I) Goals, Standards and Objectives
Unit Title: Digital Storytelling and Increasing Literary Skills
Lesson Title: Digital Storytelling
1) Goal: Students will demonstrate their understanding of Digital Storytelling and the elements that make it up.
2) Objective: The students will discuss the characteristics in Digital Storytelling and then demonstrate their understanding of the concept by completing their own Digital Story with less than five errors in it.
Objective: Given a Digital Storytelling assignment the students will express their emotions, physical, and spiritual well being of their own life story with a two to four minute story.
3) Standards:
N.Y.S. Standard for E.L.A. # 3 Language for critical analysis and evaluation
Performance Indicators
A) Students will listen, speak, and write for critical analysis and evaluation.
B) As listeners and readers, students will analyze experiences, ideas, information, and issues presented by others using a variety of established criteria.
C) As speakers and writers, they will present, in oral and written language and from a variety of perspectives, their opinions and judgments on experiences, ideas, information and issues.
N.Y.S. Standard for Technology #6 Interconnectedness: Common Themes
A) Students will understand the relationship and common themes that connect mathematics, science, and technology, and apply the themes to these and other areas of learning.
N.Y.S. Standard for Technology #7 Interdisciplinary Problem Solving
A) Students will apply the knowledge and thinking skills of mathematics, science and technology to address real-life problems and make informed decisions.
National Standards for English Language Arts
Strand 3: Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textural features.
Strand 6: Students apply knowledge of language structure, language convections, media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and non-print texts.
Strand 9: Students develop an understanding of and respect diversity in language use, patterns, and dialect across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions and social roles.
Strand 12: Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).
II) Materials and Resources
4) Materials Used
· Internet
· Computers
· Wiki
· Blog
· Discussion forum
· Media
· Each others prior knowledge
· Anticipatory Set
· Learning Activity
· Digital Storytelling software
5) Use of Technology
· Computers
· Internet
III) Teaching and Learning Strategies
6) Introduction:
· The purpose of the anticipatory set is to have the students think about whom they are as people, where did they come from, and how did they become who they are.
· At the end of the lesson the students will understand how to use Digital Storytelling and the process that it involves.
· Ask students about their prior knowledge and assess where their own computer literacy skills lie.
· Ask students what are the elements that make an engaging and effective story.
· Make sure the class has common knowledge of how the concept of what Digital Storytelling is.
7) Development
· By showing the students the elements of a Digital Storytelling on a wiki they will understand exactly how to develop a Digital Storytelling assignment.
· By showing the students an example on a wiki they will be able to use their visual and auditory learning to have a better understanding of how the process of production of Digital Storytelling.
· Make a list of the seven elements of Digital Storytelling and have each element in a on a wiki.
· Students individually will develop a paragraph demonstrating what it is that the teacher is asking them to do and post it on their class discussion forum.
8) Guided Practice
· While students are working in groups the teacher will walk around the room: listening, speaking, and making sure students are on task.
· The teacher will help students who are stuck or who have incorrectly identified the concept of Digital Storytelling by posting links to what Digital Storytelling is.
· By exploring students will use search engines on computers to find out more about Digital Storytelling and what it means.
9) Accommodations and Modifications for learners with special needs
· Have students make a poster of what Digital Storytelling means to them online.
· Have a higher level learner be a guide/mentor to a challenged student by commenting on others blogs.
· Have students watch multiple videos on Digital Storytelling that are posted on the discussion forum by the teacher.
10) Closure/ Wrap-up
· Have students describe what they know about Digital Storytelling by posting it in their blog.
· Have students describe the seven elements of Digital Storytelling by putting it in their blog.
· Make sure each student has an understanding of how to set up, process and complete their own Digital Story.
11) Independent Practice
· Students will make an individual Digital Storytelling assignment over a couple of days and will submit in a completed assignment in a drop box on the class website.
IV. Evaluation
12) Methods of Evaluation
· Students will submit their copy Digital Storytelling that they have completed and will be graded.
· Students with special needs will submit their own poster of what Digital Storytelling and will be allowed extended time to work on their Digital Storytelling project online.
Anticipatory Set
As an individual assignment, I would have each person write two paragraphs telling someone who is living in the times before the industrial revolution what life is like in present day. In those paragraphs I want the students to express their feelings, wants, needs, and desires in the current century. I also want the students to reflect on what life was like for people before the industrial revolution. I want the students to think of how different life will seem to people before 1865. I want the students to explain the usage of a computer, the internet, and what it means to be digital in the world they are currently living in. This activity would be able to stimulate the class for an in-depth look at what it means to be digital. Each student’s view will be posted on a wiki page for viewing and understanding the view point of others. This will be a great tool to have collaborative learning in an online classroom.
Activity
This activity is focused on understanding the seven elements of Digital Storytelling. The seven elements of Digital Storytelling are: point of view, dramatic question, emotional content, gift of your voice, power of your soundtrack, economy, and pacing. In group wiki’s students will look up the terms and discuss with one another in a collaborative effort. I would encourage the students to get in groups and discuss their own interpretation before there is a whole class discussion on the classes blog. I would use the blog to create an atmosphere that will enhance student learning. I would post links for resources that I would think to be useful and effective for my own students. I would have each of the groups write a sentence explaining each element and what it means to them. I want students to learn from one another and interact in an active learning environment. After the groups have discussed their ideas and thoughts the teacher will make corrections wherever needed in the learning process by using a wiki. Once each element has been correctly identified the students will have a better understanding in their Digital Storytelling assignment that they will complete
Friday, June 20, 2008
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Teaching with Technology and other things...
I'm not 100% sure what to write in this final blog entry, but I do know that this is the last class in my college career that I will ever take. There is a lot of joy in this, and also a lot of sadness, as many good times have came to a close. In this semester, I have tired to do an outstanding job, to go out of school on top. In my blog I have written over 30 reflections. A lot of my reflections are thorough and some are not quite as such, but none the less, I have given this class more time than any other class that I have taken in my college career, and that includes the C.I.A.
I have submitted my work on time and for the most part early too. I have put pictures, polls, music, surveys and games on either my blog, personal website, or wiki. My personal website has at least 12 pages on it with school items and other personal items in which I have added to give it that "personal touch." As I have stated earlier, I loved my group which consisted of Terri, Kelly, and Bill which I have taken at least four classes with in graduate school, and that right there has made a great foundation for our academic and personal friendships with one another. As for I'm concerned they are family and we do call each other as such. It's nice to have people who are caring, genuine and not fake, which there are so many in the world.
I have participated in class, with whole class discussion, and with our group discussion. Our group did a fantastic job in communicating effectively with one another in class. We connected through our blogs, discussion forums, emails, and via phone. Communication for us was not our downfall, in effectively communicating with one another, if anything it was our greatest assets with each other. We did not have a problem in getting any of our group work done, there were no questions of who did what, we simply did our assignments. The greatest thing about working with these professionals is that, they are professionals. It was absolutely fantastic to have met and become good friends with these people as they will become life long friends :).
