Sunday, October 12, 2008
Digital Media in the Classroom
Resources:
A New Life - Digital Story by Colleen Perry
Joe's blog: http://redwitness.blogspot.com/
Jenny's blog: http://atejenniper.blogspot.com/
Brad's blog: http://brad-thoughts.blogspot.com/
Sunday, October 5, 2008
VoiceThread
Voice thread is probably my favorite of the three we have used. I find it will be the most useful in the classroom to explain things for homework problems are start a class discussion online about a challenge problem.
I like the media available to you that allows for pictures, simultaneous drawing/figuring, as well as webcams and microphones and text (for those of us with colds and sore throats). If I was trying to tell a story however, and not convey problems are discussions, I would rather use one of the first two. I guess, though, that I did see an example where they put up family pictures and had the different subjects comment on what was going on when the picture was taken and recall memories. This could be fun and would have been a better example if the recordings in the sample weren't so corny or obviously made up.
I like the media available to you that allows for pictures, simultaneous drawing/figuring, as well as webcams and microphones and text (for those of us with colds and sore throats). If I was trying to tell a story however, and not convey problems are discussions, I would rather use one of the first two. I guess, though, that I did see an example where they put up family pictures and had the different subjects comment on what was going on when the picture was taken and recall memories. This could be fun and would have been a better example if the recordings in the sample weren't so corny or obviously made up.
Boston Scrapblog
Scrapblog provides a different way of telling of story than animoto for one main reason: words. Since I was able to have words, I could explain pictures instead of relying on music (even though scrapblog does have a music option). Thus, the story of my roadtrip developed because 1) it was a trip I happened to have a lot of pictures of and 2) it combines a written narrative with digital content.
Although I feel that animoto can convey a more powerful emotional message when done properly, I like the use of scrap blog since it can be made into almost a powerpoint. Thus, this makes it easier to imagine in a school setting. Chances are I'll be the dorky teacher telling stories about Mr. Derivative as he tries to find his partner, Ms. Slope. Anyways....
Although I feel that animoto can convey a more powerful emotional message when done properly, I like the use of scrap blog since it can be made into almost a powerpoint. Thus, this makes it easier to imagine in a school setting. Chances are I'll be the dorky teacher telling stories about Mr. Derivative as he tries to find his partner, Ms. Slope. Anyways....
Animoto Short
For the video made with Animoto below, it was quite difficult to come up with a topic that i could easily portray though just pictures. I tried this two times, and both times I tried to start with the song. However, then I would get into my head the pictures I wanted to use and in what order and when I couldn't find anything near what I wanted, I got frustrated and then changed to images of the theatre. It is hard to tell a story with an emotional content without having the time to go around and take/pose the pictures myself or to fit a song when you are looking with one word searches.
One thing I got nervous about is that I'm using more than 30 seconds of the song, but I don't really think the software lets me change how long it goes or to transition into a different song after thirty seconds- thus making it hard to not violate copy rights and still make a 1-2 minute video.
I think Animoto is great software, however I would need to have the time to take my own photos to tell the story and fit the song.
One thing I got nervous about is that I'm using more than 30 seconds of the song, but I don't really think the software lets me change how long it goes or to transition into a different song after thirty seconds- thus making it hard to not violate copy rights and still make a 1-2 minute video.
I think Animoto is great software, however I would need to have the time to take my own photos to tell the story and fit the song.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Growing Up on the Internet
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kidsonline/
After watching the video about how the internet is affecting teenagers today, it brought up a bunch of issues that I don't think most people think about. Kids do spend a lot of time on the internet today in online social situations that can be just as harmful to them, if not more, than actually being with their peers. The internet has a sense of anonymity that makes kids more brave in the things they say-good or bad. As Rachel says in her blog though, http://rsister2.blogspot.com/, teenagers need to make sure that they know how to socialize in both worlds. If you can only truly be yourself on-line, in the case of Autumn or the the girl with annorexia, you are going to have this dissonance in yourself because you know you have two personalities and in what situations you can be which one.
