I listened to a Ed Tech Weekly podcast from the Ed Tech Talk website this week. You can find the podcast here.
This week they talked about connectivism. Connectivism is basically the design and delivery of using social networking in learning. The talked about the pros and cons of connectivism and how it works in the classroom. They also talked about pros and cons of getting an LMS for their school district, and how some teachers are not willing to fully commit to the aspect of this online learning. I think it is a highly debatable topic.
They also talked about how Journalism is affected with the addition of new technology. I think this is an important topic, because I'm going to be a Journalism Teacher. I think that teachers need to learn technology and understand how technology is going to work in the journalism field in the future. A lot of journalism online is replacing paper journalism, and the future of journalism is kind of up in the air.
Overall, I think it is important to incorporate technology into the classroom, but I'm not sure how far the incorporation should go.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Podcast Reflection #11: Chimping, Virtual Stickies, App Woes, Firefox 4 (Tony Vincent)
I listened to a Tony Vincent podcast today from the Learning in Hand podcast website. You can find a list of Tony's podcasts here.
Tony talked about a lot of things in his latest podcast, but one of the interesting things I learned about was "Chimping."
Tony describes chimping as taking a picture with a digital camera, and then immediately your camera around to look at it. I thought this was interesting, because this is something I do a lot. They call it chimping because you are looking at the picture going "oooh ooooh oooh!" to admire your shot. Meanwhile, you are missing whatever is going on in the scenery that you were just taking a picture of.
As a future journalism teacher, I think it is important to teach students to be aware of their surroundings when they are shooting photography or film, as well when they are taking notes to write articles. It is fine to "chimp" when you are taking personal photos, but you want every chance to get that important picture when you are doing it for an article. I think students need to be aware of their surroundings to be a journalist.
Tony talked about a lot of things in his latest podcast, but one of the interesting things I learned about was "Chimping."
Tony describes chimping as taking a picture with a digital camera, and then immediately your camera around to look at it. I thought this was interesting, because this is something I do a lot. They call it chimping because you are looking at the picture going "oooh ooooh oooh!" to admire your shot. Meanwhile, you are missing whatever is going on in the scenery that you were just taking a picture of.
As a future journalism teacher, I think it is important to teach students to be aware of their surroundings when they are shooting photography or film, as well when they are taking notes to write articles. It is fine to "chimp" when you are taking personal photos, but you want every chance to get that important picture when you are doing it for an article. I think students need to be aware of their surroundings to be a journalist.
Podcast Reflection #10: Salman Khan: Let’s use video to reinvent education.
This week I watched Salman Khan's video on Khan Academy. You can find it here.
I really like the idea of Salman Khan's videos. Students can watch these video lectures at home, and do more interactive classwork. Teachers say that they are now having students watch these lectures at home, and what used to be homework is now classwork. Students get to work more with teachers now. Students get a self-paced lecture.
The only thing I don't really like about these lectures is that you can't really make them your own. As a teacher, I would like to put my own personalized touch on lessons. You don't really control the lectures or content with these videos, although you do get more class time working with students. The issue may be that students could not watch these lectures at home. So in order for this to work, students may need to take notes on the lectures to turn in for credit so that you know the students are keeping up with the lectures.
These lectures sound like they are really helping students, so I like the idea of using them and getting more time to interact with students in the classroom. It might make subjects much easier to understand, especially math. I probably could have used these lectures when I took math in high school.
I really like the idea of Salman Khan's videos. Students can watch these video lectures at home, and do more interactive classwork. Teachers say that they are now having students watch these lectures at home, and what used to be homework is now classwork. Students get to work more with teachers now. Students get a self-paced lecture.
The only thing I don't really like about these lectures is that you can't really make them your own. As a teacher, I would like to put my own personalized touch on lessons. You don't really control the lectures or content with these videos, although you do get more class time working with students. The issue may be that students could not watch these lectures at home. So in order for this to work, students may need to take notes on the lectures to turn in for credit so that you know the students are keeping up with the lectures.
