Just like Little Kaia, these kids have given me insight as to what it's like for younger people to experience the world; Kaia showed me her perspective on nature, and these kids showed me their perspectives on games, zoos, and electronics.
Lavinia is in Room 6 (10-12 year olds) of St. Pius X. She wrote about her day at school, particularly her game of "King Ball." I'm not sure what that is, but it definitely sounds like dodge ball. Lavinia is so good at it, either way: she never got out. I wish I was that good when I played. It has been a long time...
Jenna F. of Mrs. Goerend's class wrote a persuasive essay about animals in zoos. She is very persuasive indeed! I love how she used specific examples and even quotes to prove her point. She is in sixth grade, and she is becoming a wonderful writer!
Michala of Mrs. Shelter's seventh grade class understands the pros and cons of electronics! This is very important in realizing what the best way of communication can be at the appropriate time.
It's always so interesting to me to read how kids of different ages see and think about different things. Reading their blogs give me a taste of what I'll be dealing with one day when I have my own classroom.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
What a beautiful inspiration!
I just read an amazing story about a beautiful little girl named Kaia: she lives in Qatar, and her father took her outside to truly experience the world - whether "beautiful" or not. Kaia took her own pictures of her surroundings, showing just how beautiful the otherwise-perceived "ugliness" can truly be. Lucky for the world, Kaia shared her pictures and experiences on her blog, and I highly recommend that everyone take a look - and be inspired as I was when I saw them. At only three years old (!), Kaia has been an inspiration to me as a future mother and aspiring educator. I can only hope that others will be able to see the world as Little Kaia can. The inspiration doesn't stop there...
Kaia's father actually got in contact via Skype with Mr. Chamberlain's class in Missouri to answer any questions they had about Qatar - or anything they couldn't experience for themselves all the way in Missouri. Not only is this a huge step in the utilization of technology for these students, but they were able to fully appreciate all they wanted to know by their second-hand experience with Mr. Raisdana (who gives his own account of the matter here): a legitimate experience which cannot be fully found by reading books alone. These students will never forget this experience (they even responded with their own thanks!), and hopefully it will open doors to more communication and knowledge-searches.
There's nothing like a genuine experience to generate genuine interest.
Kaia's father actually got in contact via Skype with Mr. Chamberlain's class in Missouri to answer any questions they had about Qatar - or anything they couldn't experience for themselves all the way in Missouri. Not only is this a huge step in the utilization of technology for these students, but they were able to fully appreciate all they wanted to know by their second-hand experience with Mr. Raisdana (who gives his own account of the matter here): a legitimate experience which cannot be fully found by reading books alone. These students will never forget this experience (they even responded with their own thanks!), and hopefully it will open doors to more communication and knowledge-searches.
There's nothing like a genuine experience to generate genuine interest.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Randy Pausch's Last Lecture
Achieving Your Childhood Dreams
The theme for this lecture was "what would you teach if you were teaching your last lecture?" Dr. Pausch chose to teach how to enable the dreams of others and how to learn from these lessons of life. He stresses the importance of having specific dreams, and throughout his life, he met many brick walls in his pursuance of his dreams. He characterized this brick wall throughout the lecture as being a definite obstacle - for those who were unwilling to surpass it; they're presented to stop the people who don't want to pass them badly enough; these brick walls show your dedication and allows you to prove just how badly you want something. Dr. Pausch undoubtedly faced many - and still is today, but he says that "We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand."
Dr. Pausch says that the best way to get anyone to learn is through a "head fake": teach hidden values as an indirect lesson. Hard work, sportsmanship, perseverance, and teamwork aren't taught directly - but playing football is the best way to teach them. The best way to teach these values is to make them think they're learning something else: something fun. Also, give feedback. The best gift an educator can give is to teach the students how to be self-reflective. This way, students can receive their feedback, interpret it, listen to it, cherish it, and USE it. Results may not be immediate, but "if you wait long enough, people will surprise and impress you."
Sometimes NOT achieving your goals is just as influential: it's all about what you learn from the experience - "because that's what you get when you don't get what you want." It's important to remember who helped you get to where you are now: teachers, parents, friends, colleagues, and students deserve their credit in your success. The best way to get the most out of what you're experiencing is just to HAVE FUN. "Never lose the child-like wonder" because with children, there are no boundaries; they see no limits, and Dr. Pausch even points out that the biggest disservice you can do to a student is to set a bar or boundary anywhere for them. Also, help others, be good at something, don't bail, show gratitude, don't complain, work harder, and find the best in everybody - no matter how long it takes.
