Sunday, November 29, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
Bridging the Digital Divide
It is nice to see schools have computer labs and internet access, but realistically we should have seen a major change in education by now as a result of technology. It seems that educators are timid to introduce technology (if they have it) or perhaps do not know how to effectively use it and teach with it. We have the world at our finger tips and yet the classroom is still very similar to the classrooms of our parents and grandparents. I believe it has a lot to do with our comfort level; we are comfortable with the old way, it is familiar and for a long time has been effective. Now we are living through a transition period in education where the old way is proving to be ineffective, which is making the education system play catch up. The education system could have been on the frontier of using technology to enhance learning, since the technology has been available beginning in the 1980's, but instead many students and teachers still do not have or know how to use the great technological advances we have available to us. I hear many people complaining that the government does not adequately provide funding for technology, and this may be somewhat true, but I was in elementary school in the early 90's (at a not so well off school) and I had a computer in my classroom that had Mathblaster and Oregon Trail as the extent of its educational contribution. We have come a long way since then, but we must blame our selves for the lack of funding. If we/educators were able to show people the true effectiveness of technology in the classroom, which I think will be easier with high speed internet connections, then our country, in my opinion, will be more willing to hand over funds to equip classrooms.
I think it is extremely important for students to have digital access. Without it they are behind those that do and cannot compete in many areas of the business world without excellent digital knowledge. If we educate every person to make them more effective citizens and ensure that our country has a somewhat educated citizenry able to run and participate in the republic we have, then why have we been dragging our feet in the technology department? This website sums up my point very well in the statement, "Our nation’s commitment to equal economic opportunity, educational advancement, and democratic participation can only thrive if everyone has equivalent access to these critical communications networks." To have what we all want, that being a stable, intelligent nation to live and raise our families in peace and safety, we need to quit being scared of change and spend some money on bridging the digital divide in our own country.
I know that last statement will probably echo into oblivion; we seem to care more about ensuring our quadruple bypass will be affordable after fifty years of fast food and no exercise than creating a more intelligent and connected citizenry. I do realize that the school I teach at may have technology (computer labs, dvd players, maybe even a smart board) that does not allow students to get personal with real- world functional applications. Technology is most useful when we use it to enhance our students learning and they can actually invest their time with the tools because they know it will help them and be there for them. Why does a student get excited about using computers for thirty minutes a week in a computer lab when they do not have exposure the rest of the time? My solution is to get my student their own classroom set of Netbooks, expecting the school has internet access of course. I would go about this by having fundraisers, car washes, candy sales, etc. I remember in high school that every single day someone was selling something, usually candy for sports, if that makes sense. I love sports but really, where are our priorities? According to the article on this LA teaching website, technology has more of an impact on disadvantaged students (digitally divided students) that sports can. One excerpt from the above article that I felt was powerful and worth sharing is, "In the old days, the only way to get out of the ghetto was sports. The new way is technology. Only one out of a thousand went into the NBA or to Pro Football, but with technology we're having a 100% impact." With a class set, or as many as possible, my students will grow familiar with the tools of the real world. The students will be able to use the access to build knowledge themselves.
Through fund raising my class will at least be able to buy a few netbooks for the class to use and expand the classroom walls. After a few years, expecting prices to continue to fall on netbooks and other less expensive devices that will bridge the digital divide, my classroom should be well equipped to connect with students and information around the world. Advances in Cloud computing will also help to keep the netbooks useful and longer lasting, compared with the older computers on the late 90's that were pretty much worthless after a few years because the technology was in such a transition period. I envision cloud computing to help bridge another form of 'digital divide', which is schools with lower performing computers and internet access. With more info being stored away from the computer itself this opens up a huge opportunity to bridge this divide by buying lower performing machines that still are very effective. For more information about the advantages of Cloud Computing for educational purposes here is a short article that may give you a better picture of it.
Many teachers find grants or non-profits that are willing to donate technology to their classroom. A website that lists many technology opportunities for teachers to apply for can be seen here. However, I think that more can be taught to the students by having them raise their own money for the technology they receive. My strategy will qualify as part service learning, part community service (for the students that will benefit from it in the future), and part fundraiser. Instead of crying for somebody to come in and save the poor technology-less classroom, the students will play an active role in the process. Having the technology is only half of the battle. Teachers need to be able to use the technology to make a difference in the classroom, which has not been so successful. This website shows that teachers have to catch up to tech-savvy students, in communities where the digital divide is large teachers still need to bring the students up to speed. It seems that change will have to happen because of necessity. As educators we do not have a choice anymore, we must teach the digital tools the world uses everyday or change the meaning of why we teach.
I think it is extremely important for students to have digital access. Without it they are behind those that do and cannot compete in many areas of the business world without excellent digital knowledge. If we educate every person to make them more effective citizens and ensure that our country has a somewhat educated citizenry able to run and participate in the republic we have, then why have we been dragging our feet in the technology department? This website sums up my point very well in the statement, "Our nation’s commitment to equal economic opportunity, educational advancement, and democratic participation can only thrive if everyone has equivalent access to these critical communications networks." To have what we all want, that being a stable, intelligent nation to live and raise our families in peace and safety, we need to quit being scared of change and spend some money on bridging the digital divide in our own country.
