"More students getting laptops instead of textbooks"-
I would love to see an all-digital curriculum in my district. What I've seen is big, thick, heavy textbooks that go somewhat unused. They're also a bit like cars and computers; once they're published, they're almost immediately out-of-date. With laptops, the content could change as the information changes. It also keeps the students interested and more informed. I think that even as expensive as the all-digital would be, that it would probably save a district money in the long run.
"Video helps overhaul district's curriculum"-
How could a program like this not be a good thing? I can only imagine having access to thousands of video companions for your class curriculum. The article is correct about the media savviness of today's students. They soak so much in visually. I would jump at the chance to help implement a program like this. The article is about a large district (Baltimore), but think about the ramifications for small, rural districts, where some students don't have access to a full-service public library or maybe even internet. This would open a whole new world for those teachers and students.
"The Marshal of MySpace"- I have disliked MySpace since I first heard about it. I didn't like reading about so and so having hundreds if not thousands of "friends". Kids are telling their most intimate thoughts and secrets to hoards of strangers, not friends. The site does invite crime and victimization. Although I do understand that most teenagers think no one else is going through what they are; and I know that MySpace helps them find kids who are just like them. I know that must help them cope. But at the heart of it, I'm old-fashioned. Whatever happened to diaries and telling your best friend everything? Plus, your parents knew that best friend very well. Kids don't need MySpace to socialize. Kids don't need MySpace for academic help. So while I'm glad that MySpace has employed someone who is obviously dedicated to keeping these kids safe, I think that the world is better off MySpaceless. But I'm not naive. I know how the world works today. There has to be a safety net, and I'm glad MySpace has looked beyond profit and growth to try and install some kind of fail safe. It's especially worth getting child predators identified and marked. Because the majority of predators don't ever stop.
"If wired right, computers do belong in classrooms"-
The big point of this piece is obvious and true. If you depend on the technology alone, you are not going to get the desired results. It takes a teacher, willing to be creative and do the research, for the combination of teaching and technology to succeed. Even if you're showing a class a movie or video, you have to engage them during the process by pointing things out, inspiring opinions. Just last week, the teacher I was subbing for had us watch "An Inconvenient Truth", the Al Gore documentary on global warming. I continuously asked them questions and pointed out important parts. I used it to ask them what they knew about the 2000 election. Most were unaware of the details, so we stopped and discussed them. I asked for their opinions on global warming, and what small things they thought they could do to help. You can't just press play or throw them in front of a computer and expect great increases in what they're actually learned. It has to be a combination of the two.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Whoops!
I've just discovered that my #1 for the final project is based on the wrong articles. But luckily I still have to do the right ones.
Tech Final # 2- Apple Interchange
I was excited from the first minute I got onto the site. I found a detailed lesson plan about using music to learn math. It involved the kids themselves creating rhymes and rhythms, and then recording them. The final product would be a CD they could listen to over and over again to help them remember, for instance, their multiplication tables. I've subbed where middle school students are still using Cheat tables to figure out their multiplication. I want to be a part of getting rid of that practice. When I was a student, we didn't have "cheat" tables. You just learned it. I'll be mentioning this later in number 5, but I've learned that kids get more excited about learning through projects they complete themselves. They get invested. If this site produces more ideas along these lines, I'll be in teaching heaven someday.
I asked my daughter's kindergarten teacher to review the site and this is what she had to say:
"I really found the edcommunity website valuable. I enjoyed searching all around the site first, then looked at the kindergarten ideas. With our new Apple computers and easy access to digital cameras and programs such as iMovie and iPhoto, I have been experimenting with this technology for classroom use. I found an idea that I will use this week! We are doing the ABC Countdown to Summer. Friday is Memory Day. I will interview the children as to a favorite memory of kindergarten. Then we will add our digital pictures of the children along with their words into the iMovie I am creating with pictures from the year. This is the first school that I have worked at in which using technology is actually realistic for me, so I am excited about the possibilities!"