This was probably the most inspirational, relevant lecture I've ever heard. It was full of personal, touching examples, and Dr. Pausch really knew how to utilize them. It actually brought tears to my eyes when he brought out the birthday cake for his wife and had the entire audience sing to her. This was his way of showing how important it is to focus on others, not yourself. I learned a lot from this lecture - because of the head fake he implemented! This lecture was not about how to achieve your dreams; it was about how to lead your life: "Lead it the right way, and Karma will take care of the rest. Your dreams will come to you."
I was especially touched when he revealed the biggest head fake: this lecture wasn't for anyone in the audience... it was for his children.
I would recommend this video to anyone. It definitely IS worth the time.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
My PLN
As I have said in most of my previous blogs, I have learned so much so far this semester in this class - more than I ever could have imagined! - and I owe it all to my educators. Not until recently did I realize that everyone who has helped me in this educational journey is part of my personal learning network. I have learned how to use Google as more than just a search engine, and I believe that has been the most helpful resource I have learned to use thusfar. Google Docs has assisted me in Dr. Strange's class AND in my other classes and personal life. Some of the projects I have done in EDM 310 I have shared with people I know just because I was proud of them - and I used Google Docs to display them! I learned how to use iTunes and iTunes University for the first time, and I realized how valuable podcasts are to students. YouTube offers many educational tools accessible to anyone. Wikipedia is not always the best resource to use, and I learned exactly why thanks to some blogs that I read...
Blogging was a chore for me for a while, but now I see how important it is: all I have to do is go back to reference what I wrote for myself about many different things such as new technologies, teaching methods, etc. So I have become my own reference in a way! After reading blogs from other teachers and watching videos about their techniques, I have learned to turn to them as references, too. Vicki Davis, Ken Robinson, Karl Fisch, Richard Miller, Kelly Hines, Kathy Cassidy - and her students, Bill Ferriter, and my personal favorites Dr. Alice Christie and Michael Wesch (II) have all helped me understand different aspects, techniques, technologies used, and issues of teaching today - as well as helped me develop my own opinions and preferences on each subject. I believe that is the most important aspect of a PLN: developing your own teaching methods and persona. I really have "amused myself to death."
Blogging was a chore for me for a while, but now I see how important it is: all I have to do is go back to reference what I wrote for myself about many different things such as new technologies, teaching methods, etc. So I have become my own reference in a way! After reading blogs from other teachers and watching videos about their techniques, I have learned to turn to them as references, too. Vicki Davis, Ken Robinson, Karl Fisch, Richard Miller, Kelly Hines, Kathy Cassidy - and her students, Bill Ferriter, and my personal favorites Dr. Alice Christie and Michael Wesch (II) have all helped me understand different aspects, techniques, technologies used, and issues of teaching today - as well as helped me develop my own opinions and preferences on each subject. I believe that is the most important aspect of a PLN: developing your own teaching methods and persona. I really have "amused myself to death."
I love kids' blogs!
Throughout this semester, I've been reading and commenting on students' blogs from all over the world. I love hearing what these kids are up to, what they're learning, how they're doing in school, what they like to do, and how they are the best they can be. They are extremely intelligent, and a lot of times, they seem to know more about blogging and technology than I did before this class! It is true when people say that teachers can learn as much from their students as they teach them! As a future educator, I'm trying to get caught up with the technology that students are using that will help them become easier and more effective learners. I definitely wasn't technology literate before I started this class, but I like to think that I've made fantastic progress. With these kids as my inspiration, I hope to learn even more!
Micheal from Ms. Deyenberg's 5th grade class
I really enjoy reading Micheal's blogs! He really likes PE and going to the gym to play. From what I read, I don't think he likes social studies very much. I don't blame him: I don't, either! He did a really cool science project, and he always does well on his science and spelling tests. Apparently, he had a sleepover at his school, and I really enjoyed looking at all the pictures on his teacher's blog. I will definitely keep reading his blog posts. He does such a great job!
