Sunday, October 12, 2014
Special Assignment
Special Assignment
Ages 18 - 24
1. 87% say their smartphone never leaves their side.
2. 80% say the very first thing they do in the morning is reach for their smartphone.
3. 78% say they spend 2 or more hours per day using their smartphone.
4. 68% say they would prefer to use their smartphone instead of their laptop or personal computer for personal use.
5. 91% say that having a camera on their smartphone is important (61% very important)
6. 87% say they use their smartphone camera at least weekly. 59% use their smartphone camera at least every other day. 44% use their smartphone camera for still or motion picture taking every day.
Part A
Write at least two paragraphs on the implications for education, school, teachers, and learners that flow from the above data.
The data above does not shocked me one bit. In the past couple of months I have had to train a 21 year old girl to take over my job as Human Resources manager at an engineering staffing firm. Most 0f the time when I was teaching her she was absently listening while playing on her phone, texting, and taking "selfies." This was very frustrating to me since I may look at my phone twice a day while I am at work and not to mention very rude. This, to say the least, has had an affect on her work and her learning. This is just an example of a personal experience I have had recently on the use and effects of smart phones.
The above paragraph brings me to my opinions on what the above data implements on our education, school, teachers, and learners. With the growth of technology and cell phone use there will be positive and negative affects in the classroom; in my opinion, mostly negative. Young adults are so wrapped up in social media and their phones that it is difficult for them to pay full attention to their teachers because they are so worried about who has called, text, tweeted, etc. This will definitely be something that teachers will have to deal with in their classrooms. This will also have many negative consequences on the students education and how they learn. If the trainee would have paid more attention to me instead of being so worried about her phone, her job wouldn't be in jeopardy now.
Although there are many negative ramifications there are also some good that can come out of smart phones. The students have any information they could ever need at their fingertips. If something comes up that they do not know about they can just Google it and find out the answer. This does bring up the issue of cheating but that is just another negative. Another positive of smart phones is safety. God forbid, but if something ever came up in the school where the police would need to be called then there would be plenty of students who could use their phones. As a future lower elementary school educator I don't believe I will have to worry about this issue as much. Most of my students will probably be too young to have their own phones and even if they did I don't think they would be as worried about them. There isn't near as much drama in kindergarten as there is in high school!
Part B
Assume that all of your students will have either a smartphone or a tablet with a camera. Generate as many ideas as you can as to how you might make use of these tools for learning purposes for kids whom you will be teaching. Make use of the Alabama College and Career Ready Standards where appropriate.
They could generate a whole project with any of these devices.
They could look up information, take pictures, set up presentations, and even make a movie.
The teacher could give each student a subject and they could look up all of their needed information on their devices.
Callie Barton
Project #4 C4T Summary 2
Project #4 C4T #2 Summary
C4T #1
Recasting the Bullying Narrative
by Liz Losh
Here is a summary of the blog linked above:
As Berliner explains, their critique focuses on the administration and policy issues involved in program development and implementation and how community centers must “learn the language of evaluation” in new ways to “speak back and alongside funding institutions . . . and bring youth to the table.” She also observes that too many funders rely on the assumption “that youth are inherently empowered through media production,” which can be a problem for unrepresented youth when there is “reflection and catharsis involved” in which the most important work is involved with something other than “finished product that is marketable.”
“The piece missing is the fact that girls are making media all the time,” Berliner pointed out, although young people “are not necessarily inherently skilled at the kinds of technologies that we assume they are.” However, because participants were coming in “with different experiences of technology, the process ignited a kind of sociality and intersubjectivity.” Ultimately, she discovered that “it was not about what it means to be girls — which was what was being told to them — but to come up with ideas, to be creative together, to be playful, to collaborate.”
In this process, Berliner also saw the young participants assuming considerable agency in “making decisions about music” and reflecting “what their lives were really like” to “strengthen ties and experiences” that reach engaging with systemic rather than conversational issues. “They drew out emotions and discussion from youth who didn’t ever actually pick up a camera or get in front of the camera. They were just around the media technology in space.”
Here is what I wrote back:
Hello! My name is Callie Barton and I am an elementary education major at the University of South Alabama. I found this blog article to be very interesting. Media can be a great way to get information out there and people talking as long as it is used in the right way. Sometimes it is good to get someone in front of the camera who doesn't have any experience but has a great story. As a woman I am all about empowering women and anti bullying. Media is a great way to speak out about issues but you want it to make a difference and make people aware. If it only changes one person's opinion then in my mind it is a success. Keep doing what you are doing ladies!
Callie Barton
C4T #2
Potential and Pitfalls of Digital Reading Platforms for Connected Learning
by Howard Rheingold
Here is a summary of the blog linked above:
At the recent Tech for Schools Summit hosted by EdSurge at the USC Rossier School of Education, organizers promised that the event was designed “for educators by educators” and that attendees would “gain exposure to cutting edge tech tools.” I arrived with an interest in learning more about the ways that education technology tools are marketed to teachers and the extent to which these tools offered teachers opportunities to customize Connected Learning experiences for their students.
