Wow! I have to say I went on a journey this week. I have to say I knew NOTHING about Wiki's and I am still left with a few questions, but for the most part I am excited about them. I really wish there was a way to see other people's Wiki pages without going to their blog and clicking on this site. I would really like to have a link put in my blog that could connect with other Wiki pages. Hmmmm...anyone have an idea? If you would like to check my Wiki page please click on this link... http://laugh4kt.pbworks.com/FrontPage. If you would like to share your's with me PLEASE post your link on my blog. That way I could figure out a way to combine these links together in a list.
Happy Wiki -- -ing.!!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Thursday, September 16, 2010
reflection week 2
I really enjoyed making a blog! Of course, it took me a bit to get the hang of it. I was that person questioned WHY people did blogs. I mean do people REALLY want to hear all the details about a family vacation or read about their thoughts and feelings? The more I played and viewed various blogs I realized the value behind a blog. I realized that blogs allow your history to be documented somewhere. Pictures are great visual documentations of events, but words are powerful. The combination of the two pictures and words allows you and others to re-visit memorable occasions or moments. When I have a little more time on my hands, I would love to create another blog all about my family!
RSS Reader was more of a challenge to me. I found myself in moments of frustration. In the end, when I successfully completed the task I was very proud of myself. I realized that I actually was excited that I had figured it out. I loved that fact that I no longer have to go to a different location to see our classmate’s posts. I also really liked how I was updated about various topics of interest. I definitely think the blogging and RSS Reader could become an addictive activity for me!
I felt the reading of, “The Cone of Experience” by Edgar Dale, was very repetitious. Each part of the cone was slightly different, but yet tied into the previous level. I did like that Dale did point the fact out several times that the levels do overlap. With that said, it was hard for me to answer the question of where each too (blog, RSS) lends itself best to. Dale stated, “ the Cone of Experience is not to be looked on as a rigid, mechanically exact device. One of its most important attributes is its value as a reminder-a memory aid that makes us aware of the interrelationships of all learning experiences.” These two statements really helped me in making my own statement on where I think blogs and RSS Readers lend themselves best to. I think Blogs and RSS Readers lie somewhere (depending what is created in both the blog and what is retrieved in RSS Readers) between Exhibits, Recordings Radio Still pictures, and Visual Symbols. If there are pictures placed on the blog it is something “seen by spectators”(Dale 120). If the RSS Reader was a news feed from CNN it would fit in the Recordings. It would be creating a scene in our minds of history in the making. There is no need for a big explanation of how Blogs and RSS Readers fit in the Visual Symbols part of the cone. Everything on the computer is a visual symbol. There were many visual symbols used in the process of creating a blog. You needed to know and understand what the symbols represented in order to know how to create and control that portion. Overall, because technology is so diverse and rapidly changing I still feel that it is hard to place these 2 tools in specific parts of the cone. Dale stated, “Whether we hold a demonstration or organize a study trip or play a recording, we should remember that students do not learn merely by looking: they learn by becoming creatively involved.” This I do feel is an important piece to remember. Students NEED to be creatively involved just like I needed to figure out how to put the blog and RSS Reader together myself. If someone had just told me what buttons to push I don’t think it would have been as meaningful.
I am sure that with just the input of our classmates that we would create a whole list of “imaginative” educational uses for a blog and RSS. One “imaginative” educational use I would want to use it for students to have information right at their fingertips. If there were notes handed out in class I could post them to the blog so they could see them later that night. If parents wanted access to the classroom expectations it would be posted to the blog. If I wanted to show links that could help students practice various skills I could post that on my blog and they would be able to challenge their knowledge. I would use the RSS as a resource for students to learn how certain topics connect to our everyday lives by placing updates from various sites that are related to what we are studying. I do feel like both of these tools could really help teacher, student, and parent connection and also allow students to be responsible for pushing themselves to a higher level.
Friday, September 10, 2010
reflection
It is interesting to me how much literature can start to make you question your everyday lifestyle. One day you may read a piece that solidifies your actions/lifestyle. The next day you may come across a piece that leaves you feeling sorry for the person that wrote it because they are just so negative about specific situations. Other days your may read a piece that makes you keep re-reading the piece and you are still left unsure on where you stand. No matter what way you were left after reading a piece of literature one thing is for certain that searching and finding answers to your questions and/or debates leads you to make informative decisions and gives you a sense of comfort when standing up for what you feel is the “right” or “better” opinion.
