allow access exclusively to material on their own pages. This can be beneficial to the students in that they have readily available access to educational material. By using iTunesU teachers are allowing students to be active learner 24-7.
iTunes can also be beneficial to teachers too. Instructors at the college level especially, can post information to iTunes U. It becomes in a sense 'mobile learning' like the site says. iTunes U also allows a medium by which fellow instructors and professionals can collaborate. In the classroom, access to countless educational resources could enhance learning in a lecture. I think this can really change the way students learn in that they can move at their own pace. It would give students specific questions to ask regarding material they don't understand rather than expect them to unrealistically read entire chapters and books.
Duke at iTunes U
Not only just elementary school kids understand the benefits of recording podcast, but even Duke's University is using this educational tool. Duke University is participating in a podcast program, which contains free academic content in some cases at the global level. The site can be accessed at http://itunes.duke.edu/ Professors place content on this site in order for students to have easy access to material. There is a log in for students and a log in for the public. From lectures series to speeches, there are countless free podcasts at iTunes at Duke University. Check it out!
iTunes at Duke took me one click to access Duke on iTunes. I looked up English because that is what subject area I want to teach, but there are not many podcasts in the English Department, which was really disappointing. It seems like subject areas of law, history, business had more to offer listeners. As a resource for a future English teacher maybe iTunes U. at Duke University isn't the best resource. I'm at hoping for the sake of all English majors at Duke that maybe students have access to more than I do.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Wikipedia's Credibility and First-Year Teaching Advice
Who's editing Wikipedia?
Read article here!
This article on Wikipedia is interesting because it shows the dark side to the online encyclopedia. Virgil Griffith, a graduate student, created a searchable database that ties anonymous changes to Wikipedia entries to organizations and locations the edits originated. This database also keeps up with all of the changes made to each document. Companies as big as Walmart to politicians are revealed to have edited their entries. I think it is important to consider this site as a general source of information, but not always the most unbiased, credited resource possible. As with any source, it is important to look at the facts and consider where the information originates. Wikipedia seems to be more of the "drive-thru" resource for information online.
First Year Teaching Advice
Read Mr. McClung's Blog Entry
Mr. McClung wrote this blog entry to give teachers, especially those with little experience, suggestions about teaching. He spoke on centering lessons around the audience--our students. Making lessons student-centered, rather than teacher-centered is the most successful way to teach. McClung also wrote about having reasonable expectations and having someone to confide in. He also had a list of "don't s" as well. His first don't was not to be afraid of using technology. Another one of his suggestions was not loosing touch with the fact that we're dealing with children.
What I took away from Mr. McClung's entry was that one, it is important to be flexible. I expect to make a lot of mistakes my first year, but in order to learn from them, having an open mind is important. I also learned that listening to you're students is important too because that is how we know what we are doing is or isn't working. The focus of the classroom needs to be on the students' learning, not the teacher's delivery of the lesson. The teacher should NEVER STOP LEARNING. It doesn't matter what area of teaching, whether it be technology, a subject-area, or lesson plan modification, teachers should change and learn new ways to reach their students.
Read article here!
This article on Wikipedia is interesting because it shows the dark side to the online encyclopedia. Virgil Griffith, a graduate student, created a searchable database that ties anonymous changes to Wikipedia entries to organizations and locations the edits originated. This database also keeps up with all of the changes made to each document. Companies as big as Walmart to politicians are revealed to have edited their entries. I think it is important to consider this site as a general source of information, but not always the most unbiased, credited resource possible. As with any source, it is important to look at the facts and consider where the information originates. Wikipedia seems to be more of the "drive-thru" resource for information online.
First Year Teaching Advice
Read Mr. McClung's Blog Entry
Mr. McClung wrote this blog entry to give teachers, especially those with little experience, suggestions about teaching. He spoke on centering lessons around the audience--our students. Making lessons student-centered, rather than teacher-centered is the most successful way to teach. McClung also wrote about having reasonable expectations and having someone to confide in. He also had a list of "don't s" as well. His first don't was not to be afraid of using technology. Another one of his suggestions was not loosing touch with the fact that we're dealing with children.
