Say it aint so...

Well we actually all made it, almost. I suppose we won't really know until the grades are posted. I honestly didn't think I'd be able to get through when we first started. It has been a baptism by fire, out of the frying pan into the fire, the whole magilla, water up to the eyeballs experience. If everyone had seen the last pag eof my ICP it summed it all up-Hallelujah!

Most of what I learned was through practical application and osmosis, as this type of subject should be. I learned very little through the readings, not that it wasn't important, but I personally learn better through doing. Some of the blogs, articles, and videos were very informative and helpful-especially the one about how society, especially schools, kills creativity. This then leads to less real learning and more drones being spit out into the world.

More than anything, I learned so much from my fellow classmates. I was blown away by the caliber of work put out and beyond impressed with the assimilation rate. Some of the projects were of such high quality they could be marketed. And if I remember correctly not many of us had previous experience using many of these technological tools.

As I mentioned last night, I'm glad the class is a requirement, it is one that has direct and definite utility in education, but I AM SO GLAD it is done with. No offense, Dr. Smirnova.
(I hope after all of this that I pass and don't have to take it over,lol)

Lost in Translation?

http://pedagogy21.pbwiki.com/TWT+Group+2?SearchFor=Lost+in+translation&sp=1

Daisy's scrapblog

For this scrapblog I created a theoretical assignment for the high schooler reading The Great Gatsby. The idea was that the student would create a scrapblog as if they were one of the characters using devices, stickers, text, etc to express characteristics and story elements-I also included add-ons that would create an end-of-term cumulative project.

http://www.scrapblog.com/viewer/viewer.aspx?sbid=1054764

Who's that Twitter(er)?

I wish I had saved this little piece about Twitter in the New York Times-I tried searching their site but to no avail. Anyway it was a little piece on social networking and especially Twitter. They had six different notable users from Benjamin Netanyahu to Dave MAtthews and they printed what they had last posted, etc.
It was interesting to see the range of people, topics, and posts and how all aspects of fame are affected by the world of technology especially communication.

Scrapblog...it's not just for housewives!

This PowerPoint explains the elements of the web 2.0 tool, Scrapblog-along with links to the site itself, other creative sites, as well as the two scrapblogs I created.

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

The Great Gatsby

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own.

Schools=creativity killers?

I was just re-watching a YouTube video from week 7 and was struck by how much more meaning I get from it now.

Sir Ken Robinson's short lecture on education, literacy and creativity has such pertinence and timbre that it should be a must for all educators. He portends that creativity and literacy should be linked and that the educational system overall (especially standardized scoring and the like) squelches creativity and tries to mold everyone into the same shape and size. Intelligence should contain three elements:1, Diversity, 2, Dynamicism, and 3, Distinction.

The best quote that I plan to carry with me and display wherever I end up teaching is the following:

"If you're not prepared to be wrong you'll never accomplish anything." We must take a grain of humility, creativity, and fortitude in whatever we try to accomplish.

Augiedog Scrapblog

http://www.scrapblog.com/3248b7ccc3/037C8A9D-8952

Do you know your computer?

Crossword creation

Thursday, Oct 16, 2008

Knowing Excel fairly well it was simple to put together the crossword for the assignment. Knowing that a text box can be inserted eliminated the frustration of the set column/row sizing. Coloring the blank squares and other aesthetic devices were straightforward. There is an element of rudimentary usage and the creativity is a bit limited. Using Excel you have to create your own intersections, which can be a littlre trying, all those years of Scrabble paid off!

Using a puzzle program was extremely easy once I found the one that really worked. Some sites charged for membership before you could publish, some sites were near impossible to save as a jpeg. I used the Read-Write-Think site and was pleased with the ease of creation. the program allowed the user to just put the words and meanings into the specified area and the rest was done for the user.

I can see this tool being a great way to assign vocabulary homework, et al and it makes it a little more fun.