I asked my daughter's kindergarten teacher to review the site and this is what she had to say:
"I really found the edcommunity website valuable. I enjoyed searching all around the site first, then looked at the kindergarten ideas. With our new Apple computers and easy access to digital cameras and programs such as iMovie and iPhoto, I have been experimenting with this technology for classroom use. I found an idea that I will use this week! We are doing the ABC Countdown to Summer. Friday is Memory Day. I will interview the children as to a favorite memory of kindergarten. Then we will add our digital pictures of the children along with their words into the iMovie I am creating with pictures from the year. This is the first school that I have worked at in which using technology is actually realistic for me, so I am excited about the possibilities!"
Friday, April 20, 2007
National Ed Tech Plan- Articles
National Education Technology Plan- I am skeptical about this website. It is a federal government controlled website. You can tell by the "Impact of NCLB" segment that it is pro-current administration policies. What I see is a lot of broad ideas, but no real guidelines for educators to follow. Are they leaving this to the states? If they were there would be no NCLB. I really hate when people throw out an idea and call it a "plan". Plus, there are several success stories, but no real debate on what works and what doesn't. We need to know both to make a real difference in the curriculum.
Edutopia- This article has things I agree with and also disagree with. I also started to rethink some opinions. In the past, I have lamented the loss of handwritting. But this article makes a good point about longer, more thought out papers being the product of keyboarding. How students express themselves shouldn't be the issue, as long as they DO express themselves in some way. I long for this expression with the experiences I've had at the high school the last two days. Nothing but contempt for any attempt to get them to think about something new, think about something at all.
I'm not sure I completely agree with asking the students for their opinion. You might get some new ideas, but the students lately seem so disinterested in any type of education. It's kind of like which came first, the chicken or the egg? I think we're going to have to do the research, using our eyes and ears to study the kids and come up with new technology-based forms of instruction on our own. If they work, we can share that, if they don't we start again.
The idea that the standard curriculum would be gleaned faster doesn't bother me. I believe most kids have that ability given the right use of technology, but the following does bother me:
"To get everyone to the good stuff, the faster kids would work with and pull up the ones who were behind." This quote from the article was a little utopian for me. I'm not quite sure that would happen.
High School.com- As a student in a Virtual College right now, I can agree with a lot of things in the article.
I see the idea of a freedom to speak an opinion that might not be accepted in a traditional classroom. The anonymity does provide a more open forum for differing opinions when you know you're not going to run into that person in the cafeteria.
I also see an advantage in being able to take classes not normally offered in the traditional school. That freedom to take what interests a student might lead to a better idea of what to focus your study on in college, leading to less students wasting time taking classes blindly while trying to declare a major.
The only problem I see is with the students totally abandoning the traditional school. The social aspects of a high school, while difficult to navigate, I believe, are essential to the development of a well-rounded person. The jobs these students are going to hold are going to require people skills that would not be as developed when a student has kept themselves in an all digital world. Even if a students does find work in a completely digital world, I believe this leads to a downfall in the society of our world. People become insolated and isolated, unable to empathize with the outside world, because they don't have the skills to live in the real world. Because if they're high school experience was better online, they're probably going to be more likely to attend college online. And there is where the pattern of isolation could begin.
The sites for USA Today, and the CNETS article both say they are unavailable as of 4-20-07.
Edutopia- This article has things I agree with and also disagree with. I also started to rethink some opinions. In the past, I have lamented the loss of handwritting. But this article makes a good point about longer, more thought out papers being the product of keyboarding. How students express themselves shouldn't be the issue, as long as they DO express themselves in some way. I long for this expression with the experiences I've had at the high school the last two days. Nothing but contempt for any attempt to get them to think about something new, think about something at all.
I'm not sure I completely agree with asking the students for their opinion. You might get some new ideas, but the students lately seem so disinterested in any type of education. It's kind of like which came first, the chicken or the egg? I think we're going to have to do the research, using our eyes and ears to study the kids and come up with new technology-based forms of instruction on our own. If they work, we can share that, if they don't we start again.
The idea that the standard curriculum would be gleaned faster doesn't bother me. I believe most kids have that ability given the right use of technology, but the following does bother me:
"To get everyone to the good stuff, the faster kids would work with and pull up the ones who were behind." This quote from the article was a little utopian for me. I'm not quite sure that would happen.
