What would you do differently if you could do it all over again? Are these changes based on feedback that you may have received from friends, peers, family members, etc?
I would get more shots and live action I think. There are some clips that came out shaky or with some noise in the background, so it would have been good to get some footage from different angles and from two different cameras. We did that in most places which was helpful, but not everywhere. The feedback is just from my personal viewing of the video and from editing. I also wish I had more fun music on my computer that I could use to put in the background!! And I wish I had more time to make it creative and fun.
What is your reaction to the video recording/editing process? Please discuss any positive and negative reactions.
I think it's great! It is time consuming and hard work, but I really enjoyed it. I think it's very satisfying at the end to see your final product. There are so many cool things to do in IMovie, and it's very user-friendly. I had a lot of fun doing it, but again, I wish I had given myself more time to make it more creative and fun. All in all, we had a lot of fun creating it, and I enjoyed the process.
Do you think it would be possible to have students in your current/future classroom create a movie? Do you (will you) have the resources, time, and skills necessary to include such a project in your classroom? Please explain.
I think it would be possible if there were resources available such as movie editing software and cameras. At this time, I am not sure if those resources are available. It is really time consuming, and is not really relevant to my physics class, though it could produce a product that I could use for future classes. I guess as long as I could make sure that students knew the objective was to demonstrate a physics lesson, rather than to show their video editing skills, and they could produce an edited video in a timely manner, then I would do it. I'd also want to make sure that students knew how to edit the video already from another class, because I wouldnt want to have to teach it during my class time.
Did you learn anything new from the video editing/recording process? Please explain.
I learned that it never hurts to have an overload of photage! Background noise (wind, etc) can impede some cameras and some footage might be a little shaky, so it doesn't hurt to have two cameras going at the same time to show the shot of. It also helps to start and end your video a little before and after the shots. It makes transitions between slides a little smoother and makes the video less choppy. I also found that if you want to be creative, you should leave yourself plenty of time to do the video editing. :-)
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Monday, July 5, 2010
Week 6 Ed Tech Questions
What is your reaction to the 10 Big Shifts in Education? Which shift(s) will be easier and harder for your to integrate in your future teaching/classroom? Please explain.
I am really excited about the 10 shifts in education, because many of them follow with my philosophy of education. The shifts include collaboration with other teachers around the globe, having students publish work to a worldwide audience that can be archived and referred to for years to come, rather than only accessed by a teacher as is done traditionally. Using the web as a platform to collaborate with others, access primary sources such as experts in a field, have students create a public portfolio for the world to see, comment on, learn from, and for students to access forever are all part of the big shifts in education. We as teachers will also take part in learning by learning beside our students, which is also an attribute of the big shift as well (November, 2010).
I think each of these shifts - collaboration with other students, teachers and experts, factchecking our web sources, having students upload assignments to the web for a public audience to access and learn from are all easy and manageable goals for me in education. I htink that as a teacher, I can do research and have my students research experts to contact and conference with. I think that through forums, I could team up with other teachers across the world, and hopefully form a collaborative community with their classrooms that allows my students and theirs to interact with each other, learn from each other, and be an audience to each other's work, providing feedback and constructive advice. I will have students upload assignments on their blogs or through a wiki site.
One thing that I do think will be difficult is to have a completely "online" classroom community. I think it will be difficult because while it is a goal of mine, the reality is that there isn't much access to computers for students during school hours. Therefore, much of the work done in class can only be done on paper and turned into the teacher at this time. However, while it would be ideal to have all assignments students complete uploaded online, it is also not completely necessary. Students could upload the important documents such as labs and homework assignments, while in-class work and worksheets could just be done by paper in the classroom. I guess this lends back to last week's questions - how our classrooms will be in the 21st century - and now I am realizing, it will be one where students and teachers have 24/7 access to the web and their blogs!!!
I am really excited about the 10 shifts in education, because many of them follow with my philosophy of education. The shifts include collaboration with other teachers around the globe, having students publish work to a worldwide audience that can be archived and referred to for years to come, rather than only accessed by a teacher as is done traditionally. Using the web as a platform to collaborate with others, access primary sources such as experts in a field, have students create a public portfolio for the world to see, comment on, learn from, and for students to access forever are all part of the big shifts in education. We as teachers will also take part in learning by learning beside our students, which is also an attribute of the big shift as well (November, 2010).
I think each of these shifts - collaboration with other students, teachers and experts, factchecking our web sources, having students upload assignments to the web for a public audience to access and learn from are all easy and manageable goals for me in education. I htink that as a teacher, I can do research and have my students research experts to contact and conference with. I think that through forums, I could team up with other teachers across the world, and hopefully form a collaborative community with their classrooms that allows my students and theirs to interact with each other, learn from each other, and be an audience to each other's work, providing feedback and constructive advice. I will have students upload assignments on their blogs or through a wiki site.
One thing that I do think will be difficult is to have a completely "online" classroom community. I think it will be difficult because while it is a goal of mine, the reality is that there isn't much access to computers for students during school hours. Therefore, much of the work done in class can only be done on paper and turned into the teacher at this time. However, while it would be ideal to have all assignments students complete uploaded online, it is also not completely necessary. Students could upload the important documents such as labs and homework assignments, while in-class work and worksheets could just be done by paper in the classroom. I guess this lends back to last week's questions - how our classrooms will be in the 21st century - and now I am realizing, it will be one where students and teachers have 24/7 access to the web and their blogs!!!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Steph's Physics Wiki Blog (IN PROGRESS)
Wiki Website: Steph's Physicsmania Wiki
Do you plan on using your classroom blog/wiki in your future classroom? If so, what types of modifications do you envision? Please explain.
I definitely think that a wiki page is a great tool to use in the classroom and I do plan to use it in the future. I like how wikis can be used as a platform for students display work that they are proud of to their peers, teachers, parents and other family members, get feedback from their peers, collaborate with other students, and share useful resources. An additional perk to wikis is that the classroom is not just restricted to a class period; students can participate and enrich the classroom outside of their school from their own homes, on their own time.
I plan to use the wiki I made and modify it to add pages for students to post their lab reports, projects, and demonstrations to. I'd also like to tape student's presentation that they do in class so that other students and parents can see what their child is working on. The web has so many new pages being added each day, so I htink that if everyone in class posts a resource from the web that they find useful, it will narrow down resources pages for students and future classes, and will make web navigation on physics topics more manageable. With that said, I will also add more useful resource pages for each unit that we cover in our physics class. I will also use the site to upload class resources such as powerpoint presentation that I show in class. I'd also like to use SMARTboard in the class as well to do sample problems in detail together with the class, and then upload the work we did on the SMARTboard at the end of the day to the wiki page.
Do you plan on having your students create their own blogs/wikis in your future classroom? If so, please explain.
I think that I'll have students either produce their own blog, or their own wikis. I think it's a great way for students to display their own portfolio of the work that they've done in physics that everyone can access, comment on and give feedback to students on. Most importantly, it is somehting that students can access for years to come. Students can look back, reflect on work they've done, and use it as resources for their future work. I would also encourage students to use their blog/wiki for other classes if possible to build an even bigger portfolio for themselves.
Discussion of how your view of instructional technology has or has not changed over the semester
Initially, I thought that blogs and wikis for use in school was not the best idea. Being unfamiliar with blogs and aware of the prevalence of cyberbullying, I didn't think that students could use a blog/wiki responsibly and respectfully. I will definitely be using Richardson's (2008) guideline sheet that he provided in his book to give to students and their parents to have them sign so that they are aware of the rulesin the classroom on blogging and wikis, and of the penalties. But I now think that the advantages of using blogs and wikis are clearly superior to the possible risks.
I also htink that powerpoints, jing, podcasts, and IMovie are all great tools to use in the classroom, because they can produce files that can be uploaded to the web for others to access, and can be the teacher for years to come!
Discuss the quality and appropriateness of what you have learned and created this semester.
I will definitely utilize the tools and knowledge of technology that I learned this semester. I think most of the technologies such as blogging, wikis, and webpages are appropriate and quality tools to use. I'm not sure how I would do it, but I would like to incorporate podcasts and create movies to include into my classroom, mainly because they can be uploaded to the web for other students to access and use, and because they can be used for years to come.
Evaluation of your comfort moving forward with technology.
I am comfortable with moving forward with technology to an extent, but I do feel that it is always evolving so we always need to keep ourselves current and educate ourselves on new technological advances and their advantages/risks of use in the classroom. I will definitley start to be a part of ed tech forums to keep abreast of the new features and advances of technology.
Do you plan on using your classroom blog/wiki in your future classroom? If so, what types of modifications do you envision? Please explain.
I definitely think that a wiki page is a great tool to use in the classroom and I do plan to use it in the future. I like how wikis can be used as a platform for students display work that they are proud of to their peers, teachers, parents and other family members, get feedback from their peers, collaborate with other students, and share useful resources. An additional perk to wikis is that the classroom is not just restricted to a class period; students can participate and enrich the classroom outside of their school from their own homes, on their own time.
I plan to use the wiki I made and modify it to add pages for students to post their lab reports, projects, and demonstrations to. I'd also like to tape student's presentation that they do in class so that other students and parents can see what their child is working on. The web has so many new pages being added each day, so I htink that if everyone in class posts a resource from the web that they find useful, it will narrow down resources pages for students and future classes, and will make web navigation on physics topics more manageable. With that said, I will also add more useful resource pages for each unit that we cover in our physics class. I will also use the site to upload class resources such as powerpoint presentation that I show in class. I'd also like to use SMARTboard in the class as well to do sample problems in detail together with the class, and then upload the work we did on the SMARTboard at the end of the day to the wiki page.
Do you plan on having your students create their own blogs/wikis in your future classroom? If so, please explain.
I think that I'll have students either produce their own blog, or their own wikis. I think it's a great way for students to display their own portfolio of the work that they've done in physics that everyone can access, comment on and give feedback to students on. Most importantly, it is somehting that students can access for years to come. Students can look back, reflect on work they've done, and use it as resources for their future work. I would also encourage students to use their blog/wiki for other classes if possible to build an even bigger portfolio for themselves.
