Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Sire Ken Robinson
Sir Ken Robinson stated, “Creativity is as important in education as literacy.” Wow! I definitely agree with this but there are too many people who would disagree. For this reason, creativity is being shoved under the rug in the world of education. While listening to Sir Ken Robinson’s podcast, I realized many things that hadn’t crossed my mind in a long time. For example, he explained that students are too often punished or looked down upon for the mistakes they make. If this consistently occurs, instead of learning from their mistakes and accepting them, students will be afraid to take risks and stop all together. If they are not prepared to be wrong, they will never come up with anything original. Students must understand that it is okay to be wrong. I think students see an emphasis in being right because most subjects we teach are totally objective. Aside from creating a story, math, science, history, government, geography, grammar, etc. all require precise and accurate answers. If students were allowed to use more expression through music, drama, art, dance, etc. they would feel more comfortable thinking creatively for themselves and creating an original piece of work. Sir Ken Robinson brought to my attention the hierarchy of teaching which is emphasized in every country around the world. This hierarchy begins with an emphasis in math, science, social studies, reading, and writing, with the arts at the bottom. Sadly, our public schools are ruling music, art, drama, and physical education out of the curriculum. We need these daily activities so students can continue to create and take chances. Perhaps dancing is the only way a student can capture his/her thoughts, by removing drama from schools, we are depriving that student of an individualized and well-deserved education.
Week 10 Podcasts
The Tech Teachers
Episode Date: 12-11-06
Episode: 55
In this podcast, Ray encouraged listeners to use VLC Media Player instead of QuickTime, Windows Media Player, or iTunes. These popular programs cannot play all data files because they lack codecs- a device or program capable of performing encoding and decoding on a digital data stream or signal. I have experienced problems opening files on other media players but I was unaware of the cause. According to the Tech Teachers, VLC is becoming very popular. After browsing the following website: http://www.videolan.org/, I had a better understanding of what VLC was and its capabilities. To download VLC Media player, simply go to the website and click download now. This will be beneficial in the elementary school because students will be viewing a variety of files and VLC will be reliable on a Mac or a PC.
Geek!ed!
Episode Date: 01-03-07
Episode: 56
After listening to several different podcasts, Geek!ed! seems to be one of my favorites; the podcasters are personable and easy to listen to. I discovered that MySpace is not only used for fun but it can be a helpful tool for students to learn how to drop in html codes and remove advertisements from their sites. This gives the students the power to control the content of their page and prepare it for presentations. Creating a MySpace account would be great for students to learn how to create slideshows, improve written communication, and solve problems independently. After listening to this podcast, I am motivated to develop my own MySpace account and explore the possibilities!
Moving at the Speed of Creativity
Episode Date: 02-09-07
Episode: 130
Thirty years ago, people would have said that graphing the flight of a football by using an accelerometer was impossible. Today, this type of technology is being used in the classroom to enhance students’ learning experiences. Filled with astounding news, this podcast was interesting to say the least. Wesley Fryer interviewed “two of the representatives of Pasco, a company which manufactures over sixty different types of sensors and probeware for use in digitally-enhanced scientific experiments.” The devices can be used in the classroom, specifically but not limited to the subject area of science, to allow students to gather data and send it to the computer. I believe Pasco has hit the jackpot when it comes to motivating students to learn. By increasing direct experiences in the classroom, students will want to discover, create, understand, and learn. More information about Pasco can be found at www.pasco.com.
Week 9 Podcasts
Tech Chick Tips
Episode Title: DOPA
Date: 07-29-06
Episode Number: 4
Reflection: The Tech Chicks encouraged teachers to use digital photography on the first day of school and had great ideas to carry out the use of the pictures throughout the year. For example, the pictures could be printed off and used for a helper chart, management chart, or to organize centers. I had not thought of this idea and I think it would be helpful for the teacher to get to know his/her class and fun for the class. Students enjoy seeing themselves and it would make the classroom environment comfortable and homey. The hot topic of the day was the Deleting Online Predators Act which protects students from online predators in public schools. This prohibits students from viewing social networking sites at school. Although the Tech Chicks were discouraged by the fact that DOPA blocks students from viewing helpful resources, I think DOPA was an essential factor in protecting students and the school district. Since educators are allowing students free access to computers more often than before, I believe DOPA was implemented for legitimate reasons.
Infinite Thinking Machine
Episode Title: ITM Extra: P=AxDxE
Date: 03-20-07
Reflection: Bernie Dodge revealed an original way to look at the power of learning games: Power = Attention x Depth x Efficiency. He stressed that it is essential to use effective games in the classroom that get the students’ full attention. The games should require some amount of processing that the learner must develop. Last, the games should utilize and enhance the skills that the teacher is focusing on. By putting together these three parts of the equations, online games or video games can become extremely powerful for students. Previous to this podcast, I was not in favor of using video games in the classroom, but if the games are evaluated using this equation, I can definitely understand how they would be beneficial to learning.
