Sunday, July 24, 2011
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
My Personal Learning Network
At the present time my PLN is fairly limited. Sites I've found so far that I think I will use in the future are Kahn Academy , YouTube , TeacherTube , attheteachersdesk , boxoftricks , pbs.org , and free.ed.gov , which has many different resources on one website. I have set up a Symbaloo account but haven't really learned how to use it yet. I will continue to explore the web and when I find something I think is useful I'll add it to my list. I know there is lots of talk about Twitter, but I have a very basic phone for the purpose of staying in touch with my family. My phone won't even send text messages so it's not really Twitter friendly.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Sunday, July 17, 2011
C4T#4
This week I looked at the blog of arvid grover at www.21apples.org. She had a very brief writing about Evernote Peek, a new study aid that works with an iPad. You make a question and answer study guide and put the cover on the iPad notebook. The cover is scored into sections. When you turn up the first section, it shows you the question. When you turn up the next section it shows you the answer. I think this is an excellent way to study and would be very useful for anyone using an iPad notebook.
There was not a new post on this blog so I went to the previous post. This post was relaying information about YouTube partnering with Creative Commons to allow use of videos and music licensed by Creative Commons in the production of your own videos. This would allow incorporating clips of other videos or music into your video without the worry of copyright infringement issues. Just go to the YouTube search box and enter Creative Commons. There is also an online editor to use that can assist you and automatically give credit where credit is due. This could be a useful tool when producing your own videos.
There was not a new post on this blog so I went to the previous post. This post was relaying information about YouTube partnering with Creative Commons to allow use of videos and music licensed by Creative Commons in the production of your own videos. This would allow incorporating clips of other videos or music into your video without the worry of copyright infringement issues. Just go to the YouTube search box and enter Creative Commons. There is also an online editor to use that can assist you and automatically give credit where credit is due. This could be a useful tool when producing your own videos.
Blog Assignment #14
Frank Noschese vs Kahn Academy
This is an interesting debate if one really believes there are two sides to the debate, but I don't really see it that way. For starters, I completely agree with Mr Noschese's fundamental premise that you learn more by doing than by hearing. I also agree that the more a student puts into solving a problem, the greater the understanding of the problem solving process. When I first started reading this blog about Kahn Academy, I was immediately defensive because I think Kahn Academy is great. However, after absorbing the post, I realized Mr Noschese is not really attacking what Salmon Kahn has done, he is angry about the way Kahn Academy has been promoted, not necessarily by Mr Kahn, as a revolutionary in the educational process. Kahn Academy has been fortunate enough to receive financial support from sponsors with big bucks (ie Bill Gates) and has produced over 2000 educational videos. Obviously I can't read his mind but from what I,ve seen and heard I think Mr Kahn has continued to proceed just like he started: helping people with specific problems or concepts they are struggling with at the time. His videos have become so numerous and encompassing that you can learn a lot of stuff from his tutorials that you might miss in class, and there is the advantage of working at a pace that is right for you.
Mr Noschese is arguing correctly that some concepts (physics in this case) can only be really learned with hands on exploration. No argument from me. However, I think he may be a little extreme in the elevator discussion. Yes, if you build a simulation elevator you probably will have a more concrete understanding of the forces involved. But at some point before you build the elevator you must have a pretty good knowledge of force, velocity, and acceleration, and how to calculate these values for a given situation. I think Kahn Academy does a good job of teaching and reinforcing calculations of this sort. I took a lot of physics and chemistry when I was in college and I have taught both. The labs and hands-on stuff is great for teaching you how to apply this knowledge to the real world, but if you don't know the basics involved and how to manipulate the equations to fit the information available, you're not going to have much success with hands-on, real world applications.
Finally, I think the bottom line is there must be both types of instruction for mastery of any topic to be achieved. First you must learn the basics, then you learn how to apply them to the world that we live in and the problems encountered there. Our education system needs a major tune-up and a lot of people are searching for the answers. If money was not always an issue, some problems could be solved relatively quickly, such as teacher-student ratios and resources available to teachers and students. These are not the only problems, but these are problems. We'll just have keep trying to improve things and maybe one day we'll get there. I really liked a quote Mr Noschese had from one of his students: "Don't hate the player, hate the game". We are all just players. It's the game that needs to change.
This is an interesting debate if one really believes there are two sides to the debate, but I don't really see it that way. For starters, I completely agree with Mr Noschese's fundamental premise that you learn more by doing than by hearing. I also agree that the more a student puts into solving a problem, the greater the understanding of the problem solving process. When I first started reading this blog about Kahn Academy, I was immediately defensive because I think Kahn Academy is great. However, after absorbing the post, I realized Mr Noschese is not really attacking what Salmon Kahn has done, he is angry about the way Kahn Academy has been promoted, not necessarily by Mr Kahn, as a revolutionary in the educational process. Kahn Academy has been fortunate enough to receive financial support from sponsors with big bucks (ie Bill Gates) and has produced over 2000 educational videos. Obviously I can't read his mind but from what I,ve seen and heard I think Mr Kahn has continued to proceed just like he started: helping people with specific problems or concepts they are struggling with at the time. His videos have become so numerous and encompassing that you can learn a lot of stuff from his tutorials that you might miss in class, and there is the advantage of working at a pace that is right for you.
Mr Noschese is arguing correctly that some concepts (physics in this case) can only be really learned with hands on exploration. No argument from me. However, I think he may be a little extreme in the elevator discussion. Yes, if you build a simulation elevator you probably will have a more concrete understanding of the forces involved. But at some point before you build the elevator you must have a pretty good knowledge of force, velocity, and acceleration, and how to calculate these values for a given situation. I think Kahn Academy does a good job of teaching and reinforcing calculations of this sort. I took a lot of physics and chemistry when I was in college and I have taught both. The labs and hands-on stuff is great for teaching you how to apply this knowledge to the real world, but if you don't know the basics involved and how to manipulate the equations to fit the information available, you're not going to have much success with hands-on, real world applications.
Finally, I think the bottom line is there must be both types of instruction for mastery of any topic to be achieved. First you must learn the basics, then you learn how to apply them to the world that we live in and the problems encountered there. Our education system needs a major tune-up and a lot of people are searching for the answers. If money was not always an issue, some problems could be solved relatively quickly, such as teacher-student ratios and resources available to teachers and students. These are not the only problems, but these are problems. We'll just have keep trying to improve things and maybe one day we'll get there. I really liked a quote Mr Noschese had from one of his students: "Don't hate the player, hate the game". We are all just players. It's the game that needs to change.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Blog Assignment #13
Top 10 Tips For Using Technology in the Classroom
1) Use Streaming Video
2) Use music more often
3) Use Teleconferencing Tools
4) Create your own Interactive Exercises
5) Use Interactive Whiteboard more Effectively
6) Create your own podcasts
7) Start your own blog or Wiki
8) Use social networks
9) Use internet tools
10) Make the most of pupils gadgets
Some of these tips make really good sense and could probably make it into schools without too much difficulty. I don't support using music more often, because in this area we would be listening to rap all the time, and I do not believe this would foster learning and i believe I would shoot myself if I had to listen rap very long. Creating lessons and using the Smartboard effectively is a excellent suggestion and could probably be done. Working on the second half of his list would require some intense planning and thinking. He did mention couple of games that could be played using Hot Potatoes and Animato. These games appeared alright and could probably be implemented without much trouble. I definitely agree with blogging because it can several different benefits. For me, the best about this exercise was discovering all the things available at the boxoftricks website. I found many things there that would I probably try to use in the classroom.
1) Use Streaming Video
2) Use music more often
3) Use Teleconferencing Tools
4) Create your own Interactive Exercises
5) Use Interactive Whiteboard more Effectively
6) Create your own podcasts
7) Start your own blog or Wiki
8) Use social networks
9) Use internet tools
10) Make the most of pupils gadgets
Some of these tips make really good sense and could probably make it into schools without too much difficulty. I don't support using music more often, because in this area we would be listening to rap all the time, and I do not believe this would foster learning and i believe I would shoot myself if I had to listen rap very long. Creating lessons and using the Smartboard effectively is a excellent suggestion and could probably be done. Working on the second half of his list would require some intense planning and thinking. He did mention couple of games that could be played using Hot Potatoes and Animato. These games appeared alright and could probably be implemented without much trouble. I definitely agree with blogging because it can several different benefits. For me, the best about this exercise was discovering all the things available at the boxoftricks website. I found many things there that would I probably try to use in the classroom.
Summary of Political Survey
With only six participants this has no statistical meaning, but I'll try to sum up the results such as they are. Concerning party affiliation, there were 3 Republicans, 2 Democrats, and one who claimed no affiliation. 4 out of 6 said they were conservatives and 2 were moderates. There were no liberals. There was a variety of answers for the biggest issue facing our government, including the budget, the national debt, the economy, the war, and health care. One person was unsure. Four out of six are opposed to our government running our health care. Concerning our military involvement in the Middle East, everyone, including a vet that did 2 years in Iraq, think it is definitely time to bring our soldiers home. When asked if their politics are similar to their parents, 3 said yes and 3 answered maybe/don't care. Four of six felt like the voting age should be lowered to 18, one said 19 and the other 21. Four of six felt like stopping illegal immigration was a priority for our government, while there were 2 maybe/don't care answers. On the question of whether the US should decrease defense spending, opinions were evenly divided with 3 yes votes and three that said no. Reflecting the Bible Belt, only one person thought that gay marriage should be legalized, four thought it should not, and one was undecided. When asked if gun control laws were too strict, two people strongly agreed that they were, one agreed and three didn't know. Four of six believed gambling should be legalized in Alabama while the other two said maybe. One respondent felt that welfare should have no limitations, one answered maybe/don't care, and four believed that welfare should have limitations placed on it. No one taking this survey felt like elected officials really represented them, which seems like a shame in a democratic society. Regarding use of the death penalty for crimes, half the respondents felt like it should be increased while half didn't know Concerning the abortion debate, three people considered themselves ProLife, two were ProChoice, and one wasn't sure were they stood. When faced with the statement marijuana should be legalized 2 strongly agreed, one agreed, two said they didn't know, and one disagreed. No one involved felt like the government does a good job of handling money. A question was asked about why people seek public office, with possible answers being to help people, to gain power, to gain prestige, all of the above or none of the above, three people picked all of the above, one said to help people, one said to gain power, and one said none of the above. This survey included males and females, ranging in age from 21 to 46 years of age.