As for teaching with technology I really enjoyed taking this class and learning on line at the same time. In this course we have learned about the advantages of technology and the disadvantages of technology. Technology should be used as a tool to guide in the learning process and not a tool to use as learning by itself. Technology can divide the students if not all students have that kind of learning access. We must be careful to not divide our students in the classroom at such a young age. We must make a solid attempt to keep the peace between the many economic divides that lie in the world and let children excel at being children. We must have them find their own interconnectedness, not force our own truths, or values on them. We must give students the opportunity to see where certain avenues in life lie. We must give students options and not tell them where to go. In a sense, Inquiry learning is lifelong learning for each person. We all must find our own way to the points in which we want to get to in our lives. With the role of teachers and technology we must be a guide, a mentor, and a friend to those who want to follow in their own right path. Not every student will go on to traditional college or college at all. We must be nurturing, accepting, and understanding of the world around us. If someone is teaching because they care only about their test numbers and achievement, then what is the point really?
If someone is so crazy about obtaining their so-called numbers then this is a business world and NOT an education world. School should be fun and everyday should a new adventure for each student with a chance to learn. I do believe that more ownership should go on the students and parents. A student needs more than just class time to achieve what they really want to achieve. I will say this, did Micheal Jordan simply go to practice, play games and go home? NO! M.J. is one of the greatest achievers of all times, he simply wanted basketball life more than anyone else every did. This same application goes to anyone in life who wants it bad enough! The real question lies, do you want it bad enough?
During this class learning at times was quite difficult and quite uncomfortable all at the same time. In our group it was our willingness to help one another. As the trusting group that we are we were able to ask for help with our technology needs. We were able to expose ourselves to one another just like kids do. We did not have walls in this course. We had lots of needs and we tried to meet one another needs too. I truly enjoyed the fact that we were able to be open and learn off of one another. We were quite uncomfortable and also we were quite comfortable with expressing it with one another. Our collaboration as a group was outstanding and I would give them a hug individually if I was not 1,500 miles away.
I hope as we enter into our own classrooms that we are able to be as open with our students as we are with ourselves. We must keep in mind that not everyone has or will have our own experiences in life. We must recognize that everyday we must have fun and work like it's our last day. Maybe for lots of students K-12 learning will be it for them; if it we must remember to make everyday the best for them and remember why we took on our teaching positions. This job isn't about the money, it's about the giving of knowledge, and helping students obtain different perspectives of life. We must give them the ability to reason and make choices for themselves.
As for my own learning experience this summer it has been an eye opener so far! I have completed this class from Jacksonville, Florida with the sweetest thing that I have ever know. Taking this class online has personally helped the rest of my life which really needed it. There was this girl who I used to go to elementary school, middle, and a little bit of high school with and then she moved at 15. This is the same girl who used to be in my elementary school, and it was a very small one that I went to. To think back and to reflect that we played with the same parachute in gym class and had the same art, music, and gym teaching is quite astonishing. She's the same girl who came over to my brother's birthday party when I was 7 and that was 20 years ago! After 12 years and talking to my brother about this girl I got a hold of her through technology and it is the single greatest thing that has ever happened to me, period. I was invited to come to Florida for the summer, and I was able to do it in all aspects. I'm greatful for being able to do it all this summer.
I have submitted my work on time and for the most part early too. I have put pictures, polls, music, surveys and games on either my blog, personal website, or wiki. My personal website has at least 12 pages on it with school items and other personal items in which I have added to give it that "personal touch." As I have stated earlier, I loved my group which consisted of Terri, Kelly, and Bill which I have taken at least four classes with in graduate school, and that right there has made a great foundation for our academic and personal friendships with one another. As for I'm concerned they are family and we do call each other as such. It's nice to have people who are caring, genuine and not fake, which there are so many in the world.
I have participated in class, with whole class discussion, and with our group discussion. Our group did a fantastic job in communicating effectively with one another in class. We connected through our blogs, discussion forums, emails, and via phone. Communication for us was not our downfall, in effectively communicating with one another, if anything it was our greatest assets with each other. We did not have a problem in getting any of our group work done, there were no questions of who did what, we simply did our assignments. The greatest thing about working with these professionals is that, they are professionals. It was absolutely fantastic to have met and become good friends with these people as they will become life long friends :).
As for teaching with technology I really enjoyed taking this class and learning on line at the same time. In this course we have learned about the advantages of technology and the disadvantages of technology. Technology should be used as a tool to guide in the learning process and not a tool to use as learning by itself. Technology can divide the students if not all students have that kind of learning access. We must be careful to not divide our students in the classroom at such a young age. We must make a solid attempt to keep the peace between the many economic divides that lie in the world and let children excel at being children. We must have them find their own interconnectedness, not force our own truths, or values on them. We must give students the opportunity to see where certain avenues in life lie. We must give students options and not tell them where to go. In a sense, Inquiry learning is lifelong learning for each person. We all must find our own way to the points in which we want to get to in our lives. With the role of teachers and technology we must be a guide, a mentor, and a friend to those who want to follow in their own right path. Not every student will go on to traditional college or college at all. We must be nurturing, accepting, and understanding of the world around us. If someone is teaching because they care only about their test numbers and achievement, then what is the point really?
If someone is so crazy about obtaining their so-called numbers then this is a business world and NOT an education world. School should be fun and everyday should a new adventure for each student with a chance to learn. I do believe that more ownership should go on the students and parents. A student needs more than just class time to achieve what they really want to achieve. I will say this, did Micheal Jordan simply go to practice, play games and go home? NO! M.J. is one of the greatest achievers of all times, he simply wanted basketball life more than anyone else every did. This same application goes to anyone in life who wants it bad enough! The real question lies, do you want it bad enough?
During this class learning at times was quite difficult and quite uncomfortable all at the same time. In our group it was our willingness to help one another. As the trusting group that we are we were able to ask for help with our technology needs. We were able to expose ourselves to one another just like kids do. We did not have walls in this course. We had lots of needs and we tried to meet one another needs too. I truly enjoyed the fact that we were able to be open and learn off of one another. We were quite uncomfortable and also we were quite comfortable with expressing it with one another. Our collaboration as a group was outstanding and I would give them a hug individually if I was not 1,500 miles away.
I hope as we enter into our own classrooms that we are able to be as open with our students as we are with ourselves. We must keep in mind that not everyone has or will have our own experiences in life. We must recognize that everyday we must have fun and work like it's our last day. Maybe for lots of students K-12 learning will be it for them; if it we must remember to make everyday the best for them and remember why we took on our teaching positions. This job isn't about the money, it's about the giving of knowledge, and helping students obtain different perspectives of life. We must give them the ability to reason and make choices for themselves.
