Probably the tools that I'm most excited about using are the wikis and google docs. These programs have the potential to put more accountability on the part of the students while adding the necessary accessibility, so that they are not only responsible for their own learning, but they are also better equipped to complete the assignments.
One of the projects I anticipate will be affected by these programs is when my students perform scenes of Macbeth. The students get into acting groups and re-write scenes of the play to perform to the class to be more accessible. One of the biggest headaches in the past has been when students show up unprepared to present their scene because someone didn't email someone else, or someone's printer was broken, or someone couldn't meet up when everyone else did. The Google Docs or wikis will solve all of these problems, and I won't have to face the dilemma of being understanding and lenient or firm and mean. It will help me more consistent in my expectations of the students.
I haven't really transformed my thinking about teaching so much. My principles of teaching are the same, but I do see more opportunities to support my teaching style. The technology will help support the classroom environment and student-centered learning that I've already been establishing in my classroom. This year will be interesting, because I have many opportunities to try things I've never done before, which is always a good thing in the teaching world.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Tool #11
This topic addresses a concern I've had ever since this technological boom began a couple of years ago with the installation of the activeboards and the implementation of the new technologies being purchased in the classroom.
The issue here is that technology does give us access to a plethora of teaching opportunities, however, if the level of teaching was shallow, superficial, and teacher-centered before, then adding technology to the mix is not really going to do much in terms of enriching student-centered learning.
I have been battling this reality on my own since the district gave us the activboards. As the year progressed, I started to discover useful ways to incorporate it into instruction so that it was engaging for students, but I did have issues at first with the fact that it added a lot of extra work to the mix, and the idea with the 21st century model of teaching is that the teacher should not be the one doing the most work and the most learning.
I am running into the same issues with all of these new tools we're being introduced to. In my own teaching practice, I like to keep things as simple as possible so that the depth of learning is not distracted or disrupted with trying to figure out a complicated task or application. The tools shown to us are simple enough, but throughout the course of the training, I have created account and subscribed to about a dozen different sites and applications, and several of them required different user names and passwords. This has the potential to be very confusing, and I can foresee numerous problems with students not finishing work because they lost or forgot their sign in info.
My point is that even though all the technologies are new, we can remain certain about one fact: that people are still the same, which means that we are going to run into the same problems as we did before. So, if good teaching was happening before all this influx of technology, then I am confident that good teaching and promotion of digital citizenship will continue to happen in those classrooms.
The danger with all of this technology rests in the classrooms with teachers who tend to take on all of the work and center the classroom around their agenda and objectives--therein lies the potential for a whole lot more work to learn these programs and alienate the students with shallow teaching.
My IB students work on extended essays, for which they spend two years doing research. Using tools such as Diigo, I can model how I search out credible and substantial sources. Students can even bring in their own sources to present to class, and show highlighted material to the rest of class to justify why their sources are worth using. The rest of the class can critique and provide feedback about whether the sources are appropriate or not. This could promote student-centered accountability for digital citizenship if we make this a common practice.
The issue here is that technology does give us access to a plethora of teaching opportunities, however, if the level of teaching was shallow, superficial, and teacher-centered before, then adding technology to the mix is not really going to do much in terms of enriching student-centered learning.
I have been battling this reality on my own since the district gave us the activboards. As the year progressed, I started to discover useful ways to incorporate it into instruction so that it was engaging for students, but I did have issues at first with the fact that it added a lot of extra work to the mix, and the idea with the 21st century model of teaching is that the teacher should not be the one doing the most work and the most learning.
I am running into the same issues with all of these new tools we're being introduced to. In my own teaching practice, I like to keep things as simple as possible so that the depth of learning is not distracted or disrupted with trying to figure out a complicated task or application. The tools shown to us are simple enough, but throughout the course of the training, I have created account and subscribed to about a dozen different sites and applications, and several of them required different user names and passwords. This has the potential to be very confusing, and I can foresee numerous problems with students not finishing work because they lost or forgot their sign in info.
My point is that even though all the technologies are new, we can remain certain about one fact: that people are still the same, which means that we are going to run into the same problems as we did before. So, if good teaching was happening before all this influx of technology, then I am confident that good teaching and promotion of digital citizenship will continue to happen in those classrooms.
The danger with all of this technology rests in the classrooms with teachers who tend to take on all of the work and center the classroom around their agenda and objectives--therein lies the potential for a whole lot more work to learn these programs and alienate the students with shallow teaching.
My IB students work on extended essays, for which they spend two years doing research. Using tools such as Diigo, I can model how I search out credible and substantial sources. Students can even bring in their own sources to present to class, and show highlighted material to the rest of class to justify why their sources are worth using. The rest of the class can critique and provide feedback about whether the sources are appropriate or not. This could promote student-centered accountability for digital citizenship if we make this a common practice.
Tool #10
Ummmm, I opened some of the links for the top rated education apps, and found some interesting apps. For one thing, there were a few apps for sex toys, sexual positions, and kissing techniques. Not gonna lie, I was a little confused as to why those were on there, but whatever, I'll find no use for them in my classroom.
