Sunday, June 3, 2012

Blog Post #2

Did you know?

After watching Did You Know? 3.0 – A John Strange Version 2012 and the original version by Karl Fisch and Scott McLeod, I was amazed at all the numbers that appeared in these videos. I was unable to read the recommended reading on ‘Writing a Quality Blog’, because my computer refused to open the link – so I hope I can correctly write this blog. Although I felt that the information should be common knowledge, it did reiterate the importance of staying abreast of today’s latest technology. I easily related to the statement about the ‘Top Ten Jobs of 2012’ not existing in 2004. I took this same class roughly six to seven years ago, and so much has changed in the field of Education (I quit teaching about four years ago). There are so many new advancements that we as educators can implement in the classroom that I know there has to be a wide-variety of new jobs in Education just based on the new technology. I am ecstatic about learning these new tools that I hope to implement in graduate school in the Fall and as a counselor in my future.

Mr. Winkle Wakes

I laughed so much during the brief three minutes that I watched ‘Mr. Winkle Wakes’ – I found myself relating to Mr. Winkle and wanting more YouTube videos by Mathew Needleman. Mr. Winkle’s reactions to the ‘new’ office that he encountered, and it made me remember how I felt when I got home from our first class last Tuesday. I have always considered myself technologically literate, but the past few days I have realized that there’s a lot I have to learn. Keeping myself well-informed of the latest trends on the Internet means nothing, if I don’t know how to use it. The conclusion to the story was so true! Our schools will always be a place of learning, but we need to be sure to keep the learning environment equipped with the latest technology and be sure out educators know how to use it!

The Importance of Creativity

“If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.” - Ken Robinson

Ken Robinson was very informative and entertaining – I thoroughly enjoyed the British farce. Mr. Robinson spoke about the importance of creativity. He says that in education creativity is just as important as literacy, and I whole-heartedly agree. He quoted Pablo Picasso in saying that, ‘All children are born artist’, and he poses the question of how adults can find a way to remain creative. I only taught school for three years, but I found myself disagreeing with his views on what qualifies as creativity. He said it must have value. Maybe I misinterpreted his words, but I don’t think it must have value to a whole. Something that might be valuable to me might not be valuable to Dr. Strange. Creativity is really does ‘lie in the hands of the beholder’, and I think he hints to that towards the end of his speech. His comments about Julian Lynn hit close to home. I was a child that was placed on medication to calm me down in the classroom. If I would have had the opportunity to be on the field or the studio during my education, then I might have exceled more in the ‘classroom’. I was kinetic learner. He was extremely head-on with our job as educators. We might not see the future for our students, but they will. It is our job as educators to be sure to fully prepare them for every possible aspect of their careers and be sure we encourage the path they choose to reach their goals.
I would like to thank him for his acknowledgment of women being able to multi-task! It isn’t very often our strengths are recognized.

Classroom Disruption

I think I would say that I have been in both classrooms. I would prefer the classroom that was more technology based, but I do think some educators are going overboard with the technology movement. I still enjoy the older methods of teaching, but maybe it’s because I am not a member of the technology generation. I would say that the class without the technology is more representative of the classes I have taken throughout my lifetime. The techniques of the two teachers are obvious: one is more technically literate in the other teacher is ‘old-school’. The main objective is learning, but it’s obvious that the classes are history and economics – two completely different classes with different objectives. I don’t mean to sound bitter, but in reality, we will not have a computer for every student in every classroom for some time. I still feel that there are some things best left to teach the ways they always have been. I also feel that a class entirely dedicated to teaching via computer removes some intimacy with the student/teacher relationship. I think it all depends on how comfortable the teacher makes the student feel. I feel that I still want to use both methods of teaching. In order to make my classroom more futuristic, I will need to learn how to create devices, websites, blogs, etc. to maintain a successful classroom and keep in touch with today’s computer-based generation. I do feel that this video was unrealistic in many aspects, and that an Education Media class should inform their future educators of the problems that do exist in public education. The post was about classroom disruption, and I would like to pose one question about classroom management. In a public school class of 30+ students with a computer, do you not think that one or more students will find a way to become off-task on the computer? Are we not creating more ways for disruption?