I know that last statement will probably echo into oblivion; we seem to care more about ensuring our quadruple bypass will be affordable after fifty years of fast food and no exercise than creating a more intelligent and connected citizenry. I do realize that the school I teach at may have technology (computer labs, dvd players, maybe even a smart board) that does not allow students to get personal with real- world functional applications. Technology is most useful when we use it to enhance our students learning and they can actually invest their time with the tools because they know it will help them and be there for them. Why does a student get excited about using computers for thirty minutes a week in a computer lab when they do not have exposure the rest of the time? My solution is to get my student their own classroom set of Netbooks, expecting the school has internet access of course. I would go about this by having fundraisers, car washes, candy sales, etc. I remember in high school that every single day someone was selling something, usually candy for sports, if that makes sense. I love sports but really, where are our priorities? According to the article on this LA teaching website, technology has more of an impact on disadvantaged students (digitally divided students) that sports can. One excerpt from the above article that I felt was powerful and worth sharing is, "In the old days, the only way to get out of the ghetto was sports. The new way is technology. Only one out of a thousand went into the NBA or to Pro Football, but with technology we're having a 100% impact." With a class set, or as many as possible, my students will grow familiar with the tools of the real world. The students will be able to use the access to build knowledge themselves.
Through fund raising my class will at least be able to buy a few netbooks for the class to use and expand the classroom walls. After a few years, expecting prices to continue to fall on netbooks and other less expensive devices that will bridge the digital divide, my classroom should be well equipped to connect with students and information around the world. Advances in Cloud computing will also help to keep the netbooks useful and longer lasting, compared with the older computers on the late 90's that were pretty much worthless after a few years because the technology was in such a transition period. I envision cloud computing to help bridge another form of 'digital divide', which is schools with lower performing computers and internet access. With more info being stored away from the computer itself this opens up a huge opportunity to bridge this divide by buying lower performing machines that still are very effective. For more information about the advantages of Cloud Computing for educational purposes here is a short article that may give you a better picture of it.
Many teachers find grants or non-profits that are willing to donate technology to their classroom. A website that lists many technology opportunities for teachers to apply for can be seen here. However, I think that more can be taught to the students by having them raise their own money for the technology they receive. My strategy will qualify as part service learning, part community service (for the students that will benefit from it in the future), and part fundraiser. Instead of crying for somebody to come in and save the poor technology-less classroom, the students will play an active role in the process. Having the technology is only half of the battle. Teachers need to be able to use the technology to make a difference in the classroom, which has not been so successful. This website shows that teachers have to catch up to tech-savvy students, in communities where the digital divide is large teachers still need to bring the students up to speed. It seems that change will have to happen because of necessity. As educators we do not have a choice anymore, we must teach the digital tools the world uses everyday or change the meaning of why we teach.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Teacher Leader
A teacher leader is not just a go to work and teach classes and then go home teacher, but an invested person that really wants to do whatever they can to make the system better. A good leader, no matter what organization, system, or institution has to have a heart to serve. A teacher leader is a person that is willing to serve their students, school, district, state, and country to help improve the system for the benefit of the students. One resource that does an excellent job showing what it takes to be a leader can be seen here. This article is about forming a network of teachers in New England that work to make the system better in their region. One of the goals for this program is to get teachers involved in policies that effect their schools. So often politicians make decisions about the school system without talking with teachers. Here is a great quote I found in the article that really makes a good point, "Teachers are the most important factor for student success, and no one knows more about teaching and learning than teachers themselves," said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. I thought their was some truth in this statement.
Another source that I thought was worth sharing can be seen here. This is a simple list that has teacher leader qualities. The list is interesting to examine and shows some basic things that may help us define what a teacher leader is composed of. What I liked about the list is that it can be seen as a general list of what a leader is, but this list is specifically geared toward teachers. As a teacher I want to embody these principles in my career, not just to be seen as a teacher leader by my peers, but more importantly by my students.
Is it fair to ask teachers to step up and be more politically active in addition to the already busy schedule of the school year?
Another source that I thought was worth sharing can be seen here. This is a simple list that has teacher leader qualities. The list is interesting to examine and shows some basic things that may help us define what a teacher leader is composed of. What I liked about the list is that it can be seen as a general list of what a leader is, but this list is specifically geared toward teachers. As a teacher I want to embody these principles in my career, not just to be seen as a teacher leader by my peers, but more importantly by my students.
Is it fair to ask teachers to step up and be more politically active in addition to the already busy schedule of the school year?
