http://twitter4teachers.pbworks.com/English-and-Communication-Arts-Teachers
connects people to real teachers on twitter
http://www.planetebook.com/
free online books (could use this to study for West E)
http://www.free.ed.gov/index.cfm
free lesson plans from the US gov
http://www.scrapblog.com/
online scrapbooking
http://youthvoices.net/
place where students distribute/discuss their digital work online - teacher/student collab; really enjoy reading some of the students' works.
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/
where all of the above links were found
http://writingfix.com/
writing resource for teachers/students/writers
http://www.corbettharrison.com/seven_elements.htm
http://www.googlelittrips.com/GoogleLit/Home.html
an experiment in teaching literature in a different way w/google maps
http://www.shmoop.com/literature/
source for students/teachers to help inspire passion about literature; fun, engaging and relatable material
http://www.freerice.com/index.php
for each lit answer you get right Free Rice donates 10 grains of rice through the UN World Food Program to end hunger
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
Reflections on BEDUC 566 #4
Last week in class we shared our observations with children using technology. For most people it seemed that the children they had observed had had positive interactions with technology. A couple of issues were brought up: for children who are not exposed to technology (such as computers, internet), how can we help them so that they can assimilate into a technolocially dominant world?, and also an idea about courtesy/manners in the digital world, why do parents ignore the importance of teaching their children how to interact with others online? As Michael pointed out, there needs to be some parental involvement so kids are clearly misbehaving online (foul/sexually explicit language in WOW).
What I gained most from class last week was a definite urge to make sure I address online manners if I can fit it in somehow to a lesson. Reflecting on Outliers (esp the article about Bill Gates and Joy, etc), I am thinking, how can I create opportunities for my kids, so that they can find a passion and be successful?
For class on Thursday this week we are supposed to have picked our technology articles. I am hoping that we will get more of an idea of what is expected of us in regards to our papers.
What I gained most from class last week was a definite urge to make sure I address online manners if I can fit it in somehow to a lesson. Reflecting on Outliers (esp the article about Bill Gates and Joy, etc), I am thinking, how can I create opportunities for my kids, so that they can find a passion and be successful?
For class on Thursday this week we are supposed to have picked our technology articles. I am hoping that we will get more of an idea of what is expected of us in regards to our papers.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
NR Understanding Youth - N&T ch 12 annotations
Understanding Youth: Adolescent Development for Educators
Ch. 12 : "The Educational Ecology of Adolescent Development"
Nakkula & Toshalis go into Bronfenbrenner's human ecology: "human development [is] comprehensively grounded in contextual interactionism." They explain 4 of the environmental contexts: Microsystem, Mesosystem, Exosystem & Macrosystem.
Margaret Beale Spencer researched how black students perceived cultural influences on them. She is focused on "how" youth interpret cultural influences, from their perspectives rather than just looking at the different systems. Spencer's is a more active approach. It allows teachers/ parents, etc to enter into the struggle with the student and assist, rather than standing at a distance...examining.
Topic of resistance. Herbert Kohl -- "The response [resistance] emerges as youth confront the fact that what they are being asked to learn sometimes entails a denial of what they may already know." p 257
Janelle Dance's 3 gangstas: the hardcore, the hardcore wannabe & the hard enough. Teachers often clump them all together. Teachers must make an effort to tell the difference and learn the language of the street.
Favorite quote: "Humor, patience, and trust are invaluable resources here and are frequently the characteristics students look for in adults they feel possess a certain 'with-it-ness,' who 'get' what it means to be an adolescent today." p260
Ch. 12 : "The Educational Ecology of Adolescent Development"
Nakkula & Toshalis go into Bronfenbrenner's human ecology: "human development [is] comprehensively grounded in contextual interactionism." They explain 4 of the environmental contexts: Microsystem, Mesosystem, Exosystem & Macrosystem.
Margaret Beale Spencer researched how black students perceived cultural influences on them. She is focused on "how" youth interpret cultural influences, from their perspectives rather than just looking at the different systems. Spencer's is a more active approach. It allows teachers/ parents, etc to enter into the struggle with the student and assist, rather than standing at a distance...examining.
Topic of resistance. Herbert Kohl -- "The response [resistance] emerges as youth confront the fact that what they are being asked to learn sometimes entails a denial of what they may already know." p 257
Janelle Dance's 3 gangstas: the hardcore, the hardcore wannabe & the hard enough. Teachers often clump them all together. Teachers must make an effort to tell the difference and learn the language of the street.
Favorite quote: "Humor, patience, and trust are invaluable resources here and are frequently the characteristics students look for in adults they feel possess a certain 'with-it-ness,' who 'get' what it means to be an adolescent today." p260
NR The New American Middle School - Wiles & Bondi annotations
Understanding young people
"A growing body of knowledge shows that what happens to students between the ages of 10 and 14 determines not only their future success in school, but success in life as well." p 28
Wiles & Bondi use Piaget's "formal operations" theory to explain why young adolescents are so self conscious. Due to their newly acquired ability to think about many alternatives can cause adolescents to interpret situations much more complexly than they should be. They become much more aware of themselves and assume that everyone else is paying as much attention to them as they are...making them self conscious.
W&B provide a table for Piaget's "Stages of Development: Middle Years" p 30
ages 7-11: "Thinks out problems previously worked out. Logical thought as evidenced by genuine classification, learning to organize objects into a series; reversing operations (ex. arithmetic)."
ages 11-15: "Comprehends abstract concepts as evidenced by ability to form ideas and reason about the future, ability to handle contrary-to-fact propositions, and ability to develop and test hypotheses."
ages 11-12: substage A prep stage
ages 13-15+ : substage B
W&B work to explain some bad behaviors of adolescents by applying the "imaginary audience" idea. Ex. loud talking, strange clothes, vandalism in school. All of these things are done with audience reaction in mind.
Adolescents tend to believe they are special and will not get in trouble for their acts.
"Adolescent idealism" as it relates to hypocrisy: ability for adolescents to have high moral principles but not act on them=intellectual immaturity, not lack of morals. As youth mature they begin to see the need to work towards ideals. How is this useful knowledge for educators? Educators can better determine punishment (not too harsh, not too soft) if they are properly aware of why adolescents act up.
Charts for physical, social & emotional development provided. Transition and difference are emphasized.
I really enjoyed this poem: "Who Am I? / I have many things I want to say but --/ No one will listen./ I have many things I want to do but --/ No one will let me./ There are so many places I want to go but --/ No one will take me./ And the things I write are corrected but -- No one reads them./ Who am I? -- A Sixth Grader."
Because of adolescents' poor behavior many parents abdicate their duties and depend on schools. Youth need and desire a close family and need the security it brings. This is the worst time for parents to abandon their children.
"A growing body of knowledge shows that what happens to students between the ages of 10 and 14 determines not only their future success in school, but success in life as well." p 28
Wiles & Bondi use Piaget's "formal operations" theory to explain why young adolescents are so self conscious. Due to their newly acquired ability to think about many alternatives can cause adolescents to interpret situations much more complexly than they should be. They become much more aware of themselves and assume that everyone else is paying as much attention to them as they are...making them self conscious.
W&B provide a table for Piaget's "Stages of Development: Middle Years" p 30
ages 7-11: "Thinks out problems previously worked out. Logical thought as evidenced by genuine classification, learning to organize objects into a series; reversing operations (ex. arithmetic)."
ages 11-15: "Comprehends abstract concepts as evidenced by ability to form ideas and reason about the future, ability to handle contrary-to-fact propositions, and ability to develop and test hypotheses."
ages 11-12: substage A prep stage
ages 13-15+ : substage B
W&B work to explain some bad behaviors of adolescents by applying the "imaginary audience" idea. Ex. loud talking, strange clothes, vandalism in school. All of these things are done with audience reaction in mind.
Adolescents tend to believe they are special and will not get in trouble for their acts.
"Adolescent idealism" as it relates to hypocrisy: ability for adolescents to have high moral principles but not act on them=intellectual immaturity, not lack of morals. As youth mature they begin to see the need to work towards ideals. How is this useful knowledge for educators? Educators can better determine punishment (not too harsh, not too soft) if they are properly aware of why adolescents act up.
Charts for physical, social & emotional development provided. Transition and difference are emphasized.
I really enjoyed this poem: "Who Am I? / I have many things I want to say but --/ No one will listen./ I have many things I want to do but --/ No one will let me./ There are so many places I want to go but --/ No one will take me./ And the things I write are corrected but -- No one reads them./ Who am I? -- A Sixth Grader."
Because of adolescents' poor behavior many parents abdicate their duties and depend on schools. Youth need and desire a close family and need the security it brings. This is the worst time for parents to abandon their children.
NR The Process of Education - Bruner annotations
3 stages of the intellectual development of a child:
1. preoperational stage - trial-and-error in nature; child cannot grasp the concept of reversibility; merely active learning
2. stage of concrete operations - operational learning; child can do trial-and-error in its head (internal); logic of relations; only immediate present reality
3. stage of formal operations - ability to operate on hypothetical propositions
According to Bruner, when a person learns any subject matter there are 3 processes of learning involved. These processes combine to make an "episode" of learning. (curriculum unit)
3 processes of learning:
1. acquisition - collection of new info; usually it is info that contradicts what a person believed intuitively
2. transformation - application of new knowledge towards a new problem
3. evaluation - a check to see if new knowledge fit the different task
There is a problem with depending on grades as the only reward for learning. How are children going to self motivate when they graduate and no longer receive grades? Idea of "spiral curriculum"
Favorite quote: "If the hypothesis with which this section was introduced is true - that any subject can be taught to any child in some honest form - then it should follow that a curriculum ought to be built around the great issues, principles, and values that a society deems worthy of the continual concern of its members." p52
1. preoperational stage - trial-and-error in nature; child cannot grasp the concept of reversibility; merely active learning
2. stage of concrete operations - operational learning; child can do trial-and-error in its head (internal); logic of relations; only immediate present reality
3. stage of formal operations - ability to operate on hypothetical propositions
According to Bruner, when a person learns any subject matter there are 3 processes of learning involved. These processes combine to make an "episode" of learning. (curriculum unit)
3 processes of learning:
1. acquisition - collection of new info; usually it is info that contradicts what a person believed intuitively
2. transformation - application of new knowledge towards a new problem
3. evaluation - a check to see if new knowledge fit the different task
There is a problem with depending on grades as the only reward for learning. How are children going to self motivate when they graduate and no longer receive grades? Idea of "spiral curriculum"
Favorite quote: "If the hypothesis with which this section was introduced is true - that any subject can be taught to any child in some honest form - then it should follow that a curriculum ought to be built around the great issues, principles, and values that a society deems worthy of the continual concern of its members." p52
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Reflections on BEDUC 566 #3
This week class was pretty relaxed. The main thing that we worked on was our digital stories.
I learned how to add some music that I found earlier on the Internet. Bobby helped, but I figured out most everything on my own.
What I want to learn how to do is add my voice to the story. I have a short storyline that I would like to read and have the music softly playing in the background. Hopefully we will get that covered next week.