These lectures sound like they are really helping students, so I like the idea of using them and getting more time to interact with students in the classroom. It might make subjects much easier to understand, especially math. I probably could have used these lectures when I took math in high school.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Podcast Reflection #9: The Role of School Administrators (Kevin Honeycutt's Driving Questions 2011)
This week I listened to Kevin Honeycutt's podcast, Driving Questions 2011.
This podcast talked about school administrators and their roles. His guest was Tim Holt, a director of instructional technology.
They talked about how important it is that a school administrator models what they want from the school. If you are not modeling the behavior you want to see, no one who works underneath you will either. They discuss how principals and teachers take their cues on their actions from school administrators, and school administrators take their cues from superintendents.
They think that school administrators need to push the importance of technology and how they use it in the classroom. If they don't push it forward, teachers aren't going to use it to teach. They are going model after the administrators. They think administrators need to address what type of technology is important and how to use it.
I think that administrators play a huge role on what a teacher teaches. A teacher isn't going to use certain technology if they believe the administrator doesn't like it. I think it is important the people above me address what technology they want us to learn, and how they want us to use it in the classroom.
This podcast talked about school administrators and their roles. His guest was Tim Holt, a director of instructional technology.
They talked about how important it is that a school administrator models what they want from the school. If you are not modeling the behavior you want to see, no one who works underneath you will either. They discuss how principals and teachers take their cues on their actions from school administrators, and school administrators take their cues from superintendents.
They think that school administrators need to push the importance of technology and how they use it in the classroom. If they don't push it forward, teachers aren't going to use it to teach. They are going model after the administrators. They think administrators need to address what type of technology is important and how to use it.
I think that administrators play a huge role on what a teacher teaches. A teacher isn't going to use certain technology if they believe the administrator doesn't like it. I think it is important the people above me address what technology they want us to learn, and how they want us to use it in the classroom.
Reflection: Comics
There are a lot of websites out there where you can create comics. A lot of those websites are also directed at teachers. I think making your own comics is fun, and can be used really creatively in the classroom.
I used ToonDoo to make my comic. You should check it out. It is very easy to use.
I think using comics could work really well to introduce a concept to the classroom. I think students can use it to show their knowledge of your subject as well. If the students had to do a project over a novel, they could use a comic website incorporate that into the project.
Teachers can use these to engage students. It can get a student's attention. You can definitely try to make your comics funny, and use your comic as a set when you start class.
Here is the comic I made...
I used ToonDoo to make my comic. You should check it out. It is very easy to use.
I think using comics could work really well to introduce a concept to the classroom. I think students can use it to show their knowledge of your subject as well. If the students had to do a project over a novel, they could use a comic website incorporate that into the project.
Teachers can use these to engage students. It can get a student's attention. You can definitely try to make your comics funny, and use your comic as a set when you start class.
Here is the comic I made...
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Reflection: Podcast, Website, & Mid-Term Critiques
In class we got the chance to look at two other peoples' websites and listen to their podcast.
These are the two websites I got the chance to look at: Kelsey and Christina.
Podcast: I liked both of the girls podcast. Christina did a partner podcast, and incorporated images she talked about that were at the websites, rather than a screenshot of the websites. I think this looked nice and showed she put extra effort into her podcast. I liked Kelsey's podcast also, she had a lot of informative websites on her podcast.
Blog/Website: I thought both blogs and websites were nicely done. Christina uses iWeb for her website and blog, which I think is really cool. It is what I would use if I had a Mac. I really liked the layout of her website; it looked very clean. I also liked that her blog was a part of her website. Kelsey has a cool website and blog also. I liked her quote at the top of her website. Overall, they were very nicely done.
These are the two websites I got the chance to look at: Kelsey and Christina.
Podcast: I liked both of the girls podcast. Christina did a partner podcast, and incorporated images she talked about that were at the websites, rather than a screenshot of the websites. I think this looked nice and showed she put extra effort into her podcast. I liked Kelsey's podcast also, she had a lot of informative websites on her podcast.
