I found this video and thought it was appropriate for this blog.
The Facebook Skit
You can laugh it off, but c'mon, you know you're guilty of this :)
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Quite possibly the best internet video ever
Kittens Inspired by Kittens
I couldn't help myself, I had to share!
See if you can watch it without laughing at all. I think it's impossible.
I couldn't help myself, I had to share!
See if you can watch it without laughing at all. I think it's impossible.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Educational Software Review
The evaluation tools I used to review my chosen educational software programs are the class-generated tool and the SGTC rating form. Here are my thoughts and findings...
Program #1 - Froguts: A Bio-Learning Co.
Results
The good news: Froguts has got to be the most amazing software included in our laptop package! :)
The bad news: Froguts does not cover any science curriculum expectations in the primary/junior program. :(
Froguts is an interactive dissection simulation program that has separate modules for dissecting a starfish, squid, cow eye, frog, owl pellet, and fetal pig. The program can run on Macs and Windows; minimum requirements are: Os 8.6-OsX, win95-XP. The realistic representations were created using images of recycled animals from school biology labs. It is really a shame that the contents of this game are not covered in the Ontario curriculum (it suited to the high school program) and the only real link would be to connect it to Grade 6 - Understanding Life Sytems: Biodiversity, but even that would be pushing it. The software is available in all Ontario elementary and high schools, so even if it cannot be used to instruct, it is most definitely a program that should be explored by students during free time.
Discussion
By the time I was filling out the evaluation tool hard copies, I had only spent one hour playing with the software. Since then, I have probably logged three hours total because the program is really fun and easy to use. I never took biology in high school, so I missed out on dissecting pig fetuses. In using Froguts, I was able to have the full experience, save for having to smell the formaldehyde! I appreciate that the learning objectives were laid out before each 'lesson' and that functions of different systems (ie. musculoskeletal, respiratory, urogenital)were explained with great detail.
Since the program does not connect to the curriculum, I have not seen Froguts played by any students. However, I would imagine that many grade 6 students would enjoy playing with such an interesting game that is so easy to use. Navigation is very intuitive as the layout is logically organized. Clicking on the Menu allows you to choose what you want to dissect, and from there, the instructions are very clear. General and detailed information about the animal can be read, or you can skip ahead by clicking Next. In performing lab work (dissecting, observing tissue samples under microscope), there are prompts of what tools should be used. At the end of each module, there is a quiz/test, consisting of 5-10 questions,that can be easily answered if one has skimmed through the information.
One thing that would be worrisome is that since the intended users are high school students, I do not think that most grade 6s would be mature enough to use the program. These images are graphic, and while most students would probably be fascinated with dissecting, I can foresee a lot of silliness going on with kids screaming, 'ewwww!' and 'grosssss! I can see the pig's brain'. Silliness aside, I also worry for the students who cannot stomach such graphic and unpleasant imagery.
Overall, Froguts is a really neat program that I enjoyed playing. I feel torn about its viability in schools. The subscription is priced at $300 USD per school for one year, which I believe is quite reasonable considering the program can be placed in all the school computers, as well as students' personal computers at home. It would be extremely educational for students who would play on their own time, but at the same time, it seems out of place in (elementary) schools since there are no curriculum connections.
Program #2 - Sammy's Science House
Results
Sammy's Science House is a program suitable for students aged 4-6. It runs on the Macs and Windows platforms and minimum requirements are MacOS 8.6 and Windows 98. The layout is bright and colourful, and the games have cute characters that are quite inviting. To a young student, this game would be extremely appealing. However, looking through the discerning eyes of a teacher, I do not think this program has much educational value. While it addresses a number of curriculum expectations, from classifying and sorting to weather conditions, I do not think this has been effectively accomplished. My main issue is that navigation is not intuitive; there are no written directions and verbal instructions are not totally clear. I do not like that students have to feel their way through, clicking until something happens.
Discussion
As with the Froguts program, Sammy’s Science House was part of our laptop package. I tested and played with the software on my own time at home for about an hour. Because I have not been observing in a primary classroom at my PDS site, my tests are not conclusive as I have not seen this program being used by students. Though, in considering my findings, I would not use this program as a tool to instruct my class. Acorn pond, the module that shows the animals in different seasons, is probably the only useful one of the bunch as it has an attractive layout and has straightforward information and verbal instructions. It provides reinforcement for the grade 1 science unit on Daily and Seasonal Changes.