What I am most interested in for next week is talking about the significance of social activity w/ relation to chapter one & two of Gladwell's Outliers. Both of these chapters illustrated a different type of success. Both forms of success were related to social activity. Chapter one was more direct, but chapter two was kind of contradictory. At once Gladwell states that computer programming is a field that is not filled with "the old boys," so you advance because of your own talent. However, Gladwell then said that the boys who were successful (Joy & Gates) were given opportunities. The opportunities were the result of social connections. I am looking forward to our class discussion.
I learned how to add some music that I found earlier on the Internet. Bobby helped, but I figured out most everything on my own.
What I want to learn how to do is add my voice to the story. I have a short storyline that I would like to read and have the music softly playing in the background. Hopefully we will get that covered next week.
What I am most interested in for next week is talking about the significance of social activity w/ relation to chapter one & two of Gladwell's Outliers. Both of these chapters illustrated a different type of success. Both forms of success were related to social activity. Chapter one was more direct, but chapter two was kind of contradictory. At once Gladwell states that computer programming is a field that is not filled with "the old boys," so you advance because of your own talent. However, Gladwell then said that the boys who were successful (Joy & Gates) were given opportunities. The opportunities were the result of social connections. I am looking forward to our class discussion.
METEDL #7
Today's technology experiences? Called Spain to find about about bedding in a hotel room. Got calls, several...used a fax machine, made coffee, made tea, used a calculator for currency exchange calculations & sq meter to sq ft calculations, drove my car, turned on a light, and have been using the Internet all morning long.
Last night we watched a movie off of the laptop from Netflix. It was great, called "The Woods."
I must say that I have changed my view on technology. I was always last to get the new thing. My friends bugged me forever to get a cell phone. They didn't want to leave messages on a landline all the time. We have a used, super old laptop handed down from my father-in-law. We would've never bought one (a computer) on our own. We have a tv from my grandparents. It is really nice actually, from JCPenny's from the 60's. It has wood (real wood) around it. We don't have cable. But this is at home. I can see the benefits in working in an environment surrounded by technology now. When I first started my job, I was definitely scared by it, but I was also confident that I could handle whatever I needed to. I am more curious about technology now. I just recently got a Kindle and I love it.
At work, I can feel connected to everyone. At home it is more isolated. I am happy with this divide. I personally like not being super available at home. It is my place to relax. I kind of get the best of both worlds. I get my social need taken care of during the day at work and I get my quiet alone with my husband time, or alone by myself time, at home.
Last night we watched a movie off of the laptop from Netflix. It was great, called "The Woods."
I must say that I have changed my view on technology. I was always last to get the new thing. My friends bugged me forever to get a cell phone. They didn't want to leave messages on a landline all the time. We have a used, super old laptop handed down from my father-in-law. We would've never bought one (a computer) on our own. We have a tv from my grandparents. It is really nice actually, from JCPenny's from the 60's. It has wood (real wood) around it. We don't have cable. But this is at home. I can see the benefits in working in an environment surrounded by technology now. When I first started my job, I was definitely scared by it, but I was also confident that I could handle whatever I needed to. I am more curious about technology now. I just recently got a Kindle and I love it.
At work, I can feel connected to everyone. At home it is more isolated. I am happy with this divide. I personally like not being super available at home. It is my place to relax. I kind of get the best of both worlds. I get my social need taken care of during the day at work and I get my quiet alone with my husband time, or alone by myself time, at home.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
"Outliers:The Story of Success" annotations
Chapter one: "The Roseto Mystery"
Why were the citizens of Roseto Pennsylvania so much healthier than any of their neighbors? What made them "outliers," or different from the rest?
In chapter one, Malcolm Gladwell focuses on the importance of social activity to our general health. The citizens of Roseto were not eating any healthier, being more active than others and although they had all immigrated from Roseto, Italy, their relatives living in Italy still were not particularly healthy like they were. Physician Stewart Wolf found that the main difference was how these people interacted with/care for each other. Large families lived together under one roof, neighbors cooked for each other...they all communicated with one another. The Rosetans "had created a powerful, protective social structure capable of insulating them from the pressures of the modern world."p9
Favorite quote: "[T]he values of the world we inhabit and the people we surround ourselves with have a profound effect on who we are." pg 11
The success in this story was the success of being healthy and living a long life.
Chapter two focuses on financial success.
The outlier in this chapter is the field of computer programming. According to Gladwell, this is a field where you rise up the ladder merely on your talent, your family could not buy your success in this field.
However, Gladwell seems to contradict himself. You cannot exactly be poor to succeed. You have to be presented with opportunities to "practice your 10,000 [paraphrased]." If you are poor you aren't going to have the ability (like Gates) to attend Lakeside, a private school with a computer. You also have to be born at the right time (to be financially successful).
For me, the main focus on chapter two was on the idea that talent is necessary, but practice is the most important and luck (opportunities to practice) is necessary as well. For someone to have a lot of success, they must have a little talent (that will get them focused on a certain area, ex: Beatles=music, Gates/Joy=computers/math)...then they have to have someone who supports this talent (by giving them opportunities to practice).
Favorite quote: "[W]hat truly distinguishes their histories is not their extraordinary talent but their extraordinary opportunities."
Why were the citizens of Roseto Pennsylvania so much healthier than any of their neighbors? What made them "outliers," or different from the rest?
In chapter one, Malcolm Gladwell focuses on the importance of social activity to our general health. The citizens of Roseto were not eating any healthier, being more active than others and although they had all immigrated from Roseto, Italy, their relatives living in Italy still were not particularly healthy like they were. Physician Stewart Wolf found that the main difference was how these people interacted with/care for each other. Large families lived together under one roof, neighbors cooked for each other...they all communicated with one another. The Rosetans "had created a powerful, protective social structure capable of insulating them from the pressures of the modern world."p9
Favorite quote: "[T]he values of the world we inhabit and the people we surround ourselves with have a profound effect on who we are." pg 11
The success in this story was the success of being healthy and living a long life.
Chapter two focuses on financial success.
The outlier in this chapter is the field of computer programming. According to Gladwell, this is a field where you rise up the ladder merely on your talent, your family could not buy your success in this field.
However, Gladwell seems to contradict himself. You cannot exactly be poor to succeed. You have to be presented with opportunities to "practice your 10,000 [paraphrased]." If you are poor you aren't going to have the ability (like Gates) to attend Lakeside, a private school with a computer. You also have to be born at the right time (to be financially successful).
For me, the main focus on chapter two was on the idea that talent is necessary, but practice is the most important and luck (opportunities to practice) is necessary as well. For someone to have a lot of success, they must have a little talent (that will get them focused on a certain area, ex: Beatles=music, Gates/Joy=computers/math)...then they have to have someone who supports this talent (by giving them opportunities to practice).
Favorite quote: "[W]hat truly distinguishes their histories is not their extraordinary talent but their extraordinary opportunities."
METEDL #6
Almost done with my week of blogging about technology.
One thing that I am noticing with my technology-related experiences at work is that technology makes me feel really busy. I actually am not that busy at work, it is slow season.
When I am reading an article online (Seattle PI), the phone rings, I click out of the paper and start to work. After I am done putting some trip together, I don't click back to the article I was originally reading, because I found something else. Eventually I might get back to the original article, but most likely, unless it was really interesting, I won't. This leaves me feeling unfinished, like there's still a lot of stuff for me to get done. Sometimes I interrupt myself. I read part of an article and then I get a notice that someone has emailed me, I stop what I am doing and check my email...then get back to the article, or check Facebook. I can see that you would develop a certain skill from all of this. After time you figure out what really matters and you are aware of how much time you can waste reading articles that don't matter and click out and start fresh with new, more important things when you need/want to.
We just had to sign up for blackboard...so that is yet another thing to check up on. Now I have blackboard, facebook (class site/student site/my site), twitter, catalyst (for 556), our class website, my blog, am I forgetting anything? I am starting to feel overwhelmed, but I am also glad that I do have some time at work to check some of these things. It will be more difficult in Spring.
One thing that I am noticing with my technology-related experiences at work is that technology makes me feel really busy. I actually am not that busy at work, it is slow season.
When I am reading an article online (Seattle PI), the phone rings, I click out of the paper and start to work. After I am done putting some trip together, I don't click back to the article I was originally reading, because I found something else. Eventually I might get back to the original article, but most likely, unless it was really interesting, I won't. This leaves me feeling unfinished, like there's still a lot of stuff for me to get done. Sometimes I interrupt myself. I read part of an article and then I get a notice that someone has emailed me, I stop what I am doing and check my email...then get back to the article, or check Facebook. I can see that you would develop a certain skill from all of this. After time you figure out what really matters and you are aware of how much time you can waste reading articles that don't matter and click out and start fresh with new, more important things when you need/want to.
We just had to sign up for blackboard...so that is yet another thing to check up on. Now I have blackboard, facebook (class site/student site/my site), twitter, catalyst (for 556), our class website, my blog, am I forgetting anything? I am starting to feel overwhelmed, but I am also glad that I do have some time at work to check some of these things. It will be more difficult in Spring.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
METEDL #5
Today I am back in the office and am using many different devices. I have used the phone several times already, the fax machine and of course my computer. I have tweeted, Facebooked, checked my email in both email accounts (personal & work accounts), used paradox (our work software), and read some news.
I have found that Twitter gets overloaded super often. It is a little annoying. I found out that a friend of mine on Facebook has a Twitter account and wants to follow me. I told her that I would follow her as well. Some people from our class are still actively using Twitter, so that is kind of fun...following some of their ideas.
I definitely feel more productive at work. Technology is used for entertainment, but it is also necessary to complete tasks at work. It is a pretty even balance of both.
I have found that Twitter gets overloaded super often. It is a little annoying. I found out that a friend of mine on Facebook has a Twitter account and wants to follow me. I told her that I would follow her as well. Some people from our class are still actively using Twitter, so that is kind of fun...following some of their ideas.
I definitely feel more productive at work. Technology is used for entertainment, but it is also necessary to complete tasks at work. It is a pretty even balance of both.
Monday, October 12, 2009
METEDL #4
Since I only work Tues-Fri, my experiences with technology from Sat-Mo are quite different than for the rest of the week. We have a slow Internet connection at home and that is definitely a deterrent. Usually we do watch netflix movies, like last night (I watched a movie called "Let the Right One In"), that usually work fine (but sometimes stop during the movie and we just have to wait it out). I only use the computer when I really have to (if I need directions somewhere, or if I have an assignment and do not feel like going to the library).
Mondays I volunteer downtown at a women's shelter. I am planning on stopping by the library and asking about recommendations for a struggling reader. Before I leave I was planning on googling "Safeway gas station" to find a location near me. I got a Safeway gift card and want to use it for gas instead of food. Today will be similar to Sat & Sunday in that it will be relatively low tech for me. I should have a more interesting journal entry on Tuesday, when I go back to work.