Blog Assignment #12
For this blog post, watch the following videos and write two or more paragraphs describing your reaction to the videos.
When I Become a Teacher
Are You Paying Attention
The first video, "When I Become a Teacher", shows clips of a number of teachers making statements about how they don't care, they can't wait to quit, they're not going to change, etc. If this were the way a majority of teachers were, our education system would be in even worse shape than it is.
I have never met any teachers who would say they felt this way and I really believe the great majority of teachers really care about their students and do their best to teach them. I do think most teachers are somewhat resistant to change, but so are most other people in the world.
The second video, "Are You Paying Attention", takes another look at many things we have seen before. Statistics about how many hours students have spent playing games, talking on the phone, etc. I realize that students can entertain themselves with electronics and technology, but can they be disciplined enough to learn meaningful subject matter with technology. I guess I'm like the administrator in the pencil story; from what I have seen when I substitute for tech teachers about 70-80% of the class either play games, watch NFL or NBA highlights, or shop online. Only a very few actually do their assigned work or spend the time expanding their knowledge of the world like every one seems to think they will do. Anyway, this video does mention an approach a little different. It suggests using cell phones to teach in the classroom which might possibly be feasible since most students (at some ages) carry cell phones to school. The biggest advantage to this would be they already have the phones. The biggest drawback that I can see is how to monitor what the students are actually doing and making sure they are not playing Hangman
When I Become a Teacher
Are You Paying Attention
The first video, "When I Become a Teacher", shows clips of a number of teachers making statements about how they don't care, they can't wait to quit, they're not going to change, etc. If this were the way a majority of teachers were, our education system would be in even worse shape than it is.
I have never met any teachers who would say they felt this way and I really believe the great majority of teachers really care about their students and do their best to teach them. I do think most teachers are somewhat resistant to change, but so are most other people in the world.
The second video, "Are You Paying Attention", takes another look at many things we have seen before. Statistics about how many hours students have spent playing games, talking on the phone, etc. I realize that students can entertain themselves with electronics and technology, but can they be disciplined enough to learn meaningful subject matter with technology. I guess I'm like the administrator in the pencil story; from what I have seen when I substitute for tech teachers about 70-80% of the class either play games, watch NFL or NBA highlights, or shop online. Only a very few actually do their assigned work or spend the time expanding their knowledge of the world like every one seems to think they will do. Anyway, this video does mention an approach a little different. It suggests using cell phones to teach in the classroom which might possibly be feasible since most students (at some ages) carry cell phones to school. The biggest advantage to this would be they already have the phones. The biggest drawback that I can see is how to monitor what the students are actually doing and making sure they are not playing Hangman
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Blog Assignment #11
Mrs Cassidy and Her Kids
I thought it was pretty amazing to see these kids so young they probably couldn't give directions to their house doing so many things on a computer. This is a great way to begin a child's education because they will be surrounded by technology for the rest of their lives. There is so much that can be learned using technology and if they learn computers are a tool and not a toy it will serve them well.
The Skype with Mrs Cassidy was very interesting. It's cool to be able to be face to face with someone thousands of miles away. She was very fortunate to have received the five computers to use in her classroom and also to have the support of the higher ups in her school system. Putting the children's work on the internet is a good way for parents to see what their child is doing in school. I also noticed that the use of the computers was a progression and that she had to have time to get training and to get up and running. Luckily, her system allowed her the time off to figure it all out. Overall, I think it's a great concept and I am anxiously awaiting for this to take hold in Mobile.
I thought it was pretty amazing to see these kids so young they probably couldn't give directions to their house doing so many things on a computer. This is a great way to begin a child's education because they will be surrounded by technology for the rest of their lives. There is so much that can be learned using technology and if they learn computers are a tool and not a toy it will serve them well.
The Skype with Mrs Cassidy was very interesting. It's cool to be able to be face to face with someone thousands of miles away. She was very fortunate to have received the five computers to use in her classroom and also to have the support of the higher ups in her school system. Putting the children's work on the internet is a good way for parents to see what their child is doing in school. I also noticed that the use of the computers was a progression and that she had to have time to get training and to get up and running. Luckily, her system allowed her the time off to figure it all out. Overall, I think it's a great concept and I am anxiously awaiting for this to take hold in Mobile.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
C4T#3
The blog posts I commented on were by Julie Vincentsen at Principal Musings. Ms Vincentsen is principal at an elementary school in New England. The first post was about learning tasks for students to do over the summer. It went on to suggest some fun ways to get kids to do some things. The whole idea is to keep the kids from going backwards during their summer vacation, something she referred to as the summer slide. The second post spoke about Ms Vincentsen going to a new school next year and contained some links to websites she planned on referring back to. One that I liked was one called "Help I'm Being Criticized". Anyone that deals with people is going to receive their share of criticism. The website contains helpful hints and advice about what to do when faced with criticism.
Special Assignment #2
Websites for Learning
Kahn Academy originated when Salmon Kahn made some tutorial videos for his cousins. After a positive response from his cousins and others, he expanded his video production. He quit his job as a fund investor, enlisted some others to help him, and now has over 2000 tutorial videos on the Kahn Academy website. Tutorials available range from math to science to SAT prep. iTunesU is a collection of lectures, labs, and other educational media produced by universities all over the world. TED is an organization that produces videos from a wide range of disciplines. Originally, the purpose was to bring together Technology, Entertainment and Design (hence the name TED) but it has expanded to include a wider range of subjects.
Kahn Academy has a seemingly endless selection of math tutorials, including Algebra I & II, Pre-Calculus, Calculus, Differential Equations, and others. One can also find a good selection of science tutorials, including Chemistry, Physics, Organic Chemistry, and other disciplines. There are also videos concerning Finance, Economics, Investing, Statistics and SAT prep tutorials. A teacher teaching these subjects could plan lessons based on these tutorials and then use these videos to help him teach or as reinforcement for what he has already presented to the class.
The videos that TED makes available are generally talks or lectures from their yearly 4 day conferences. At each conference, they attempt to have 50 of the most interesting people in the world speak for 15-20 minutes each. They then make these talks available to the world on their website. At this time, there are about 1000 videos that can be watched and listened to about many different subjects such as medicine, science, finance, human rights, technology and others.
Many are inspirational or motivational talks. These could be used by a teacher to inspire the students to have high aspirations or he could seek out a topic related to the lessons and just give the students a different perspective on the subject.
The iTunesU website contains thousands of videos and e-books that are made available by over 400 universities in the US and others from around the world. In general, topics include any course that might be offered at a university. The subjects are wide ranging, including math, science, theology, the social sciences (history, sociology, psychology, etc), economics, foreign language and art. Some of these productions may exceed 1 1/2 hours, some are shorter than one minute. A teacher could use some of these longer ones for student projects or use shorter ones for a brief explanation or overview of a topic.
At Kahn Academy, I watched the tutorial about balancing chemical equations. When I was teaching this it was a concept that many had trouble with. I was pleased to see in the tutorial that he presented the subject almost exactly like I did, so maybe I was doing OK. You can find the video at Khan Academy:Chemical Equations
When I looked at what TED had to offer, I had to search a little while to find a talk that I was really interested in. The TED topics are pretty random and not organized as clearly as I would like. I found a talk by James Watson, who along with his partner, Francis Crick, figured out the structure of DNA. Their discovery and the gene research that has followed have been world changing. I felt honored to be able to see and hear him. This talk can be found at DNA Discovery
At iTunesU, I watched several videos about Iran and US relations, how Iranians think about the US, and the hostage crisis of the early 1980's. Even though I teach science, I have a strong interest in history and how it affects what goes on in the world today. However, maybe due to the way it is organized, I could not find a "url" for the videos I watched.
I could see the tutorials from Kahn Academy being very helpful. They could be used as a change of pace during class (so the kids could listen to someone other than me) or they could be used to reteach something that had already been presented to the students. Sometimes when you hear something from someone else it'll just click. The tutorials could also be used by students who miss class. I would definitely use Kahn Academy as a resource.
iTunesU would not be as easy to use because topics are not organized and laid out where things can be easily and quickly found. I'm certain there are resources there that I could possibly use if I only knew how to find it. Maybe when I become more familiar with the website I will be able to utilize it more.
The talks found on the TED website cover a really wide range of topics, and appear to be directed at an adult audience rather than 13-14 year olds. There may be something in there that I could use in class but probably not a lot. It's kinda random and over the head of most middle schoolers.
I suppose I was somewhat surprised at the extent of resources available, especially at Kahn Academy and iTunesU. I knew that there were probably some tutorials available, but it was definitely a pleasant surprise to see what Kahn Academy has available. Not only would a lot of this be useful in the classroom, but I can also use these tutorials to refresh my own knowledge, especially my math skills. I had been considering retaking some classes just to refresh things in my brain, but now I don't think I'll have to do that. With the books available on iTunesU and the tutorials by Kahn, I can learn it on my own.
