I have learned that integrating technology into any curriculum is very important and can be useful for students and the professor. Technology can be used to make a lesson plan or to facilitate a class activity. Since technology is becoming the main resource of everyday life, I also think that it is crucial that it is implemented in the classroom. It allows for other avenues of learning to take place and for all learning styles to be covered.
The only advice I have about the class is to keep everything the same but the six word lesson plan =) Its hard! And as for the students who will take this class next semester I think the best advice is not to procrastinate and to have fun with each lesson plan or activity. I think that they should try to think outside of the box with each activity. Also when they make lesson plans it may be beneficial to make lesson plans that they may want to use in the future.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Educational Video Game Design
The elements of effective video game design range from the basics of how easy the game is to play to the graphics. These elements have to be arranged perfectly for each video because each game is directed to a different group of people. If a game is made for an age group that is elementary school aged children it would not have the same difficulty as the games that is created for teenage players.
(Elements: easy to play, addictive, length of game, challenge, confusing, difficulty, illogical, adventure, strategy, rules, goals, narrative context, etc. )
The learning outcome associated with effective video game design is that the person will learn more. I think that this is due to the fact that the person is enjoying what they are doing and do not realize that they are learning the information at the same time they are playing.
Video game adoption and playing is not effected by gender but instead is effected by the person familiarity with the software.
(Elements: easy to play, addictive, length of game, challenge, confusing, difficulty, illogical, adventure, strategy, rules, goals, narrative context, etc. )
The learning outcome associated with effective video game design is that the person will learn more. I think that this is due to the fact that the person is enjoying what they are doing and do not realize that they are learning the information at the same time they are playing.
Video game adoption and playing is not effected by gender but instead is effected by the person familiarity with the software.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Clay Shirky on New Book "Here Comes Everybody"
The internet has now allowed us to keep in contact with a larger group of people a lot easier than ever before. The internet has also allowed us to gin access to lots of information a lot with less hassle. This is important because it will allow me, or any educator, to be able to keep in contact with their students without a lot of problems and having to depend on actually always seeing their students. Teacher will be able to relay information to students,parents and colleagues without having to personally set up appointments or phone conversations. This will allow them to be able to have more time to focus on other aspects of their career and to also be able to interact with a large group of people quickly.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Visual Literacy LL7
Visual literacy is important because it is necessary for people to understand what symbols mean and how they are used to explain certain concepts. I do not think that visual literacy should be the focus of education because it does not encompass everything that a person needs to know when they are learning. They can not learn what a word means, how to use it in a sentence, or how to spell it simply through a picture/ visual. I feel that to an extent there is a double standard as to how men are represented. Women are supposed to always be flawless when they are portrayed and look beautiful, whereas men can have flaws and do not need to be perfect. In viewing the clip about Sarah Palin, it became clear that even political figure were no exception. I think that it should not matter and everyone should know what people really look like because visual literacy in the media helps to reinforce a lot of the negative aspects of the culture in children that leads to eating disorders, underage drug abuse and and other various activities.
Monday, October 20, 2008
: Want Schools to Work? Meet the Parents by Sandra Tsing Loh
The author is upset because she feels that parents are not included in making decisions about the public education system that their children's are involved in but instead the decision are made by people who do not or are likely not to have the first hand experience of a parent.Her solution is to have the parents getting involved as much as they can in their children's educational system with programs such as the PTA or event he booster programs that some schools have.
I would use technology to enhance the connection between parents, teachers and students in order to allow the parents to feel like they are more apart of their child's daily school life, ranging from academics to extracurricular activities. I would use class wiki's and weblogs to keep parents as informed as possible and also keep their child informed also. The use of a weblog would not only allow the student to remain informed but would also allow the paren to be aware of what their child is doing, what is expected of their child, their child's progress and they would also be able to ask question that could be answered without the need of a cnference for every question they may have.