Mockingbird(newsletter)

Communication, as we've been taught in our Collaboration class, is the backbone to any relationship. The more we can inform as well as listen, the more comprehension and connection we create. An essential element to being a successful collaborator is being flexible. If you're open to suggestions or ideas, no matter what the source you are likely to be a better educator.

After creating this newsletter and finding it really enjoyable I plan to use it connected to school website and teacher website. I will also place a "comment card" on the newsletter so as to allow for parents, et al to ask questions or make a statement. In addition to the newsletter I plan to maintain my blog which will have information of school/class activities.

I would like to use more interactive tools such as google videochat, podcasts, and social network sites specifically for pre-conference time with parents/guardians.

I used publisher after trying openoffice and not liking it. Publisher has many more applicable and usable features. It also offers how-to's. If I were to do this again I would research more on interactive aspects that can be added to the newsletter such as get-to-know student/teacher games.


file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/An/My%20Documents/mockingbird.pub

Smartypants aka SMART Board

After viewing several digital tutorials I was fascinated to learn of the additional aspects I had never seen. One in particular: Flipchart which allows the user to link subject/picture/map,etc on the screen with internet for more information at the moment. You can also drag an "answer" and it will not accept it if the answer is incorrect.

A new item, SMART Table, seems geared toward grade and middle schools and allows for group interaction. This provides a variety of learning/educational possibilities. The only downside I thought of is the sharing aspect. As with toys, equipment, etc in a classroom there is always the issue (especially at grade school level) of not wanting to share the item. The SMART Table has the potential to be fought over, with all its bells and whistles.

Groovy group wiki

http://pedagogy21.pbwiki.com/TWT%20Group%202?edit=1

A quizzling (Web 2.0 Tools) Quizlet

This is a great interactive site that works like computerized flash cards but more fun. There are a few different "games" along with a plethora of topics/content such as AP English, specific grade level chemistry, etc.

I used the practice one on the home page and got hooked so I continued to the full version. It was state capitals (not my strong suit) but after doing a few different tries I was definitely learning them.

I then tried an English lit. game matching terms of elements in literature. With each game I got to try to outdo my time answering-it was a great way to keep me interested. Overall the site is a great learning tool-especially for the nerdlets that are glued to their computers.

I'm a pro at ProProf

What really thrills me about programs like this and Engrade, etc is the ease of use and the variety of applicable tools available. ProProf has a great quiz creator which allows for creation, sharing, and/or viewing. It also has resources such as touring the quiz create feature, newsroom to attach various forms of media, and a key features section where you can blog, connect with other classes, friends, companies, etc.

When I was doing an observaition last week the teacher had told me about a site the district now uses for students and teachers to submit work, called Turnitin. This site has similar features in that it allows the teachers and students to keep track of, check on, and attain resources. I think all-in-all ProProf and Engrade offer a lot more in usable features as well as ease of use.

GreatGatsbyGrade

I used engrade.com for this and really liked it. I had initially tried gradepro and found it a little difficult to navigate. Engrade had easy-to-follow steps, clean screens, and good folders encompassing what I believe would be a teacher's criteria.

Engrade allows for manual, custom, and default grading allowing the user to manipulate or not. It also gives easy access for the student. The calendar option was great for both student and teacher providing a syncing tool. Parental access was my least explored area though it has places to limit or open access.

How to Knit

Boy was this a project! I loved so much about doing the digital story but I hated some of the obstacles. There were numerous. From my overworked, slow computer to my website not accepting the size of the finished project. I want to take all I've learned, video, music, photo, animation manipulation and start working on transforming some of my proposed lessons into digital stories. It is fascinating, enervating, provocative, creative, irritating, lovely, and the wave of the not-too-distant future.

Being able to use old photos of my own along with clipart, created video, and downloaded music was really fun and got the creative juices flowing. Students in a wide age range will really be drawn to the manipulations and will really dig this creative process. It is a good alternative to the report, diorama, or poster.