Kahn Academy originated when Salmon Kahn made some tutorial videos for his cousins. After a positive response from his cousins and others, he expanded his video production. He quit his job as a fund investor, enlisted some others to help him, and now has over 2000 tutorial videos on the Kahn Academy website. Tutorials available range from math to science to SAT prep. iTunesU is a collection of lectures, labs, and other educational media produced by universities all over the world. TED is an organization that produces videos from a wide range of disciplines. Originally, the purpose was to bring together Technology, Entertainment and Design (hence the name TED) but it has expanded to include a wider range of subjects.
Kahn Academy has a seemingly endless selection of math tutorials, including Algebra I & II, Pre-Calculus, Calculus, Differential Equations, and others. One can also find a good selection of science tutorials, including Chemistry, Physics, Organic Chemistry, and other disciplines. There are also videos concerning Finance, Economics, Investing, Statistics and SAT prep tutorials. A teacher teaching these subjects could plan lessons based on these tutorials and then use these videos to help him teach or as reinforcement for what he has already presented to the class.
The videos that TED makes available are generally talks or lectures from their yearly 4 day conferences. At each conference, they attempt to have 50 of the most interesting people in the world speak for 15-20 minutes each. They then make these talks available to the world on their website. At this time, there are about 1000 videos that can be watched and listened to about many different subjects such as medicine, science, finance, human rights, technology and others.
Many are inspirational or motivational talks. These could be used by a teacher to inspire the students to have high aspirations or he could seek out a topic related to the lessons and just give the students a different perspective on the subject.
The iTunesU website contains thousands of videos and e-books that are made available by over 400 universities in the US and others from around the world. In general, topics include any course that might be offered at a university. The subjects are wide ranging, including math, science, theology, the social sciences (history, sociology, psychology, etc), economics, foreign language and art. Some of these productions may exceed 1 1/2 hours, some are shorter than one minute. A teacher could use some of these longer ones for student projects or use shorter ones for a brief explanation or overview of a topic.
At Kahn Academy, I watched the tutorial about balancing chemical equations. When I was teaching this it was a concept that many had trouble with. I was pleased to see in the tutorial that he presented the subject almost exactly like I did, so maybe I was doing OK. You can find the video at Khan Academy:Chemical Equations
When I looked at what TED had to offer, I had to search a little while to find a talk that I was really interested in. The TED topics are pretty random and not organized as clearly as I would like. I found a talk by James Watson, who along with his partner, Francis Crick, figured out the structure of DNA. Their discovery and the gene research that has followed have been world changing. I felt honored to be able to see and hear him. This talk can be found at DNA Discovery
At iTunesU, I watched several videos about Iran and US relations, how Iranians think about the US, and the hostage crisis of the early 1980's. Even though I teach science, I have a strong interest in history and how it affects what goes on in the world today. However, maybe due to the way it is organized, I could not find a "url" for the videos I watched.
I could see the tutorials from Kahn Academy being very helpful. They could be used as a change of pace during class (so the kids could listen to someone other than me) or they could be used to reteach something that had already been presented to the students. Sometimes when you hear something from someone else it'll just click. The tutorials could also be used by students who miss class. I would definitely use Kahn Academy as a resource.
iTunesU would not be as easy to use because topics are not organized and laid out where things can be easily and quickly found. I'm certain there are resources there that I could possibly use if I only knew how to find it. Maybe when I become more familiar with the website I will be able to utilize it more.
The talks found on the TED website cover a really wide range of topics, and appear to be directed at an adult audience rather than 13-14 year olds. There may be something in there that I could use in class but probably not a lot. It's kinda random and over the head of most middle schoolers.
I suppose I was somewhat surprised at the extent of resources available, especially at Kahn Academy and iTunesU. I knew that there were probably some tutorials available, but it was definitely a pleasant surprise to see what Kahn Academy has available. Not only would a lot of this be useful in the classroom, but I can also use these tutorials to refresh my own knowledge, especially my math skills. I had been considering retaking some classes just to refresh things in my brain, but now I don't think I'll have to do that. With the books available on iTunesU and the tutorials by Kahn, I can learn it on my own.
Blog Assignment #10
Tom Johnson's Adventure in PENCIL INTEGRATION
This was an interesting story. I could tell from Gertrude's title that this was not
an entirely serious story, but I wasn't quite sure what to make of the next few lines about taking pencils home. When he started talking about how the mothers and fathers didn't use pencils, I realized he was talking about computers. It's humorous to think of a pencil being marketed as entertainment, but I think he is correct that many kids look at a computer as a toy, not a tool. But, he may have a good plan. If the parents can learn the basics and they and their children realize what a useful learning tool a computer could be, it might work. And like he said, even if they do play Hang Man sometimes they're still going to be learn how to spell and use a pencil.
About the test scores thing: I don't know if that will ever go away. Even though administrators and big wheels in education get all worked up about it, I think it's more of a comparison than it is a true measure. This aspect is probably not going to go away unless we really start killing on the tests when compared to China, Japan, India and other nations that are beating the US when these test scores are used for measurement. I do think someone can be knowledgeable and very efficient in some areas and still not score well on these tests.
Do You Teach or Do You Educate
I thought it was a neat video, but I guess personally I think it's just semantics. I've taught in the classroom, I've tried to console students who have lost a loved one, I've listened to their stories about sleeping on the floor when there had been shooting in the neighbor hood, I've taken them home after school, I've kept in touch with some after they have left my class, I've gone to their high school graduations, I've tried to be their friend, I've tried to help them learn not just the science that I teach but any other class if they needed help. So I guess I don't know what that makes me. On my file it says I'm a secondary science teacher. Teacher, educator, they're just words.
This was an interesting story. I could tell from Gertrude's title that this was not
About the test scores thing: I don't know if that will ever go away. Even though administrators and big wheels in education get all worked up about it, I think it's more of a comparison than it is a true measure. This aspect is probably not going to go away unless we really start killing on the tests when compared to China, Japan, India and other nations that are beating the US when these test scores are used for measurement. I do think someone can be knowledgeable and very efficient in some areas and still not score well on these tests.
Do You Teach or Do You Educate
I thought it was a neat video, but I guess personally I think it's just semantics. I've taught in the classroom, I've tried to console students who have lost a loved one, I've listened to their stories about sleeping on the floor when there had been shooting in the neighbor hood, I've taken them home after school, I've kept in touch with some after they have left my class, I've gone to their high school graduations, I've tried to be their friend, I've tried to help them learn not just the science that I teach but any other class if they needed help. So I guess I don't know what that makes me. On my file it says I'm a secondary science teacher. Teacher, educator, they're just words.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Blog Assignment #9
What I've Learned This Year by Mr McClung
Mr McClung makes some good points in this blog. No matter what education you get, only the classroom will prepare you for the classroom. It is about the students and helping them learn and not about the perfect lesson that we plan. If they're not getting it, maybe we have to come from a different angle. Being flexible is also good advice. The students will have an influence on how fast material can be covered or how much you must reteach. It's a fine line to walk though. If you go too slow, the smart kids get bored and restless. If you go too fast, the slower kids will just shut down and start misbehaving. Flexibility is important.
We must have a reasonable outlook on what we can accomplish in class and what the students can accomplish. We need to have high expectations for the students. Research has shown if we convey to students that we believe they can do something, often they will exceed what they have done in years past simply because we have expressed confidence in them. However, this will not always be the case. So if they don't make it the first time, instead of making them feel like failures, we need to encourage them to keep on trying.
He is correct in his belief that many teachers are afraid and resistant to technology. Most people are somewhat resistant to change to some degree. These teachers need to be convinced that technology can make their life easier, while also increase their chances of reaching some of the students of today. He made a good point about not expecting to master computer skills on our first attempt, we just need to keep trying and we'll get there.
Mr McClung advises that we listen to our students. Good advice, and he is correct when he says we may be the only one who does. In today's society (at least in south Alabama), there are so many kids living with one parent, grandparents, aunts, uncles, or even homeless (I know of a local high school that had several football players who were homeless), these kids don't really have anyone to be a role model or to take the time to know what is going on in their lives. It will take effort to build the trust and develop the relationships, but helping kids improve their lives is better than helping them improve their math scores. Lastly, he mentions we should never stop learning. We can learn more subject matter, new techniques, new technology, what the kids are really into. There is so much we can continue to learn on a daily basis. Why not!!
Sunday, June 26, 2011
C4T #2
Jenny's Learning Journey by Jenny She
Ms She is an elementary teacher in New Zealand whose blog I found while visiting an edublog called attheteachersdesk. The first post I commented on was Why Teachers Should Never Give Up On Any Students. In this post there was nice video of a boy going along the beach throwing starfish back into the water to save their lives as the tide was going out. A man explains to him that the beach is miles long and that he can't really make a difference. After listening respectfully, the boy threw another starfish back into the water and said to the man "I made a difference to that one". Sometimes education can seem this way. We can get overwhelmed by indifferent students, school system bureaucracy, and other things we didn't expect or sign up for. But if we can make a real difference in one more life, it's worth all the effort. Never give up!