As for my own learning experience this summer it has been an eye opener so far! I have completed this class from Jacksonville, Florida with the sweetest thing that I have ever know. Taking this class online has personally helped the rest of my life which really needed it. There was this girl who I used to go to elementary school, middle, and a little bit of high school with and then she moved at 15. This is the same girl who used to be in my elementary school, and it was a very small one that I went to. To think back and to reflect that we played with the same parachute in gym class and had the same art, music, and gym teaching is quite astonishing. She's the same girl who came over to my brother's birthday party when I was 7 and that was 20 years ago! After 12 years and talking to my brother about this girl I got a hold of her through technology and it is the single greatest thing that has ever happened to me, period. I was invited to come to Florida for the summer, and I was able to do it in all aspects. I'm greatful for being able to do it all this summer.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Digital Storytelling with my Power Point
While I was completing my power point presentation for Digital Storytelling I really enjoyed reading about the topic of Digital Storytelling. I enjoyed the fact that they students get to be authentic with their own work and put their true feelings in. It is a pleasure to see that someone can demonstrate understanding on a assignment beyond the paper and the pencil. Students get to add in color, music, different fonts, and other medias to enhance their own writing. I learned that students can find a way to become authentic to their own. While students complete a project like this one they can increase their own literacy in many eras. Students can increase their literacy in usage of language, computers, and their own historical content.
If I was to complete this assignment differently I would put the power point on a wiki or scrapbook to try something different with my new ideas that I have learned. Overall I don't think that I would have done anything different to be honest. I thought the assignment was simple and I did a good job carrying out the task at hand. The lesson that I would have had the students complete would be for them to carryout a digital story of their own by following what I have discussed in the power point
—Point of view
—A dramatic question
—Emotional content
—The gift of your voice
—The power of your soundtrack
—Economy
—Pacing
I would have the students carryout the assignment of making their own story and submitting it in for the class. Each student would be able to increase their own literacy skills with one another while discussing the points of Digital Storytelling.
Here is my URL to my power point presentation:
http://www.slideshare.net/eambrose1
I hope that everyone enjoys reading this project I had a blast completing it!!!
If I was to complete this assignment differently I would put the power point on a wiki or scrapbook to try something different with my new ideas that I have learned. Overall I don't think that I would have done anything different to be honest. I thought the assignment was simple and I did a good job carrying out the task at hand. The lesson that I would have had the students complete would be for them to carryout a digital story of their own by following what I have discussed in the power point
—Point of view
—A dramatic question
—Emotional content
—The gift of your voice
—The power of your soundtrack
—Economy
—Pacing
I would have the students carryout the assignment of making their own story and submitting it in for the class. Each student would be able to increase their own literacy skills with one another while discussing the points of Digital Storytelling.
Here is my URL to my power point presentation:
http://www.slideshare.net/eambrose1
I hope that everyone enjoys reading this project I had a blast completing it!!!
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Mind map for curriculum
When I was working on my mind map project it was intended for students in the 7th and 8th graders. I think that lots of kids do not know how to write effectively on their own grade level. I think that we need to be more specific on how students write instead of purly assuming that they know what they have to write. Students need to be shown more examples of "how to" do something more and more. Since the increase of visual learners is apparent this chart will come in handy!
In the learning process of this map the students are to be able to think what pieces they need to learn and understand to solve their own puzzle in the learning process. The visual aid will stimulate their own needs while completing this task! By the students reading this map they will visualize and say it to themselves which requires two ways of learning.
When I was putting this mind map together I actually had to stop and think of what I was going to do in all of the steps. I had to sit down and sketch out the steps before moving on and completing this chart. When I was working with kidinspiration I really liked working with it the program was easy to nagivatate altogether. I thought the layout was easy to use and completing the program was quite enjoyable to say the least. The next time I will mind map I will use a different program simply to try something different.
As for assessment I thought this too would be great with a pre-assessment to see where my students are in their understanding for writing in general. There are many students who struggle with writing a simple four or five sentence paragrapgh forget an essay. At least by using this map I will be able to engage my students and see where their levels of knowledge lies~!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Grading achievement in school
Education is knowledge that can be used in the world to get through a person's day to day life! Education is not a standardized grade but more of a way for schools to get money for their test scores. Schools, and education in that aspect make me sick. It's a numbers game, this is not about learning, or caring about any one's lifelong dreams. This achievement tests are about what will you do for me instead of what can we do for you. I have written lots of blog entries on this topic. I want to put my finger down my throat when I here about standardized tests because they make me absolutely sick. Achievement is something that comes with in and not everyone will get an "A" and that is okay!
Authentic Assessment Video
In this class and countless other classes at Mount Saint Mary College, we have discussed the ideas of authentic assessment. I really like the idea of authentic assessment to see what the student has learned. I prefer this way simply because it steers away from the traditional paper, pencil, and scan tron that we have used for years. If the state of New York would spend the money then progress will be made. The state seems to be very stuck on their old, boring, and cheap ways of assessment.
It is a wonderful feeling to see that other states have steered away from such measurements indeed. The school is Seattle Washington uses performance based assessment in their classes. They believe that performance based assessment should be an on going process that starts at the pre-k level and leads all the way to 12th grade. In a student's career the state proposes that the students need to demonstrate understandings in the following: communication, the arts, career knowledge, quantitative and science research, and community stewardship.
What I really like was viewing the authentic rubrics created by the students. I thought this was a wonderful idea and it is a chance to increase student achievement, learning, and retention in the educational process. I hope that teachers are honest with themselves when they create such rubrics for their students. I hope that teachers do not lower their standards to their students, but utilize their strengths and help them achieve to a higher point. I really liked watching this video and to see that there is hope beyond the paper and the pencil in the assessment process!
It is a wonderful feeling to see that other states have steered away from such measurements indeed. The school is Seattle Washington uses performance based assessment in their classes. They believe that performance based assessment should be an on going process that starts at the pre-k level and leads all the way to 12th grade. In a student's career the state proposes that the students need to demonstrate understandings in the following: communication, the arts, career knowledge, quantitative and science research, and community stewardship.
What I really like was viewing the authentic rubrics created by the students. I thought this was a wonderful idea and it is a chance to increase student achievement, learning, and retention in the educational process. I hope that teachers are honest with themselves when they create such rubrics for their students. I hope that teachers do not lower their standards to their students, but utilize their strengths and help them achieve to a higher point. I really liked watching this video and to see that there is hope beyond the paper and the pencil in the assessment process!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Engrade.com
While I was completing my imaginary list I was beginning to think about how far technology really has come. I remember the days of watching teachers calculate everything by hand. By using this technology all one has to do is put in the kind of assignment, the percentage, and the computer will weigh the grades and compute out a final grade. I really liked the way the system completes such a task. What I do not like is that students tend to hand in papers and grades need to be put in. In my opinion it is faster to make an eraser mark in a grading book instead of turning on a PC or notebook and putting grades in as such.