The trashcan game involves sorting and classifying animals, which is in line with curriculum expectations, but I find some of the groupings to be odd. In one round, students are asked to sort between 'animals with fur' and 'dinosaurs', and I am not really sure how those two are supposed to be related. In another round that I played, there were animals that belonged in both groups. For example, a fish could have been placed in both 'animals that swim' and 'animals with scales', but the program does not address or allow for there to be more than one possibility.
The Building in the Workshop game allows students to construct and colour objects from a blueprint. It is supposed to help students work on their identification and sorting skills, but I felt the tasks were sort of pointless. The Create a Film game asks students to sequence scenes in the right order. What was surprising to me was that in playing this game, there were one or two scenes that took me a few tries to figure out because I just did not understand what the images depicted. It makes me wonder if I was overthinking the tasks, or if this would be challenging for primary students. The Weather Machine game asks students to explore temperature, rain and wind by clicking icons. But again, I do not feel it is a meaningful because students don't necessarily have to understand how weather works to succeed in the game. As teachers-in-training, we're learning to present students with meaningful tasks that support growth and development, and these games just makes me ask myself "so what?"
Perhaps I am being too harsh on the software. Afterall, it is not meant to be a substitute for a teacher, but I think my pessimism stems from the fact that the program is so highly regarded in all the online reviews I have read. Because this program is available to schools through the Ontario MoE, students will undoubtedly be playing Sammy's Science House in the classrooms. While I do not feel the games are of the best quality, I see the value in allowing students to explore this type of technology. Although, it it were up to me, students would be playing with educational software that is more on par with the Froguts program!
Evaluation Tools Comparison and Recommendations for Class-Generated Evaluation Tool
The two tools were similar in that they both used rating scales to critique the programs. I think rating scales are the most effective in terms of simplicity and ease of understanding. One is able to get the gist of the review with just a short glance at the tool.
What I appreciate about the SGTC form is that there is a section that allows you to write down your thoughts about certain aspects of the software (ie. strengths/weaknesses found), which provides clarification and further insight. I think this would be a beneficial add-on to make the class-generated tool even more effective. Overall, I like the criteria we decided on as a class because as teachers-in-training, I think we've identified important aspects of what to look for in educational software.
Program #1 - Froguts: A Bio-Learning Co.
Results
The good news: Froguts has got to be the most amazing software included in our laptop package! :)
The bad news: Froguts does not cover any science curriculum expectations in the primary/junior program. :(
Froguts is an interactive dissection simulation program that has separate modules for dissecting a starfish, squid, cow eye, frog, owl pellet, and fetal pig. The program can run on Macs and Windows; minimum requirements are: Os 8.6-OsX, win95-XP. The realistic representations were created using images of recycled animals from school biology labs. It is really a shame that the contents of this game are not covered in the Ontario curriculum (it suited to the high school program) and the only real link would be to connect it to Grade 6 - Understanding Life Sytems: Biodiversity, but even that would be pushing it. The software is available in all Ontario elementary and high schools, so even if it cannot be used to instruct, it is most definitely a program that should be explored by students during free time.
Discussion
By the time I was filling out the evaluation tool hard copies, I had only spent one hour playing with the software. Since then, I have probably logged three hours total because the program is really fun and easy to use. I never took biology in high school, so I missed out on dissecting pig fetuses. In using Froguts, I was able to have the full experience, save for having to smell the formaldehyde! I appreciate that the learning objectives were laid out before each 'lesson' and that functions of different systems (ie. musculoskeletal, respiratory, urogenital)were explained with great detail.
Since the program does not connect to the curriculum, I have not seen Froguts played by any students. However, I would imagine that many grade 6 students would enjoy playing with such an interesting game that is so easy to use. Navigation is very intuitive as the layout is logically organized. Clicking on the Menu allows you to choose what you want to dissect, and from there, the instructions are very clear. General and detailed information about the animal can be read, or you can skip ahead by clicking Next. In performing lab work (dissecting, observing tissue samples under microscope), there are prompts of what tools should be used. At the end of each module, there is a quiz/test, consisting of 5-10 questions,that can be easily answered if one has skimmed through the information.
