Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Friday, September 23, 2011
Blog Fünf
Don't Teach Your Kids this Stuff. Please?
Scott McLeod is a professor at the University of Kentucky and is the fellow that created the Did You Know? videos on YouTube that show insane facts about the world's population and percents usually relating to technology.
![A man standing on a snow-capped mountain overlooking a valley and text that reads]()
Sure, I agree with some of the arguments in this post, but it jumbles so many different aspects of the computer that it essentially makes your case invalid. Using technology for educating is something completely different than personal pleasure. Let's face it, blogs and twitter really are self absorbed. How many people get upset when they realize someone has de-friended them on Facebook. Writing online, learning to search the web, and scan are helpful tools that, yes, children should not be sheltered from. However, I see no reason why a ten or fifteen year old child should be allowed to advertise their lives on a social networking site or be exposed to cyberbullying, sexting, and porn. However, I respect McLeod's decision to let his children do what they want. They'll have a leg up in something in the next couple decades.
iSchool Initiative and ZeitgeistYoungMinds Entry
As a high school student, Travis Allen took the initiative to create something larger than himself. The time, effort, and research he put into forming the iSchool Initiative is apparent. His proposition is for schools to save money by throwing ou books, paper, calculators, maps, and anything else tangible. His solution? The limitless applications all found on a Altoid box sized iTouch. He is now in college and travels across the country proposing his idea to schools, trying to make a difference in education and the environment.
I understand and fully support Allen's whole green initiative. However, I believe that taking everything out of a school besides the teachers and desks (don't worry, those will be gone too in a few years) is not the answer. Along with the limitless educational applications, students can download limitless games, books, and etc. so they will never have to be bored sitting through a class again. Schools are already worried about reading, WRITING, and math scores? Say goodbye to governmental funding. How can students learn grammar with spellcheck within the touch of a button and learn math when a graphing calculator can show you how it's done and give you the answer within one second? Good question. Last point, are the schools paying for these? Because it would make perfect sense to force single parent/low-income families to buy one for five children to be able to participate in class.
Eric Whitacres Virtual Choir
Wow! I love this innovative use of technology. Not only are the singers' voices themselves beautiful, but the quality of each separate then put together is phenomenal. I am a huge supporter of music, and I think the opportunity to take part in something like this would be so great. I also give many props to Eric Whitacres! I cannot imagine the time spent contacting the participants, composing the music, and editing the video could have taken. The product was wonderful!
Teaching in the 21st Century
Finally. A video about using technology in the classroom that is relevant. It suggests that teachers should be utilizing technology not only to "keep up with the times," but to prepare children for a life of problem solving and applying knowledge to everyday life. To analyze and create, not just watch, summarize, and duplicate. Not only to use google, presentations, blogs, articles, and YouTube, but to connect information between all of them.
The idea that stood out most to me was
students do not need to be entertained, they need to be engaged
Last fall in UAB's Global and Community Leadership Honors Program, I came to the realization after 12 years of school that I had never learned to connect information. We were doing field work and community service with an organization of our choice, then researching their website, and the social issue it addressed. We then had to collaborate all of the information to determine the organization's role in the community, if it was effective, and how it related to social, economic, political, and humanitarian aspects in the world as a whole. That is what using technology and making one's mark in the world should be about. It is what I, as a teacher can do to not only introduce my students to the world around them, but allow them to become a part of it, and make a difference. Because after all, they really can, and should be connected. Our world is too small to be stuck in your own community and not to explore. I think this is a concept Roberts understands.
![An image of nature with text that says]()
Scott McLeod is a professor at the University of Kentucky and is the fellow that created the Did You Know? videos on YouTube that show insane facts about the world's population and percents usually relating to technology.
Sure, I agree with some of the arguments in this post, but it jumbles so many different aspects of the computer that it essentially makes your case invalid. Using technology for educating is something completely different than personal pleasure. Let's face it, blogs and twitter really are self absorbed. How many people get upset when they realize someone has de-friended them on Facebook. Writing online, learning to search the web, and scan are helpful tools that, yes, children should not be sheltered from. However, I see no reason why a ten or fifteen year old child should be allowed to advertise their lives on a social networking site or be exposed to cyberbullying, sexting, and porn. However, I respect McLeod's decision to let his children do what they want. They'll have a leg up in something in the next couple decades.
iSchool Initiative and ZeitgeistYoungMinds Entry
As a high school student, Travis Allen took the initiative to create something larger than himself. The time, effort, and research he put into forming the iSchool Initiative is apparent. His proposition is for schools to save money by throwing ou books, paper, calculators, maps, and anything else tangible. His solution? The limitless applications all found on a Altoid box sized iTouch. He is now in college and travels across the country proposing his idea to schools, trying to make a difference in education and the environment.