Dalton from Ms. Cassidy's class
Dalton is just learning how to read and write. I love reading his blogs and watching the videos he's in that Ms. Cassidy makes. I've written about these videos in some of my other blog posts. I have definitely learned a lot from them. Dalton and his classmates have a wonderful teacher! He seems to like writing about snow! After I read his post about toast, I made myself some. I can tell how much he's learned since he started his blog, and I can't wait to see how he does in the future!
Mrs. McCafferty's class is learning about the ocean!
I know this is a very intelligent class because they are learning some very interesting and detailed things about the ocean. It is amazing how much Mrs. McCafferty has used technology and hands-on activities to help her kids learn. I watched a video of them playing an ongoing game, and they were all very interested and interactive. I'm sure they will all continue to play this game after the school year ends. Field trips, games, blogs... What creative ways to keep students interested!
Rachel G from Mrs. Kolbert's class
Rachel only has two blog posts, but she seems very outspoken: she wanted to represent her class in saying good bye to Mrs. Brehm - whom I suppose was the principal because her next post was about their new principal Mr. Slack. The rest of Mrs. Kolbert's students write blogs pretty often, so maybe Rachel moved? Or maybe she doesn't really like blogging. :) Either way, Mrs. Kolbert's students are all really smart and interesting! They do a wonderful job at writing about important and current topics like the Olympics.
These are all really smart kids, and I hope to be able to be a role model to my future students just as these teachers are to their students!
Micheal from Ms. Deyenberg's 5th grade class
I really enjoy reading Micheal's blogs! He really likes PE and going to the gym to play. From what I read, I don't think he likes social studies very much. I don't blame him: I don't, either! He did a really cool science project, and he always does well on his science and spelling tests. Apparently, he had a sleepover at his school, and I really enjoyed looking at all the pictures on his teacher's blog. I will definitely keep reading his blog posts. He does such a great job!
Dalton from Ms. Cassidy's class
Dalton is just learning how to read and write. I love reading his blogs and watching the videos he's in that Ms. Cassidy makes. I've written about these videos in some of my other blog posts. I have definitely learned a lot from them. Dalton and his classmates have a wonderful teacher! He seems to like writing about snow! After I read his post about toast, I made myself some. I can tell how much he's learned since he started his blog, and I can't wait to see how he does in the future!
Mrs. McCafferty's class is learning about the ocean!
I know this is a very intelligent class because they are learning some very interesting and detailed things about the ocean. It is amazing how much Mrs. McCafferty has used technology and hands-on activities to help her kids learn. I watched a video of them playing an ongoing game, and they were all very interested and interactive. I'm sure they will all continue to play this game after the school year ends. Field trips, games, blogs... What creative ways to keep students interested!
Rachel G from Mrs. Kolbert's class
Rachel only has two blog posts, but she seems very outspoken: she wanted to represent her class in saying good bye to Mrs. Brehm - whom I suppose was the principal because her next post was about their new principal Mr. Slack. The rest of Mrs. Kolbert's students write blogs pretty often, so maybe Rachel moved? Or maybe she doesn't really like blogging. :) Either way, Mrs. Kolbert's students are all really smart and interesting! They do a wonderful job at writing about important and current topics like the Olympics.
These are all really smart kids, and I hope to be able to be a role model to my future students just as these teachers are to their students!
Monday, March 1, 2010
Amuse yourself to death
This Is How We Dream: Part 1 and Part 2.
Richard Miller created two very interesting videos about the incremental and fundamental changes of writing, creating, publishing, researching, and collaboration. Some of these things I never even noticed because they just seemed to have just become a way of life; I would never dream to go back to the days where the Internet wasn't the first choice of a means of research - and yet I didn't notice the instant change. That's just an interesting concept that these videos made me realize...
Mr. Miller points out in Part 1 how the basic means of knowledge acquisition have changed while simultaneously making the viewer aware of how important it is to embrace these changes if they haven't already become part of everyday life: the computer is the new desktop - no longer pen and paper; instead of going to a library to do research and learn what you can with the books present in that particular library, you can use the web to access an infinite database of ever-changing, instantly-updating publications online - rather than searching fruitlessly for the same information in print... Collaborate with instructors, classmates, family members - whoever you can imagine! - with pictures and film instantly, rather than with text or letters. I never noticed these as instant changes, and perhaps this is what Mr. Miller means when he says that these are "incremental - not fundamental changes."