Digital Storytelling

After viewing several different versions of digital storytelling I feel, more than ever, the endless possibilities associated with it. I started with a piece on VoiceThread and was taken by the simplicity, emotional draw, aesthetic attributes, and accessibility. Not only was the story sweet, intimate, and entertaining, but it allowed me to see that it was something I could do. It also opened up a vast world of usage in the educational field. Incorporating lessons, books, anecdotes would be simple and effective. I believe most people are more visual than any other sense, as far as learning, and digital storytelling is a great foundation tool.

Crossword challenge

Crossword creation


Knowing Excel fairly well it was simple to put together the crossword for the assignment. Knowing that a text box can be inserted eliminated the frustration of the set column/row sizing. Coloring the blank squares and other aesthetic devices were straightforward. There is an element of rudimentary usage and the creativity is a bit limited. Using Excel you have to create your own intersections, which can be a littlre trying, all those years of Scrabble paid off!

Using a puzzle program was extremely easy once I found the one that really worked. Some sites charged for membership before you could publish, some sites were near impossible to save as a jpeg. I used the Read-Write-Think site and was pleased with the ease of creation. the program allowed the user to just put the words and meanings into the specified area and the rest was done for the user.

I can see this tool being a great way to assign vocabulary homework, et al and it makes it a little more fun.

Posted on Thursday, Oct 16, 2008, 12:10 PM (UTC -4)

TWT and me

Where to begin...
Teaching with technology is a necessary evil. As the world changes so must its educators. It is really the fundamental rule in education. Be open, desirous, and flexible to change as it can hopefully benefit the students after all.
I am glad to be on the cusp of a real tech explosion in the classroom but I am also a bit resistant. Most of what I see, SmartBoards, WebQuests, Wikis, seem helpful, if not growth oriented. I am afraid that it will take over, like a virus (no pun intended) and it will become acceptable in any form. For instance, i may sound old fashioned, but the advent of the cell phone and worse texting is going to have long-lasting and terrible effects on the language and writing skills of tomorrow. It has been a struggle for so long to teach ELA, grammar, etc and this just adds a whole new element. Many believe that text language, emoticons, abbreviations, etc will become part of the common language and proper English will fall by the (slow) wayside. This alarms me. It is not just progress, as all past generations dig their heels in about youth and all its entrapments. Of course language is as malleable and delicate as any major aspect of society. But the integration of tech and the classroom is tempting the fates. How do we, as educators, provide the right type of tech while keeping out the "bad"?
I want to believe that even though the OED has added popular vernacular such as "Bling" and that trusted newscasters misuse the word literally and supposedly ("Supposably") that the English Language will stand firm. How? I don't know. Maybe WITH technology.

Constructivism

Building, layer upon layer, "floor" upon "floor" the knowledge necessary to create a well balanced and interested learner.

The teacher is the guide and the student is the gatherer.
Mastery, comprehension, and content application are the key roles of constructivism.
The three three main characteristics are: 1) There are different kinds of knowledge, 2) Prior knowledge affects the learning process, and 3) Group learning is more productive than individual
Advantages: Critical thinking, more learning-style freedom, differences are appreciated, active engagement, encourages individual methods for task completion, learning becomes more interesting, confidence-building, and preparation for real-world scenarios
Some disadvantages: Teacher knowledge must be extensive and vast, requires lots of planning, assignments are long-term, unconventional, overhaul of old curriculum time and labor intensive, traditional teachers may resist, ongoing professional development necessary, and those who don't know will see the class as "messy", disorganized, and unmanageable.

The 5 E's

Sounds like a band from the 50's...
Anyway, similar to the ADDIE and ASSURE ed models it too has a system for better teaching and thus, better learning.

Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate
Much more interactive with the students and much more pro-active as a whole. Answers are multi-level and analytically challenging. Use of formative and summative knowledge is key. The evaluation techniques are varied and malleable to subjects.

ISDS

My first reaction to ISDS and the like is ugh, another strategy. It seems the world of education (and probably many other industries)pedagogy always has a "new and improved" theory on teaching and learning. Using strategies such as ADDIE, ASSURE, ARCS, etc look good in theory and on paper, but do they really enhance learning? Do they really allow for a better teacher? Are there outcomes and are they universally beneficial?

