today I watched the movie in itunesU entitled A night in the Global village. I watched as these young teens went out on this large farm that used to teach the kids about what other countries are like and how language barriers can be such a problem. The biggest thing though is that in our society today we do have to struggle as much for the things that we need. It shows these kids that not everyone is as privileged as we are. Nothing compares to actually experiencing what 3rd world countries are like, but if you can not experience it then this place is close to it. The heifer farms also raises cattle to send to foreign countries. Cattle and other animals are staples of like to those people.
I also watched The Edible Schoolyard. This was amazing. The art of gardening is being lost now that supermarkets provide so much that people don't have time to farm and grow. they grow their gardens and then they take these foods and they make things in the kitchen with them. They have to actually plant and build it themselves. These were middle schoolers who were doing this and they were so proud of what they had accomplished at the end of the semester. What these kids were learning was what families used to teach generation after generation to their children but now our society is slowing leaving that behind.
As a teacher i would love for students to be this hands on. To see what is like and experience the need for adequate shelter. The idea of not knowing if food will be readily available tomorrow. To put themselves in someone elses shoes. Growing and harvesting and working for you need.
these podcast are an excellent source for teachers to pull up in the classroom and show kids. They can learn from watching but experiencing hands on would change the way they think about how that salad got on the table for supper.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
A Variety of Podcasts
After listening to six different kinds of podcasts, you can really see a lot of similarities as well as a lot of differences in the ways people choose to present their podcasts. I found some podcasts to be more pleasing to me personally just based on the way they chose to present their information. I think it is important to consider your audience when deciding what sort of podcast you should do in order to gain the best results. However, they all did have positives to them.
I found "SmartBoard Weekly" to be a pretty interesting podcast. It revolves around using the SmartBoard Interactive Whiteboard which I had never heard of until now. I thought it was a very intriguing product I would like to learn more about. As for the podcast itself, I really liked the way they did it. It was a man and a woman who were just discussing things in a very informal a light-hearted manner. They were often humourous and they had a good repertoire with one another. They presented different ideas for using the SmartBoard, many of which I would consider using in my own classroom. I thought another podcast I listened to, "Podcasting for Teachers (Techpod)" was pretty similar to the former. It used older hosts, a man and a woman, who were established teachers as well as educational technology experts. They discuss the revolutionary changes that technology is having on education and the ways teachers can integrate it into their classrooms and curriculum's. They have special guests on the programs who present the new ideas and technologies that are constantly being developed.
The second podcast I listened to was "Kidcasting". This was the only one I listened to that had only one host. That was one aspect I did not like about it. I think having more than one person if very beneficial because they can talk off of each other and make what I think is more effective conversation. From what I listened to, the host mainly talked about different techniques that can be used in the classroom, including using podcasting. I think his ideas were pretty good, but I thought the presentation left something to be desired.
"Ed Tech Talk" consists of a few hosts and weekly guests. The interesting thing about this podcast is that it is interactive. The entire show the hosts and guests are actually testing out the techniques they are talking about and listeners can participate as well. On their website, www.edtechtalk.org, you can visit a chat room where you can post questions and comments which can be answered on the air.
I think the last two podcasts were probably my favorite. "MacBreak Weekly" and "This Week in Photography" both used a very informal method of discussion which is appealing to me. I really enjoyed "MacBreak Weekly's" podcast. They seem to use different hosts but you see the same people appearing on the show, just in different combinations. I found the show to be very funny, with four or five guys cracking jokes while talking about all things Apple. I also found it very informative. I have a lot of Apple products so it was interesting to get their perspectives on the good and bad of the companies products. I also enjoyed listening to "This Week in Photography". Though I am not a professional photographer by any means, I think even amateurs could benefit from this program. Again, I liked the very informal back-and-forth of the two hosts and the wide range of information they provided. I think this show would be interesting to professional photographers as well as just people taking family photos.
There are so many different ways of disseminating information through a podcast. Choosing the correct way of presenting your show will have a big impact of who will listen to it. I learned the type of show I prefer to listen to and the types that I am not as crazy about. But they all present a great way of getting information out to the masses.