The effect the internet has on kids is both good and bad then in a sense. They can be social and learn about society and academics and they can be easily connected to resources that are helpful to them like email from teachers or homework help pages. But when you hear all these stories it's hard to think that there is a world out there that parents can't control, and can't even imagine. Like Anna, http://abohlke.blogspot.com/ , I can't imagine being this lost in the internet. A lot of the time I get bored using the computer because I'm not too entertained by checking out other people's lives and critiquing little things about people that don't matter. Unlike Anna though, my middle school did experience problems with cyberbullying (all the way back in 2001!). There was a case where a less popular girl's parents took another girl to court for bullying because of an Instant Message conversation, which was saved and printed for evidence. It's crazy how such a useful tool can be so harmful to children.
As for teaching, I would still like to use the internet in my classroom. I probably won't use any of the social networks, but at least I can have a page where they can check homework and grades and find out if other students are having the same problems they are. I would also like to use some of the free demonstrations or have them research possibilities to problems. The internet can be a great tool and I don't think using it in the classroom will cause children to be that much more exposed to the harmful things on the internet.
After watching the video about how the internet is affecting teenagers today, it brought up a bunch of issues that I don't think most people think about. Kids do spend a lot of time on the internet today in online social situations that can be just as harmful to them, if not more, than actually being with their peers. The internet has a sense of anonymity that makes kids more brave in the things they say-good or bad. As Rachel says in her blog though, http://rsister2.blogspot.com/, teenagers need to make sure that they know how to socialize in both worlds. If you can only truly be yourself on-line, in the case of Autumn or the the girl with annorexia, you are going to have this dissonance in yourself because you know you have two personalities and in what situations you can be which one.
The effect the internet has on kids is both good and bad then in a sense. They can be social and learn about society and academics and they can be easily connected to resources that are helpful to them like email from teachers or homework help pages. But when you hear all these stories it's hard to think that there is a world out there that parents can't control, and can't even imagine. Like Anna, http://abohlke.blogspot.com/ , I can't imagine being this lost in the internet. A lot of the time I get bored using the computer because I'm not too entertained by checking out other people's lives and critiquing little things about people that don't matter. Unlike Anna though, my middle school did experience problems with cyberbullying (all the way back in 2001!). There was a case where a less popular girl's parents took another girl to court for bullying because of an Instant Message conversation, which was saved and printed for evidence. It's crazy how such a useful tool can be so harmful to children.
As for teaching, I would still like to use the internet in my classroom. I probably won't use any of the social networks, but at least I can have a page where they can check homework and grades and find out if other students are having the same problems they are. I would also like to use some of the free demonstrations or have them research possibilities to problems. The internet can be a great tool and I don't think using it in the classroom will cause children to be that much more exposed to the harmful things on the internet.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Get an A? Here's $50.
Main Story: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/content/education/chi-money-for-grades-11-sep11,0,4916582,print.story
The idea of paying students for good grades is an interesting idea that I believe has the possibility to help motivate students, especially those of lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Upper and middle class parents may already use this method to motivate their children. According to an article in USA Today dated September 11, 2008, the majority of business CEOs use monetary rewards for their own children. (http://www.lexisnexis.com/us/lnacademic/results/docview/docview.do?docLinkInd=true&risb=21_T4628079387&format=GNBFI&sort=RELEVANCE&startDocNo=1&resultsUrlKey=29_T4628079390&cisb=22_T4628079389&treeMax=true&treeWidth=0&csi=8213&docNo=5)They claim that in the real world, professional world, bonuses, raises, and stock options are used to motivate employees to excel. Similarly, rewarding students with money or trips will provide a goal for students to reach for. By Chicago Public schools offering money to inner city students, they are leveling the playing field so to speak. Inner city families cannot afford to reward student for their grades as the upper classes do. (http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2007/08/our-opinion-on-.html)
Another benefit provided by Green for Grade$ besides motivation is that students can learn money managements. According to Rufus Williams, the Chicago Board of Education president, "This program not only provides incentives to keep students focused on making good grades, it also teaches financial responsibility" (http://www.cps.edu/News/Press_releases/2008/Pages/09_11_2008_PR1.aspx). This benefit is backed by the fact that the earnings will be directly deposited into the child's saving account.