Last year, when my IB or AP classes read Macbeth or Hamlet, we did not have enough books to lend to the students--we only had enough for a class set. There were some students who wanted a copy of the book to read at home, so I told them about the Free Shakespeare App, which has all of his works you can read for free.
Almost any classic novel can be downloaded for free using some of the book reader apps, such as Stanza.
There were also some apps for listening to works of literature and poetry being read, so students could listen to the language.
I haven't checked, but I'm sure there are some apps with creative writing ideas or prompts that could be useful.
We don't have access for all students to have iPods/iPhones/iPads, but I'd say out of any class, probably at least half of them do have their own, so if a teacher learns about what her students have, she can plan a lesson in which students use their own devices, which could work if they pair up or whatever.
I'm always looking for more ways to use the iPods in class, because I have far from mastered it, I'm sure.
Last year, when my IB or AP classes read Macbeth or Hamlet, we did not have enough books to lend to the students--we only had enough for a class set. There were some students who wanted a copy of the book to read at home, so I told them about the Free Shakespeare App, which has all of his works you can read for free.
Almost any classic novel can be downloaded for free using some of the book reader apps, such as Stanza.
There were also some apps for listening to works of literature and poetry being read, so students could listen to the language.
I haven't checked, but I'm sure there are some apps with creative writing ideas or prompts that could be useful.
We don't have access for all students to have iPods/iPhones/iPads, but I'd say out of any class, probably at least half of them do have their own, so if a teacher learns about what her students have, she can plan a lesson in which students use their own devices, which could work if they pair up or whatever.
I'm always looking for more ways to use the iPods in class, because I have far from mastered it, I'm sure.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Tool #9
Using Jing can be extremely helpful whenever I need to show students how to access an online application for an assignment.
One thing I've been thinking about while progressing through this 11 tools training is the fact that I'll have to show many of my students how to do this stuff. Some of them know how to do it, most of them could figure it out, but it's the nature of our job to cover all bases and present information to all students in case there may be a couple who need my guidance or assistance.
Using Jing, I can record myself going through the process, and when I present it to the class, I can explain while the recording shows as opposed to trying to figure it out and waiting on load times while students watch and grow disinterested.
One thing I've been thinking about while progressing through this 11 tools training is the fact that I'll have to show many of my students how to do this stuff. Some of them know how to do it, most of them could figure it out, but it's the nature of our job to cover all bases and present information to all students in case there may be a couple who need my guidance or assistance.
Using Jing, I can record myself going through the process, and when I present it to the class, I can explain while the recording shows as opposed to trying to figure it out and waiting on load times while students watch and grow disinterested.
Tool #8
http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=A0DC68C2-FD05-48F8-B3A0-D41214C4C7F5&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=US
This is a link to a Frankenstein video that gives background about Mary Shelley. Students are always amazed when they find out Mary Shelley was roughly their age when she wrote the book.
http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=B7DF5BC6-6827-49C0-A027-4571F7E9EE4F&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=US
This is a link to a video about T.S. Eliot's Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, and his creation of the antihero. I can show this video to help students understand the concept of the everyman and the influence on 20th century literature. This will help them to connect to many characters in many works of literature, including Jay Gatsby. This can also serve as a bridge to post-modernism, and students could be prompted to find current stories, novels, or movies in which this concept is expanded upon.
This is a link to a Frankenstein video that gives background about Mary Shelley. Students are always amazed when they find out Mary Shelley was roughly their age when she wrote the book.
http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=B7DF5BC6-6827-49C0-A027-4571F7E9EE4F&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=US
This is a link to a video about T.S. Eliot's Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, and his creation of the antihero. I can show this video to help students understand the concept of the everyman and the influence on 20th century literature. This will help them to connect to many characters in many works of literature, including Jay Gatsby. This can also serve as a bridge to post-modernism, and students could be prompted to find current stories, novels, or movies in which this concept is expanded upon.
Tool #7
Here is a link to a gallery I've made of photos and videos, all of which were created either in iPhoto or iMovie.
gallery.me.com/heyteacherman
I've made several movies on my own, and really enjoy the process, mostly as a way of keeping all of my home movies organized and putting them in a video that is edited with music, so that watching them is more enjoyable.
I really would like to introduce this in my classroom, but I actually don't like using windows movie maker. It is difficult to use and has way fewer features than iMovie. My students could use movie making software or create podcasts to share their writing, or create commentaries on literature we read.
gallery.me.com/heyteacherman
I've made several movies on my own, and really enjoy the process, mostly as a way of keeping all of my home movies organized and putting them in a video that is edited with music, so that watching them is more enjoyable.
I really would like to introduce this in my classroom, but I actually don't like using windows movie maker. It is difficult to use and has way fewer features than iMovie. My students could use movie making software or create podcasts to share their writing, or create commentaries on literature we read.
Tool #6
I will be able to use wikis whenever my students do book clubs. Students can keep track of their own wikis as they research and find resources for study of their book club books. They can also use wikis to plan the project they plan to create to share their books with the rest of the class. As the teacher, I can visit the wikis to check on progress and participation, and leave comments for the students.
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