Mondays I volunteer downtown at a women's shelter. I am planning on stopping by the library and asking about recommendations for a struggling reader. Before I leave I was planning on googling "Safeway gas station" to find a location near me. I got a Safeway gift card and want to use it for gas instead of food. Today will be similar to Sat & Sunday in that it will be relatively low tech for me. I should have a more interesting journal entry on Tuesday, when I go back to work.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
NR Cooper article annotations
"Reading, Writing, and Reflection", David D. Cooper
The "critical incident journal" is meant as a means for students' self-monitoring & personal exploration. It has 3 steps: student must describe his/her role in the "incident,"analyze the incident and talk about what impact the incident had on him/her.
Cooper, like Cone & Harris, addresses the transformative nature of service learning. Furthermore, Cooper asserts that educators not push students to change certain beliefs (as in the case of conservative "Rudy"), but rather ask them to evaluate/elaborate on the beliefs they hold.
Kolb's experiential learning cycle: Concrete experiences --> Reflection --> Abstract conceptualization --> Active experimentation --> Concrete experiences...
Dewey's "forked-road" : students see that there might be a problem with a belief they are holding, they are forced to reexamine it.
The 4 Cs of Reflection (Eyler, Giles & Schmiede): continuous in time frame, connected to the "big picture," challenges assumptions, contextualized in design/setting. They stress that reflection activities must be adapted to meet different students' learning styles, they should, therefore, include a variety of reflection activities.
Favorite quote: "Dewey reminds us that we all have the tendency to believe that which is in harmony with desire." p96
The "critical incident journal" is meant as a means for students' self-monitoring & personal exploration. It has 3 steps: student must describe his/her role in the "incident,"analyze the incident and talk about what impact the incident had on him/her.
Cooper, like Cone & Harris, addresses the transformative nature of service learning. Furthermore, Cooper asserts that educators not push students to change certain beliefs (as in the case of conservative "Rudy"), but rather ask them to evaluate/elaborate on the beliefs they hold.
Kolb's experiential learning cycle: Concrete experiences --> Reflection --> Abstract conceptualization --> Active experimentation --> Concrete experiences...
Dewey's "forked-road" : students see that there might be a problem with a belief they are holding, they are forced to reexamine it.
The 4 Cs of Reflection (Eyler, Giles & Schmiede): continuous in time frame, connected to the "big picture," challenges assumptions, contextualized in design/setting. They stress that reflection activities must be adapted to meet different students' learning styles, they should, therefore, include a variety of reflection activities.
Favorite quote: "Dewey reminds us that we all have the tendency to believe that which is in harmony with desire." p96
NR Cone & Harris article annotations
"Service Learning Practice: Developing a Theoretical Framework"
Cone & Harris's article works to explain the transformational nature of service learning experiences. They caution educators about simply requiring volunteering without having students reflect on their experiences and without being challenged to expand their thinkings. Academic questions and journals are necessary and educators need to assist in the learning from experiential opportunities.
According to C & H, the goal of service learning is: "to help students constantly critique, evaluate and build on knowledge and move to intellectually 'higher ground' and, at the same time, continue to critically examine their roles within our complex and diverse society." p37
Educators need to be aware that students bring their own assumptions/beliefs into the community where they are to volunteer. If students are not made to challenge these beliefs, their experiences may simply validate preconceived notions/prejudices.
Cone & Harris explain Bruner's idea of "cognitive arousal." Our idea of the world is challenged by experience in new environments. We need to adjust our understandings. "Reconceptualization" is a process of formulating new hypotheses and testing them. p33
Paulo Freire, "Knowledge emerges only through invention and re-invention, through restless, impatient, continuing, hopeful inquiry human beings pursue in the world." (1994, p53).
"Cultural learning" is described as having 3 steps by William Tierney (1993):
Stepping out of the students familiar world and into one that in unfamiliar, developing the ability to listen (so that we may better understand others' views), and understanding the needs of others.
David Lewis's knowledge model. (1990) He describes knowledge as the "intersection of two planes," Observation/experiences (x,y) and Theory (a,b)
Cone & Harris's article works to explain the transformational nature of service learning experiences. They caution educators about simply requiring volunteering without having students reflect on their experiences and without being challenged to expand their thinkings. Academic questions and journals are necessary and educators need to assist in the learning from experiential opportunities.
According to C & H, the goal of service learning is: "to help students constantly critique, evaluate and build on knowledge and move to intellectually 'higher ground' and, at the same time, continue to critically examine their roles within our complex and diverse society." p37
Educators need to be aware that students bring their own assumptions/beliefs into the community where they are to volunteer. If students are not made to challenge these beliefs, their experiences may simply validate preconceived notions/prejudices.
Cone & Harris explain Bruner's idea of "cognitive arousal." Our idea of the world is challenged by experience in new environments. We need to adjust our understandings. "Reconceptualization" is a process of formulating new hypotheses and testing them. p33
Paulo Freire, "Knowledge emerges only through invention and re-invention, through restless, impatient, continuing, hopeful inquiry human beings pursue in the world." (1994, p53).
"Cultural learning" is described as having 3 steps by William Tierney (1993):
Stepping out of the students familiar world and into one that in unfamiliar, developing the ability to listen (so that we may better understand others' views), and understanding the needs of others.
David Lewis's knowledge model. (1990) He describes knowledge as the "intersection of two planes," Observation/experiences (x,y) and Theory (a,b)
NR Bringle & Hatcher article annotations
"Reflections in Service Learning: Making Meaning of Experience"
Bringle & Hatcher focus their article on the importance of reflection in service learning and how it can answer the needs in education that traditional methods cannot meet.
Service learning is: an education experience where students volunteer in the community in order to fulfill a community need & reflect on that experience & how it relates to their particular college course.
Two limitations of traditional teaching methods are: "context specific learning" and the "shallow nature of the content" taught ("it does not promote personal understanding"). Service learning is an example of an"active learning strategy."
John Dewey, philosopher - experience is just as important as theory. "[I]t is only in experience that any theory has vital and verifiable significance." B&H p84 Introduction to Service Learning Toolkit.
According to Dewey, experiences can be either educative or miseducative. Communication, esp. face-to-face, is the key to creating educative experiences.
4 specific conditions are necessary (Dewey) to max. the chance that experience learning is educative: "it must generate interest in the learner, it must be intrinsically worthwhile to the learner, it must present problems that awaken new curiosity and create a demand for information, and it must cover a considerable time span and foster development over time."
3 principles of Dewey's educational philosophy: "education must lead to personal growth, education must contribute to humane conditions, and education must engage citizens in association with one another."
Types of reflection for service learning: Journals, Experiential research paper, Ethical case study, Directed readings, Class presentation and Electronic reflection.
3 distinct types of knowledge (Altman): content knowledge, process knowledge (skills), and socially relevant knowledge.
Beduc556 requirements for our service learning experience: Reflective paper, reflective journal, use journal to analyze how my experience relates to course readings/discussions.
Bringle & Hatcher focus their article on the importance of reflection in service learning and how it can answer the needs in education that traditional methods cannot meet.
Service learning is: an education experience where students volunteer in the community in order to fulfill a community need & reflect on that experience & how it relates to their particular college course.
Two limitations of traditional teaching methods are: "context specific learning" and the "shallow nature of the content" taught ("it does not promote personal understanding"). Service learning is an example of an"active learning strategy."
John Dewey, philosopher - experience is just as important as theory. "[I]t is only in experience that any theory has vital and verifiable significance." B&H p84 Introduction to Service Learning Toolkit.
According to Dewey, experiences can be either educative or miseducative. Communication, esp. face-to-face, is the key to creating educative experiences.
4 specific conditions are necessary (Dewey) to max. the chance that experience learning is educative: "it must generate interest in the learner, it must be intrinsically worthwhile to the learner, it must present problems that awaken new curiosity and create a demand for information, and it must cover a considerable time span and foster development over time."
3 principles of Dewey's educational philosophy: "education must lead to personal growth, education must contribute to humane conditions, and education must engage citizens in association with one another."
Types of reflection for service learning: Journals, Experiential research paper, Ethical case study, Directed readings, Class presentation and Electronic reflection.
3 distinct types of knowledge (Altman): content knowledge, process knowledge (skills), and socially relevant knowledge.
Beduc556 requirements for our service learning experience: Reflective paper, reflective journal, use journal to analyze how my experience relates to course readings/discussions.
NR Nakkula & Toshalis Understanding Youth annotations
Chapter 1:"The Construction of Adolescence"
Important concepts:
Theorhetical Imagination: involves youth using prior knowledge obtained from multiple sources and applying it to an idea of what might be (their future). No tabula rassa here, students always come to high school with outside knowledge.
Construction of Adolescence: the process of youth building who they are and building the unique world they live in.
Lev Vygotsky's Interpsychological Development: in order for teachers to do their job effectively, there must be a "mind bridge" linking students' and teachers' minds.
Vygotsky's Scaffolding: structures/specific strategies that help students move up in their development. New learning is built off of old learning and how it is organized.
Vygotsky's ZPD: Zone of Proximal Development, is the relationship between what a student can learn/do on his own versus what the student needs assistance in order to accomplish. The most learning occurs when students are stretched to their outer most level of ZPD. Teachers have to get to know their students through the mind bridge so that they can figure out how much a student should be challenged.
Interpersonal Development: how students learn to "become healthy social beings."
Reciprocal Transformation: personal development that occurs between student-teacher interactions. Students grow as a consequence of what they learn through social interactions w/ teachers/peers. Teachers grow as a consequence of what they learn from their interactions with their students. Idea of coauthorship.
Favorite quote from chapter 1: "The fragility of this relationship (between Antwon & Ms. Petersen) and either the peril or possibility tied to its outcomes highlight how vital it is that educators understand their work as a co-constructive, reciprocally transformative process." p15
Important concepts:
Theorhetical Imagination: involves youth using prior knowledge obtained from multiple sources and applying it to an idea of what might be (their future). No tabula rassa here, students always come to high school with outside knowledge.
Construction of Adolescence: the process of youth building who they are and building the unique world they live in.
Lev Vygotsky's Interpsychological Development: in order for teachers to do their job effectively, there must be a "mind bridge" linking students' and teachers' minds.
Vygotsky's Scaffolding: structures/specific strategies that help students move up in their development. New learning is built off of old learning and how it is organized.
Vygotsky's ZPD: Zone of Proximal Development, is the relationship between what a student can learn/do on his own versus what the student needs assistance in order to accomplish. The most learning occurs when students are stretched to their outer most level of ZPD. Teachers have to get to know their students through the mind bridge so that they can figure out how much a student should be challenged.
Interpersonal Development: how students learn to "become healthy social beings."
Reciprocal Transformation: personal development that occurs between student-teacher interactions. Students grow as a consequence of what they learn through social interactions w/ teachers/peers. Teachers grow as a consequence of what they learn from their interactions with their students. Idea of coauthorship.