The second blog I commented on titled What is Life to You, Ms She had just returned from a trip to Asia where she had a wonderful time and had visited her ill father while there. Now she had to return to the real world. She wrote about how sometimes our priorities get mixed up and then shows a short video that reflected some of the traps of life. A man offered his guests some coffee and brought out a variety of cups - some old, some new, some plain, some fancy or expensive. After the guests had their coffee, the old and plain cups had gone unused. He commented to his guests that they had wanted coffee but wound up being more concerned about which cup they had. The moral of the story: the cup doesn't make the coffee any better. Sometimes we can get caught up in the rat race, trying to acquiring more and better stuff that we lose sight of the really important things in life like God, family, good health, etc. Everything else is just a cup
Ms She is an elementary teacher in New Zealand whose blog I found while visiting an edublog called attheteachersdesk. The first post I commented on was Why Teachers Should Never Give Up On Any Students. In this post there was nice video of a boy going along the beach throwing starfish back into the water to save their lives as the tide was going out. A man explains to him that the beach is miles long and that he can't really make a difference. After listening respectfully, the boy threw another starfish back into the water and said to the man "I made a difference to that one". Sometimes education can seem this way. We can get overwhelmed by indifferent students, school system bureaucracy, and other things we didn't expect or sign up for. But if we can make a real difference in one more life, it's worth all the effort. Never give up!
The second blog I commented on titled What is Life to You, Ms She had just returned from a trip to Asia where she had a wonderful time and had visited her ill father while there. Now she had to return to the real world. She wrote about how sometimes our priorities get mixed up and then shows a short video that reflected some of the traps of life. A man offered his guests some coffee and brought out a variety of cups - some old, some new, some plain, some fancy or expensive. After the guests had their coffee, the old and plain cups had gone unused. He commented to his guests that they had wanted coffee but wound up being more concerned about which cup they had. The moral of the story: the cup doesn't make the coffee any better. Sometimes we can get caught up in the rat race, trying to acquiring more and better stuff that we lose sight of the really important things in life like God, family, good health, etc. Everything else is just a cup
C4T #1
Thumann Resources by Lisa Thumann
In the first blog, Utilizing Appointment Slots in Google Calendar, Ms Thumann had just returned from Google Days, a technology conference where ideas are shared and Google unveils their latest tools. She returned home excited about the capabilities and applications of Google Calendar. She was most excited about being able to operate with several calendars within a calendar, to help her keep track of lab usage and appointments. She gave step by step instructions on how to use the calendar within a calendar application. I commented that the calendar would probably be a useful tool, especially for me, because I need all the organizational help I can get.
In the second blog, Harnessing Social Networks in the Classroom, Ms Thumann had video with stats showing how prevalent technology is with young people today. One point made was that mobile devices (laptops, cell phones, iPods, etc) and social media are not passing fads. She also introduced me to Edmodo, described by the students in the video as sort of an educational facebook. Edmodo is used by teachers and students to place and retrieve assignments on line, in case you forget to write it down in class or miss class. I know there are variations of this type of setup because my elementary school son can get his assignments on line at Faith Academy using Edline. The best part of her post was a list of social network links that I will explore while trying to develop my PLN.
In the first blog, Utilizing Appointment Slots in Google Calendar, Ms Thumann had just returned from Google Days, a technology conference where ideas are shared and Google unveils their latest tools. She returned home excited about the capabilities and applications of Google Calendar. She was most excited about being able to operate with several calendars within a calendar, to help her keep track of lab usage and appointments. She gave step by step instructions on how to use the calendar within a calendar application. I commented that the calendar would probably be a useful tool, especially for me, because I need all the organizational help I can get.
In the second blog, Harnessing Social Networks in the Classroom, Ms Thumann had video with stats showing how prevalent technology is with young people today. One point made was that mobile devices (laptops, cell phones, iPods, etc) and social media are not passing fads. She also introduced me to Edmodo, described by the students in the video as sort of an educational facebook. Edmodo is used by teachers and students to place and retrieve assignments on line, in case you forget to write it down in class or miss class. I know there are variations of this type of setup because my elementary school son can get his assignments on line at Faith Academy using Edline. The best part of her post was a list of social network links that I will explore while trying to develop my PLN.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Blog Assignment #8
This is How We Dream Parts 1 & 2 by Richard Miller
Richard Miller is an English professor that teaches writing at the university level. These videos are about how writing has changed in so many ways in recent years. He recalls how it was we he came up, reading books, researching at the library and writing with a pencil and paper. More recently, writing was and is still done on word processors. He then goes on to talk about how writing has changed from libraries and pencil to laptops and a world library that is found on the world wide web.
There is almost no end to documents, books, and resources that can be found on the web. Also, in our world today of instant global communications, collaboration can be done between people who are far apart. Materials on the internet are updated constantly. Documents produced on the web feature text, visual and audio components. With these new avenues of composition, the restrictions are largely the ones we place on ourselves.
Even with all of these new possibilities, Dr Miller realizes that an educational system of this nature is not readily accessible to all. But, he does believe he can foresee when composing using today's digital resources will be used. Composition and production will be different, but he feels this is a way to push ideas into our culture and that educators should be at the front edge of it. To create this type of education we need inspiring teachers and spaces and pedagogies that foster creativity and collaboration. These objectives can only be reached by combining and sharing the best of the sciences and the best of the humanities. The goal is not the technologies but what the technologies make possible.
I actually enjoyed Dr Miller's video and talk. Maybe I should call it a digital book or a podcast. Anyway, I could relate to a lot of what he said. Neither of us grew up with this technology and we were both raised on books and libraries. I still go to the library and read books, but it's more for pleasure than for research. To find an answer or information it is so much easier and faster to go to the web library where there are countless resources to explore. I also appreciated that he acknowledged that education based on the digital age had not yet arrived but was possibly in the foreseeable future.
Blog Post #12 by Carly Pugh
I found this post interesting, creative, and very energetic. Some of the videos were inspiring, some were thought provoking, some were educational for me. I felt like "Creativity to the Rescue" was spot on because we need some creativity or something to fix our society and world; whatever is being done now is not working.
I think Carly's use of videos which had text, music, voices speaking, and images are exactly what Dr Miller had in mind. These types of tools would appeal to all the senses and all different types of learners. I would really like to try some of this in the classroom. Some of the stuff we heard about this semester I have difficulty seeing it work any time soon, but a YouTube video is something I know could be done in classrooms now.
The Chipper Series by Poppy Bednorz
I thought this video was entertaining and well put together. If I understood it correctly the moral of the story is nothing worthwhile comes easy. Chipper appears to be searching for the path of least resistance for the majority of the video, but nothing ever seems to work out. I would definitely side with Dr Strange about flying with a pilot with one month of simulation training. Finally, after all else fails, she has a cleansing of the mind and decides to go back to school. Whatever you do in life, to be successful at it you will have to be responsible enough to do what you need to do. There really are no shortcuts.
EDM310 for Dummies
I can totally relate to the first part of this video. For the first 2-3 weeks I was floundering big time. I was not being like Chipper; I was just lost every time I turned around. When I finally started getting the hang of some things, new things kept popping up. If the book was available, I would absolutely own one. I have not reached the point shown at the end of the video. I hope that I will. If I don't it won't be from lack of effort. I thought 16 hours a week was excessive the first day of class. Now I would feel like I was coasting if I only worked on this class 16 hours a week. Maybe it will all come together.
Learn to Change, Change to Learn
I'm in agreement with pretty much every thing said in the video. Most of it we've heard before. The schools and the way we teach need to change. I wouldn't argue either of these points. Incorporating social networks into the learning process sounds like a great idea if someone can find a reasonable way to implement it. I'm sure it would work with the kids that try hard and can see a reason to learn. There is no doubt that the classroom is generally boring and the student's experiences outside the classroom are more exciting and entertaining. I agree that if these things could somehow merge with learning, our students would achieve more. Once again, I still think that the learning, no matter what the methods, is in large part dependent on the student's desire to work to learn.
The Chipper Series by Poppy Bednorz & Jamie Lynn Miller
Richard Miller is an English professor that teaches writing at the university level. These videos are about how writing has changed in so many ways in recent years. He recalls how it was we he came up, reading books, researching at the library and writing with a pencil and paper. More recently, writing was and is still done on word processors. He then goes on to talk about how writing has changed from libraries and pencil to laptops and a world library that is found on the world wide web.
There is almost no end to documents, books, and resources that can be found on the web. Also, in our world today of instant global communications, collaboration can be done between people who are far apart. Materials on the internet are updated constantly. Documents produced on the web feature text, visual and audio components. With these new avenues of composition, the restrictions are largely the ones we place on ourselves.
Even with all of these new possibilities, Dr Miller realizes that an educational system of this nature is not readily accessible to all. But, he does believe he can foresee when composing using today's digital resources will be used. Composition and production will be different, but he feels this is a way to push ideas into our culture and that educators should be at the front edge of it. To create this type of education we need inspiring teachers and spaces and pedagogies that foster creativity and collaboration. These objectives can only be reached by combining and sharing the best of the sciences and the best of the humanities. The goal is not the technologies but what the technologies make possible.
I actually enjoyed Dr Miller's video and talk. Maybe I should call it a digital book or a podcast. Anyway, I could relate to a lot of what he said. Neither of us grew up with this technology and we were both raised on books and libraries. I still go to the library and read books, but it's more for pleasure than for research. To find an answer or information it is so much easier and faster to go to the web library where there are countless resources to explore. I also appreciated that he acknowledged that education based on the digital age had not yet arrived but was possibly in the foreseeable future.
Blog Post #12 by Carly Pugh
I found this post interesting, creative, and very energetic. Some of the videos were inspiring, some were thought provoking, some were educational for me. I felt like "Creativity to the Rescue" was spot on because we need some creativity or something to fix our society and world; whatever is being done now is not working.