I understand and fully support Allen's whole green initiative. However, I believe that taking everything out of a school besides the teachers and desks (don't worry, those will be gone too in a few years) is not the answer. Along with the limitless educational applications, students can download limitless games, books, and etc. so they will never have to be bored sitting through a class again. Schools are already worried about reading, WRITING, and math scores? Say goodbye to governmental funding. How can students learn grammar with spellcheck within the touch of a button and learn math when a graphing calculator can show you how it's done and give you the answer within one second? Good question. Last point, are the schools paying for these? Because it would make perfect sense to force single parent/low-income families to buy one for five children to be able to participate in class.
Eric Whitacres Virtual Choir
Wow! I love this innovative use of technology. Not only are the singers' voices themselves beautiful, but the quality of each separate then put together is phenomenal. I am a huge supporter of music, and I think the opportunity to take part in something like this would be so great. I also give many props to Eric Whitacres! I cannot imagine the time spent contacting the participants, composing the music, and editing the video could have taken. The product was wonderful!
Teaching in the 21st Century
Finally. A video about using technology in the classroom that is relevant. It suggests that teachers should be utilizing technology not only to "keep up with the times," but to prepare children for a life of problem solving and applying knowledge to everyday life. To analyze and create, not just watch, summarize, and duplicate. Not only to use google, presentations, blogs, articles, and YouTube, but to connect information between all of them.
The idea that stood out most to me was
students do not need to be entertained, they need to be engaged
Last fall in UAB's Global and Community Leadership Honors Program, I came to the realization after 12 years of school that I had never learned to connect information. We were doing field work and community service with an organization of our choice, then researching their website, and the social issue it addressed. We then had to collaborate all of the information to determine the organization's role in the community, if it was effective, and how it related to social, economic, political, and humanitarian aspects in the world as a whole. That is what using technology and making one's mark in the world should be about. It is what I, as a teacher can do to not only introduce my students to the world around them, but allow them to become a part of it, and make a difference. Because after all, they really can, and should be connected. Our world is too small to be stuck in your own community and not to explore. I think this is a concept Roberts understands.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Blog Fore
100 Ways to Use your iPod to Learn and Study Better
It is often that you hear about interesting applications and new resources available through Apple, iTunes, and etc., but how are you supposed to remember them? Also, I think this website is helpful in the sense that it has similar programs to the one you know about. These may be even more useful than the program you had been using and can connect you to more people and ideas. I learned kind of what iTunesU is, which sounds very useful. I think I will be able to use it prominently for the pursuit of knowledge, just for the sake of knowing. You know? Especially Number 24, The Philosophy Talk. I also think that Number 22, The Education Podcast Network will be extremely useful once I get into a classroom setting just because it is such a large collaboration from and for educators in all areas.
Langwitches
This is a blog by a teacher who "has worked as a World Language teacher, Technology Integration Facilitator and 21st Century Learning Specialist." Therefore, it would be no surprise that the main areas of her blog include information on podcasting with classes in her school, articles and resources on 21st Century Learning (mainly focusing on new, useful technologies in the classroom), and Global Education (working to connect children and educators around the globe through ideas and articles). Of the many "podcasting" blog posts I read through, I thought the most recent, "1st Graders Create Their Own Read-Along Audiobook" because this is around the age range I would like to teach. I really like her idea to have her class read a book (this happens to be about one of the Magic Treehouse Books- which I have always been in love with), then creating a podcast of an interview to educate other students in the class (and whoever else!) about the book.
Before, I could not think of any ways podcasting could be relevant to such a young age of students, but the enthusiasm of the kids and teacher were very apparent in her post. I think using an idea similar to this could have a major impact in many areas of the classroom, some including communication skills, getting the kids interested in literature by providing almost an incentive to read (why do kids love technology like this so much?), and improving literacy. All important skills that can be improved through technology, but used in the real world (outside of this "technology age," being "technologically literate," and the idea you can be whoever/do whatever you want as long as you're behind a computer screen. Vomit.)
Podcast Collections
I really liked this resource because 1. it is short and 2. because she did it using Curriki, which is something new, but interesting to me! The part of her project(?) I found most useful was the document on the
"Benefits of Podcasting in Education."
• It’s a cool way to have interactive communication
• Education can be advanced beyond the classroom
• Parents can download students’ work
• Available 24/7
• Students can make up missed classes
• Appeals to auditory learners
• Portable learning
• Students can enhance their communication skills
The points I think are most applicable to my future goals as a teacher are that parents can download their student's work and the appeal to auditory learners. I know when I was growing up, my mom always wanted to know what and how I was doing in every.single.class in school. Through podcasts, parents can actually be brought into the classroom teachings and the outcomes of the students' creativity and problem solving. Although I have been blessed with the ability to be able to easily learn in a variety of ways, it always frustrates me that some teachers do not even try to reach all types of learners. Podcasting is an easy way for students to learn not only by listening, but seeing, too, using the steps to lay out scripts and programs to put the podcast together.
