Blogging? I enjoy it for the opportunity it gives me to express my opinion on diverse topics. I want to really implement blogging within some of my lessons this year. Although some of the topics we had to blog about during this course where not on my favorite list; I do appreciate the fact that it was the first time I ever blogged in my entire life and it certainly won't be the last. As a matter of fact, a couple of days ago AOL came out with an article on a video many people want teenagers to see directed at the consequences of texting while driving; others voice the video is too graphic and may traumatize teenagers. I blogged my opinion (let them see it) and it was great to get it out there!
One tool I really enjoyed was setting up an iWeb website for the WebQuest; I really got into it. Even as I am typing this I am thinking of all the things I can include, all with the use of technological free tools, for all other lessons I plan on preparing. I really think my students will love it.
One other tool was Netvibes; awesome. I was showing my husband how to use it, now he can upload favorite sites from his country. Web 2.0 tools truly make it easier for the teacher to get the objective across to the students, and in the process learn as well.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Week 4 Blog #7 Second Life
I just clicked out of Second Life. I have to admit that I am sitting on a fence; not sure of where I stand on my views of this virtual site. I don't want to go out and say that I am not impressed with it, because I am. The novelty of the virtual world; a place where I can turn into an alter ego in a way, for the time I visit it. I can do anything, say anything; it's up to me. It is a place mostly to socialize.
On the other hand, I have visited various educational sites in it. Hmmm, they're ok. Is it the fact that I am too set in my ways to see SL as an educational tool? Or is it that I have not learned everything there is to know about it? What other abilities do I have, through my avatar, to create what is needed as a trainer to meet the needs of my students?
A couple of days ago, the 23rd of this month, I had the opportunity to visit a ballet performance in SL. I was actually enthused about it; I could not even imagine how it would be. I transported in as required and sat toward the back. I was lost. Not as a result of the performance, but my abilities to use the avatar to the best of my capabilities. I kept IM with another avatar, asking her how to do different things; I did not want to interrupt the performance.
I think the stress of my wanting to 'handle' my avatar correctly took the possible joy of viewing the performance. I have to admit that I was also bored, BUT that may be as a result of my personality and tastes. The clothes the ballerina's had were beautiful ( I zoomed in several times)
All-in-all it was an interesting experience of a virtual ballet. I think perhaps as I continue with all the classes I have left, I will gain a greater insight on to how SL may be used as an instructional tool.
On the other hand, I have visited various educational sites in it. Hmmm, they're ok. Is it the fact that I am too set in my ways to see SL as an educational tool? Or is it that I have not learned everything there is to know about it? What other abilities do I have, through my avatar, to create what is needed as a trainer to meet the needs of my students?
A couple of days ago, the 23rd of this month, I had the opportunity to visit a ballet performance in SL. I was actually enthused about it; I could not even imagine how it would be. I transported in as required and sat toward the back. I was lost. Not as a result of the performance, but my abilities to use the avatar to the best of my capabilities. I kept IM with another avatar, asking her how to do different things; I did not want to interrupt the performance.
I think the stress of my wanting to 'handle' my avatar correctly took the possible joy of viewing the performance. I have to admit that I was also bored, BUT that may be as a result of my personality and tastes. The clothes the ballerina's had were beautiful ( I zoomed in several times)
All-in-all it was an interesting experience of a virtual ballet. I think perhaps as I continue with all the classes I have left, I will gain a greater insight on to how SL may be used as an instructional tool.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Week 3 Blog #6 Communities of Practice
In our school this year, our faculty has been admonished to 'work smart.' Finally, after many years, we were given a tool called Share Point. All I know, in this first week of school is that we can access anything that is work related in the application. So far, it's great; it has cut down on time, on paper, and improved communication. They are adding more tools to it as I write, to maximize our working environment.
Great improvement for our school district. On the other hand, I was reading an article written by Blake Snow (2009 May) Are Social Web Sites Spoiling In-Person Conversation? Communication consultant Patti Wood is mentioned in the article as saying 'the internet was designed to share information, not emotions.' Yes and no.