Sunday, November 1, 2009
The Networked Student
Students have the ability to become a major part of the world through the amazing technological devices available today. The networked student can use many devices or just a few to find, organize, implement, create, etc. knowledge. The Human network is very important for students to have in their pursuit of ever higher education. A human network is connections that students make, usually using technology, that allows them to communicate/learn from many different people from their community, state, country, and world. The networked student makes these connections and can greatly add to their sense of community and place among the people of this world through this self created network.
Digital literacy is very important to the networked student. A student can create a network with people without the latest technology and gadgets, but with a few common, for our country, capabilities the student can connect easier and more effectively with the world outside of the classroom. With netbooks available around $200 I think it is safe to say that all students can, and hopefully will, have access to the internet in the near future. Not all will have the luxury of having internet connections at home but all should have it at school. I think as educators we should embrace the networked student and serve as facilitators for this learning medium, much like computers and phones do. Although I like to think that I am fairly knowledgeable in my subject area, I am smart enough to know that teaching a student how to find and organize good data from numerous sources is much more valuable than anything I can tell them explicitly. I can see myself as a teacher that takes a back seat, as far as being the sole source of knowledge in the class, and becoming more of an overseer for my students learning, making sure they are remaining focused on a given topic and learning effective ways to gain in their overall knowledge base.
This link shows an example of a network opportunity provided by university students reaching out to anybody that's interested in the college. The students of this university create blogs that describe what they do at school for prospective students or family members to read. Although this link may not be explicitly 'network learning', it does show how high school students can connect to the academic world, especially if they are interested in attending the school.
Digital literacy is very important to the networked student. A student can create a network with people without the latest technology and gadgets, but with a few common, for our country, capabilities the student can connect easier and more effectively with the world outside of the classroom. With netbooks available around $200 I think it is safe to say that all students can, and hopefully will, have access to the internet in the near future. Not all will have the luxury of having internet connections at home but all should have it at school. I think as educators we should embrace the networked student and serve as facilitators for this learning medium, much like computers and phones do. Although I like to think that I am fairly knowledgeable in my subject area, I am smart enough to know that teaching a student how to find and organize good data from numerous sources is much more valuable than anything I can tell them explicitly. I can see myself as a teacher that takes a back seat, as far as being the sole source of knowledge in the class, and becoming more of an overseer for my students learning, making sure they are remaining focused on a given topic and learning effective ways to gain in their overall knowledge base.
This link shows an example of a network opportunity provided by university students reaching out to anybody that's interested in the college. The students of this university create blogs that describe what they do at school for prospective students or family members to read. Although this link may not be explicitly 'network learning', it does show how high school students can connect to the academic world, especially if they are interested in attending the school.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Service learning projects
Class Service Learning Projects
Here are a few service learning ideas from my classmates. More will be added later.
Chance- xtranormal.com website: civic values, voting is not the only way to get involved. Students pick an issue and try to help solve it. Uses wiki's as a platform
Zarha- learning about voting rights, choose an important person that effected voting rights and make a lesson on that person. Use skype to connect with other students.
Michael- oral history/ nursing homes students interview old people and use that to make a digital story recording to make presentations and upload to youtube
Adam- voter registration, observing trends and makes students create ways to help people get involved, use the school news to motivate people to vote inside the school. Have booths to promote voting at the school.
Megan- human trafficking, makes students aware of this issue, four groups- what/how people are enslaved today, what the U.S is doing to stop it. Goal- letter writing campaign to politicians to encourage people to write letters also, also spreads awareness of who the congress members are in the area.
Jen- military letter writing, create a wiki to write letters to all branches of the military, servicemen can write back and give them information.
Josh- honoring our veterans, interview a vet and ask many questions, before interview the students have to do research on the event, make a podcast 2 min and a blog about their experiences with the vet and let the vets know that they can view the website.
Jeremy- war on drugs, intentions of the war on drugs, create a wiki and then write a politician about what they think.
Megan g.- support a soldier, middle school, working through their school and community to get support for the troops(care packages). Try to get donations for specific soldiers connected to soldiers fighting oversees, make a video about any updates. Ask people to send in needed items, soldiers could write back and answer student's questions.
Elizabeth H.- helping underprivileged children, put together christmas boxes for people in need, make blogs and commenting on other students blogs. Need to research the different opportunities available to help people.
Eric- Using internet to help the elderly, old people are lonely and sad. Make students visit nursing home and interview them. work with residents to show them how to email and chat with family members. Rate life satisfaction. Write a paper about what they learned and how what they did may have helped. Students see if they made an impact.
Elizabeth J.- increasing cultural awareness, lecture on immigration and have students poll the school and see where everyone's heritage comes from. Get people to make contribute to a cultural fair in the school, with food and anything else.
Mallory- students pair up with habitat for humanity, students will determine the costs of building homes. Research people that do volunteer work for the program, interview families that have received homes- telling their story. Tie it in with what they learned about economics and how people lost their home.