I understand that teachers spend countless hours grading and this will at least cut down the time on grading. If someone does not have to compute grades and such it makes like easier. Students would not like this grade system because their parents can actually see what they are or are not doing in a class. It has its pros and cons for the students. Parents would like this so they can keep tabs on their children and their performances in school.
Also, this system has when assignments are due, a student's attendance and other features like comments. I'm not so thrilled about the attendance portion. Once again, I'd prefer just to put whoever is absent in a green book instead of going into my PC or notebook each time to make a change and that could get really time consuming in the secondary level. I do like the fact that all of this is made through technology it just seems to be very time consuming and will take a long time to use. Something that takes more time in a classroom is not what I would want!
Here are the links to Engrade that I worked on:
To see my links:
user name: Eric Ambrose
password:swoosh1
Food from the Renaissance era- Letter Pop
Food from the Renaissance era
In this day and age communication is essential between teachers, parents, and students. More and more people have less time to actually communicate with one another. There are so many papers that go home to parents that never really make it to the parents possession. In creating a newsletter we hope that it has some higher value than a single piece of paper that a teacher gives a child. On the most part newsletters are colorful and usually hold higher meaning to them. By sending home a newsletter it embraces the learning community and hopefully connects the teacher, student, and parent. I would not like to use any new forms of communication to parents. Technology is expensive and for the poorer communities out there I think using too much technology puts a divide between people. For making my newsletter I used Letter pop. I loved using it. It was easy to pick a template, drag and drop pictures, and make the letter exactly the way one would want it to be. If I did a newsletter again I would use a different program just to have some different exposure to a different technology.
Depending on what kind of school district I end up in will depend on the variety of communication that I will be able to use with my parents. I like technology but it highly depends on the economic status of the community that one is in. For now I'll stick with sending notes home by paper hoping that they make it home! However the one nice thing about using the Internet one does not have to hope that a paper makes it home. By posting something on a website students, parents, and teachers will have access at all times!
In this day and age communication is essential between teachers, parents, and students. More and more people have less time to actually communicate with one another. There are so many papers that go home to parents that never really make it to the parents possession. In creating a newsletter we hope that it has some higher value than a single piece of paper that a teacher gives a child. On the most part newsletters are colorful and usually hold higher meaning to them. By sending home a newsletter it embraces the learning community and hopefully connects the teacher, student, and parent. I would not like to use any new forms of communication to parents. Technology is expensive and for the poorer communities out there I think using too much technology puts a divide between people. For making my newsletter I used Letter pop. I loved using it. It was easy to pick a template, drag and drop pictures, and make the letter exactly the way one would want it to be. If I did a newsletter again I would use a different program just to have some different exposure to a different technology.
Depending on what kind of school district I end up in will depend on the variety of communication that I will be able to use with my parents. I like technology but it highly depends on the economic status of the community that one is in. For now I'll stick with sending notes home by paper hoping that they make it home! However the one nice thing about using the Internet one does not have to hope that a paper makes it home. By posting something on a website students, parents, and teachers will have access at all times!
Monday, June 9, 2008
Creating a crossword puzzel in excel
I just finished creating my crossword puzzle in excel. I thought the process was tedious, time consuming, and really ridiculous to complete. I as a grad student struggled with this then how would kids in the K-12 level really do this? I thought that completing this was more than enough to do for anyone. I do not think kids want to spend their time completing mindless task like this one. I would not have my students complete a project like this one I can see their own frustrations right now and this is time consuming too. Students in New York State have too much curriculum and completing was a tedious task would be over kill!
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Authentic Assessment... The C.I.A. days...
Authentic assessment is something that is very familiar to me. I think authentic assessment will not happen in school simply because it is too time consuming and will cost to much money in a K-12 school. However when I attended and completed my degree at the Culinary Institute of America authentic assessment was the major way to earn a grade in a class. We had to produce our end products to the best of our abilities. For example, if we were making a baguette (french bread) it had to be: crunchy, scored correctly, baked evenly and not dried out, and when the bread was cut open on should have be able to see the proper hole aeration inside of it. It was the same concept for each class: chocolate, wedding cakes, culinary skills, cookies, and other core classes. We also had written test but for the most part the school was HUGE on authentic assessment! Traditionally trade schools are for students who do not like traditional school, tests, papers, and other "traditional" ideas.
The C.I.A. was a complete hands on form of learning where the visual and kinesthetic learner did the best. Everyone had to put out their "own" product. It was a schools where a student truly had to think for his/herself and give their own results. In a school of learning and achievement there were no ways to copy someone. One could true to reproduce a product, however to copy it just like the last one would be really difficult. Another way in school we were assessed was by our own dress code. We were judged on performance and how well we were able to keep ourselves, our end products, and our stations cleaned as well. Learning in this kind of environment was solely on the student itself. The end product was the way learning was demonstrated. We had some defining vocabulary tests and some papers too, but the majority was hands on.
Students like myself attend those kinds of schools because we truly care about what we are learning and will try harder about something we truly care about in the learning process. I have had lots of experience with the authentic learning process in my time there. We also had to pass practicals on our own products so that we were allowed to out and move forth on our externships as a requirement for school. However, we need to have a certain grades so we could complete our own school process for completion.
The C.I.A. was a complete hands on form of learning where the visual and kinesthetic learner did the best. Everyone had to put out their "own" product. It was a schools where a student truly had to think for his/herself and give their own results. In a school of learning and achievement there were no ways to copy someone. One could true to reproduce a product, however to copy it just like the last one would be really difficult. Another way in school we were assessed was by our own dress code. We were judged on performance and how well we were able to keep ourselves, our end products, and our stations cleaned as well. Learning in this kind of environment was solely on the student itself. The end product was the way learning was demonstrated. We had some defining vocabulary tests and some papers too, but the majority was hands on.
Students like myself attend those kinds of schools because we truly care about what we are learning and will try harder about something we truly care about in the learning process. I have had lots of experience with the authentic learning process in my time there. We also had to pass practicals on our own products so that we were allowed to out and move forth on our externships as a requirement for school. However, we need to have a certain grades so we could complete our own school process for completion.
Identify if a web page is accurate and is credible...
Back when I attended the Culinary Institute of America, I took two information and technology classes in 2004. One of our very first assignments in our IT class was to identify if a website was accurate and credible. We were given a list of websites and we had to write down our thoughts and ideas if a site was credible or not. For the most part I thought it was extremely easy to recognize, but one must remember that not everyone sees the world the way you do! The first thing someone has to look at is the accuracy. Who made the page? Did they have the so-called ability to do so. ANYONE can make a web page. What is the URL, is it appropriate? Most links end with .com, .org, .gov, or edu. One should recognize the fact of what the link truly looks like. Also, on should look at is the person who wrote it different from the publisher?