One thing that would be worrisome is that since the intended users are high school students, I do not think that most grade 6s would be mature enough to use the program. These images are graphic, and while most students would probably be fascinated with dissecting, I can foresee a lot of silliness going on with kids screaming, 'ewwww!' and 'grosssss! I can see the pig's brain'. Silliness aside, I also worry for the students who cannot stomach such graphic and unpleasant imagery.
Overall, Froguts is a really neat program that I enjoyed playing. I feel torn about its viability in schools. The subscription is priced at $300 USD per school for one year, which I believe is quite reasonable considering the program can be placed in all the school computers, as well as students' personal computers at home. It would be extremely educational for students who would play on their own time, but at the same time, it seems out of place in (elementary) schools since there are no curriculum connections.
Program #2 - Sammy's Science House
Results
Sammy's Science House is a program suitable for students aged 4-6. It runs on the Macs and Windows platforms and minimum requirements are MacOS 8.6 and Windows 98. The layout is bright and colourful, and the games have cute characters that are quite inviting. To a young student, this game would be extremely appealing. However, looking through the discerning eyes of a teacher, I do not think this program has much educational value. While it addresses a number of curriculum expectations, from classifying and sorting to weather conditions, I do not think this has been effectively accomplished. My main issue is that navigation is not intuitive; there are no written directions and verbal instructions are not totally clear. I do not like that students have to feel their way through, clicking until something happens.
Discussion
As with the Froguts program, Sammy’s Science House was part of our laptop package. I tested and played with the software on my own time at home for about an hour. Because I have not been observing in a primary classroom at my PDS site, my tests are not conclusive as I have not seen this program being used by students. Though, in considering my findings, I would not use this program as a tool to instruct my class. Acorn pond, the module that shows the animals in different seasons, is probably the only useful one of the bunch as it has an attractive layout and has straightforward information and verbal instructions. It provides reinforcement for the grade 1 science unit on Daily and Seasonal Changes.
The trashcan game involves sorting and classifying animals, which is in line with curriculum expectations, but I find some of the groupings to be odd. In one round, students are asked to sort between 'animals with fur' and 'dinosaurs', and I am not really sure how those two are supposed to be related. In another round that I played, there were animals that belonged in both groups. For example, a fish could have been placed in both 'animals that swim' and 'animals with scales', but the program does not address or allow for there to be more than one possibility.
The Building in the Workshop game allows students to construct and colour objects from a blueprint. It is supposed to help students work on their identification and sorting skills, but I felt the tasks were sort of pointless. The Create a Film game asks students to sequence scenes in the right order. What was surprising to me was that in playing this game, there were one or two scenes that took me a few tries to figure out because I just did not understand what the images depicted. It makes me wonder if I was overthinking the tasks, or if this would be challenging for primary students. The Weather Machine game asks students to explore temperature, rain and wind by clicking icons. But again, I do not feel it is a meaningful because students don't necessarily have to understand how weather works to succeed in the game. As teachers-in-training, we're learning to present students with meaningful tasks that support growth and development, and these games just makes me ask myself "so what?"
Perhaps I am being too harsh on the software. Afterall, it is not meant to be a substitute for a teacher, but I think my pessimism stems from the fact that the program is so highly regarded in all the online reviews I have read. Because this program is available to schools through the Ontario MoE, students will undoubtedly be playing Sammy's Science House in the classrooms. While I do not feel the games are of the best quality, I see the value in allowing students to explore this type of technology. Although, it it were up to me, students would be playing with educational software that is more on par with the Froguts program!
Evaluation Tools Comparison and Recommendations for Class-Generated Evaluation Tool
The two tools were similar in that they both used rating scales to critique the programs. I think rating scales are the most effective in terms of simplicity and ease of understanding. One is able to get the gist of the review with just a short glance at the tool.
What I appreciate about the SGTC form is that there is a section that allows you to write down your thoughts about certain aspects of the software (ie. strengths/weaknesses found), which provides clarification and further insight. I think this would be a beneficial add-on to make the class-generated tool even more effective. Overall, I like the criteria we decided on as a class because as teachers-in-training, I think we've identified important aspects of what to look for in educational software.
