Journal #4 “Create, Collaborate, Communicate: Empowering Students with 21st Century Skills by Chris Riedel
Chris Riedel, "Create, Collaborate, Communicate: Empowering Students With 21st Century Skills," T.H.E. Journal, 1/27/2009, http://www.thejournal.com/articles/23872
This article discusses the importance of using and teaching technology in the classroom. The reason we need to be teaching our students technology is to get the ready for the future. When asking the top 50 companies what they are looking for in recruits, the top three things were: creative problem solving, critical and analytical skills, and information gathering and evaluation. The article suggests 16 things educators can do to prepare their students for the future. The 16 things are: find a technology mentor, create a social network, develop problem-solving skills, start collaborating, use project-based learning, develop information processing skills, give kids a global voice, discover RSS, improve critical thinking skills, teach kids to be self-directed, create, collaborate, and communicate, discover social bookmarking, interactive video conferencing, integrate web 2.0 into curriculum, promote 1:1 computing, and staff development.
1. Which of the suggestions given am I already using?
I enjoy using project-based learning in the classroom. The article suggests this is important because it teaches a wide range of skill. I like project-based learning because I feel the students get much more engaged in the work they are doing. The seem to also get much more out of the learning experience. I did a project on a Spanish speaking country in class, and the presentations that were given were amazing. I feel the students learned a lot about the countries they did their projects on.
2. Which of the suggestions do I think would be most helpful to students?
I think two of them would help with real-world as well as prepare them for college: start collaborating and improve critical thinking skills. All of the suggestions given are very important and useful, but I personally used collaborating and critical thinking in college, and now in my career. The article suggests using google docs for collaborating, and this tool is very helpful to any kind of group project.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Journal 3
Journal #3 "Keep Them Chatting"
“Keep Them Chatting” by Jeanie Cole
Cole, J. (2009 February). Keep them chatting. Learning and Leading with Technology, 4, Retrieved February 15, 2009, from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/200902/
This article discusses how to keep students involved in a lively classroom discussion on online classes. Usually online classes do not involve many discussions that go beyond the basic needs of the class assignments. Very often students will lose interest, making teachers resort to lecturing in the chat rooms. This article gives many examples on how to liven up the discussions so students can get more out of the experience. The examples given range from English class to Biology to even Physics!
1. What are the benefits to the student of a more lively on-line discussion?
I know personally from taking on-line course that I do not get as much out of the learning experience as I do in the classroom. The article says the students will take more of an ownership of their own work and class. The author also writes of success stories where students are taking something they learned on their on-line class and went on to learn more about the subject. The other benefit is that students who are interested in their own work are also able to look at the work of other students.
2. What is a question I could use in my own online classroom that would spark a lively discussion with my students?
A question I would use is, "If you were born in Mexico how would your life be different? Do you think you would view the world in a different way?" I think there would be many different responses and I would have the students comment on each others.
“Keep Them Chatting” by Jeanie Cole
Cole, J. (2009 February). Keep them chatting. Learning and Leading with Technology, 4, Retrieved February 15, 2009, from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/200902/
This article discusses how to keep students involved in a lively classroom discussion on online classes. Usually online classes do not involve many discussions that go beyond the basic needs of the class assignments. Very often students will lose interest, making teachers resort to lecturing in the chat rooms. This article gives many examples on how to liven up the discussions so students can get more out of the experience. The examples given range from English class to Biology to even Physics!
1. What are the benefits to the student of a more lively on-line discussion?
I know personally from taking on-line course that I do not get as much out of the learning experience as I do in the classroom. The article says the students will take more of an ownership of their own work and class. The author also writes of success stories where students are taking something they learned on their on-line class and went on to learn more about the subject. The other benefit is that students who are interested in their own work are also able to look at the work of other students.
2. What is a question I could use in my own online classroom that would spark a lively discussion with my students?
A question I would use is, "If you were born in Mexico how would your life be different? Do you think you would view the world in a different way?" I think there would be many different responses and I would have the students comment on each others.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
social bookmarking NETS 3,5
1. I chose the "Tokens and Treasures" exhibit from the National Archive. Within this exhibit it showed different unique gifts given to presidents. The most interesting gift in my opinion was the custom cowboy boots given to Eisenhower. How funny! The value of primary sources in the classroom is that the information goes through less mediums. In the classroom the student is receiving the information first hand so they can be sure that is it accurate.
2. Three areas that fit my teaching style are:
> Network with other schools that are developing and implementing culturally competent systems. Adapt the processes and information that are consistent with your school's needs and interests.
Networking is key to the success of the school system. It is all about learning what other people are doing and fitting it in to fit your needs.
> Gather and organize resource materials related to culturally diverse groups for use by school staff.
All schools have many resources for staff and I always like to take advantage of that.
>Ensure that your school has a mission statement that commits to cultural competence as an integral component of all its activities. The cultural competence committee should be involved in developing this statement.