Louisa- oral history, connecting past with the present. Students ask themselves questions about their lives- what they need or are worried about. Ask old people what they were worried about when they were younger, compare that with what older people say. Video or tape the interview onto the wiki to share. viewing party at the nursing home, bring food and drink, for the nursing people to watch and show they are still valued in the community.
Katie- history affects us all, video, visit nursing home 3-4 times a semester, learn about the historical aspects that impacted their lives. Music the Weepies.
Jeff- go to local parks and see how people affect the environment. Showing students how much trash is left at parks after people leave. Go to the park and help clean up. Teaches kids about wildlife protection, make a blog or video about what they learned.
Glogster- online poster webpage, interactive poster. can add video and web sites. Glogster.edu- register students up to 200, very private. Look at glogster tutorial on youtube. Glogster.com/edu
Megan- Voter turnout, how info was dispersed during elections, how govn't affects peoples lives. Visit nursing home and make a podcast about the interviews from the elderly. All tied to voting and media. Write a thank you letter to the elderly after they are finished.
Britt- Increase young voters turnout, should be done on an election year. Generate a survey (survey monkey) have to figure out what questions to ask. The data decides the action they take, if they find out myspace is popular they can use that. They can make posters to spread their
Nichole- becoming a responsible citizen. Blog the Vote- learn about voting and campaigning. Use google motion chart to see the trends of voting to help focus the class on important areas.
Angie- Get it Right! learning the rights you have. Students select a topic pertaining to individual rights, small groups, research their topic and figure out how we got there and pu their results on the class wiki. Put together a community fair and display there interactive presentations for the public to see. Gain community support,
Trish- Writing out loud. Set up a pen pal system between America and Japanese students. Expand students horizons. Talk about what they are being taught conserning WWII. Info about schools the students attend and what they are learning, make a wiki about any stereotypes or bias discovered. Practice language skills for at risk students.
Alli- "We're all Americans" researching newspaper articles about Muslim racism. Use tradebooks. Exposing students to the Patriot Act. Interview people from the neighborhood and ask what they know about the Patriot Act. The students will expand their knowledge about the Patriot Act. Go over recent immigration laws. Create wikis using their interviews.
Carrie- Oral history, Cold War, interview a person, family member, about the cold war, or they will research/do a mural. Record the interview and post it on a wiki. Working with the local newspaper and maybe get some articles posted in the newspaper. Brings out the community's background.
GiGi- study of Haiti and the issues that surround the education system of Haiti. Contact Haitian students eventually make a school presentation about what they learned about the Haitian education system. Collect funds to help the students that the class was involved with during the research aspect of the project.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Knowing the Avenues- Service Learning Plan
Service Learning Plan
Title- “Knowing the Avenues”
Area of Service- Developing active political participation and awareness
Grade Level- 9-12
Subject Area- Government or Civics
Unit Description-
Step 1: The students will familiarize themselves with local, state or federal politicians directly connected to their community (elected by the community). For the politician they choose a short biographical sketch should be made containing their views, background, party affiliations, voting history, personal platforms, and interesting facts that shaped the persons life. This can be done through emails, telephone conversations, or personal interviews. The students will compose a summary of each person and post it on the class wiki.
Step 2: The next step in the service learning unit will be to conduct interviews from various people in the community (coaches, other teachers, parents, etc.), outside the students’ immediate family. The purpose of this step will be for the students to identify a need among the members of the community. The students will bring any needs found out from the interviews back to class where they will select the most important.
Step 3: Using the proper political ‘avenues’, whether it be local, state, or national, the students will use their knowledge gained in step 1 to lobby for the needs they discovered through their interviews. The goal will be to expose the students to the political process first hand and to show students how local, state, and federal governments function. By creating dialogues with politicians the students should gain an understanding of how important or frustrating the political process can be.
Standards:
SS.912.C.2.2: Evaluate the importance of political participation and civic participation.
SS.912.C.2.3: Experience the responsibilities of citizens at the local, state, or federal levels.
SS.912.C.2.5: Conduct a service project to further the public good.
SS.912.C.2.8: Analyze the impact of citizen participation as a means of achieving political and social change.
SS.912.C.2.10: Monitor current public issues in Florida.
SS.912.C.2.11: Analyze public policy solutions or courses of action to resolve a local, state, or federal issue.
SS.912.C.2.15: Evaluate the origins and roles of political parties, interest groups, media, and individuals in determining and shaping public policy.
SS.912.C.3.13: Illustrate examples of how government affects the daily lives of citizens at the local, state, and national levels.
Technologies/ Web Applications-
The students will add all of their content to the class wiki about each politician. After the needs (from the interviews) have been determined and selected they will be posted as well. The students will be required to contribute to the discussion about why each need is important or unimportant, worth campaigning for, or any other discussion topic that can be generated by the teacher after the needs have been isolated and examined.
The students will periodically add updates to the wiki from their efforts to expose/ campaign for the needs they choose. Any responses received from the politicians will be summarized and added to the site to create a constantly changing progress report. The wiki will be open for all to see, excluding the class discussions, which will be protected.