I found "SmartBoard Weekly" to be a pretty interesting podcast. It revolves around using the SmartBoard Interactive Whiteboard which I had never heard of until now. I thought it was a very intriguing product I would like to learn more about. As for the podcast itself, I really liked the way they did it. It was a man and a woman who were just discussing things in a very informal a light-hearted manner. They were often humourous and they had a good repertoire with one another. They presented different ideas for using the SmartBoard, many of which I would consider using in my own classroom. I thought another podcast I listened to, "Podcasting for Teachers (Techpod)" was pretty similar to the former. It used older hosts, a man and a woman, who were established teachers as well as educational technology experts. They discuss the revolutionary changes that technology is having on education and the ways teachers can integrate it into their classrooms and curriculum's. They have special guests on the programs who present the new ideas and technologies that are constantly being developed.
The second podcast I listened to was "Kidcasting". This was the only one I listened to that had only one host. That was one aspect I did not like about it. I think having more than one person if very beneficial because they can talk off of each other and make what I think is more effective conversation. From what I listened to, the host mainly talked about different techniques that can be used in the classroom, including using podcasting. I think his ideas were pretty good, but I thought the presentation left something to be desired.
"Ed Tech Talk" consists of a few hosts and weekly guests. The interesting thing about this podcast is that it is interactive. The entire show the hosts and guests are actually testing out the techniques they are talking about and listeners can participate as well. On their website, www.edtechtalk.org, you can visit a chat room where you can post questions and comments which can be answered on the air.
I think the last two podcasts were probably my favorite. "MacBreak Weekly" and "This Week in Photography" both used a very informal method of discussion which is appealing to me. I really enjoyed "MacBreak Weekly's" podcast. They seem to use different hosts but you see the same people appearing on the show, just in different combinations. I found the show to be very funny, with four or five guys cracking jokes while talking about all things Apple. I also found it very informative. I have a lot of Apple products so it was interesting to get their perspectives on the good and bad of the companies products. I also enjoyed listening to "This Week in Photography". Though I am not a professional photographer by any means, I think even amateurs could benefit from this program. Again, I liked the very informal back-and-forth of the two hosts and the wide range of information they provided. I think this show would be interesting to professional photographers as well as just people taking family photos.
There are so many different ways of disseminating information through a podcast. Choosing the correct way of presenting your show will have a big impact of who will listen to it. I learned the type of show I prefer to listen to and the types that I am not as crazy about. But they all present a great way of getting information out to the masses.
Randy Pausch's Last Lecture
Randy Pausch was a professor at Carnegie Mellon who was dying of cancer. He gave his "Last Lecture" on September 18, 2007 about "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams."
He gave advice to students on how they could achieve their own dreams and goals as well as lessons that he has learned. He had many childhood dreams, one which was becoming a professional football player and another of developing Disney World attractions.
He stated, "If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care if itself," and "The dreams will come to you." I think this is really great advice.
I thought this was even better the second time I heard it. I had seen pieces of it on Oprah, but it was work watching over again!!!1
He gave advice to students on how they could achieve their own dreams and goals as well as lessons that he has learned. He had many childhood dreams, one which was becoming a professional football player and another of developing Disney World attractions.
He stated, "If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care if itself," and "The dreams will come to you." I think this is really great advice.
I thought this was even better the second time I heard it. I had seen pieces of it on Oprah, but it was work watching over again!!!1
International Blog Usage
hey have read. The site also recommends books to students. Even thIt was rather hard for me to find blogs used in international schools or classrooms, but I managed to find one HERE! This blog is used through a library at the American School of Brasilia in Brazil. The blog allows the students and the teachers at the school to post comments and pictures about books tough some of the books are rather outdated for my age group, I found some of the content of the books rather entertaining.
Another international can be found HERE. This blog was created by a teacher, Jimbo, who is from Iowa but now teaches in English in Japan. Jimbo was not given a curriculum when he started teaching at the Japanese Middle School, so he had to create his own assignments. Jimbo experiments with different techniques like fill in the blank essays to see if the Japanese children can correctly fill in the correct English word. He also shows videos in English and asks the children to explain what they saw to check their comprehension levels. Jimbo uses a pairing strategy by pairing the students so that they will not feel as disappointed as they would if they get something wrong. I would like to teach English internationally one day, so I will continue to check Jimbo's blog.
