Well, as I look over the work that I have completed in CEP 811, I am proud of what I have accomplished. There are certainly areas that I can improve upon, but overall this has been a very positive learning experience, yielding very positive results.
One of the things that has really changed with me is my overall opinion of the use of technology in the classroom. I have been somewhat closed mindedness in the past when it came to introducing technology into the curriculum. Using technology, to me, meant that I would have to learn how to use it myself, take time to teach it, and monitor it. This meant more work on my end, and more dedicated time, which most teachers know, is a hard thing to come by. By utilizing different technologies in the classroom, I realized that there is some really interesting, beneficial things that can be done, and the little bit of extra work that is required is will worth the results.
Technology is far more than a gimmick, or an accessory. By utilizing different teaching strategies through technology, real learning can take place. Just as I have to very my teaching methods to appease the different learning styles in my classroom, it is important to include various pedagogical strategies to ensure students are learning. In thinking about deductive, constructivist, or inductive theories, none are better than the next. It takes a perfect marriage of different strategies to best utilize the technological resource, and best reach our kids.
My goal was to open my mind to something new. Kids are different types of learners than what we were, and we have to be open to change and new methods in order to keep up. By really exploring these different options, I see a real purpose in utilizing technology in the classroom and am filled with new ideas.
My new goal is to actually make good on my intentions. I feel, sometimes, that time I am most inspired is at the end of the school year. Sadly, over the weeks of summer, my enthusiasm dies down, and I fall into old habits in the fall. It is my goal to apply what I have learned. Sure, they may be hurdles, and it may be a little more work, but if it helps students become active learners, or understand a concept a little more, than it is totally worth a shot. To make sure that this happens, I have been sharing what we have been working on with my Professional Learning Community, and together we have been bouncing off ideas of how we can make these work in our classes. They particularly love the WebQuest and the StAIR. We have a meeting in the summer where I get to teach them the very basics so that we can be on the same page. I figure, if I apply what I have learned by teaching it to others, I am more likely to remember and use it myself.
This has been a great course, and I am very glad that I have taken it. It was never my intent, when beginning my Master's Program, to have an emphasis in technology, but it has opened my mind to a new way of doing things, and I am more excited about teaching than ever before!
Friday, June 25, 2010
An Online Experience
I really, really love the idea of incorporating the use of blogs and wikis in my classroom. Because of the nature of an English class, these tools can be used to help teach and demonstrate learning in any of the major units that I teach. As my mind races, I particularly see me using them in my Romeo and Juliet and my To Kill a Mockingbird units.
The amount of writing students do in our school is embarrassingly sparse. We do an amazing job at teaching and guiding literature, but the kids simply do not write enough. Blogs is another way that students can discuss what we have read, inferred, and learned, while practicing writing. Skeptics are quick to say that students are also lacking in the amount of time that they are reading, but I think that kids read more now than ever before. It's just a questions as to what they are reading. Between blogs, social networks pages, texts, e-mails, and even the old fashioned, hand-written note, kids are reading all of the time. Instead of fighting this, we can promote better reading by speaking their language
Blogs can be used as a method of journaling. Instead of the kids responding to a prompt in a notebook, they could post it to their blog, thus sharing their thoughts with everyone in the class. Wikis could also work in the same fashion, giving them a place to collaborate with each other.
For this to work, there would first have to be some deductive teaching, in order to get all of the kids on the same page. For students to be able to blog, they first must be taught how. Then, once we dive into whatever curriculum, constructivism can come into play, as they make new discoveries with each other, with me serving more as a facilitator.
I think that podCasts would be a little bit more difficult to incorporate, only because they are a little more complex and would take more time to learn how to do these effectively. I also want to steer clear away from any technology that begins to shift the course from featuring online experiences to becoming an online class. I think there is a tremendous amount of value in face to face learning, and one of the reasons I like blogs so much is that it compliments what we do in the classroom rather than replace it. As I look at our credit recovery program, students that refused to (or couldn't) work in a traditional classroom, are being shuffled through online programs that do not do the subject material any justice. While these students are earning credits, they are not learning. Technology has a place in a classroom and can be a wonderful asset, but not at the expense of killing learning.
The amount of writing students do in our school is embarrassingly sparse. We do an amazing job at teaching and guiding literature, but the kids simply do not write enough. Blogs is another way that students can discuss what we have read, inferred, and learned, while practicing writing. Skeptics are quick to say that students are also lacking in the amount of time that they are reading, but I think that kids read more now than ever before. It's just a questions as to what they are reading. Between blogs, social networks pages, texts, e-mails, and even the old fashioned, hand-written note, kids are reading all of the time. Instead of fighting this, we can promote better reading by speaking their language
Blogs can be used as a method of journaling. Instead of the kids responding to a prompt in a notebook, they could post it to their blog, thus sharing their thoughts with everyone in the class. Wikis could also work in the same fashion, giving them a place to collaborate with each other.