Discussion of how your view of instructional technology has or has not changed over the semester
Initially, I thought that blogs and wikis for use in school was not the best idea. Being unfamiliar with blogs and aware of the prevalence of cyberbullying, I didn't think that students could use a blog/wiki responsibly and respectfully. I will definitely be using Richardson's (2008) guideline sheet that he provided in his book to give to students and their parents to have them sign so that they are aware of the rulesin the classroom on blogging and wikis, and of the penalties. But I now think that the advantages of using blogs and wikis are clearly superior to the possible risks.
I also htink that powerpoints, jing, podcasts, and IMovie are all great tools to use in the classroom, because they can produce files that can be uploaded to the web for others to access, and can be the teacher for years to come!
Discuss the quality and appropriateness of what you have learned and created this semester.
I will definitely utilize the tools and knowledge of technology that I learned this semester. I think most of the technologies such as blogging, wikis, and webpages are appropriate and quality tools to use. I'm not sure how I would do it, but I would like to incorporate podcasts and create movies to include into my classroom, mainly because they can be uploaded to the web for other students to access and use, and because they can be used for years to come.
Evaluation of your comfort moving forward with technology.
I am comfortable with moving forward with technology to an extent, but I do feel that it is always evolving so we always need to keep ourselves current and educate ourselves on new technological advances and their advantages/risks of use in the classroom. I will definitley start to be a part of ed tech forums to keep abreast of the new features and advances of technology.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Reflection on Powerpoint
Brief description of the lesson/topic presented on the PowerPoint
Brief description of the features used in your PowerPoint. Did you use any "challenge" features? Why/Why not.
Did you learn anything new in the process?
How can a lesson be enhanced with Presentation Software (e.g. PowerPoint, Google Docs Presentation software, etc.)
I did my powerpoint presentation on the beginning portion of a unit on motion in physics. The powerpoint gives students an overview on what students should expect in the next few weeks on their unit on motion, and starts to try to get students to think critically about motion. The powerpoint also introduces the basic terms used to describe motion: distance/displacement, speed/velocity (described every day as "slow" or "fast"), and acceleration (described in every day vocabulary as "speeding up" or "slowing down"). The third 3rd and 4th slides will be class discussion, and students will describe the motion of the person running across the powerpoint speed (one animation is going fast, the other is going slow). The powerpoint also gives students the equations used for each of these terms, their definitions, and the units we use when computing the values of these terms. There is also a slide that introduces students to some useful powerpoint websites that will be great resources throughout the year to them.
I used the animation features to demonstrate a man running fast, and then running slow across the screen. I also used word art on some of my titles. I included a number of the clip art items as well. I also included animations for words to come on the screen ("speed" and "speed up" come in fast, "slow" and "slow down" come in slow), and I did this on another slide just because I thought it would look cool. I included transitions between the last two slides, and a sound effect on one slide where I have clip art of a police officer directing traffic. The sound effect is a car horn. I also included a challenge, which was a table. The table is used to show the units commonly used for distance, speed, and acceleration. I've used this feature before on the old powerpoint, but I love the new color-coded tables. And they're so user-friendly, and fit in perfectly with my slideshow, which is why I used it.
I did learn a lot in the process - I had no idea how easy all of the special features were to use! I always thought that the animations were much more complex, but they are not at all. And smooth transitions between slides are so easy to insert as well. I did notice, though, that some of the animations are quite time-consuming (like in my last slide, the words come in at different animations, and it takes a little while for them to come in, but it looks cool!). So if you're looking to make a shorter presentation, it's always best to test the animations beforehand to make sure they are not time-consuming (especially when using animations for words!).
Powerpoint and other presentation softwares are great tools to use to organize your lessons and keep you on-task. It's also useful if you have everything you want said in the slideshow, so that you're sure to include every point you want to make. It also makes for a smooth lesson. For instance, if you want to show a video at a certain point during the lesson, you can always insert the video into your slideshow presentation, or include the hyperlink to the video on one of your slides at the appropriate location. It also allows teachers to have class discussions more, and ask students questions, since the teacher does not have to write everything on the white board, which can take a lot of time. It can also be humorous and fun to liven up the lesson a bit, which is sometimes necessary when there's a lot of material to cover.
Brief description of the features used in your PowerPoint. Did you use any "challenge" features? Why/Why not.
Did you learn anything new in the process?
How can a lesson be enhanced with Presentation Software (e.g. PowerPoint, Google Docs Presentation software, etc.)
I did my powerpoint presentation on the beginning portion of a unit on motion in physics. The powerpoint gives students an overview on what students should expect in the next few weeks on their unit on motion, and starts to try to get students to think critically about motion. The powerpoint also introduces the basic terms used to describe motion: distance/displacement, speed/velocity (described every day as "slow" or "fast"), and acceleration (described in every day vocabulary as "speeding up" or "slowing down"). The third 3rd and 4th slides will be class discussion, and students will describe the motion of the person running across the powerpoint speed (one animation is going fast, the other is going slow). The powerpoint also gives students the equations used for each of these terms, their definitions, and the units we use when computing the values of these terms. There is also a slide that introduces students to some useful powerpoint websites that will be great resources throughout the year to them.
I used the animation features to demonstrate a man running fast, and then running slow across the screen. I also used word art on some of my titles. I included a number of the clip art items as well. I also included animations for words to come on the screen ("speed" and "speed up" come in fast, "slow" and "slow down" come in slow), and I did this on another slide just because I thought it would look cool. I included transitions between the last two slides, and a sound effect on one slide where I have clip art of a police officer directing traffic. The sound effect is a car horn. I also included a challenge, which was a table. The table is used to show the units commonly used for distance, speed, and acceleration. I've used this feature before on the old powerpoint, but I love the new color-coded tables. And they're so user-friendly, and fit in perfectly with my slideshow, which is why I used it.
I did learn a lot in the process - I had no idea how easy all of the special features were to use! I always thought that the animations were much more complex, but they are not at all. And smooth transitions between slides are so easy to insert as well. I did notice, though, that some of the animations are quite time-consuming (like in my last slide, the words come in at different animations, and it takes a little while for them to come in, but it looks cool!). So if you're looking to make a shorter presentation, it's always best to test the animations beforehand to make sure they are not time-consuming (especially when using animations for words!).
Powerpoint and other presentation softwares are great tools to use to organize your lessons and keep you on-task. It's also useful if you have everything you want said in the slideshow, so that you're sure to include every point you want to make. It also makes for a smooth lesson. For instance, if you want to show a video at a certain point during the lesson, you can always insert the video into your slideshow presentation, or include the hyperlink to the video on one of your slides at the appropriate location. It also allows teachers to have class discussions more, and ask students questions, since the teacher does not have to write everything on the white board, which can take a lot of time. It can also be humorous and fun to liven up the lesson a bit, which is sometimes necessary when there's a lot of material to cover.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Week 5 T2P
(see "week 4 T2P" blog to see my responses to your comments)
As we learned from Frank Oakley today...
If a teacher is experiencing misbehavior in their classroom, and is unfamiliar with teaching theories, and does not perform self-evaluations of their performance as a teacher on a regular basis, then the teacher's heuristic approach includes a bias perseverence, and the problem might lie in what the teacher brings to the mix.
First, I really enjoyed the homework that was due today. It was really neat to see videos that our students make, and their perspectives on what's going on in the world and how it effects them. In a way it made me a little scared. I haven't been around high school aged kids in a long time, and what I see every day in our TCPCG is obedient classrooms since we are all graduate-level students. I'm afraid of what will happen when I get to the classroom and students do misbehave. Will I know how to react? How will students react to my reaction? Will students respect me and others? How do I provide them with relational caring, while also acting as an authority figure? I'm looking forward to observing the summer classes next week so I can start to hopefully answer these questions!
The class was very productive today, definitely because of how everything was scaffolded. It was helpful for us to get in groups and develop our own heuristics, and then share them with the group and develop a group heuristic. I also like the big case that we got because we knew how to approach the problem, we all had roles in our groups which made it easier in such a large group with such a complex case, and the problem was relevant. This example seemed like a real and typical issue that a teacher might have in a classroom, so it was good to see other's views of the problem and how they would approach it. I think getting expert advice from my colleagues and from my peers in the TCPCG program is going to be a huge source of knowledge for me in the classroom.
As we learned from Frank Oakley today...
If a teacher is experiencing misbehavior in their classroom, and is unfamiliar with teaching theories, and does not perform self-evaluations of their performance as a teacher on a regular basis, then the teacher's heuristic approach includes a bias perseverence, and the problem might lie in what the teacher brings to the mix.
First, I really enjoyed the homework that was due today. It was really neat to see videos that our students make, and their perspectives on what's going on in the world and how it effects them. In a way it made me a little scared. I haven't been around high school aged kids in a long time, and what I see every day in our TCPCG is obedient classrooms since we are all graduate-level students. I'm afraid of what will happen when I get to the classroom and students do misbehave. Will I know how to react? How will students react to my reaction? Will students respect me and others? How do I provide them with relational caring, while also acting as an authority figure? I'm looking forward to observing the summer classes next week so I can start to hopefully answer these questions!
The class was very productive today, definitely because of how everything was scaffolded. It was helpful for us to get in groups and develop our own heuristics, and then share them with the group and develop a group heuristic. I also like the big case that we got because we knew how to approach the problem, we all had roles in our groups which made it easier in such a large group with such a complex case, and the problem was relevant. This example seemed like a real and typical issue that a teacher might have in a classroom, so it was good to see other's views of the problem and how they would approach it. I think getting expert advice from my colleagues and from my peers in the TCPCG program is going to be a huge source of knowledge for me in the classroom.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Week 5 Tech Ed Questions (In Progress)
1. Should all teachers be encouraged to create online activities for students within traditional classrooms? Please explain.