Moving at the Speed of Creativity
Date: 03-12-07
Episode Number: 139
Reflection: During this podcast Wesley Fryer had an interview with his mother, Angie Fryer, about the important blogs she has subscribed to. She is not a blogger herself, but enjoys reading others’ blogs to form a connection with people from many diversities, cultures, and communities. She encourages everyone to check out www.anysoldier.com. There are ideas of things to send to soldiers and I thought it would be a great idea to turn this into a class project. For example, students could make cards and send them to soldiers who are overseas. There are many more blogsites that digital learner, Angie Fryer, suggests, and they can be found at: http://feeds.feedburner.com/speedofcreativity/podcasts. This podcast was enjoyable to listen to and easy to connect with. I found it motivating and it encouraged me to read blogs and make connections with other people around the world.
28. Blogs Are Not the Enemy
Tech Learning
http://www.techlearning.com/showArticle.php?articleID=196604374
Some educators believe blogs are simple journals which the world can see. However, I disagree! Blogs are interactive and can encourage students to write and express their feelings. Many studies have shown that students do better work if they know other people will have access to it. Throughout the semester I have listened to countless podcasts about the benefits of blogs. If educators are uncertain about blogs, I would encourage them to listen to KidCast podcast by Dan Schmidt and navigate to episodes about podcasting in the classroom.
http://www.techlearning.com/showArticle.php?articleID=196604374
Some educators believe blogs are simple journals which the world can see. However, I disagree! Blogs are interactive and can encourage students to write and express their feelings. Many studies have shown that students do better work if they know other people will have access to it. Throughout the semester I have listened to countless podcasts about the benefits of blogs. If educators are uncertain about blogs, I would encourage them to listen to KidCast podcast by Dan Schmidt and navigate to episodes about podcasting in the classroom.
27. The One-to-One Tsunami
Tech Learning
http://www.techlearning.com/showArticle.php?articleID=196604373
Many schools are going to a one-to-one computer to student ratio and the remaining question is: does this technique benefit student learning? According to the article, early studies showed it "showed increased student attendance and motivation, expanded curricular offerings, and a leap in educator technology savvy." However, the programs did not go away, but are becoming more relevant. As I have previously mentioned about prior articles, I think the one-to-one ratio can be beneficial if implemented effectively with relevance to the curriculum.
http://www.techlearning.com/showArticle.php?articleID=196604373
Many schools are going to a one-to-one computer to student ratio and the remaining question is: does this technique benefit student learning? According to the article, early studies showed it "showed increased student attendance and motivation, expanded curricular offerings, and a leap in educator technology savvy." However, the programs did not go away, but are becoming more relevant. As I have previously mentioned about prior articles, I think the one-to-one ratio can be beneficial if implemented effectively with relevance to the curriculum.
26. When digital kids rule the classroom
News.com
http://news.com.com/2009-1041-6065108.html?tag=tb
Students are helping teachers learn how to use technology in the classroom! It is proven that people retain information better after they have taught someone else the subject matter. For this reason, students teaching teachers is beneficial for both parties. Teachers who have been in the field for years may not have the training or interest in using technology. To keep up with the changing times, allowing students to assist in training is a great idea!
http://news.com.com/2009-1041-6065108.html?tag=tb
Students are helping teachers learn how to use technology in the classroom! It is proven that people retain information better after they have taught someone else the subject matter. For this reason, students teaching teachers is beneficial for both parties. Teachers who have been in the field for years may not have the training or interest in using technology. To keep up with the changing times, allowing students to assist in training is a great idea!
25. If wired right, computers do belong in classrooms
LA Times
http://www.latimes.com/news/education/la-me-schoolme16apr16,1,5262663.column?coll=la-news-learning&ctrack=1&cset=true
It is discouraging to think that schools are spending hundreds of dollars on software which has been incessantly utilized in the classroom and recently proven to be ineffective. I wasn't shocked when I read this information; I think some educators use technology as a scape goat to teach material in which they should teach. Interaction with peers and teachers is, according to Piaget, one of the critical factors in students' development. Instead of drifting away from this to attempt to teach reading by using technology, I think guided reading is more effective. There are many reading strategies that could be implemented into the classroom instead of using software programs. Instead of expecting to use software programs to teach, I think teachers should focus on using them to reinforce or practice skills learned in the classroom. In contrast, I know there are some programs that may be beneficial to students and, if proven effective, should remain in the curriculum.
http://www.latimes.com/news/education/la-me-schoolme16apr16,1,5262663.column?coll=la-news-learning&ctrack=1&cset=true
It is discouraging to think that schools are spending hundreds of dollars on software which has been incessantly utilized in the classroom and recently proven to be ineffective. I wasn't shocked when I read this information; I think some educators use technology as a scape goat to teach material in which they should teach. Interaction with peers and teachers is, according to Piaget, one of the critical factors in students' development. Instead of drifting away from this to attempt to teach reading by using technology, I think guided reading is more effective. There are many reading strategies that could be implemented into the classroom instead of using software programs. Instead of expecting to use software programs to teach, I think teachers should focus on using them to reinforce or practice skills learned in the classroom. In contrast, I know there are some programs that may be beneficial to students and, if proven effective, should remain in the curriculum.
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