For this to work, there would first have to be some deductive teaching, in order to get all of the kids on the same page. For students to be able to blog, they first must be taught how. Then, once we dive into whatever curriculum, constructivism can come into play, as they make new discoveries with each other, with me serving more as a facilitator.
I think that podCasts would be a little bit more difficult to incorporate, only because they are a little more complex and would take more time to learn how to do these effectively. I also want to steer clear away from any technology that begins to shift the course from featuring online experiences to becoming an online class. I think there is a tremendous amount of value in face to face learning, and one of the reasons I like blogs so much is that it compliments what we do in the classroom rather than replace it. As I look at our credit recovery program, students that refused to (or couldn't) work in a traditional classroom, are being shuffled through online programs that do not do the subject material any justice. While these students are earning credits, they are not learning. Technology has a place in a classroom and can be a wonderful asset, but not at the expense of killing learning.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
A picture is worth 1,000 words: Google's Picasa
Google’s Picasa
Picasa is photo editing program. People are able to organize their digital pictures in different folders, crop and edit them, as well as add effects. Picasa also offers a way for people to share their pictures, if the user has a Google Account, with the public.
Google Picasa gets used quite regularly in my house, as it is the primary program we use to collect and edit digital photos for our family website, digital scrap books, and our hard copy photo albums. While this free resource is limited to some extent in terms of the different effects that can be applied to pictures, my wife and I have been very happy with what we are capable of creating with the program. We enter the project knowing that you get what you pay for, so if there is something missing, or there are limitations to what we can make, we aren’t disappointed. Our favorite application is the ability to change color pictures to black and white, while leaving a small portion of the picture in color. For example, we have several pictures of our son holding a group of flowers in a field. While he and most of the other objects are black and white, the flowers that he is holding are in color. It is a very cool effect.
The vast majority of my experience with Picasa has been private, recreational use, but I could easily see how this could be utilized in the classroom setting. For students to be able to use this program effectively there is a necessary framework of knowledge that needs to be in place. Students need to have basic computer knowledge, but they also need to be able to manipulate, save, and access multimedia files, especially pictures. One of the benefits of the program is its accessibility; students that simply play around for a little while can figure out how to create something really great. Time must be spent exploring the different functions, or the user will be disappointed in what they can do.
Students are able to share hard copies of their products by simply printing any edited pictures. The program can also be used in conjunction with other websites and programs to create digital photo albums, websites, etc., so that their pictures can be shared with as few or as many people as they choose.
I think that this application could be used in conjunction with other programs and sites in a variety of different subject areas including history, science, art, and of course, English. I am going to help my students utilize this program when they are creating a final project for our Parts of Speech unit. Students will be given digital cameras and set out to capture photos of the eight parts of speech in action. After the student have gathered their pictures, they can use Picasa to edit, crop, and add effects to the pictures to better display the particular part of speech that is illustrated.
Because these pictures can be shared by anyone that has a Google account, students could be encouraged to look at other student projects, and comment on them. They can get immediate feedback from both their peers and from me, through using this program.
Teachers need to make sure that a student’s background technological knowledge is in place before assigning this project, or one like it. Students need to have Google accounts, there needs to be computer/internet access, and there also needs to be universal access to digital cameras, as people may be limited in the resources that they have at home.
Picasa is photo editing program. People are able to organize their digital pictures in different folders, crop and edit them, as well as add effects. Picasa also offers a way for people to share their pictures, if the user has a Google Account, with the public.
Google Picasa gets used quite regularly in my house, as it is the primary program we use to collect and edit digital photos for our family website, digital scrap books, and our hard copy photo albums. While this free resource is limited to some extent in terms of the different effects that can be applied to pictures, my wife and I have been very happy with what we are capable of creating with the program. We enter the project knowing that you get what you pay for, so if there is something missing, or there are limitations to what we can make, we aren’t disappointed. Our favorite application is the ability to change color pictures to black and white, while leaving a small portion of the picture in color. For example, we have several pictures of our son holding a group of flowers in a field. While he and most of the other objects are black and white, the flowers that he is holding are in color. It is a very cool effect.
The vast majority of my experience with Picasa has been private, recreational use, but I could easily see how this could be utilized in the classroom setting. For students to be able to use this program effectively there is a necessary framework of knowledge that needs to be in place. Students need to have basic computer knowledge, but they also need to be able to manipulate, save, and access multimedia files, especially pictures. One of the benefits of the program is its accessibility; students that simply play around for a little while can figure out how to create something really great. Time must be spent exploring the different functions, or the user will be disappointed in what they can do.
