9-A-1 Google Earth for Educators
I would recommend GoogleEarth to visual learners. Really, I would recommend this to anyone because it is so fantastic. I think Google Earth would help students understand landforms and any aspect of geography. Many times, students don’t understand the difference between a city, country and continent. GoogleEarth would help them grasp and visualize the differences between these descriptions. To better understand landforms, students could “fly” from Maryland to Las Vegas and describe the differences in landscape.
Students also need to build background for settings of stories, and GoogleEarth would also be a great way to do that. For example, the story The Cricket in Times Square takes place in Times Square, obviously. Students don’t always have a good picture of New York City, and flying above Manhattan would help them see the setting of the story more clearly. I think GE would help provide a sense that the world is bigger than what they see everyday. Perhaps a global view?
There is a Google Earth Educator’s Forum and there is a page containing lesson plans for GE. The possibilities are endless for teachers of all levels and of all subjects.
Paperless for the Organizationally Challenged
I have to admit, not many people would describe me as organized. I don’t think anyone would describe me as disorganized, either. The idea of going paperless would be fantastic, and I tried to implement this as much as possible when I was teaching. At times, I felt that I was constantly organizing and managing paper; student work, filing worksheets, copying worksheets, and circular filing handouts from some staff development meeting. Paperless classes would help teachers stay organized and save time, too.
Another benefit to going paperless would be environmental. Another wold be financial. As the article said, imagine how much money could be saved on textbooks if our schools were paperless.
How would a paperless class change your role as a teacher?
I think I would put more responsibility on my students. Before, I was the paper controller and monitor. They would have to be more responsible to turn in assignments. Lost papers would be no more. I would not have to pretend to be the Desk Witch and leave notes on messy desks.
How would paperless classes change learning?
I wonder if all children would be comfortable going paperless. The students who aren’t as linear might have trouble only using one medium to work.
How would you measure learning in a paperless class?
I can’t imagine a completely paperless K-12 class. I think about Math, especially. I think you would still have to measure learning in ways that use paper.
Would a paperless space make it easier or harder to build a learning network? Why?
I think it would be harder to build a learning network in elementary school. Those children need many modalities to learn. I think they need to have a wide range of experiences in many different assessment methods.
Overall, I think a somewhat paperless class is feasible for elementary schools.
#5 Know “Where” Learning
I chose this shift because it was one of the only ones where I had an “I am not so sure about that” reaction. Part of me has not totally shifted to embrace this idea. What bothered me is the statement “it’s not as essential to know what the answer is as it is to know where to find it”. I agree that information is so readily available that we can easily find what we need in a matter of seconds. But, I still feel that we do need to know the answers. What about daily conversation? Job interviews? The SATs?
So far, I do think this shift has affected my teaching practice. I can be more sure of topic with some quick research before a lesson. I have looked up something mid-lesson when I was not sure of an answer. Thank goodness I can find what I need quickly.
In the future, I can’t imagine what I will need to know that is not already there. Perhaps it is the way I find information that will change. Since taking this course, I have embraced RSS, and I am still working on tagging and social bookmarking. I think these technologies will become second nature for me to find the information I need. I now look at the Internet in layers or mining. There is the Google search layer that gives you little pieces, but then there is the blog layer underneath. It is a little harder to find the information you are looking for, but there are so many little gems waiting to be unearthed.
To facilitate this shift in your own classroom, I might offer more online tests. After working with students on valuable sites, I might give an assessment where they will use the Internet to find the answers to the test. I might use a wiki or blog to grade students on mastery.
The traditional teacher in me still wants to hang onto memorization, but I know that for a majority of concepts, know “where” learning is a better approach.
Who’s Got Game?
Last January, I took a class called Gaming and Media Design for Learning. I certainly changed my view of how games are being used in the classroom. I hope you learn about these emerging teaching tools during my discussion this week.
We know that games are motivational and engaging for students. Beyond attitudes, how are games successful with students? Eliot Masie said games teach students to “fail to success”, meaning that students fail, keep trying until they succeed in a safe environment. Thinkport offers an easy overview of games in education (as an aside, Thinkport offers wonderful resources, such as virtual field trips). View the Wide Open Doors site for more facts about how frequently students play games. Some believe games improve cognitive abilities, motor development and social development as well. Some leaders in the Digital Game Based Learning field are Richard Van Eck and Marc Prensky. I found a blog that states how in Scotland children are going to be taught game design in school.
Games are not just about multiplication facts practice anymore. Massive MultiPlayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs) are games that have an interactive environment or “world”. The world continues even when you are not playing the game, which contributes to the highly addictive nature of these games. These games require a high level of skill. I found several essays that discuss how these games apply to education. Some examples of educational MMORPGs are Revolution and Tale of the Desert. There is also a movement for serious games, which are games that aim to solve complex real life problems.
Of course, there are oppositions to games in education. “Skill and drill” type games are bad for students, games are for play only, and the negative effects of the video game culture are arguments against gaming in the classroom.
For this week’s discussion, think about and respond to:
What are your experiences with computer game playing in and out of the classroom?
What are some advantages to game playing in the classroom?
What issues do you see related to digital game based learning in the classroom?