Favorite quote from chapter 1: "The fragility of this relationship (between Antwon & Ms. Petersen) and either the peril or possibility tied to its outcomes highlight how vital it is that educators understand their work as a co-constructive, reciprocally transformative process." p15
METEDL #3
Today's experiences with technology? A bit frustrating! I have a bad Internet connection at the moment. I had wanted to blog my annotations for the last chapter of Hine's The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager, but I couldn't pull up anything for the longest time. I ended up writing down my annotations on the printout of my annotations for pp 1-56. Finally it seems to be working now (the Internet connection is stronger), so I was just able to post my annotations for later reading purposes.
After I post this, I will probably just leave the laptop on while I go out on the balcony to read ch 1 of Nakkula & Toshalis's Understanding Youth: Adolescent Development for Educators. I might go to work later today to print out the readings for this coming Thursday, or I might wait until Monday to do that. We'll see. I feel like listening to some music, so I will turn the record player on (yes we have a record player) and do some more reading.
After I post this, I will probably just leave the laptop on while I go out on the balcony to read ch 1 of Nakkula & Toshalis's Understanding Youth: Adolescent Development for Educators. I might go to work later today to print out the readings for this coming Thursday, or I might wait until Monday to do that. We'll see. I feel like listening to some music, so I will turn the record player on (yes we have a record player) and do some more reading.
NR Hine pp138-157 annotations
Chapter eight - "The Invention of High School"
Justification for going into the history of the American High School: "Without high school, there are no teenagers." p139
Favorite quote from this chapter: "The principal reason high schools now enroll nearly all teenagers is that we can't imagine what else they might do." p157
Hine talks about the morphing of education from the early 1800s to 1894 (when the Harvard Committee of 10 set standards for all American High Schools, changing them forever). Influence of parents' wishes on schools is addressed and explained (everyone wants their child to receive an education equal to that of elite children). 1828 Labor Movement is summarized. Booker T. Washington and the new freedom of education for ex-slaves. Dependence on textbooks is explained (too many subjects offered and too few teachers). 1860s began the idea that students would have to fit the school's schedule, instead of vice-versa. The new irrelevance of the junior high school. Schools become standardized and become a prep for college rather than a prep for life. 1862 Morrill Act - Land Grant colleges start to take the place of high schools because high schools did not properly educate youth in the Midwest. This is what lead to colleges having such an influence over high schools. Schools become a form of police/social control.
Most important idea: because of standardization of the high schools, not all kids' needs were getting addressed. Kids were made to fit into the schools' needs (the colleges' needs).
Justification for going into the history of the American High School: "Without high school, there are no teenagers." p139
Favorite quote from this chapter: "The principal reason high schools now enroll nearly all teenagers is that we can't imagine what else they might do." p157
Hine talks about the morphing of education from the early 1800s to 1894 (when the Harvard Committee of 10 set standards for all American High Schools, changing them forever). Influence of parents' wishes on schools is addressed and explained (everyone wants their child to receive an education equal to that of elite children). 1828 Labor Movement is summarized. Booker T. Washington and the new freedom of education for ex-slaves. Dependence on textbooks is explained (too many subjects offered and too few teachers). 1860s began the idea that students would have to fit the school's schedule, instead of vice-versa. The new irrelevance of the junior high school. Schools become standardized and become a prep for college rather than a prep for life. 1862 Morrill Act - Land Grant colleges start to take the place of high schools because high schools did not properly educate youth in the Midwest. This is what lead to colleges having such an influence over high schools. Schools become a form of police/social control.
Most important idea: because of standardization of the high schools, not all kids' needs were getting addressed. Kids were made to fit into the schools' needs (the colleges' needs).
Saturday, October 10, 2009
METEDL #2.5
Today my only uses for technology were for entertainment. I watched 3 netflix movies off of my computer: My Little Eye, some Steven Seagal movie, and Tamara.
The rest of my day was technology free (outside of 3 phone calls).
The rest of my day was technology free (outside of 3 phone calls).
METEDL #2
My experiences with technology today? Well, being that it is Saturday (and I don't work on the weekends), it is fairly limited.
After I woke up I picked up the paper and opened it to read the headlines. I made some tea and just sat for about 30 mins. Next I decided I should take a shower and actually wake up. Haven't finished the paper yet. Wrote a thank you note to my mother-in-law and her fiance for some presents they brought us back from D.C.
This blog is the only thing I've done online thus far. I have to get some serious reading done today. I want to finish Hine's The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager, read 3 articles for my Ad Dev class and maybe walk to the library later. We'll see what I get done.
Looking back at my usual weekend trend I would have to say this one is looking like it is going to fall into the norm. I tend to either go down to visit my parents (if my husband is going on a fishing trip) and also visit my Tacoma friends while I am down there. If I don't feel like driving 45 mins south, I stay home and pick up the place. If my husband stays home we usually go out hiking or walking somewhere (we like Gold Bar). Last time we went to Monte Cristo.
Although my husband is out fishing this weekend I have decided to stay home. I do like having the place all to myself today. I can listen to music or just listen to the noise from outside and complete certain tasks at my own super slow weekend pace.
On my agenda today, besides all the reading? finding some way to kill these stupid fruit flies. I don't know where they came from, but they are really annoying. I might google some suggestions and see if I find a technique that works.
I would be surprised if my Sunday turned out to be more productive than today. Sundays are usually my mega lazy days. We'll see.
After I woke up I picked up the paper and opened it to read the headlines. I made some tea and just sat for about 30 mins. Next I decided I should take a shower and actually wake up. Haven't finished the paper yet. Wrote a thank you note to my mother-in-law and her fiance for some presents they brought us back from D.C.
This blog is the only thing I've done online thus far. I have to get some serious reading done today. I want to finish Hine's The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager, read 3 articles for my Ad Dev class and maybe walk to the library later. We'll see what I get done.
Looking back at my usual weekend trend I would have to say this one is looking like it is going to fall into the norm. I tend to either go down to visit my parents (if my husband is going on a fishing trip) and also visit my Tacoma friends while I am down there. If I don't feel like driving 45 mins south, I stay home and pick up the place. If my husband stays home we usually go out hiking or walking somewhere (we like Gold Bar). Last time we went to Monte Cristo.
Although my husband is out fishing this weekend I have decided to stay home. I do like having the place all to myself today. I can listen to music or just listen to the noise from outside and complete certain tasks at my own super slow weekend pace.
On my agenda today, besides all the reading? finding some way to kill these stupid fruit flies. I don't know where they came from, but they are really annoying. I might google some suggestions and see if I find a technique that works.
I would be surprised if my Sunday turned out to be more productive than today. Sundays are usually my mega lazy days. We'll see.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Observation of a Child Using Technology
While at a women's shelter in Seattle I was spontaneously able to view a child using a computer. We were in the shelter's small library and he had scored some time for himself on the time sheet. He was a young boy, about 7 or 8 years old. (I was actually trying to fill out a report on my tutoring I had done with someone else and that is why I was in the library.)
As I continued watching him, he seemed to get very frustrated and started pushing the keyboard buttons loudly. He noticed me at a desk nearby and came over. He told me that he wanted to find a computer game to play and couldn't. He asked me (very politely) how to spell "boxing." I told him, and then he went back to the computer. He continued moving the mouse around and typing and again got frustrated. He asked if I could help him find a game to play. I went with him to the computer and sat in a nearby seat. I asked him to type in "boxing games" and he tried to get me to do it for him. He was visibly upset and maybe a little embarrassed that he didn't understand how to find what he wanted. Since he was so upset I agreed to type it in. I read out loud what I was typing. I showed him that I didn't know exactly how to do it either. We found some games online, but they would cost money to play. I encouraged him to search for other games that were free, and showed him a yahoo page with all games. I also let him know that the computer was old and slow and that he would need to have patience if he wanted to continue using it. Then I left him alone and went back to filling out my report. I continued watching him. Although he never seemed to fully get over his frustration, he still stayed at the computer for quite some time. Eventually he bored of it and went outside to play basketball.
This encounter caused me to reflect on Jenkin's idea of the "participation gap." For this particular child there were two problems presented. The first was obvious, he had problems spelling and therefore could not properly use the search bar to find what he wanted. The second problem was that the technology he had access to was outdated and did not function properly. If the shelter were able to acquire a better computer with a faster Internet connection, it might've been easier for him to click from one game to the next. He would have had an easier time just trying to search. Instead he had to wait every few minutes while the computer was stuck on something he had typed earlier.
Unfortunately for the boy he was left with a feeling of frustration where he was trying to find joy. I spent some time considering what I would do if I were this child's teacher. I think if I had more time with him (if I were assigned to tutor him instead of the family I am working with now) I would work on phonics/spelling and show him how a search bar can be helpful even if one does not know how to spell a word. I found that if you type "bocksing" into the yahoo search bar, both "bocking" and "boxing" come up. The child would have only two choices here and through trial and error he would eventually find what he was looking for.
For this particular boy, who is very sensitive and easy to anger, I think that it would be important to help him gain self esteem through active learning (trial and error). We would have to focus on learning how to search and navigate through the web and I would have to make it clear that I am also learning, just as he is. I would also try to seek his advise on certain topics. For instance, I do not know anything about boxing or basketball. I have found working at the shelter that the idea of teaching the tutor is very exciting and appealing to the children there. I would also have to be very careful not to do everything for this child. It was clear to me that he is a child who is used to having adults solve his problems for him. If he is ever to grow up and be able to succeed in life, he has to learn how to learn and he has to also learn that it is okay to make mistakes.
As I continued watching him, he seemed to get very frustrated and started pushing the keyboard buttons loudly. He noticed me at a desk nearby and came over. He told me that he wanted to find a computer game to play and couldn't. He asked me (very politely) how to spell "boxing." I told him, and then he went back to the computer. He continued moving the mouse around and typing and again got frustrated. He asked if I could help him find a game to play. I went with him to the computer and sat in a nearby seat. I asked him to type in "boxing games" and he tried to get me to do it for him. He was visibly upset and maybe a little embarrassed that he didn't understand how to find what he wanted. Since he was so upset I agreed to type it in. I read out loud what I was typing. I showed him that I didn't know exactly how to do it either. We found some games online, but they would cost money to play. I encouraged him to search for other games that were free, and showed him a yahoo page with all games. I also let him know that the computer was old and slow and that he would need to have patience if he wanted to continue using it. Then I left him alone and went back to filling out my report. I continued watching him. Although he never seemed to fully get over his frustration, he still stayed at the computer for quite some time. Eventually he bored of it and went outside to play basketball.
This encounter caused me to reflect on Jenkin's idea of the "participation gap." For this particular child there were two problems presented. The first was obvious, he had problems spelling and therefore could not properly use the search bar to find what he wanted. The second problem was that the technology he had access to was outdated and did not function properly. If the shelter were able to acquire a better computer with a faster Internet connection, it might've been easier for him to click from one game to the next. He would have had an easier time just trying to search. Instead he had to wait every few minutes while the computer was stuck on something he had typed earlier.