I think Carly's use of videos which had text, music, voices speaking, and images are exactly what Dr Miller had in mind. These types of tools would appeal to all the senses and all different types of learners. I would really like to try some of this in the classroom. Some of the stuff we heard about this semester I have difficulty seeing it work any time soon, but a YouTube video is something I know could be done in classrooms now.
The Chipper Series by Poppy Bednorz
I thought this video was entertaining and well put together. If I understood it correctly the moral of the story is nothing worthwhile comes easy. Chipper appears to be searching for the path of least resistance for the majority of the video, but nothing ever seems to work out. I would definitely side with Dr Strange about flying with a pilot with one month of simulation training. Finally, after all else fails, she has a cleansing of the mind and decides to go back to school. Whatever you do in life, to be successful at it you will have to be responsible enough to do what you need to do. There really are no shortcuts.
EDM310 for Dummies
I can totally relate to the first part of this video. For the first 2-3 weeks I was floundering big time. I was not being like Chipper; I was just lost every time I turned around. When I finally started getting the hang of some things, new things kept popping up. If the book was available, I would absolutely own one. I have not reached the point shown at the end of the video. I hope that I will. If I don't it won't be from lack of effort. I thought 16 hours a week was excessive the first day of class. Now I would feel like I was coasting if I only worked on this class 16 hours a week. Maybe it will all come together.
Learn to Change, Change to Learn
I'm in agreement with pretty much every thing said in the video. Most of it we've heard before. The schools and the way we teach need to change. I wouldn't argue either of these points. Incorporating social networks into the learning process sounds like a great idea if someone can find a reasonable way to implement it. I'm sure it would work with the kids that try hard and can see a reason to learn. There is no doubt that the classroom is generally boring and the student's experiences outside the classroom are more exciting and entertaining. I agree that if these things could somehow merge with learning, our students would achieve more. Once again, I still think that the learning, no matter what the methods, is in large part dependent on the student's desire to work to learn.
The Chipper Series by Poppy Bednorz & Jamie Lynn Miller
Friday, June 24, 2011
Special Assignment #1
Wolfram Alpha
Wolfram Alpha is a search engine that is designed to answer questions asked, not by finding web sites to supply the answer, but by searching available information and giving you an answer. It seems to work great in some applications, but not so great in others. Probably Wolfram Alpha's strong suit is performing mathematical computations.
I had never heard of Wolfram Alpha before this assignment. It does have its merits but it also has some shortcomings too. The biggest fault I see with it is it sometimes doesn't know how to interpret the question. Even if a question makes perfect sense to you, unless it's worded just right, Wolfram Alpha may not be able to give you an answer, or at least not the one you're looking for. I was able to find out the population of countries (China 1.35 billion, India 1.21 billion, and US 309 million) and it would show you graphs and tables with various breakdowns of the numbers (population growth, population density, etc. I learned the US population is 22% of China's and 25% of India's population. However, when I asked who had won the most World Series championships, Wolfram Alpha only gave me several definitions of "championship" (the answer should have been New York Yankees).
Google Squared
Google Squared operates in a similar fashion as Wolfram Alpha in that instead of referring you to web sites like Google would do, it gathers information for you. It doesn't answer specific question as much as it does research. When asked about the population of the US, instead of giving you a number it gives you a wide variety of related information about the US. From what I read, it is still in the developmental stages and was actually created to compete with Wolfram Alpha. I personally think I would find Google Squared more helpful because Wolfram Alpha's interpretive problems got me frustrated
Wolfram Alpha is a search engine that is designed to answer questions asked, not by finding web sites to supply the answer, but by searching available information and giving you an answer. It seems to work great in some applications, but not so great in others. Probably Wolfram Alpha's strong suit is performing mathematical computations.
I had never heard of Wolfram Alpha before this assignment. It does have its merits but it also has some shortcomings too. The biggest fault I see with it is it sometimes doesn't know how to interpret the question. Even if a question makes perfect sense to you, unless it's worded just right, Wolfram Alpha may not be able to give you an answer, or at least not the one you're looking for. I was able to find out the population of countries (China 1.35 billion, India 1.21 billion, and US 309 million) and it would show you graphs and tables with various breakdowns of the numbers (population growth, population density, etc. I learned the US population is 22% of China's and 25% of India's population. However, when I asked who had won the most World Series championships, Wolfram Alpha only gave me several definitions of "championship" (the answer should have been New York Yankees).
Google Squared
Google Squared operates in a similar fashion as Wolfram Alpha in that instead of referring you to web sites like Google would do, it gathers information for you. It doesn't answer specific question as much as it does research. When asked about the population of the US, instead of giving you a number it gives you a wide variety of related information about the US. From what I read, it is still in the developmental stages and was actually created to compete with Wolfram Alpha. I personally think I would find Google Squared more helpful because Wolfram Alpha's interpretive problems got me frustrated
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Blog Assignment #7
Randy Pausch's Last Lecture
This video featured the last lecture of Randy Pausch, a college professor who was involved in teaching and developing virtual reality technology. This lecture took place about three months before he died due to tumors in his liver in July, 2008. Dr Pausch was 48 years old.
The lecture began with the identification of the three main topics of the day: My Childhood Dreams, Enabling the Dreams of Others, and Lessons Learned. He speaks of how the brick walls we run into are there for a reason - they let us prove how bad we really want something. Many people quit when they hit the wall, but the determined people who really want it will continue to work until they have broken through the wall or found a way over it. He feels the walls are part of a weeding out process. He goes on to talk about his childhood dreams and how has realized them for the most part. He didn't make it to the NFL, but he credits football with teaching him a lot about life, a sentiment shared by many successful coaches. In football, as in life, you must be strong in the fundamentals and you must work hard to achieve your goals. Lessons like this go along with his belief that most of what we learn we learn indirectly. He refers to this as a "head fake"
He continues by talking about having the opportunity to work with the people at Disney in helping develop the Aladdin virtual reality magic carpet ride. He mentions a mentor, Jon Snoddy, and talks about how this was a once in 5 careers opportunity. He got to work with real people on real issues and experienced how to put engineers and artists together on the same project.
Dr Pausch then spends some time talking about enabling the childhood dreams of others. He and his colleague, Don Marinella, were building virtual worlds. They were obviously doing a good job turning out people skilled in virtual reality because they had contracts with corporations to hire people who graduated from their program. One thing he said they did was focus on people and the students learning to work in groups. Everyone was evaluated by their peers, which is a good way to become more humble and cooperative. This also teaches people to become more self reflective. Going back to his head fake, they had kids make movies and games while they were actually learning how to write computer programs.
Dr Pausch then talks lessons learned: the role of parents, mentors and students can have a great effect on one's life and how things are approached. We should respect authority while questioning everything. On how to get people to help you: be truthful and sincere, apologize when you screw up, and focus on others, not yourself. Brick walls let us show our dedication -- Don't bail because the best gold is at the bottom of barrels of crap; Get feedback and LISTEN to it; show gratitude; and Don't complain, just work harder. At the end he gave some good advice: work hard; find the best in everyone no matter how long you have to wait; Be prepared-- "luck" is where preparation meets opportunity.
This was not really a video about education. This was more of a video on how to live and conduct your life. Sometimes if we carry our philosophy of life into the classroom, the students and the teacher alike will reap benefits. The nuggets of wisdom he gave apply to life and education : don't give up; put others first; be honest; people may learn more if they are having fun doing it. I wondered the entire time I was watching what this really had to do education or technology, then he told us at the very end. This lecture was not really for the audience, it was for his children.
This video featured the last lecture of Randy Pausch, a college professor who was involved in teaching and developing virtual reality technology. This lecture took place about three months before he died due to tumors in his liver in July, 2008. Dr Pausch was 48 years old.
The lecture began with the identification of the three main topics of the day: My Childhood Dreams, Enabling the Dreams of Others, and Lessons Learned. He speaks of how the brick walls we run into are there for a reason - they let us prove how bad we really want something. Many people quit when they hit the wall, but the determined people who really want it will continue to work until they have broken through the wall or found a way over it. He feels the walls are part of a weeding out process. He goes on to talk about his childhood dreams and how has realized them for the most part. He didn't make it to the NFL, but he credits football with teaching him a lot about life, a sentiment shared by many successful coaches. In football, as in life, you must be strong in the fundamentals and you must work hard to achieve your goals. Lessons like this go along with his belief that most of what we learn we learn indirectly. He refers to this as a "head fake"
He continues by talking about having the opportunity to work with the people at Disney in helping develop the Aladdin virtual reality magic carpet ride. He mentions a mentor, Jon Snoddy, and talks about how this was a once in 5 careers opportunity. He got to work with real people on real issues and experienced how to put engineers and artists together on the same project.
Dr Pausch then spends some time talking about enabling the childhood dreams of others. He and his colleague, Don Marinella, were building virtual worlds. They were obviously doing a good job turning out people skilled in virtual reality because they had contracts with corporations to hire people who graduated from their program. One thing he said they did was focus on people and the students learning to work in groups. Everyone was evaluated by their peers, which is a good way to become more humble and cooperative. This also teaches people to become more self reflective. Going back to his head fake, they had kids make movies and games while they were actually learning how to write computer programs.
Dr Pausch then talks lessons learned: the role of parents, mentors and students can have a great effect on one's life and how things are approached. We should respect authority while questioning everything. On how to get people to help you: be truthful and sincere, apologize when you screw up, and focus on others, not yourself. Brick walls let us show our dedication -- Don't bail because the best gold is at the bottom of barrels of crap; Get feedback and LISTEN to it; show gratitude; and Don't complain, just work harder. At the end he gave some good advice: work hard; find the best in everyone no matter how long you have to wait; Be prepared-- "luck" is where preparation meets opportunity.
