Hello Everyone,
I took some notes during the presentations on Saturday on what I appreciated about them, and wish I could have seen more of. See below:
1. Scotti's Presentation
I liked Scotti's presentation because he showed how SL can be used to make learning hands on. I think that he really exemplified the contstructist approach to learning, that makes SL such a great commodity in education. i think that his overall idea is wonderfl, and the breakdown of steps will really help students improve their literacy skills.
Elizabth M.
2. Marie's Presentation
Mani's Jamestown Island has always been my favorite place to visit. Through all my frustrations with SL, I am always still impressed with the way itcan be used to recreate RL settings for learning purposes.
I think that she did a wonderful job explaing how the mission of the island, and the different resources they have located here that help enhance learning.
3. Barbara's Presentation
Barbars provided all of us with some great resources to connct SL with education. I am always impressed with her networking skills, as she always seems to know how to find the right and people and places to acquire the best tools. I am also always impressed with her enthusiasm for SL, which is exemplified through her knowledge and dedication to teaching SL to others.
I tought that her presentation was great, just like her library is great.
4. Trixie's Presentation
I think that Trixie's project really exemplifies how SL can be used to prepare students for RL situations by providing them with the kinds of resources they would never have in RL. I think back to our article on Gaming that we recently read, in which the author talks about how games (VWa) can be used to prepare students for "system thinking" and creative problem solving.
I only wish that her presentation consisted of some images or examples. 4. Trixie's Presentation
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Monday, December 15, 2008
The End...
Alas... the end of the semester has arrived. I have seen many semesters end (no joke, I think that is my 11th or 12 semester of college) and this one truly is different. It is, after all, my final semester as a college undergrad.
I chose to take this course on instructional technologies after attending a seminar by Alan November. At that seminar, Mr. November showed everyone who was there useful tools such as Google Docs, and Skype. I found these tools interesting, but what fascinated me and inspired me to enroll in this course were programs such as EPals, which create global bridges between students all over the world. I thought about how amazing it would be if students were exposed to multiple cultures right there in the classroom long before they entered a world based on a global economy, and thus I decided to study technology in the classroom.
Although this program did not focus on programs such as EPals, or even programs that give teachers and students a place to create podcasts or videos, it did provide me with tools that make me internet savvy enough to seek out and enroll in these programs independtly from my college course.
To address the difference between who I was at the beginning, and who I am now, I feel that I must repeat the word, "independt" from the previous paragraph. The class provided me with not only a variety of technical tools to use in the classroom, but the latest research on learning and student development to be applied in my lesson planning. By taking information from this course and applying it to my lesson, then reflecting and adjusting, I did come to a better understanding of what a teacher does. I feel confident now that I can apply these lessons to my own classroom, without any guidance, and honostly do OK.
I am not naieve to think that I have learned everthing that I need to know to be a teacher (that would make a horrible teacher) but I do believe that thanks to this class I have an understanding of the new "digital native" mind, and I understand what a teacher must do to be accessable to the new kind of student.
Because I took this class at the same time I was student teaching I was saw two ends of an education spectrum. On one end (this class) I witnessed what is new and hip in education, and on the other end I saw what is classic in education. I've thought and thought about the two, and I have come to the conclusion that both deserve a place in education. I believe that my next great challange as a teacher is to bridge a gap between the two, like the use of technology will bridge the gap between students and higher levels of thinking that will extend outside of their classroom.
I never needed this class to graduate, but I have no regrets taking it. I consider this course to have been one great feat towards my own classroom.
I chose to take this course on instructional technologies after attending a seminar by Alan November. At that seminar, Mr. November showed everyone who was there useful tools such as Google Docs, and Skype. I found these tools interesting, but what fascinated me and inspired me to enroll in this course were programs such as EPals, which create global bridges between students all over the world. I thought about how amazing it would be if students were exposed to multiple cultures right there in the classroom long before they entered a world based on a global economy, and thus I decided to study technology in the classroom.
Although this program did not focus on programs such as EPals, or even programs that give teachers and students a place to create podcasts or videos, it did provide me with tools that make me internet savvy enough to seek out and enroll in these programs independtly from my college course.