With personal experience of attending three different types of public schools in one county I have come to realize there are various ways for the school and teacher to keep parents informed. One school I attended would send out mass phone calls and leave messages about the smallest detail that a parent would ( or in some case would not) want to know. Another school would mail out a newsletter every week so that parents could stay tuned with what their child was doing and also what the school was doing as a whole. These things were done before computer were as popular. Within these two school there were PTA's and booster clubs for the parents to join. Once technology became more popular teacher in high school would ask for parents emails so that they could email the parents . The school website would not only have the basic information that every parent would want to know but would also have a newsletter, scholarship bulletin board, all faculties contact infrmation and the various booster/ PTA contact information.
I would use technology to enhance the connection between parents, teachers and students in order to allow the parents to feel like they are more apart of their child's daily school life, ranging from academics to extracurricular activities. I would use class wiki's and weblogs to keep parents as informed as possible and also keep their child informed also. The use of a weblog would not only allow the student to remain informed but would also allow the paren to be aware of what their child is doing, what is expected of their child, their child's progress and they would also be able to ask question that could be answered without the need of a cnference for every question they may have.
With personal experience of attending three different types of public schools in one county I have come to realize there are various ways for the school and teacher to keep parents informed. One school I attended would send out mass phone calls and leave messages about the smallest detail that a parent would ( or in some case would not) want to know. Another school would mail out a newsletter every week so that parents could stay tuned with what their child was doing and also what the school was doing as a whole. These things were done before computer were as popular. Within these two school there were PTA's and booster clubs for the parents to join. Once technology became more popular teacher in high school would ask for parents emails so that they could email the parents . The school website would not only have the basic information that every parent would want to know but would also have a newsletter, scholarship bulletin board, all faculties contact infrmation and the various booster/ PTA contact information.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Why do we know less than ever about the world?
Due to the fact the news in the United States does not make it a point to cover the world news and does not have any part of its company outside of the United States causes the average American to know only what the news shows. The news stations are more likely to cover a celebrity than to cover the issues that take place in other countries unless they have to do with the war in Iraq.
I do agree that people do know less than they did before about world news because the only issue that I know about are those that pertain to celebrities,the war in Iraq, gas prices and the campaign. When I do find out about issue that are no directly effecting the U.S. it is due to the fact that my family that lives outside of the country will fill me in.I would rather know about the issues in Africa, South America or Cuba than hearing about how Brittney Spears has slowly been making a come back or how Angelina Jolie adopted yet another baby.
As a teacher I would have students find and subscribe to at least two newspaper that are foreign and cover international news. They would have to have no affiliation with the United States and then from there I would make them do weekly reports on the worlds news.
I do agree that people do know less than they did before about world news because the only issue that I know about are those that pertain to celebrities,the war in Iraq, gas prices and the campaign. When I do find out about issue that are no directly effecting the U.S. it is due to the fact that my family that lives outside of the country will fill me in.I would rather know about the issues in Africa, South America or Cuba than hearing about how Brittney Spears has slowly been making a come back or how Angelina Jolie adopted yet another baby.
As a teacher I would have students find and subscribe to at least two newspaper that are foreign and cover international news. They would have to have no affiliation with the United States and then from there I would make them do weekly reports on the worlds news.
Learning Log 2
Subject Area Anthropology
Grade level 9-12
General description Students will research a particular group of people and then find a microcosm of those people at the school and observe them to be able to write a sample ethnography on that group.
Materials Needed
-Paper
-Pencil
-Internet Access
Time required A week of class
Special characteristics
This project allows for students to work together to gain a better understanding of the people in their community and become less ethnocentric.
Objectives
-Allow students to find out about a different culture.
-Teach students firsthand how to start an ethnography
-Lead students to overcome there ethnocentrism
Technology Performance Objectives
The students will use the class wiki to upload their finds and data as they progress through the project.
They will write a daily blog entry about how they feel.
Their final paper will be uploaded onto the class wiki.
Preparation
Teach student how to use the class wiki and have them create weblogs that will online be used for the class.
Then teach them about ethnographies and how to correctly observe a group.
Procedure
1.Research a cultural group
2.Write a blog about the groups ethnocentric views of that group
3.Find a group on campus or in the local community that is of the same culture
4. Observe that group for two days
5.Then write an brief ethnography on the group
*Through the process take detailed notes and upload them daily onto the wiki and weblogs.
