Additional Assignment #3

Sir Ken Robinson enlightens us with his profound argument as to why our public education system is in need of reform, and not just in the United States.  If you look back at the history of the educational institution, it was developed to meet the specific needs of the country at that time.  I think one of the most important things to recognize here is that public education is not inherently bad, it just hasn't evolved with the rest of society.  At one time, school did guarantee a stable future.  In a way I feel in past years students had more freedom than they do now.  In generations past, it was not expected that every student attend college.  Now, each child is educated in a way that pushes them to colleges and universities.  Another problem I see is how there is virtually no pride in being educated for a trade.  If you can't make it in college like the rest of us, you are just a screw-up.

The injustice to our students starts very young.  I agree with Sir Robinson's view on ADHD.  I do not think ADHD is an epidemic.  I do however think that medicating kids has reached epidemic measures.  We live in a society where pills fix problems.  You don't like school, you can't get along with your spouse, you just feel down, take a pill and you are better in no time.  The benefit of this trend goes to the parents and educators.  Teachers most often would prefer their students to be medicated because then they do not have the behavioral issues.  Parents have an easier time at home and with the schools.  The problem now is that we don't have to adapt our schools to deal with the inattentiveness from the overstimulation we have created.  We just shut them down and move right along.

As we move along in this information age, some people are starting to get it and try to make adjustments for the injustices we see in the old system.  I can't say how the College of Education specifically aligns to Sir Robinson's beliefs, but I think most places are attempting to make a move to catch up.  Schools are recognizing that kids are different today than in the 1950's.  They are implementing programs that cater to different learning styles and training teachers to new technology and teaching strategies.  I think the best thing we can do to contribute is to be active in your local school system and push for new thoughts and ideas to be incorporated.  It will take the work of students, parents, and teachers to improve our system.

As for the presentation, the animation was incredible.  However,  I couldn't help but find that I was distracted from the message because I was studying the drawings!  I would like to investigate further how this type of presentation is compiled.  It really is captivating, even though I had to try extra  hard to focus on the audio!

Smartboard Instruction Project

Blog Post #10

An Open Letter to Educators- Morgan Bayda


Morgan Bayda discovered this video post by Dan Brown (not the author of DaVinci Code) where he describes why the institutionalized educational system is outdated and his reasons for dropping out of school.  Judging from the looks of him, he couldn't be more than a freshman or sophomore in college.  I think he does a superb job defending his lack of interest in structured education.  Maybe he gave up too soon. I too think it is really boring to sit through 3 hour lectures being bombarded with facts to memorize, but there is a lot more to college than just that.  Most of us choose a school not because we have heard about how enjoyable their physiology classes are, but because when we want to be employed, the name on our diploma represents a respected institution that increases our chances of getting a job.

There is no arguing the fact the education has a long way to go to get up to speed with the technological era. Although the schools themselves may be behind, I think that students are taking their own initiatives outside of schools and using the endless supply of knowledge and resources through the Internet to enhance and subsidize their education. As Morgan related, her use of a PLN enabled her to contact resources to allow her more volunteer opportunities at a lower cost.  As people are using these tools in daily life, they will undoubtedly be carried over into more and more classrooms.  As long as we find educators that aren't afraid of change, I think we will see our universities sticking around for a few more years.

Wow, this is a tough one. I loved the quote, "A great man is a sentence." I think that is something many of our politicians toady need to be reminded of. Maybe then something might get done. But, back to the assignment, how do the questions "What's my sentence?" and "Was I better today than yesterday?" affect me. Today, my answer would have to be that my sentence is "I am a mother, a wife, and a Christian trying to learn how to be better at all three."  For me, I think I can carry that sentence with me for most of my life and there will still be room for improvement.   As for the second question, it can be applied to many aspects of a persons life.  I would say I try to focus on being a better person than I was the day before, but I'm not sure I always succeed.  Maybe I need to write my sentence on an index card and tape it in my car.  It is easy to forget what the big picture is when life's small details get in the way.

Instructional Timeline 9b- A Brief History of Halloween (reposted)

Skype Interview

OK, I feel I need to explain why my interview picks up in the middle. I talked with a wonderful friend of mine that just returned from her second trip to Haiti. We had a great discussion, but to make a really long story short, the first part of the interview was lost while I was saving it, so I had to salvage what I could. I did another interview to replace this one, but I thought this topic much more interesting so I chose it, flaws and all! I'll chalk this one up to experience.