I think that teachers should absolutely be encouraged to create online activities for students within the traditional classrooms. First, the internet is a huge resource, and as the internet is expanding every day, so is the need for all people to be computer literate. I think that students should be encouraged to do online activities so that they can become familiar with the internet, and it's advantages and limitations. Second, traditional classrooms are not ideal environments for all students to excel in learning. Some students do better in an online environment because of the autonomy and self-responsibility that it brings. For instance, In a classroom, students may have to finish a project within a constrained timeframe, whereas for an online activity, the students could work on it in their own time and at their own pace (November, 2010). Additionally, a classroom is very public, and not all students are not comfortable with sharing their work, thoughts, and ideas in front of their peers in such a public manner, whereas they might be more comforable sharing their work online, where they would not have to see their peers' reaction to their work. Additionally, with online activities, students have more time to think about their work, and to articulate their thoughts, whereas in a traditional classroom, students may not have the time to do so. Further, A traditional classroom that incorporates online activities could possibly address the needs of students who are not exceling in the traditional classroom because they are not comforable with the setting. By providing online activities, teachers could also identify students that might be better suited for online classes rather than traditional classrooms, and they could then create more online activities for those students to improve their cognitive development, or they could recommend the students to take online classes.
One thing about online classes that I never thought of that was mentioned in the November (2010) reading was that online classes can be efficient for high school students for AP classes. AP classes are not always available for certain subject within a school district if there is not a high demand for that class. Online classes could allow students from different schools interested in take the same AP classes to take them, when traditionally they wouldn't be given the opportunity.
2. Envision the role of social networking in 21st century learning environments. Write a brief description of this vision.
Wow, what a great question! Well, from what I've read, social networking is being used today, but is in limited use. Teachers have students sign up for the social networks and set up sorts of "home pages" for students to post information on, answer questions for the teachers, and post interest sites or videos they've found. The sites can be set up as public or private. Private sites are viewed only by the class, whereas public sites can be viewed by anyone, for other classes in the future to view and use the resources that your class has used.
In the future, I see social networking as a way for multiple classrooms to collaborate simultaneously during class, with the use of live video streaming. Schools will be within classroom walls, but students will be more autonomous, and would be able to access their classroom by live video from anywhere in the world. I think that a subject (for me physics) will have its own community for classes to log in to. For each class that students go to, they will simply log in to their subject's social network. Classes will communicate with each other in person, but will often collaborate with other classes via live feeds or videos that other classes have posted. Really, at this point though, the possibilities are endless! Within the last 10 years, the internet has grown so much and have provided so many learning and teaching opportunities, and so many teachers are utilizing the internet to expand learning in such a short period of time, that who knows - maybe we will have virtual classrooms or somehting crazy like that!
I think that teachers should absolutely be encouraged to create online activities for students within the traditional classrooms. First, the internet is a huge resource, and as the internet is expanding every day, so is the need for all people to be computer literate. I think that students should be encouraged to do online activities so that they can become familiar with the internet, and it's advantages and limitations. Second, traditional classrooms are not ideal environments for all students to excel in learning. Some students do better in an online environment because of the autonomy and self-responsibility that it brings. For instance, In a classroom, students may have to finish a project within a constrained timeframe, whereas for an online activity, the students could work on it in their own time and at their own pace (November, 2010). Additionally, a classroom is very public, and not all students are not comfortable with sharing their work, thoughts, and ideas in front of their peers in such a public manner, whereas they might be more comforable sharing their work online, where they would not have to see their peers' reaction to their work. Additionally, with online activities, students have more time to think about their work, and to articulate their thoughts, whereas in a traditional classroom, students may not have the time to do so. Further, A traditional classroom that incorporates online activities could possibly address the needs of students who are not exceling in the traditional classroom because they are not comforable with the setting. By providing online activities, teachers could also identify students that might be better suited for online classes rather than traditional classrooms, and they could then create more online activities for those students to improve their cognitive development, or they could recommend the students to take online classes.
One thing about online classes that I never thought of that was mentioned in the November (2010) reading was that online classes can be efficient for high school students for AP classes. AP classes are not always available for certain subject within a school district if there is not a high demand for that class. Online classes could allow students from different schools interested in take the same AP classes to take them, when traditionally they wouldn't be given the opportunity.
2. Envision the role of social networking in 21st century learning environments. Write a brief description of this vision.
Wow, what a great question! Well, from what I've read, social networking is being used today, but is in limited use. Teachers have students sign up for the social networks and set up sorts of "home pages" for students to post information on, answer questions for the teachers, and post interest sites or videos they've found. The sites can be set up as public or private. Private sites are viewed only by the class, whereas public sites can be viewed by anyone, for other classes in the future to view and use the resources that your class has used.
In the future, I see social networking as a way for multiple classrooms to collaborate simultaneously during class, with the use of live video streaming. Schools will be within classroom walls, but students will be more autonomous, and would be able to access their classroom by live video from anywhere in the world. I think that a subject (for me physics) will have its own community for classes to log in to. For each class that students go to, they will simply log in to their subject's social network. Classes will communicate with each other in person, but will often collaborate with other classes via live feeds or videos that other classes have posted. Really, at this point though, the possibilities are endless! Within the last 10 years, the internet has grown so much and have provided so many learning and teaching opportunities, and so many teachers are utilizing the internet to expand learning in such a short period of time, that who knows - maybe we will have virtual classrooms or somehting crazy like that!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Learning Theories Week 5 Homework
1. Youth, Technology & Learning
If students work in groups in the classroom and on projects, then they are more likely to learn more because they are working with students with other life experiences, with different abilities, and thus will be hearing other student's perspectives, and approaches to problems and classroom work. In the video "Youth, Technology, & Learning", Anna, Casey Morgan and Sarah talked about the advantages of working in groups. Anna said "the hardest way to work is alone. Even though we'll be talking [during group work], you really can get stuff done when you're with friends." Morgan added that "You learn a lot more with it when you're talking with people about it." Morgan further explained that when you're working with people, you learn other methods of approaching a problem. When talking about others and her experiences with it, she said "You're talking with someone, and you're like 'you're doing it that way? I never knew that.' By yourself you don't learn anything but what you know and what the teacher knows. When you're working with others it's everyone's knowledge." Vygotsky would contend that cognitive development is enhanced by social interaction through his theory of cognitive apprenticeship which holds that "two heads are better than one" (Goodman, 2008, p. 26). As a teacher, I will include group work and social interaction through class discussion in my pedagogy to enhance student learning. I believe that it is beneficial for not only my students, but for me as a teacher to hear other perspectives and approaches to problems.
2. Is Anybody Listening?...
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If a student is dealing with emotions of stress, loss of control of their destiny, and uncertainty in the future, then students will not be able to perform in school at an optimal level because they will not be able to fully concentrate. Maslow would agree with this statement, because he believes that if a student's basic needs for survival, their safety needs for comfort, and their psychological needs are not met, then the student's learning will be impacted. The video "Is Anybody Listening?..." was about a language arts AP class and how the economic crisis has impacted them. The story was very emotional and included candid interviews with students whose lives are not full of stress and uncertainty because their parents have lost jobs and are struggling to make ends meet. One student, Maritssa, said "My Mom, I see her struggling. I can't do anything about it. I wanna help her but she wantes me to focus on school. But I can't focus on school when I know that she's struggling. And it's just really hard." As a teacher, I will make the school learning environment a safe, predictable, and stable one, so that it is comfortable for them. Although I can't take them out of a difficult situation they might be in, I will be a teacher that students can turn to and vent or just talk to when the going gets tough.
3. YOUTH VOICES
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If a student has a caring teacher that believes in their students and their abilities, and displays their caring in their pedagogy, then the students will have more self-confidence and will inherently want to succeed. Eric had explained in the video that his Dad works hard every day in the sun to make ends meet. His teacher, Mr. Felix, believed in Eric and told him not to give up so that he could help his family out. "I like some of the teachers that try to hellp me, like Mr. Felix. He never gave up on me," said Eric, "Eric, don't you wanna help out your Dad? Just work hard in school." As Noddings says, a trusting and caring student-teacher relationship is essential for learning to occur. As a teacher, I will believe in my students and let them know that I believe in their abilities, because a caring relationship with your students intrinsically motivates students, and builds their own self-confidence and belief in themselves that they will be successful not only in school, but in life.
If students work in groups in the classroom and on projects, then they are more likely to learn more because they are working with students with other life experiences, with different abilities, and thus will be hearing other student's perspectives, and approaches to problems and classroom work. In the video "Youth, Technology, & Learning", Anna, Casey Morgan and Sarah talked about the advantages of working in groups. Anna said "the hardest way to work is alone. Even though we'll be talking [during group work], you really can get stuff done when you're with friends." Morgan added that "You learn a lot more with it when you're talking with people about it." Morgan further explained that when you're working with people, you learn other methods of approaching a problem. When talking about others and her experiences with it, she said "You're talking with someone, and you're like 'you're doing it that way? I never knew that.' By yourself you don't learn anything but what you know and what the teacher knows. When you're working with others it's everyone's knowledge." Vygotsky would contend that cognitive development is enhanced by social interaction through his theory of cognitive apprenticeship which holds that "two heads are better than one" (Goodman, 2008, p. 26). As a teacher, I will include group work and social interaction through class discussion in my pedagogy to enhance student learning. I believe that it is beneficial for not only my students, but for me as a teacher to hear other perspectives and approaches to problems.
2. Is Anybody Listening?...
">
If a student is dealing with emotions of stress, loss of control of their destiny, and uncertainty in the future, then students will not be able to perform in school at an optimal level because they will not be able to fully concentrate. Maslow would agree with this statement, because he believes that if a student's basic needs for survival, their safety needs for comfort, and their psychological needs are not met, then the student's learning will be impacted. The video "Is Anybody Listening?..." was about a language arts AP class and how the economic crisis has impacted them. The story was very emotional and included candid interviews with students whose lives are not full of stress and uncertainty because their parents have lost jobs and are struggling to make ends meet. One student, Maritssa, said "My Mom, I see her struggling. I can't do anything about it. I wanna help her but she wantes me to focus on school. But I can't focus on school when I know that she's struggling. And it's just really hard." As a teacher, I will make the school learning environment a safe, predictable, and stable one, so that it is comfortable for them. Although I can't take them out of a difficult situation they might be in, I will be a teacher that students can turn to and vent or just talk to when the going gets tough.
