"Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it? Every, every minute?"
-- Thornton Wilder, Our Town

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Additional Assignment #3

"Changing Paradigms"
      In my opinion, the most beneficial thing Sir Robinson brings up is the fact that we are trying to teach children how to make a place in the future economy 20 years from now, when we don't know what it will look like 2 weeks from now. We live in an ever-changing world. So yes we must adapt. I don't think it's as important to teach kids how to make their place, as it is to teach them to grow with the changing world. If we give them the tools to do something and let them find their own way, instead of  just giving one particular way for them to do something, they'd be much better off.
     I think that the College of Education does gives us the tools we need, not just one way. After all, this class is doing that. We're being taught many ways to do something and we're taught how these tools can be beneficial.
     I think the best thing we can do to put his words in to practice, is just not to get caught up in the "teaching" aspect. We should be more into the learning aspect. I also agree that the ADHD thing is an epidemic. I think it's an excuse in most cases, an excuse for kids' behavior. If we didn't "put them to sleep" as Sir Robinson puts it, they might surprise you with their creativity.
     In this kind of project, I think I would probably be a designer or an author. Maybe even a director or narrator. Art's not really my thing. My stick people always look pitiful and homely (yes stick people can look homely).

Blog Assignment 10

"An Open Letter to Educators"
     I think in a way, we've all felt cheated out of our education. Some classes are boring, some aren't. It's the ones that aren't that we tend to cling to. We just battle through the boring ones. It's tough but then again, that's life. Sometimes we'll be given projects, chores, assignments, or whatever the case may be, and we just have to toughen up and do it. That doesn't mean though that we can't take a stand on trying to liven things up. That's definitely what Dan Brown did, he livened things up a bit.
     I agree with most of what Dan had to say. I completely agree with the fact that our schooling is interfering with our learning. Most teachers no longer encourage creativity. Like he said they give us facts, we give them back, and most of the time, we forget said facts. It's all a repetitive cycle. The more interesting you make something, the more likely is that the fact will be remembered. I think creativity should be encouraged at all ages, whether a child is 3 or 16. Even we as adults need to be encourage to be creative sometimes.
     I liked Dan's video. I love his radical idea of just quitting school. I don't think I could ever do that, so more power to him. I hope all works out with him, but no matter how much we hate the system, we have to conform sometimes in order to get a good job. Like Dan says if don't conform to the changing world, we'll get left behind. So sometimes we have to do the things we don't want to, which may mean sitting in a boring class from time to time.

"Don't Let Them Take the Pencils Home"
      I really enjoyed this post! It was quite funny, and it definitely made a point. So many teachers, in my opinion, focus on tests. That may not have been the point of this, but it made me think. Standardized tests rub me the wrong way. Teachers will spend all year practicing for the graduation exams, the ACT, and other tests that make the school look good or bad. I can't stand that! In my opinion, we should focus less on getting them to pass a test, and more on what could help them pass the test. Let me explain. If we just teach kids and focus on a variety of things, they might retain something. When facts are shoved down their throats to pass one test, it doesn't accomplish anything. We get that "burp-back" education. That's not the kind of education I want my children to have.

"Two Questions That Can Change Your Life"
       I loved this video. Sometimes we don't think about the legacy that we're leaving behind. This video was a huge encouragement and it made me think more about my actions. We should all do something worthwhile, something for people to remember.
"She's learning today for one, to make a better tomorrow for many." --my sentence :)

Saturday, October 23, 2010

My PLN

It took me a while to I guess figure out what my PLN really was. I like the idea of being able to connect with people all over the world and developing a PLN. Symbaloo is a really cool way of organizing everything I access. I love organization [even though sometimes I struggle with it]. This is a really great way to keep my focus straight. I also really like blogging. I guess I never really new how big the world of blogging was! I keep realizing that a lot of things I find on the internet are on people's blogs. A few weeks ago, I was looking for a birthday cake recipe and I found a wonderful blog on party ideas. I was so excited! I felt like I was actually using what I'd learned in this class for something that seemed so small. I also like the idea of twitter. I have yet to create an account because I am still a little hesitant to it. A friend in this class actually explained what you could use it for and how you could connect with other teachers. He made it sound very beneficial. Before, I just found the idea a little silly, but now I know it's just because I didn't understand it. I am gradually expanding my PLN and learning more about it.

Blog Assignment 9

"What I've Learned This Year" by: Mr. McClung

I truly enjoyed reading Mr. McClung's post. He made so many good points about his first year of teaching. I think some of the things he mentioned are the things we tend to forget.