This was not really a video about education. This was more of a video on how to live and conduct your life. Sometimes if we carry our philosophy of life into the classroom, the students and the teacher alike will reap benefits. The nuggets of wisdom he gave apply to life and education : don't give up; put others first; be honest; people may learn more if they are having fun doing it. I wondered the entire time I was watching what this really had to do education or technology, then he told us at the very end. This lecture was not really for the audience, it was for his children.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Blog Assignment #6
This video, The Networked Student, is about Connectivism, a theory that presumes learning occurs as a part of a social network of many diverse connections. The student in the example is studying American Psychology, but the methods presented would work for any topic. Primarily, the video is about a student who takes responsibility for his own learning and seeks out information on the internet. The network he builds around his learning consists of websites with good info, connecting with other self-learners, and links to colleges and professors in many different locations. The people in his network post links to sites that they found to be beneficial in their quest for knowledge, and he shares links to things he has found. He uses many different tools to find and share knowledge, including blogs, podcasts, and wikis to name a few, using computers, iPods, and other technological devices.
The teacher's role in the learning process is as a guide and organizer. The teacher gives assistance in learning how to use technology, how to search for information, and how to form his network. She also helps him organize information. This was an interesting video showing how a self-learner, with the use of technology, can gain and share knowledge with others by networking.
This is an interesting video of the future of education. To me, this appears to be what is happening on college campuses all over the world; it may be happening in elementary and secondary schools in some places, but this form of education has not migrated to southern Alabama, at least not in a big way. I think it would be a great way to learn if the student had the motivation and the technology, so hopefully it will find its way into our schools soon.
A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment
This was another interesting video of a student using technology to learn. She operates in an independent learning mode where her class is almost entirely on computer. She has all the files and programs she uses arranged on one page on her computer. She uses technical terminology, some of which I'm familiar with, such as blog and scype, and other terms that I don't know, such as glogster.
This child is far ahead of anything I've seen in a middle school classroom. I think the concept is great, and if all education could be like this, our children would achieve far more than what they are reaching now. I'm sorry, but this scenario is so far removed from what is actually happening in Mobile, AL, I have trouble grasping it all. As for my Personal Learning Network, I am just beginning to learn how to use some of the tools and methods this 12 year old is so comfortable with. I'm trying to get there, and when I do then perhaps I can pass it on to the students in our schools.
Cons & Pros of the Smartboard
The articles by Michael Staton and Bill Ferriter were enjoyable and, I think, very spot on. I,ve seen the Smartboards in the classrooms, but don't really know how to use them. I've seen them used to show videos and to project a page on a laptop onto the board, but I haven't seen or heard of any interactive uses and as Mr Ferriter mentions, that's about all most teachers can or will do with them, and it may not be all the teacher's fault. The teachers will get a few hours of Smartboard training and pumping up, but probably never really see how they can help that much in the classroom. Mr Ferriter, Mr Slaton, and Mr Kevin Mclaughlin all talk about how much money is spent on these devices, and all feel like it is a waste of money. Mr McLaughlin says for the same money as one Smartboard 13 iPod touchscreen devices can be purchased. I feel like Mr Slaton has the best points: 1) Smartboards are an administrative copout. All the education people in the planning and dreaming departments want to spend as much money as they can get so maybe they can get more money next year. The administrators put up the smartboards so that they can say their schools are using technology in the classroom. 2) Smartboards don't change the model of education that is broken. Using the Smartboard as a projector is not exactly using technology in the classroom. The problems in the schools today are more related to boredom and relevancy and lack of parental involvement. I don't know if we can fix the parents, but we should be able to fix the other two.
In a blog called "How Smart is a Smartboard" an elementary school teacher is very high on smartboards. He talks about how he hears everyone bashing Smartboards and says he can't figure out why. He understands they are expensive but doesn't see them being a waste. He goes through the entire school day, logging times and how the Smartboards are being used. He uses the Smartboard for most of the day and feels it lets him be a better teacher and keeps the students more engaged than they were in years without it. Maybe it depends on the software that you have with the Smartboard, I don't know. I do know I have not seen it used in schools in the ways that he describes.
(Link: http://cwojtera.edublogs.org/2011/06/05/how-smart-is-a-smartboard/ )
The teacher's role in the learning process is as a guide and organizer. The teacher gives assistance in learning how to use technology, how to search for information, and how to form his network. She also helps him organize information. This was an interesting video showing how a self-learner, with the use of technology, can gain and share knowledge with others by networking.
This is an interesting video of the future of education. To me, this appears to be what is happening on college campuses all over the world; it may be happening in elementary and secondary schools in some places, but this form of education has not migrated to southern Alabama, at least not in a big way. I think it would be a great way to learn if the student had the motivation and the technology, so hopefully it will find its way into our schools soon.
A 7th Grader's Personal Learning Environment
This was another interesting video of a student using technology to learn. She operates in an independent learning mode where her class is almost entirely on computer. She has all the files and programs she uses arranged on one page on her computer. She uses technical terminology, some of which I'm familiar with, such as blog and scype, and other terms that I don't know, such as glogster.
This child is far ahead of anything I've seen in a middle school classroom. I think the concept is great, and if all education could be like this, our children would achieve far more than what they are reaching now. I'm sorry, but this scenario is so far removed from what is actually happening in Mobile, AL, I have trouble grasping it all. As for my Personal Learning Network, I am just beginning to learn how to use some of the tools and methods this 12 year old is so comfortable with. I'm trying to get there, and when I do then perhaps I can pass it on to the students in our schools.
Cons & Pros of the Smartboard
The articles by Michael Staton and Bill Ferriter were enjoyable and, I think, very spot on. I,ve seen the Smartboards in the classrooms, but don't really know how to use them. I've seen them used to show videos and to project a page on a laptop onto the board, but I haven't seen or heard of any interactive uses and as Mr Ferriter mentions, that's about all most teachers can or will do with them, and it may not be all the teacher's fault. The teachers will get a few hours of Smartboard training and pumping up, but probably never really see how they can help that much in the classroom. Mr Ferriter, Mr Slaton, and Mr Kevin Mclaughlin all talk about how much money is spent on these devices, and all feel like it is a waste of money. Mr McLaughlin says for the same money as one Smartboard 13 iPod touchscreen devices can be purchased. I feel like Mr Slaton has the best points: 1) Smartboards are an administrative copout. All the education people in the planning and dreaming departments want to spend as much money as they can get so maybe they can get more money next year. The administrators put up the smartboards so that they can say their schools are using technology in the classroom. 2) Smartboards don't change the model of education that is broken. Using the Smartboard as a projector is not exactly using technology in the classroom. The problems in the schools today are more related to boredom and relevancy and lack of parental involvement. I don't know if we can fix the parents, but we should be able to fix the other two.
In a blog called "How Smart is a Smartboard" an elementary school teacher is very high on smartboards. He talks about how he hears everyone bashing Smartboards and says he can't figure out why. He understands they are expensive but doesn't see them being a waste. He goes through the entire school day, logging times and how the Smartboards are being used. He uses the Smartboard for most of the day and feels it lets him be a better teacher and keeps the students more engaged than they were in years without it. Maybe it depends on the software that you have with the Smartboard, I don't know. I do know I have not seen it used in schools in the ways that he describes.
(Link: http://cwojtera.edublogs.org/2011/06/05/how-smart-is-a-smartboard/ )
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Blog Assignment #5
The links provided allowed access to several podcasts and also showed how some teachers are making use of podcasts in the classroom. Some of the podcasts have been audio only and some are of the YouTube video variety. I found links to podcast instructions and also got to see how others have done podcasts. I was also exposed to two words that were new to me - milenial (people born after 1980) and vodcast(a podcast with video). It was pretty interesting stuff and I'll probably refer back to some of it for our podcast project.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Monday, June 13, 2011
Blog Assignment #4
Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please? by Scott McLeod
I thought Mr McLeod had a pretty neat way of making his point. Basically he is telling us that
if we don't teach our kids how to use technology then they will be far behind 10 years down the
road. He's right. Students today need technology skills just to keep from falling behind their
peers. As years go by more and more jobs will be based on technology and young people need the
skills to compete.
Scott McLeod is an Associate Professor in the Educational Administration program at Iowa State
University. He also is the director of the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology
Leadership in Education.
iSchool Initiative
This video had a new perspective on technology in the classroom, at least from my view. It appeared as if Travis had done his homework and was quite knowledgable about the issue, from applications in teaching and learning to pros and cons of cost issues. As was mentioned in the
video, most school systems are in a constant cut-back mode and if this technology could enhance
learning while at the same time save money it should be easily acceptable to the education establishment. It is an idea that deserves examination.
The abundance of information available on the web is undeniable. The use of a touchscreen device for learning would absolutely appeal to students, where they could learn technology use while at the same time be learning core subject matter. The access to instant maps and other images would be an asset. Being a science teacher, I can see great advantages visually, such as 3D presentation of molecular structure, how chemical bonding and reactions occur, and many other concepts. Finally, it would appeal to a wider range of learning types. Overall, a bright and innovation approach to education
You Can't Be My Teacher by Darren Cannell
In today's world, kids are growing up surrounded by technology. Many aspects of their life are based on technology, from learning to communicating to entertainment. I have no doubt that the youngster in this video is more familiar with computers than most people from my generation. Kids of today do school work, play games, communicate, and find information via computers. My 11 year old son plays video games with his friends while they are at different locations. I won't pretend I know how all this works, but I know it takes place. This is the world children know today and this is what they expect.