Unfortunately for the boy he was left with a feeling of frustration where he was trying to find joy. I spent some time considering what I would do if I were this child's teacher. I think if I had more time with him (if I were assigned to tutor him instead of the family I am working with now) I would work on phonics/spelling and show him how a search bar can be helpful even if one does not know how to spell a word. I found that if you type "bocksing" into the yahoo search bar, both "bocking" and "boxing" come up. The child would have only two choices here and through trial and error he would eventually find what he was looking for.
For this particular boy, who is very sensitive and easy to anger, I think that it would be important to help him gain self esteem through active learning (trial and error). We would have to focus on learning how to search and navigate through the web and I would have to make it clear that I am also learning, just as he is. I would also try to seek his advise on certain topics. For instance, I do not know anything about boxing or basketball. I have found working at the shelter that the idea of teaching the tutor is very exciting and appealing to the children there. I would also have to be very careful not to do everything for this child. It was clear to me that he is a child who is used to having adults solve his problems for him. If he is ever to grow up and be able to succeed in life, he has to learn how to learn and he has to also learn that it is okay to make mistakes.
METEDL #1
(METEDL=My Experiences with Technology in Every Day Life) #1
Last night was my first blog response, starting a week of blogging where I am supposed to talk about my experiences with technology. I talked mostly about photoworks 3.
Today I have more time to reflect on the different types of technology I use every day. At work I use the internet. I am constantly researching hotels, cities, tourist attractions online. I am also using email all day and IMing between colleagues. I use a phone when travel agents call and need help planning trips for their clients.
Right now it is slow season in the travel industry, so I have time to: play spider solitaire, calculate my debts, read the paper (both paper verion & online), tweet, blog, talk politics (ugh), text on my cell phone, read poetry online, read articles online about health, search the MLS for new listings and dream about one day having a house, email my husband, doodle on my notepad, watch the clock...tick...tick...tick...
What technology is to me right now is a way to occupy my time. When I get home I may or may not rely on technology to entertain me, it depends on if my husband is home or not. I usually like quiet, but he does not. Together we like to watch movies online through Netflix. Sometimes we just listen to music.
Technology helps me do my job when I am busy. I can't do my job without it. If the internet is down I cannot make hotel reservations and cannot set up city tours/transfers. If the phones are down, I will not get calls.
I think tomorrow I will just blog about what I am doing and what technology I am using, but today I wanted to reflect more on the different types of technology I use and why.
Last night was my first blog response, starting a week of blogging where I am supposed to talk about my experiences with technology. I talked mostly about photoworks 3.
Today I have more time to reflect on the different types of technology I use every day. At work I use the internet. I am constantly researching hotels, cities, tourist attractions online. I am also using email all day and IMing between colleagues. I use a phone when travel agents call and need help planning trips for their clients.
Right now it is slow season in the travel industry, so I have time to: play spider solitaire, calculate my debts, read the paper (both paper verion & online), tweet, blog, talk politics (ugh), text on my cell phone, read poetry online, read articles online about health, search the MLS for new listings and dream about one day having a house, email my husband, doodle on my notepad, watch the clock...tick...tick...tick...
What technology is to me right now is a way to occupy my time. When I get home I may or may not rely on technology to entertain me, it depends on if my husband is home or not. I usually like quiet, but he does not. Together we like to watch movies online through Netflix. Sometimes we just listen to music.
Technology helps me do my job when I am busy. I can't do my job without it. If the internet is down I cannot make hotel reservations and cannot set up city tours/transfers. If the phones are down, I will not get calls.
I think tomorrow I will just blog about what I am doing and what technology I am using, but today I wanted to reflect more on the different types of technology I use and why.
Reflections on BEDUC 566 #2
Last night our discussion about what technology is/isn't was beneficial to me. I could see that I was not the only one who was having problems comprehending this idea.
After class I looked at the American Heritage Dictionary Online under "technology" and got this: "Noun: 1a. The application of science, especially to industrial or commercial objectives. b. The scientific method and material used to achieve a commercial or industrial object."
Pretty vague, huh? It makes sense that as a class we would bring in more abstract understandings of the word and that we couldn't come to a general consensus. When we talked about technology as being more of a tool to do something, rather than just a thing, it helped me see that we need to focus on the use of technology (not necessarily focus on using a certain type of technology). If we cannot use a certain type of technology in the classroom, that is fine. What really matters is that students are learning.
An idea that was sort of new to me, that I got from class last night was that technology could be harmful to student learning. If technology does not enhance student learning, I need to find another way to do so. I like the idea of the classroom experience as being a process of learning for the teacher. I must be able to adjust my curriculum to fit the needs of the students.
A question that I had from last week and that was posted in my first reflections blog was: how do I use technology in a literature class? I am starting to see that it may be easier than I had initially thought. Working on digital stories last night was a bunch of fun and I could definitely see using photoworks 3 in a high school class. What a great way to let students express themselves! It could even be used for a senior project. It would be kind of like an Art class combined w/an English class.
I would be interested to know what other types of technology might be used in an English Lit/Lang Arts class room....interactive/creative possibilities.
After class I looked at the American Heritage Dictionary Online under "technology" and got this: "Noun: 1a. The application of science, especially to industrial or commercial objectives. b. The scientific method and material used to achieve a commercial or industrial object."
Pretty vague, huh? It makes sense that as a class we would bring in more abstract understandings of the word and that we couldn't come to a general consensus. When we talked about technology as being more of a tool to do something, rather than just a thing, it helped me see that we need to focus on the use of technology (not necessarily focus on using a certain type of technology). If we cannot use a certain type of technology in the classroom, that is fine. What really matters is that students are learning.
An idea that was sort of new to me, that I got from class last night was that technology could be harmful to student learning. If technology does not enhance student learning, I need to find another way to do so. I like the idea of the classroom experience as being a process of learning for the teacher. I must be able to adjust my curriculum to fit the needs of the students.
A question that I had from last week and that was posted in my first reflections blog was: how do I use technology in a literature class? I am starting to see that it may be easier than I had initially thought. Working on digital stories last night was a bunch of fun and I could definitely see using photoworks 3 in a high school class. What a great way to let students express themselves! It could even be used for a senior project. It would be kind of like an Art class combined w/an English class.
I would be interested to know what other types of technology might be used in an English Lit/Lang Arts class room....interactive/creative possibilities.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Digital Story - preMETEDL
I am really excited to put together my digital story. I had a wonderful vacation in Italy over a year ago and my pictures were stuck in my digital camera. It is nice to be able to use them for learning and also to be able to show them off.
I am a little worried because I saved my digital story beginnings to my drop.io and tried to open it on a different computer and it didn't work out so well. I also saved them to my personal UW account, so hopefully I can start from where I left off in class next week. If not, it didn't take me long to load all of my pics, so I am sure I can simply catch up.
During class I went to my blog and used my annotations to help me with my little group discussion on Brown's and Jenkin's articles. It is nice to be able to have access to my blog and other things (twitter) while in class.
I am a little worried because I saved my digital story beginnings to my drop.io and tried to open it on a different computer and it didn't work out so well. I also saved them to my personal UW account, so hopefully I can start from where I left off in class next week. If not, it didn't take me long to load all of my pics, so I am sure I can simply catch up.
During class I went to my blog and used my annotations to help me with my little group discussion on Brown's and Jenkin's articles. It is nice to be able to have access to my blog and other things (twitter) while in class.
NR Hine pp 138-148 Annotations
NR -- not related to beduc566
Chapter Eight: "The Invention of High School"
Important questions asked in ch8: "Is democratic schooling different in its nature from the traditional approaches? How do you reconcile a belief in equality with the realities that students have vastly different aptitudes and that no school will be able to develop each of them equally? How much schooling is necessary to maintain equality, and when does it become either a subsidy for the well-to-do or an imposition on students' time?"pg143
Hines tells us about Boston English Classical School & Central High School (Phil) and their aim to provide education that prepares students for life rather than preparing them for college.
Favorite quote: "Without high school, there aren't any teenagers." pg139
Because high schools took away possible earnings from families (for sending their sons to work) and took up time, more was expected of them. Also because they are publicly funded they have to defend what they offer (as classes) to students. Sports & other events in schools were originally invented to "show off" what the schools have accomplished (taught the students).
to be continued when I get to page 157
Chapter Eight: "The Invention of High School"
Important questions asked in ch8: "Is democratic schooling different in its nature from the traditional approaches? How do you reconcile a belief in equality with the realities that students have vastly different aptitudes and that no school will be able to develop each of them equally? How much schooling is necessary to maintain equality, and when does it become either a subsidy for the well-to-do or an imposition on students' time?"pg143
Hines tells us about Boston English Classical School & Central High School (Phil) and their aim to provide education that prepares students for life rather than preparing them for college.
Favorite quote: "Without high school, there aren't any teenagers." pg139
Because high schools took away possible earnings from families (for sending their sons to work) and took up time, more was expected of them. Also because they are publicly funded they have to defend what they offer (as classes) to students. Sports & other events in schools were originally invented to "show off" what the schools have accomplished (taught the students).
to be continued when I get to page 157
NR "The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager" by Hine
NR - not related to ed & tech
For my Adolescent Development class I am reading a book called "The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager:A New History of the American Adolescent Experience" by Thomas Hine. I have only read pp 1-56 & will read pp 138-157 next.
What I appreciate in this book so far for the attempt at a close examination of the term "teenager" and his mission to prove that our idea of what a teenager is, is only an perceived idea, it is not based on anything concrete.
What I dislike in the first few chapters of the book is the sense of being jumbled from topic to topic. Perhaps when I write down my annotations I will start to see the layout of the book and understand how ideas connect more easily.
Intro annotations: "Are Teenagers Necessary?"
Hine introduces the idea that the term "teenager" did not always exist. He talks about the term as being rather a "predicament most people live through," rather than a person. Hine talks about the introduction of the term into our society during the New Deal and the mission to get youth out of the workforce so that there were more jobs for adults.
My favorite quote from the intro: "The absence of a significant economic role for young people has made them dependent on their families for longer periods than their ancestors often were. Young people are often judged to be less able than they are. The concept of the teenager has been an impediment that has kept them from becoming the people they were ready to be." p7
This quote for me is the meat of the issue. Labeling teenagers as being teenagers is doing young people a disservice. We have prejudices against teenagers. Also our fears about the danger of teenagers are self-fulfilling. If we assume teenagers are bad and make up all sorts of silly rules to control them, they will know that rights have been taken away and rebel...thus doing the acts we were working to prevent.
Chapter One annotations: "The Teenage Mystique"
Many other cultures have seen the "teenage" years as the stepping from one stage in life to the next. Many other cultures have ceremonies to celebrate this passage and welcome their young into the life of an adult. This idea makes me reflect on the Quinceanera celebration for Latino young women. In American we do not have a particular celebration that all families participate in (and that makes it clear to the youth that they are now welcomed among the adults). Connects more to chapter 3.