Some fear that paying students to learn is wrong because learning should just be an intrinsic goal in every student, instead of a job. However, the program only pays for the first 2 years, when students are in the most danger of not graduating. After those 2 years, students will be transitioned to using their own future goals to motivate them to keep their grades up. The may also receive rewards for ACT test prep. And if their future goals are bright because they kept their grades up for the first two years and have great possibilities of going to college, they now have some money saved to put towards that goal that they earned through their hard work at school.
The reason why I believe this form of motivation would work is something I read on Mr. Olson's (no relations) blog (http://www.brighthub.com/education/k-12/articles/5035.aspx). He instituted a system using fake money which can be earned and turned in for homework passes, bathroom passes, and such. He says that kids are so interested in getting these rewards that they ask to do something to earn "Olson bucks" everyday. Imagine if students received these for good grades and as a reward got candy, extra credit, or homework passes. This should help motivate students. In my future classroom, I would love to instill a similar system. However, I would somehow still want to keep grades confidential or reward improvement instead of A's and B's. The last thing I want to do is hurt my student's self confidence. This may pose a challenge.
I would like to see this program in practice, since there are a few possibilities that worry me if it doesn't succeed in motivation. Number one is that the student-teacher relationship will be jeopardized because now teachers have more "power" with their grades. I have already heard students blame bad grades based on the fact the teacher "didn't like them." Imagine if you had to turn down students money because of a grade they earned that might be a very subjective grade. I'm also worried that, like I mentioned above, it may cause lower achieving students to lose even more self confidence if they don't receive any money and their peers receive a couple thousand. Low achieving students may be the ones who need the money the most...
The idea of paying students for good grades is an interesting idea that I believe has the possibility to help motivate students, especially those of lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Upper and middle class parents may already use this method to motivate their children. According to an article in USA Today dated September 11, 2008, the majority of business CEOs use monetary rewards for their own children. (http://www.lexisnexis.com/us/lnacademic/results/docview/docview.do?docLinkInd=true&risb=21_T4628079387&format=GNBFI&sort=RELEVANCE&startDocNo=1&resultsUrlKey=29_T4628079390&cisb=22_T4628079389&treeMax=true&treeWidth=0&csi=8213&docNo=5)They claim that in the real world, professional world, bonuses, raises, and stock options are used to motivate employees to excel. Similarly, rewarding students with money or trips will provide a goal for students to reach for. By Chicago Public schools offering money to inner city students, they are leveling the playing field so to speak. Inner city families cannot afford to reward student for their grades as the upper classes do. (http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2007/08/our-opinion-on-.html)
Another benefit provided by Green for Grade$ besides motivation is that students can learn money managements. According to Rufus Williams, the Chicago Board of Education president, "This program not only provides incentives to keep students focused on making good grades, it also teaches financial responsibility" (http://www.cps.edu/News/Press_releases/2008/Pages/09_11_2008_PR1.aspx). This benefit is backed by the fact that the earnings will be directly deposited into the child's saving account.
Some fear that paying students to learn is wrong because learning should just be an intrinsic goal in every student, instead of a job. However, the program only pays for the first 2 years, when students are in the most danger of not graduating. After those 2 years, students will be transitioned to using their own future goals to motivate them to keep their grades up. The may also receive rewards for ACT test prep. And if their future goals are bright because they kept their grades up for the first two years and have great possibilities of going to college, they now have some money saved to put towards that goal that they earned through their hard work at school.