3. YOUTH VOICES
">
If a student has a caring teacher that believes in their students and their abilities, and displays their caring in their pedagogy, then the students will have more self-confidence and will inherently want to succeed. Eric had explained in the video that his Dad works hard every day in the sun to make ends meet. His teacher, Mr. Felix, believed in Eric and told him not to give up so that he could help his family out. "I like some of the teachers that try to hellp me, like Mr. Felix. He never gave up on me," said Eric, "Eric, don't you wanna help out your Dad? Just work hard in school." As Noddings says, a trusting and caring student-teacher relationship is essential for learning to occur. As a teacher, I will believe in my students and let them know that I believe in their abilities, because a caring relationship with your students intrinsically motivates students, and builds their own self-confidence and belief in themselves that they will be successful not only in school, but in life.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Physics Website
Physics website
What is your reaction to the entire web development process? Please describe any positive and negative reactions.
The web development process was surprisingly easy and user-friendly! Weebly had a lot of tools that were really easy to use and insert into the website. It was really easy to produce webpages and switch their order as well. I'm glad I had the opportunity to do this now for a class, because now I know how easy it is to make a website. I know that if I had already started teaching, I would think it is too complicated and not pursue it. It was a good experience for me.
What was involved in the process of developing your site? What obstacles did you encounter? How did you overcome those obstacles? What successes did you encounter?
I first started by created my user name and webpage name. I created my homepage, and the other pages that I wanted to use. I then created their layouts and inserted all of the information I needed to on each page. One obstacle I encountered (which is a pretty silly one actually - not that big a deal) is that a lot of times when I was trying to create a header or write in the paragraph form on the website, the "styles" toolbar would go right in front of my text. This happened to me a few times, and so it was a bit annoying because I wouldn't be able to see what I was writing. But it got done! I eventually just tried to work around it, but I have a feeling if I had gone out of the weebly site and gone back in, everything would have been fine. I also was interested in including a calendar on my website, which I think I'd like to do. I couldnt' figure out how to link a google calendar to a site, but I'd like to explore that. I think it would be beneficial to have a calendar posted so students can see what's in store for our class for the next few weeks, so I'd like to look into this. I was successful at creating a blog on my site, which is pretty cool! I have that page set aside to post "latest news" and where I can post answers to student questions on homework, assignments, etc.
Will you continue to build on/update this site after this course ends? Why/Why not? Please explain.
I think I will definitely continue to build onto this website, and add useful material to students (links to website, etc) that pertain to each unit I'll be teaching in physics. I think it's great to have one location that students can go to to find websites that I recommend and find useful - in search engines today, like on google, there are so many sites that show up on a search for a physics topic. At least this gives students the "top" sites that I prefer and find useful. When I start teaching, I will def use the site to post assignments and surveys to get to know my students better. I'm really excited about it!
What errors/issues did you find when you tested your web site for 508 compliance? Based on those errors/issues, what changes would you make to your site?
I got an error on my website for having hyperlinks show up only when the mouse hovers over an object. For instance, I have a hyperlink linked to one of my pictures, and the link only shows up when one puts the mouse over the picture, so I had an error for that because there is no way to use the keyboard to get to the link if one does not have a mouse. I also got an error for having different colors on my website that people may not be able to identify if they have color blindness. I also got an error that there wasn't enough contrast between a picture and the background.
I would change my website so that I don't have an important message that I want people to read distinguishable by color. For instance, I will not make an important message on the homepage bright red so people will notice it. Instead, I'll use a bold font and bigger text if I want to post an important message, so that those with colorblindness will be able to read the message.
What is your reaction to the entire web development process? Please describe any positive and negative reactions.
The web development process was surprisingly easy and user-friendly! Weebly had a lot of tools that were really easy to use and insert into the website. It was really easy to produce webpages and switch their order as well. I'm glad I had the opportunity to do this now for a class, because now I know how easy it is to make a website. I know that if I had already started teaching, I would think it is too complicated and not pursue it. It was a good experience for me.
What was involved in the process of developing your site? What obstacles did you encounter? How did you overcome those obstacles? What successes did you encounter?
I first started by created my user name and webpage name. I created my homepage, and the other pages that I wanted to use. I then created their layouts and inserted all of the information I needed to on each page. One obstacle I encountered (which is a pretty silly one actually - not that big a deal) is that a lot of times when I was trying to create a header or write in the paragraph form on the website, the "styles" toolbar would go right in front of my text. This happened to me a few times, and so it was a bit annoying because I wouldn't be able to see what I was writing. But it got done! I eventually just tried to work around it, but I have a feeling if I had gone out of the weebly site and gone back in, everything would have been fine. I also was interested in including a calendar on my website, which I think I'd like to do. I couldnt' figure out how to link a google calendar to a site, but I'd like to explore that. I think it would be beneficial to have a calendar posted so students can see what's in store for our class for the next few weeks, so I'd like to look into this. I was successful at creating a blog on my site, which is pretty cool! I have that page set aside to post "latest news" and where I can post answers to student questions on homework, assignments, etc.
Will you continue to build on/update this site after this course ends? Why/Why not? Please explain.
I think I will definitely continue to build onto this website, and add useful material to students (links to website, etc) that pertain to each unit I'll be teaching in physics. I think it's great to have one location that students can go to to find websites that I recommend and find useful - in search engines today, like on google, there are so many sites that show up on a search for a physics topic. At least this gives students the "top" sites that I prefer and find useful. When I start teaching, I will def use the site to post assignments and surveys to get to know my students better. I'm really excited about it!
What errors/issues did you find when you tested your web site for 508 compliance? Based on those errors/issues, what changes would you make to your site?
I got an error on my website for having hyperlinks show up only when the mouse hovers over an object. For instance, I have a hyperlink linked to one of my pictures, and the link only shows up when one puts the mouse over the picture, so I had an error for that because there is no way to use the keyboard to get to the link if one does not have a mouse. I also got an error for having different colors on my website that people may not be able to identify if they have color blindness. I also got an error that there wasn't enough contrast between a picture and the background.
I would change my website so that I don't have an important message that I want people to read distinguishable by color. For instance, I will not make an important message on the homepage bright red so people will notice it. Instead, I'll use a bold font and bigger text if I want to post an important message, so that those with colorblindness will be able to read the message.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Critical Web Evaluation IChat Feedback
(1) share and discuss your Internet Workshop
My group, Beth, Jeff and I, met this evening via IChat to discuss our internet workshops. It was really neat to see their approaches to the workshop project against mine, and I learned a lot from theirs! Both of theirs required students to go to specific websites that had a known bias, and had students identify the bias through critical web evaluations. My internet workshop, on the other hand, had students go to a known website, and then go to 2 websites of their choice and perform web evaluations on them. I then had students meet with their group, discuss their findings, and present their information on current events in physics (the focus of the workshop). After a class discussion, students write a paper on the importance of being information literate.
Through the discussions, Beth and Jeff pointed out to me that my lesson plan needed to be clarified a bit. It was wordy in some areas and a little repetitive in others. They also suggested that I include in the rubric an evaluation on groupwork, since that is one of the objectives of the lesson. I thought that was a great suggestion, and we actually discussed today in our methods class how to do it so I will definitely include that next time. Otherwise, the feedback was pretty positive. They thought my objectives were very clear and concise, so that was good!
After reading their internet workshops, I found that I think I need to add a better "hook" into my lesson plan to get students more engaged in the purpose of the workshop. Beth and Jeff also both had students go to websites with a known bias, and I didn't, so it might ahve been helpful for students to go to a website with a known bias rather than find one on their own. I think that I could probably show students a website with bias, explain why it is a bias based on critical web evaluation, and that would show students how to identify a website that skews information.
(2) discuss the implications of the following statement: "Students will become victims of the expansive dark side of the Internet unless we teach the critical thinking necessary to make meaning out of the overwhelming and potentially manipulative amount of information that is now available and growing every day" (November, 2010).
Our groups discussed that we need to make our students aware of the vast amount of information that is being posted on the website every day, which makes it increasingly necessary for educators to give them the skills to discriminate between legitimate and falso web sources. We also discussed how students need to know who publishes the website to identify biases. For example, Beth's workshop has students read about the bp oil spill in the Gulf from three websites: Sienna Club, BP website, and the EPA. Students should be aware of the intentions and purposes of each of these organizations/companies/government agencies and should ask the questions, "what is in this group's best interest? What does this group WANT me to hear?" We need to let our students know that critical web evaluation is an invaluable lifelong skill, especially nowadays when it is so easy for anyone to create a website.
(3) Will I use internet workshop in class?
I think it is definitely a great tool to integrate in class! It is so easy to include without taking away from your unit or curriculum. I will definitely include an internet workshop in class if it is not covered in another class already. I would have to ask my students if they have already performed one and are aware of critically evaluating websites first, because I would not want to repeat anything that they are already familiar with.
My group, Beth, Jeff and I, met this evening via IChat to discuss our internet workshops. It was really neat to see their approaches to the workshop project against mine, and I learned a lot from theirs! Both of theirs required students to go to specific websites that had a known bias, and had students identify the bias through critical web evaluations. My internet workshop, on the other hand, had students go to a known website, and then go to 2 websites of their choice and perform web evaluations on them. I then had students meet with their group, discuss their findings, and present their information on current events in physics (the focus of the workshop). After a class discussion, students write a paper on the importance of being information literate.
Through the discussions, Beth and Jeff pointed out to me that my lesson plan needed to be clarified a bit. It was wordy in some areas and a little repetitive in others. They also suggested that I include in the rubric an evaluation on groupwork, since that is one of the objectives of the lesson. I thought that was a great suggestion, and we actually discussed today in our methods class how to do it so I will definitely include that next time. Otherwise, the feedback was pretty positive. They thought my objectives were very clear and concise, so that was good!
After reading their internet workshops, I found that I think I need to add a better "hook" into my lesson plan to get students more engaged in the purpose of the workshop. Beth and Jeff also both had students go to websites with a known bias, and I didn't, so it might ahve been helpful for students to go to a website with a known bias rather than find one on their own. I think that I could probably show students a website with bias, explain why it is a bias based on critical web evaluation, and that would show students how to identify a website that skews information.
(2) discuss the implications of the following statement: "Students will become victims of the expansive dark side of the Internet unless we teach the critical thinking necessary to make meaning out of the overwhelming and potentially manipulative amount of information that is now available and growing every day" (November, 2010).