The students will use this wiki platform to connect to the community and the people where the needs generated to show any progress.
Assessment:
The students will be assessed on how much they participate in the online discussions and during the interviews process. This project can actually last all year and beyond, based on having the students conduct another round of interviews from the community. The students will also be assessed on how well they research the politicians and summarize any responses they receive. All responses will be examined by the teacher to make sure they are accurate with the responses received.
Activities or worksheets will also be used to examine how well the students understand the steps each politician must take to achieve the classes request or need. The students will also be judged on their creativity on the wiki, to ensure that students add any photos, video, or documents that may help their objectives.
30%- For composing biographical sketch of any politician used to fulfill a community members need.
20%- For interviewing members of the community and choosing which issue or need they are going to pursue. The group needs to provide the reasons they chose the need.
20%- For updating the wiki with new information received from any politician and writing responses to these updates.
10%- Contacting a politician and describing the need the group is lobbying for in a professional manner.
10%- Responding to teacher lead discussion points brought out during the course of the project on the class wiki.
Click here to view a storybird about this service learning project
Title- “Knowing the Avenues”
Area of Service- Developing active political participation and awareness
Grade Level- 9-12
Subject Area- Government or Civics
Unit Description-
Step 1: The students will familiarize themselves with local, state or federal politicians directly connected to their community (elected by the community). For the politician they choose a short biographical sketch should be made containing their views, background, party affiliations, voting history, personal platforms, and interesting facts that shaped the persons life. This can be done through emails, telephone conversations, or personal interviews. The students will compose a summary of each person and post it on the class wiki.
Step 2: The next step in the service learning unit will be to conduct interviews from various people in the community (coaches, other teachers, parents, etc.), outside the students’ immediate family. The purpose of this step will be for the students to identify a need among the members of the community. The students will bring any needs found out from the interviews back to class where they will select the most important.
Step 3: Using the proper political ‘avenues’, whether it be local, state, or national, the students will use their knowledge gained in step 1 to lobby for the needs they discovered through their interviews. The goal will be to expose the students to the political process first hand and to show students how local, state, and federal governments function. By creating dialogues with politicians the students should gain an understanding of how important or frustrating the political process can be.
Standards:
SS.912.C.2.2: Evaluate the importance of political participation and civic participation.
SS.912.C.2.3: Experience the responsibilities of citizens at the local, state, or federal levels.
SS.912.C.2.5: Conduct a service project to further the public good.
SS.912.C.2.8: Analyze the impact of citizen participation as a means of achieving political and social change.
SS.912.C.2.10: Monitor current public issues in Florida.
SS.912.C.2.11: Analyze public policy solutions or courses of action to resolve a local, state, or federal issue.
SS.912.C.2.15: Evaluate the origins and roles of political parties, interest groups, media, and individuals in determining and shaping public policy.
SS.912.C.3.13: Illustrate examples of how government affects the daily lives of citizens at the local, state, and national levels.
Technologies/ Web Applications-
The students will add all of their content to the class wiki about each politician. After the needs (from the interviews) have been determined and selected they will be posted as well. The students will be required to contribute to the discussion about why each need is important or unimportant, worth campaigning for, or any other discussion topic that can be generated by the teacher after the needs have been isolated and examined.
The students will periodically add updates to the wiki from their efforts to expose/ campaign for the needs they choose. Any responses received from the politicians will be summarized and added to the site to create a constantly changing progress report. The wiki will be open for all to see, excluding the class discussions, which will be protected.
The students will use this wiki platform to connect to the community and the people where the needs generated to show any progress.
Assessment:
The students will be assessed on how much they participate in the online discussions and during the interviews process. This project can actually last all year and beyond, based on having the students conduct another round of interviews from the community. The students will also be assessed on how well they research the politicians and summarize any responses they receive. All responses will be examined by the teacher to make sure they are accurate with the responses received.
Activities or worksheets will also be used to examine how well the students understand the steps each politician must take to achieve the classes request or need. The students will also be judged on their creativity on the wiki, to ensure that students add any photos, video, or documents that may help their objectives.
30%- For composing biographical sketch of any politician used to fulfill a community members need.
20%- For interviewing members of the community and choosing which issue or need they are going to pursue. The group needs to provide the reasons they chose the need.
20%- For updating the wiki with new information received from any politician and writing responses to these updates.
10%- Contacting a politician and describing the need the group is lobbying for in a professional manner.
10%- Responding to teacher lead discussion points brought out during the course of the project on the class wiki.
Click here to view a storybird about this service learning project
Why is he yelling, Blog #7
The first event I thought of after watching the video, that would probably be totally weird if our modern technologies were available, was Paul Revere's ride through Boston. He would not have had to ride through the city yelling 'The British are coming!' He could have just relaxed and sent a text or posted it on twitter. Revere's midnight ride has become a famous event that has reverberated down to our time as national folk lore. The city of Boston would lose out on a huge tourist attraction, I've been to Boston, they have statues, reenactments, and museums devoted to everything that has to do with the 'colonial trouble makers' it is amazing. Without names and characters to display there would be nothing to see. You can't build a monument if all you have is a screen name.