It is often that you hear about interesting applications and new resources available through Apple, iTunes, and etc., but how are you supposed to remember them? Also, I think this website is helpful in the sense that it has similar programs to the one you know about. These may be even more useful than the program you had been using and can connect you to more people and ideas. I learned kind of what iTunesU is, which sounds very useful. I think I will be able to use it prominently for the pursuit of knowledge, just for the sake of knowing. You know? Especially Number 24, The Philosophy Talk. I also think that Number 22, The Education Podcast Network will be extremely useful once I get into a classroom setting just because it is such a large collaboration from and for educators in all areas.
Langwitches
This is a blog by a teacher who "has worked as a World Language teacher, Technology Integration Facilitator and 21st Century Learning Specialist." Therefore, it would be no surprise that the main areas of her blog include information on podcasting with classes in her school, articles and resources on 21st Century Learning (mainly focusing on new, useful technologies in the classroom), and Global Education (working to connect children and educators around the globe through ideas and articles). Of the many "podcasting" blog posts I read through, I thought the most recent, "1st Graders Create Their Own Read-Along Audiobook" because this is around the age range I would like to teach. I really like her idea to have her class read a book (this happens to be about one of the Magic Treehouse Books- which I have always been in love with), then creating a podcast of an interview to educate other students in the class (and whoever else!) about the book.
Before, I could not think of any ways podcasting could be relevant to such a young age of students, but the enthusiasm of the kids and teacher were very apparent in her post. I think using an idea similar to this could have a major impact in many areas of the classroom, some including communication skills, getting the kids interested in literature by providing almost an incentive to read (why do kids love technology like this so much?), and improving literacy. All important skills that can be improved through technology, but used in the real world (outside of this "technology age," being "technologically literate," and the idea you can be whoever/do whatever you want as long as you're behind a computer screen. Vomit.)
Podcast Collections
I really liked this resource because 1. it is short and 2. because she did it using Curriki, which is something new, but interesting to me! The part of her project(?) I found most useful was the document on the
"Benefits of Podcasting in Education."
• It’s a cool way to have interactive communication
• Education can be advanced beyond the classroom
• Parents can download students’ work
• Available 24/7
• Students can make up missed classes
• Appeals to auditory learners
• Portable learning
• Students can enhance their communication skills
The points I think are most applicable to my future goals as a teacher are that parents can download their student's work and the appeal to auditory learners. I know when I was growing up, my mom always wanted to know what and how I was doing in every.single.class in school. Through podcasts, parents can actually be brought into the classroom teachings and the outcomes of the students' creativity and problem solving. Although I have been blessed with the ability to be able to easily learn in a variety of ways, it always frustrates me that some teachers do not even try to reach all types of learners. Podcasting is an easy way for students to learn not only by listening, but seeing, too, using the steps to lay out scripts and programs to put the podcast together.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Blog Sān
It's Not about the Technology
I thoroughly enjoyed Mrs. Hines' thoughts on technology and her subtle sarcasm to why it is oh so essential in the classroom.I was interested from the beginning of the article with her emphasis on the word "need" in the second paragraph ("What do we need to bring us into the future? What will our children need to know..."). In any situation, I believe that "need" is a strong and usually unnecessary word, especially when talking about technology. If we "need" computers and all of this evolving technology using blogs, twitter, Skype to be effective teachers, isn't it a wonder how anyone survived before computers were invented. Similarly, I agree with Tfry19's (2/2011) comment that said teachers should be more focused on using what they have and making the most of it rather than complaining that they are not provided enough resources/technology.
I really like Mrs. Hines' # 1 and 2 ways in which teachers can effectively impact children (relating to the need to be teachers and learners). I, too, am confused how teachers who were taught how and what to teach 50 years ago and those who finished school 3 months ago teach the same children. It was always a bragging point in school if your teacher didn't assign work dealing with current subjects because obviously the work was always easier. Work that didn't involve analyzing social issues or a news articles impact on society. More so, it was an even better competition to see who could text the most in front of the older teachers. I am not putting down older teachers in the least, just that it is important for all teachers to be on the same learning/teaching level. However, I think this balance of old and new methods is good for a school district. It teaches children to be flexible learners and better problem solvers when the problems can be presented in a variety of ways.
Is It Okay To Be Technologically Illiterate?"
Wow. Mr. Fisch clearly states that he wrote this after a frustrating day of work, but his comments are still extremely extreme. And I guess most people need to be that want their opinions to mean something, get a response. (I would say almost 600 comments and winning an award confirms that.) I think his comparison of being technologically literate and reading literacy makes a strong case for readers. It helps that he backs this with facts and the gradual difficulty in finding a job being illiterate rather than an extreme divide. I also agree with his claim that students will not wait for teachers to catch up with the technology of this day, we only have so much patience and time in a classroom before being sent off to live on our own. However, I think he overlooks the idea that because people my age grew up with it, we could, and should, be the ones teaching our teachers. I know my parents were always amazed when I could do their computer work (sending e-mails, etc.) so quickly. In contrast, I also know my teachers were frustrated when I had finished an online assignment before they explained how to use the program.