Our groups discussed that we need to make our students aware of the vast amount of information that is being posted on the website every day, which makes it increasingly necessary for educators to give them the skills to discriminate between legitimate and falso web sources. We also discussed how students need to know who publishes the website to identify biases. For example, Beth's workshop has students read about the bp oil spill in the Gulf from three websites: Sienna Club, BP website, and the EPA. Students should be aware of the intentions and purposes of each of these organizations/companies/government agencies and should ask the questions, "what is in this group's best interest? What does this group WANT me to hear?" We need to let our students know that critical web evaluation is an invaluable lifelong skill, especially nowadays when it is so easy for anyone to create a website.
(3) Will I use internet workshop in class?
I think it is definitely a great tool to integrate in class! It is so easy to include without taking away from your unit or curriculum. I will definitely include an internet workshop in class if it is not covered in another class already. I would have to ask my students if they have already performed one and are aware of critically evaluating websites first, because I would not want to repeat anything that they are already familiar with.
Blog on Readings (Ed Tech)
Ch 4 (November), Ch 7-8 (Richardson)
1. What is the right balance between giving students freedom to explore the Web for research and providing them with structure and guidance?
I think that teachers should make students aware of some strategies that can be used to explore the web for research, and then allow them to be free to explore on their own. Teachers should let their students know that it is important when using a database, that you think about where the source is coming from and what biases might exist due to the source, and that the more focused your search question is, the better results you will get (November, 2010). But then I think that it's best for the teacher to allow the students to explore on their own. I think being able to navigate a web source and choose the correct keywords to use to get exactly the information you want is a trial-and-error process that one learns through practice. So I think it's very important to make students aware of strategies, and then let them free to explore and develop their own strategies for searching the web.
2. What is the role of the teacher in helping students to make meaning of primary source material?
The teacher can help students in making meaning of primary sources by asking them to generate questions that they should consider while reviewing the primary source, and ask them to find other documents that support or refute these questions (November, 2010). The teacher might help the student find other documents to support their primary source by giving them ideas of what to search. For example, as November (2010) stated, the teacher could suggest that the student find a document from an organization that is affiliated with the critical question that the student is looking for (example: a student looking for information on Jackie Robinson's involvement in civil rights movement, the student might look to NAACP for information). I would also encourage my students to find an expert to use as a source, or to generate data (surveying people, etc.) to use as a source. These methods are very effective because they also make more of an impact on students, since they are gathering information from a first-hand source (an expert) and because they are collecting their own data to support a hypothesis (November, 2010).
3. How can teachers use Podcasting and/or multimedia tools to promote collaborative learning?
And lastly...here is my podcast to respond to question 3! Richardson (2010) was the main source I used to gather my information from.
It's nothing fancy, but I hope you like it!
My podcast
Okay, I don't think that worked too well so here is my written response. Podcasts and other multimedia tools are great ways for students to collaborate. Students could produce a podcast or a video, upload it to a blog or website and have students make responses to their media upload. Students and teachers could also upload media to educational websites for other students and teachers to use and learn from. Skyping is an excellent way for students to collaborate through videoconferencing, so students can work together from different locations (Richardson, 2010). These videoconferences can also be taped vocally and uploaded for others to listen to. Additionally, different classrooms can could use Skype to collaborate with each other. Students could also watch a show, like a political debate, and be in a chatroom together to talk while watching it live. The opportunities are limitlesss!
1. What is the right balance between giving students freedom to explore the Web for research and providing them with structure and guidance?
I think that teachers should make students aware of some strategies that can be used to explore the web for research, and then allow them to be free to explore on their own. Teachers should let their students know that it is important when using a database, that you think about where the source is coming from and what biases might exist due to the source, and that the more focused your search question is, the better results you will get (November, 2010). But then I think that it's best for the teacher to allow the students to explore on their own. I think being able to navigate a web source and choose the correct keywords to use to get exactly the information you want is a trial-and-error process that one learns through practice. So I think it's very important to make students aware of strategies, and then let them free to explore and develop their own strategies for searching the web.
2. What is the role of the teacher in helping students to make meaning of primary source material?
The teacher can help students in making meaning of primary sources by asking them to generate questions that they should consider while reviewing the primary source, and ask them to find other documents that support or refute these questions (November, 2010). The teacher might help the student find other documents to support their primary source by giving them ideas of what to search. For example, as November (2010) stated, the teacher could suggest that the student find a document from an organization that is affiliated with the critical question that the student is looking for (example: a student looking for information on Jackie Robinson's involvement in civil rights movement, the student might look to NAACP for information). I would also encourage my students to find an expert to use as a source, or to generate data (surveying people, etc.) to use as a source. These methods are very effective because they also make more of an impact on students, since they are gathering information from a first-hand source (an expert) and because they are collecting their own data to support a hypothesis (November, 2010).
3. How can teachers use Podcasting and/or multimedia tools to promote collaborative learning?
And lastly...here is my podcast to respond to question 3! Richardson (2010) was the main source I used to gather my information from.
It's nothing fancy, but I hope you like it!
My podcast
Okay, I don't think that worked too well so here is my written response. Podcasts and other multimedia tools are great ways for students to collaborate. Students could produce a podcast or a video, upload it to a blog or website and have students make responses to their media upload. Students and teachers could also upload media to educational websites for other students and teachers to use and learn from. Skyping is an excellent way for students to collaborate through videoconferencing, so students can work together from different locations (Richardson, 2010). These videoconferences can also be taped vocally and uploaded for others to listen to. Additionally, different classrooms can could use Skype to collaborate with each other. Students could also watch a show, like a political debate, and be in a chatroom together to talk while watching it live. The opportunities are limitlesss!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
T2P Week 4
If an educator is aware of their student's emotional intelligence and uses popular culture medium as a tool in their pedagogy, then students will be more engaged in the lesson since it involves their interests, and more confident in themselves because it is building on things that they already know, leading to increased intrinsic motivation, a more comfortable environment and increased learning and critical thinking because the teacher is using a relevant source as a bridge to teach students the skills necessary to learn in the curriculum. It will also engage students and influence them to think critically outside of the classroom about music, films, and other things that interest them.
I think today was a pretty good day of learning. I learned a lot more about Nodding and Duncan-Andrade, and learned a tad about other theorists that are out there. It's interesting to see the connections that my peers make between the different learning theories, and I think benefits my learning a lot.
We learned about a number of new theorists, and I must admit that I'm a little unclear about some still. We learned about Gilligan and how she feels that girls and boys learn differently and are motivated differently. I feel that I can grasp how students learn best - they react well to relational caring, and care about what their peers think. Boys are motivated by "just" and "fairness", but how do you motivate someone in this way? Do you make rules to make it fair? I guess I just have trouble grasping motivation when emotions aren't involved.
I am actually feeling a little unsettled about our presentation on Helm. We explained Helm well and the steps well, and we tried to generate conversation and get the class to relate Helm and Andrade, but I think we should have developed more discussion points than we did. I also wish we had made a list of points that we definitely wanted students to come away with after the discussion. We talked about as a group what we wanted students to say and come up with and where we wanted to go with it, but we didn't execute it completely. I can almost guarantee that in GNA's assessment of today's class, that no one uses Helm as their unknown theorist because they didn't fully grasp the concept and relate it to learning. This makes me really unsatisfied to be honest, but I guess I came away and learned something from it at least - sometimes there is some good in some structure, and I should be prepared for some lulls and to try to direct conversation better.
See ya next week!
I think today was a pretty good day of learning. I learned a lot more about Nodding and Duncan-Andrade, and learned a tad about other theorists that are out there. It's interesting to see the connections that my peers make between the different learning theories, and I think benefits my learning a lot.
We learned about a number of new theorists, and I must admit that I'm a little unclear about some still. We learned about Gilligan and how she feels that girls and boys learn differently and are motivated differently. I feel that I can grasp how students learn best - they react well to relational caring, and care about what their peers think. Boys are motivated by "just" and "fairness", but how do you motivate someone in this way? Do you make rules to make it fair? I guess I just have trouble grasping motivation when emotions aren't involved.
I am actually feeling a little unsettled about our presentation on Helm. We explained Helm well and the steps well, and we tried to generate conversation and get the class to relate Helm and Andrade, but I think we should have developed more discussion points than we did. I also wish we had made a list of points that we definitely wanted students to come away with after the discussion. We talked about as a group what we wanted students to say and come up with and where we wanted to go with it, but we didn't execute it completely. I can almost guarantee that in GNA's assessment of today's class, that no one uses Helm as their unknown theorist because they didn't fully grasp the concept and relate it to learning. This makes me really unsatisfied to be honest, but I guess I came away and learned something from it at least - sometimes there is some good in some structure, and I should be prepared for some lulls and to try to direct conversation better.
See ya next week!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Reflection on Screencast Feedback
The feedback from the screencasts was mostly positive, with some suggestions for improvement. Many people said that they benefited from our screencast and learned a lot about excel, which I was happy to hear! Some feedback said that they like how we showed how to actually get to excel, and open it. Someone also said they enjoyed the graphing portion of our tutorial, because we did an overview of the various graphing choices that excel has to offer, and then chose the one most appropriate for our dataset. In othe middle of one of our screencasts, we had to pause because we had made a mistake. The speaker said in the audio that "it's okay to make mistakes", and some peoplel commented that they liked that as well.
Some comments for improvement were provided as well. We did the advanced portion of our screencast in three different segments, which made the presentation in the end a bit choppy and not very cohesive, so someone had commented on this. Another comment was that some of our advanced lessons were somewhat basic. We also had a comment that when the averages were done, some of the keystrokes that were made were not spoken and the audio, making it difficult to follow. Someone also pointed out that it would have been useful to show the other math/statistics options available in excel. We had a comment as well that it would have been useful to know how to sort data, and that our presentation would have been better had it been rehearsed more and re-done in parts where there were slip-ups.