Since today's youth deal with technology everywhere else in their lives, they expect it in the classroom as well. Teachers of the future must recognize this and make every effort to expand their horizons to include technology in the learning experience. If not, maybe they can't be his teacher.
Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir
Pretty neat. The sound and cohesion of the choir would have been outstanding under any circumstance, and to know this was done with no physical connection makes it all the more amazing. It made me think about the Beatles recording Abbey Road without ever seeing each other,
but without the visual.
Obviously, the choir members worked hard individually on their parts because the harmony was very nice. I can only imagine the logistics involved in putting together a production of this scope.
Teaching in the 21st Century
Very thought provoking video. As discussed before, today's students don't just use technology, they expect it. Old habits are hard to break, so it is more difficult for people that have been teaching for a while to incorporate the new technology into their schemes, but the effort needs to be made. Teachers just reaching the field will have a better grasp of what their students are
"into".
"Engagement" is a key concept in this video. While some students can thrive in a lecture type environment, others check out when they walk through the door. If our educators and education system could find a way to hold the student's interest and help the students connect, I know we would see much higher achievement rates and more successful students.
I thought Mr McLeod had a pretty neat way of making his point. Basically he is telling us that
if we don't teach our kids how to use technology then they will be far behind 10 years down the
road. He's right. Students today need technology skills just to keep from falling behind their
peers. As years go by more and more jobs will be based on technology and young people need the
skills to compete.
Scott McLeod is an Associate Professor in the Educational Administration program at Iowa State
University. He also is the director of the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology
Leadership in Education.
iSchool Initiative
This video had a new perspective on technology in the classroom, at least from my view. It appeared as if Travis had done his homework and was quite knowledgable about the issue, from applications in teaching and learning to pros and cons of cost issues. As was mentioned in the
video, most school systems are in a constant cut-back mode and if this technology could enhance
learning while at the same time save money it should be easily acceptable to the education establishment. It is an idea that deserves examination.
The abundance of information available on the web is undeniable. The use of a touchscreen device for learning would absolutely appeal to students, where they could learn technology use while at the same time be learning core subject matter. The access to instant maps and other images would be an asset. Being a science teacher, I can see great advantages visually, such as 3D presentation of molecular structure, how chemical bonding and reactions occur, and many other concepts. Finally, it would appeal to a wider range of learning types. Overall, a bright and innovation approach to education
You Can't Be My Teacher by Darren Cannell
In today's world, kids are growing up surrounded by technology. Many aspects of their life are based on technology, from learning to communicating to entertainment. I have no doubt that the youngster in this video is more familiar with computers than most people from my generation. Kids of today do school work, play games, communicate, and find information via computers. My 11 year old son plays video games with his friends while they are at different locations. I won't pretend I know how all this works, but I know it takes place. This is the world children know today and this is what they expect.
Since today's youth deal with technology everywhere else in their lives, they expect it in the classroom as well. Teachers of the future must recognize this and make every effort to expand their horizons to include technology in the learning experience. If not, maybe they can't be his teacher.
Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir
Pretty neat. The sound and cohesion of the choir would have been outstanding under any circumstance, and to know this was done with no physical connection makes it all the more amazing. It made me think about the Beatles recording Abbey Road without ever seeing each other,
but without the visual.
Obviously, the choir members worked hard individually on their parts because the harmony was very nice. I can only imagine the logistics involved in putting together a production of this scope.
Teaching in the 21st Century
Very thought provoking video. As discussed before, today's students don't just use technology, they expect it. Old habits are hard to break, so it is more difficult for people that have been teaching for a while to incorporate the new technology into their schemes, but the effort needs to be made. Teachers just reaching the field will have a better grasp of what their students are
"into".
"Engagement" is a key concept in this video. While some students can thrive in a lecture type environment, others check out when they walk through the door. If our educators and education system could find a way to hold the student's interest and help the students connect, I know we would see much higher achievement rates and more successful students.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Taking a Ride on Jeff's Winding Road
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Blog Assignment 3
Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today
This was an interesting video about the issues many college students face today. Oversized classes, anonimity, not enough hours in the day, and so on are problems with which most students must deal. One student pointed out how much she would be in debt when she graduated. Another pointed at the bright side by saying how lucky we are that we can earn more than $1/day which the is the case in many impoverished and undeveloped parts of the world.
One student noted that the problems of the world will soon be her problems. In some respects she is exactly right. Students of today will become the leaders of tomorrow, in the business world, in our local, state, and national governments, and in others areas of leadership. Many students will choose to be among the silent minority and try to live a life isolated from many of societies problems, but we can't hide from things like gas prices, general inflation and an unstable job market. We must find ways to combat societies problems and try to make a better world. We need to our use college experience to change things for the better.
"It's Not About The Technology" by Kelly Hines
This is good and insightful writing by Ms Hines. Her four key points were 1) teachers must be learners, 2) learning and teaching are not the same thing, 3) technology is useless without good
teaching, and 4) be a 21st century teacher without technology. These are all very good points that are difficult to argue with. In her writing she uses very real examples to illustrate her points. It's hard not to agree with the things she says.
I wholeheartedly agree that technology is not the savior of education but a tool to be used to
educate and teach. The issue that I have yet to see addressed in these writings and videos that we're analyzing is how can we motivate students to want to learn and excel. There will always be achievers that will happily learn whatever we teach. What I'm eager to see is a solution to the students who don't want to put forth the effort to really learn. If this problem can be solved
we can compete with Finland, Japan, China, or anyone on Earth.
Karl Fisch: Is It Okay To Be Technologically Illiterate
This is an interesting and entertaining bit of writing. Basically, he is saying anyone in the
education realm that is not technologically literate should be tarred and feathered and ran out
of town. Obviously, that is an exaggeration on my part, but Mr Fisch does feel strongly about
the subject. He is correct when he says a person that can't read or write today would have a hard time being successful; however, I don't believe that some technological shortcomings add
up to the same thing, but I'm not really sure what he considers technologically illiterate.
I was middle school science teacher for 10 years; here is what I believe is true for the majority of teachers today: teachers will learn whatever technology they feel will benefit themselves and the students in their classroom, and most teachers feel like whatever subject they are teaching is probably the most important information for students to learn. I would be
be surprised if Mr Fisch didn't feel that way when he was teaching math. In most classrooms today there is one computer for the teacher and it's usually off limits to students. Most teachers don't even have the option to use technology in a big way, but if the opportunity is there, and it will increase student achievement, it should be used.
Gary Hayes Social Media Count
AMAZING !!!! I don't really know what else to say. The perpetually updating graphic was pretty
amazing on its own, but then when you look at the numbers and statistics that are being shown
it is quite obvious that we are living in an era of electronic and technological explosion.
Some of the numbers (such as email) probably are coming from the business world, but there is no
denying that the social media is growing faster than I can get my arms around. I would think that the majority of the growth is from younger users, but that may not be true. My wife and most of her friends are on Facebook and we're not so young anymore. I wonder if the kid that created Facebook ever even dreamed of what it would become. Again, I don't know what else to
say. AMAZING !!!
teachers need to do whatever they can to improve student achievement
This was an interesting video about the issues many college students face today. Oversized classes, anonimity, not enough hours in the day, and so on are problems with which most students must deal. One student pointed out how much she would be in debt when she graduated. Another pointed at the bright side by saying how lucky we are that we can earn more than $1/day which the is the case in many impoverished and undeveloped parts of the world.
One student noted that the problems of the world will soon be her problems. In some respects she is exactly right. Students of today will become the leaders of tomorrow, in the business world, in our local, state, and national governments, and in others areas of leadership. Many students will choose to be among the silent minority and try to live a life isolated from many of societies problems, but we can't hide from things like gas prices, general inflation and an unstable job market. We must find ways to combat societies problems and try to make a better world. We need to our use college experience to change things for the better.
"It's Not About The Technology" by Kelly Hines
This is good and insightful writing by Ms Hines. Her four key points were 1) teachers must be learners, 2) learning and teaching are not the same thing, 3) technology is useless without good
teaching, and 4) be a 21st century teacher without technology. These are all very good points that are difficult to argue with. In her writing she uses very real examples to illustrate her points. It's hard not to agree with the things she says.
I wholeheartedly agree that technology is not the savior of education but a tool to be used to
educate and teach. The issue that I have yet to see addressed in these writings and videos that we're analyzing is how can we motivate students to want to learn and excel. There will always be achievers that will happily learn whatever we teach. What I'm eager to see is a solution to the students who don't want to put forth the effort to really learn. If this problem can be solved
we can compete with Finland, Japan, China, or anyone on Earth.
Karl Fisch: Is It Okay To Be Technologically Illiterate
This is an interesting and entertaining bit of writing. Basically, he is saying anyone in the
education realm that is not technologically literate should be tarred and feathered and ran out
of town. Obviously, that is an exaggeration on my part, but Mr Fisch does feel strongly about
the subject. He is correct when he says a person that can't read or write today would have a hard time being successful; however, I don't believe that some technological shortcomings add
up to the same thing, but I'm not really sure what he considers technologically illiterate.
I was middle school science teacher for 10 years; here is what I believe is true for the majority of teachers today: teachers will learn whatever technology they feel will benefit themselves and the students in their classroom, and most teachers feel like whatever subject they are teaching is probably the most important information for students to learn. I would be
be surprised if Mr Fisch didn't feel that way when he was teaching math. In most classrooms today there is one computer for the teacher and it's usually off limits to students. Most teachers don't even have the option to use technology in a big way, but if the opportunity is there, and it will increase student achievement, it should be used.