I also know there are many reasons why there is this divide between the technological literacy of teachers, old and new, and between teachers and students. In addition, I think Frank (the 1st comment on the post) sums it up quite nicely. Fear. Growing up, children aren't afraid to make mistakes, whatever it is- making un-edible cookies, hitting a tennis ball against the house (and through a window...unfortunately coming from personal experience), and contracting computer viruses. Everything to a child is fixable. However, when you're an adult, and all of your work is expected to be done on a computer, the evident room for error is enormous. You don't know whether making a mistake won't affect the work or cause your whole computer to crash. So, I believe it's not whether teachers need to be technologically literate, but technological experimenters. The difference between giving them a computer and saying "don't break it," or going out on a limb and saying "try to break this, see what it takes, and learn your limits."
![A picture from the movie]()
A picture from the movie Short Circuit. (The cheesiest video, but also quite funny). The robot cannot get enough information, flying through every book in Stephanie's house, and always asking for "Mooooore input Stephanie. INPUT Stephanie." in a typical robot voice. Maybe this is what Fisch expects teachers to say when presented with more and more technology...
Social Media Counter
Double Wow. Aside from the fact that this is probably based off daily/some kind of average, these numbers are unfathomable. Beyond my comprehension. I cannot imagine 300 billion of anything, let alone that many emails sent globally in one day. These numbers (although Facebook and many YouTube videos are blocked in schools) obviously have many implications for educators of any kind. I think the idea as a whole relates well back to the Did You Know 3.0 video and the statement that the information we are learning in college will be irrelevant in the "real world" in 2 years. In one sense, what a waste of thousands of tuition dollars, right?
On the other hand, it is a challenge to teachers of any kind. A challenge to be able to teach young minds in a way they can understand, the same methods society is teaching them. I can just imagine in the next 5-10 years a student saying, "these videos are dumb; nobody uses YouTube anymore, don't you know?" Or, "Facebook? That's for old people...or young kids." Who knows. A better way to accept this challenge is not only to learn the information, but to learn how to teach problem solving so that the students can go out, explore, and learn more about different things that can be contained in a classroom. Cultivate a desire for learning rather than accepting a book-ful of information as true just because the teacher says it is.
A Vision of Students Today
The main message that comes to mind after watching this video is boredom. Kids today have the capability to do so many different things, think different things, and learn different things, but what help is listening to one person speak for over an hour. Call it ADHD or not (I would rather not- one less over diagnosis and one less excuse to do poorly on classwork. Another issue, another time), but I personally cannot keep my mind that focused for even an hour. If I can be reading a book, doodling, or working on other homework while a teacher is lecturing, I retain so much more of the information. If these things are taken away by the teacher, I fall asleep. Amidst all of the television, computers, advertisements, magazines, and etc., society has taught us to embrace stimulation. If our brains are not stimulated and prodded to learn- more importantly to want to learn something- they shut down. It's not worth the time.
Teachers know that college students spend more time looking at Facebook than at the whiteboard in a class period; that's not any secret. I believe the challenge on their part should not be "how do I keep them off Facebook?," but "how can I interest them enough that they would rather look at me than their computer screen?" Hard tests or tests with information coming from only the lecture can certainly do this. So can stimulation and entertainment. Funny teachers or teachers that tell stories certainly catch my attention- really anything that is not classroom material. Finding a way to work useful information into these stories, unbeknownst to the student, is even better. Have a student teach; or have the other students critique someone's work that is shown on the board. Admit it, everyone likes to be a know-it-all and put someone else down every once in a while.
.
I thoroughly enjoyed Mrs. Hines' thoughts on technology and her subtle sarcasm to why it is oh so essential in the classroom.I was interested from the beginning of the article with her emphasis on the word "need" in the second paragraph ("What do we need to bring us into the future? What will our children need to know..."). In any situation, I believe that "need" is a strong and usually unnecessary word, especially when talking about technology. If we "need" computers and all of this evolving technology using blogs, twitter, Skype to be effective teachers, isn't it a wonder how anyone survived before computers were invented. Similarly, I agree with Tfry19's (2/2011) comment that said teachers should be more focused on using what they have and making the most of it rather than complaining that they are not provided enough resources/technology.
I really like Mrs. Hines' # 1 and 2 ways in which teachers can effectively impact children (relating to the need to be teachers and learners). I, too, am confused how teachers who were taught how and what to teach 50 years ago and those who finished school 3 months ago teach the same children. It was always a bragging point in school if your teacher didn't assign work dealing with current subjects because obviously the work was always easier. Work that didn't involve analyzing social issues or a news articles impact on society. More so, it was an even better competition to see who could text the most in front of the older teachers. I am not putting down older teachers in the least, just that it is important for all teachers to be on the same learning/teaching level. However, I think this balance of old and new methods is good for a school district. It teaches children to be flexible learners and better problem solvers when the problems can be presented in a variety of ways.
Is It Okay To Be Technologically Illiterate?"