I was overall pleased with our feedback, and I really appreciate the points of improvement that we received. I definitely agree that our final product was a bit choppy. It would ahve been more cohesive to do it in one segment, or if we had at least watched the first segments of our screencasts before recording the next one so that we could provide a good transition from one to the next. I also agree that the "merge" of cells was a bit basic, and we should have been more creative and found a different function in excel to present in the advanced options. I agree that we should have elaborated more on the various math/statistics functions available in excel when we found the averages. We could have just looked through the list of math/statistics options and talked about a few that were relevant to our dataset, or we could have at least used another excel formula, like finding percentages. We also should have made sure in that screencast that everything was verbalized that we did. I thought initially that we had made every step clear in the screencasts, but I guess it wasn't clear to everyone. We should have reviewed this screencast closely to make improvements on it. I also didn't think to present how to sort data! That would have been an excellent function of excel to present in our advanced options.
Overall, I think our screencasts came out well, but there is always room for improvement. We could have reviewed our screencasts more closely, and edited or re-did the screencasts that were not as clear. That is definitely something I will do for next time! I'm really glad we got introduced to Jing though. It's a really neat and user-friendly software, and I definitely want to use it in my classroom. It will also be useful to learn about IMovie today, so that we can edit and improve any screencasts that we make on Jing.
Some comments for improvement were provided as well. We did the advanced portion of our screencast in three different segments, which made the presentation in the end a bit choppy and not very cohesive, so someone had commented on this. Another comment was that some of our advanced lessons were somewhat basic. We also had a comment that when the averages were done, some of the keystrokes that were made were not spoken and the audio, making it difficult to follow. Someone also pointed out that it would have been useful to show the other math/statistics options available in excel. We had a comment as well that it would have been useful to know how to sort data, and that our presentation would have been better had it been rehearsed more and re-done in parts where there were slip-ups.
I was overall pleased with our feedback, and I really appreciate the points of improvement that we received. I definitely agree that our final product was a bit choppy. It would ahve been more cohesive to do it in one segment, or if we had at least watched the first segments of our screencasts before recording the next one so that we could provide a good transition from one to the next. I also agree that the "merge" of cells was a bit basic, and we should have been more creative and found a different function in excel to present in the advanced options. I agree that we should have elaborated more on the various math/statistics functions available in excel when we found the averages. We could have just looked through the list of math/statistics options and talked about a few that were relevant to our dataset, or we could have at least used another excel formula, like finding percentages. We also should have made sure in that screencast that everything was verbalized that we did. I thought initially that we had made every step clear in the screencasts, but I guess it wasn't clear to everyone. We should have reviewed this screencast closely to make improvements on it. I also didn't think to present how to sort data! That would have been an excellent function of excel to present in our advanced options.
Overall, I think our screencasts came out well, but there is always room for improvement. We could have reviewed our screencasts more closely, and edited or re-did the screencasts that were not as clear. That is definitely something I will do for next time! I'm really glad we got introduced to Jing though. It's a really neat and user-friendly software, and I definitely want to use it in my classroom. It will also be useful to learn about IMovie today, so that we can edit and improve any screencasts that we make on Jing.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
1. The best ways to manage the way we share our children's work with the communities is by using blogs, classroom websites, and through live videoconferencing through websites like Skype (November, 2010). Students can use blogs to share their thoughts, resources and ideas with other students and with the web community, and receive feedback and collaborate with their peers, or with other people around the world. Blogs also allows students to keep a sort of online portfolio of work that they've done over the years, which is useful for the students to look back on in years to come. Classroom websites are also a venue to share our student's work with the community. A teacher could post student work on the website, or post videos of presentations done in class so that they can be shared with parents and the community. A more technologically ambitious teacher might begin using a wiki class website such as wikispaces to set up their website (Richardson, 2010). Wiki websites allow students to edit the website, and can be managed by the teacher by only allowing those registered with the WIki site to edit the pages. Another tool is videoconferencing, like Skype. These videoconferencing websites can allow parents or anyone else interested to watch a presentation that their student is making live while the student is participating. Teachers must make their students aware of Cyber Ettiquette prior to setting up a wiki website or allowing students to blog. Teachers should also let the parents know that their students will be participating in the blog and wiki as well, so that they are aware of the benefits and risks of the websites.
2. Students can use the internet to get a first-hand view of complex issues such as globalization and cultural sensitivity by networking with experts, or first-hand witnesses to whatever they may be studying, to get a deeper mean in relation to a complex situation. For instance, Richardson (2010) talked about how a class was studying globalization, and was able to video conference with someone in the US who lost their job due to the effects of globalization, and another person in China who gained a job due to the effects of globalization. The teacher was able to give the students a first-hand account of the effects of globalization from people across the country. This is an example of a truly unique opportunity that the internet affords us as teachers. We can get in touch with anyone in the world to get a first-hand account on anything we are teacher. We can get in touch with experts, witnesses, victims, or just a class from across the world, to collaborate with and get information from on anything we are studying. Networking in this way with first-hand accounts on information being studied will give our students a more meaningful lesson, thus helping them retain the information and truly understand what's going on (hot cognition! (Goodman, 2008). However, it is always important that we as teachers verify that anyone we collaborate with or videoconference with is a legitimate source. We must also let our students know the risks involved with getting information from the internet, and what they can do to avoid retrieving false information.
3. The internet is providing a platform for teachers to collaborate as they never have been able to before. TEachers can collaborate through videoconferencing, and can share their ideas through such sites as wikiversity, which is a site that allows teachers to collaboratively author and edit the website within their content area. Such websites as www.4teachers.org are also education websites that allow teachers to write to each other, bounce ideas off each other, and share lessons or class projects that have been very useful for them that involve technology (November, 2010, P. 51). Another website that I discovered from one of my other professors, GNA, is slideshare.net. This website allows educators, or really anyone I guess, to upload various powerpoint presentations that they've created and share them with people. I thought that was a great idea and is very efficient for everyone in the education community - why create a powerpoint on a topic that was already made by someone else? There are also a number of forums available on education websites where people can post questions that someone else in the education community can answer for them. It sounds like the sky is the limit now for teacher collaboration!
2. Students can use the internet to get a first-hand view of complex issues such as globalization and cultural sensitivity by networking with experts, or first-hand witnesses to whatever they may be studying, to get a deeper mean in relation to a complex situation. For instance, Richardson (2010) talked about how a class was studying globalization, and was able to video conference with someone in the US who lost their job due to the effects of globalization, and another person in China who gained a job due to the effects of globalization. The teacher was able to give the students a first-hand account of the effects of globalization from people across the country. This is an example of a truly unique opportunity that the internet affords us as teachers. We can get in touch with anyone in the world to get a first-hand account on anything we are teacher. We can get in touch with experts, witnesses, victims, or just a class from across the world, to collaborate with and get information from on anything we are studying. Networking in this way with first-hand accounts on information being studied will give our students a more meaningful lesson, thus helping them retain the information and truly understand what's going on (hot cognition! (Goodman, 2008). However, it is always important that we as teachers verify that anyone we collaborate with or videoconference with is a legitimate source. We must also let our students know the risks involved with getting information from the internet, and what they can do to avoid retrieving false information.
3. The internet is providing a platform for teachers to collaborate as they never have been able to before. TEachers can collaborate through videoconferencing, and can share their ideas through such sites as wikiversity, which is a site that allows teachers to collaboratively author and edit the website within their content area. Such websites as www.4teachers.org are also education websites that allow teachers to write to each other, bounce ideas off each other, and share lessons or class projects that have been very useful for them that involve technology (November, 2010, P. 51). Another website that I discovered from one of my other professors, GNA, is slideshare.net. This website allows educators, or really anyone I guess, to upload various powerpoint presentations that they've created and share them with people. I thought that was a great idea and is very efficient for everyone in the education community - why create a powerpoint on a topic that was already made by someone else? There are also a number of forums available on education websites where people can post questions that someone else in the education community can answer for them. It sounds like the sky is the limit now for teacher collaboration!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Week 3 T2P
Week 2 T2P: If a teacher believes that an individual's culture, community and family influence their cognitive development most, then a teacher will include a student-based style that incorporates these elements because it will facilitate a student's learning since the lesson is more relevant to their lives.
Week 3 T2P: If a teacher practices critical pedagogy affectively impacts his/her students in a positive, comfortable, and poignant manner, then students will be more intrinsically motivated because the lesson taps into their hot cognition and is constructed around their interests.
Today we discussed the relationships between the affective domain and motivation. The affective domain closely effects a student's motivation; if one is feeling sad or anxious, they are less likely to learn. If someone is feeling focused, in good spirits and in a place that they are comfortable with themselves and their environment, they are more likely to be intrinsically motivated. A high school or middle school's affective domain is very dynamic. If one thing that we would think is minor goes wrong, like if they're best friend is mad at them for a silly reason, it truly rocks their world. This is why i believe that it is incredibly important that we provide a comfortable and positive learning environment. Our students are in a world than us, and are really just starting to deal with new emotions (puberty, girlfriends and boyfriends, life decisions like college, etc), so we need to provide a venue for them to express themselves, feel relaxed, and feel meaningful.
We also talked about varying theories on self-determination. Pink believes that autonomy, purpose, and mastery were the main three components, while another person Deci & Ryan's theory of self determination believes that autonomy, competency, and relatedness lend most to self-determination theory. After today's class, I think that I agree with Pink more because of his included component of Purpose. I think this is really important in one's self determination and self-satisfaction. If one feels that they have a purpose, a yearning to do something for someone other than themselves, I think that is so powerful and a key component to the puzzle.
Today's task of developing a podcast or video in our INTEL groups proved to be a challenge. We were able to gather our information and agree on everything that we found, but in executing our final product, after working on it for nearly three hours, it got a little difficult. But I think we did an awesome job. We all knew what we wanted to say, and didn't script everything out to the world, which made the podcast sound more natural. It was fun! I just wish we had more time to do it - there are some parts that are not perfect, but I think we got across what we wanted to say (though after 3 hours, I'm not sure we were the best "critiquers" of our podcast either), so hopefully it's okay!
Thanks!! Au Revoir!
Steph
Week 3 T2P: If a teacher practices critical pedagogy affectively impacts his/her students in a positive, comfortable, and poignant manner, then students will be more intrinsically motivated because the lesson taps into their hot cognition and is constructed around their interests.