Theory or Pedagogy?
I really was stumped at the difference, and whether there was one, about theory and pedagogy. I know a theory is a principle or explanation, and pedagogy deals with the strategies of teaching. The two seem so close to me, and I often think they are used interchangeably. I struggled to understand why there was such a debate on connectivism. It seems that most people accept that learning is now more connected than before. I am not sure, though, that this is something separate. Learning has always been connected, but now we are connected so much more immediately and frequently. Why, then, the debate over theory and pedagogy?
I think what the busy teacher needs to take from this debate is that their students are growing up in a more connected world. We have to adjust our teaching to meet their learning styles. I think Seimens put into words quite well what is happening/needs to happen in education, regardless of whether it is a theory or not.
7-C-2 Reach out and Skype someone.
I have not had the opportunity to Skype anyone in this class yet, but I am game if anyone wants to try it. In a previous class, I used Skype a few times to collaborate with classmates. There was still the problem of getting everyone together at the right time. Once we did find a suitable time, there were a few technological issues. It was a time saver because we were able to discuss our project in a few minutes rather than through email. I liked the idea of Skype, but I don’t use it in my personal life.
As for using Skype in the classroom, I think it would help in online classes. For our group projects, it would make communication more rich and easier than waiting to read everyone’s posts.
I read about the idea of using penpals, or epals, in the Skype forum. I think this would be good in theory, but I can’t imagine regulating the conversations of so many students!
I also came across English as a Second Language classes in Skype forums, as Skype can be translated in many languages.
Online tutoring would be a more effective with Skype because students would not have to worry about typing responses. We all know how students’ keyboarding skills can be.
I also found a blog that had teachers in the UK posting ideas on howthey use Skype.
Skype is more interactive than podcasting and other forms of communication, and therefore fits with connectivism.
Pocohontas Podcasts
jamestown.mp3
jamestown.mp3
Could Captain John Smith ever imagined that we would be podcasting his trials and tribulations 400 years after he arrived in Jamestown? I taught a long unit on Colonization of North America in Social Studies, and Jamestown was one of my favorite lessons to teach. I found this podcast after reading a NEA magazine article about students creating their own podcasts about Jamestown. Another site I mentioned is the History Globe site, which has a great role playing game. Learning about Jamestown and early colonization is an interest of mine.
I was generally pleased with my podcast. I tried to edit some pauses and sniffs, but I cut off some of my word endings in the process. I felt like I spoke more slowly than I do in person, so I think I need to practice this media a little more. It was so much fun, though, and very easy. I could have played with it for hours! I could see podcasts really being a part of my teaching.
A Flickr of Inspiration
As I looked for a photo I searched under several different topics that I taught. I searched under cells, not knowing what I was looking for or for what lesson I wanted to use it. Then, I saw it…the infamous cell cake lesson.
I remember making a cake in ninth grade biology, and I have always wanted to try it with my students. Because of the allergies, we are not allowed to bring food in the classroom anymore. I could show my students several photos of the cell cakes. They could vote for the ones that best represent an actual cell and explain why. Although this might seem silly, the students would be identifying, comparing, contrasting and applying information they have learned. This would be a great warm up for a lesson. Also, if you view the photo in Flickr, as you mouse over the parts of the cell, labels appear. I didn’t realize this at first, but after I did, I am more convinced about Flickr’s value.
I think what I did shows how teachers can use Flickr very easily. Go into Flickr with an open mind. Search for a topic and see what you find. A photo may spark an idea for a lesson.
Students could use Flickr to alleviate writer’s block. I have also heard so many students state, “I can’t draw!”. They could search for photos to illustrate their stories.
I think Flickr has more possibilities than I had imagined. I really didn’t understand how valuable it was until I started looking.
Image Citation:
Read_Knit. (2008, March 2). read_knit’s Photostream. Retrieved April 8, 2007 fromhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/read_knit/2305190190/
My Wiki Thoughts
5-D-1
I am always interested in teachers who take the leap and embrace new technologies. It is inspiring to see people who are willing to give something a try, even if they might be met with resistance.
The South African wikibooks project was so great to see. I liked the idea of having textbooks all online and that everyone could contribute. As I was looking into the project in more detail, I found a blog that claims the curriculum is not as credible as it claims to be.
So far, the most challenging part of working with a group it is the problem of communication. It seems it would be easier if we could talk about it at one time. Because we all work at different times, we have to wait to read one another’s replies. Although always a challenge, group projects are definitely easier with a face to face class because you have a set time in which to work.
As for Wikipedia, I have always felt that it is a legitimate site, although it is not the site on which to base upper level research. To me it is great to have an easy site to gather information quickly. It is the one stop shopping of the Internet! While creating our wiki, I found it hard to find information on a topic I only know about from others. I felt like I was getting too much information from other sources. I am not convinced that wikis would be right for me all the time with fifth graders, but I can think of several lessons that would be perfect for wikis (introducing and summarizing units). I think we need to plan for resistance when introducing wikis. If we, who are interested and motivated by wikis have questions, others who are less inclined definitely will. In preparing for a wiki lesson, it might be helpful to have talking points for those non-believers.
