This is my classroom layout wih the technology area and teaching hot zones circled. This is a classroom for 20-22 students in a middle school setting.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Ch. 10 Reflection: Design and Management of Learning Environments
It is entertaining to imagine the possibilities for the use of Google Earth in an educational setting. Opportunities such as virtual field trips, preparation for field trips, geography lesson, earth science lessons, and even social studies lessons. I played around a bit and “went” to Yosemite and Yellowstone National Parks. What an interesting way to see the world—especially if you are a student from a family that would not likely have the opportunity to travel to these places.
Houghton says, “Team teaching between classrooms with partners or in much larger groups has only recently become a possibility, and few have explored it. For a profession that has historically closed the door and taught alone for a lifetime, this has immense rich implications for sharing teacher workload, enhancing professional development and even addressing the hot topic of teacher retention.” I think this is a very exciting time to be an educator for this precise reason. Never before have wee been able to share the resource of actual instruction in such a way. I am excited to be a part of this generation of teachers who are continuously breaking technological boundaries and expanding the capabilities of our classrooms.
At the middle school where I have worked there has been a big push for integrating tech into all of the subject areas. Trainings have been given on how to use the tech available in the building in each content area and how to collaborate with the tech director for lesson planning and our own technology education. Teachers still seem resistant because it is “one more thing,” and they say “just let us teach”—but it is important for kids to gain these computer literacy skills and to understand that tech use does not exist in a vacuum, that it can be applied to all elements of their lives, each type of subject they are studying and many settings. It is each teacher’s responsibility along the way to ensure exposure to a variety of technologies for their students.
I wonder about the laptop initiatives in Peru and Nigeria. I can’t help but wonder if their teachers have the training to use the tech in class. And, what it will mean to train the teachers to be abet to best teach the students using the laptops. Also, what does it do socially when a kid can use a laptop at school then returns home to a house that might not even have power or potable water to access? What kinds of generational and social divides might be created by this situation? Might it mean that more people might move away from small home towns and villages to continue to seek advanced technological training? It is hard to predict the impact of increased access to technology, but I am sure there are folks out there ready to study what will happen when these communities suddenly have the world at their fingers in a way that was unthinkable not many years ago.
The list of information management systems available to the education field is impressive. I was present at a school as the staff was switching from one system to another—it was fascinating to hear the complaints and praises. They would say, “The new system is so much better at this,” and, “I wish it would do that like the other program.” It is clearly impossible to please them all, all of the time. However, I think it s good that school systems continue to search for the information management system that best serves the needs of its students, teachers, and administrators. Each has its own personality and the right match might take a few tries to find.
BigDog robot is amazing! Considering that there are robots that have been developed out there to do things like surgery on the human body and complex assembly of machinery, I suppose it is no wonder that there is now a robot that can move along terrain of all sorts with the easy of a large, healthy animal. I can just imagine showing the Boston Dynamics clip to a room full of 7th graders and inspiring in some of them the innovation and creativity for the next amazing feat in robotics. I love when BigDog slips on the ice and regains balance without falling! It is remarkable!!
Reviewing the Computer Literacy Competencies makes me think of the integration of comp literacy into the content areas and how teachers can be sure they are doing enough of this to enhance and build the computer literacy skills of our students. Also, with looking at these competencies specific to learning environment I wonder how to best create an environment that encourages inquiry. I suppose many straight rows of students facing the teacher lecturing at the front of the room would not accomplish this. I also would assume small groupings of students makes the most sense and encourages opportunities for other models like cooperative learning.
Houghton says, “Team teaching between classrooms with partners or in much larger groups has only recently become a possibility, and few have explored it. For a profession that has historically closed the door and taught alone for a lifetime, this has immense rich implications for sharing teacher workload, enhancing professional development and even addressing the hot topic of teacher retention.” I think this is a very exciting time to be an educator for this precise reason. Never before have wee been able to share the resource of actual instruction in such a way. I am excited to be a part of this generation of teachers who are continuously breaking technological boundaries and expanding the capabilities of our classrooms.
At the middle school where I have worked there has been a big push for integrating tech into all of the subject areas. Trainings have been given on how to use the tech available in the building in each content area and how to collaborate with the tech director for lesson planning and our own technology education. Teachers still seem resistant because it is “one more thing,” and they say “just let us teach”—but it is important for kids to gain these computer literacy skills and to understand that tech use does not exist in a vacuum, that it can be applied to all elements of their lives, each type of subject they are studying and many settings. It is each teacher’s responsibility along the way to ensure exposure to a variety of technologies for their students.
