Before reading this article, I had assumed it was going to show me ways to use Twitter in class. I thought that that would be quite useless and a little unethical. However, as I read the article, I was quite intrigued to see that it was explaining how teachers can connect to other teachers around the world.
The ideas listed in this article for using Twitter were great. Some I enjoyed included sharing certain book titles for lessons, "tweeting" favorite sites, and joining a "twibe" of Tweeters. That would be hard to say 5 times fast! One reoccurring theme that came up in the 25 ideas was to respond to "tweets" with a "thank you" or appreciative remark. I thought that was a good way to make sure people received feedback for good information.
Although the ideas are great, they were not anything you couldn't include in an email, blog, or wiki. To receive the "tweets" you'd still have to seek out a good "tweeter" or make some knowledgeable friends. In my own opinion, I think it's good material, but seeking out the info when you want it or need it seems a lot more practical. Receiving "tweets" on the fly would lead me to forget or just not use it when I need it a month down the road.
Having said all that, it is a good way to communicate, especially around the US. I think the more open communication is in education, the better teacher education will be. The ultimate goal is for kids to take ownership of learning and remember what is taught. This is simply one more medium.
Cole, Sonja. "25 ways to teach with Twitter." Tech & Learning. Online. 4 June 2009 www.techlearning.com/article/20896 9 June 2010.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Journal #2 Reflection: Geeking Out
The article entitled "Geeking Out With Digital Media" was very interesting. The term "geeking out" is actually used to describe kids who use certain internet forums like www.cogito.com to enhance their learning. In other words, they are taking the responsibility for their learning and taking it to a whole new level.
The idea of having kids online to learn can be good and scary. First off, I don't know if the sites are secure or if a virus will infect a computer being used. In the article I read, the kids used basically one site to "geek out." I could see how the site could be used for gifted kids, even in 3rd grade. I would like to know more about the details of it, but it looks very beneficial. Kids of all ages already enjoy being online. Geeking out with "Cogito" seems like a good way to stretch those who want more from school.
I liked that "Cogito" offered different guest instructors. Each instructor would pose certain questions for kids to respond to. Sometimes, the instructor would have an article for kids to reflect on or respond to.
Kids also used summer break to travel and gather data. I see how some of my gifted boys and girls would love that. They already love sharing and are dying for a chance to let out that extra burst of opinion and experience they have. If I can suggest this to parents in the fall and I think it is a sound program, I think kids could get a lot out of it!
"Geeking Out With Digital Media." Tech & Learning. Online. 19 August 2009 www.techlearning.com/article/22638 9 June 2010
The idea of having kids online to learn can be good and scary. First off, I don't know if the sites are secure or if a virus will infect a computer being used. In the article I read, the kids used basically one site to "geek out." I could see how the site could be used for gifted kids, even in 3rd grade. I would like to know more about the details of it, but it looks very beneficial. Kids of all ages already enjoy being online. Geeking out with "Cogito" seems like a good way to stretch those who want more from school.
I liked that "Cogito" offered different guest instructors. Each instructor would pose certain questions for kids to respond to. Sometimes, the instructor would have an article for kids to reflect on or respond to.
Kids also used summer break to travel and gather data. I see how some of my gifted boys and girls would love that. They already love sharing and are dying for a chance to let out that extra burst of opinion and experience they have. If I can suggest this to parents in the fall and I think it is a sound program, I think kids could get a lot out of it!
"Geeking Out With Digital Media." Tech & Learning. Online. 19 August 2009 www.techlearning.com/article/22638 9 June 2010
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Symposium #2
The second shift of Symposium education included a keynote address from Randy Thompson, a leadership class from Carla Middlen, a Cyberbullying update from Betsey Atwood at the Carol Institute, and a Motivating Students class with Mr. Thompson again. Each class had a different sort of style to it. I paid more attention to the teaching of each course this time. It was an instinct I've developed since considering the fact that I may one day be teaching something like this, once I have a clue!