Monday, February 2, 2009
RSS aggregate program - Task
The RSS program I am using is Google Reader. Last week after class, I subscribed to my 2 favourite blogs: Cake Wrecks (my new fave) and Perez Hilton (the ultimate guilty pleasure in celebrity gossip).
So the thing with using Google Reader is that instead of having to visit a number of different websites, the news is compiled and delivered to you once there are updates. I have to say, I had a lot of difficulty using Google Reader for this task. It wasn't because the program itself was hard to use. It was quite easy actually, since it's like receiving email notifications from your subscribed blogs/news sites. The difficulty I encountered was in actually remembering to check Google Reader for new items instead of going directly to the websites!
Part of my daily computer routine is to go through all my favourite news sites to see what's new. It was only AFTER I had visited the websites that I realized I was supposed to check Google Reader first! And of course, when I did log on, I had already read the new items I received.
For this task, the benefits of programs like Google Reader were properly highlighted. We only had to subscribe to 2 websites, so it was easy to forget to check in regularly. However, if I subscribed to 10 different websites, it would definitely be useful to have all updates be viewable in one central location.
I do not follow too many blogs and I don't check the news every single day. So, for my purposes, I probably would not use programs like Google Reader. If anything, I am more than happy to follow my regular routine of just visiting websites themselves, the old-fashioned way.
What can I say? Old habits die hard.
So the thing with using Google Reader is that instead of having to visit a number of different websites, the news is compiled and delivered to you once there are updates. I have to say, I had a lot of difficulty using Google Reader for this task. It wasn't because the program itself was hard to use. It was quite easy actually, since it's like receiving email notifications from your subscribed blogs/news sites. The difficulty I encountered was in actually remembering to check Google Reader for new items instead of going directly to the websites!
Part of my daily computer routine is to go through all my favourite news sites to see what's new. It was only AFTER I had visited the websites that I realized I was supposed to check Google Reader first! And of course, when I did log on, I had already read the new items I received.
For this task, the benefits of programs like Google Reader were properly highlighted. We only had to subscribe to 2 websites, so it was easy to forget to check in regularly. However, if I subscribed to 10 different websites, it would definitely be useful to have all updates be viewable in one central location.
I do not follow too many blogs and I don't check the news every single day. So, for my purposes, I probably would not use programs like Google Reader. If anything, I am more than happy to follow my regular routine of just visiting websites themselves, the old-fashioned way.
What can I say? Old habits die hard.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Educational Software Review - Task
The game I have chosen is Math Circus Act 4.
The student's perspective
In putting myself into the mindset of a student at the primary level, I would most definitely think this game is fun. It is brightly coloured and has a fun theme. There are a number of "mini-games" with varying levels, so there is a lot of choice. As a student, I would appreciate that I could try as many times I want until I get the answer right.
The teacher's perspective
As a teacher, I'm not really sure that there is much educational value to this game. Other than some basic problem-solving, I don't think students would be able benefit from the games a whole lot. In testing them, I just started randomly clicking the buttons, and eventually came to the correct response. So, if a student really wanted, he/she could just click until stumbling upon the right answer.
The game has a section for teachers to monitor their students' progress and check their individual accounts. I would not use that option as tool for any sort of assessment. The most I would do to involve this program in my class would be to have it available on the class computer for free time.
Another review
I found a very short review for Math Circus at: http://www.thejournal.com/articles/13491_5
It has only good things to say about the game, but that doesn't change my opinion. The review says that the mini-games serve as clever hooks for problems (ie. pendulums, propulson, angles). Even so, I don't think they're effective hooks because I would not be able to use that game as a means of putting the students' knowledge to practice. If I was teaching about angles, playing the game does not help solidify understanding. At best, the games could be used as tools for estimation.
The student's perspective
In putting myself into the mindset of a student at the primary level, I would most definitely think this game is fun. It is brightly coloured and has a fun theme. There are a number of "mini-games" with varying levels, so there is a lot of choice. As a student, I would appreciate that I could try as many times I want until I get the answer right.
The teacher's perspective
As a teacher, I'm not really sure that there is much educational value to this game. Other than some basic problem-solving, I don't think students would be able benefit from the games a whole lot. In testing them, I just started randomly clicking the buttons, and eventually came to the correct response. So, if a student really wanted, he/she could just click until stumbling upon the right answer.