Students are able to share hard copies of their products by simply printing any edited pictures. The program can also be used in conjunction with other websites and programs to create digital photo albums, websites, etc., so that their pictures can be shared with as few or as many people as they choose.
I think that this application could be used in conjunction with other programs and sites in a variety of different subject areas including history, science, art, and of course, English. I am going to help my students utilize this program when they are creating a final project for our Parts of Speech unit. Students will be given digital cameras and set out to capture photos of the eight parts of speech in action. After the student have gathered their pictures, they can use Picasa to edit, crop, and add effects to the pictures to better display the particular part of speech that is illustrated.
Because these pictures can be shared by anyone that has a Google account, students could be encouraged to look at other student projects, and comment on them. They can get immediate feedback from both their peers and from me, through using this program.
Teachers need to make sure that a student’s background technological knowledge is in place before assigning this project, or one like it. Students need to have Google accounts, there needs to be computer/internet access, and there also needs to be universal access to digital cameras, as people may be limited in the resources that they have at home.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Wikity Wak
Hey Everyone. Well, it certainly has been a while. While off thinking deep and thinking different, I found myself quite distracted. While in my distracted state, I did begin to explore the world of wikis and learned quite a bit.
In exploring the wiki of the high school where I teach, Grand Blanc High School, I was surprised to see the wealth of information that was included. However, as with many wikis, information can be misleading or outdated. I decided to update a few things including changes in administration, as well as some interesting background information on the division of the two campuses. This Wikipedia entry can be seen here-- and at this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Blanc_High_School
I also had the opportunity to create my own Wiki. My English 9 colleagues will be teaching a new unit next year of the book, Night. This wiki provides a workspace for us to share our ideas and lesson plans to come up with a solid, effective, unified unit. Hopefully we use the space well. Here's the link
Check out these wikis, learn a thing or two, and keep on thinking deep and thinking different!
In exploring the wiki of the high school where I teach, Grand Blanc High School, I was surprised to see the wealth of information that was included. However, as with many wikis, information can be misleading or outdated. I decided to update a few things including changes in administration, as well as some interesting background information on the division of the two campuses. This Wikipedia entry can be seen here-- and at this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Blanc_High_School
I also had the opportunity to create my own Wiki. My English 9 colleagues will be teaching a new unit next year of the book, Night. This wiki provides a workspace for us to share our ideas and lesson plans to come up with a solid, effective, unified unit. Hopefully we use the space well. Here's the link
Check out these wikis, learn a thing or two, and keep on thinking deep and thinking different!
Sunday, May 23, 2010
CBI Computer Based Instruction
Hey everyone! In working with other CBIs as well as developing my own, there are certainly things that need to be considered so that this resource may reach its fullest potential. When first thinking about what would make a good CBI resource, I simply figured that the content needed to be adequate/correct and that the site/links should be completely functional. In retrospect, there are many more things to consider, many of which are taken for granted but important none-the-less. First it is important that the audience is identified and kept in mind when designing the resource. Also, there should be a clear purpose and the resource should meet all of these objectives. The general look of a CBI is also important, including the clarity of text, the layout of pages, and the spacing of text and links. It is important that a student not be discouraged by what the information that they are being presented with looks like before they have a chance to learn anything. Finally, the lessons, whether it be in a StAIR project or a WebQuest, need to be clear and interesting. There are some pitfalls that should be avoided, but by keeping these things in mind in creating CBI opportunities, students should be successful.
The following link http://www.catawba.k12.nc.us/techtrac/plus/mcintosh/ is a good example of a WebQuest for a newspaper project for the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. The site is very clear, accessible, aesthetically pleasing, and fully functional. Through this teaching tool students will better understand the novel, but also be able to connect their lives to the literature which is the ultimate goal.
Check out this WebQuest and let me know what you think!
Sunday, May 9, 2010
The deal with blogs
There is a great deal of difference between blogs and traditional websites. The major difference is the personal touch that a blog has. An author of a blog has the power to decide how the blog will be designed and what topics will be discuss. A blog is a place where ideas can be posted and shared with others. This differs from a traditional website, because in addition to posting information, a window for discussion is opened. Because people have the ability to read a post, and respond to it, a cyber community can be formed, making the exchange of ideas even greater. The controversial aspect of a blog is that anyone can write one. Where the media previously was the primary source for distributing information, this power is now given to everyone. While this is good, because this information can become more personal, there may be a loss of credibility and reliability in the source of the information.
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