First of all he says that we need to learn how to "read the crowd". When he brought this up, my first thought was, well of course we should know our students. He took it a bit farther. I think that most teachers do get so wrapped up in getting the point across, they forget to make sure the students get the point. We need to be focused 100% on what the students are understanding, after all, isn't that the point of being a teacher?

I really liked the next point he made. We have to be flexible. When it comes to things I've planned, I'm not as flexible as I should be. Mr. McClung tells us not to stress over things that don't go as perfectly as we plan. I know that is something I seriously need to work on.

The next point Mr. McClung makes is about how important communication is. It seems like something we should already know. However, I think it's one of those things we don't think about. In my time working with kids, I've learned that sometimes they just need to talk. They feel a million times better if they know someone cared to listen.

The next point he makes is to be reasonable. I agree. A lot of teachers hold students as being perfect and that their class is the only one we have. Now I'm not saying we should all be slackers and not do anything, but we aren't perfect. As a teacher, I feel like it's important to understand the capability of students and hold them to that standard, not one for them to be perfect.

Don't be afraid of technology. That's a mouthful for some of us. Mr. McClung tells us to embrace technology and not be scared of it. Most of us [or maybe it's just me] tend to like the way things have always done. I like change, don't get me wrong. Technology is just overwhelming sometimes. This class is definitely helping through my anxieties though.

He talks about listening to our students. I think I already touched on that before. It is extremely important and I agree with him wholeheartedly on this point. Next he encourages us to never stop learning. I don't think we ever stop learning. Ever. Sometimes it might be a small fact we never knew...[Did you know iguanas hibernate? Yeah, neither did I until last year when I watched an episode of Go, Diego, Go.] or it might be learning how to use a new piece of technology when we're 90 years old. The point is...we never stop.

Overall, I really loved this post. Like I said before, it reminds of somethings we don't always think about it. I will definitely take these and apply them to my teaching. Actually if you think about it, many of these apply to life in general. This post gives us all somethings to think about.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Blog Assignment 8

"This is How We Dream"
I can definitely relate to Mr. Miller. I love books as well, and I am all about using them to teach others. He is right however when he says if that's all we focus on, that's what we'll get.

I don't entirely agree with his thoughts on becoming what seems to be a paperless world. It seems like a good idea in theory. He says that even when you take something from the web, it's still there for others to access, unlike when you check a book out from the library. That is an excellent point. What I don't agree with is that we shouldn't steer completely away from real books and writing on paper. There is a certain quality kids learn from doing those things. When writing a paper, with pencil and paper, there is no spell check, no grammar check. I know I have become entirely too dependent on those things and I believe it is an injustice to students to have them do all there writing on computer. Most students don't even know how to write an old-fashioned letter, let alone address it when they are through, now we just send e-mails.

Overall, I really liked the concept. Being able to access all kinds of info is completely awesome. I do believe however, that we just need to be careful not to let it take over. Books, in my opinion are still important. Many may not agree with me, and I may seem outdated, but I don't think we should steer away from making kids learn skills like writing properly. 


"The Chipper Series" and "EDM310 for Dummies"

Both of these videos were very cute and informative. I thought that "The Chipper Series" videos were exactly the way most college students think. I know I think that way sometimes at least. We all work on our own time frames and we think that future is the present. I know I am one of the world's worst procrastinators. My work usually gets done at the last minute because sometimes it feels like it's the only time I have to do it! I believe we do get taught in this class...however, sometimes that just means we have to teach ourselves. I don't think it's completely the teacher's responsibility to do ALL the teaching. We learn things on our own and from other students. I know that in this class I've had to depend on my friends to explain some things to me and I've done the same in return for them. Sometimes, we as students, think we know best. I think the point of Chipper was to show us, that we totally don't. EDM310 for dummies was also a very cute video. I also love the way it was set up as a commercial. It made me feel silly for stressing out over this class. I guess when you put it into perspective, it's a lot easier than we think.


SMART boards

I definitely agree with these 2 posts. In my opinion, SMART boards are there for looks. They are cool, I must admit, but not worth the money they cost. One of my teachers had one when we were in the 9th grade. We all thought it was very exciting and neat that we had one, but that excitement wore off very quickly.

The blog post I found in support of SMART boards was very helpful. Many of the teachers found the fact that the board is interactive to be the most helpful quality. They all raved about how the students could be very hands on. The link below will take you the page (several comments from different teachers from different grades).

check it out

Timetoast Timeline #2

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Additional Assignment #2

"Sugata Mitra: The Child-Driven Education"

I found this video to be pretty interesting. I agree with the statement made, "if a teacher can be replaced by a machine, they should". As teachers, we should bring something dynamic to the table, something a machine can't. Teachers offer that personal interaction that you can't get from a computer.