I think like anything else, network communites have their great points, and not so great areas. I think of what Gordon Brown said in his video Wiring a Web For Global Good how pictures in global societies 'unlock what we cannot see' this is a great example of the power of networking and social media; how the world watched in horror the video taken of Neda, an Iranian girl shot and killed for protesting against the government of Iran. How the video of her death impacted communities to bring them together; to be a voice; instantaneously. That is the power of voice within media, the internet must share emotions many times over; I am not refering about users posting 'I'm in a bad mood today' but the sharing of information built for a common good globally.
Patti Woods goes on to say that ' the idea of being present in the moment is disappearing. Oftentimes we devalue our current situation --the friends and family around us, our surroundings and setting --for something going on somewhere else, somewhere that seems far more interesting that what is right in front of us.'
I disagree with Woods. I would have to reply that something going on somewhere else, may impact our current situation. For example politics, human rights, etc. Did not the ability of networking help Mexico spread the word on Swine Flue, so that surrounding countries could take measures in avoiding an even major disaster?
Once again, society is seeing how powerful social websites and social media is.
Great improvement for our school district. On the other hand, I was reading an article written by Blake Snow (2009 May) Are Social Web Sites Spoiling In-Person Conversation? Communication consultant Patti Wood is mentioned in the article as saying 'the internet was designed to share information, not emotions.' Yes and no.
I think like anything else, network communites have their great points, and not so great areas. I think of what Gordon Brown said in his video Wiring a Web For Global Good how pictures in global societies 'unlock what we cannot see' this is a great example of the power of networking and social media; how the world watched in horror the video taken of Neda, an Iranian girl shot and killed for protesting against the government of Iran. How the video of her death impacted communities to bring them together; to be a voice; instantaneously. That is the power of voice within media, the internet must share emotions many times over; I am not refering about users posting 'I'm in a bad mood today' but the sharing of information built for a common good globally.
Patti Woods goes on to say that ' the idea of being present in the moment is disappearing. Oftentimes we devalue our current situation --the friends and family around us, our surroundings and setting --for something going on somewhere else, somewhere that seems far more interesting that what is right in front of us.'
I disagree with Woods. I would have to reply that something going on somewhere else, may impact our current situation. For example politics, human rights, etc. Did not the ability of networking help Mexico spread the word on Swine Flue, so that surrounding countries could take measures in avoiding an even major disaster?
Once again, society is seeing how powerful social websites and social media is.
Week3 Blog #5 Social Media
As I have been reading about social media, the basic idea is, it is a tool that is used to communicate in the web socially; a way to share information quicker and at the same time store its use. I thoroughly enjoyed the video by Gordon Brown 'Wiring: A Web For Global Good'. Social media works, and it has demonstrated that it is a powerful tool as a voice of people all across the globe.
Brown says...'What we see, unlocks what we cannot see' and 'What we see unlocks the invisible ties and bonds of sympathies that bring us together to become a human community' He goes on to mention how the pictures we see on the web demonstrate the pain of others; how combining the power of a global ethic with the power of our ability to communicate and organize globally the world can work together.
Through the web, this global ethic would work together to solve poverty,security, terrorism, climate change, human rights, and financial crisis.
Gordan continues to advocate 'to build for the first time out of a global ethic, and people's global ability to communicate and organize together, a truly global society, built on that ethic, but with institutions that conserve that global society and make for a different future' we are the 1st generation in the world to be able to do this. A global society built for the common good.
Josh Catone (2009) asked the following question 'what if social media tools would allow the cost of an education to drop nearly all the way down to zero?' Social media's is a powerful tool for global challenges such as education as well. We now have access to obtain free education through the web for people across the globe who do not have the resources to obtain an education. Universities are now coming with open course ware, there's even an organization www.ocwconsortium.org. Education is becoming global and free; all this because of social media and the web.
http://mashable.com/2009/07/24/education-social-media
www.ocwconsortium.org
Brown says...'What we see, unlocks what we cannot see' and 'What we see unlocks the invisible ties and bonds of sympathies that bring us together to become a human community' He goes on to mention how the pictures we see on the web demonstrate the pain of others; how combining the power of a global ethic with the power of our ability to communicate and organize globally the world can work together.
Through the web, this global ethic would work together to solve poverty,security, terrorism, climate change, human rights, and financial crisis.