Assessment
1. Did students do the preparation steps?
2. Did students follow the procedure?
3. Did the students write the ethnography using anthropology terms?
Curriculum Standards
LA.910.3.1.1
The student will prewrite by generating ideas from multiple sources (e.g., brainstorming, notes, journals, discussion, research materials or other reliable sources) based upon teacher-directed topics and personal interests;
LA.910.3.2.1
The student will draft writing by developing ideas from the prewriting plan using primary and secondary sources appropriate to the purpose and audience;
LA.910.3.3.1
The student will revise by evaluating the draft for development of ideas and content, logical organization, voice, point of view, word choice, and sentence variation;
LA.910.3.5.1
The student will prepare writing using technology in a format appropriate to the purpose (e.g., for display, multimedia);
ISTE NETS-T Standards
1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity
Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student
learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. Teachers:
a. promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness
b. engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources
c. promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual understanding and thinking, planning,
and creative processes
d. model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments
Extensions
Students will ask questions and a discussion about their finds.
Students will have to interview the group that they observed.
Resources
Various websites that the students will use to gather their data.
Rationale
The information that is going to be taught is about ethnocentrism and ethnographies. This will allow for the students to see that they do have some views that are biased against some groups. This will allow for students who learn better using different methods to benefit since it incorporates a variety of learning styles into the less. The idea is to help eliminate prejudice and ethnocentrism in the average high school student.
Grade level 9-12
General description Students will research a particular group of people and then find a microcosm of those people at the school and observe them to be able to write a sample ethnography on that group.
Materials Needed
-Paper
-Pencil
-Internet Access
Time required A week of class
Special characteristics
This project allows for students to work together to gain a better understanding of the people in their community and become less ethnocentric.
Objectives
-Allow students to find out about a different culture.
-Teach students firsthand how to start an ethnography
-Lead students to overcome there ethnocentrism
Technology Performance Objectives
The students will use the class wiki to upload their finds and data as they progress through the project.
They will write a daily blog entry about how they feel.
Their final paper will be uploaded onto the class wiki.
Preparation
Teach student how to use the class wiki and have them create weblogs that will online be used for the class.
Then teach them about ethnographies and how to correctly observe a group.
Procedure
1.Research a cultural group
2.Write a blog about the groups ethnocentric views of that group
3.Find a group on campus or in the local community that is of the same culture
4. Observe that group for two days
5.Then write an brief ethnography on the group
*Through the process take detailed notes and upload them daily onto the wiki and weblogs.
Assessment
1. Did students do the preparation steps?
2. Did students follow the procedure?
3. Did the students write the ethnography using anthropology terms?
Curriculum Standards
LA.910.3.1.1
The student will prewrite by generating ideas from multiple sources (e.g., brainstorming, notes, journals, discussion, research materials or other reliable sources) based upon teacher-directed topics and personal interests;
LA.910.3.2.1
The student will draft writing by developing ideas from the prewriting plan using primary and secondary sources appropriate to the purpose and audience;
LA.910.3.3.1
The student will revise by evaluating the draft for development of ideas and content, logical organization, voice, point of view, word choice, and sentence variation;
LA.910.3.5.1
The student will prepare writing using technology in a format appropriate to the purpose (e.g., for display, multimedia);
ISTE NETS-T Standards
1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity
Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student
learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. Teachers:
a. promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness
b. engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources
c. promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual understanding and thinking, planning,
and creative processes
d. model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments
Extensions
Students will ask questions and a discussion about their finds.
Students will have to interview the group that they observed.
Resources
Various websites that the students will use to gather their data.
Rationale
The information that is going to be taught is about ethnocentrism and ethnographies. This will allow for the students to see that they do have some views that are biased against some groups. This will allow for students who learn better using different methods to benefit since it incorporates a variety of learning styles into the less. The idea is to help eliminate prejudice and ethnocentrism in the average high school student.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Using weblogs and wiki's in the classroom
There are several ways that a weblog or wiki could be used in a classroom setting that would be beneficial to everyone.