Today we discussed the relationships between the affective domain and motivation. The affective domain closely effects a student's motivation; if one is feeling sad or anxious, they are less likely to learn. If someone is feeling focused, in good spirits and in a place that they are comfortable with themselves and their environment, they are more likely to be intrinsically motivated. A high school or middle school's affective domain is very dynamic. If one thing that we would think is minor goes wrong, like if they're best friend is mad at them for a silly reason, it truly rocks their world. This is why i believe that it is incredibly important that we provide a comfortable and positive learning environment. Our students are in a world than us, and are really just starting to deal with new emotions (puberty, girlfriends and boyfriends, life decisions like college, etc), so we need to provide a venue for them to express themselves, feel relaxed, and feel meaningful.
We also talked about varying theories on self-determination. Pink believes that autonomy, purpose, and mastery were the main three components, while another person Deci & Ryan's theory of self determination believes that autonomy, competency, and relatedness lend most to self-determination theory. After today's class, I think that I agree with Pink more because of his included component of Purpose. I think this is really important in one's self determination and self-satisfaction. If one feels that they have a purpose, a yearning to do something for someone other than themselves, I think that is so powerful and a key component to the puzzle.
Today's task of developing a podcast or video in our INTEL groups proved to be a challenge. We were able to gather our information and agree on everything that we found, but in executing our final product, after working on it for nearly three hours, it got a little difficult. But I think we did an awesome job. We all knew what we wanted to say, and didn't script everything out to the world, which made the podcast sound more natural. It was fun! I just wish we had more time to do it - there are some parts that are not perfect, but I think we got across what we wanted to say (though after 3 hours, I'm not sure we were the best "critiquers" of our podcast either), so hopefully it's okay!
Thanks!! Au Revoir!
Steph
Learning Theories Week 3 - Response to video Questions
1. Describe the interaction between Vicki Davis' pedagogy and her students' self-determination theory?
Ms. Davis' pedagogy were essentially interwoven with her students' self determination. She allows her students to sort of direct the pedagogy by mastering a technology task of their own volition. She also allows the teach her, which lends to their confidence in the subject and also to their self-determination. Her pedagogy involves her students at every level, and it seems that she just provides the framework by giving them assignments, but allowing them to decide what direction they want to go in.
2. Support your response with two examples of specific pedagogical practices you noted that may influence her students' feelings of autonomy, competency, and relatedness?
By allowing her students' the freedom to choose what they would like to present to the class and how they would like to present it, she is contributing to their autonomy. She is also contributing to their competency by allowing each group to be the "experts" in whatever they are presenting on, since they are the only ones that are presenting on that subject. She is also lending to their competency since she may not be an expert in the subject they are presenting on, which in turn lends to their autonomy and makes the students feel that they have the most control in the assignment since they are the experts in that field. They feel that they are in control of their destiny and the master of the subject, and they are thus empowered and motivated. It also makes them proud and gives them a sense of accomplishment in their work, lending to their motivation.
We recently read a Chapter in Ayer's book on the importance of having our student's voices heard in the classroom and how important it is that we allow them the freedom to express themselves in the classroom, and not teach at them but rather teach and really learn with them. The book explained how Freedom Schools that have been set up are really more appealling to students than the traditional classroom. The Freedom Schools allow students to sort of control what they'll be working on, and express themselves through their work. It gives them a voice in the world, which is exactly what Ms. Davis is doing in her classroom. She is giving her students a voice and an identity by allowing them the freedom to seek information on their own and become a master in their subjects. I think that's amazing and incredibly inspiring! I hope in some ways I can do the same in my physics class.
3. Offer one critique, question or evaluative comment to @coolcatteacher:
I think it's amazing what you're doing in your classroom and the sense of pride and accomplishment that you allow your students to feel through your pedagogy. I have one question - is there ever any time that you have to discipline your students to try and keep them on task? It seems like the freedom that you allow in your classroom would lend to their self-determination, and that you might not have to discipline them because they are intrinsically motivated, but I was just wondering if you ever have to discipline to keep on task given the freedom you allow in the classroom.
Also, what subject are you teaching in your class? Is it a technology class? I am going to be a physics teacher, do you have any suggestions on how I can add an element of "freedom" in my classroom like you have? Your classroom is so motivational, so I'd love to hear if you've tried to help other class content areas to transform their classroom as you have, and what advice you've provided them.
Ms. Davis' pedagogy were essentially interwoven with her students' self determination. She allows her students to sort of direct the pedagogy by mastering a technology task of their own volition. She also allows the teach her, which lends to their confidence in the subject and also to their self-determination. Her pedagogy involves her students at every level, and it seems that she just provides the framework by giving them assignments, but allowing them to decide what direction they want to go in.
2. Support your response with two examples of specific pedagogical practices you noted that may influence her students' feelings of autonomy, competency, and relatedness?
By allowing her students' the freedom to choose what they would like to present to the class and how they would like to present it, she is contributing to their autonomy. She is also contributing to their competency by allowing each group to be the "experts" in whatever they are presenting on, since they are the only ones that are presenting on that subject. She is also lending to their competency since she may not be an expert in the subject they are presenting on, which in turn lends to their autonomy and makes the students feel that they have the most control in the assignment since they are the experts in that field. They feel that they are in control of their destiny and the master of the subject, and they are thus empowered and motivated. It also makes them proud and gives them a sense of accomplishment in their work, lending to their motivation.
We recently read a Chapter in Ayer's book on the importance of having our student's voices heard in the classroom and how important it is that we allow them the freedom to express themselves in the classroom, and not teach at them but rather teach and really learn with them. The book explained how Freedom Schools that have been set up are really more appealling to students than the traditional classroom. The Freedom Schools allow students to sort of control what they'll be working on, and express themselves through their work. It gives them a voice in the world, which is exactly what Ms. Davis is doing in her classroom. She is giving her students a voice and an identity by allowing them the freedom to seek information on their own and become a master in their subjects. I think that's amazing and incredibly inspiring! I hope in some ways I can do the same in my physics class.
3. Offer one critique, question or evaluative comment to @coolcatteacher:
I think it's amazing what you're doing in your classroom and the sense of pride and accomplishment that you allow your students to feel through your pedagogy. I have one question - is there ever any time that you have to discipline your students to try and keep them on task? It seems like the freedom that you allow in your classroom would lend to their self-determination, and that you might not have to discipline them because they are intrinsically motivated, but I was just wondering if you ever have to discipline to keep on task given the freedom you allow in the classroom.
Also, what subject are you teaching in your class? Is it a technology class? I am going to be a physics teacher, do you have any suggestions on how I can add an element of "freedom" in my classroom like you have? Your classroom is so motivational, so I'd love to hear if you've tried to help other class content areas to transform their classroom as you have, and what advice you've provided them.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
EDCI 5825: Assignment 1
1. Define in your own words what it means to be information literate?
Information literate means being fully aware of a source's credibility. In the context of the November article on online sources, one must find the meta-web of the information, evaluate the author of the information and their credentials to make sure that they are a credible and knowledge source of information, and also be aware of the purpose of the website. Some websites are out to sell a product or are biased, so it is important to evaluate this. It is important to be aware that anyone can post information on the internet and that some information is false and misleading, so we need to take responsible measures to make sure a source is valid. I thought that the example November gave about Zack and the misinformation he found on the Holocaust was right on and definitely made me aware of the importance of checking a source. Even though Zack's source appeared to be valid on the surface, seeing as it was written by a professor and published on a university website, you have to be very careful and always backcheck an author and check the URL.
2. How can teachers and students thoughtfully evaluate online information resources, including the online encyclopedia, Wikipedia?
Teachers and students can thoughtfully evaluate online information resources by checking the meta-web information of a website, the author of the information on the site and the credentials (it is important to validate their credentials in a few locations online through search engines), and to check the purpose of the website to ensure that the site is not a biased site. It is important to be aware that there is an array of false information on the internet which is why we must thoroughly check our internet sources. Wikipedia is an encyclopedia that can be edited by anybody using the internet, so it is impossible to check their credentials. Therefore, it is important to check any information taken from Wikipedia with another reliable source to make sure it is true. Sometimes wikipedia will have a list of sources at the end of an article, so this might be a useful tool. They also sometimes have citations within an article, so it's important that one checks the validity.
3. What are a few of the similarities and differences between the four instructional models of Internet use (Internet Project, Internet Workshop, Internet Inquiry, and WebQuest)?
All of the instructional models are ways in which students learn the advantages and limitations of using the internet to gather information, communicate, evaluate the data they attain, and synthesize information. Additionally, all of the models are inquiry-based models and can be applied to any content area. Internet workshop and internet webquest are both models that are primarily used in the classroom as group projects, thus teaching the students how to gather information from the internet as well as how to collaborate in groups. Internet Inquiry and internet project are usually used as a classroom, although I believe it is possible for them to be used as group projects as well. Internet project is a collaborative experience between classrooms to solve a common problem. These can be web-based or spontaneous projects. Internet workshop is a research project when students break up into groups and use search engines to gather information on a specific subject. They gather information they are asked to find, record the information, and share the content-knowledge they find with the class. Internet inquiry is when students gather information from the internet in a subject that they are interested. The students learn to gather information, analyze it, identify problems, and synthesize the information. WebQuest breaks a class into groups and asks students to find information on a subject and present the information, possibly through role-playing.
Information literate means being fully aware of a source's credibility. In the context of the November article on online sources, one must find the meta-web of the information, evaluate the author of the information and their credentials to make sure that they are a credible and knowledge source of information, and also be aware of the purpose of the website. Some websites are out to sell a product or are biased, so it is important to evaluate this. It is important to be aware that anyone can post information on the internet and that some information is false and misleading, so we need to take responsible measures to make sure a source is valid. I thought that the example November gave about Zack and the misinformation he found on the Holocaust was right on and definitely made me aware of the importance of checking a source. Even though Zack's source appeared to be valid on the surface, seeing as it was written by a professor and published on a university website, you have to be very careful and always backcheck an author and check the URL.
2. How can teachers and students thoughtfully evaluate online information resources, including the online encyclopedia, Wikipedia?