Kids are smart. I guess giving each student a computer is just fostering their creativity, and that is what Mr. Robinson said part of our job required.
Technology Changing Everyday

7 comments:

  1. Hello Lindsay Ann. You had some extremely insightful comments regarding the information covered in your Blog #2. I believe you were in a unique position to analyze the progression of technology in schools; both as a student taking this same course years ago, and as an educator who hasn't been in the classroom for the past four years. I can understand you relating to Mr. Winkle. I considered myself to be technologically literate before beginning this class. We are learning some skills that may seem difficult at first, but I know we can do it and will be better teachers as a result!

    I agree with your observation of Mr. Robinson's opinion of the importance of creativity. You and I are from the generation of being lectured to, told what to read, and completing worksheets. The only time we really got to do creative activities in school was probably around the holidays. Now, we will have to re-condition our minds to become educators who give their students the tools to learn while expressing creativity.

    You also have a very good point about some students who may become off-task if everyone were on individual computers, but aren't some students going to become off-task anyway? Teachers implementing this in their classrooms would definitely have to be engaged with students to minimize those instances. I think that another possible disadvantage could be that some teachers may become dependent on computers to do the teaching for them. I also think it will be interesting to see how you use these new tools as a counselor some day.

    Thanks for giving me the opportunity to share some ideas about your post. I really enjoyed reading it!

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  2. Some students will become off-task anyway, but you hit the nail on the head. It's going to come down to the teacher, and I am afraid that some teachers are going to become too reliant on technology doing the teaching.

    The truth is that I did not come from a generation that used a lot of technology in the classroom - the most technology we used was the computer to write a research paper or collect information for a paper. I used the computer lab at least once a week in my classroom. That was usually the most that I was allowed to schedule. My favorite activity to incorporate were WebQuests. You can find a lot of ideas at http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech011.shtml. I did incorporate PowerPoint in my ABC's of WWII project.

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  3. Lindsay,

    I really enjoyed reading this blog post. I will be assigned to you the next few weeks and I can see we have some similarities! I am currently a secondary education/history double major so I have a passion for history as well. You said that German history really interests you. Have you picked up the language? I have been to Germany once and it was incredible.

    I feel I have many of the same opinions on technology as you. You might have heard Dr. Strange say in class the other day that he and I argued when I took this class. We did and it was about the extent technology should be used in the classroom. You are right to assume that these computers might cause distractions more easily and that is where the bad teachers will falter. However, a good teacher will be able to obtain and hold the attention of the whole class. So, in this regard it is still necessary to have a teacher who, as you said, maintains the, "student/teacher relationship." If anything, good teachers are needed more now than ever because not many can pull off such a combination. Even so, I still do not think traditional lecturing should become obsolete. I made the point when I took this class a year ago that formal meetings such as weddings, funerals, assemblies, church services, and graduations will most likely always remain "lecture style." Therefore, our students need to know how to properly behave in case of an event like this and they should learn that behavior in the classroom.

    I would love to hear more about the experiences you have had as a teacher!

    Your post is very well written, my only advice is to make clickable links to each article or video you are discussing so that other (non-EDM 310 students)can refer to what you are talking about. Keep up the good work!

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  4. Thank you for your suggestion. I tried doing it, and I couldn't get it to work. I'll keep working on it. I'm afraid that I have had to work at such a fast pace this week to make time for studying for the Praxis at the end week left little time for experimentation.

    I have back-packed Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and France. My first trip was right after high school graduation - I opted out of the traditional Cancun trip. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I went back during my Junior year of college. I plan to tour England and Ireland as well, but I have a new interest in touring some Central and South American countries first.

    I took three years of German. I can speak German and French, but I am afraid not fluently. I can read both without flaw. I am sure you know Dr. Rogers well...ask him about Ms. Parvin's German spelling. My Southern drawl ways heavy on my foreign language skills.