The game has a section for teachers to monitor their students' progress and check their individual accounts. I would not use that option as tool for any sort of assessment. The most I would do to involve this program in my class would be to have it available on the class computer for free time.
Another review
I found a very short review for Math Circus at: http://www.thejournal.com/articles/13491_5
It has only good things to say about the game, but that doesn't change my opinion. The review says that the mini-games serve as clever hooks for problems (ie. pendulums, propulson, angles). Even so, I don't think they're effective hooks because I would not be able to use that game as a means of putting the students' knowledge to practice. If I was teaching about angles, playing the game does not help solidify understanding. At best, the games could be used as tools for estimation.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Statement of Goals
The area I need to work on is my Professional Preparation, specifically in Planning and Designing Learning Environments. The prescribed action I’d like to focus on is “needs to start trying out available educational H/W and S/W”. Here is the breakdown of my SMART goal:
Specific - I’ve set this goal because even though I’m hesitant to try out new things, my comfort level increases once I’ve had some exposure to it. If I took the plunge and forced myself to see what’s available, I would be more likely to have the desire to use the technology. The first step I’d take would be to just experiment with the software (ie. MarkBook) on our laptops – to find out what is actually out there. Even though our laptops are loaded with software, I haven’t taken the time to look through any of them. I will aside a specific time after school to explore on a regular basis. Another way I will try out available educational technology is through my action research project. I will be working with a student with language difficulties, specifically, issues with vowel recognition. The SERT teacher at my school has directed me to software and websites (www.starfall.com)I can use to help the student. I would like to achieve my goal of trying out available educational technology by the end of the term, by working both at home and at my PDS site.
Measurable – For sure, my goal is measurable in time. I’d like to start by spending two hours a week exploring the software on my laptop. After a couple of weeks, I will re-evaluate the amount of time I’ve spent and perhaps devote more time if needed. I think it would also be measurable in terms of the number of times I use technology to teach in my next practicum, in comparison to my last practicum. If the frequency of use increases, it would be safe to assume that I’ve succeeded in my goal.
Achievable – The goal is most definitely achievable. As long as I remain dedicated to spending time and effort in exploring available software, I will be successful.
Realistic – For the most part, I think my goal is a realistic one. The B. Ed. Program is extremely busy and tiring, but I would be willing to devote time to trying out software and hardware. I do believe that in the end, it would make me a more well-rounded educator, which is incentive enough for me to realize this goal.
Tangible/Timely – I will be able to see and feel the results as I meet my goals, as my proficiency and comfort level increases. The timeline I have set is reasonable because I would need to be knowledgeable enough in the language software to complete my action research project. Although my deadline is set for the end of the term (April), I intend to keep on exploring beyond this timeline. Since technology is always changing and advancing, I hope to be a lifelong learner, always improving myself and increasing my knowledge of new technologies.
Specific - I’ve set this goal because even though I’m hesitant to try out new things, my comfort level increases once I’ve had some exposure to it. If I took the plunge and forced myself to see what’s available, I would be more likely to have the desire to use the technology. The first step I’d take would be to just experiment with the software (ie. MarkBook) on our laptops – to find out what is actually out there. Even though our laptops are loaded with software, I haven’t taken the time to look through any of them. I will aside a specific time after school to explore on a regular basis. Another way I will try out available educational technology is through my action research project. I will be working with a student with language difficulties, specifically, issues with vowel recognition. The SERT teacher at my school has directed me to software and websites (www.starfall.com)I can use to help the student. I would like to achieve my goal of trying out available educational technology by the end of the term, by working both at home and at my PDS site.
Measurable – For sure, my goal is measurable in time. I’d like to start by spending two hours a week exploring the software on my laptop. After a couple of weeks, I will re-evaluate the amount of time I’ve spent and perhaps devote more time if needed. I think it would also be measurable in terms of the number of times I use technology to teach in my next practicum, in comparison to my last practicum. If the frequency of use increases, it would be safe to assume that I’ve succeeded in my goal.
Achievable – The goal is most definitely achievable. As long as I remain dedicated to spending time and effort in exploring available software, I will be successful.