Although weblogs would not be viewed as a useful tool for educators to use with there students they are very resourceful for a number of reasons. One of the reasons I would use a weblog as a teacher is to keep track of my students journals as a teacher. This is especially useful for English teachers because it will allow for them to keep track of the way their students write and correct the fact that a great deal of students do not use the correct grammar when they are typing online. Since I want to be an anthropology teacher a weblog would be helpful because I could tell my students that their assignment is to observe a group of students and to record any previous notions or biases they may have had to the group and then after working/ observing the group to write how they feel about the group. Then have them compare the two views and ask why they think the change occurred and to have them write a blog about that also.This would allow internet to be incorporated into the classroom in another way other than the usual research that students will normally use the computer for.Another way to use a weblog is to give assignments and/or notes for the class in order to the students to have access to any information that they may have missed one day but to also allow them to ask questions that relate to the information. This allows for the teacher another method to distribute the information to the students and it will allow the students a chance to ask the teacher questions without being embarrassed of what other students may think.
A way that a wiki could be useful is for a computer class where the teacher assigns for a group of students to create their own wiki. Then each groups wiki layout would be used for a different math class. The math teachers would assign homework and the assignment would have to be uploaded to the wiki with a step by step explanation of their work.These two uses would give one set of students the opportunity to have the work in school have a larger meaning than just receiving a grade. Then the students who have to turn their homework in online are given the opportunity to see how other students work out the problem if they are struggling with their work. The two work as positive reinforcement for the students. Another way to use a wiki is to have one set up for the class the has the daily notes, a place to turn in homework, and a place to submit projects or parts of projects. This would just be a major link outside of the normal classroom setting for the teacher to keep in contact with the students and deliver information that they may have missed. Also if a student misses class they now do not have a valid excuse as to miss any assignment.
Although weblogs would not be viewed as a useful tool for educators to use with there students they are very resourceful for a number of reasons. One of the reasons I would use a weblog as a teacher is to keep track of my students journals as a teacher. This is especially useful for English teachers because it will allow for them to keep track of the way their students write and correct the fact that a great deal of students do not use the correct grammar when they are typing online. Since I want to be an anthropology teacher a weblog would be helpful because I could tell my students that their assignment is to observe a group of students and to record any previous notions or biases they may have had to the group and then after working/ observing the group to write how they feel about the group. Then have them compare the two views and ask why they think the change occurred and to have them write a blog about that also.This would allow internet to be incorporated into the classroom in another way other than the usual research that students will normally use the computer for.Another way to use a weblog is to give assignments and/or notes for the class in order to the students to have access to any information that they may have missed one day but to also allow them to ask questions that relate to the information. This allows for the teacher another method to distribute the information to the students and it will allow the students a chance to ask the teacher questions without being embarrassed of what other students may think.
A way that a wiki could be useful is for a computer class where the teacher assigns for a group of students to create their own wiki. Then each groups wiki layout would be used for a different math class. The math teachers would assign homework and the assignment would have to be uploaded to the wiki with a step by step explanation of their work.These two uses would give one set of students the opportunity to have the work in school have a larger meaning than just receiving a grade. Then the students who have to turn their homework in online are given the opportunity to see how other students work out the problem if they are struggling with their work. The two work as positive reinforcement for the students. Another way to use a wiki is to have one set up for the class the has the daily notes, a place to turn in homework, and a place to submit projects or parts of projects. This would just be a major link outside of the normal classroom setting for the teacher to keep in contact with the students and deliver information that they may have missed. Also if a student misses class they now do not have a valid excuse as to miss any assignment.
Monday, September 22, 2008
7 websites for lesson plans & social software
Lesson Planning Sites/Links
Teacher Tap--This website has a twenty-sic links to other website that have lesson plan formats and a link that give criteria evaluation ideas for teachers to use. It allows for teachers to have a source to get to multiple resources from and not have to worry about what each website will offer since a brief synopsis is offered.
HotChallk's--This website gives templates for various styled lesson plans and also will aid teachers in other areas of their field. There are forums between teachers and aids in teachers managing their schedules.