It all goes back to learning theories--Vygotsky, Piaget, Dewey (the namesake of my h.s.!)--apply, design, be aware of the learner (styles), assets, and implications. The pedagogical double-speak reminds me of a story my sister told me a few years back. She is a second grade teacher in Brooklyn. To make a long story short, administration was droning on about STRATEGIES; how to find one, use one, apply it for general use, get students used to it, etc. When one teacher tried to explain it to her class of 7 year olds one student's answer ("Monkeybars?" you had to be there!) made it amusingly clear that it was all about opening our eyes and ears to what the student needs to thrive.

ADDIE caught my eye as one of the more user-friendly strategies. Having an acronym makes it easy to conjure and the titles are usable ideas; Analyze (think and dissect), Design (create on paper), Develop (add-ons and beneficial "go-withs"), Implement (best way to apply for maximum results), and Evaluate (how did it go? will it need changing?)

Cyberbullying, Fair Use and AUPThis group meeting was chock full of information, ideas and opinions. I am most alarmed with cyberbullying as it doesn't seem to have moved very far in the legal realm. At least not in the U.S. There is only so much the parents and/or educators can do. As many people believe, kids will do what they want despite the restrictions and/or consequences. Setting a good example is key. Having school policies that WILL NOT accept it; possible expulsion, fines, etc. Money talks. If fines were introduced parents and the like would take quick notice. It is unfortunate that it takes suicides of teenagers for the world to recognize how big an issue this really is.Fair use has been an issue since the first printed page. Ony through adherence, interest, and proactive behavior will the issue come to a general consensus.AUP's: What can be said? Is it censorship? Is it something to be mandate dby the Fed Gov? Can the state and local districts be resposible? I'm not sure where I stand on the jurisdiction. But it is imperative that it be a school issue.Posted on Monday, Sep 22, 2008, 09:19 PM (UTC -4)entryCache[1] = [4011007,"Learning styles 2.0","My formative years in school did not have any technology based learning save for the overhead projector, mimeograph, and start of the VCR. Off-site televised teaching was just starting and seemed space-age and wondrous.To have the advantage of \"meeting\" different ethnicities, cultures, etc seems invaluable. So often, especially as teenagers, we lose sight of the world outside our own little bubble. By having the experience of others broadcast in the classroom seems like an experience adults should undertake as well.In addition, the web and the like, can offer education to almost anyone, especially those in the most remote regions and those who may not have had it before.It is a priceless aspect to the education world.","Tuesday, Sep 23, 2008, 06:38 PM (UTC -4)",0,'null',1];addBlogEntry(4011007,"Learning styles 2.0","My formative years in school did not have any technology based learning save for the overhead projector, mimeograph, and start of the VCR. Off-site televised teaching was just starting and seemed space-age and wondrous.To have the advantage of \"meeting\" different ethnicities, cultures, etc seems invaluable. So often, especially as teenagers, we lose sight of the world outside our own little bubble. By having the experience of others broadcast in the classroom seems like an experience adults should undertake as well.In addition, the web and the like, can offer education to almost anyone, especially those in the most remote regions and those who may not have had it before.It is a priceless aspect to the education world.","Tuesday, Sep 23, 2008, 06:38 PM (UTC -4)",0,false,'','null');entryCache[2] = [4007396,"Website evaluation","As with other issues like AUP and fair use policies, website evaluation needs to be a foundational instrument for all technology. HAving a general guideline that at least states checking authorship and easy ways to reach the author(s) can start the research process. An objective viewpoint with unbiased sponsors, frequent updates clearly noted, and all information with links should be the lynchpin. Following up with citations, dates, efficent usage, fallacy recognition/avoidance, helpful, not distracting graphics, access for those w/ disabilities, and ease of obtaining information round out the evaluation process.","Monday, Sep 22, 2008, 09:25 PM (UTC -4)",0,'null',2];addBlogEntry(4007396,"Website evaluation","As with other issues like AUP and fair use policies, website evaluation needs to be a foundational instrument for all technology. HAving a general guideline that at least states checking authorship and easy ways to reach the author(s) can start the research process. An objective viewpoint with unbiased sponsors, frequent updates clearly noted, and all information with links should be the lynchpin. Following up with citations, dates, efficent usage, fallacy recognition/avoidance, helpful, not distracting graphics, access for those w/ disabilities, and ease of obtaining information round out the evaluation process.","Monday, Sep 22, 2008, 09:25 PM (UTC -4)",0,false,'','null');entryCache[3] = [4007377,"Cyberbullying, Fair Use and AUP","This group meeting was chock full of information, ideas and opinions. I am most alarmed with cyberbullying as it doesn\'t seem to have moved very far in the legal realm. At least not in the U.S. There is only so much the parents and/or educators can do. As many people believe, kids will do what they want despite the restrictions and/or consequences. Setting a good example is key. Having school policies that WILL NOT accept it; possible expulsion, fines, etc. Money talks. If fines were introduced parents and the like would take quick notice. It is unfortunate that it takes suicides of teenagers for the world to recognize how big an issue this really is.Fair use has been an issue since the first printed page. Ony through adherence, interest, and proactive behavior will the issue come to a general consensus.AUP\'s: What can be said? Is it censorship? Is it something to be mandate dby the Fed Gov? Can the state and local districts be resposible? I\'m not sure where I stand on the jurisdiction. But it is imperative that it be a school issue.","Monday, Sep 22, 2008, 09:19 PM (UTC -4)",0,'null',3];addBlogEntry(4007377,"Cyberbullying, Fair Use and AUP","This group meeting was chock full of information, ideas and opinions. I am most alarmed with cyberbullying as it doesn\'t seem to have moved very far in the legal realm. At least not in the U.S. There is only so much the parents and/or educators can do. As many people believe, kids will do what they want despite the restrictions and/or consequences. Setting a good example is key. Having school policies that WILL NOT accept it; possible expulsion, fines, etc. Money talks. If fines were introduced parents and the like would take quick notice. It is unfortunate that it takes suicides of teenagers for the world to recognize how big an issue this really is.Fair use has been an issue since the first printed page. Ony through adherence, interest, and proactive behavior will the issue come to a general consensus.AUP\'s: What can be said? Is it censorship? Is it something to be mandate dby the Fed Gov? Can the state and local districts be resposible? I\'m not sure where I stand on the jurisdiction. But it is imperative that it be a school issue.","Monday, Sep 22, 2008, 09:19 PM (UTC -4)",0,false,'','null');