One must learn to read for content of the page. One must understand if the author wrote on a bias or are there facts so that the reader can make a detailed and form able opinion of what they are reading. Also, one must look and see if the site is current. When was the last time the site was updated? How old is the site, etc! Lots of that simply takes time to look at each website and examine with a critical eye. Another thing one should ask is what I am reading, readable? Do I need to pay or download other software to read this website?
Reading websites are simple. Reading websites take time and a little bit of common sense to find out which ones are credible or not! It's simple if a page does not look credible or looks sketchy, well then your probably right! There are no "rocket science ways" to teach credibility it is something that simply takes practice in the classroom.
One must learn to read for content of the page. One must understand if the author wrote on a bias or are there facts so that the reader can make a detailed and form able opinion of what they are reading. Also, one must look and see if the site is current. When was the last time the site was updated? How old is the site, etc! Lots of that simply takes time to look at each website and examine with a critical eye. Another thing one should ask is what I am reading, readable? Do I need to pay or download other software to read this website?
Reading websites are simple. Reading websites take time and a little bit of common sense to find out which ones are credible or not! It's simple if a page does not look credible or looks sketchy, well then your probably right! There are no "rocket science ways" to teach credibility it is something that simply takes practice in the classroom.
Security, ethics, emerging with technology and education
As soon as I started to read this article I began to think of all of those college papers that are plagiarized every year and all that must happen to catch it. When I was an English major at Plattsburgh State College they started to use a program called "Turn it In." It was simple, down load your paper and the teacher could see if a student copied anything from another source or if it was his/her ideas in the paper. With the emergence of technology it is good to have such programs to watch out for people who copy off other works of others.
Speaking of copying, downloading music has became big over the last couple of years with the emergence of Ipods. There is a program on the Internet where one can download all the free songs that they can find. I think it is great media exposure, however, musicians are claiming that they are losing millions of of people down loading music.
Also, when people are looking for really cool clip art pieces, some pictures are not eligible to be cut and pasted and they have a so-called privacy lock on them. People have become more aware of what to post on the Internet and who may or may not steal their own ideas. There is so much out there in the digital world to be aware of. One must be careful of what they download on their notebooks, what they read, and anything else that may require giving away of any form of identity. Also with using protection one must have an anti-virus on their computer. Most common anti-viruses are Norton and Mcaffe. There are just so much junk on the Internet that one has to be careful.
Also, many people are fooled by fake websites and too many commerical pop ups that are scams that lead to people having their computers corrupted. It does not take much and especially with the usage of digital communities or My Space, and Face book. There is so much sharing going on with the two communities by itself. Everyone must be aware of what they are using on the Internet and how it may hurt their own computers that they have. As creatures we must be careful and not have to find out every little thing on the Internet. Sometimes, less is more :)
Speaking of copying, downloading music has became big over the last couple of years with the emergence of Ipods. There is a program on the Internet where one can download all the free songs that they can find. I think it is great media exposure, however, musicians are claiming that they are losing millions of of people down loading music.
Also, when people are looking for really cool clip art pieces, some pictures are not eligible to be cut and pasted and they have a so-called privacy lock on them. People have become more aware of what to post on the Internet and who may or may not steal their own ideas. There is so much out there in the digital world to be aware of. One must be careful of what they download on their notebooks, what they read, and anything else that may require giving away of any form of identity. Also with using protection one must have an anti-virus on their computer. Most common anti-viruses are Norton and Mcaffe. There are just so much junk on the Internet that one has to be careful.
Also, many people are fooled by fake websites and too many commerical pop ups that are scams that lead to people having their computers corrupted. It does not take much and especially with the usage of digital communities or My Space, and Face book. There is so much sharing going on with the two communities by itself. Everyone must be aware of what they are using on the Internet and how it may hurt their own computers that they have. As creatures we must be careful and not have to find out every little thing on the Internet. Sometimes, less is more :)
Evaluation of educational technology it takes a lot of time...
After reading chapter 7 I was a little taken by it. Evaluating educational technology is an evaluation like anything else. As I was reading through the numerous rubrics, I thought this is a little too extensive for me. I think we spend to much time on the assessment process and we lose too much time teaching what students need to learn. I know that in Newburgh School District that they spend a lot of time getting ready for bench marks and then finally taking them. I was told by an administrator at an elementary school that they waste a month plus out of the whole school year simply by getting ready and taking care of these tests. After reading the technology rubrics I was like, wow.
As a society as a whole we need to stop testing every little thing. Not every student does well in a test situation and not every student will excel at the levels that we want them to. I did like reading what James Gee had to say about video games. The statistic was that 92% of all students in the K-12 setting spend at least 20-30 minutes per day playing video games. I'm sure that the number is much higher. Video games work on hand eye coordination, kids have to analyze, evaluate and make an on demand decision about what to do next in their game that they are playing. I don't think it's too much to ask students to spend less time on video games, however that seems to be a more societal problem. Parents are ready to throw their children in from of the t.v. so that they don't have to be bothered.
I also remember reading about Sim City which was quite the popular game growing up along with Oregon Trail. Both of these games one had to solve problems. For example in Oregon trail one had to remember how much food they need for their trip, how long to rest, and when to keep going on his/her travels. Another popular game was Where is Carmen San Diego? We always had a computer in all of our classes with those floppy disk. We loved playing on the computer during recess and we used to compete for it at the end of the day as a reward. It was a form of video games, therefore it was used as a way to keep behavior in check in the classroom as well as a reward factor for others.
I like the program inspiration and how one can lay ideas out in it. I think it is a visual stimulate that goes well in the classroom for everyone. Also another program that has been very successful is Leap Frog. It has engaged lots of young children in the learning process. When we were kids we had programs to learn from too. We had computer hand held games that were red, yellow, and gray from Texas Instruments that had different level cartridges in it to practice our skills on. I think back and that was our "digital learning."
Like I have stated earlier that we spend to much time on assessing where we are instead of teaching and working with what we have. We have become to much of a proactive society and prevent problems that we have not yet met from occur! That my friend is absolutely crazy indeed! We need to work with what we have an hope that what we are teaching will go along with their life long learning process.
As a society as a whole we need to stop testing every little thing. Not every student does well in a test situation and not every student will excel at the levels that we want them to. I did like reading what James Gee had to say about video games. The statistic was that 92% of all students in the K-12 setting spend at least 20-30 minutes per day playing video games. I'm sure that the number is much higher. Video games work on hand eye coordination, kids have to analyze, evaluate and make an on demand decision about what to do next in their game that they are playing. I don't think it's too much to ask students to spend less time on video games, however that seems to be a more societal problem. Parents are ready to throw their children in from of the t.v. so that they don't have to be bothered.
I also remember reading about Sim City which was quite the popular game growing up along with Oregon Trail. Both of these games one had to solve problems. For example in Oregon trail one had to remember how much food they need for their trip, how long to rest, and when to keep going on his/her travels. Another popular game was Where is Carmen San Diego? We always had a computer in all of our classes with those floppy disk. We loved playing on the computer during recess and we used to compete for it at the end of the day as a reward. It was a form of video games, therefore it was used as a way to keep behavior in check in the classroom as well as a reward factor for others.