Realistic – For the most part, I think my goal is a realistic one. The B. Ed. Program is extremely busy and tiring, but I would be willing to devote time to trying out software and hardware. I do believe that in the end, it would make me a more well-rounded educator, which is incentive enough for me to realize this goal.
Tangible/Timely – I will be able to see and feel the results as I meet my goals, as my proficiency and comfort level increases. The timeline I have set is reasonable because I would need to be knowledgeable enough in the language software to complete my action research project. Although my deadline is set for the end of the term (April), I intend to keep on exploring beyond this timeline. Since technology is always changing and advancing, I hope to be a lifelong learner, always improving myself and increasing my knowledge of new technologies.
Technology Skills Inventory Reflection
On the first day our technology class, we had to complete a survey that assessed our use of technology in six different areas:
-Technology Operations and Concepts
-Planning and Designing Learning Environments
-Teaching, Learning and the Curriculum
-Assessment and Evaluation
-Productivity and Professional Practice
-Social, Ethical, Legal, and Human Issues
Each of these areas were viewed in terms of General Preparation, Professional Preparation, Student Teaching/Internship, and First-Year Teaching. The results were colour-coded with green=keep up the good work, yellow=an area you could improve, red=an area that needs work, and grey=general feedback - area not measured.
In looking at my Educational Technology Skills Inventory Summary, I have to say I'm not really surprised by the results - they affirm what I already know and believe about myself with regards to using technology. In general, I am quite comfortable using technology for everyday tasks. I read my news online, email to keep in touch and share the happenings of my life through Facebook. I thought it was interesting that one of the prescribed actions was 'increase use of computers for day-to-day tasks' (Technology Operations and Concepts/General Preparation). If anything, I thought I was using technology TOO much!
Examining my problem areas, an area that definitely needs work is my Professional Preparation. Here are the prescribed actions:
Technology Operations and Concepts/Professional Preparation
-predict and plan for problems when using technology support
-support concepts/skills with ed. tech. resources
-review learning objectives wrt to student use of technology
When it comes to using technology in teaching, I like to play it safe. Technology has failed be before (ie. not working right before my faculty advisor observation) so it's just easier to do it the old-fashioned way. I know this isn't the right attitude to have, and I really would like to learn and implement new technologies to enrich students' learning. My main issue is spending the time to learn and experiment on my own. I hope to work and improve upon my skills this term through this course. I will use the prescribed actions from the Skills Inventory Summary as a guideline.
-Technology Operations and Concepts
-Planning and Designing Learning Environments
-Teaching, Learning and the Curriculum
-Assessment and Evaluation
-Productivity and Professional Practice
-Social, Ethical, Legal, and Human Issues
Each of these areas were viewed in terms of General Preparation, Professional Preparation, Student Teaching/Internship, and First-Year Teaching. The results were colour-coded with green=keep up the good work, yellow=an area you could improve, red=an area that needs work, and grey=general feedback - area not measured.
In looking at my Educational Technology Skills Inventory Summary, I have to say I'm not really surprised by the results - they affirm what I already know and believe about myself with regards to using technology. In general, I am quite comfortable using technology for everyday tasks. I read my news online, email to keep in touch and share the happenings of my life through Facebook. I thought it was interesting that one of the prescribed actions was 'increase use of computers for day-to-day tasks' (Technology Operations and Concepts/General Preparation). If anything, I thought I was using technology TOO much!
Examining my problem areas, an area that definitely needs work is my Professional Preparation. Here are the prescribed actions:
Technology Operations and Concepts/Professional Preparation
- needs to review ed. tech. recources(H/W, S/W, other)
- needs to explore and identify benefits of technology wrt learning
- use more education-specific resources to meet specific teaching/learning objectives
- needs to start trying out available educational H/W and S/W
- needs to start selecting education-specific resources to meet specific objectives
-predict and plan for problems when using technology support
-support concepts/skills with ed. tech. resources
-review learning objectives wrt to student use of technology
When it comes to using technology in teaching, I like to play it safe. Technology has failed be before (ie. not working right before my faculty advisor observation) so it's just easier to do it the old-fashioned way. I know this isn't the right attitude to have, and I really would like to learn and implement new technologies to enrich students' learning. My main issue is spending the time to learn and experiment on my own. I hope to work and improve upon my skills this term through this course. I will use the prescribed actions from the Skills Inventory Summary as a guideline.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Things You Really Need to Learn...