Blog Post #9

What I've Learned This Year- Mr. McClung

While I was reading Mr. McClung's short essay on what he learned in his first year of teaching, I was really able to identify with what he said.  I have thankfully experienced my first year as a teacher and the lessons he describes are exactly right for those of you that are not quite there yet.  I must admit, however, his first year seemed to go a little smoother than mine.  I can assume this because he referred to it as a "magical" experience.  He must be a really, really good teacher!  All kidding aside, the first year can be rough, but you make it through and the next year is so much better.

To recap, Mr. McClung elaborates on about 7 lessons that any new teacher should be aware of and learn throughout their year:  be able to read a crowd, be flexible, communicate, be reasonable, don't be afraid of technology, listen to your students, and never stop learning.  In other words, don't forget about the students during your lesson, don't freak out if your lesson plan completely goes out the window, talk to fellow teachers and administrators, set standards high enough they have to stretch but that aren't out of reach, use the technology you have available, and don't be afraid to change your ways.  Mr. McClung  summarizes for us what all young teachers will need to understand in order to have a fulfilling classroom experience.  But, don't get discouraged if your experience doesn't seem so enlightening.  I promise it will get better!

Blog Post #8

Richard Miller- This is How We Dream
Communication is changing now more than it ever has.  We are able to communicate instantly on a global scale through computer technology.  We live in a networked world.  The days of ideas being held captive to a printing press are behind us.  Dr. Miller explains how the dissemination of knowledge has taken on a whole new life.

In part 1, Dr. Miller goes through several incremental changes that have occurred.  For instance, our workspace is the laptop.  We can collaborate and compose with text, images, and film.  Also, information and ideas should be and are distributed openly and freely.  With iTunesU there is instant access to professors and lectures at schools all over the country.  We are now composing with digital material rather than word processing only.  The availability of this media enables us to push ideas into our culture.  However, he states the resources are not quite here at this point.

Part 2 explains the concept of the "New Humanities" where ideas belong to no one.  His proposed center is a place of collaboration where composing involves excelling in verbal and written communication plus digital enhancement.  As part of a Web 2.0 world where people have the opportunity to contribute to the knowledge that is available on the web, the transition from text only to multimedia compositions is one we should be prepared to accept.   I feel I am preparing myself to be a multimedia teacher, but it is a work in progress.  Education is changing and evolving along with communication.  One can't exist without the other. I hope that the availability of resources does not inhibit the use of multimedia learning in our schools in the future.

EDM310 for Dummies and The Chipper Series were both pretty entertaining videos.  I thought they illustrated well the fact that success in this class is completely in the hands of the individual.  For all of you who have requested a copy of EDM310 for Dummies, it is already available... just not compiled in one book!  As for Chipper, I'm not sure but she might have some learning difficulties.  I was happy to see she had a change of heart at the end, but her lack of understanding about consequences of her actions was worrisome!  If I were to make a video, I know I would not want to personally star in the production.  However, I think I would try to make a video that tried to promote or explain some of the tools that we are using in our class.  It would be fun to make commercials to advertise things like symbaloo, timetoast, wolfram alpha, and others.  I was not aware of a lot of those things prior to this class and a short video on them would be interesting.

Smartboards- Good or Bad?
First of all, I have never used a Smartboard. I would have liked to have one in my classroom, but I think my school of 2500 had only 1 or 2 for all the teachers and it was confined to one department. I do know other teachers who have them. Some use them and some don't. After reading Michael Staton and Bill Ferriter's argument against IWB's (Interactive White Boards) I have to admit they were pretty persuasive. When you compare the cost vs. improvement in classroom learning, I'm not sure you will be able to justify the purchase either. Staton lists 2 main reasons he thinks they are dumb: 1) they don't change the model that's broken, and 2) they are an administrative cop out". Bill Ferriter adds that they don't make teaching the curriculum any easier, they reinforce a teacher-centric model of learning, and the are poorly aligned to the vision of instruction that most people claim to believe in.

I searched for an opposing view and came across this blog- Classroom Chronicles.  A year 5 teacher in Sydney explains her top 10 list for why she loves her smartboard.  I found that in each of her reasons, she kept referring to ways she could save her lessons and notes for use later.  In addition, she noted the interest her students showed in using the smartboard, and how they had the use of personal laptops that tied into the smartboard for putting together presentations.  This teacher seems to maximize the use of her smartboard and feels it is well worth the expense. 

So, teachers love them and hate them.  I think it depends on many variables whether it will work in your classroom.  I think the best way to summarize the issue is from a comment left on one of the first critiques:  "You can give someone a Porsche but that doesn't make them a better driver".  The smartboard isnt' going to fix  problems for you.  It may make your class more interesting, but you have to be willing to put in the work whether you have a smartboard or not.

Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner, read by Kristin Key

Additional Assignment #2

Sugata Mitra, an educational specialist shows a little of his research on how kids teach themselves at a fairly recent TED Talk.  One of his projects he entitled "A Hole in the Wall".  I thought it was fascinating to see how kids who have never seen a computer before were able to use it to teach each other within a matter of hours or days.    I think the kids in Dr. Mitra's projects live in worlds with little to no opportunities.  The sudden appearance of a computer is probably an answer to many prayers.  They seem so eager for the chance to learn something.  This example was one of exceptionally motivated learners, and yes I do think they can teach themselves, even though they are kids.  Under what conditions though?  Well I think they have to have some incentive or inherent desire to learn.  From the video we saw that some things were not important, like a classroom for example.  However tools to learn were provided, i.e. the Internet.  I would think the Internet would be essential for self-directed learning.  Give a motivated student the Internet and a problem to solve, and they will no doubt be able to do it.  I think giving students guideline directives or sets of problems would be a great way to drive the learning and exploration in a planned but not structured way.  This is wonderful for those students that are motivated, but what about the others?  We all know that some students will insist they are not interested in learning anything and will not extend any effort.  I loved his mention of the "granny method" of teaching.  Who encourages you better than your grandmother?  Encouraging a child to succeed would be the best way to try to motivate them in my opinion.  I think we should all try to take the granny approach in our classes when appropriate. 

I have found that over the past few years it seems that being a self-directed learner is almost a necessity.  From online college courses to staying current in a job field, both require one to learn without direct guidance at all times.  However, as we have discussed in previous posts, I do not think the role of the teacher is fading.  I feel the teacher now needs to adapt to a new style of teaching, where there is less structure and more freedom to the student.  I would be curious to see how students who already have unlimited access to technology would respond to Dr. Mitra's tests.  Would they be so over stimulated from being able to find out anything they want already?  I think it would be an enormous challenge to get this type of student to teach themselves biochemistry in a foreign language.  But, like some of the comments after the video stated we really don't know how they would respond because they don't usually have that freedom.  I wonder what the principal would say when he heard you gave your class an assignment and then just left!

PLN Progress Report

The PLN concept is a new thing to me. I have to admit though I feel like a slow learner on this one. I love the idea of my personalized, organized learning network, but it is going to take me a little while to get it all together.  I have made progress though.  Up until recently I had no desire to be on Twitter, but because of the PLN, I have activated my twitter account and am following some of the people that we have encountered through class.  I think Steven Anderson has some useful stuff, and I was interested in the TEDtalks after our exposure to Sir Ken Robinson.  I am also keeping up with the blogs of my C4T teachers, as they have been ones pertaining a lot to education reform, which we should al be interested in.   I feel like I have the tools I need to really develop a wonderful online resource community which will be priceless when I get back into teaching.  Luckily through this class, I am  constantly being introduced to interesting educators  that I will be sure and keep up with. 

Blog Post #7- Randy Pausch's Last Lecture

First I have to say thanks for this assignment because reading or hearing this lecture has been on my list of things to do for about a year now.  I was familiar with the lecture from friends who had read his book and knew it was worth the time to hear it.  I was not dissappointed.

You know at the end of his lecture he asks if you figured out the head fake yet, one of his teaching strategies.  His lecture is structured in three parts:  his childhood dreams, helping others achieve their dreams, and lessons learned.  However at the end you realize that he has actually faked you out and that is not what the intent of his lecture was at all.  You are not there to learn about how to make dreams come true, but instead how to live your life.  Second, he says the lecture wasn't even for any of us, but for his kids.  I got the point, but I think you can still learn a little bit about dreams too.

As a professor from both Virginia and Carnegie Mellon, Dr. Pausch can't help but reveal a lot about his teaching style.  First, I noted his advice to bring something to the table.  I take that as make yourself valuable to people.  Along the same lines, he says we should do something to make other people excited.  I think it is obvious the Dr. Pausch was a prime example of how to be valuable and get people excited.  Not only will students learn better if they are excited, but in return your job is more enjoyable at the same time!  No one wants a miserable classroom.

Don't set the bar- some good avice for us novice teachers!  Dr. Pausch gave a great example of how a teacher could easily restrict the potential for success of his students.  He had an awesome class that went way above his expectations and then didn't know how to handle the situation.  The advice he got was not to set the bar if you don't know where it should be.  Tell them they can do better and they will.  That is something I feel is so important to remember with students.  They need to be pushed to achieve more.