I wonder about the laptop initiatives in Peru and Nigeria. I can’t help but wonder if their teachers have the training to use the tech in class. And, what it will mean to train the teachers to be abet to best teach the students using the laptops. Also, what does it do socially when a kid can use a laptop at school then returns home to a house that might not even have power or potable water to access? What kinds of generational and social divides might be created by this situation? Might it mean that more people might move away from small home towns and villages to continue to seek advanced technological training? It is hard to predict the impact of increased access to technology, but I am sure there are folks out there ready to study what will happen when these communities suddenly have the world at their fingers in a way that was unthinkable not many years ago.
The list of information management systems available to the education field is impressive. I was present at a school as the staff was switching from one system to another—it was fascinating to hear the complaints and praises. They would say, “The new system is so much better at this,” and, “I wish it would do that like the other program.” It is clearly impossible to please them all, all of the time. However, I think it s good that school systems continue to search for the information management system that best serves the needs of its students, teachers, and administrators. Each has its own personality and the right match might take a few tries to find.
BigDog robot is amazing! Considering that there are robots that have been developed out there to do things like surgery on the human body and complex assembly of machinery, I suppose it is no wonder that there is now a robot that can move along terrain of all sorts with the easy of a large, healthy animal. I can just imagine showing the Boston Dynamics clip to a room full of 7th graders and inspiring in some of them the innovation and creativity for the next amazing feat in robotics. I love when BigDog slips on the ice and regains balance without falling! It is remarkable!!
Reviewing the Computer Literacy Competencies makes me think of the integration of comp literacy into the content areas and how teachers can be sure they are doing enough of this to enhance and build the computer literacy skills of our students. Also, with looking at these competencies specific to learning environment I wonder how to best create an environment that encourages inquiry. I suppose many straight rows of students facing the teacher lecturing at the front of the room would not accomplish this. I also would assume small groupings of students makes the most sense and encourages opportunities for other models like cooperative learning.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Instructional Photo: Geothermal features of Yellowstone Nat'l Park
This is a photo I took in Yellowstone when I visited there in May, 2008. I would use this photo to introduce the idea of geothermal features. Specifically, I would discuss the unique characteristics of the geyser basins within this National Park. It would also be interesting to use the photo to discuss the importance of creating National Parks, and the advantages and disadvantages of their existence. Yellowstone was the first ever National Park, why did our country see it fit to protect in such a way?Reflections on Chapter 1 Readings: Operating Systems
I am impressed with the amount and quality of IT services and support available through WCU. Seeing it all listed in one place on their website made me realize just how many resources are at my disposal as a student at this university. I wonder how Western compares to other schools of similar size and what kinds of challenges the IT dept. has encountered as it continuously updates its services. With so many courses offered online now and so many distance learners I am sure the challenges are numerous and the demand for high quality IT services must be increasing.
The idea of the course having an operating system is truly fitting. I like thinking that the idea can be further extended into each individual’s life. I can think of ways my own life has an operating system—from the body tissues that make up the systems of my physical body to way I organize and store information in my mind, in my classroom and in my sock drawer! It seems that one could argue that the human operating system is the one that “loads” as soon as your on button is pressed, or when you wake up and start your day!
The concept of cellulose technology is an interesting one. It’s baffling to think of how long that technology was all we had-- when was paper first used, anyway? When did we move from the cave wall to the scroll? And how long has it taken us to move from the scroll to the digital format? What could be next and how long will it take humanity to arrive there? The timeline of computing tools helped me to answer some of these questions, though this last one about what is to come is one that still remains. With the speed technology has advanced in the past 40 years it may be sooner than I can imagine that this next step will be clear. From pebbles, to iPhones, to…who know what!
I am glad to see a direct mention of sexism in the opening to the chapter. I think it is truly important to consider the nature of the “help” we receive and give. It’s the idea of “give a man a fish” vs. “teach a man to fish.” The help from someone who really just does the work for you does nothing to build a student’s confidence and the building blocks for knowledge. As teachers we already know that, as students we have to gently make sure IT also acknowledges this.
There is an interesting point on authorship of websites made in this chapter. I never thought about the fact that you usually don’t know who created a site. Considering how much all of us use the information on the internet in our daily lives one would think we would all care much more about knowing who created the sites we use and demand authorship be transparent. I hope to take notice more often of the sites that do and do not offer information about their authors.
Houghton once said, “In fact, the problem process starts with the discovery of the problem, not the solving of a question. In the interest of both speeding up and simplifying education, too much curriculum has skipped two-thirds of what is needed in the rapidly changing and complex world of the 21st century” Here, here! I wonder how much teacher training, over-loaded curricula, and society’s eye on the prize of advancement effects this.
In thinking about the different generations of thinking tools related to spatial intelligence, verbal intelligence, symbol-related intelligence, thinking technology, I find it important to remember that these are thinking tools that were used just as much in the past as in the present. These are not mode of thinking that suddenly appeared for modern man to utilize, they have been a part of education and learning for as long as anyone has been learning. Their identities and manifestations in different eras has looked different, but they were nonetheless there.