However, in Part 2, Mr. Miller points out that the changes in publication are, in fact, fundamental: the problem with the old humanities is that you can't make work visible. Ideas and knowledge do not belong to an individual - they belong to a culture. So in order to make these ideas visible, inspiration and technology create the New Humanities that inspire learning spaces and learning teachers to be curious, be creative, and be collaborative. Although I know some would argue that ideas don't belong to an individual, I believe that if all ideas were displayed for everyone, everyone could be inspired by them; this would create even more ideas as ideas are stemmed from the original - the possibilities would be endless! The only problem with this lies in the "who gets paid for this invention?" question...
Does the Networked Student Even Need a Teacher?
This video helped me understand more about a PLN - about how to do it, what I can use, and why I should have one. Not only does the student have a wide variety of useful sources, but he is creating an important tool for learning and further researching for himself and for anyone else who wishes to use his insight.
So if this student is creating his own learning tools, doing his own research, and learning on his own, why does he need a teacher? Without proper instruction and etiquette, the student could not successfully build his personal learning network into something reliable and useful. Some other things that the author points out are also very important duties for the teacher to fulfill for the student: the teacher shows the student how to build the network and how to take advantage of the opportunities, offers guidance wherever needed, shows the student how to ask respectfully for help from experts, helps the student differentiate between reliable sources and propaganda, and shows the student ultimately how to organize and use all the information he just acquired.
Simply explained: if it weren't for Dr. Strange, I never would have even been able to create this blog I constantly write in! Most students are not self-taught, even if the directions ARE right in front of them. When it comes to computers, I'm certainly not... I'm still learning, though.
Michael Wesch: The Machine is (Changing) Us
This video is - hands down! - my favorite video I've watched thus far. Even though this video was only 33 minutes long, it still took me well over an hour to watch the entire thing: I kept pausing to write what I thought was important, what I wanted to write about in my own blog, and what inspired me the most. After finally finishing it, I read back over my notes, and I realized that my notes alone are sufficient in showing how I felt about the video - PLUS! It gives the highlights if you don't have 33 minutes to watch it yourself. Bookmark that link because it's definitely worth it. Not only is this an amazing last-minute source for my podcast project, but it helps me see YouTube in a different light. YouTube provoking self-awareness? I would have never guessed... There was so much information, so many different insights... Very informative and entertaining!
My notes from watching this video:
Ban books because no one wants to read them? OR ... Amuse yourself to death!:
Truth would be concealed vs. truth would be drowned in irrelevance.
Why the media?:
Lonely. One in a million. Try not to get lost in anonymity. No sense of significance. One-way conversations through the television: you have to be on tv to have a voice.
MTV Generation: short attention span, materialistic, narcissistic, not easily impressed.
"I feel stupid and contagious. Here we are, now entertain us." Nirvana
The search for identity and recognition. No, create your own.
You know yourself through your interactions with others.
99.9% of YouTube videos are irrelevant to you.
"I'm talking to you, but I don't know who you are."
The medium shapes the possibilities of personality shown: you have different "versions" of yourself around certain groups, but when you're facing the YouTube community, who are you?
You will see yourself later. Will it be the same person you thought you were?
Anonymity + physical distance + rare and ephemeral dialogue = hatred as a public performance OR freedom to experience humanity without fear or anxiety.
From "I don't care. Whatever." to "I'll do whatever it takes."
So what I got out of this video was ultimately the influence the media/YouTube has on humanity isn't just mindless entertainment, self-promotion for recognition, etc. YouTube provides the individual with the means to connect to the audience without constraint of social anxiety. Which "version" of yourself do you use on YouTube? YouTube doesn't distance us from each other - it connects us. Hopefully one day we will be able to turn the "I don't care. Whatever." to "I'll do whatever it takes."
Richard Miller created two very interesting videos about the incremental and fundamental changes of writing, creating, publishing, researching, and collaboration. Some of these things I never even noticed because they just seemed to have just become a way of life; I would never dream to go back to the days where the Internet wasn't the first choice of a means of research - and yet I didn't notice the instant change. That's just an interesting concept that these videos made me realize...