Mr. Thompson drew upon his childhood, which I thought was a well need inspirational moment. He told of his childhood instructor, outside of the migrant schools he had. This teacher saw Roger's need for nurturing and his ability to do math. It must have been a very large unused talent, because the teacher stuck with him. I was thinking as I listened of kids I've either taken extra time for, or even kids I feel I should have spent more time with. You can't do it all, and you can't constantly overextend yourself. There is a fine line when working with kids on how much is too much, and how much is needed. I spent several hours after school with a couple of kids who were behind in math and reading. At the end of the year, I was able to determine that it was time well spent (which I figured it would be). The kids were gracious, although only in 3rd grade. They did as well as they could on the test, but I doubted even with extra time that a test would tell me everything I had accomplished. Mr. Thompson's teacher went even beyond that. That' s true commitment.
Carla Middlen did a review on PLC's which are Professional Learning Communities. This was a good review from a curriculum course I had had a couple of years ago. She did a good job reviewing all the strategies of creating and maintaining quality learning communities in a building. The only thing I did not like about the session was how it was taught. After all this great technology encouragement, a powerpoint just didn't hold my attention. I was tired after the class, and could remember very little. She is sending us the powerpoint, which is great, but I wish she'd taught more about less. It reminded me how sometimes quantity in a good classroom has to take second fiddle to quality. Slow and steady does win the race. Less is more....and so on. I think it's true for kids and adults!! I would like to end this part by at least saying that PLC's are a crucial part of staff growth and a necessary strategy for any mindful principal!
The Cyberbullying session was an eye opener for two reasons: one, it showed me about things I was completely unaware of! Two, the teacher for it was not a certified educator, but taught absolutely wonderfully! She kept our attention, asked questions, engaged us, challenged us, made us think and reflect, and had great technology available. Maybe it just fit my learning styles better, but I thought she was fantastic! Cyberbullying is an under discussed problem and I hope our school keeps a wary eye on it. I didn't know so many possibilities until I went to this session. Although it may not help a lot with 3rd, it would help to know when my own kids get older.
The last session was great. Randy Thompson was attempting a session in Differentiating Learning. Instead, he taught us fantastic problem solving methods and ways to engage students in writing and math. He did not do a lot, but he spent much of the time explaining and asking for the benefits of each activity. I knew it was a selfless plug for his book, Fired Up, but it was still useful. I especially liked the way he taught. He gave time to answer, he kept things moving, he engaged everyone somehow, and he made it fun. He even approved "fun" as a technique in the classroom! One thing that stuck with me was that he said that he wanted kids to leave his class saying it was the most fun they'd had all day in any class. Then he knew they had listened and learned something, if only involuntarily!
Mr. Thompson drew upon his childhood, which I thought was a well need inspirational moment. He told of his childhood instructor, outside of the migrant schools he had. This teacher saw Roger's need for nurturing and his ability to do math. It must have been a very large unused talent, because the teacher stuck with him. I was thinking as I listened of kids I've either taken extra time for, or even kids I feel I should have spent more time with. You can't do it all, and you can't constantly overextend yourself. There is a fine line when working with kids on how much is too much, and how much is needed. I spent several hours after school with a couple of kids who were behind in math and reading. At the end of the year, I was able to determine that it was time well spent (which I figured it would be). The kids were gracious, although only in 3rd grade. They did as well as they could on the test, but I doubted even with extra time that a test would tell me everything I had accomplished. Mr. Thompson's teacher went even beyond that. That' s true commitment.
Carla Middlen did a review on PLC's which are Professional Learning Communities. This was a good review from a curriculum course I had had a couple of years ago. She did a good job reviewing all the strategies of creating and maintaining quality learning communities in a building. The only thing I did not like about the session was how it was taught. After all this great technology encouragement, a powerpoint just didn't hold my attention. I was tired after the class, and could remember very little. She is sending us the powerpoint, which is great, but I wish she'd taught more about less. It reminded me how sometimes quantity in a good classroom has to take second fiddle to quality. Slow and steady does win the race. Less is more....and so on. I think it's true for kids and adults!! I would like to end this part by at least saying that PLC's are a crucial part of staff growth and a necessary strategy for any mindful principal!