Wow. Mr. Fisch clearly states that he wrote this after a frustrating day of work, but his comments are still extremely extreme. And I guess most people need to be that want their opinions to mean something, get a response. (I would say almost 600 comments and winning an award confirms that.) I think his comparison of being technologically literate and reading literacy makes a strong case for readers. It helps that he backs this with facts and the gradual difficulty in finding a job being illiterate rather than an extreme divide. I also agree with his claim that students will not wait for teachers to catch up with the technology of this day, we only have so much patience and time in a classroom before being sent off to live on our own. However, I think he overlooks the idea that because people my age grew up with it, we could, and should, be the ones teaching our teachers. I know my parents were always amazed when I could do their computer work (sending e-mails, etc.) so quickly. In contrast, I also know my teachers were frustrated when I had finished an online assignment before they explained how to use the program.
I also know there are many reasons why there is this divide between the technological literacy of teachers, old and new, and between teachers and students. In addition, I think Frank (the 1st comment on the post) sums it up quite nicely. Fear. Growing up, children aren't afraid to make mistakes, whatever it is- making un-edible cookies, hitting a tennis ball against the house (and through a window...unfortunately coming from personal experience), and contracting computer viruses. Everything to a child is fixable. However, when you're an adult, and all of your work is expected to be done on a computer, the evident room for error is enormous. You don't know whether making a mistake won't affect the work or cause your whole computer to crash. So, I believe it's not whether teachers need to be technologically literate, but technological experimenters. The difference between giving them a computer and saying "don't break it," or going out on a limb and saying "try to break this, see what it takes, and learn your limits."
Social Media Counter
Double Wow. Aside from the fact that this is probably based off daily/some kind of average, these numbers are unfathomable. Beyond my comprehension. I cannot imagine 300 billion of anything, let alone that many emails sent globally in one day. These numbers (although Facebook and many YouTube videos are blocked in schools) obviously have many implications for educators of any kind. I think the idea as a whole relates well back to the Did You Know 3.0 video and the statement that the information we are learning in college will be irrelevant in the "real world" in 2 years. In one sense, what a waste of thousands of tuition dollars, right?
On the other hand, it is a challenge to teachers of any kind. A challenge to be able to teach young minds in a way they can understand, the same methods society is teaching them. I can just imagine in the next 5-10 years a student saying, "these videos are dumb; nobody uses YouTube anymore, don't you know?" Or, "Facebook? That's for old people...or young kids." Who knows. A better way to accept this challenge is not only to learn the information, but to learn how to teach problem solving so that the students can go out, explore, and learn more about different things that can be contained in a classroom. Cultivate a desire for learning rather than accepting a book-ful of information as true just because the teacher says it is.
A Vision of Students Today
The main message that comes to mind after watching this video is boredom. Kids today have the capability to do so many different things, think different things, and learn different things, but what help is listening to one person speak for over an hour. Call it ADHD or not (I would rather not- one less over diagnosis and one less excuse to do poorly on classwork. Another issue, another time), but I personally cannot keep my mind that focused for even an hour. If I can be reading a book, doodling, or working on other homework while a teacher is lecturing, I retain so much more of the information. If these things are taken away by the teacher, I fall asleep. Amidst all of the television, computers, advertisements, magazines, and etc., society has taught us to embrace stimulation. If our brains are not stimulated and prodded to learn- more importantly to want to learn something- they shut down. It's not worth the time.
Teachers know that college students spend more time looking at Facebook than at the whiteboard in a class period; that's not any secret. I believe the challenge on their part should not be "how do I keep them off Facebook?," but "how can I interest them enough that they would rather look at me than their computer screen?" Hard tests or tests with information coming from only the lecture can certainly do this. So can stimulation and entertainment. Funny teachers or teachers that tell stories certainly catch my attention- really anything that is not classroom material. Finding a way to work useful information into these stories, unbeknownst to the student, is even better. Have a student teach; or have the other students critique someone's work that is shown on the board. Admit it, everyone likes to be a know-it-all and put someone else down every once in a while.
.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Comments Four Teachers Won
What Ed Said
Exploring Access to Education- August 31, 2011
Although I know nothing about Ed, aside from his occupation as a teacher, I like what he's got going. A lot. Using technology in a fun, not draining, way. Students in sixth grade class are doing a project to explore education and classrooms all over the world. They're learning something beyond facts useless in 10 years. Actually learning, and learning something fun- that's something new, right? He focuses on his friend Bhushan in India that is helping the kids by describing his school and a typical day. This man is also something fascinating. He helped to form Samidha, an organization that has many initiatives to help underprivileged children by "helping to help." I really am looking forward to keeping updated on the kids' class blog.
My Comment: It is kind of fascinating how much we take advantage of the technology available at our fingertips. I am a student at the University of South Alabama, and I know that I get frustrated all of the time at the amount of homework that is only available online, online classes, and the general amount of work that must be done staring at a computer screen hours at a time. In fact, I was assigned to comment on your blog (but also because I think your outlook and ideas are fascinating), and will be posting summaries, along with a copy of my comments on September 11 to my blog. However, it is difficult to imagine no internet access and few resources for learning.