Blog/Website: I thought both blogs and websites were nicely done. Christina uses iWeb for her website and blog, which I think is really cool. It is what I would use if I had a Mac. I really liked the layout of her website; it looked very clean. I also liked that her blog was a part of her website. Kelsey has a cool website and blog also. I liked her quote at the top of her website. Overall, they were very nicely done.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Reflection: Fun With Text
A while back in this class we learned how to use Wordle. Wordle is a very cool website. You can use it to make "word jumbles" or "word clouds." It is very easy to use. You just type in the words you want to show up, and choose how you want it to look. The more times you type the same word, the bigger the word appears in your wordle. The bigger the word is, the more important the word is supposed to be.
I think Wordle could be incorporated into my classroom some day very easily. My students or I could use this to help with vocabulary words. It would be a fun way to remember vocab words, and also an easy way to students to know what words they should know.
The only bad thing about Wordle is that if you publicly save your work, it is almost impossible to find it later. So it is easiest to do a screen capture, which is best to do on a Mac. I don't have a Mac, so that is kind of a bummer. My Wordle(s) look good, but you also get the outline of the internet browser you are using as well.
I think Wordle could be incorporated into my classroom some day very easily. My students or I could use this to help with vocabulary words. It would be a fun way to remember vocab words, and also an easy way to students to know what words they should know.
The only bad thing about Wordle is that if you publicly save your work, it is almost impossible to find it later. So it is easiest to do a screen capture, which is best to do on a Mac. I don't have a Mac, so that is kind of a bummer. My Wordle(s) look good, but you also get the outline of the internet browser you are using as well.
Podcast Reflection #8: Creating Energy, Space & Time (Ed Tech Talk, 21st Century Learning)
I listened to a different podcast from the Ed Tech Talk website this week. This podcast was called 21st Century Learning. You can listen to the podcast here.
This podcast was discussing a webinar and book about the topic of creating energy, space and time in your life. Mainly, this topic deals optimal performance in your life. It talks about designing your life to be your best self at work, but also at home and just in life in general.
They talk about how timeliness is so important in your life, especially in your workplace. I believe that this is so true. I hate waiting around for classes to start, and I also hate when a teacher is still lecturing to you even after class was supposed to end.
The podcast speakers were talking about how they have applied this book to their lives. They are getting more sleep and going to be at a decent time.
A key point they make is that people can only intensely work for 90 minutes straight before they need a break. I think that this is true, but I think that the time limit is way less for a teenager. I think that teachers need to make sure their students stay in motion during class, especially if the class is on a block schedule.
I think these are simple things teachers and students should be doing. Teachers should come to class with the mindset that they will be educational, and if they do that... then student will come to class expecting to work. They will know that their time won't be wasted, and that the will be expected to participate in class.
They book they were talking about was by Tony Swartz and it is called: The Way We're Working Isn't Working: The Four Forgotten Needs That Energize Great Performance.
This podcast was discussing a webinar and book about the topic of creating energy, space and time in your life. Mainly, this topic deals optimal performance in your life. It talks about designing your life to be your best self at work, but also at home and just in life in general.
They talk about how timeliness is so important in your life, especially in your workplace. I believe that this is so true. I hate waiting around for classes to start, and I also hate when a teacher is still lecturing to you even after class was supposed to end.
The podcast speakers were talking about how they have applied this book to their lives. They are getting more sleep and going to be at a decent time.
A key point they make is that people can only intensely work for 90 minutes straight before they need a break. I think that this is true, but I think that the time limit is way less for a teenager. I think that teachers need to make sure their students stay in motion during class, especially if the class is on a block schedule.
I think these are simple things teachers and students should be doing. Teachers should come to class with the mindset that they will be educational, and if they do that... then student will come to class expecting to work. They will know that their time won't be wasted, and that the will be expected to participate in class.
They book they were talking about was by Tony Swartz and it is called: The Way We're Working Isn't Working: The Four Forgotten Needs That Energize Great Performance.