After reading both of these articles, I was left with a lot of questions. The most important one was “Where do I stand when it comes to the importance of advanced technology in the classroom?” Have we in fact taken the social/emotion part of education away and replaced it with, according to Neil Postman, Bill Clinton’s “information superhighway”? On the other hand, is advanced technology according to Reigeluth and Joesph , “indispensable for allowing us to transform teaching and learning to better meet our children’s needs in the information age”? I think both articles carry valid points to which I feel as an educator I had to really reflect on my own practices and prior opinions.
I let both articles sink reflected on a typical day in my first grade classroom. I thought to myself, “How would my day have been different if it was filled with advanced technology. Reigeluth and Joesph would have stated that I would have been able to switch from a time-based to an attainment-based system. They would say I would be able to reach 30 different students who all learn at a different pace and in a different way. They would say I would be able to record and accurately assess each student. Neil Postman would’ve said my day would’ve been different because my students would not know how to behave in a group environment. My students would not have a sense of community. My students would not have the social skills needed to advance them in our society. Which writers do I feel are correct? There is no way to answer that with 100% accuracy. I will tell you what I do know.
I do know today in my first grade classroom I did not use advanced technology. We practiced the sound the letter “c” makes. We wrote the letter “C”. We read various Frank Asch books. We counted and completed a dot to dot worksheet. We reviewed months, days of the week, and what the weather was like. Would advanced technology enhance these activities? Yes, I do believe that having access to various technology pieces would’ve really enhanced these various activities and would’ve captivated many of my six year olds. But, that wasn’t all I did today. I taught a girl how to use her words to ask a friend to play instead of crying and getting angry. Today I showed someone how to tie their shoe. Today I comforted several lonely 6 year olds that were homesick because it’s their first full day. Today I gave hugs, high fives, and shout outs for jobs well done. Today I encouraged kids to work in groups problem solving. Again, this list could go on and on. Would advanced technology enhance these activities? No, I do not believe that technology would’ve changed the outcome of these situations.
Technology is very important and can be a key player in the classroom. However, I think I am opt to say that Postman is correct when he stated, “it takes many years of teaching these values (share, play fair, don’t hit, put things back where you found them, clean up your own mess, wash your hands before you eat) in school before they have been accepted and internalized. Some would say that this function of schooling is the most difficult task educators must achieve”. Overall, I think that there needs to be a fine line between integrating technology into an elementary classroom and completely taking over the classroom.
After reading both of these articles, I was left with a lot of questions. The most important one was “Where do I stand when it comes to the importance of advanced technology in the classroom?” Have we in fact taken the social/emotion part of education away and replaced it with, according to Neil Postman, Bill Clinton’s “information superhighway”? On the other hand, is advanced technology according to Reigeluth and Joesph , “indispensable for allowing us to transform teaching and learning to better meet our children’s needs in the information age”? I think both articles carry valid points to which I feel as an educator I had to really reflect on my own practices and prior opinions.
I let both articles sink reflected on a typical day in my first grade classroom. I thought to myself, “How would my day have been different if it was filled with advanced technology. Reigeluth and Joesph would have stated that I would have been able to switch from a time-based to an attainment-based system. They would say I would be able to reach 30 different students who all learn at a different pace and in a different way. They would say I would be able to record and accurately assess each student. Neil Postman would’ve said my day would’ve been different because my students would not know how to behave in a group environment. My students would not have a sense of community. My students would not have the social skills needed to advance them in our society. Which writers do I feel are correct? There is no way to answer that with 100% accuracy. I will tell you what I do know.
I do know today in my first grade classroom I did not use advanced technology. We practiced the sound the letter “c” makes. We wrote the letter “C”. We read various Frank Asch books. We counted and completed a dot to dot worksheet. We reviewed months, days of the week, and what the weather was like. Would advanced technology enhance these activities? Yes, I do believe that having access to various technology pieces would’ve really enhanced these various activities and would’ve captivated many of my six year olds. But, that wasn’t all I did today. I taught a girl how to use her words to ask a friend to play instead of crying and getting angry. Today I showed someone how to tie their shoe. Today I comforted several lonely 6 year olds that were homesick because it’s their first full day. Today I gave hugs, high fives, and shout outs for jobs well done. Today I encouraged kids to work in groups problem solving. Again, this list could go on and on. Would advanced technology enhance these activities? No, I do not believe that technology would’ve changed the outcome of these situations.
Technology is very important and can be a key player in the classroom. However, I think I am opt to say that Postman is correct when he stated, “it takes many years of teaching these values (share, play fair, don’t hit, put things back where you found them, clean up your own mess, wash your hands before you eat) in school before they have been accepted and internalized. Some would say that this function of schooling is the most difficult task educators must achieve”. Overall, I think that there needs to be a fine line between integrating technology into an elementary classroom and completely taking over the classroom.
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