Clumping youth together who are at totally different levels of development is problematic. We have lower expectations of young people because we assume they are all on a lower level. Also, we place all these youth in a sort of limbo between two stages and because of their varying degrees of maturity they are not sure when that limbo will end. In this limbo they are sort of made invisible. "What teenagers do doesn't really count."pg15 (connects to chapter 3)
My favorite quote from Chapter one: "There is [...] no such things (sic) as 'the teenage mind,' only developing human minds."pg16
Hine informs us that youth were judged in earlier times by their size and ability, not by their age. Youth know what they can be capable of, I'm sure, or at least have a good idea of what it is possible for them to achieve. We give them their own special court because we see them as being different than adults and deem that they should be punished differently. (Idea of curfews) Related quote: "One has to wonder whether, by focusing so single-mindedly on teenagers, these laws and exhortations convey the message that smoking is an adult activity--not merely at stupid one."p20 Perhaps this in itself actually encourages teenagers to smoke/do other drugs.
The idea of the "teenage mystique" is the main focus of the chapter. It pulls in all of our misconceptions and fears from and for teenagers. The idea of teen sexuality and violence is addressed w/a rebuttal stating that youth crime rates have gone down as well as teenage pregnancy. Also Hine states that because adults are reluctant to give up their own authority, it is easy to see why teens are kept in limbo for so long (Eisenstadt ch 3). He ends the chapter with the notion that teenagers crave attention/approval from their parents.
Chapter Two annotations: "Only a Phase?"
Hine addresses the idea of a phase in one's life. He brings up the belief that teenagers are controlled by their hormones and connects that to the idea that once women were seen as being controlled by their hormones and were therefore not included in the workforce.
Teens are developing faster than they have in the past. Their bodies are ready but society is telling them to wait for marriage. The length between the start of maturity and marriage is about a decade. Earlier it was easier for teens to wait because their bodies developed later. They didn't have to wait so long for consumation.
Important questions brought up: "What does it mean to be grown up, and how should it be recognized? What is important for young people to know, and how should they be taught? What special role should young people play in society? How do children contribute to the wealth of their parents, and how should that wealth be allocated to the children?"
Holden Caulfield vs. Emile:
Holden Caulfield is the embodiment of the disdain adults feel towards teenagers. He is disrespectful to others and to himself. He does drugs, sollicits prostitues and wastes a bunch of resources available to him (incl. money).
Emile is an imaginary ideal created by Rousseau. He is an impossibility. He is what we want from teenagers. We want them to put off sex and other bad things and grow up mentally first.
Piaget: growing up involves thinking only in the concrete vs being able to understand abstractions. (12-15y old is the time when this transformation occurs).
Peter Blos: "the rescue fantasy" -- because this is just a phase, kids will grow out of it... dangerous way of thinking. Parents need to be involved in their kids' lives and kids need to take responsibility in changing their lives.
Chapter Three: "Coming of Age in Utter Confusion"
Back to the rituals idea, rights of passage (Arnold van Gennep). Social invisibility. America signals adulthood w/giving rights to sin (drink at 21, smoke at 18).
Favorite quote: "[B]ecause adults assume that they cannot understand teenagers' music or humor, [they] most simply don't pay attention."pg 47
Athenian ephebe vs. Spartan guard. Ephebe was introduced to sex/drugs (wine) w/adults. Spartan was used to protect the town, gave youth a purpose (similar to Mao's red guard).
Medieval Europe had the "charivaris"--basically a bunch of young thugs. They attacked older men who "married too young of women" and widows who "married too soon" after their husband's deaths.
Margaret Mead's studies on Samoan teens. Misconceptions about the acceptance of premarital sex.
My mind is combining chapters 1 & 3, so my notes may be a little incorrect. Through my annotating I am starting to see the interweaving themes in each chapter.
Blog to be continued after I read pp138-157.
For my Adolescent Development class I am reading a book called "The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager:A New History of the American Adolescent Experience" by Thomas Hine. I have only read pp 1-56 & will read pp 138-157 next.
What I appreciate in this book so far for the attempt at a close examination of the term "teenager" and his mission to prove that our idea of what a teenager is, is only an perceived idea, it is not based on anything concrete.
What I dislike in the first few chapters of the book is the sense of being jumbled from topic to topic. Perhaps when I write down my annotations I will start to see the layout of the book and understand how ideas connect more easily.
Intro annotations: "Are Teenagers Necessary?"
Hine introduces the idea that the term "teenager" did not always exist. He talks about the term as being rather a "predicament most people live through," rather than a person. Hine talks about the introduction of the term into our society during the New Deal and the mission to get youth out of the workforce so that there were more jobs for adults.
My favorite quote from the intro: "The absence of a significant economic role for young people has made them dependent on their families for longer periods than their ancestors often were. Young people are often judged to be less able than they are. The concept of the teenager has been an impediment that has kept them from becoming the people they were ready to be." p7
This quote for me is the meat of the issue. Labeling teenagers as being teenagers is doing young people a disservice. We have prejudices against teenagers. Also our fears about the danger of teenagers are self-fulfilling. If we assume teenagers are bad and make up all sorts of silly rules to control them, they will know that rights have been taken away and rebel...thus doing the acts we were working to prevent.
Chapter One annotations: "The Teenage Mystique"
Many other cultures have seen the "teenage" years as the stepping from one stage in life to the next. Many other cultures have ceremonies to celebrate this passage and welcome their young into the life of an adult. This idea makes me reflect on the Quinceanera celebration for Latino young women. In American we do not have a particular celebration that all families participate in (and that makes it clear to the youth that they are now welcomed among the adults). Connects more to chapter 3.
Clumping youth together who are at totally different levels of development is problematic. We have lower expectations of young people because we assume they are all on a lower level. Also, we place all these youth in a sort of limbo between two stages and because of their varying degrees of maturity they are not sure when that limbo will end. In this limbo they are sort of made invisible. "What teenagers do doesn't really count."pg15 (connects to chapter 3)
My favorite quote from Chapter one: "There is [...] no such things (sic) as 'the teenage mind,' only developing human minds."pg16
Hine informs us that youth were judged in earlier times by their size and ability, not by their age. Youth know what they can be capable of, I'm sure, or at least have a good idea of what it is possible for them to achieve. We give them their own special court because we see them as being different than adults and deem that they should be punished differently. (Idea of curfews) Related quote: "One has to wonder whether, by focusing so single-mindedly on teenagers, these laws and exhortations convey the message that smoking is an adult activity--not merely at stupid one."p20 Perhaps this in itself actually encourages teenagers to smoke/do other drugs.
The idea of the "teenage mystique" is the main focus of the chapter. It pulls in all of our misconceptions and fears from and for teenagers. The idea of teen sexuality and violence is addressed w/a rebuttal stating that youth crime rates have gone down as well as teenage pregnancy. Also Hine states that because adults are reluctant to give up their own authority, it is easy to see why teens are kept in limbo for so long (Eisenstadt ch 3). He ends the chapter with the notion that teenagers crave attention/approval from their parents.
Chapter Two annotations: "Only a Phase?"
Hine addresses the idea of a phase in one's life. He brings up the belief that teenagers are controlled by their hormones and connects that to the idea that once women were seen as being controlled by their hormones and were therefore not included in the workforce.
Teens are developing faster than they have in the past. Their bodies are ready but society is telling them to wait for marriage. The length between the start of maturity and marriage is about a decade. Earlier it was easier for teens to wait because their bodies developed later. They didn't have to wait so long for consumation.
Important questions brought up: "What does it mean to be grown up, and how should it be recognized? What is important for young people to know, and how should they be taught? What special role should young people play in society? How do children contribute to the wealth of their parents, and how should that wealth be allocated to the children?"
Holden Caulfield vs. Emile:
Holden Caulfield is the embodiment of the disdain adults feel towards teenagers. He is disrespectful to others and to himself. He does drugs, sollicits prostitues and wastes a bunch of resources available to him (incl. money).
Emile is an imaginary ideal created by Rousseau. He is an impossibility. He is what we want from teenagers. We want them to put off sex and other bad things and grow up mentally first.
Piaget: growing up involves thinking only in the concrete vs being able to understand abstractions. (12-15y old is the time when this transformation occurs).
Peter Blos: "the rescue fantasy" -- because this is just a phase, kids will grow out of it... dangerous way of thinking. Parents need to be involved in their kids' lives and kids need to take responsibility in changing their lives.
Chapter Three: "Coming of Age in Utter Confusion"
Back to the rituals idea, rights of passage (Arnold van Gennep). Social invisibility. America signals adulthood w/giving rights to sin (drink at 21, smoke at 18).
Favorite quote: "[B]ecause adults assume that they cannot understand teenagers' music or humor, [they] most simply don't pay attention."pg 47
Athenian ephebe vs. Spartan guard. Ephebe was introduced to sex/drugs (wine) w/adults. Spartan was used to protect the town, gave youth a purpose (similar to Mao's red guard).
Medieval Europe had the "charivaris"--basically a bunch of young thugs. They attacked older men who "married too young of women" and widows who "married too soon" after their husband's deaths.
Margaret Mead's studies on Samoan teens. Misconceptions about the acceptance of premarital sex.
My mind is combining chapters 1 & 3, so my notes may be a little incorrect. Through my annotating I am starting to see the interweaving themes in each chapter.
Blog to be continued after I read pp138-157.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Jenkin's article "Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture" pp 3-18 Reaction/Annotations
Initial questions I had before I read the whole article: What are the challenges of a participatory culture & why are these challenges present?
The What answer:
1. the "participation gap" -- not everyone can have the same amount of access to the web/other technologies, therefore some students have advantages over others (if we don't intervene the gap will grow and grow and the lower class will not be able to better themselves)
2. the "transparency problem" -- students may not see how information that is made public shapes views of others (do not understand their impact). students have to be taught to be more reflective. students may take things at face value that need to be explored more (Shrier's history game about the American Revolution). students need to know how to judge the quality of the information they receive (think commercialism/sponsors)
3. the "ethics challenge" -- students are not properly taught about how to conduct themselves. they need to be helped so that they can say what they think in a respectful way and know how to properly interact with others in public (on the web). It is neat that web "ecology" is so diverse, but students need to be aware of how they might be interpreted by those of different backgrounds. students also have to learn to protect their own safety in this public realm.
Students need our help to improve themselves within their social learning experiences. We cannot simply assume they will learn everything on their own.
The Why answer:
According to Jenkins, "The new literacies (on the web) almost all involve social skills developed through collaboration and networking. These skills build on the foundation of traditional literacy, research skills, technical skills, and critical analysis skills taught in the classroom." Though schools could do so much to empower students with these necessary skills and teach them how to apply this knowledge to social interaction on the web "schools [...] have been slow to react to the emergence of this new participatory culture." In short, in order to be able to thrive/learn on the web you need to have certain social skills prior to coming onto the web. This is necessary because learning on the web is a social activity.
Interesting bit of info: "more than half of all American teens [...] could be considered media creators." How they chose to create differed. Girls were more likely to blog, urban youth were more likely to create than rural youth, and race differences made no real difference in the amount of participation.