Ok, so I'm supposed to comment on Stephen Downes' post titled Things You Really Need to Learn, but before I comment on the content, I need to ask something. Does anyone else besides me struggle with reading things on their computer screens?? I was tempted to print out the darn post because it was so long, reading it was giving me a headache! Sorry, just needed a moment to rant.
Anyway, back to Mr. Downes.
So the post is a list of 10 things he believes are important to learn in life, but are not taught in schools. I agree that there are many tasks we perform that may not be the most meaningful (ie. colouring maps), but I do think schools are where we learn the most. Personally, I've learned the most, not from sitting in lecture all day, but from the conversations I've had with my peers. Learning from my colleagues is what has been the most enriching experience for me this school year as a teacher in practice, which IS my life right now.
Going through his list, I found many of his points to be disproven and outdated. Number 3 (How to Distinguish Truth from Fiction) says:
...this remains an area schools to a large degree ignore. Sometimes I suspect it is because teachers feel their students must absorb knowledge uncritically; if they are questioning everything the teacher says they'll never learn!
Oh puh-leeze! Everyday we as TECs are told that students need to be able to think critically and ask questions to have a better understanding of things. Teachers are training students to be critical, to ask questions so that they can learn. And questions are ALWAYS welcomed and encouraged in the classrooms I've observed.
In looking that the rest of the list, I think that lessons he thinks are important may not be in our curriculum documents, but they are taught in schools to a certain degree. Things like empathy, staying healthy, how to value yourself, etc... are demonstrated to students in the schools. They may not be explicitly taught, but they're definitely present and evident.
Anyway, back to Mr. Downes.
So the post is a list of 10 things he believes are important to learn in life, but are not taught in schools. I agree that there are many tasks we perform that may not be the most meaningful (ie. colouring maps), but I do think schools are where we learn the most. Personally, I've learned the most, not from sitting in lecture all day, but from the conversations I've had with my peers. Learning from my colleagues is what has been the most enriching experience for me this school year as a teacher in practice, which IS my life right now.
Going through his list, I found many of his points to be disproven and outdated. Number 3 (How to Distinguish Truth from Fiction) says:
...this remains an area schools to a large degree ignore. Sometimes I suspect it is because teachers feel their students must absorb knowledge uncritically; if they are questioning everything the teacher says they'll never learn!
Oh puh-leeze! Everyday we as TECs are told that students need to be able to think critically and ask questions to have a better understanding of things. Teachers are training students to be critical, to ask questions so that they can learn. And questions are ALWAYS welcomed and encouraged in the classrooms I've observed.
In looking that the rest of the list, I think that lessons he thinks are important may not be in our curriculum documents, but they are taught in schools to a certain degree. Things like empathy, staying healthy, how to value yourself, etc... are demonstrated to students in the schools. They may not be explicitly taught, but they're definitely present and evident.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Reflection 2 - Technology Integration in the Class
I have not settled down in any one classroom yet at my PDS site, but I can comment on technology integration in the school as a whole. Based on the Technology Integration Matrix (http://fcit.usf.edu/matrix/index.html), I would place my school in the Active-Entry cell because I feel technology is only used for simple tasks like typing on Word or research for group projects.
Things are improving though, as I've learned that instead of one, we now have three projectors. We are also hoping to finally get a SMART Board, which I think is extremely exciting! I really want to learn how to use a SMART Board!!!
Things are improving though, as I've learned that instead of one, we now have three projectors. We are also hoping to finally get a SMART Board, which I think is extremely exciting! I really want to learn how to use a SMART Board!!!
Reflection 1 - Creating a Blog
Here I am, creating my first blog post! This isn't as bad as I thought it would be. Signing up was easy enough, not painful at all. I'm still not sure how I feel about blogging as an educational tool, though. I can't really see myself using this in the future as a means of communication with my colleagues. And for sure, I would not use this as a way of communicating with students - that would just be asking for trouble. Well, since I have to use this blog for my course, I will do my best to embrace this and go along for the ride. Maybe in time my feelings will change and I'll become a blogger extraordinaire.
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