What I took away from Mr. McClung's entry was that one, it is important to be flexible. I expect to make a lot of mistakes my first year, but in order to learn from them, having an open mind is important. I also learned that listening to you're students is important too because that is how we know what we are doing is or isn't working. The focus of the classroom needs to be on the students' learning, not the teacher's delivery of the lesson. The teacher should NEVER STOP LEARNING. It doesn't matter what area of teaching, whether it be technology, a subject-area, or lesson plan modification, teachers should change and learn new ways to reach their students.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Week 4 & 5 "Comments4Kids" Assignment
Week 4: Student Blog Page
I commented on a 5th student's blog page in the Avoca School District. Jacqueline's blog page was full of things that she was doing in the classroom. Her posts were her reflections on these learning experiences. Her latest post was about working with Photoshop to create a cartoon. I wrote that she impressed me that she was able to work with the program at such a young age. It seems like she really enjoyed the assignment too.
Week 5: "I have a dream...what is yours?" post
Students wrote poetry that reflected ideas and the form of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech. Several students were featured on the post and I commented on one student's work. The 5th grader's work about her dreams. My favorite line she used was: "Global warming history,Tomorrow a brand new day,Everybody delighted,In every single way!"-Anna S. I made sure I let her know that she was a good poet and I enjoyed reading her work. I also wrote that I thought that this assignment seemed to be very enriching. These children, because the students were using their imaginations to think about how they could make the world a better place by poetry writing.
I commented on a 5th student's blog page in the Avoca School District. Jacqueline's blog page was full of things that she was doing in the classroom. Her posts were her reflections on these learning experiences. Her latest post was about working with Photoshop to create a cartoon. I wrote that she impressed me that she was able to work with the program at such a young age. It seems like she really enjoyed the assignment too.
Week 5: "I have a dream...what is yours?" post
Students wrote poetry that reflected ideas and the form of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech. Several students were featured on the post and I commented on one student's work. The 5th grader's work about her dreams. My favorite line she used was: "Global warming history,Tomorrow a brand new day,Everybody delighted,In every single way!"-Anna S. I made sure I let her know that she was a good poet and I enjoyed reading her work. I also wrote that I thought that this assignment seemed to be very enriching. These children, because the students were using their imaginations to think about how they could make the world a better place by poetry writing.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Podcast as a New Study Tool
The Educational Podcast Network
In order to further my learning and discovery of the use of podcast in the classroom I visited the Educational Podcast Network website. The site brings together different ways the podcast are used in the classroom through different educators and their insights. There are even subject-specific podcast ranging from the three R's to the Arts, including dance(which is undoubtedly my favorite). Staying focused on how podcast can be used in the English classroom, I listened to a few podcast in some areas of my interest. One was a lecture on sonnets. The narrator talked about the form of sonnets and how they originated.
I can see using podcast in this form very beneficial to students who learn a slower pace than the rest of the class. This could be beneficial to students who are English Language Learners, students who have special needs, or even a student who just struggles in a particular subject area(mine is math--I still have nightmares about Algebra). Being a student who has sit through countless lectures, I realize sometimes I can sit through an entire class and not retain much information. With access to a podcast, being able to hear information again could help students refresh themselves on a topic while at home studying. I also could see how this could turn into an excuse to be absent from class(mainly at the collegiate level), but I think with careful moderation, these "lecture-on-the-go" could benefit a lot of students. Sometimes taking notes in a lecture-setting doesn't always help you remember all the key facts or information needed for a test or to write a paper on. Any thoughts on using podcast lectures as study tools?
In order to further my learning and discovery of the use of podcast in the classroom I visited the Educational Podcast Network website. The site brings together different ways the podcast are used in the classroom through different educators and their insights. There are even subject-specific podcast ranging from the three R's to the Arts, including dance(which is undoubtedly my favorite). Staying focused on how podcast can be used in the English classroom, I listened to a few podcast in some areas of my interest. One was a lecture on sonnets. The narrator talked about the form of sonnets and how they originated.
I can see using podcast in this form very beneficial to students who learn a slower pace than the rest of the class. This could be beneficial to students who are English Language Learners, students who have special needs, or even a student who just struggles in a particular subject area(mine is math--I still have nightmares about Algebra). Being a student who has sit through countless lectures, I realize sometimes I can sit through an entire class and not retain much information. With access to a podcast, being able to hear information again could help students refresh themselves on a topic while at home studying. I also could see how this could turn into an excuse to be absent from class(mainly at the collegiate level), but I think with careful moderation, these "lecture-on-the-go" could benefit a lot of students. Sometimes taking notes in a lecture-setting doesn't always help you remember all the key facts or information needed for a test or to write a paper on. Any thoughts on using podcast lectures as study tools?
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