I aspire to be a teacher, and I think what your students are doing truly defines learning. Facts and information are only remembered for so long, but a worldly perspective and an understanding of people on the other side of the Earth, just like ourselves, are matters that can be remembered forever. It is also refreshing to see such great people helping others and serving the world, like your friend Bhushan. We often forget that such great things really are not beyond our reach.
Ignite, Engage, Inspire- September 3, 2011
Edna is a teacher at a PYP school in Australia. I think the idea behind this type of school is fascinating, teaching children to be global learners, in a time when this is nearly as important as general school subjects. Some students in her school (or a different class?) were assigned a filmmaking project. They first had to come up with the idea on a 6 frame storyboard, then filmed it with an iPad. After filming, they edited the video and added music. It is amazing what 12 year old students with little filmmaking experience can envision and make happen!
My Comment: This idea is extremely inspiring! It is amazing how much knowledge and thought can come from such a short video without speech. I think that similar videos may even have more of an impact than those with a lot of action and speech. This is a similar video, from a crew with little more experience, that really emphasizes the same idea. It not only taught the kids more about filmmaking, but I’m hope also taught them more about what it feels like to be hungry or living in poverty. It would be great if they can continue to use these skills in future projects, whether it is directly related to filmmaking or not.
A link to my blog put together for a college course focused on technology in the classroom.
Exploring Access to Education- August 31, 2011
Although I know nothing about Ed, aside from his occupation as a teacher, I like what he's got going. A lot. Using technology in a fun, not draining, way. Students in sixth grade class are doing a project to explore education and classrooms all over the world. They're learning something beyond facts useless in 10 years. Actually learning, and learning something fun- that's something new, right? He focuses on his friend Bhushan in India that is helping the kids by describing his school and a typical day. This man is also something fascinating. He helped to form Samidha, an organization that has many initiatives to help underprivileged children by "helping to help." I really am looking forward to keeping updated on the kids' class blog.
My Comment: It is kind of fascinating how much we take advantage of the technology available at our fingertips. I am a student at the University of South Alabama, and I know that I get frustrated all of the time at the amount of homework that is only available online, online classes, and the general amount of work that must be done staring at a computer screen hours at a time. In fact, I was assigned to comment on your blog (but also because I think your outlook and ideas are fascinating), and will be posting summaries, along with a copy of my comments on September 11 to my blog. However, it is difficult to imagine no internet access and few resources for learning.
I aspire to be a teacher, and I think what your students are doing truly defines learning. Facts and information are only remembered for so long, but a worldly perspective and an understanding of people on the other side of the Earth, just like ourselves, are matters that can be remembered forever. It is also refreshing to see such great people helping others and serving the world, like your friend Bhushan. We often forget that such great things really are not beyond our reach.
Ignite, Engage, Inspire- September 3, 2011
Edna is a teacher at a PYP school in Australia. I think the idea behind this type of school is fascinating, teaching children to be global learners, in a time when this is nearly as important as general school subjects. Some students in her school (or a different class?) were assigned a filmmaking project. They first had to come up with the idea on a 6 frame storyboard, then filmed it with an iPad. After filming, they edited the video and added music. It is amazing what 12 year old students with little filmmaking experience can envision and make happen!
My Comment: This idea is extremely inspiring! It is amazing how much knowledge and thought can come from such a short video without speech. I think that similar videos may even have more of an impact than those with a lot of action and speech. This is a similar video, from a crew with little more experience, that really emphasizes the same idea. It not only taught the kids more about filmmaking, but I’m hope also taught them more about what it feels like to be hungry or living in poverty. It would be great if they can continue to use these skills in future projects, whether it is directly related to filmmaking or not.
A link to my blog put together for a college course focused on technology in the classroom.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Blog Deux
Did You Know?
This video blows my mind every time I watch it. Although I am not interested in technology, especially computer related ideas, I still think it is amazing that we, as the smartest beings on the planet, cannot fully fathom how the internet works and reaches billions. I believe their statement that by 2013 a supercomputer will exceed the abilities of the human brain has already been surpassed. It is almost frightening to try to imagine how much is going on in a computer/information flowing through...the air? and the power it has over our lives. When I was young, there was a movie called Smart House on the Disney Channel (you've got to love those Disney Channel Originals). Although it was not the goal, the movie always scared me to think one day my house could be self-sufficient (cleaning, cooking, etc.) but would try to overrule my family. That is essentially what computers are doing, right? A lack of freedom.
![The movie cover from the Disney movie]()
Some facts from the video that stuck out to me were the enormity of the Indian race. "Smart" or "intelligent" are definitely relative terms, but it is difficult for me to imagine that being at the top of my class in America would essentially put me at the bottom of a class in India. The teacher I have been assigned to follow () posted a blog that included information from a fellow teacher in India and his classroom. He said that there are 50-60 students in a class with one teacher, leaving them no choice but to have the students sit in rows quietly and be completely focused on the lecture the whole day. If schools in America adopted this technique, I feel like our students would be much more advanced (as well as much MUCH fewer children that could actually make it through school). I also thought the fact that there is more information in the New York times than a lifetime of knowledge in the 18th century accurately describes our knowledge hungry culture. The desire to know and have control of our surroundings. Think about the information that is in a newspaper today though; I feel like people in the 18th century knew there were more important things in life that celebrity break-ups and make-ups and police beat. I think that's important to remember.