Website evaluationAs with other issues like AUP and fair use policies, website evaluation needs to be a foundational instrument for all technology. HAving a general guideline that at least states checking authorship and easy ways to reach the author(s) can start the research process. An objective viewpoint with unbiased sponsors, frequent updates clearly noted, and all information with links should be the lynchpin. Following up with citations, dates, efficent usage, fallacy recognition/avoidance, helpful, not distracting graphics, access for those w/ disabilities, and ease of obtaining information round out the evaluation process.Posted on Monday, Sep 22, 2008, 09:25 PM (UTC -4)view edit delete edit comments (0)

Learning styles 2.0
My formative years in school did not have any technology based learning save for the overhead projector, mimeograph, and start of the VCR. Off-site televised teaching was just starting and seemed space-age and wondrous.To have the advantage of "meeting" different ethnicities, cultures, etc seems invaluable. So often, especially as teenagers, we lose sight of the world outside our own little bubble. By having the experience of others broadcast in the classroom seems like an experience adults should undertake as well.In addition, the web and the like, can offer education to almost anyone, especially those in the most remote regions and those who may not have had it before.It is a priceless aspect to the education world.Posted on Tuesday, Sep 23, 2008, 06:38 PM (UTC -4)
view edit delete edit comments (0)

Very first blog

No real subject-just trying out my very first blog