Fischbowl
This blog post was about providing wireless internet services to the students at Arapahoe High School. Some of the administrators wanted to know why having wireless access at all times was so important. Most classes in this century requires some type of assignment that has to be completed with internet assistance at some point. Sometimes, there are not enough computers available in the lab and if the student has laptop with wireless capabilities, they can to their work right then and there.
Karl informs us that the internet usage is available Monday through Friday at the time of the posting, and he was trying to have it available on Saturday's also because the building is in heavy usage on that day as well. I think wireless access is great and critical for our students because it provides them with on hand and on time information at all times.
Karl informs us that the internet usage is available Monday through Friday at the time of the posting, and he was trying to have it available on Saturday's also because the building is in heavy usage on that day as well. I think wireless access is great and critical for our students because it provides them with on hand and on time information at all times.
iTunes University
Apple has a new program that they expect will better students. This program is called iTunes University. iTune University provides students access to course content at the palm of their hands if they have access to iPods or iPhones. Apple thinks this program will give students the opportunities to be able to view and review lectures and access other instructional materials. Most students always download music and videos with their iPods and iPhones twenty-four hours per day! This program would make it a leisure type activity for students because they can learn while they sit down to eat!
iTunes University would be useful to me as a teacher, because if a student does not understand part of the lesson they could easily download course material and review the lecture. This would also be beneficial for me as a teachers also when a student is absent. Absent students will also be able to take a look at posted assignments and review them before coming to class the next day.
I would try to make sure that I update the information for my class daily. I would let students know that they may contact me anytime through email if they have questions about the viewed materials online. Information about iTunes University can be found HERE!
iTunes University would be useful to me as a teacher, because if a student does not understand part of the lesson they could easily download course material and review the lecture. This would also be beneficial for me as a teachers also when a student is absent. Absent students will also be able to take a look at posted assignments and review them before coming to class the next day.
I would try to make sure that I update the information for my class daily. I would let students know that they may contact me anytime through email if they have questions about the viewed materials online. Information about iTunes University can be found HERE!
Using iPods for Instructional Purposes
Technology use is becoming more prevalent in the educational society each day. When iPods were first introduced on the market, all we knew is that they could download and replay millions of songs. In 2004, Duke handed over free iPods to 1,650 of its incoming freshmen students. The purpose of these iPods were to provide fingertip access to lectures, news, and the school's calender. In addition to the items uploaded into the student's iPods, the school purchased voice recorders to attach to the iPods so that the students could record lectures while in classroom through their handy devices. More information about Duke's iPod distribution and the theory behind it can be found HERE.
Students were interviewed to see what they thought about using iPods for educational purposes. Many of them thought it would be a waste of money for the school, because if they were not required to do certain assignments on the internet at certain periods of time, they would just use the devices to download music for their enjoyment. As a teacher, I do not think I would be a participant in this research study unless I was a foreign language instructor. Duke planned to use the iPods to play back lessons in foreign languages that the student were studying. I think this would be a good idea because when I had Spanish and French in high school , sometimes I wished I had a tape playing the teacher's lecture for me. I hope the students using iPods for instructional purpose took advantage of their schools efforts to keep up with the current technology trends.
Students were interviewed to see what they thought about using iPods for educational purposes. Many of them thought it would be a waste of money for the school, because if they were not required to do certain assignments on the internet at certain periods of time, they would just use the devices to download music for their enjoyment. As a teacher, I do not think I would be a participant in this research study unless I was a foreign language instructor. Duke planned to use the iPods to play back lessons in foreign languages that the student were studying. I think this would be a good idea because when I had Spanish and French in high school , sometimes I wished I had a tape playing the teacher's lecture for me. I hope the students using iPods for instructional purpose took advantage of their schools efforts to keep up with the current technology trends.
Using Alex in the Classroom
As a new teacher, I would try to make full use of ALEX in my classroom. I would first obtain a membership to the website so that I could have full access of the materials. Depending on the grade level that I was teaching, I would research the grade guidelines outlined on the site to see what types of activities I could plan to gain the interest of my students. If I was confused about how to proceed with my lesson plans, I would look over some plans already on the site that was completed my fellow colleagues.
In order to help my students, I would use research of some of the websites recommended by ALEX. These are websites that provide interactive activities for students, worksheets, and quizzes. If possible, I would have computers in my classroom that gives the students the opportunity to use the virtual library offered by ALEX. As a beginning teacher, I think ALEX will be very valuable and benefit my students and I well and help us succeed as a team.