Mr. Winkle Wakes
Hospitals, business buildings, roadways, schools. I cannot imagine the amount of change in just these 4 common places in the past one hundred years. Sure, we know much more, but is the information we boast about knowing really important or necessary to live a successful life? Even in a cartoon like Mr. Winkle, it is obvious that he did not see the use in it. I really enjoy the company of older people just for this reason. Their lives are simple; there is no competition to know more than your neighbor and stay updated on the latest technologies.
I wish people still had the desire to learn, just for the satisfaction of knowing- not to fit in with society or appear better than those who cannot afford a $1000 computer. I love answering my grandfather's questions about different fads in life today , including but not limited to why everybody likes that "damn rap music," drugs that are popular, and how to smoke/inject them. He does not want to fall behind, but he also wants to know just to know. I guess it's the same reason so many people used to memorize poetry, books in the Bible, and scientific articles.
Sir Ken Robinson Says Schools Kill Creativity
The best advice I have ever heard as an avid runner of eight years is "Run like a child." Don't worry about how straight your arms are, how often or hard you breathe, or how you look. Have fun being free and feeling the wind. Children really are brilliant, aren't they. My favorite idea of Robinson's video is that children are not frightened of being wrong. It's not a complicated idea. We can even do that as adults. Sure, it may take more effort to fix, but in the long run it is exponentially more beneficial to everyone. I loved this video. My mother used to be an advocate for the Juvenile Justice Initiative as long as on the school board as long as I can remember. The most important thing she learned from conferences, meetings, senators, and beyond is that children learn better with activity, physical and mental. Who can argue with that in a society that one in three people are overweight and stores sell more L/XL clothing and junk food in a week than third world countries have seen in a lifetime. I have every reason to agree that dance and math should be equally incorporated into school. "Creativity is as important as literacy." What use is being able to read if you cannot imagine the possibilities reading can do for yourself and changing the world. the pinnacle of education- to become university professors
I never knew that the public school system essentially came into being to meet the needs of industrialism, but it makes perfect sense. However, Robinson's terminology that we are currently and since been "engulfed in revolution" does also. How far do we have to advance, and how much control can we superficially have on life before we are content? We are coming to an age that COLLEGE degrees are no longer worth anything, but 8 more years of school and a lifetime of loans might get you somewhere? College, much less high school graduates were rare less than 100 years ago. I totally, 100% agree with Robinson that children today are being carried through school. Let kids be creative, they can teach us more about life and learning than we can teach them in any school subject.
Cecelia Gault Speaks with Sir Ken Robinson
Robinson's 3 Myths of Creativity:
1.Only certain people are creative. Sure, this is true if you look around the world today. People give in to believing they are nothing special and nothing they could create is any different than their neighbor. It's unfortunate.
2. Creative is only about certain things. If so, then how did ideas of electricity, the Pythagorean theorem, the automobile, the planets' orbits around the sun, great Romantic Poetry, and Freud's theories come about. Those are about as different as you can get, right? But they only work because people believed it was doable. No one came before them that showed them the steps to take or extensive research into what had been tried before and what did not work.
3. There is nothing we can do about it. Ha. I would really hate to continue to live in a society that people believed this was true. America is the best country, most advanced and blah blah blah, but it is the lower countries that fascinate me. They are content with their living, however lowly in our eyes, but they still have hope that there is more. Things can get better (anything!) and something new can be found in every day. Can you remember a time when this was common thought for any common American?
Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts
I applaud this teacher for breaking beyond what is expected of rural school teachers. However, the use of avatars kind of makes me sick, especially for students. Coming from a first-hand Sims ex-addict (before avatars and online role playing), I know how this superficial control over another person's life can skew a child's world view. There are many more ways to connect to the world than meeting avatars that may have someone completely opposite hiding behind the computer screen.
Even in rural Georgia, I feel as if kids can become involved in the world around them, and on a personal level. The computer is extremely efficient, but I would rather be sitting around coffee talking to someone than looking at a million pixels. There are people in our community, every community from different areas of the country or the world that can enlarge one's worldview just as much as anything else.
This video blows my mind every time I watch it. Although I am not interested in technology, especially computer related ideas, I still think it is amazing that we, as the smartest beings on the planet, cannot fully fathom how the internet works and reaches billions. I believe their statement that by 2013 a supercomputer will exceed the abilities of the human brain has already been surpassed. It is almost frightening to try to imagine how much is going on in a computer/information flowing through...the air? and the power it has over our lives. When I was young, there was a movie called Smart House on the Disney Channel (you've got to love those Disney Channel Originals). Although it was not the goal, the movie always scared me to think one day my house could be self-sufficient (cleaning, cooking, etc.) but would try to overrule my family. That is essentially what computers are doing, right? A lack of freedom.