Gordan continues to advocate 'to build for the first time out of a global ethic, and people's global ability to communicate and organize together, a truly global society, built on that ethic, but with institutions that conserve that global society and make for a different future' we are the 1st generation in the world to be able to do this. A global society built for the common good.
Josh Catone (2009) asked the following question 'what if social media tools would allow the cost of an education to drop nearly all the way down to zero?' Social media's is a powerful tool for global challenges such as education as well. We now have access to obtain free education through the web for people across the globe who do not have the resources to obtain an education. Universities are now coming with open course ware, there's even an organization www.ocwconsortium.org. Education is becoming global and free; all this because of social media and the web.
http://mashable.com/2009/07/24/education-social-media
www.ocwconsortium.org
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Week 2 Blog #4: 21st Century Skills & Lifelong Learning
During the hours I have spent reading, listening, and searching online, I have come across the opinion that our educational system does not work; it has been a topic that has been greatly debated and studied, especially now with technology and global connectivism.
If I ponder about a system that doesn't work, then must I also conclude that the digital immigrant teacher is also ineffective, or simply puppets in a collapsing educational system?
In the video 21st Century Literacies, Howard Rheingold mentions the myth of digital natives considered as empowered and fluent as a result of carrying laptops.
He goes on to say something quite contrary to what I've been reading all along 'media enabled does not guarantee that people can perform and persuade others' in other words, just because a student carries a laptop does not make him/her a digital native until they have learned how to use the tools of essential literacies. Learning those literacies is critical and teachers have a pivotal role in becoming learners and teaching the tools for global connectivism.
Rheingold goes on to mention that schools are not the place where critical thinking is taking place, but instead takes place out of the classroom. A place where 'learning occurs as part of a social network of many diverse connections and ties'
Perhaps we are at a crossroads, where the role of the teacher will no longer be as it was, but take on a new role as the learner.
References:
www.toastmasters.org
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/principals/NewLeader2.pdf
If I ponder about a system that doesn't work, then must I also conclude that the digital immigrant teacher is also ineffective, or simply puppets in a collapsing educational system?
In the video 21st Century Literacies, Howard Rheingold mentions the myth of digital natives considered as empowered and fluent as a result of carrying laptops.
He goes on to say something quite contrary to what I've been reading all along 'media enabled does not guarantee that people can perform and persuade others' in other words, just because a student carries a laptop does not make him/her a digital native until they have learned how to use the tools of essential literacies. Learning those literacies is critical and teachers have a pivotal role in becoming learners and teaching the tools for global connectivism.
Rheingold goes on to mention that schools are not the place where critical thinking is taking place, but instead takes place out of the classroom. A place where 'learning occurs as part of a social network of many diverse connections and ties'
Perhaps we are at a crossroads, where the role of the teacher will no longer be as it was, but take on a new role as the learner.
References:
www.toastmasters.org
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/principals/NewLeader2.pdf
Week 2 Blog #3 Media Literacy
Watching Gever Tulley's video Life Lessons Through Tinkering is right on target. It reminded me of all the 'hands-on' learning activities I did while in school. You ever wonder why Art class falls in the category of favorite classes to take? It was always one of my favorite classes, and still is today for many students.
While growing up in the 60s and 70s, the grade that I 'got' in Art was not given importance. It was, in a way, the mindset of the time; it did not fall into the category of Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic. Yet if you think on Gever's video, I think it should have been added to the important class(s) section, like math, English, science, and social studies. Why? Because we were creating and having fun in the process.
Let me give you an example, the first time I attended school in the United States was in El Paso, Texas. I was new to the school, to the town, and to the language; I did not understand anything in the English language. That said, I do remember our teacher having us create Xmas trees out of Reader's Digest magazines in 2nd grade. She modeled how to create one for us, then the 'ownership' of the creation was up to us. She let us decorate it any way we wanted to. Now, many years later, every time Christmas comes up, I think of the tree I created.
I also remember my science teacher, Miss. Cornell. She had us create a 'book project' about the different habitats found on Earth and the animal and plants that belonged to each; computers and printers did not exist at the time, so we really had to 'cut and paste' pictures from books and all the old National Geographic magazines we had.