I definitely think that kids can learn if they're motivated and for that matter they can teach themselves. When Mr. Mitra did his experiment with the computers in New Delhi, the kids taught themselves. It's like any toy with a child. What's the first thing they do? Rip open the box and start playing with the toy. They don't read the instructions but given enough time they will figure out every detail and part of that game in an hour.

The environment kids need to teach themselves isn't one where teachers hover. When you give a child a project and then you hover and pressure them, they aren't likely to do it on their own time. In Mr. Mitra's talk he said that it was only when left alone, that the kids would go and play on the computer and play the games.

The best way to motivate someone to learn is to make it the learning fun. When a child thinks something is boring, they aren't likely to do that project or assignment. Technology helps us out in that way. We can use technology to help us in making learning fun.

When I teach Sunday school, I am constantly trying to find ways to make what I'm teaching them interesting. I am always looking for games to play and videos to show them. When I bring in an object and use that, it heightens their interest. For example, one class I brought in a yo-yo. I began playing with it while I was talking [which I am HORRIBLE at]. They were watching me and I invited them to come try or if they knew any cool tricks. After a few volunteers, they looked interested. They focused on what I was talking about. My point was that we are always connected to God and we can pray anytime we want. Sometimes it feels like we're spinning at the end of our rope [when you let the yo-yo go and spin]. God hasn't left us...we're still connected. They relate when you use an attention-getter.

I took from this video, that kids can and will learn on their own. Just give them time and the resources and they'll prove they're motivated.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

C4K Summary #2

My student to comment on was named Eleva. She seemed like a very bright little girl. She is a year 5 student at Pt England School in Auckland, NZ. I commented on her post about Sir Francis Drake and on a project she did about a volcano. I can tell she worked very hard on both of these projects!

C4T Summary #2

Mr. Russel Goerend is a 6th grade language arts and social studies teacher at Waukee Middle School in Waukee, Iowa. His first post I read was about using Evernote in his classroom. I found this post to be very cool. He uses this as a 1 on 1 conference tool. This allows him to review each one of his student's work as well as review their reading skills. This system also allows him to stay more organized with the iPad vs. a 3-ringed binder which he used to use.

His second post I read was a tour of his classroom with pictures. I loved the way he had his room set up and some of the things he uses. I liked his writer's notebook where he will post techniques that they learn during the year. In my opinion, this forces them to be creative. The other idea he uses is having the students organize the books themselves. I like this because when they read, the have to pay attention. They can't just go through the motions of reading. I really enjoyed Mr. Goerend's blog.

Blog Assignment 7

"Randy Pausch's Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams"

First of all, I adored Mr. Pausch's attitude. He was in such good spirits and didn't want anyone's pity. He had a purpose to be there and did was he was suppose to do. I think it was important that he began with talking about some of his own childhood dreams. It makes what he's going to talk about easy to relate to. I loved when he told about Coach Graham riding him all practice. I really believe what the other coach said. When someone stops getting on to you, it means they've given up. It's important to instill in children that we believe in them no matter what. I also like his take on "head fake" learning. A 6 year old boy doesn't know he's learning teamwork or communication skills when you send him onto a football field. He just knows he gets to hit people and get away with it. It's sneaky, but it works. I also agree with what Mr. Pausch says about brick walls. They aren't there to stop you, only make you work harder.

I also like the way he taught the VR course. I love that 50 students were randomly over all departments. When you're put in a new environment with people you don't know and you're forced to work with them, I think you grow as a person. I like the method that teams swapped up every two weeks as well. It forces you to get out of your comfort zone. The people you just became accustomed to are no longer with you and you have to find out other people's strengths and weaknesses.

I like the way they did the ETC Masters' Degree. It was solely based on hands learning. That is, in this field, the best way to get a grasp on what you're learning. I also like the bar chart that shows where you stand against your other classmates. When he refers back to the "head fake" with the Alice program, I love that he uses this approach to teach kids. Teaching them computer programming is incredibly difficult and if you can ,like I said before, almost trick them into learning it, I think they learn so much more. They aren't in sense forced to do the work, it becomes fun.

 When he spoke about the people in his life who helped him, you could hear the respect he had for them, even though he was joking. I don't think we realize all of the people that help us along the way. I agree with him also when he says to never lose the childlike wonder. Kids are so open and so innocent. They don't look at things with prejudices and boundaries like we do. They see something they want to do and go for it. They honestly don't have a care in the world. Overall I enjoyed this lecture so much. I thought it was amazing. As I said before I admire Mr. Pausch's attitude so much. He truly touched the world and left behind an amazing legacy.






     
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