    I have always had a love for History, but my tour of Dachau is the spark that lit the fire. I plan to live in Rothenburg ob der Taube one day! Beautiful is an understatement. It's the oldest mid-evil city in the world. The wall is still intact. The wall still has gates, and a tourist can still see the old face used to tar and feather outsiders. FDR had toured the city prior to WWII, and he fell in love. He wouldn't allow the city to be bombed during the war. It really takes one back to another time. They still have a nightwatchmen that can take you on tours at night. You have to take the river tour to get to this city, but you can see several castles along the way and stay at several vineyards.

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  5. Well if you need any extra help, come by the lab! Good luck with the Praxis. I have to take that sometime this summer. The Europe trip you took sounds amazing. I would have rather done that than Cancun! I went to the Dachau concentration camp when my family and I visited Germany and it was terrible what people went through there during WWII. However, Rothenburg ob der Taube sounds like a wonderful place. I looked up a few pictures of it on Google and it is beautiful! I wish I had gone there when we visited Germany! Maybe the next trip I go I will see it! ;)

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  6. My biggest problem is the terminology used in a lot of the assignments - I get lost in it, my ADHD kicks in, and I get overwhelmed. I just know it by other names. I seem to be making a lot of things harder than it should be. I live in Ocean Springs(I might be moving back to Mobile next Christmas), and I am afraid the lab isn't as convenient for me to get to. My ex-husband (sounds so weird...it just became final) is a physician and isn't that present in my daughter's life. I make my trips count. I have one graduate class on Monday nights, so I have been coming to the lab around one on Monday afternoons. That's my only class this Summer that meets every week. I did download iMovie and some other apps (mainly apps that I can use with iMovie) to my iPad this week that have made things a lot easier. I actually enjoyed 'This is My Sentence' after I got the hang of using iMovie. I have never posted anything to YouTube until this week. My Dad who works for the Board of Education in Huntsville sent a link to everyone - it was a little embarrassing.

    Your next trip plan as many river tours as possible. The castles in Germany are magnificent. I believe the tour to see Rothenburg actually included a stop in Hamburg to visit the University. I believe it's at the end. I didn't get to go, because I spent the rest of the week in a hostile in Rothenburg.

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  7. If you are wanting to teach World History in high school, I have some great resources for teaching WWII. The biggest obstacle you face is the kids want to learn about the Holocaust, but they want to skip the aftermath of WWI and how it led to the Nazi's rise, the economic problems, the take-over of the Nazis, etc. They just want to jump to the Holocaust, and they don't really ever grasp why something so horrendous was allowed to happen. While I was touring Germany and Austria, I really studied all the groups that perished during the Holocaust. I came across a lot of information. I gathered tests used for the mentally handicapped, political dissenter questionnaires, etc. I would place manilla folders on my students' desks the day we started the Inner War Year's Unit and each folder either had one of the documents stated above or told them they were a specific 'undesirable' (i.e. homosexual, Sinti or Roma, member of the aristocracy, etc.). They weren't allowed to open it until class started. Some of the folders contained a blank sheet of paper. I instructed those that had tests or questionnaires to complete their assignment. The students that were told they were an 'undesirable' were directed to a chart on the board with designated stars and symbols. They were to draw their symbol on their sheet of paper. I told those students that had a blank sheet of paper to read a exert of Mein Kampf that I had translated on the board and remain seated. They had about ten minutes to complete their assignment. I then instructed the students with paperwork and symbols to stand in the back of the room. I played Hitler's Children: Education for Death, a banned Disney cartoon from my computer. After the movie, the students with symbols had to explain their symbol. The students with paperwork gave a brief description of some of their questions. I had done the math beforehand, and by the end of the assignment, the students that remained in their seats were the Nazi Youth in our class. The other students (about 2/3's) were the equivalent of most kids in a village that would have disappeared. They were left in awe of the friends that would have fallen to the feet of the Nazis. I would then ask them to write a brief description of how they thought a group of people could allow this to happen. They were often left speechless. I would then tell them that we were about to figure out how and that would lead into them wanting to learn about the inner war years. I would entice them back with pictures from my trip when we actually got to the chapter on the Holocaust. I loved and still love this assignment. I had a student message me on Facebook the other day that wanted to use it in her room.

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