I have been a middle school teacher for a couple of years, and it always amazes me how few teachers in middle school, implement hands-on activities in their lessons; the ability to 'create' is somehow lost during middle school.
These examples may seem 'corny' to you, maybe not. But the idea I want to get across is that literacy comes in many forms, and there are many ways to learn it. The classes where I was given the opportunity to create, are the classes that I most remember.
References:
Ted.com
colorincolorado.org
While growing up in the 60s and 70s, the grade that I 'got' in Art was not given importance. It was, in a way, the mindset of the time; it did not fall into the category of Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic. Yet if you think on Gever's video, I think it should have been added to the important class(s) section, like math, English, science, and social studies. Why? Because we were creating and having fun in the process.
Let me give you an example, the first time I attended school in the United States was in El Paso, Texas. I was new to the school, to the town, and to the language; I did not understand anything in the English language. That said, I do remember our teacher having us create Xmas trees out of Reader's Digest magazines in 2nd grade. She modeled how to create one for us, then the 'ownership' of the creation was up to us. She let us decorate it any way we wanted to. Now, many years later, every time Christmas comes up, I think of the tree I created.
I also remember my science teacher, Miss. Cornell. She had us create a 'book project' about the different habitats found on Earth and the animal and plants that belonged to each; computers and printers did not exist at the time, so we really had to 'cut and paste' pictures from books and all the old National Geographic magazines we had.
I have been a middle school teacher for a couple of years, and it always amazes me how few teachers in middle school, implement hands-on activities in their lessons; the ability to 'create' is somehow lost during middle school.
These examples may seem 'corny' to you, maybe not. But the idea I want to get across is that literacy comes in many forms, and there are many ways to learn it. The classes where I was given the opportunity to create, are the classes that I most remember.
References:
Ted.com
colorincolorado.org
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Week 1 Blog #2
The article written by Marc Prensky Programming is the New Literacy (2008) compares the literate person of today with the highly literate person of the future. He makes very interesting comparisons. For example, the literate person of today may write a birthday card note for a young niece vs. the highly literate person of tomorrow programming the child a game.
Prensky notes that parents and teachers disrespect today's youth for not being 'literate' in reading and writing, yet the youth, or young citizens of the future, have no respect for adults who can't program a DVD player, a mobile phone, a computer, or anything else.. He goes on to write that 'today's kids already see their parents and teachers as the illiterate ones' (p. 6)
He goes on to ask a very interesting but important question, "How do we, as educators, make our students literate?" How do we, the digital immigrant, teach what we don't have enough skills on? A question to ponder considerably. Prensky continues to write that if an answer is not found, the kids will figure out ways to teach themselves; the outcome? 'Literacy without (official) teachers' (p. 7) Is this outcome possible?
Will Richardson, in his article World Without Walls: Learning Well with Others expresses that the teacher-guided curriculum is becoming less relevant, as a result of the Web offering its users to learn whatever, whenever, by whomever they want. Is the Web making the learner the teacher, or as Richardson writes 'we must find our own teachers, and they must find us.'
The two sites below offer valuable and updated information, blogs, and resources:
http://www.edutopia.org
http://www.educause.edu
Prensky notes that parents and teachers disrespect today's youth for not being 'literate' in reading and writing, yet the youth, or young citizens of the future, have no respect for adults who can't program a DVD player, a mobile phone, a computer, or anything else.. He goes on to write that 'today's kids already see their parents and teachers as the illiterate ones' (p. 6)
He goes on to ask a very interesting but important question, "How do we, as educators, make our students literate?" How do we, the digital immigrant, teach what we don't have enough skills on? A question to ponder considerably. Prensky continues to write that if an answer is not found, the kids will figure out ways to teach themselves; the outcome? 'Literacy without (official) teachers' (p. 7) Is this outcome possible?
Will Richardson, in his article World Without Walls: Learning Well with Others expresses that the teacher-guided curriculum is becoming less relevant, as a result of the Web offering its users to learn whatever, whenever, by whomever they want. Is the Web making the learner the teacher, or as Richardson writes 'we must find our own teachers, and they must find us.'
The two sites below offer valuable and updated information, blogs, and resources:
http://www.edutopia.org
http://www.educause.edu
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