Podcast Reflection #7: New iPod touch (Tony Vincent)
This week I listened to Tony Vincent's podcast. He talked about how he had gotten the latest iPod touch, and he compared it to the older versions.
The coolest thing about the new iPod touches is that they have a microphone built in. I think that is a huge advantage. You can easily record a podcast for your students with an iPod touch now. Another thing he said about them is that they take very good pictures, but they don't have a key element that iPhone 4 and iPads have...IPS. IPS stands for in-plane switching, and it has to do with the coloring of what you are looking at.
Tony Vincent does podcasts to teach teachers how to use iPods, iPads, and iTouches in the classroom. I think that is very helpful to many teachers. I have an iPod. I would love to be able to afford an iPad, but I don't know much about incorporating it into the classroom. I think it is good there is someone out there to easily explain these concepts to teachers.
You can listen to Tony Vincent's podcasts here.
The coolest thing about the new iPod touches is that they have a microphone built in. I think that is a huge advantage. You can easily record a podcast for your students with an iPod touch now. Another thing he said about them is that they take very good pictures, but they don't have a key element that iPhone 4 and iPads have...IPS. IPS stands for in-plane switching, and it has to do with the coloring of what you are looking at.
Tony Vincent does podcasts to teach teachers how to use iPods, iPads, and iTouches in the classroom. I think that is very helpful to many teachers. I have an iPod. I would love to be able to afford an iPad, but I don't know much about incorporating it into the classroom. I think it is good there is someone out there to easily explain these concepts to teachers.
You can listen to Tony Vincent's podcasts here.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Kan-ed Reflection
Kan Ed Website
The Kan Ed website is very, very helpful for teacher and student resources.
One of the best resources on the website is Thinkfinity. It was my personal favorite. You can find lesson plans, and they are really in depth. There are a ton of free resources. You can look up a lesson plan in about any subject area, and it goes into immense details. There are many lesson plans to choose from. Once you choose one, you use can read through it. If you don't want to use that exact lesson plan, you can use any of the links in the lesson plan, because they are all provided. This is a very cool website.
KERC is also a resources found on the Kan Ed website. KERC stands for Kansas Education Resource Center. KERC is very helpful in making sure you, as a teacher, are meeting your classroom standards. It is very simple to use. You go into your content area standards (for me, that would be Reading and Writing) and click on the grade level. It takes your right to the standards, and it is helpful so you can align what you are teaching to make sure you are meeting the standards.
The last resource I will talk about that is found on Kan Ed is netTrekker. I love this website! It is very helpful, because it gives you lesson ideas, refers you to websites, and makes sure that everything on their site aligns with standards. For instance, I can click find Language Arts and choose an area of LA I'm going to teach. I can select reading, journalism, speech, etc. Then I can click on what I want to teach within that category, and it lists websites as resources.
The Kan Ed website is very, very helpful for teacher and student resources.
One of the best resources on the website is Thinkfinity. It was my personal favorite. You can find lesson plans, and they are really in depth. There are a ton of free resources. You can look up a lesson plan in about any subject area, and it goes into immense details. There are many lesson plans to choose from. Once you choose one, you use can read through it. If you don't want to use that exact lesson plan, you can use any of the links in the lesson plan, because they are all provided. This is a very cool website.
KERC is also a resources found on the Kan Ed website. KERC stands for Kansas Education Resource Center. KERC is very helpful in making sure you, as a teacher, are meeting your classroom standards. It is very simple to use. You go into your content area standards (for me, that would be Reading and Writing) and click on the grade level. It takes your right to the standards, and it is helpful so you can align what you are teaching to make sure you are meeting the standards.
The last resource I will talk about that is found on Kan Ed is netTrekker. I love this website! It is very helpful, because it gives you lesson ideas, refers you to websites, and makes sure that everything on their site aligns with standards. For instance, I can click find Language Arts and choose an area of LA I'm going to teach. I can select reading, journalism, speech, etc. Then I can click on what I want to teach within that category, and it lists websites as resources.
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