I like the program inspiration and how one can lay ideas out in it. I think it is a visual stimulate that goes well in the classroom for everyone. Also another program that has been very successful is Leap Frog. It has engaged lots of young children in the learning process. When we were kids we had programs to learn from too. We had computer hand held games that were red, yellow, and gray from Texas Instruments that had different level cartridges in it to practice our skills on. I think back and that was our "digital learning."
Like I have stated earlier that we spend to much time on assessing where we are instead of teaching and working with what we have. We have become to much of a proactive society and prevent problems that we have not yet met from occur! That my friend is absolutely crazy indeed! We need to work with what we have an hope that what we are teaching will go along with their life long learning process.
Friday, June 6, 2008
5 E lesson plan
When were were working on our 5 E lesson plan there were five main components that went along with it. The five main ideas were: engage, explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluate. I thought these five ideas were necessary and stimulating all in one. For anyone to answer these questions one has to think about what they are writing and one has to process their own information in the process. In inquiry process is what the learner wants to know from finding out by doing instead of by watching someone else telling them what to do. I really enjoyed completing this kind of lesson plan. I liked the idea of having to take the time to think, process, and retrieve our own information to design our own lesson plan(s).
If I was a principal in a school I would advise the thinking process of this kind of lesson plan, but I'm not sure that I would want them to use this plan for teaching.There is so much curriculum to be learned that a complete and lengthy lesson plan like this may take up too much time in the classroom. However, I do like the thoroughness that this kind of structure provides. I am afraid that with all that goes on in a day to day classroom that it will take up too much time. I know that sounds sad, but we like things that are through. However the reality of what happens in a class day and what should happen are two different things! I liked the lesson plan because there was a lot of questioning which prompts writing, critical thinking, and other cognitive thoughts that have the ability to stretch our own minds!
If I was a principal in a school I would advise the thinking process of this kind of lesson plan, but I'm not sure that I would want them to use this plan for teaching.There is so much curriculum to be learned that a complete and lengthy lesson plan like this may take up too much time in the classroom. However, I do like the thoroughness that this kind of structure provides. I am afraid that with all that goes on in a day to day classroom that it will take up too much time. I know that sounds sad, but we like things that are through. However the reality of what happens in a class day and what should happen are two different things! I liked the lesson plan because there was a lot of questioning which prompts writing, critical thinking, and other cognitive thoughts that have the ability to stretch our own minds!
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Instructional Systems Design Models help enhance teaching in many ways
I'm going to try to answer this question as best as I can. I'm trying to think of the four models of instruction. The models of instruction that come to my mind are: direct, indirect, collaborative, and problem based instruction. With instruction also there are four models that we discusses in class. We discusses behavioral, information processing, social, and personal. What I am going to do is mesh four types of instruction with the four models we discusses in class.In our own "levels of learning there are many things that are associated with it. The first thing that we must understand are facts and how to retain information. The next thing in learning is that we must understand concepts and how to effectively use them. We also need to understand a student's thinking skills are how they will be in the learning process. We must also be aware to our students climate of responsibility and how active the learner can be in the process. Another thing that we must understand are critical and creative thinking of our learners. While the learner learner learns anything we must be aware of the thinking skills and activities that must take place in any learning environment. In the models of instruction listed above there are two primary ways to instruct, they are teacher centered, and student centered.
In the models of instruction that I have mentioned above there are technologies that enhance these ideas greatly. For example, anyone of these forms of instruction can be paired with with technology. Students can use certain things such as: wikis, blogs, web quest, email, and other forms of digital learning. For direct instruction a teacher can finish their lesson and start a formal blog and students can answer it directly to the teachers question. The teacher can obtain a general consensus from the class and answer the question based on the student's general knowledge and understanding of the direction of the question.
In a collaborative effort students can use a wiki like have in class to build and construct a site like we have in class with our group. The students can work together collaboratively with technology and learn from one another as well too as the learner enhances with each other. Using technology takes the pressure off of the teacher to help all the students at once, so they can work together and the teacher can focus on the students that really need extra tlc. This kind of learning model would be information processing. Students can process information and think for themselves by working with one another in class.
In an inquiry type of learning the learning is focused and driven by the student. The social aspect will be looked upon in this kind of learning. The student will formulate and take the lead in their own learning process that they will have with one another. When I think of inquiry I think of science. I think of finding answers that interest me that I have to explore on my own. For instance if a child takes a piece of celery and put it in blue dyed water one can formulate and opinion on how many days it will take for the celery to turn blue. The students will need to track day to day how much: water was needed, dye was needed, and how fast the celery turned blue. Students can use simple technology like charts on excel to see how much water, dye, and time it took to complete this project. Charts, graphs, and other items on excel can be used to complete an inquiry task.
In indirect instruction the learner is active as opposed to direct instruction. In this kind of learning a personal model will take place as students reflect upon themselves as they are learning from their selves.The teacher acts as the facilitator and students are asked to problem solve for themselves. Students need to be aware of developing their own ideas and to be able to think for themselves. Students need to observe, investigate, and form hypothesis. A good piece of technology would be to use power point with students as a teacher splits them into groups. The students have to figure out how to place their information on the power point and how they need to work together. Students can communicate to one another, and when they present their ideas to the class they have a visual to work with. Having a visual makes giving a presentation that much more easier for students.
Design models such as Assure and Addie make it easier to help achieve the educational and behavior gaps that we come across in the education world. When we are teaching to a certain number of students we need to know what their learning abilities are and the needs that they have in the classroom. The Addie model is great because it is systematic and can help attract the source of the problem that a teacher may have. When we look at our model at least we will know how to place our students in the right groups as they will be able to work towards their common goal of learning.
Inquiry learning is learning that is accomplished by the learner. When a teacher has a model like Addie they can know how to group their students so that they have achieved the highest outcome possible amongst each other. Keeping students in certain groups prevents friction and inferiority of learning together. One must understand how to effectively collaborate students amongst one another. The wonderful idea about technology is that it allows that to happen.
In the models of instruction that I have mentioned above there are technologies that enhance these ideas greatly. For example, anyone of these forms of instruction can be paired with with technology. Students can use certain things such as: wikis, blogs, web quest, email, and other forms of digital learning. For direct instruction a teacher can finish their lesson and start a formal blog and students can answer it directly to the teachers question. The teacher can obtain a general consensus from the class and answer the question based on the student's general knowledge and understanding of the direction of the question.
In a collaborative effort students can use a wiki like have in class to build and construct a site like we have in class with our group. The students can work together collaboratively with technology and learn from one another as well too as the learner enhances with each other. Using technology takes the pressure off of the teacher to help all the students at once, so they can work together and the teacher can focus on the students that really need extra tlc. This kind of learning model would be information processing. Students can process information and think for themselves by working with one another in class.