Some facts from the video that stuck out to me were the enormity of the Indian race. "Smart" or "intelligent" are definitely relative terms, but it is difficult for me to imagine that being at the top of my class in America would essentially put me at the bottom of a class in India. The teacher I have been assigned to follow () posted a blog that included information from a fellow teacher in India and his classroom. He said that there are 50-60 students in a class with one teacher, leaving them no choice but to have the students sit in rows quietly and be completely focused on the lecture the whole day. If schools in America adopted this technique, I feel like our students would be much more advanced (as well as much MUCH fewer children that could actually make it through school). I also thought the fact that there is more information in the New York times than a lifetime of knowledge in the 18th century accurately describes our knowledge hungry culture. The desire to know and have control of our surroundings. Think about the information that is in a newspaper today though; I feel like people in the 18th century knew there were more important things in life that celebrity break-ups and make-ups and police beat. I think that's important to remember.
Mr. Winkle Wakes
Hospitals, business buildings, roadways, schools. I cannot imagine the amount of change in just these 4 common places in the past one hundred years. Sure, we know much more, but is the information we boast about knowing really important or necessary to live a successful life? Even in a cartoon like Mr. Winkle, it is obvious that he did not see the use in it. I really enjoy the company of older people just for this reason. Their lives are simple; there is no competition to know more than your neighbor and stay updated on the latest technologies.
I wish people still had the desire to learn, just for the satisfaction of knowing- not to fit in with society or appear better than those who cannot afford a $1000 computer. I love answering my grandfather's questions about different fads in life today , including but not limited to why everybody likes that "damn rap music," drugs that are popular, and how to smoke/inject them. He does not want to fall behind, but he also wants to know just to know. I guess it's the same reason so many people used to memorize poetry, books in the Bible, and scientific articles.
Sir Ken Robinson Says Schools Kill Creativity
The best advice I have ever heard as an avid runner of eight years is "Run like a child." Don't worry about how straight your arms are, how often or hard you breathe, or how you look. Have fun being free and feeling the wind. Children really are brilliant, aren't they. My favorite idea of Robinson's video is that children are not frightened of being wrong. It's not a complicated idea. We can even do that as adults. Sure, it may take more effort to fix, but in the long run it is exponentially more beneficial to everyone. I loved this video. My mother used to be an advocate for the Juvenile Justice Initiative as long as on the school board as long as I can remember. The most important thing she learned from conferences, meetings, senators, and beyond is that children learn better with activity, physical and mental. Who can argue with that in a society that one in three people are overweight and stores sell more L/XL clothing and junk food in a week than third world countries have seen in a lifetime. I have every reason to agree that dance and math should be equally incorporated into school. "Creativity is as important as literacy." What use is being able to read if you cannot imagine the possibilities reading can do for yourself and changing the world. the pinnacle of education- to become university professors
I never knew that the public school system essentially came into being to meet the needs of industrialism, but it makes perfect sense. However, Robinson's terminology that we are currently and since been "engulfed in revolution" does also. How far do we have to advance, and how much control can we superficially have on life before we are content? We are coming to an age that COLLEGE degrees are no longer worth anything, but 8 more years of school and a lifetime of loans might get you somewhere? College, much less high school graduates were rare less than 100 years ago. I totally, 100% agree with Robinson that children today are being carried through school. Let kids be creative, they can teach us more about life and learning than we can teach them in any school subject.
Cecelia Gault Speaks with Sir Ken Robinson
Robinson's 3 Myths of Creativity:
1.Only certain people are creative. Sure, this is true if you look around the world today. People give in to believing they are nothing special and nothing they could create is any different than their neighbor. It's unfortunate.
2. Creative is only about certain things. If so, then how did ideas of electricity, the Pythagorean theorem, the automobile, the planets' orbits around the sun, great Romantic Poetry, and Freud's theories come about. Those are about as different as you can get, right? But they only work because people believed it was doable. No one came before them that showed them the steps to take or extensive research into what had been tried before and what did not work.
3. There is nothing we can do about it. Ha. I would really hate to continue to live in a society that people believed this was true. America is the best country, most advanced and blah blah blah, but it is the lower countries that fascinate me. They are content with their living, however lowly in our eyes, but they still have hope that there is more. Things can get better (anything!) and something new can be found in every day. Can you remember a time when this was common thought for any common American?
Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts
I applaud this teacher for breaking beyond what is expected of rural school teachers. However, the use of avatars kind of makes me sick, especially for students. Coming from a first-hand Sims ex-addict (before avatars and online role playing), I know how this superficial control over another person's life can skew a child's world view. There are many more ways to connect to the world than meeting avatars that may have someone completely opposite hiding behind the computer screen.
Even in rural Georgia, I feel as if kids can become involved in the world around them, and on a personal level. The computer is extremely efficient, but I would rather be sitting around coffee talking to someone than looking at a million pixels. There are people in our community, every community from different areas of the country or the world that can enlarge one's worldview just as much as anything else.
Friday, September 2, 2011
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