Teachers and students can thoughtfully evaluate online information resources by checking the meta-web information of a website, the author of the information on the site and the credentials (it is important to validate their credentials in a few locations online through search engines), and to check the purpose of the website to ensure that the site is not a biased site. It is important to be aware that there is an array of false information on the internet which is why we must thoroughly check our internet sources. Wikipedia is an encyclopedia that can be edited by anybody using the internet, so it is impossible to check their credentials. Therefore, it is important to check any information taken from Wikipedia with another reliable source to make sure it is true. Sometimes wikipedia will have a list of sources at the end of an article, so this might be a useful tool. They also sometimes have citations within an article, so it's important that one checks the validity.
3. What are a few of the similarities and differences between the four instructional models of Internet use (Internet Project, Internet Workshop, Internet Inquiry, and WebQuest)?
All of the instructional models are ways in which students learn the advantages and limitations of using the internet to gather information, communicate, evaluate the data they attain, and synthesize information. Additionally, all of the models are inquiry-based models and can be applied to any content area. Internet workshop and internet webquest are both models that are primarily used in the classroom as group projects, thus teaching the students how to gather information from the internet as well as how to collaborate in groups. Internet Inquiry and internet project are usually used as a classroom, although I believe it is possible for them to be used as group projects as well. Internet project is a collaborative experience between classrooms to solve a common problem. These can be web-based or spontaneous projects. Internet workshop is a research project when students break up into groups and use search engines to gather information on a specific subject. They gather information they are asked to find, record the information, and share the content-knowledge they find with the class. Internet inquiry is when students gather information from the internet in a subject that they are interested. The students learn to gather information, analyze it, identify problems, and synthesize the information. WebQuest breaks a class into groups and asks students to find information on a subject and present the information, possibly through role-playing.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Learning Theories - T2P for Week 2
T2P: If students work in groups, then they will learn a lesson more thoroughly because they are hearing different point of views, thus they are learning from each other.
In today's class, we first discussed the Yere reading, which introduced that a teacher's beliefs are carried out in their lessons, even though it is unintentional. For instance, I think that group work is valuable to a student, which is something that will drive the way I teach. I also believe that relating science to real world situations (example - engineering, the way things are designed relate to physics) in a way that makes the subject more tangible makes physics more relevant to a student and thus enhances learning. Because this is my belief, it is something I will incorporate as a teacher. I had never thought of this before - how much our beliefs really will drive our teaching methods, and what we teach. If you think about it, that's kind of scary! But I suppose thats why school districts have spelled out curriculums, some with limited flexibility as a teacher, so that we all "stay on task".
We also discussed the varying views of Piaget and Vygotsky. Piaget believed that there were four distinct stages of cognitive development that each occurred within an approximate span in a child's life at specific ages. Vygotsky believed that children's development occurred in increments, and that learning is built upon what a child knows (scaffolding). He also believed that a child's community, family and culture are most influential in a child's life in their cognitive development. This differs from Piaget's view in that he did not identify outside influences as having an affect on a child's cognitive development.
I personally believe that our family, community, and culture are very influential in our cognitive development. I believe that what we learn from these variables are sort of the foundation for where our cognitive development. I agree with Vygotsky's view also that we learn through scaffolding - we build up or cognitive knowledge upon a structure, that might be shaped by our family, community and culture. Perhaps in Piaget's Swiss culture, the four distinct stages of cognitive development are true and this theory also seems to apply to the American culture as well, but I don't think that it is cross-cultural and I think it is important to recognize that.
We also worked to develop an interdisciplinary lesson plan, which was a lot more challenging than I thought it would be! Everyone in my group recognized our objective, and we all managed to keep our lessons within each discipline focus on our objective, but it made me realize how easy it would be for a student to "stray" from their objective in a lesson. In another class we are reading the book "Understanding by Design" which promotes the idea of using a backward design method, or a "big idea" that you tell the students, and then you do your lessons. Each lesson needs to somehow lend to the understanding of this "big idea", and the activity of developing the lesson plan helped me realize how useful this can be to not only the students but to the student's as well.
I also learned through our discussions how important it is to recognize who our students are. High school students are sensitive and are going through an awkward time. We as teachers need to recognize this. As Maslow said, a student must be comfortable in order for learning to occur, so this is very important to be aware of. If this means that students should work in groups that they are comfortable with, then we need to understand that that's okay.
All in all, it was a really great class and I enjoyed it today.
Thanks!
Steph
In today's class, we first discussed the Yere reading, which introduced that a teacher's beliefs are carried out in their lessons, even though it is unintentional. For instance, I think that group work is valuable to a student, which is something that will drive the way I teach. I also believe that relating science to real world situations (example - engineering, the way things are designed relate to physics) in a way that makes the subject more tangible makes physics more relevant to a student and thus enhances learning. Because this is my belief, it is something I will incorporate as a teacher. I had never thought of this before - how much our beliefs really will drive our teaching methods, and what we teach. If you think about it, that's kind of scary! But I suppose thats why school districts have spelled out curriculums, some with limited flexibility as a teacher, so that we all "stay on task".
We also discussed the varying views of Piaget and Vygotsky. Piaget believed that there were four distinct stages of cognitive development that each occurred within an approximate span in a child's life at specific ages. Vygotsky believed that children's development occurred in increments, and that learning is built upon what a child knows (scaffolding). He also believed that a child's community, family and culture are most influential in a child's life in their cognitive development. This differs from Piaget's view in that he did not identify outside influences as having an affect on a child's cognitive development.
I personally believe that our family, community, and culture are very influential in our cognitive development. I believe that what we learn from these variables are sort of the foundation for where our cognitive development. I agree with Vygotsky's view also that we learn through scaffolding - we build up or cognitive knowledge upon a structure, that might be shaped by our family, community and culture. Perhaps in Piaget's Swiss culture, the four distinct stages of cognitive development are true and this theory also seems to apply to the American culture as well, but I don't think that it is cross-cultural and I think it is important to recognize that.
We also worked to develop an interdisciplinary lesson plan, which was a lot more challenging than I thought it would be! Everyone in my group recognized our objective, and we all managed to keep our lessons within each discipline focus on our objective, but it made me realize how easy it would be for a student to "stray" from their objective in a lesson. In another class we are reading the book "Understanding by Design" which promotes the idea of using a backward design method, or a "big idea" that you tell the students, and then you do your lessons. Each lesson needs to somehow lend to the understanding of this "big idea", and the activity of developing the lesson plan helped me realize how useful this can be to not only the students but to the student's as well.
I also learned through our discussions how important it is to recognize who our students are. High school students are sensitive and are going through an awkward time. We as teachers need to recognize this. As Maslow said, a student must be comfortable in order for learning to occur, so this is very important to be aware of. If this means that students should work in groups that they are comfortable with, then we need to understand that that's okay.
All in all, it was a really great class and I enjoyed it today.
Thanks!
Steph
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Learning Theories Week 2 Assignment - Three Links to physics websites
Below are three links to websites that I will use as tools for teaching students the wonderful world of physics!
1. http://www.physics.org/news.asp
This link shows the latest news in physics. It is important to include what is going on now in physics to show how the subject is relevant to a student's life, which facilitates a student's ability to learn in a subject and their interest in a subject (very important for a good teacher to include). It also shows how the principles of physics are impacting us as a society, world, and as individuals and makes them think and will increase their competency in the subject.
2. http://iopscience.iop.org/0031-9120/
This periodical is a great way to stay current with the needs of students in physics education. It reflects the needs and interests of teachers and students in physics. This will facilitate my student's ability to learn physics and gain competency in the subject by giving me resource to find out exactly what other teachers in the profession are doing, and what they find useful. It is a tool "good" teachers would use because it recognizes that students and the subject of physics are not static and are always evolving, and we need to address these changes.
3. http://www.physicsclassroom.com/mmedia/index.cfm
This link is a database of videos that demonstrate physics principles. It enables a student's learning by allowing them to actually see what is being taught. It is a tool good teachers will use because it reinforces a lesson that was just taught by another means. It improves their competency by allowing them to relate the lesson to real-life scenarios, since a lot of the videos show real-life video clips (ex: a car collision and conservation of momentum/energy).
Thanks!
Steph
1. http://www.physics.org/news.asp
This link shows the latest news in physics. It is important to include what is going on now in physics to show how the subject is relevant to a student's life, which facilitates a student's ability to learn in a subject and their interest in a subject (very important for a good teacher to include). It also shows how the principles of physics are impacting us as a society, world, and as individuals and makes them think and will increase their competency in the subject.
2. http://iopscience.iop.org/0031-9120/
This periodical is a great way to stay current with the needs of students in physics education. It reflects the needs and interests of teachers and students in physics. This will facilitate my student's ability to learn physics and gain competency in the subject by giving me resource to find out exactly what other teachers in the profession are doing, and what they find useful. It is a tool "good" teachers would use because it recognizes that students and the subject of physics are not static and are always evolving, and we need to address these changes.
3. http://www.physicsclassroom.com/mmedia/index.cfm
This link is a database of videos that demonstrate physics principles. It enables a student's learning by allowing them to actually see what is being taught. It is a tool good teachers will use because it reinforces a lesson that was just taught by another means. It improves their competency by allowing them to relate the lesson to real-life scenarios, since a lot of the videos show real-life video clips (ex: a car collision and conservation of momentum/energy).
Thanks!
Steph
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Intro Post
Hello fellow bloggers!
My name is Stephanie, and I just recently got married! I am going to be teaching high school physics, and I am looking forward to it. I was working as a Civil Engineer for over 3 years before making this career change. My goals for the course are to find some useful resources in technology that will not only help me as a teacher, but will also help my students be more interested in physics and will facilitate their learning. I love to read, go to the beach, garden, and play and watch sports. My favorite books is To Kill a Mockingbird.
That's all for now, see you later!
Steph
My name is Stephanie, and I just recently got married! I am going to be teaching high school physics, and I am looking forward to it. I was working as a Civil Engineer for over 3 years before making this career change. My goals for the course are to find some useful resources in technology that will not only help me as a teacher, but will also help my students be more interested in physics and will facilitate their learning. I love to read, go to the beach, garden, and play and watch sports. My favorite books is To Kill a Mockingbird.
That's all for now, see you later!
Steph
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