What I gather from the info above, is that if there are students who are not able to participate it has more to do with economics & location. If a person lives in a small farming community, the chances they will have access to technology is limited. Also, if a person lives in a poor part of a town and cannot get convenient transportation to a place with technology (computers) and obviously cannot afford these technological devices they too will not have access. How can we help these people interact socially online? Participatory culture encourages self expression/creativity, but if students don't have access to technology, they cannot participate, they cannot be part of this enriching community.
Note: "Not every member (on the web) must contribute, but all must believe they are free to contribute when ready and that what they contribute will be appropriately valued." For me (personally) being creative and getting feedback on the web is self-esteem building & something that I grow from. I can take others feedback and create something else.
Was the tree falling vs. computer not being used analogy a good one? I think so. There is an abstract idea (like traditional reasoning) vs. bricolage (concrete based reasoning). Computers are dependent on us. If there were no people, there would be no web. Technology will only be used by a culture if it fills "recurring needs at a particular juncture." This explains to me why technology is changing so rapidly, it is changing to fit the needs of an ever growing community of users. An important point that Jenkins brings up is that technology is only a tool and its importance is in how it is being used by that community. A connected idea (to the importance of community membership) is that students who create their own media are less likely to steal ideas from others. They can see the work that goes into creation and have more respect for the creativity of others. To me that means more respect for their community as a whole is expressed by the students.
Liked this quote: "Our goals should be to encourage youth to develop the skills, knowledge, ethical frameworks, and self-confidence needed to be full participants in comtemporary culture."
I was wondering why the idea of the importance of playing seems so revolutionary? We have known forever that animals play fight so that they are prepared when they grow up and have to fight against foes for real. We know that little children pretend to cook, nurse others, etc as a way for them to prepare to grow up. As in the Brown article, Jenkins addresses (indirectly here) the idea that tacit learning is only secondary to ellicit learning in the minds of most adults.
*Interesting idea: the act of blocking social networking sites at schools/libraries hinders learning just where we want learning to take place.
This article was a lot to chew on. I am still mulling over different ideas. I must say that the Brown article was a much easier read.
The What answer:
1. the "participation gap" -- not everyone can have the same amount of access to the web/other technologies, therefore some students have advantages over others (if we don't intervene the gap will grow and grow and the lower class will not be able to better themselves)
2. the "transparency problem" -- students may not see how information that is made public shapes views of others (do not understand their impact). students have to be taught to be more reflective. students may take things at face value that need to be explored more (Shrier's history game about the American Revolution). students need to know how to judge the quality of the information they receive (think commercialism/sponsors)
3. the "ethics challenge" -- students are not properly taught about how to conduct themselves. they need to be helped so that they can say what they think in a respectful way and know how to properly interact with others in public (on the web). It is neat that web "ecology" is so diverse, but students need to be aware of how they might be interpreted by those of different backgrounds. students also have to learn to protect their own safety in this public realm.
Students need our help to improve themselves within their social learning experiences. We cannot simply assume they will learn everything on their own.
The Why answer:
According to Jenkins, "The new literacies (on the web) almost all involve social skills developed through collaboration and networking. These skills build on the foundation of traditional literacy, research skills, technical skills, and critical analysis skills taught in the classroom." Though schools could do so much to empower students with these necessary skills and teach them how to apply this knowledge to social interaction on the web "schools [...] have been slow to react to the emergence of this new participatory culture." In short, in order to be able to thrive/learn on the web you need to have certain social skills prior to coming onto the web. This is necessary because learning on the web is a social activity.
Interesting bit of info: "more than half of all American teens [...] could be considered media creators." How they chose to create differed. Girls were more likely to blog, urban youth were more likely to create than rural youth, and race differences made no real difference in the amount of participation.
What I gather from the info above, is that if there are students who are not able to participate it has more to do with economics & location. If a person lives in a small farming community, the chances they will have access to technology is limited. Also, if a person lives in a poor part of a town and cannot get convenient transportation to a place with technology (computers) and obviously cannot afford these technological devices they too will not have access. How can we help these people interact socially online? Participatory culture encourages self expression/creativity, but if students don't have access to technology, they cannot participate, they cannot be part of this enriching community.
Note: "Not every member (on the web) must contribute, but all must believe they are free to contribute when ready and that what they contribute will be appropriately valued." For me (personally) being creative and getting feedback on the web is self-esteem building & something that I grow from. I can take others feedback and create something else.
Was the tree falling vs. computer not being used analogy a good one? I think so. There is an abstract idea (like traditional reasoning) vs. bricolage (concrete based reasoning). Computers are dependent on us. If there were no people, there would be no web. Technology will only be used by a culture if it fills "recurring needs at a particular juncture." This explains to me why technology is changing so rapidly, it is changing to fit the needs of an ever growing community of users. An important point that Jenkins brings up is that technology is only a tool and its importance is in how it is being used by that community. A connected idea (to the importance of community membership) is that students who create their own media are less likely to steal ideas from others. They can see the work that goes into creation and have more respect for the creativity of others. To me that means more respect for their community as a whole is expressed by the students.
Liked this quote: "Our goals should be to encourage youth to develop the skills, knowledge, ethical frameworks, and self-confidence needed to be full participants in comtemporary culture."
I was wondering why the idea of the importance of playing seems so revolutionary? We have known forever that animals play fight so that they are prepared when they grow up and have to fight against foes for real. We know that little children pretend to cook, nurse others, etc as a way for them to prepare to grow up. As in the Brown article, Jenkins addresses (indirectly here) the idea that tacit learning is only secondary to ellicit learning in the minds of most adults.
*Interesting idea: the act of blocking social networking sites at schools/libraries hinders learning just where we want learning to take place.
This article was a lot to chew on. I am still mulling over different ideas. I must say that the Brown article was a much easier read.
"Growing Up Digital" Reaction/Annotations
I recently read John Seely Brown's article "Growing Up Digital: How the Web Changes Work, Education, and the Ways People Learn."
The first question I asked myself after reading the editor's note was: "how do we hold students' attention?"
Through reading the article is came to the following semi answers:
1. students can multitask much better than we assume they can. our generation may not be able to recognize signs of learning in the "digital students" as easily as we can with colleagues/students our own age.
2. in order for "digital students" to learn we have to create curriculum tailored to their "ideal way of learning," which is through action (trial and error & storytelling).
3. attention spans are not the issue & length of attention span does not point to amount of intelligence in a student. instead the mission should be getting the knowledge into them through a medium they can (students) connect with/to.
The second question I asked myself after reading the editor's note was: "what is wrong with the techniques I grew up learning from and why can't 'digital students' learn from them?"
I took out these ideas from my reading of the article in response:
1. if we depend on older models of teaching only certain students will be able to imbibe. [Thinking back to my own education, not all teachers were equally affective in my education. This points out to me that I connected with certain teaching styles more than others and reinforces the idea in the article that teaching styles have to morph to fit the needs of students, not the other way around.]
2. technology could allow us to combine different teaching techniques that would allow us to touch more students.
3. in order to grow as a society we need to challenge the beliefs of the past instead of embracing them, or taking the knowledge for granted (aka we need a revolution).
4. i come from a lecture-based background whereas "digital students" come from a "discovery based" background. Today's students learn through action and being lectured at is a passive activity.
One random idea I got from this article was that we as a society really need to examine our ideas about proper etiquette. Because kids are able to "multi process," they show respect for others in ways different than we do. We assume kids are not paying attention to us (therefore disrespecting us) because our understandings of body language is semi outdated. I got this from page 5 where Brown is telling about a boy who had programmed his glasses and could browse the web while carrying on a conversation with him. Furthermore, Brown states: "People my age tend to think that kids who are multiprocessing can't be concentrating." Because I would assume this young man is not able to pay attention to both the web and me, I would feel that he is being disrespectful to me with his apparent lack of attention.
Instead of seeing them as ADHD, crazy, irresponsible (which I did not think, but know that others do); if we consider that learning has different faces and admit that our way of learning does not apply to kids anymore, we can move forward and take part in the very social environment of learning. This article really affected my views on kids today. I see them as being very brave and I see their willingness/"tendency" towards action as a positive characteristic that we need in grown ups today. If Seattle politicians weren't so afraid to try new things/new ideas we probably would not have the viaduct anymore. We would probably have something totally different than a costly tunnel. We would have something that does not fit in the box that we keep ourselves enclosed in (so safe, yet so confining).
Why do we view tacit learning as being lower than elicit learning? I think it might have something to do with the structure of our society. Jobs that involve a lot of action (construction, farming, the work of garbage men...) get little pay and little respect, whereas jobs that involve minimal action (office jobs) get more pay. It is just as important (if not more) that the garbage man comes to pick up the garbage and dispose of it as it is that the ceo of company B makes a speech to the shareholders that brings stocks up 5%. Without the garbage man we would all live in filth. Without the ceo's speech the stock wouldn't have gone up 5%.
Something repeated several ideas in this article was the idea that shared learning involves a large effort by a few people combined with the small efforts of a lot. Through the web we are making connections to all sorts of people with different wells of knowledge. We can tap into these wells (where experts have given their own knowledge), drink and then pass on the water to someone else. We can also create wells of our own, if we are knowledgeable in certain areas and continue the process of shared learning.
For me this article emphasized an importance in expanding and enriching our communities.
If you would like to read this article please go to: http://usdla.org/html/journal/FEB02_Issue/article01.html
The first question I asked myself after reading the editor's note was: "how do we hold students' attention?"
Through reading the article is came to the following semi answers:
1. students can multitask much better than we assume they can. our generation may not be able to recognize signs of learning in the "digital students" as easily as we can with colleagues/students our own age.
2. in order for "digital students" to learn we have to create curriculum tailored to their "ideal way of learning," which is through action (trial and error & storytelling).
3. attention spans are not the issue & length of attention span does not point to amount of intelligence in a student. instead the mission should be getting the knowledge into them through a medium they can (students) connect with/to.
The second question I asked myself after reading the editor's note was: "what is wrong with the techniques I grew up learning from and why can't 'digital students' learn from them?"
I took out these ideas from my reading of the article in response:
1. if we depend on older models of teaching only certain students will be able to imbibe. [Thinking back to my own education, not all teachers were equally affective in my education. This points out to me that I connected with certain teaching styles more than others and reinforces the idea in the article that teaching styles have to morph to fit the needs of students, not the other way around.]
2. technology could allow us to combine different teaching techniques that would allow us to touch more students.
3. in order to grow as a society we need to challenge the beliefs of the past instead of embracing them, or taking the knowledge for granted (aka we need a revolution).
4. i come from a lecture-based background whereas "digital students" come from a "discovery based" background. Today's students learn through action and being lectured at is a passive activity.
One random idea I got from this article was that we as a society really need to examine our ideas about proper etiquette. Because kids are able to "multi process," they show respect for others in ways different than we do. We assume kids are not paying attention to us (therefore disrespecting us) because our understandings of body language is semi outdated. I got this from page 5 where Brown is telling about a boy who had programmed his glasses and could browse the web while carrying on a conversation with him. Furthermore, Brown states: "People my age tend to think that kids who are multiprocessing can't be concentrating." Because I would assume this young man is not able to pay attention to both the web and me, I would feel that he is being disrespectful to me with his apparent lack of attention.