To address the difference between who I was at the beginning, and who I am now, I feel that I must repeat the word, "independt" from the previous paragraph. The class provided me with not only a variety of technical tools to use in the classroom, but the latest research on learning and student development to be applied in my lesson planning. By taking information from this course and applying it to my lesson, then reflecting and adjusting, I did come to a better understanding of what a teacher does. I feel confident now that I can apply these lessons to my own classroom, without any guidance, and honostly do OK.
I am not naieve to think that I have learned everthing that I need to know to be a teacher (that would make a horrible teacher) but I do believe that thanks to this class I have an understanding of the new "digital native" mind, and I understand what a teacher must do to be accessable to the new kind of student.
Because I took this class at the same time I was student teaching I was saw two ends of an education spectrum. On one end (this class) I witnessed what is new and hip in education, and on the other end I saw what is classic in education. I've thought and thought about the two, and I have come to the conclusion that both deserve a place in education. I believe that my next great challange as a teacher is to bridge a gap between the two, like the use of technology will bridge the gap between students and higher levels of thinking that will extend outside of their classroom.
I never needed this class to graduate, but I have no regrets taking it. I consider this course to have been one great feat towards my own classroom.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Power Point or Database
Which is more difficult to create? The webquest... by a landslide. Technology-wise, I did not find the power point too hard to create, but then again I have been using Word for years, and I am very familiar with the setup. I think that this helped out a lot.
On second thought though- I honostly believe that if I had never seen a computer before, I would have still found the power point to be more user friendly, and less tedious of a task. I think that biggest reason for this is because the power point is created as a presentation, and the webquest is an activity. Even though the the power point must still incorporate some kind of activity, there is a reletively limited amount that you can have students do. A webquest requires activities all the way through, and with activities comes the need for specific directions. I find that being explicit with directions is one of the most difficult aspects of teaching. Eveyone interprets things differently, and it is nearly impossible to ensure understanding amongst every student
Another problem with a webquest is that you are reliant on your sources to by accessible. If for some reason a link becomes dead, or the internet goes down... so does the activity.
Nevertheless, with all of the above said, I do feel that the Webquest is a better tool for teaching, because it requires students to be more active in their learning. Whereas a powerpoint tends to be more passive... no matter how active the presenter tries to make it.
On second thought though- I honostly believe that if I had never seen a computer before, I would have still found the power point to be more user friendly, and less tedious of a task. I think that biggest reason for this is because the power point is created as a presentation, and the webquest is an activity. Even though the the power point must still incorporate some kind of activity, there is a reletively limited amount that you can have students do. A webquest requires activities all the way through, and with activities comes the need for specific directions. I find that being explicit with directions is one of the most difficult aspects of teaching. Eveyone interprets things differently, and it is nearly impossible to ensure understanding amongst every student
Another problem with a webquest is that you are reliant on your sources to by accessible. If for some reason a link becomes dead, or the internet goes down... so does the activity.
Nevertheless, with all of the above said, I do feel that the Webquest is a better tool for teaching, because it requires students to be more active in their learning. Whereas a powerpoint tends to be more passive... no matter how active the presenter tries to make it.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Database
When thinking of databases there is one thought that comes immediatly to mind: hmmm..... I really do not know what I think of these; but perhaps that is my own fault for not researching them enough, or not seeing a wide enough variety of samples. The first site that was posted in our assignments folder (www.teach-nology.com) brought up a very provacative point, when it asked how effective it would be if students could see there grades posted on a database at anytime. The students at the school that I am in now have a program like this, in which they and their parents can access that student's grades at anytime, and it is very effective because the parents are always aware of how their children are doing. In regards to using a database as part of assignment, I guess that would depend on the assignment and the database being used.
Overall, I think that databases are great tools, but I think that they must be carefully planned and designed. They will not be effective if students have not been given proper instruction, or if they do not full understand what it is that database is showing them.
I would really have to think long and hard about how I could implement a database in what I am teaching now. (We are reading Poe) But could see them being a great tool for history and science. With that said, I am not so much afraid of databases as I am indifferent. But, like I said, that may just because I did not research them in as much depth as I could have.
Overall, I think that databases are great tools, but I think that they must be carefully planned and designed. They will not be effective if students have not been given proper instruction, or if they do not full understand what it is that database is showing them.