Lesson Plans 4 Teachers-This resource give lesson plan templates for a number of subjects while also giving lesson plans in the format of dates and times instead of based on grade level or subject area. Along with information and tools that are helpful for creating the perfect lesson plan the site allows for the teacher to be able to have access to ideas that will be useful for the personally, such as, free software, grade books, fund raising ideas, and many more.
GETTC- This resource has a number of resources that are beneficial more so for the new teachers, especially since the source is designed by a university to train teachers that will one day go out into the work force. The source has templates and resources that not only aid in creating a perfect lesson plan but resources that will help to verify that the lesson plan created was sufficient.
ETTC- Provides templates for lessons plans either for a daily basis or the format is for the week.
NCRTEC Lesson Planner- Instead of giving various templates for a teacher to fill in this resource has one set template that teachers fill in the answers to the questions to create the perfect lesson. The website is a fill in the blank style that makes creating a lesson plan extremely easy and pain free. After filling in the answers to each question the lesson plan can be printed out and the source will not save any of the information so that it can be used again and again.
I4C- This website is a lesson planning site for K-12 teachers. It does not stop at simply giving lesson plans for one source but from different state and school district. the source has tips on how to make a lesson plan to how to be a better teacher to even a "quiz library".
7 social software sites
Ning-This website allows for the user to create their own social website, which would allow for a teacher to create a site that could be used to do turn in certain homework assignments or have the class do group projects that allows the teacher to watch their progress once the information is posted to the website.
Diigo-This resource allows for users to not only bookmark their finds but to personalize it with notes and even highlight their most important findings. The resource encompasses a lot of useful tools that could be used in a group work setting since a person can obtain membership and then have access to a number of resource that are placed there by other users.
PBS teachers- This website gives teachers the opportunity to interact with teachers from other areas that they may have never met. It allows them access to teachers blogs and other resources for teachers like videos that are geared towards certain grade levels and fields.
Wiki browse my stuff- This website give resources to other site and makes it easier to find useful information since it is selected by other users. Theses resources are then given a small summaries that will allow for the user to know if that is the kind of resource they are looking for.
Yahoo Teachers- This resource allows the teachers to have access to an unlimited number of links and also to have access to other teachers view's since they can look at their blogs through this website. It also gives information that is relevant that will be helpful depending on what the teacher is searching for. There are several categories that a teacher could search and find information.
Technorati- This site not only gives access to the other resources that people found to be helpful but it also gives access to a number of other useful things. A member of this site can share sites they find important or relevant to a particular subject, while they are also able to blog about issues and draw people's attention to "rising news stories".
Newsvine- This website focuses on reporting the news from various sources but allows for its members to discuss the issues that are apart of the news in one location. It allows access to a number of different sources and within the site it allows for the user to tag each article the way they feel is the best representation of the information in the article. But also this gives other users a basic idea of what the article is about.
Teacher Tap--This website has a twenty-sic links to other website that have lesson plan formats and a link that give criteria evaluation ideas for teachers to use. It allows for teachers to have a source to get to multiple resources from and not have to worry about what each website will offer since a brief synopsis is offered.
HotChallk's--This website gives templates for various styled lesson plans and also will aid teachers in other areas of their field. There are forums between teachers and aids in teachers managing their schedules.
Lesson Plans 4 Teachers-This resource give lesson plan templates for a number of subjects while also giving lesson plans in the format of dates and times instead of based on grade level or subject area. Along with information and tools that are helpful for creating the perfect lesson plan the site allows for the teacher to be able to have access to ideas that will be useful for the personally, such as, free software, grade books, fund raising ideas, and many more.
GETTC- This resource has a number of resources that are beneficial more so for the new teachers, especially since the source is designed by a university to train teachers that will one day go out into the work force. The source has templates and resources that not only aid in creating a perfect lesson plan but resources that will help to verify that the lesson plan created was sufficient.
ETTC- Provides templates for lessons plans either for a daily basis or the format is for the week.
NCRTEC Lesson Planner- Instead of giving various templates for a teacher to fill in this resource has one set template that teachers fill in the answers to the questions to create the perfect lesson. The website is a fill in the blank style that makes creating a lesson plan extremely easy and pain free. After filling in the answers to each question the lesson plan can be printed out and the source will not save any of the information so that it can be used again and again.