In an inquiry type of learning the learning is focused and driven by the student. The social aspect will be looked upon in this kind of learning. The student will formulate and take the lead in their own learning process that they will have with one another. When I think of inquiry I think of science. I think of finding answers that interest me that I have to explore on my own. For instance if a child takes a piece of celery and put it in blue dyed water one can formulate and opinion on how many days it will take for the celery to turn blue. The students will need to track day to day how much: water was needed, dye was needed, and how fast the celery turned blue. Students can use simple technology like charts on excel to see how much water, dye, and time it took to complete this project. Charts, graphs, and other items on excel can be used to complete an inquiry task.
In indirect instruction the learner is active as opposed to direct instruction. In this kind of learning a personal model will take place as students reflect upon themselves as they are learning from their selves.The teacher acts as the facilitator and students are asked to problem solve for themselves. Students need to be aware of developing their own ideas and to be able to think for themselves. Students need to observe, investigate, and form hypothesis. A good piece of technology would be to use power point with students as a teacher splits them into groups. The students have to figure out how to place their information on the power point and how they need to work together. Students can communicate to one another, and when they present their ideas to the class they have a visual to work with. Having a visual makes giving a presentation that much more easier for students.
Design models such as Assure and Addie make it easier to help achieve the educational and behavior gaps that we come across in the education world. When we are teaching to a certain number of students we need to know what their learning abilities are and the needs that they have in the classroom. The Addie model is great because it is systematic and can help attract the source of the problem that a teacher may have. When we look at our model at least we will know how to place our students in the right groups as they will be able to work towards their common goal of learning.
Inquiry learning is learning that is accomplished by the learner. When a teacher has a model like Addie they can know how to group their students so that they have achieved the highest outcome possible amongst each other. Keeping students in certain groups prevents friction and inferiority of learning together. One must understand how to effectively collaborate students amongst one another. The wonderful idea about technology is that it allows that to happen.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Assure vs. Addie
Some of reading assignments we had were quite interesting. I really enjoyed reading about the Assure vs. Addie model online. The Addie model is designed to analyze, design, develop and evaluate students as a pure numerical base computing the gaps that a student has fallen into. This model is great for finding outcomes of behavior and knowledge of skills. However this model is too linear and does not account for concepts such as social skills and the environment that they live in.
The Assure model helps plan and develop instruction. This model is more appropriate for the learner and the model develops the most appropriate learning style for his/her environment. I do not think either model is great, however a hybrid model between the two would be much more welcomed in the learning process.
The kind of model one chooses really depends on what a teacher's outcome is for every child. Does a teacher simply care about his/her test numbers and the end result. Or does the teacher care about the students needs to excel in their own learning environment? We should remember that we are there for the students. I understand that numbers to an EXTENT are important but remember each student needs to be nurtured. Every teacher should understand that not every student is going to excel at school and that is PERFECTLY FINE.
The Assure model helps plan and develop instruction. This model is more appropriate for the learner and the model develops the most appropriate learning style for his/her environment. I do not think either model is great, however a hybrid model between the two would be much more welcomed in the learning process.
The kind of model one chooses really depends on what a teacher's outcome is for every child. Does a teacher simply care about his/her test numbers and the end result. Or does the teacher care about the students needs to excel in their own learning environment? We should remember that we are there for the students. I understand that numbers to an EXTENT are important but remember each student needs to be nurtured. Every teacher should understand that not every student is going to excel at school and that is PERFECTLY FINE.
Here is an article on the Addie Model:
http://www.amazines.com/article_detail.cfm/402531?articleid=402531
Here is an article on the Assure Model:
http://www.valenciacc.edu/oit/articles/articles_detail.cfm?ID=45
Sunday, June 1, 2008
More money no problems, no money more problems
I like the idea of the Digital textbook and how it will compete with the attention of students in its glowing form, I think that ideas is fantastic. I do like the idea of the book being digitally searched. I really like all of these ideas, but I think that it will upset the balance of the publishing world where many companies will be up in arms. A digital book is as cool as a car that gets a 100 miles to a gallon of gas, but the real question is will the government ever let such an idea pass. Will the government suppress ideas like it likes to do to keep people in economic "check."
I will say that a book that can be engaging with pictures, sounds, and other images is more appealing. Lets face it the more senses one feels when completing a task the better experience one will feel while accomplishing such a task. The question remains how will schools afford material such as digital books? Will the government get on the ball and even supply it to the people in Detroit Michigan who have a 25% graduation rate or the students in Jacksonville Florida who have a 46% percent graduation rate? Who will be the first to obtain the materials and what will dictate how many materials one will get.
I do like the idea where words and other links are connected to hyperlinks to connect the meaning of the words that one is reading. Does this make us lazier, or does this make us faster. What I will question is the fact that big businesses are the ones making people "feel" that they have to live a faster paced life. So now in school we are supporting it? Then we have to change the reasons why school was created in the first place.
When I was reading students being able to assemble information into textbooks the first thing I thought was no. If students could learn whatever they want that would be great and I am all for it. However, with standards and test a lot would have to change. Once again making a change like this would cost a lot of $$$. Would a state really want change to such a format? That will take a lot of: time, money, effort, and resources to accomplish. I'm not saying digital books are bad but think about the economic impact that it will have on society. Can these digital books be brought home, if so what happens if they get lost, or sold for other reasons? I know in one school district that books are not allowed to taken from the class to home. Books are to be stowed at home and do not travel back and forth. Good idea? Bad idea? Who knows.
I really liked reading this article, but one must always think what was the intent of the article? Was there a bias when writing it. I read it and the article seemed like it was simply selling a product to a consumer. I would like to know where is all the funding from this coming from?
I will say that a book that can be engaging with pictures, sounds, and other images is more appealing. Lets face it the more senses one feels when completing a task the better experience one will feel while accomplishing such a task. The question remains how will schools afford material such as digital books? Will the government get on the ball and even supply it to the people in Detroit Michigan who have a 25% graduation rate or the students in Jacksonville Florida who have a 46% percent graduation rate? Who will be the first to obtain the materials and what will dictate how many materials one will get.
I do like the idea where words and other links are connected to hyperlinks to connect the meaning of the words that one is reading. Does this make us lazier, or does this make us faster. What I will question is the fact that big businesses are the ones making people "feel" that they have to live a faster paced life. So now in school we are supporting it? Then we have to change the reasons why school was created in the first place.
When I was reading students being able to assemble information into textbooks the first thing I thought was no. If students could learn whatever they want that would be great and I am all for it. However, with standards and test a lot would have to change. Once again making a change like this would cost a lot of $$$. Would a state really want change to such a format? That will take a lot of: time, money, effort, and resources to accomplish. I'm not saying digital books are bad but think about the economic impact that it will have on society. Can these digital books be brought home, if so what happens if they get lost, or sold for other reasons? I know in one school district that books are not allowed to taken from the class to home. Books are to be stowed at home and do not travel back and forth. Good idea? Bad idea? Who knows.