I would really have to think long and hard about how I could implement a database in what I am teaching now. (We are reading Poe) But could see them being a great tool for history and science. With that said, I am not so much afraid of databases as I am indifferent. But, like I said, that may just because I did not research them in as much depth as I could have.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
My Webquest in Complete...Again
Once again, I did some heavy revision of my Webquest. I cut out the stuff I though was too redundant, and revised the task so it was not so large. I am happy with the result. And as I embark on teaching a unit on Huck Finn, I am very happy that I found the sources I did; they are going to come in very handy.
About making the rubric. I tried to make my rubric mirror my instructions for the Webquest, so that students wouldn't be shocked when they saw how they would be graded. I also tried to eliminate any vague terms. Because we all know that a student's definition of the word "creative" is probably different than the teacher's.
The work for this week was not nearly as overwhelming to me. I think that three weeks is a good amount of time to create and reflect on what makes a good Webquest.
About making the rubric. I tried to make my rubric mirror my instructions for the Webquest, so that students wouldn't be shocked when they saw how they would be graded. I also tried to eliminate any vague terms. Because we all know that a student's definition of the word "creative" is probably different than the teacher's.
The work for this week was not nearly as overwhelming to me. I think that three weeks is a good amount of time to create and reflect on what makes a good Webquest.
Monday, October 6, 2008
The Webquest is Complete!
I did some very heavy revision to my Webquest, and I (think) that I am happy with the result. Making the task clear was kind of tough, as was finding adequate sources, but I think I did it. My instructions were a bit redundent at times, but if there is anything I have learned from teaching is that you must repeat, and repeat again, the directions because at any given time there is a student (or four) in their own world.
In my final product, the students create a trial. This a a far cry more active than the analysis papers I had them write before. I think that this was a step towards the direction of improvement, because the best lessons are those that have students up and out of their seats. I enjoyed creating all the "essential questions" for students to keep in mind. I think that these questions will be a good way to ensure students' understanding, and I was surprised at how natural creating them was.
The area I think that I am lacking the most is with the descriptions of courtroom procedings. I know that I could have been more clear here, but one thing about teaching juniors is that it is good to force them to make their own inferences- so long as the teacher is there to guide them.
I'm not sure if I will actually use this Webquest when I teach Huck Finn next month. I would like to, but one thing about Webquests is that you cannot always guarentee computer access, and it is not always possible to use computers in class.
I look forward to other's feedback on my final product.
In my final product, the students create a trial. This a a far cry more active than the analysis papers I had them write before. I think that this was a step towards the direction of improvement, because the best lessons are those that have students up and out of their seats. I enjoyed creating all the "essential questions" for students to keep in mind. I think that these questions will be a good way to ensure students' understanding, and I was surprised at how natural creating them was.
The area I think that I am lacking the most is with the descriptions of courtroom procedings. I know that I could have been more clear here, but one thing about teaching juniors is that it is good to force them to make their own inferences- so long as the teacher is there to guide them.
I'm not sure if I will actually use this Webquest when I teach Huck Finn next month. I would like to, but one thing about Webquests is that you cannot always guarentee computer access, and it is not always possible to use computers in class.
I look forward to other's feedback on my final product.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Creating a Webquest
Creating a Webquest, though kind of tedious, was not as bad as I thought it would be. Because I am doing my student teaching right now it was not too hard for to come up with a topic. In just another month I will beginning Huck Finn with a junior honors class, and I thought that a Webquest would be a great way to get the students used to doing research as part of a book analysis. I did have a little trouble though coming up with the exact assignment. I thought it would be neat if I had them do little projects in the form of "adventures", but I chose to do essays, because many of these students are concerned with having to write college essays.
I like my assignment, and though it is kind of vague, I think that it is enough for juniors; as hard as it is, I think they need to take more initiative in the form of independent research. I think that my sources may be weak though, and I plan to do a little more research myself for better ones.
Until then...
I like my assignment, and though it is kind of vague, I think that it is enough for juniors; as hard as it is, I think they need to take more initiative in the form of independent research. I think that my sources may be weak though, and I plan to do a little more research myself for better ones.
Until then...
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