The video “Did you know?” (“Shift happens.”) is more thought-provoking than many other similar video clips I have seen that address similar ideas. Thinking about the speed of technological progress today makes the skeptic in me think, “Does it matter what I teach today? Will it matter to the kids when it is time to apply knowledge to the real world?” That is when I have to remember that so much of what we do as teachers is help students understand humanity and how they fit within it—that’s timeless. Though technology will always affect this the need for guidance and strong teachers will always remain.
Reviewing the skills competencies I realize that I need to know more about the databases section. Otherwise, the material all looked familiar and seemed to be the parts of computing with which I am most comfortable. Beyond that, I am excited to continue to learn about the $100 laptop project. A decade ago such a goal may have sounded ludicrous, now it is a real possibility and one I hope lends itself to positive change and educational opportunities around the world.
Finally, people were learning before computers, and doing so in innovative ways. We do not “need” computers to learn, but advancements in technology can enhance the experience of education and in this age the idea of 21st century technology skills are essential. Who knows what advancements our current students will see in their lifetimes? That is precisely why their technological literacy must be proficient enough to at least keep up with their ever-changing world.
The idea of the course having an operating system is truly fitting. I like thinking that the idea can be further extended into each individual’s life. I can think of ways my own life has an operating system—from the body tissues that make up the systems of my physical body to way I organize and store information in my mind, in my classroom and in my sock drawer! It seems that one could argue that the human operating system is the one that “loads” as soon as your on button is pressed, or when you wake up and start your day!
The concept of cellulose technology is an interesting one. It’s baffling to think of how long that technology was all we had-- when was paper first used, anyway? When did we move from the cave wall to the scroll? And how long has it taken us to move from the scroll to the digital format? What could be next and how long will it take humanity to arrive there? The timeline of computing tools helped me to answer some of these questions, though this last one about what is to come is one that still remains. With the speed technology has advanced in the past 40 years it may be sooner than I can imagine that this next step will be clear. From pebbles, to iPhones, to…who know what!
I am glad to see a direct mention of sexism in the opening to the chapter. I think it is truly important to consider the nature of the “help” we receive and give. It’s the idea of “give a man a fish” vs. “teach a man to fish.” The help from someone who really just does the work for you does nothing to build a student’s confidence and the building blocks for knowledge. As teachers we already know that, as students we have to gently make sure IT also acknowledges this.
There is an interesting point on authorship of websites made in this chapter. I never thought about the fact that you usually don’t know who created a site. Considering how much all of us use the information on the internet in our daily lives one would think we would all care much more about knowing who created the sites we use and demand authorship be transparent. I hope to take notice more often of the sites that do and do not offer information about their authors.
Houghton once said, “In fact, the problem process starts with the discovery of the problem, not the solving of a question. In the interest of both speeding up and simplifying education, too much curriculum has skipped two-thirds of what is needed in the rapidly changing and complex world of the 21st century” Here, here! I wonder how much teacher training, over-loaded curricula, and society’s eye on the prize of advancement effects this.
In thinking about the different generations of thinking tools related to spatial intelligence, verbal intelligence, symbol-related intelligence, thinking technology, I find it important to remember that these are thinking tools that were used just as much in the past as in the present. These are not mode of thinking that suddenly appeared for modern man to utilize, they have been a part of education and learning for as long as anyone has been learning. Their identities and manifestations in different eras has looked different, but they were nonetheless there.
The video “Did you know?” (“Shift happens.”) is more thought-provoking than many other similar video clips I have seen that address similar ideas. Thinking about the speed of technological progress today makes the skeptic in me think, “Does it matter what I teach today? Will it matter to the kids when it is time to apply knowledge to the real world?” That is when I have to remember that so much of what we do as teachers is help students understand humanity and how they fit within it—that’s timeless. Though technology will always affect this the need for guidance and strong teachers will always remain.
Reviewing the skills competencies I realize that I need to know more about the databases section. Otherwise, the material all looked familiar and seemed to be the parts of computing with which I am most comfortable. Beyond that, I am excited to continue to learn about the $100 laptop project. A decade ago such a goal may have sounded ludicrous, now it is a real possibility and one I hope lends itself to positive change and educational opportunities around the world.
Finally, people were learning before computers, and doing so in innovative ways. We do not “need” computers to learn, but advancements in technology can enhance the experience of education and in this age the idea of 21st century technology skills are essential. Who knows what advancements our current students will see in their lifetimes? That is precisely why their technological literacy must be proficient enough to at least keep up with their ever-changing world.
Friday, August 22, 2008
blogblog bloggity blog!
Ta-dah! I've made a blog for the world to see! It is called A Gaucho Girl because my high school mascot was the Gauchos (Argentine cowboy) and I have spent the past two summers in Argentina where I learned to gaucho culture :)
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