I would never work for a school that does not have cultural components in the mission statement. It is very important for children to be in an environment that is cultural sensitive to their needs.
3. The site I found was dinosaur art done by children. The reading level of this site is 3-6. It is fascinating looking at the art done by different children and their interpretations of dinosaurs.
4. This site is an amazing resource for teachers! I am currently teaching Spanish so the "world info and languages" was most relevant to me. I would use this site for: research, lesson plans, networking, and resources for my students.
5. The theory of multiple intelligences has always fascinated me and yet been such an easy concept to understand. It is the idea that everyone has a different intelligence and learns in a different way. The most interesting thing I learned in this website was the list Tomlinson has on the characteristics of teaching and learning in healthy classroom environments. His characteristics outline, to me, a perfect learning environment. It is all about treating each student as an individual. My favorite characteristic is: The teacher uses positive energy and humor. I like this one the most because it is something I strive for in my class everyday to incorporate.
6. This is a lesson plan on what boundary-crossers are and how to become one. Someone who is a boundary-crosser is one who crosses social boundaries to break down social barriers. The example that is clearly stated is of Rosa Parks. What I would do in my classroom with this activity is do it as a month long activity, as suggested. I would start with an open dialog about the subject in the beginning and then move to suggestions on how we can break boundaries everyday. By the end of the month I would have an activity where we would actually break down a social boundary of our school.
7. I found the question about the annual earning of a full time worker was roughly the DAILY earnings of a CEO. That to me is so insane. An average worker in the U.S. does not make minimum wage, they make a decent living and to think that is what a person i making in a day is simply mind-boggling to me. The second question I found interesting was the one about the percent of teachers who ignore homophobic remarks in class. I thought it would be 37%, and it was 84%. I find this statistic to be sad, and a big wake up call to what needs to be addressed in the classroom.
8. I got an 80% on my netiquette! :D I wasn't sure I would do so well!
Netiquette is important to teach to your students because they need to know how to behave on the internet. Since they will be using technology more and more in their education it is good to know what is understood as good etiquette early on in the game. This is the same as human etiquette in life! ;)
2. Three areas that fit my teaching style are:
> Network with other schools that are developing and implementing culturally competent systems. Adapt the processes and information that are consistent with your school's needs and interests.
Networking is key to the success of the school system. It is all about learning what other people are doing and fitting it in to fit your needs.
> Gather and organize resource materials related to culturally diverse groups for use by school staff.
All schools have many resources for staff and I always like to take advantage of that.
>Ensure that your school has a mission statement that commits to cultural competence as an integral component of all its activities. The cultural competence committee should be involved in developing this statement.
I would never work for a school that does not have cultural components in the mission statement. It is very important for children to be in an environment that is cultural sensitive to their needs.
3. The site I found was dinosaur art done by children. The reading level of this site is 3-6. It is fascinating looking at the art done by different children and their interpretations of dinosaurs.
4. This site is an amazing resource for teachers! I am currently teaching Spanish so the "world info and languages" was most relevant to me. I would use this site for: research, lesson plans, networking, and resources for my students.
5. The theory of multiple intelligences has always fascinated me and yet been such an easy concept to understand. It is the idea that everyone has a different intelligence and learns in a different way. The most interesting thing I learned in this website was the list Tomlinson has on the characteristics of teaching and learning in healthy classroom environments. His characteristics outline, to me, a perfect learning environment. It is all about treating each student as an individual. My favorite characteristic is: The teacher uses positive energy and humor. I like this one the most because it is something I strive for in my class everyday to incorporate.
6. This is a lesson plan on what boundary-crossers are and how to become one. Someone who is a boundary-crosser is one who crosses social boundaries to break down social barriers. The example that is clearly stated is of Rosa Parks. What I would do in my classroom with this activity is do it as a month long activity, as suggested. I would start with an open dialog about the subject in the beginning and then move to suggestions on how we can break boundaries everyday. By the end of the month I would have an activity where we would actually break down a social boundary of our school.
7. I found the question about the annual earning of a full time worker was roughly the DAILY earnings of a CEO. That to me is so insane. An average worker in the U.S. does not make minimum wage, they make a decent living and to think that is what a person i making in a day is simply mind-boggling to me. The second question I found interesting was the one about the percent of teachers who ignore homophobic remarks in class. I thought it would be 37%, and it was 84%. I find this statistic to be sad, and a big wake up call to what needs to be addressed in the classroom.