The American revolutionaries could have also gained support in much less dramatic ways. They could have connected the colonist, that were not interested with revolution, with their opinions and ideas, instead of throwing tea in the harbor dressed as Indians, etc. Twitter and SMS would have also made the guerrilla warfare used by the colonists much more effective, which may be happening in Afghanistan and Iraq today. However, we would not have the romantic stories that we have today if Revere had not rode through the city screaming his head off. The event would be totally bizarre in modern times but not less effective. As we have seen recently with the Iran elections and following crack down, dramatic events can still be very iconic using modern technologies; I'll never forget Neda and her murder captured on video.
The American revolutionaries could have also gained support in much less dramatic ways. They could have connected the colonist, that were not interested with revolution, with their opinions and ideas, instead of throwing tea in the harbor dressed as Indians, etc. Twitter and SMS would have also made the guerrilla warfare used by the colonists much more effective, which may be happening in Afghanistan and Iraq today. However, we would not have the romantic stories that we have today if Revere had not rode through the city screaming his head off. The event would be totally bizarre in modern times but not less effective. As we have seen recently with the Iran elections and following crack down, dramatic events can still be very iconic using modern technologies; I'll never forget Neda and her murder captured on video.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
You are Just a Screen! #6
This video was awesome! At first I thought it was going to be like listening to another person paranoid that the world was coming to an end because we don't talk or pay attention to each other. Thankfully, he changed his focus and exposed some very interesting things that I have never thought about concerning the way people interact for the past forty to fifty years. The 'Whatever' stuff was funny and made sense the more I thought about it. The 'assembly line feeling' also gave me some insight into why people do the things they do, such as American Idol etc.
The social networking examples Wesch used are relevant because they are an important aspect of the world culture that, barring a very serious disaster, is not going anywhere. These types of social networks are changing the feeling that we are lost in society by placing humans at the forefront again, maybe more than ever. Personally I can connect to my family in New England easier than ever before, as well as my friends that live out of state or country. With these social networks, although very different than face to face conversation, still qualify as interaction. I liked the wording Prof. Wesch used when he said, 'The most private space becomes the most public space.' The social networks allow people, and maybe classrooms, to open up in ways that are useful and important in creating a sense of belonging.
Our sense of self is changing with these new mediums and this is inevitable. The telegraph, phone, and radio all had the same effect. I thought of the scene in the movie 'Oh brother Were Art Thou', when the fat gov'nah walks into the radio station and yells at his biffy son for being nice to the people outside the station. I think he said something like, 'we aren't here to talk to a few people, we're trying to reach the masses.' I think the social networks we have now are similar to this example. We need to be careful that our face to face interactions don't completely vanish, but people have always been rude to each other, so I get irritated when I hear that people now a days are so rude. What does this mean? How do people that say this know? I talk to old people, like my grandmother, and she tells me all the time how rude people were when she was a kid. I think people want to think things were different when they really weren't. Okay back on target, sorry.
As Educators I think we should definitely use these social networks even if its just to expose our students to them. So many people use social networks that I think it will play a huge role in the future business world, which I'm pretty sure that by the time our students are out of school their bosses will be people our age; so I think its safe to say technology will play a large part in the workplace. I think we can try to connect these social networks to our content area but that probably should not be the total focus. Just like SSR (sustained silent reading, for those who have not read the fabulous BRB textbook), which may or may not be connected directly to the content material it still has many benefits.
Question:
Do you think these social networks and other Web 2.0 applications will be taught just like typing class was taught, or instead of typing? Or is it our job as educators to incorporate it with our class? (I had to take typing when I was in middle school, I don't know if these classes are still offered, it was really boring!)
Monday, October 5, 2009
Watergate podcast lesson
Mallory and I created a podcast collection covering Richard Nixon and the Watergate event. The podcasts include many calls to/from Richard Nixon by friends and colleagues consoling him during the predicament he was in. The collection also includes a podcast from a congressional hearing that is investigating the event. The students could use this collection to help put a human face on an event that is very confusing and embarrassing in U.S. history. Using these interviews the students will better understand the final days of Nixon's presidency, as well as hearing Nixon on the phone in a personal atmosphere. Other resources that can be used to accompany this lesson could be from supreme court decisions covering executive power, and perhaps other presidents that may have overstepped their bounds. Resources that discuss our government's checks and balances could also be used by the students to connect why Watergate was such an important issue that had to be exposed. This lesson would be perfect for a civics class discussing the limits of power each branch, in this case the executive, have to protect us from shady practices. One web site that can be used to look up Supreme court cases would be this one here. The following links are from our collection. (For some reason I could not directly link these podcasts.)