I really liked reading this article, but one must always think what was the intent of the article? Was there a bias when writing it. I read it and the article seemed like it was simply selling a product to a consumer. I would like to know where is all the funding from this coming from?
Schools promote schools and businesses promote schools, but schools do not promote creativity
In all of the years that I have been a student think of what programs are the first to when money is tight. Schools cancel art programs, dance, culinary, music, sports and then afterschool programs too. There are many reasons why schools do not promote creativity. Schools do not have a vested interest in them. Schools have two vested interests. A schools first interest is to promote, foster, and nurture students according to business needs of the world who have a great influence in government. Government has a lot of funding for schools, however schools must act upon the rules and structure that is given to them. Schools are told what to teach and the government has the hold on what is important to teach. Why would anyone want to watch a dancer or artist flourish? Those people can make money and have a good life if they really want it on their own. While those people flourish businesses lose money and can not own total control of the economy. It is sick when someone thinks about it really.
The second thing schools have a vested interest are schools themselves. Schools want to promote their own products, and promote their "service" that they provide to others. Why would one not to want to promote themselves? Why would a school want to promote to go and to something else to a student that would be like going to a restaurant to great and someone saying go eat at the other place it is much better! Who would do such a thing like that? Not I, not you and not them. Schools do challenge their energies on state test and standards until one may want to throw up. I for one hated school, hate the structure, and it did not include my learning style at the time. Schools won't promote creativity because there is nothing in it for them. Education has become self-absorbed and we think way too highly of it. We all can't go to school there are not enough places for people in the world to go to with all those educations, think about it?
If there was no school what would we all do? We would be killing each other for $3.30 an hour and what would seperate the masses? School weeds people out and seperates the masses as well.
I have a hard time seeing creativity being put over literacy. Literacy helps companies grow. The problem with education is the structure and that structure will NEVER change. It is like a person who runs for office of the U.S. they have a great idea, but by the time people buy them out their original ideas have escaped them entirely.
However, the fantastic things about kids is that they take chances and they are not scared to chance. When I was working with a 2nd grader with Math and money he did not get upset. He did not understand a concept and he was calm, cool, and collective about it. He shrugged his shoulders and said, "I just don't know how to do it." It was amazing to see how easy he was to reveal himself like that. We worked on it and over came his counting probelm. An adult would be reluctant to ask for help as they would in most cases simply shut down/get frustrated and not work through the process. As we get older we tend to have problems to express feelings towards one another, which I think is sad.
I also remember one time a student in kindergarten was coloring a pumpkin and colored it green and a teacher yelled at that student for coloring a pumkin green. Right then and there a teacher was killing the student's creativity at the age of 5. We know as adults what pumpkins should look like, but right then and there one is shutting down a student's creative thought process. I swear as adults we forget what it is like to be a kid and to go through all of those baby steps that we went through for our own development.
In the video with Ken Robinson the three main words came up:
Diverse
Dynamic
Distinct
I look at these three words and I see that is exactly how we begin in our school careers and then we become molded into other things. We think we need to be other things in school because someone said so along the way, pish posh. As schools develop they develop the mind so much that creativity is not accecpt. Think about all of those ridiculous state test that mean ABSOLUTLEY NOTHING. All they do is provide a way for schools to obtain perspective money from the state. We don't want to change testing, we want something quick, easy, and inexpensive. In education too many corners are cut. I mean come one NCLB!!! Do we need to say anymore? Lets keep pushing kids through school even if they can't read and write. Why retain a student and spend money, lets no be silly here the government is cutting corners which has been influenced by the spending of big business. This is no longer about education, it's about money and what we can squeeze out.
We can discuss the ideas of being creative with technology and schools to the comes come home. It is a false pretense to give the illusion of progress in school. Reading and writing scores have gone down, were quicker as a society, however we are not smarter.
An article on NCLB and is it working:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/education/jan-june04/nochild_1-08.html
The second thing schools have a vested interest are schools themselves. Schools want to promote their own products, and promote their "service" that they provide to others. Why would one not to want to promote themselves? Why would a school want to promote to go and to something else to a student that would be like going to a restaurant to great and someone saying go eat at the other place it is much better! Who would do such a thing like that? Not I, not you and not them. Schools do challenge their energies on state test and standards until one may want to throw up. I for one hated school, hate the structure, and it did not include my learning style at the time. Schools won't promote creativity because there is nothing in it for them. Education has become self-absorbed and we think way too highly of it. We all can't go to school there are not enough places for people in the world to go to with all those educations, think about it?
If there was no school what would we all do? We would be killing each other for $3.30 an hour and what would seperate the masses? School weeds people out and seperates the masses as well.
I have a hard time seeing creativity being put over literacy. Literacy helps companies grow. The problem with education is the structure and that structure will NEVER change. It is like a person who runs for office of the U.S. they have a great idea, but by the time people buy them out their original ideas have escaped them entirely.
However, the fantastic things about kids is that they take chances and they are not scared to chance. When I was working with a 2nd grader with Math and money he did not get upset. He did not understand a concept and he was calm, cool, and collective about it. He shrugged his shoulders and said, "I just don't know how to do it." It was amazing to see how easy he was to reveal himself like that. We worked on it and over came his counting probelm. An adult would be reluctant to ask for help as they would in most cases simply shut down/get frustrated and not work through the process. As we get older we tend to have problems to express feelings towards one another, which I think is sad.
I also remember one time a student in kindergarten was coloring a pumpkin and colored it green and a teacher yelled at that student for coloring a pumkin green. Right then and there a teacher was killing the student's creativity at the age of 5. We know as adults what pumpkins should look like, but right then and there one is shutting down a student's creative thought process. I swear as adults we forget what it is like to be a kid and to go through all of those baby steps that we went through for our own development.
In the video with Ken Robinson the three main words came up:
Diverse
Dynamic
Distinct
I look at these three words and I see that is exactly how we begin in our school careers and then we become molded into other things. We think we need to be other things in school because someone said so along the way, pish posh. As schools develop they develop the mind so much that creativity is not accecpt. Think about all of those ridiculous state test that mean ABSOLUTLEY NOTHING. All they do is provide a way for schools to obtain perspective money from the state. We don't want to change testing, we want something quick, easy, and inexpensive. In education too many corners are cut. I mean come one NCLB!!! Do we need to say anymore? Lets keep pushing kids through school even if they can't read and write. Why retain a student and spend money, lets no be silly here the government is cutting corners which has been influenced by the spending of big business. This is no longer about education, it's about money and what we can squeeze out.
We can discuss the ideas of being creative with technology and schools to the comes come home. It is a false pretense to give the illusion of progress in school. Reading and writing scores have gone down, were quicker as a society, however we are not smarter.
An article on NCLB and is it working:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/education/jan-june04/nochild_1-08.html
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