Dr. Pausch tells us so much more in this lecture- teach people to work in groups, get someone to be self-reflective, help others, decide whether you are Tigger or Eeyore.  I think Randy Pausch head faked us another time with this lecture.  We see what a great professor this guy was, but he was so much more than just a good teacher.  He lived his life with karma in mind.  We could all stand to take something home from his lecture about just being a decent human being.

Want to listen?  The Last Lecture

Summary C4T, T#2

I visited Ira Socol on his blog SpeEdChange. I first read a blog post titled "Is All Information Equal". Surprisingly, I learned some neat facts about the Titanic! Really though he discussed the growing phenomenon of "noddies"- people who are told something and just nod and agree without thinking for themselves. The ability and the necessity to question appropriately is being lost, neglected, and worse discouraged in our educational system.

I also commented on a blog post about History and Diversity. Mr. Socol discusses the immediate controversy in New York regarding the placement of the cultural center near the sight of the World Trade Center and how similar it is to a battle fought in the early 1800's over the placement of St. Peter's Cathedral. They go against the norm. However, Mr. Socol's question is who or what is the norm and who or what decides that? Everyone is judged against normal, but is that so good? As I said to Mr. Socol, I don't think many "normal" people make history. Mr. Socol makes a good point that tolerating differences should not be our goal as a society. We should teach acceptance.

A History of Kristin's Family Dogs

C4K 1 & 2 Summary

My C4K student was Kenyas. I was so impressed with the assignments that this class has accomplished. The manifesto was something that I would like to implement with my future classes. I think the comments that we are giving this class are so vital to the success of the assignment. The actual writing they do is great, but I feel the more valuable lesson is that they know there are people that you don't know who can find your work and have something to say about it. That is one part of the technology era that concerns me for children that are new and inexperienced with it. What you put out there reflects you and sometimes you can't take it back! That is a lesson that kids need to learn sooner rather than later. By allowing these kids to experience this interaction with unknown people and receiving peer reviews, they can begin to understand the importance of using technology responsibly.

Blog Post #6

The Networked Student by Wendy Drexler

Ok, first of all I would like to say that I think the idea of networked learning for K12 students sounds exciting. I also believe that we have a lot of people to convince of this before we see widespread use of it in public school classrooms. The stick man made the "network" look so easy and organized. However, in reality it is not easy for everyone to build a network like the example. To me, working on the internet and organizing your searches, videos, favorite sites, etc. is not really how I like spending my time. I have too many other things going on and do not spend very much time at all on the computer. I also am not trying to prepare lessons right now. So for me it is a chore to be "networked". I do think everyone is capable of doing it, I just don't think everyone likes to do it.

Now for a student, he or she would benefit tremendously from the organization the "network" provides. Understanding the concept is where it gets tricky and is where the teacher is paramount. I would not be able to build my "network" without the help of Dr. Strange and this class. I know a grade school student could not do it without the guidance and direction of a teacher. I personally would love to attend a conference that taught you how to incorporate this type of learning into your lessons. Right now I think I would find it hard to do with the restrictions and curriculum standards that I taught under.

I reviewed Ms. Drexler's list of potential obstacles to achieving this and there are many: teacher buy-in, parent buy-in, curriculum standards, you name it. However, it seems that with any type of change, obstacles are to be expected. Change doesn't happen easily. I wish Ms. Drexler good luck with her project and I hope to see the results from the project. Maybe when I get back in the classroom I will be able to create a "networked" environment for my students.

A 7th Grader's PLN

This girl has got it together. I think I'll just follow her directions and get my PLN organized! I am assuming she is a student of Ms. Drexler's? My link is not working correctly for me to go back and verify that but I thought the video was co-produced by her. Anyway, she obviously has very good guidance as far as "networking" herself. I would love to see the syllabus for her science class.

The Machine is Changing Us by M. Wesch

The you-tube phenomenon is something that is relatively new to me personally. I just have not felt the need like so many millions of people to express myself to the world. The media is impacting our society and our information dispersement in a drastic way, and you-tube is at the forefront. There was no facebook or you-tube when I was in college, so it is something that I am experiencing as an adult with much different interests, needs, and priorities in my life. Dr. Wesch has some very good points about the way our society reacts and uses this media and how it impacts our conversation. I thought the most encouraging part of his talk was the video of the hand messages. It is promising to see that in such a narcissistic society, there are still people who care about others and the world we live in. Hopefully this "machine" will be used to propagate those connections between people for positive results.

Project #8- Podcast