http://deimos3.apple.com/WebObjects/Core.woa/Browse/americanpublicmedia.org.1349949535.01357471251.1355019026?i=1426120683
http://deimos3.apple.com/WebObjects/Core.woa/Browse/americanpublicmedia.org.1349949535.01357471251.1355019026?i=1426120683
http://deimos3.apple.com/WebObjects/Core.woa/Browse/americanpublicmedia.org.1349949535.01357471251.1357014222?i=1766028534
http://deimos3.apple.com/WebObjects/Core.woa/Browse/americanpublicmedia.org.1349949535.01357471251.1356949900?i=1208012496
http://deimos3.apple.com/WebObjects/Core.woa/Browse/americanpublicmedia.org.1357552105?i=1876981101
http://deimos3.apple.com/WebObjects/Core.woa/Browse/americanpublicmedia.org.1349360431.01349360438.1351818005?i=1697554405
http://deimos3.apple.com/WebObjects/Core.woa/Browse/americanpublicmedia.org.1349949535.01357471251.1355019026?i=1426120683
http://deimos3.apple.com/WebObjects/Core.woa/Browse/americanpublicmedia.org.1349949535.01357471251.1355019026?i=1426120683
http://deimos3.apple.com/WebObjects/Core.woa/Browse/americanpublicmedia.org.1349949535.01357471251.1357014222?i=1766028534
http://deimos3.apple.com/WebObjects/Core.woa/Browse/americanpublicmedia.org.1349949535.01357471251.1356949900?i=1208012496
http://deimos3.apple.com/WebObjects/Core.woa/Browse/americanpublicmedia.org.1357552105?i=1876981101
http://deimos3.apple.com/WebObjects/Core.woa/Browse/americanpublicmedia.org.1349360431.01349360438.1351818005?i=1697554405
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Service Learning
The service learning plan I chose to write about dives into the subject of religious persecution. Here is the summary as described by the website: While studying the struggle against religious intolerance in United States history, students will research the current plight of various religious minorities around the world. They will focus on religious groups that are currently the victims of religious intolerance, and contact government officials both in the nations involved and in the United States. They will seek to eliminate religious persecution against these groups.You can look at this service learning project here. This plan covers many benefits that are described on the Inquiry in Social Studies MindMeister. The first is it stimulates awareness of controversial issues, which I think is probably the most important when covering a topics such as this. It also limits teacher bias by allowing the students to choose any religion they want to research. By doing this type of project the students will have to think like a social studies researcher, which is also listed in our Benefits.
The methods that the students will have to use to be effective in exposing religious intolerance will be exploration. The students will have to explore many areas of the world through websites to find religious intolerance. They will also have to use their discussion skills to determine the best course of action. The project calls for the students to contact government officials which will require them to hone their discussion/communication skills. The students will also use collaboration, listed under best practices, with government officials to expose religious intolerance. They will also have to use technology to contact the government officials in other nations. Without being familiar with the newest communication technologies the students will be less effective. By Being closely involved in each students activities most of the challenges should be taken care of. Making sure the students show the proper respect needed to government officials from other countries will be essential.
The methods that the students will have to use to be effective in exposing religious intolerance will be exploration. The students will have to explore many areas of the world through websites to find religious intolerance. They will also have to use their discussion skills to determine the best course of action. The project calls for the students to contact government officials which will require them to hone their discussion/communication skills. The students will also use collaboration, listed under best practices, with government officials to expose religious intolerance. They will also have to use technology to contact the government officials in other nations. Without being familiar with the newest communication technologies the students will be less effective. By Being closely involved in each students activities most of the challenges should be taken care of. Making sure the students show the proper respect needed to government officials from other countries will be essential.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
The article by Edelson, D, in the Journal of Research in Science Teaching; titled Learning-For-Use: A Framework for the Design of Technology-Supported Inquiry Activities; describes a program that allows students to input their own data to create a new Earth. This program makes the students actively learn the processes of the Earth and how theses processes interact to make a stable planet. I think this same type of 'Learning-for-use model' can be used for government or economics study.
If this program allowed students to create different scenarios for governmental ideas, and then showed how their models fit together, it would be a great tool for showing how our current government works with its many functions. I would put the students in group and have them discuss how they think a government should function, the specific powers they want to give the government, and the systems they would put in place to keep it from becoming a dictatorship or anarchical. If the students did want a system that was undemocratic it would open up a great opportunity to discuss the benefits of democracy compared to other forms of government. This activity would create a greater appreciation for our current government and the problems the founders faced when they first developed it.
In economics the students could input their own ideas about a number of variables, such as currency, state and federal banks, interstate and international trade. If the students input scenarios that would not work well, such as only having state-run banks, the program could show them the reasons why this is defective. After each group made their models we would, as a class, discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each.
This is all speculative and would need a software designer to make happen, but I just modified the original science related model, described by the author of the article, Edelson, D., and made it applicable to American government or economics. It seems this would be a very interactive way to show the intricacies of government and economics. Would this turn into a simulation type game that students did not take seriously? Would this be profitable as a learning tool compared to the cost it would take to develop? Has an interactive program used specifically for U.S. government/economics already been developed?