Mr. Miller points out in Part 1 how the basic means of knowledge acquisition have changed while simultaneously making the viewer aware of how important it is to embrace these changes if they haven't already become part of everyday life: the computer is the new desktop - no longer pen and paper; instead of going to a library to do research and learn what you can with the books present in that particular library, you can use the web to access an infinite database of ever-changing, instantly-updating publications online - rather than searching fruitlessly for the same information in print... Collaborate with instructors, classmates, family members - whoever you can imagine! - with pictures and film instantly, rather than with text or letters. I never noticed these as instant changes, and perhaps this is what Mr. Miller means when he says that these are "incremental - not fundamental changes."
However, in Part 2, Mr. Miller points out that the changes in publication are, in fact, fundamental: the problem with the old humanities is that you can't make work visible. Ideas and knowledge do not belong to an individual - they belong to a culture. So in order to make these ideas visible, inspiration and technology create the New Humanities that inspire learning spaces and learning teachers to be curious, be creative, and be collaborative. Although I know some would argue that ideas don't belong to an individual, I believe that if all ideas were displayed for everyone, everyone could be inspired by them; this would create even more ideas as ideas are stemmed from the original - the possibilities would be endless! The only problem with this lies in the "who gets paid for this invention?" question...
Does the Networked Student Even Need a Teacher?
This video helped me understand more about a PLN - about how to do it, what I can use, and why I should have one. Not only does the student have a wide variety of useful sources, but he is creating an important tool for learning and further researching for himself and for anyone else who wishes to use his insight.
So if this student is creating his own learning tools, doing his own research, and learning on his own, why does he need a teacher? Without proper instruction and etiquette, the student could not successfully build his personal learning network into something reliable and useful. Some other things that the author points out are also very important duties for the teacher to fulfill for the student: the teacher shows the student how to build the network and how to take advantage of the opportunities, offers guidance wherever needed, shows the student how to ask respectfully for help from experts, helps the student differentiate between reliable sources and propaganda, and shows the student ultimately how to organize and use all the information he just acquired.
Simply explained: if it weren't for Dr. Strange, I never would have even been able to create this blog I constantly write in! Most students are not self-taught, even if the directions ARE right in front of them. When it comes to computers, I'm certainly not... I'm still learning, though.
Michael Wesch: The Machine is (Changing) Us
This video is - hands down! - my favorite video I've watched thus far. Even though this video was only 33 minutes long, it still took me well over an hour to watch the entire thing: I kept pausing to write what I thought was important, what I wanted to write about in my own blog, and what inspired me the most. After finally finishing it, I read back over my notes, and I realized that my notes alone are sufficient in showing how I felt about the video - PLUS! It gives the highlights if you don't have 33 minutes to watch it yourself. Bookmark that link because it's definitely worth it. Not only is this an amazing last-minute source for my podcast project, but it helps me see YouTube in a different light. YouTube provoking self-awareness? I would have never guessed... There was so much information, so many different insights... Very informative and entertaining!
My notes from watching this video:
Ban books because no one wants to read them? OR ... Amuse yourself to death!:
Truth would be concealed vs. truth would be drowned in irrelevance.
Why the media?:
Lonely. One in a million. Try not to get lost in anonymity. No sense of significance. One-way conversations through the television: you have to be on tv to have a voice.
MTV Generation: short attention span, materialistic, narcissistic, not easily impressed.
"I feel stupid and contagious. Here we are, now entertain us." Nirvana
The search for identity and recognition. No, create your own.
You know yourself through your interactions with others.
99.9% of YouTube videos are irrelevant to you.
"I'm talking to you, but I don't know who you are."
The medium shapes the possibilities of personality shown: you have different "versions" of yourself around certain groups, but when you're facing the YouTube community, who are you?
You will see yourself later. Will it be the same person you thought you were?
Anonymity + physical distance + rare and ephemeral dialogue = hatred as a public performance OR freedom to experience humanity without fear or anxiety.
From "I don't care. Whatever." to "I'll do whatever it takes."
So what I got out of this video was ultimately the influence the media/YouTube has on humanity isn't just mindless entertainment, self-promotion for recognition, etc. YouTube provides the individual with the means to connect to the audience without constraint of social anxiety. Which "version" of yourself do you use on YouTube? YouTube doesn't distance us from each other - it connects us. Hopefully one day we will be able to turn the "I don't care. Whatever." to "I'll do whatever it takes."
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