8. I got an 80% on my netiquette! :D I wasn't sure I would do so well!
Netiquette is important to teach to your students because they need to know how to behave on the internet. Since they will be using technology more and more in their education it is good to know what is understood as good etiquette early on in the game. This is the same as human etiquette in life! ;)
Journal #2
Journal #2 Museums in the Classroom
Journal #2 “Museums in the Classroom” by Rose Reissman
Reissman, R. (2009 February). Museums in the Classroom. Learning and Leading with Technology, 4, Retrieved February 15, 2009, from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/200902/
This article is a great resource for teachers to get their children out of the classroom without actually leaving. This article discusses the idea of taking virtual fieldtrips to museums, and offers great resources to do so. The article suggests such ideas like making their own passports, creating a visitor sign in page, making signs, and creating souvenirs. A teacher can use this resource to go along with a lesson they are already teaching or create a new experience. This article also offers resources to teachers on how to do a virtual tour with a step-by-step planner course.
How are virtual tours beneficial to classrooms?
With the rise of budget cuts and the weight of teaching to the test getting out of the classroom now seems like an impossible mission. With these virtual tours students are able to incorporate the experience of a field trip without having to go anywhere. A teacher is able to incorporate real life with the classroom, which will help the students to understand a different aspect to the subject.
How should I, as an educator, try to incorporate this into my class?
Being someone that has no clue as to how to begin this mission I will be going to the step-by-step planner to get help. I really like all the resources and ideas this article offered, it is so helpful to anyone interested in doing this. The article makes is seem easy to do this in your class, and offers help on how to do it.
Journal #2 “Museums in the Classroom” by Rose Reissman
Reissman, R. (2009 February). Museums in the Classroom. Learning and Leading with Technology, 4, Retrieved February 15, 2009, from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/200902/
This article is a great resource for teachers to get their children out of the classroom without actually leaving. This article discusses the idea of taking virtual fieldtrips to museums, and offers great resources to do so. The article suggests such ideas like making their own passports, creating a visitor sign in page, making signs, and creating souvenirs. A teacher can use this resource to go along with a lesson they are already teaching or create a new experience. This article also offers resources to teachers on how to do a virtual tour with a step-by-step planner course.
How are virtual tours beneficial to classrooms?
With the rise of budget cuts and the weight of teaching to the test getting out of the classroom now seems like an impossible mission. With these virtual tours students are able to incorporate the experience of a field trip without having to go anywhere. A teacher is able to incorporate real life with the classroom, which will help the students to understand a different aspect to the subject.
How should I, as an educator, try to incorporate this into my class?
Being someone that has no clue as to how to begin this mission I will be going to the step-by-step planner to get help. I really like all the resources and ideas this article offered, it is so helpful to anyone interested in doing this. The article makes is seem easy to do this in your class, and offers help on how to do it.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Journal 1
Ribble, M (2009, January). Passport to Digital Citizenship. Learning and Leading with Technology, Retrieved 2/2/09, from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Publications/LL/LLIssues/Volume3620082009/DecemberJanuaryNo4/36414r.pdf
This article focuses on the fact that technology is more and more in everyone’s everyday life, and there is no escaping it. With all this technology around us the question in the classroom then becomes, are we using it correctly and are we accurately teaching our students how to use the technology. The article outlines nine elements of digital citizenship, which outline how to use technology appropriately and responsibly. It also then gives a 4-step learning framework to gain this digital citizenship.
1.
Q: I like to teach with a whiteboard, do I really need to implement the technology the way this article outlines?
A: The article is clearly saying what inevitable, technology is not going anywhere and the sooner we all get on board the better. As technology is coming into the lives of the children we are working with, it is our job as educators to make sure they are responsible technology users. The steps and elements outlined in the article will help because when I finally want to incorporate technology in my classroom I can be sure my students will know how to use the technology correctly.
2.
Q: What is going to be my first step in implementing technology in my classroom?
A: The first step outlined in the article for the teaching framework is awareness, and this is where I would begin. Awareness is not only teaching the basics of the technology you are using, but also how to and not to use the technology. I would first start with a discussion on what is the appropriate way of using the technology before going into what we would be doing.
This article focuses on the fact that technology is more and more in everyone’s everyday life, and there is no escaping it. With all this technology around us the question in the classroom then becomes, are we using it correctly and are we accurately teaching our students how to use the technology. The article outlines nine elements of digital citizenship, which outline how to use technology appropriately and responsibly. It also then gives a 4-step learning framework to gain this digital citizenship.
1.
Q: I like to teach with a whiteboard, do I really need to implement the technology the way this article outlines?
A: The article is clearly saying what inevitable, technology is not going anywhere and the sooner we all get on board the better. As technology is coming into the lives of the children we are working with, it is our job as educators to make sure they are responsible technology users. The steps and elements outlined in the article will help because when I finally want to incorporate technology in my classroom I can be sure my students will know how to use the technology correctly.
2.
Q: What is going to be my first step in implementing technology in my classroom?
A: The first step outlined in the article for the teaching framework is awareness, and this is where I would begin. Awareness is not only teaching the basics of the technology you are using, but also how to and not to use the technology. I would first start with a discussion on what is the appropriate way of using the technology before going into what we would be doing.
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