If this program allowed students to create different scenarios for governmental ideas, and then showed how their models fit together, it would be a great tool for showing how our current government works with its many functions. I would put the students in group and have them discuss how they think a government should function, the specific powers they want to give the government, and the systems they would put in place to keep it from becoming a dictatorship or anarchical. If the students did want a system that was undemocratic it would open up a great opportunity to discuss the benefits of democracy compared to other forms of government. This activity would create a greater appreciation for our current government and the problems the founders faced when they first developed it.
In economics the students could input their own ideas about a number of variables, such as currency, state and federal banks, interstate and international trade. If the students input scenarios that would not work well, such as only having state-run banks, the program could show them the reasons why this is defective. After each group made their models we would, as a class, discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each.
This is all speculative and would need a software designer to make happen, but I just modified the original science related model, described by the author of the article, Edelson, D., and made it applicable to American government or economics. It seems this would be a very interactive way to show the intricacies of government and economics. Would this turn into a simulation type game that students did not take seriously? Would this be profitable as a learning tool compared to the cost it would take to develop? Has an interactive program used specifically for U.S. government/economics already been developed?
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Blogs, podcasts, and wikis: Has school become extremely fun?
I found some great podcasts, blogs and wikis that made it seem that the students involved were actually enjoying the assignments; what a crazy concept. The first podcast was a little dated but I thought it was worth mentioning. Two students, one acting as an interviewer and the other a expert, had a great discussion about the differences between Sec. Clinton's health care proposal and Pres. Obama's proposal. This must have been done during the primaries. Nevertheless, the discussion required the interviewer to ask very pointed questions which obviously had to be researched before the podcast. On the other end the student playing the expert had to answer the very specific questions and she really laid out the differences very well. This example made both students do relevant research about a modern issue. I thought this method was more effective than making the students do a paper or simple presentation. This podcast was done by the Springfield school district in Pennsylvania last year http://ssdcougars.libsyn.com/. A class wiki that I stumbled upon was actually part of a larger international collaboration called Flat Classroom Project. The class created wikis about numerous subjects with help from a class in Germany. This network allows teachers and students to team up with students from all around the world to discuss various topics and work on projects together. I did see there are Flat Classroom workshops where teachers can learn how to use this type of technology. A social studies blog that I found was by a middle school history teacher. He used the blog to communicate assignments, study sheets, and relevant information, such as links to all sorts of history websites, to his students. The students also had an opportunity to respond or ask him questions. I had difficulty finding student blogs. It seemed like they were not open to the public, which makes sense to me. The podcasts, wikis, and blogs all look more interesting than the type of assignments I had to do in social studies classes. I think teachers are definitely making learning exciting by using these methods.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Am I that old
Technology should be integrated into social studies classrooms for many more reasons than I originally thought. Before our first class I thought technology would only be useful for research, visual aids, or typing papers. I am convinced that the many technologies we looked at would be great tools for students. However, I am a bit worried because I feel like I am crawling out from under a rock. I thought I was up to date with most things and now I see that the tech world has zoomed right by me. Using blogs and learning communities to connect students and give them greater motivation to write and read, in any subject, is enough motivation for me to try my best to learn these tools.
The chapters I read in the November book, especially the first, showed me that I do not even have the basic knowledge to talk about the internet properly. The second chapter made me realized I have no idea how search engines work, even though they have helped me research most of my undergrad papers. The advanced search methods described in the chapter could have helped me shave off a few hours a semester scouring sites that were useless. Showing our future students how to avoid trash websites and inappropriate material, by teaching proper website validation, will help them not waste their time. The sixth chapter was the one that really changed my mind, in addition to class last week, about how awesome technology can be in the classroom. As teachers we can help connect our students with each other, other students from around the country and world, and (in reference to the Math teacher pp. 81-82) with students yet to come. Blogging, wikis, and podcasts obviously have many advantages in the classroom to motivate and make learning fun. I would be lying if I said I wasn't excited about the new tech tools we are going to learn this semester. I just hope I keep up!
The chapters I read in the November book, especially the first, showed me that I do not even have the basic knowledge to talk about the internet properly. The second chapter made me realized I have no idea how search engines work, even though they have helped me research most of my undergrad papers. The advanced search methods described in the chapter could have helped me shave off a few hours a semester scouring sites that were useless. Showing our future students how to avoid trash websites and inappropriate material, by teaching proper website validation, will help them not waste their time. The sixth chapter was the one that really changed my mind, in addition to class last week, about how awesome technology can be in the classroom. As teachers we can help connect our students with each other, other students from around the country and world, and (in reference to the Math teacher pp. 81-82) with students yet to come. Blogging, wikis, and podcasts obviously have many advantages in the classroom to motivate and make learning fun. I would be lying if I said I wasn't excited about the new tech tools we are going to learn this semester. I just hope I keep up!
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