Gary Hayes Social Media Count
AMAZING !!!! I don't really know what else to say. The perpetually updating graphic was pretty
amazing on its own, but then when you look at the numbers and statistics that are being shown
it is quite obvious that we are living in an era of electronic and technological explosion.
Some of the numbers (such as email) probably are coming from the business world, but there is no
denying that the social media is growing faster than I can get my arms around. I would think that the majority of the growth is from younger users, but that may not be true. My wife and most of her friends are on Facebook and we're not so young anymore. I wonder if the kid that created Facebook ever even dreamed of what it would become. Again, I don't know what else to
say. AMAZING !!!
teachers need to do whatever they can to improve student achievement
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Blog Assignment 2
Did you know by Karl Fisch and Scott Mcleod
This video had a lot of interesting statistics about the technological explosion. Obviously
if the top 10 in-demand jobs today didn't exist 5 years ago, those jobs are due to advances and
opportunities related to technology. Technology has definitely brought changes to the way our society functions, many for the better, some maybe not so good. The video also brought up some interesting questions in my mind, such as how do we train someone for something that doesn't exist? Also, the number of jobs people will have and how many years people have been in their current job could be related to instability in the job market, job satisfaction, or just a lot of confused people who don't know what they want to do.
Many of the statistics shown in the video are not necessarily directly related to advances in technology. As mentioned, we live in an exponential world. Several of the statistics are comparing numbers (not percentages) of today's world with numbers from years past. I would think many of these numbers are in large part due to the world's booming population growth in recent years, which can rightly be attributed to medical advances, many technology related, and the aforementioned exponential factor.
Mr. Winkle
This video relates the culture shock of Mr. Winkle who awakens after a 100 year nap. He doesn't understand all the strange and amazing sites of the 21st century. He sees people working and even seeing people's faces on these strange machines. Eventually he wanders into a school. He seems to be reassured as he observes students taking notes about what the teacher is saying.
At least somethings haven't changed, he thinks. .
The vision of how much things have changed in the last 100 years is accurate, and many of the changes keep coming faster. Every generation has seen change (ie steam boats,horseless carriages, atomic bomb, man on the moon, etc) but there is no denying that many changes are coming faster than ever before. In some respects, education has also changed, partially due to
accessible technology and partially due to great increases in information. However, one thing that hasn't changed is no learning will take place unless the person actually wants to learn. This will remain true regardless of the advances in technology.
Ken Robinson says schools killing creativity
Mr. Robinson speaks about how he thinks our schools are killing the creativity of the children
through our accepted system of education. He believes all children are creative and that we educate the creativity out of the children. He made some good points on some things, but overall he didn't really change my mind about anything. He mentions a girl that can't sit still or focus very well in the classroom and its all OK because they discover that she likes to dance and put
her in a dance class. Does this mean she doesn't need to learn math or how to read?
I think it would be great if our schools could somehow be expanded to customize a curriculum to fit the talents of each individual but we all know that will never happen. In many cases, creativity probably is pushed aside so we can teach the 3 R's. John Lennon is a great example of
a not-so-great student whose creativity made him a legend. However, the cold fact remains that there are not a lot of John Lennons out there, most of us will never be famous, and will be forced to have a real job to survive. Children are not all creative and many are just unmotivated and lazy.
Cecelia Gault Interviews Sir Ken Robinson
This is a look at a young girl's blog post and the interview the post is based on. Cecelia
is a sweet and probably an intelligent girl and does a pretty good job of reflecting on the interview in her blog. Once again, I'm not sure how much I agree with Sir Ken. Maybe I'm just extremely cynical because I've been in the classroom and the school system and I see how things work.
He says there are 3 myths about creativity : only certain people are creative; creativity can not be taught; and creativity only involves certain things or fields, and believes and endorses the opposite of these. There are a number of ways to be creative (music, dance, architecture, graphic design, video game design, and others) and I'm sure that the basics of these can be taught but that doesn't mean you can teach real creativity. Everyone can create something, but can everyone create something that matters? Probably not.
Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts
This video is about a teacher and students learning technology in a classroom setting. The students were learning similar things that we are learning in EDM 310, such as Twitter and blogging, among other aspects of technology. The teacher and the students alike seemed to be enthused about what was going on. It was nice seeing kids enjoying learning.
It appeared to me that the teacher was doing an excellent job and she made several good points.
She mentioned that she was teaching the students how to learn which is excellent and will be an
asset for these students all their lives. She also had the students teach about various forms of
technology which is a great way to really learn anything. Students today NEED to come out of high school with a firm grasp of the technology available and how to use many of them. I know some of us old folks are a bit resistant, but technology is everywhere and students today are going to live their entire lives surrounded by it.
K
This video had a lot of interesting statistics about the technological explosion. Obviously
if the top 10 in-demand jobs today didn't exist 5 years ago, those jobs are due to advances and
opportunities related to technology. Technology has definitely brought changes to the way our society functions, many for the better, some maybe not so good. The video also brought up some interesting questions in my mind, such as how do we train someone for something that doesn't exist? Also, the number of jobs people will have and how many years people have been in their current job could be related to instability in the job market, job satisfaction, or just a lot of confused people who don't know what they want to do.
Many of the statistics shown in the video are not necessarily directly related to advances in technology. As mentioned, we live in an exponential world. Several of the statistics are comparing numbers (not percentages) of today's world with numbers from years past. I would think many of these numbers are in large part due to the world's booming population growth in recent years, which can rightly be attributed to medical advances, many technology related, and the aforementioned exponential factor.
Mr. Winkle
This video relates the culture shock of Mr. Winkle who awakens after a 100 year nap. He doesn't understand all the strange and amazing sites of the 21st century. He sees people working and even seeing people's faces on these strange machines. Eventually he wanders into a school. He seems to be reassured as he observes students taking notes about what the teacher is saying.
At least somethings haven't changed, he thinks. .
The vision of how much things have changed in the last 100 years is accurate, and many of the changes keep coming faster. Every generation has seen change (ie steam boats,horseless carriages, atomic bomb, man on the moon, etc) but there is no denying that many changes are coming faster than ever before. In some respects, education has also changed, partially due to
accessible technology and partially due to great increases in information. However, one thing that hasn't changed is no learning will take place unless the person actually wants to learn. This will remain true regardless of the advances in technology.
Ken Robinson says schools killing creativity
Mr. Robinson speaks about how he thinks our schools are killing the creativity of the children
through our accepted system of education. He believes all children are creative and that we educate the creativity out of the children. He made some good points on some things, but overall he didn't really change my mind about anything. He mentions a girl that can't sit still or focus very well in the classroom and its all OK because they discover that she likes to dance and put
her in a dance class. Does this mean she doesn't need to learn math or how to read?
I think it would be great if our schools could somehow be expanded to customize a curriculum to fit the talents of each individual but we all know that will never happen. In many cases, creativity probably is pushed aside so we can teach the 3 R's. John Lennon is a great example of
a not-so-great student whose creativity made him a legend. However, the cold fact remains that there are not a lot of John Lennons out there, most of us will never be famous, and will be forced to have a real job to survive. Children are not all creative and many are just unmotivated and lazy.
Cecelia Gault Interviews Sir Ken Robinson
This is a look at a young girl's blog post and the interview the post is based on. Cecelia
is a sweet and probably an intelligent girl and does a pretty good job of reflecting on the interview in her blog. Once again, I'm not sure how much I agree with Sir Ken. Maybe I'm just extremely cynical because I've been in the classroom and the school system and I see how things work.
He says there are 3 myths about creativity : only certain people are creative; creativity can not be taught; and creativity only involves certain things or fields, and believes and endorses the opposite of these. There are a number of ways to be creative (music, dance, architecture, graphic design, video game design, and others) and I'm sure that the basics of these can be taught but that doesn't mean you can teach real creativity. Everyone can create something, but can everyone create something that matters? Probably not.
Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts
This video is about a teacher and students learning technology in a classroom setting. The students were learning similar things that we are learning in EDM 310, such as Twitter and blogging, among other aspects of technology. The teacher and the students alike seemed to be enthused about what was going on. It was nice seeing kids enjoying learning.
It appeared to me that the teacher was doing an excellent job and she made several good points.
She mentioned that she was teaching the students how to learn which is excellent and will be an
asset for these students all their lives. She also had the students teach about various forms of
technology which is a great way to really learn anything. Students today NEED to come out of high school with a firm grasp of the technology available and how to use many of them. I know some of us old folks are a bit resistant, but technology is everywhere and students today are going to live their entire lives surrounded by it.
K
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Helping my wife
I spent the day in Daphne today. My wife is a photographer and took pictures of a team of 60 dancers. I went along and assisted her. The pictures were taken outside and it was extremely hot, but we made it and the pictures turned out great!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
My name is jeff raybon. I have been married 32 years to Kelly Hanby Raybon and we have four great offspring!! We have girls age 30, 27, and 21 and a late surprise, finally a boy, age 11. My two older girls are
married to really good guys and my youngest daughter is attending USA and living at home right now. My son goes to Faith academy where he excels in the classroom and also plays football.
We are a close-knit family and get together often. We all attend church together at Bay Community.
Most of us are avid Alabama football fans. Even though I graduated from Auburn's School of Pharmacy,
I was brought up watching Paul Bryant and that's where my loyalty will always be.
married to really good guys and my youngest daughter is attending USA and living at home right now. My son goes to Faith academy where he excels in the classroom and also plays football.
We are a close-knit family and get together often. We all attend church together at Bay Community.
Most of us are avid Alabama football fans. Even though I graduated from Auburn's School of Pharmacy,
I was brought up watching Paul Bryant and that's where my loyalty will always be.
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