Thursday, July 15, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Final Project
The standards I will be addressing are:
1. Facilitate and Inspire student learning and creativity
a. Promote, support, and model innovative thinking and inventiveness
2. Design and develop digital-age learning experiences and assessments
a. Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity
Summary of final project:
In September our school hosts an open house for parents to come in and meet the teacher and see the classroom. I am going to have Emodo on the Smart board for parents to see. I will have the site up and running with a greeting, assignments, images, and links for parents to look at. There will also be a piece of each child's writing for the parents to read.
Short videos will be embedded on the page for parents to watch. In the videos each student will introduce themselves, talk about their family, favorite subject in school, and tell us about something they like to do.
On another computer I will have Wallwisher up for parents to see. I will start the year by having a question of the day on the Wallwisher site. The open house will be a great opportunity to show parents some of the ways technology will be used in my classroom this year.
There are many things I plan to change in my teaching practices this year. Most importantly, I plan to find the time for my second graders to learn about and use some of the latest technology that is geared toward their age group.
1. Facilitate and Inspire student learning and creativity
a. Promote, support, and model innovative thinking and inventiveness
2. Design and develop digital-age learning experiences and assessments
a. Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity
Summary of final project:
In September our school hosts an open house for parents to come in and meet the teacher and see the classroom. I am going to have Emodo on the Smart board for parents to see. I will have the site up and running with a greeting, assignments, images, and links for parents to look at. There will also be a piece of each child's writing for the parents to read.
Short videos will be embedded on the page for parents to watch. In the videos each student will introduce themselves, talk about their family, favorite subject in school, and tell us about something they like to do.
On another computer I will have Wallwisher up for parents to see. I will start the year by having a question of the day on the Wallwisher site. The open house will be a great opportunity to show parents some of the ways technology will be used in my classroom this year.
There are many things I plan to change in my teaching practices this year. Most importantly, I plan to find the time for my second graders to learn about and use some of the latest technology that is geared toward their age group.
Four Things Every Student Should Learn...But Not Every School is Teaching
Four Things Every Student Should Learn...But Not Every School is Teaching covers what Alan November feels schools are missing out on when they educate their students.
#1 Global Empathy - He asked an investment bank executive what he feels is the most important skill all students need to be able to succeed. The executive stated that since companies do business with people from all over the world, the workforce needs to respect different cultures and perspectives. He says that finding intelligent people is not hard to do, but finding people sensitive to others is more of a challenge.
#2 Social and Ethical Responsibility on the Web - November addresses the need to teach online responsibility. He doesn't feel that blocking kids from social tools is the solution. Teachers need to talk about topics such as cyber bullying and sexting.
#3 The Permanence of Information posted online - I thought it was surprising to hear that the web is archived every few days, and that students need to be very careful about what they post.
#4 Critical Thinking About the Information Found Online - It was interesting to hear how google ranks its search results. He says that it's a popularity contest and students miss out by not looking at some of the sites that do not appear in the top.
November makes great points in this article. I think it is important for schools to address these topics, but I think parents should also be on board. Schools work hard to monitor what students are doing on the web during the school day. However, at night it can be a free-for-all. It is eye-opening that the web is archived every few days. This conversation about ethics from teachers and reinforced by parents is critical since like November states, we could be saving them from ruining their lives.
#1 Global Empathy - He asked an investment bank executive what he feels is the most important skill all students need to be able to succeed. The executive stated that since companies do business with people from all over the world, the workforce needs to respect different cultures and perspectives. He says that finding intelligent people is not hard to do, but finding people sensitive to others is more of a challenge.
#2 Social and Ethical Responsibility on the Web - November addresses the need to teach online responsibility. He doesn't feel that blocking kids from social tools is the solution. Teachers need to talk about topics such as cyber bullying and sexting.
#3 The Permanence of Information posted online - I thought it was surprising to hear that the web is archived every few days, and that students need to be very careful about what they post.
#4 Critical Thinking About the Information Found Online - It was interesting to hear how google ranks its search results. He says that it's a popularity contest and students miss out by not looking at some of the sites that do not appear in the top.
November makes great points in this article. I think it is important for schools to address these topics, but I think parents should also be on board. Schools work hard to monitor what students are doing on the web during the school day. However, at night it can be a free-for-all. It is eye-opening that the web is archived every few days. This conversation about ethics from teachers and reinforced by parents is critical since like November states, we could be saving them from ruining their lives.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Schools Must Validate Artistic Expression
Sir Ken Robinson values creativity. He uses humor, sarcasm, and story telling, to make the point that this is an important part of education. Robinson states that Picasso once said that all children are born artists, but the trick is to remain an artist as we grow up. He feels we are educated out of it over time.
Another difference Robinson brings up between children and adults is the fear factor. Children aren't afraid of taking chances, while adults are afraid to be wrong. This fear limits our originality.
It was interesting to read Robinson's description of academic inflation. We need more and more education to get a good job these days. He feels the whole structure of of education is shifting and this demands for us to rethink our view of intelligence. He states that intelligence is diverse, dynamic, and distinct.
My favorite part of Robinson's article was the story about Gillian Lynne. He interviewed her for the book he was writing about how people discovered their talents. Gillian's mother took her to the doctor because the school thought there was something wrong with her. The doctor asked the mother to watch her child when they left the room. He put the radio on and she began to dance. The doctor's advice to the mother was to take her to dancing school.
The challenge as an educator is to meet the needs of all students at all levels. I think the best we can do is be mindful of all the different learning styles and make our lessons as interactive and stimulating as possible. And to also do our best to accept and celebrate the creativity of our students.
Another difference Robinson brings up between children and adults is the fear factor. Children aren't afraid of taking chances, while adults are afraid to be wrong. This fear limits our originality.
It was interesting to read Robinson's description of academic inflation. We need more and more education to get a good job these days. He feels the whole structure of of education is shifting and this demands for us to rethink our view of intelligence. He states that intelligence is diverse, dynamic, and distinct.
My favorite part of Robinson's article was the story about Gillian Lynne. He interviewed her for the book he was writing about how people discovered their talents. Gillian's mother took her to the doctor because the school thought there was something wrong with her. The doctor asked the mother to watch her child when they left the room. He put the radio on and she began to dance. The doctor's advice to the mother was to take her to dancing school.
The challenge as an educator is to meet the needs of all students at all levels. I think the best we can do is be mindful of all the different learning styles and make our lessons as interactive and stimulating as possible. And to also do our best to accept and celebrate the creativity of our students.
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