The reason why I believe this form of motivation would work is something I read on Mr. Olson's (no relations) blog (http://www.brighthub.com/education/k-12/articles/5035.aspx). He instituted a system using fake money which can be earned and turned in for homework passes, bathroom passes, and such. He says that kids are so interested in getting these rewards that they ask to do something to earn "Olson bucks" everyday. Imagine if students received these for good grades and as a reward got candy, extra credit, or homework passes. This should help motivate students. In my future classroom, I would love to instill a similar system. However, I would somehow still want to keep grades confidential or reward improvement instead of A's and B's. The last thing I want to do is hurt my student's self confidence. This may pose a challenge.
I would like to see this program in practice, since there are a few possibilities that worry me if it doesn't succeed in motivation. Number one is that the student-teacher relationship will be jeopardized because now teachers have more "power" with their grades. I have already heard students blame bad grades based on the fact the teacher "didn't like them." Imagine if you had to turn down students money because of a grade they earned that might be a very subjective grade. I'm also worried that, like I mentioned above, it may cause lower achieving students to lose even more self confidence if they don't receive any money and their peers receive a couple thousand. Low achieving students may be the ones who need the money the most...
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Teaching the Future- A vision of students today
http://redwitness.blogspot.com/
http://brittneynow.blogspot.com/
http://atejenniper.blogspot.com/
After reading the above blogs, I started to wonder just how much technology is going to affect my classroom and my students. Technology today is growing faster than ever. Students could not imagine their lives without video games, ipods, the internet, or Facebook. To be an effective teacher and to relate to my students, I will have to learn the new technologies out there and keep their interest. All the blogs I've read mentioned something about students now being visual learners, and if you don't incorporate something visual in your lessons, you're not going to be the best teacher you can be. I especially liked the idea that students that I will be teaching are going to be learning things that I don't even know exist yet, that I'm going to be preparing them for jobs that don't exist yet. It's a crazy thought.
When I think about it, some of the teachers I have had were trained to teach before the internet was even invented. I even had a teacher who refused to use computers to calculate our grades, although it may be a beneficial time saver. Although I believe I recieved a quality education that integrated some technology, I know that if my teachers made an effort to use technology and show me possibilities other than research, I would have been better prepared for college. I hope that in my future classroom that I will be able to incorporate technologies- math technologies- to show students the endless possibilities. Programs like mathmatica and geometer's sketchpad will help tremendously with visualizations. I am also a little nervous about too much technology, however, because I have known many students without the confidence to do math in their head because calculators were always available. So I hope to learn new technology as they present themselves, to show my students the wide world available to them, to consolidate their knowledge by showing them visualizations and real world applications, and all within a balance of having students still think for themselves.
http://brittneynow.blogspot.com/
http://atejenniper.blogspot.com/
After reading the above blogs, I started to wonder just how much technology is going to affect my classroom and my students. Technology today is growing faster than ever. Students could not imagine their lives without video games, ipods, the internet, or Facebook. To be an effective teacher and to relate to my students, I will have to learn the new technologies out there and keep their interest. All the blogs I've read mentioned something about students now being visual learners, and if you don't incorporate something visual in your lessons, you're not going to be the best teacher you can be. I especially liked the idea that students that I will be teaching are going to be learning things that I don't even know exist yet, that I'm going to be preparing them for jobs that don't exist yet. It's a crazy thought.
When I think about it, some of the teachers I have had were trained to teach before the internet was even invented. I even had a teacher who refused to use computers to calculate our grades, although it may be a beneficial time saver. Although I believe I recieved a quality education that integrated some technology, I know that if my teachers made an effort to use technology and show me possibilities other than research, I would have been better prepared for college. I hope that in my future classroom that I will be able to incorporate technologies- math technologies- to show students the endless possibilities. Programs like mathmatica and geometer's sketchpad will help tremendously with visualizations. I am also a little nervous about too much technology, however, because I have known many students without the confidence to do math in their head because calculators were always available. So I hope to learn new technology as they present themselves, to show my students the wide world available to them, to consolidate their knowledge by showing them visualizations and real world applications, and all within a balance of having students still think for themselves.
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