The Cyberbullying session was an eye opener for two reasons: one, it showed me about things I was completely unaware of! Two, the teacher for it was not a certified educator, but taught absolutely wonderfully! She kept our attention, asked questions, engaged us, challenged us, made us think and reflect, and had great technology available. Maybe it just fit my learning styles better, but I thought she was fantastic! Cyberbullying is an under discussed problem and I hope our school keeps a wary eye on it. I didn't know so many possibilities until I went to this session. Although it may not help a lot with 3rd, it would help to know when my own kids get older.
The last session was great. Randy Thompson was attempting a session in Differentiating Learning. Instead, he taught us fantastic problem solving methods and ways to engage students in writing and math. He did not do a lot, but he spent much of the time explaining and asking for the benefits of each activity. I knew it was a selfless plug for his book, Fired Up, but it was still useful. I especially liked the way he taught. He gave time to answer, he kept things moving, he engaged everyone somehow, and he made it fun. He even approved "fun" as a technique in the classroom! One thing that stuck with me was that he said that he wanted kids to leave his class saying it was the most fun they'd had all day in any class. Then he knew they had listened and learned something, if only involuntarily!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Journal Article #1 5 K-12 Tech. Trends for 2010
The first journal article I read about was about trends for 2010. There was a list of the top five. The first was saying eBooks will grow. The second said Netbooks will be more common. The third talked about interactive whiteboard growth. The fourth, the use of personal devices will be much more common. The last said that technology will provide more towards catered curricula for all learners.
The article was not a hard read. I wasn't aware of some of the technology the article spoke of until I read the article. I have heard of eBooks before, but was not aware of the convenience and how often they are being used. The article said eBooks literally "lessen the load" that students carry around. I would imagine that book sales would go up too simply because students would have to buy the online book and not a used book. This does not directly affect what I do, but it would be good to see more children's books online for me to use in the class since I have an interactive whiteboard.
Netbooks and Interactive whiteboards are emerging technologies that are very useful. Netbooks are much like small laptops. They are cheap and easy to use. Interactive whiteboards are not cheap or easy to use, but are great for helping students to retain knowledge. Many schools are discussing getting both interactive whiteboards and Netbooks for students. I think you could end up with a technology nightmare in that case, and a lot of wasted dollars if you go overboard! I still believe human interaction is priceless, and I have a hard time reading articles like this that seem to say leaders are choosing pricey technology over character education and people skills. The whiteboards, however, do allow for students to get out of their seats, and I like that. The interaction is good, but staring at a big screen or small screen just doesn't seem to be the only solution for growth in kids.
The last two points had to do with personal devices, i.e. cell phones, and tailored curricula. Both involved a much more catered education. Having personal devices seemed to be a good way to get kids involved in middle and high school. I would not personally allow for it at all, especially after attending the Cyberbullying workshop.
Technology is enabling curriculum to be catered to specific needs of kids. Whether they are average, low, high, gifted, inbetween, technology is becoming a great way to catch them all. I've noticed that with the interactive whiteboard use this year in my room, and the use of online programs in my computer lab. Kids can learn at their own level and pace, and technology is motivating.
All 5 points have merit. I don't think all 5 affect my room, such as the cellphones or Netbooks. Technology is, at the very least, a very convenient and effective way to engage kids in my room, and some of the things I read about could be very useful.
Bibliography:
McCrea, Bridget. "5 K-12 Technology Trends for 2010." The Journal. Online. 9 December 2009 http://thejournal.com/Articles/2009/12/10/5-K12-Technology-Trends-for-2010.aspx?Page=1 9 June 2010.
Symposium #1
For the Symposium, I attended the main speaker, Nancy Frey, Dean Butler's "Little House" session, Patti Ward-Macguire's "21 Ways to Motivate Students", and a refresher course on white boards with two teachers from Del Rapids.