Instead of seeing them as ADHD, crazy, irresponsible (which I did not think, but know that others do); if we consider that learning has different faces and admit that our way of learning does not apply to kids anymore, we can move forward and take part in the very social environment of learning. This article really affected my views on kids today. I see them as being very brave and I see their willingness/"tendency" towards action as a positive characteristic that we need in grown ups today. If Seattle politicians weren't so afraid to try new things/new ideas we probably would not have the viaduct anymore. We would probably have something totally different than a costly tunnel. We would have something that does not fit in the box that we keep ourselves enclosed in (so safe, yet so confining).
Why do we view tacit learning as being lower than elicit learning? I think it might have something to do with the structure of our society. Jobs that involve a lot of action (construction, farming, the work of garbage men...) get little pay and little respect, whereas jobs that involve minimal action (office jobs) get more pay. It is just as important (if not more) that the garbage man comes to pick up the garbage and dispose of it as it is that the ceo of company B makes a speech to the shareholders that brings stocks up 5%. Without the garbage man we would all live in filth. Without the ceo's speech the stock wouldn't have gone up 5%.
Something repeated several ideas in this article was the idea that shared learning involves a large effort by a few people combined with the small efforts of a lot. Through the web we are making connections to all sorts of people with different wells of knowledge. We can tap into these wells (where experts have given their own knowledge), drink and then pass on the water to someone else. We can also create wells of our own, if we are knowledgeable in certain areas and continue the process of shared learning.
For me this article emphasized an importance in expanding and enriching our communities.
If you would like to read this article please go to: http://usdla.org/html/journal/FEB02_Issue/article01.html
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Reflections on BEDUC 566 thus far
What most moved me during our first class session last Thursday were the Youtube videos on technology. I am going to be an English Lit/Language Arts teacher and I still do not see clearly how I would use technology in my classroom. Everything still feels very abstract/intangible. I come from a era of whiteboards and overheads (the ones that are huge with lightbulbs). I have never owned my own computer, in fact my family only bought a computer after I moved out of the house in 99.
What I got from the Youtube videos is a sense that technology can be a tool to connect to my students. I have cousins who are teenagers right now. I can see that they are deeply connected via technology to their friends. I can learn to understand why they might feel closer to others using technology than I do.
The more I use technology (Facebook especially), the more I do get a sense of connection. I can easily check up on my friends. Sometimes I am too busy to call a friend, especially while I am at work. I can log on to Facebook while at work and simply send them a "hi" to let them know I am thinking of them. It is actually pretty neat.
Another idea that I got from our first class session was the idea that technology excites kids and gets them interested in engaging in learning. Not all people are passionate about reading Shakespeare and clapping out iambic pentameter. Perhaps I can somehow use technology to make assignments more exciting for my students.
So my question again is how can I do this? Also, what type of technology would be best? I am not a fan of powerpoint. I have rarely seen it used well. I am hoping that even though we have so few English students in our cohort we can still address how technology could be used along with literature studies. I am excited to start work on my portfolio as it seems to address my concerns (how do I use technology, what form of technology is best).
Thinking back to the teacher videos that we viewed during our orientation meeting... something like that could be very useful in an English classroom. Students could use that sort of media to present what they have gained from my teaching. This would give students a chance to show their creativity through technology.
What I got from the Youtube videos is a sense that technology can be a tool to connect to my students. I have cousins who are teenagers right now. I can see that they are deeply connected via technology to their friends. I can learn to understand why they might feel closer to others using technology than I do.
The more I use technology (Facebook especially), the more I do get a sense of connection. I can easily check up on my friends. Sometimes I am too busy to call a friend, especially while I am at work. I can log on to Facebook while at work and simply send them a "hi" to let them know I am thinking of them. It is actually pretty neat.
Another idea that I got from our first class session was the idea that technology excites kids and gets them interested in engaging in learning. Not all people are passionate about reading Shakespeare and clapping out iambic pentameter. Perhaps I can somehow use technology to make assignments more exciting for my students.
So my question again is how can I do this? Also, what type of technology would be best? I am not a fan of powerpoint. I have rarely seen it used well. I am hoping that even though we have so few English students in our cohort we can still address how technology could be used along with literature studies. I am excited to start work on my portfolio as it seems to address my concerns (how do I use technology, what form of technology is best).
Thinking back to the teacher videos that we viewed during our orientation meeting... something like that could be very useful in an English classroom. Students could use that sort of media to present what they have gained from my teaching. This would give students a chance to show their creativity through technology.
NR NWTSJ common ideas
NR -- not related to Beduc566
So yesterday I went to NWTSJ in Olympia. It was a great experience overall. I can't believe teachers can get credit for going to these. Yes it was from 8am-4pm, but it was so much fun and nice meeting people with similar goals from all over the state and also some from Oregon.
Met some cool girls from Bellingham. They left there at 5am! Crazy. They are participating in an ESL teaching program up there. Two want to teach English in Japan. Semi-met some girls from UW MIT program. I didn't get a chance to ask which campus they are at. They were all doing student teaching. I really enjoyed bumping into one of the Micks from our Med program. It was nice having some one-on-one conversation with him and finding out more about his passions.
I attended 3 workshops. The first was "Black kid/white school," the second was concerning LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Transgendered, Queer), and the third was concerned with education for special needs children and integrating them in school with "regular" children.
Common theme: marginalization of a minority and the consequences of that marginalization.
Why did I choose these particular workshops? To be an affective teacher, I know that I must be aware of what my minority students may be experiencing and I must be supportive and provide a safe learning environment for them (as well as all of my future students). Being that I am not a minority, I cannot easily see what might be obvious to people of color or any other minority. I have to train myself to see what might be hidden attacks on these students. Some racism is not easily seen. I learned from these different workshops that there are "code" words used that proliferate the marginalization of minorities. Terms such as "those kids," "free & reduced kids," and others are used to separate children who do not fit ideals from those who do.
I am still digesting all of the information I acquired from these workshops and may write some more on the topic later.
So yesterday I went to NWTSJ in Olympia. It was a great experience overall. I can't believe teachers can get credit for going to these. Yes it was from 8am-4pm, but it was so much fun and nice meeting people with similar goals from all over the state and also some from Oregon.
Met some cool girls from Bellingham. They left there at 5am! Crazy. They are participating in an ESL teaching program up there. Two want to teach English in Japan. Semi-met some girls from UW MIT program. I didn't get a chance to ask which campus they are at. They were all doing student teaching. I really enjoyed bumping into one of the Micks from our Med program. It was nice having some one-on-one conversation with him and finding out more about his passions.
I attended 3 workshops. The first was "Black kid/white school," the second was concerning LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Transgendered, Queer), and the third was concerned with education for special needs children and integrating them in school with "regular" children.
Common theme: marginalization of a minority and the consequences of that marginalization.
Why did I choose these particular workshops? To be an affective teacher, I know that I must be aware of what my minority students may be experiencing and I must be supportive and provide a safe learning environment for them (as well as all of my future students). Being that I am not a minority, I cannot easily see what might be obvious to people of color or any other minority. I have to train myself to see what might be hidden attacks on these students. Some racism is not easily seen. I learned from these different workshops that there are "code" words used that proliferate the marginalization of minorities. Terms such as "those kids," "free & reduced kids," and others are used to separate children who do not fit ideals from those who do.
I am still digesting all of the information I acquired from these workshops and may write some more on the topic later.
Tweeting, blogging, facebooking
Wow. I have to say that this feels so strange. Talking, talking, talking. I personally prefer listening. I am a person who learns best from listening. Actually, I am not really talking, I am typing, typing, typing....but it feels like I'm talking (too much).
It is interesting to me that I feel like I am in a crowded room when I am logged into my twitter account. Fragments of conversation going on. It's like going to a party and eavesdropping on all the people around you. I can't get the whole conversation, only bits of it.
One thing that I discovered on the twitter page was the trends map. This is pretty cool. You can click on a topic that various people are talking about and zoom into the different conversations. I could see this as a useful tool for me to use in the future. This tool helps me to instantly know what topics are being the most talked about. Zombieland was huge, so was "Modern Warfare 2." I had never heard of the second topic and found out it is a game for Ps3. I think as a teacher, I could use this as one way to know what is popular, what maybe my students might be excited about.
I must say that I prefer Facebook to Twitter. Whereas tweets felt like sentences blurted out and out of context, Facebook seems to allow me to have more of a sense of conversation. For instance, I might say "I feel lousy today." A friend would then post a comment right under that. I could then respond to their response directly under. The conversation has roots and you can see the responses growing outward (or downward). I also really like that I can instantly see how my friends are doing (if they have made a post in the day). It is a lot easier to scroll down the screen on Facebook and comments are not limited to a certain number of words.
My most difficult experience is getting the hang of this blogging. I like the idea of blogging. It is a modern (and public) form of the journal. I get to express myself more fully than I can with tweets and even on Facebook. I just figured out how to get back on the blogging site, so it will help that I understand how to log in now (I cannot post when I go directly to my http site, I have to go to the main page...duh...).
It is interesting to me that I feel like I am in a crowded room when I am logged into my twitter account. Fragments of conversation going on. It's like going to a party and eavesdropping on all the people around you. I can't get the whole conversation, only bits of it.
One thing that I discovered on the twitter page was the trends map. This is pretty cool. You can click on a topic that various people are talking about and zoom into the different conversations. I could see this as a useful tool for me to use in the future. This tool helps me to instantly know what topics are being the most talked about. Zombieland was huge, so was "Modern Warfare 2." I had never heard of the second topic and found out it is a game for Ps3. I think as a teacher, I could use this as one way to know what is popular, what maybe my students might be excited about.
I must say that I prefer Facebook to Twitter. Whereas tweets felt like sentences blurted out and out of context, Facebook seems to allow me to have more of a sense of conversation. For instance, I might say "I feel lousy today." A friend would then post a comment right under that. I could then respond to their response directly under. The conversation has roots and you can see the responses growing outward (or downward). I also really like that I can instantly see how my friends are doing (if they have made a post in the day). It is a lot easier to scroll down the screen on Facebook and comments are not limited to a certain number of words.
My most difficult experience is getting the hang of this blogging. I like the idea of blogging. It is a modern (and public) form of the journal. I get to express myself more fully than I can with tweets and even on Facebook. I just figured out how to get back on the blogging site, so it will help that I understand how to log in now (I cannot post when I go directly to my http site, I have to go to the main page...duh...).
Thursday, October 1, 2009
If I could be an animal...
If I could be an animal I would be a giraffe. Not only are they beautiful and graceful looking, they are also vegetarian.
Anxiety is filling my soul!
This is so new. I have posted a few blogs via Myspace, but never set up my own blog page. I am a little nervous about using this and the io dropbox.
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