In order to help my students, I would use research of some of the websites recommended by ALEX. These are websites that provide interactive activities for students, worksheets, and quizzes. If possible, I would have computers in my classroom that gives the students the opportunity to use the virtual library offered by ALEX. As a beginning teacher, I think ALEX will be very valuable and benefit my students and I well and help us succeed as a team.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
"Growth" vs "Fixed" Mindset
Is intelligence something we can develop? Or is it something we are born with? Well that is growth verses the fixed! A study was set up and they taught the kids in two different ways. They showed the kids in these workshops that babies have learn things and that they make new connections. They taught them to admit mistakes and over come them. That is how we grow, we grow from these mistakes that we make in life. Carol did a great study between these two groups and teachers of these students could distinguish which children had been to the growth mindset workshops and which students had been to the fixed mindset workshops.
In this podcast Carol Dweck discusses a study that was performed on students in an eight week workshop. In this workshop there were two sets of groups. One group got taught strictly study skills while the other group got taught study skills and the growth mind set. The students that were in the first group of strictly study skills showed little improvement and had much lower grades. The second group who were taught growth mind set came out on top. This group had a better understanding that the brain is a muscle and every time you use this muscle it gets stronger. They learned to apply what they being taught unlike the other group with the "fixed" mind set.
Knowledge of this research will help in the classroom by identifying the characteristics of "Fixed" and "Growth" minded students. Hopefully as a teacher, I can teach the "Growth" mindset to students and motivate them to develop intelligence by studying and passion.
In this podcast Carol Dweck discusses a study that was performed on students in an eight week workshop. In this workshop there were two sets of groups. One group got taught strictly study skills while the other group got taught study skills and the growth mind set. The students that were in the first group of strictly study skills showed little improvement and had much lower grades. The second group who were taught growth mind set came out on top. This group had a better understanding that the brain is a muscle and every time you use this muscle it gets stronger. They learned to apply what they being taught unlike the other group with the "fixed" mind set.
Knowledge of this research will help in the classroom by identifying the characteristics of "Fixed" and "Growth" minded students. Hopefully as a teacher, I can teach the "Growth" mindset to students and motivate them to develop intelligence by studying and passion.
Mathematics With Technology
Through these podcasts, Judy Chandler explains the importance of incorporating technology with the teaching of math. Teachers are very hesitant to explore their math resources because some believe that the students just can't learn it or the teacher does not want to change their teaching technique. However, the students suffer from their teacher's unwillingness to explore such resources. All educators should be motivated to include tools and resources that encourage and promote learning.
She says that technology is essential in teaching and learning mathematics and that it influences the math that is taught and enhances students learning. Such tools engage them, uniquely support differentiated instruction, and critical thinking, and provide visual representation, etc. A way to engage students is to ask them questions in which they would have to think more critically and thus will they remember better because they're having to think hard. Overall, technology's use promotes greater understanding. There are provided programs that can cover up to four to five textbook lessons. The benefit of this is that its "instructional minutes as students gain connections with past ideas and explore new relationships that sets the stage for what's to come".
Podcasts describing resources for different subject areas are excellent for teachers. This type of podcasts passes information quickly to teachers that may be looking for specific information or new ideas. For history majors there is a podcast available titled Teaching American History podcast. There are many other helpful podcasts available in the iTunes store just by searching for a specific keyword.
She says that technology is essential in teaching and learning mathematics and that it influences the math that is taught and enhances students learning. Such tools engage them, uniquely support differentiated instruction, and critical thinking, and provide visual representation, etc. A way to engage students is to ask them questions in which they would have to think more critically and thus will they remember better because they're having to think hard. Overall, technology's use promotes greater understanding. There are provided programs that can cover up to four to five textbook lessons. The benefit of this is that its "instructional minutes as students gain connections with past ideas and explore new relationships that sets the stage for what's to come".
Podcasts describing resources for different subject areas are excellent for teachers. This type of podcasts passes information quickly to teachers that may be looking for specific information or new ideas. For history majors there is a podcast available titled Teaching American History podcast. There are many other helpful podcasts available in the iTunes store just by searching for a specific keyword.
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