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Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Where are my attitudes several months later?
So, how do I feel about 21st century skills many months later. I sit today on the last day of a 4 day course on the interactive 21st century classroom. We've talked about software for an interactive whiteboard, Active Inspire, Google Docs and tools, online authoring tools such as Xtranormal, VoiceThread, and Glogster, and now Blogs and Wikis.
I continue to take professional development around the topic of the 21st century classroom because I want to make sure that I keep current with the trends in education right now. It moves so fast. However, I feel the students jump ahead with more "trendy" popular technology which is not necessarily the trend in education. So I am torn.
So what is important for us to teach? Should we teach to the reality of our students' lives or the things that are meaningful for them? Should we figure out how to incorporate Facebook into our classrooms - using SPS Social Media or Moodle - which they will see as not cool simply because it is in our curriculum.
What is the balance? How do we decide as educators how to make these decisions? Are we the "experts"?
My next steps will be taking some of the online authoring tools and providing alternative assignments for our typical responses. We'll see.
I continue to take professional development around the topic of the 21st century classroom because I want to make sure that I keep current with the trends in education right now. It moves so fast. However, I feel the students jump ahead with more "trendy" popular technology which is not necessarily the trend in education. So I am torn.
So what is important for us to teach? Should we teach to the reality of our students' lives or the things that are meaningful for them? Should we figure out how to incorporate Facebook into our classrooms - using SPS Social Media or Moodle - which they will see as not cool simply because it is in our curriculum.
What is the balance? How do we decide as educators how to make these decisions? Are we the "experts"?
My next steps will be taking some of the online authoring tools and providing alternative assignments for our typical responses. We'll see.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Twitter May Endure, but...
I think that my major hold back from Twitter is that I am not a net-worker. I don't do it well in person and I do it even worse online. I think that in order to use it well, you need to have a good handle on how to net-work effectively.
I do see the value of using Twitter to stay informed in the area of your profession. The trick to this is finding people or corporations or businesses or groups to follow that would add pertinent information and resources to your repertoire. This is where I get stuck. How do I find the people or groups or whoever who would have information and resources that I would be interested in professionally? I imagine I could start by searching for tags that relate to the topics I am interested in? I'm just not sure.
Where I don't have any interest in using Twitter for is a social networking site. I am a Facebook user and like the options of sharing photos and videos along with the "status" updates that people provide. I think where Twitter will endure is more for a professional networking solution.
I do see the value of using Twitter to stay informed in the area of your profession. The trick to this is finding people or corporations or businesses or groups to follow that would add pertinent information and resources to your repertoire. This is where I get stuck. How do I find the people or groups or whoever who would have information and resources that I would be interested in professionally? I imagine I could start by searching for tags that relate to the topics I am interested in? I'm just not sure.
Where I don't have any interest in using Twitter for is a social networking site. I am a Facebook user and like the options of sharing photos and videos along with the "status" updates that people provide. I think where Twitter will endure is more for a professional networking solution.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Creativity/Media Literacy
Just as with Information Literacy, Media literacy is ever changing due to the access that students have to various forms of media. We used to look at magazine advertisements and television commercials and how movies and television portrayed groups and individuals. Now, because almost anyone can create and publish media in some form or another, we are faced with a wider range platforms that we need to raise awareness about. We are faced with these platforms on the web in mass quantities.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Mind42.com
I explored briefly the Mind42.com website because it caught my eye as it relates to an activity that I am doing currently with my 8th grade students. They are moving through the engineering design process for building their dream house. Currently they are at step three and four: brainstorm possible solutions and make a decision. I had them bookmark three house plans that fit the criteria they developed during the first step of the process. I then had them work in Inspiration to brainstorm the benefits and disadvantages of each floor plan. I wanted them to see that the coolest looking house was maybe not the best house to select for this project.
I could have them use the Mind42.com site to make it more interactive and add the aspect of collaboration to the activity. They could brainstorm about their three choices and then partner up with someone to critically think about the options. I want to see that the students have gone through decision making process. They then journal about it.
The more I explore it, the more I see that it has potential for meaningful collaboration with students.
I could have them use the Mind42.com site to make it more interactive and add the aspect of collaboration to the activity. They could brainstorm about their three choices and then partner up with someone to critically think about the options. I want to see that the students have gone through decision making process. They then journal about it.
The more I explore it, the more I see that it has potential for meaningful collaboration with students.
Creativity/Information Literacy
What are the characteristics of creativity/information literacy today?
In today's digital world where people are creating information online at a rate faster than we can imagine, it has made the task of teaching information literacy to our students even more crucial. With the shear number of pages on the Internet and the millions of people creating content, it can be very overwhelming for students to sift through.
Students still need to know the basics of how to assess the validity of a web resource, but they need to be even "smarter" about it now. They need to be more critical and learn to be educated consumers about the information they are presented with.
How has it changed and stayed the same?
The shear volume of information is what has changed this connection. The ability for people to create information at the click of a button, forces students to be more critical thinkers and problem solvers. Students need to understand the importance of the analysis of the information they come across. The manner in which we teach them about information literacy is still the same.
In today's digital world where people are creating information online at a rate faster than we can imagine, it has made the task of teaching information literacy to our students even more crucial. With the shear number of pages on the Internet and the millions of people creating content, it can be very overwhelming for students to sift through.
Students still need to know the basics of how to assess the validity of a web resource, but they need to be even "smarter" about it now. They need to be more critical and learn to be educated consumers about the information they are presented with.
How has it changed and stayed the same?
The shear volume of information is what has changed this connection. The ability for people to create information at the click of a button, forces students to be more critical thinkers and problem solvers. Students need to understand the importance of the analysis of the information they come across. The manner in which we teach them about information literacy is still the same.
Interesting Use of Twitter
I was reading a blog post (http://k12edubuzz.com/encourage-some-risk-taking/) because I am thinking in my own process, some of my pull back is my unwillingness to take a risk in my classroom. I understand what the technology can do for our students, but the number of students I am working with is at times overwhelming.
So I need to take more risks. I need to step out of the same old projects, which may be new for the students, but are feeling "old" and beige to me. Perhaps I start with just one section of a course and work with a small group of students to get the management of the project down and have them help me through the process of seeing what works and what doesn't. However, do the students who don't participate loose out on something?
I like the use of Twitter described in this blog post. It shows that sometimes you need to think outside of the box to see how something could be used. Although this particular scenario does not pertain to me, it makes me think of what other different uses it could have.
What are your thoughts?
So I need to take more risks. I need to step out of the same old projects, which may be new for the students, but are feeling "old" and beige to me. Perhaps I start with just one section of a course and work with a small group of students to get the management of the project down and have them help me through the process of seeing what works and what doesn't. However, do the students who don't participate loose out on something?
I like the use of Twitter described in this blog post. It shows that sometimes you need to think outside of the box to see how something could be used. Although this particular scenario does not pertain to me, it makes me think of what other different uses it could have.
What are your thoughts?
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