High School.com- As a student in a Virtual College right now, I can agree with a lot of things in the article.
I see the idea of a freedom to speak an opinion that might not be accepted in a traditional classroom. The anonymity does provide a more open forum for differing opinions when you know you're not going to run into that person in the cafeteria.
I also see an advantage in being able to take classes not normally offered in the traditional school. That freedom to take what interests a student might lead to a better idea of what to focus your study on in college, leading to less students wasting time taking classes blindly while trying to declare a major.
The only problem I see is with the students totally abandoning the traditional school. The social aspects of a high school, while difficult to navigate, I believe, are essential to the development of a well-rounded person. The jobs these students are going to hold are going to require people skills that would not be as developed when a student has kept themselves in an all digital world. Even if a students does find work in a completely digital world, I believe this leads to a downfall in the society of our world. People become insolated and isolated, unable to empathize with the outside world, because they don't have the skills to live in the real world. Because if they're high school experience was better online, they're probably going to be more likely to attend college online. And there is where the pattern of isolation could begin.
The sites for USA Today, and the CNETS article both say they are unavailable as of 4-20-07.
VT and "An Inconvenient Truth"
Today is the national memorial for Virginia Tech. I'm wearing Orange and Maroon. It will be on my mind all day.
Today I'm also subbing for a great history teacher. We're watching "An Inconvenient Truth." I hadn't seen it yet. It makes me want to do my part, including going to city commission to fight for curbside recycling. I hope it inspires some of these kids. Although I was a little disheartened to learn that most had no clue about the events of the 2000 election.
Later in the day, I had trouble getting classes to see what I saw in the film. How can we get them to see beyond what they're doing after school? I get so frustrated, usually it's when I'm at the high school, because these students take their free education so for granted. I wish I could bring students from say, South Africa, or India, or anywhere else without what we have, to this school to help these students understand what a great opportunity that they have everyday.
Today I'm also subbing for a great history teacher. We're watching "An Inconvenient Truth." I hadn't seen it yet. It makes me want to do my part, including going to city commission to fight for curbside recycling. I hope it inspires some of these kids. Although I was a little disheartened to learn that most had no clue about the events of the 2000 election.
Later in the day, I had trouble getting classes to see what I saw in the film. How can we get them to see beyond what they're doing after school? I get so frustrated, usually it's when I'm at the high school, because these students take their free education so for granted. I wish I could bring students from say, South Africa, or India, or anywhere else without what we have, to this school to help these students understand what a great opportunity that they have everyday.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Subbing for a teacher in an IEP meeting. The shootings at Virginia Tech have opened up several dialogs. Today, the kids were wondering where the young man's parents were? They lived somewhat close. They allegedly suspected he was mentally ill. At his age, they could have had him involuntarily committed, with court approval. If I suspected this of my kids, I would move heaven and earth to help them, especially if there were concerns about violence toward other people. But then it's so easy as a parent to say what you would or wouldn't do differently. I think every parent has to have sympathy, because no matter what we do, I think every parent fears that there for the grace of God go I.
The students then began to discuss how their parents are disconnected from them. They wondered if his parents were just as disconnected. We talked about the fine line between letting them have the space to become who they're going to be and keeping an eye on what they're doing. It's not an easy line for parents to walk.
Later, I traveled to the middle school for the same teacher. The 8th grade teachers were talking at lunch. The consensus was that people did try to help the guy. But once someone is 18, and considered an adult, it's hard to help if the person doesn't want help. Parents can't even review medical records without their child's permission. One of the teachers talked about a friend in high school, who before being caught, made pipe bombs and downloaded terrorist handbooks, and hid them in places around the house, all without his parents knowing. The teacher assured us that his parents were VERY involved in his friend's life, and he was still able to hide his true dark side. Scary, huh?
The middle school teachers also seemed to agree to limit the discussion of the events. At the high school, they were using the news conferences as educational tools. That's a good question. What age is appropriate to use current events like Virginia Tech as a learning tool? Do we fulfill the shooter's wishes the longer and more in-depth we discuss what he did? During one of my middle school classes, two boys were talking about the shooter's race. I had to stop them and ask why they felt it was necessary to mention his race. I told them that when anyone commits an act like this, the race, age, gender, etc. of the person should not be an issue in any way.