Nancy Frey is a high school teacher who has written several books. I was sure I had read at least one of them at some point. I thought she was interesting and had a lot of good points about Visual Literacy. This is a topic I thought I should stay away from. I like the concept a lot, but at my school, it would be considered as pandering to the kids who can't read text. But, as a former fifth grade teacher, I think it would be very beneficial to kids who are having a hard time with reading comprehension and higher level thinking. Another benefit for my own class at school would be that visual learning enables kids to learn about what they're going to read before they read it. That helps them with vocabulary and phonics simply because the text will seem more familiar to them. I'm sold on the idea and would like to use more visual ideas in my class. Selling the idea to my colleagues will be different.
The "Little House" session seemed to be more of a DVD sales opportunity for Mr. Dean Butler who played Almanzo in the original series. However, the 2nd graders and even early 3rd do a little with the Laura Ingalls-Wilder books, and Dean did a good job giving some background on the show and its characters. What left an impression on me was the excellent documentary he made on the original Almanzo Wilder. His DVD was very visually appealing and I think it would hold the kids' attention. I talked to him afterwards and was able to get an autograph, but that's just for fun!
The second session was on 21 Ways to Motivate Students (21st Century Skills) with Patti Ward-Macquire. She had a lot of great ways to use technology. I think her WIKI site has most of the information. She had to put a lot of materials together and share them in a short amount of time. The sites and techniques she had seemed motivating. I think in a 3rd grade classroom, I might have a hard time applying a lot of what she shared because of the time constraints. It was a lot of great information, and I figure I will use most of it myself to keep kids engaged.
The last session was on Promethean boards. I found this to be the most applicable for my classroom because we purchased white boards last year and have had minimal training. The ladies who shared were very excited. They showed both lower and upper level techniques. I didn't know some of those features shared were available! I found it very useful. I wish they would have written some things down too. They had a lot of great ideas for keeping kids engaged. They used a different interactive clicker than my school has. I will be working on getting my school involved with the type of clickers that can text. I love the idea of having kids being about to give digital answers.
Nancy Frey is a high school teacher who has written several books. I was sure I had read at least one of them at some point. I thought she was interesting and had a lot of good points about Visual Literacy. This is a topic I thought I should stay away from. I like the concept a lot, but at my school, it would be considered as pandering to the kids who can't read text. But, as a former fifth grade teacher, I think it would be very beneficial to kids who are having a hard time with reading comprehension and higher level thinking. Another benefit for my own class at school would be that visual learning enables kids to learn about what they're going to read before they read it. That helps them with vocabulary and phonics simply because the text will seem more familiar to them. I'm sold on the idea and would like to use more visual ideas in my class. Selling the idea to my colleagues will be different.
The "Little House" session seemed to be more of a DVD sales opportunity for Mr. Dean Butler who played Almanzo in the original series. However, the 2nd graders and even early 3rd do a little with the Laura Ingalls-Wilder books, and Dean did a good job giving some background on the show and its characters. What left an impression on me was the excellent documentary he made on the original Almanzo Wilder. His DVD was very visually appealing and I think it would hold the kids' attention. I talked to him afterwards and was able to get an autograph, but that's just for fun!
The second session was on 21 Ways to Motivate Students (21st Century Skills) with Patti Ward-Macquire. She had a lot of great ways to use technology. I think her WIKI site has most of the information. She had to put a lot of materials together and share them in a short amount of time. The sites and techniques she had seemed motivating. I think in a 3rd grade classroom, I might have a hard time applying a lot of what she shared because of the time constraints. It was a lot of great information, and I figure I will use most of it myself to keep kids engaged.
The last session was on Promethean boards. I found this to be the most applicable for my classroom because we purchased white boards last year and have had minimal training. The ladies who shared were very excited. They showed both lower and upper level techniques. I didn't know some of those features shared were available! I found it very useful. I wish they would have written some things down too. They had a lot of great ideas for keeping kids engaged. They used a different interactive clicker than my school has. I will be working on getting my school involved with the type of clickers that can text. I love the idea of having kids being about to give digital answers.
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