I4C- This website is a lesson planning site for K-12 teachers. It does not stop at simply giving lesson plans for one source but from different state and school district. the source has tips on how to make a lesson plan to how to be a better teacher to even a "quiz library".
7 social software sites
Ning-This website allows for the user to create their own social website, which would allow for a teacher to create a site that could be used to do turn in certain homework assignments or have the class do group projects that allows the teacher to watch their progress once the information is posted to the website.
Diigo-This resource allows for users to not only bookmark their finds but to personalize it with notes and even highlight their most important findings. The resource encompasses a lot of useful tools that could be used in a group work setting since a person can obtain membership and then have access to a number of resource that are placed there by other users.
PBS teachers- This website gives teachers the opportunity to interact with teachers from other areas that they may have never met. It allows them access to teachers blogs and other resources for teachers like videos that are geared towards certain grade levels and fields.
Wiki browse my stuff- This website give resources to other site and makes it easier to find useful information since it is selected by other users. Theses resources are then given a small summaries that will allow for the user to know if that is the kind of resource they are looking for.
Yahoo Teachers- This resource allows the teachers to have access to an unlimited number of links and also to have access to other teachers view's since they can look at their blogs through this website. It also gives information that is relevant that will be helpful depending on what the teacher is searching for. There are several categories that a teacher could search and find information.
Technorati- This site not only gives access to the other resources that people found to be helpful but it also gives access to a number of other useful things. A member of this site can share sites they find important or relevant to a particular subject, while they are also able to blog about issues and draw people's attention to "rising news stories".
Newsvine- This website focuses on reporting the news from various sources but allows for its members to discuss the issues that are apart of the news in one location. It allows access to a number of different sources and within the site it allows for the user to tag each article the way they feel is the best representation of the information in the article. But also this gives other users a basic idea of what the article is about.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
A Quote from Bransford
On potential and proximal development:
"This line of work has drawn attention to the roles of more capable peers, parents, and other partners in challenging and extending children’s efforts to understand. It has also contributed to an understanding of the relationship between formal and informal teaching and learning situations (Lave and Wenger, 1991) and cognition distributed across people and tools (Salomon, 1993). " (Bransford, 2000, p.81)
I found this intriguing because I never really thought of formal and informal teaching in terms of how a student learns but instead I thought of it as what a person learns. I thought that if a person learned how to add and read that would be formal teaching (book smarts) versus if a person learned not walk alone after a certain time would be more informal (street smarts). But then it seems that depending on how the person learns determines whether it is formal or informal teaching.
"This line of work has drawn attention to the roles of more capable peers, parents, and other partners in challenging and extending children’s efforts to understand. It has also contributed to an understanding of the relationship between formal and informal teaching and learning situations (Lave and Wenger, 1991) and cognition distributed across people and tools (Salomon, 1993). " (Bransford, 2000, p.81)
I found this intriguing because I never really thought of formal and informal teaching in terms of how a student learns but instead I thought of it as what a person learns. I thought that if a person learned how to add and read that would be formal teaching (book smarts) versus if a person learned not walk alone after a certain time would be more informal (street smarts). But then it seems that depending on how the person learns determines whether it is formal or informal teaching.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Current Views on Education
My current view on the goals of education is for everyone to learn something that will help them to broaden their minds and minimize the amount of ignorance of every individual. The expectations that I currently have for students that I will have in a classroom is for them to be willing to learn and ask for help. Although I do understand that as individuals that may not be possible I would hope that each student would at least be considerate enough to allow their peers to learn something and better themselves. Since I came from a school where not everyone was willing to learn I could always appreciate those who let others learn even if they felt they didn't need a school education to make it in life. I currently don’t have a preferred teaching methodology and theories that would most impact student learning because I don’t know of any specific ones. My own personal theory is that a teacher’s attitude sets the stage or foundation for how a student will learn and their willingness to obtain the information. There are students that will try twice as hard at subject because their teacher has given the impression that they are willing to work with them no matter how long it takes or the effort involved.
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