I was present during a school shooting in 1987, when I was a junior in high school. A 7th grader tried to kill his entire class. One student rushed him to allow the other students to escape, but lost his life in the process. The shooter then killed himself. When the students fled the class, they fled to the library across the hall, where I was a library aide, alone at the time. It was the only time in my life when I feared I would die. So, as you can imagine, school shootings are a sensitive subject for me. It is hard for me to hate the shooter in my incident. He was only 12. He didn't know how to talk about his feelings of isolation and hatred for the students who treated him badly. The VT shooter was 23 years old. As someone who's also suffered from depression, I can't accept his rantings about being mistreated. I understand that he suffered from way more than mild depression, but if he was able to put his feelings on tape before this rampage, why couldn't he tell the mental health professionals who worked with him. His feelings were obviously clear to him. He said on one of the tapes that he didn't want to do this. It's clear that he made the choice. I can not let anyone use mental illness to even remotely mitigate his actions on Monday. I believe that does a disservice to the mental health community. We are all better off to try and use this as a guide to prevent future incidents. Columbine was 8 years ago, and we cannot keep forgetting and continue to face these tragedies more often in the future.
The students then began to discuss how their parents are disconnected from them. They wondered if his parents were just as disconnected. We talked about the fine line between letting them have the space to become who they're going to be and keeping an eye on what they're doing. It's not an easy line for parents to walk.
Later, I traveled to the middle school for the same teacher. The 8th grade teachers were talking at lunch. The consensus was that people did try to help the guy. But once someone is 18, and considered an adult, it's hard to help if the person doesn't want help. Parents can't even review medical records without their child's permission. One of the teachers talked about a friend in high school, who before being caught, made pipe bombs and downloaded terrorist handbooks, and hid them in places around the house, all without his parents knowing. The teacher assured us that his parents were VERY involved in his friend's life, and he was still able to hide his true dark side. Scary, huh?
The middle school teachers also seemed to agree to limit the discussion of the events. At the high school, they were using the news conferences as educational tools. That's a good question. What age is appropriate to use current events like Virginia Tech as a learning tool? Do we fulfill the shooter's wishes the longer and more in-depth we discuss what he did? During one of my middle school classes, two boys were talking about the shooter's race. I had to stop them and ask why they felt it was necessary to mention his race. I told them that when anyone commits an act like this, the race, age, gender, etc. of the person should not be an issue in any way.
I was present during a school shooting in 1987, when I was a junior in high school. A 7th grader tried to kill his entire class. One student rushed him to allow the other students to escape, but lost his life in the process. The shooter then killed himself. When the students fled the class, they fled to the library across the hall, where I was a library aide, alone at the time. It was the only time in my life when I feared I would die. So, as you can imagine, school shootings are a sensitive subject for me. It is hard for me to hate the shooter in my incident. He was only 12. He didn't know how to talk about his feelings of isolation and hatred for the students who treated him badly. The VT shooter was 23 years old. As someone who's also suffered from depression, I can't accept his rantings about being mistreated. I understand that he suffered from way more than mild depression, but if he was able to put his feelings on tape before this rampage, why couldn't he tell the mental health professionals who worked with him. His feelings were obviously clear to him. He said on one of the tapes that he didn't want to do this. It's clear that he made the choice. I can not let anyone use mental illness to even remotely mitigate his actions on Monday. I believe that does a disservice to the mental health community. We are all better off to try and use this as a guide to prevent future incidents. Columbine was 8 years ago, and we cannot keep forgetting and continue to face these tragedies more often in the future.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Back to normal
Tax season (my other career for the moment) ended yesterday. I didn't have to substitute today, so my son and I had a GREAT, relaxing day. Now I can focus on the end of the semester and making sure my work is done.
I really wish I already had my license. There are so many openings in my district, and I'm so anxious to get started, but I know that I have so, so, so much left to learn before I can take over my own class.
I really wish I already had my license. There are so many openings in my district, and I'm so anxious to get started, but I know that I have so, so, so much left to learn before I can take over my own class.
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