It didn’t take long for me to realize that the major players in literacy-oriented technology tools are digital reading platforms — software that allows students to read and interact with texts without the bother of paper. I visited three of them — LightSail, Curriculet, and Actively Learn. Since I have not personally played with any of these particular products myself (yet), I do not intend to review them individually; instead, I’m more interested in thinking about what they mean to classroom literacy teaching in a more general sense.
He went on to list the pros and cons that he witnessed and found in each of these subcategories of the software:
Library '
Curriculum/Assessments
Annotations
Data
Here is what I wrote back:
Hello Mr. Rheingold. I am an elementary education student at the University of South Alabama. I found your blog about technology tools that are being introduced to help educators teach and students learn to be very interesting. I really like that you did the "homework" and research yourself instead of just going with the most convincing sales rep. Most people wouldn't put that much effort into finding out the differences and pros and cons unless they really cared. I read all of the features and I agree there are some great tools that can be very useful and others that are just there and wouldn't harm or help the students. Hopefully when these programs are launched and the companies get feedback from teachers and students, they can reprogram the software to only keep the things that are useful. I look forward to seeing these programs for myself and doing a little research of my own. Your blog has been very informative.
Callie Barton
Saturday, October 11, 2014
Blog Assignment #8
Blog Assignment #8
What can we learn about teaching and learning from Randy Pausch?
Randy Pausch's Last Lecture
A better question would be what didn't you learn from watching this video. It was an emotional and motivating speech for his audience. All of these "lessons" are more life lessons than educational lessons. One of the first eye opening statements that he said was "you can't change the cards you were dealt, just how we play the hand." There are many situations is everyone's life that doesn't go according to plan. You can choose to make it worse or make it better just by your attitude. I feel like his attitude couldn't be any better especially considering his situation. Another one of his great lessons was that when people stop telling you your mistakes that's when people stop caring and believing in you and that's when you should worry. As future educators it will be our job to correct our students and show them their mistakes. I feel the younger the children are the more receptive they are to corrections and criticism. When people get older they tend to think they "know everything" and are less likely to accept and learn from their mistakes. Being able to own and learn from your mistakes makes you smarter than someone who doesn't; literally, because you learned something new and/or corrected something that was wrong.
"There is a good way and a bad way to say the same thing." This is another quote from Randy Pausch that I thought was simple and brilliant. If more people would think before they speak they could get a while lot more accomplished. This is not only a great life lesson but also a great lesson to future teachers. We have to watch what we say and more and importantly how we say it. People react, it's just what we do. People respond by how what is being communicated to them is said. If you want someone to hear you then the best way is to say it in the way you would want to hear it. Children especially hear things in this manner. I feel like they pay more attention to the way things are told to them than what is actually being said. Thinking about how you are going to say something is important to be a successful teacher.
Another one of the things he talked about was pioneering. Pioneering is a wonderful thing but it is important to know when trying out new concepts that things go wrong and there will be some people who are not supportive of you. Pioneering is all about taking a risk. Sometimes you are successful and sometimes you may not be. When you are doing something that has never been done before it is up to you to find solutions to problems that will arise. Also, everyone will have an opinion and it's up to you to allow those opinions to effect you either positively or negatively. In the end whether you are successful or not at least you tried. This brings me to the next topic that I liked in this lecture. He mentioned being self reflective and how important it is. Most people never stop to criticize themselves or even pat themselves on the back for anything. People are usually too busy judging each other to judge themselves. If you can learn to self reflect successfully and really listen to yourself then you can create an advantage for yourself.
One of my all time favorite quotes that was on this lecture was "Ignore what they say and pay attention to what they do." I believe this was more directed toward relationships but this advice should be used in every aspect of your life. Everyone knows to tell people what they want to hear but it doesn't really mean anything until it is done.
The last two and most important lesson I learned today is to stop complaining, just work harder and always have fun; you never know when it could be your last day.
Callie Barton
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Project #9 - Video Book Commentary
Project #9 - Video Book Commentary
Group 5
Topic #1
Callie Barton
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Project #13 Project Based Learning Plan
Project #13 - W6 Collaborative Group 5
My group and I came up with a project based learning lesson plan for a 3rd grade Science project involving volcanoes. The students will be required to research volcanoes on the Alabama Virtual Library and create a Popplet as an outline from the research. They will then need to write a one page essay on their findings and create a model or drawing of a volcano.
Here is the link to the lesson plan:
Lesson Plan
Here is the link to the rubric:
PBL Rubric
Callie Barton
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Blog Assignment #7
Blog Post 7 How Do We All Become Learners?
- List your strengths and weaknesses.
- What do you have to do in the net year and half to get ready to be a teacher using project based approaches to learning in situations where students have the tools they need to participate effectively in such instruction.
First I will go ahead and list my weaknesses. One of my weaknesses is that I did not grow up with technology so it is more difficult for me to understand the importance and variety of it. Most technology wasn't even invented yet, and what did exist we couldn't afford. We didn't even have cable television. We did have a Nintendo and I got a Game Boy and cell phone when I was a teenager but those were just toys that you play games on, not learning based or technologically advanced devices. Our parents were more focused on us playing outside than inside staring at a television. This point brings me to my biggest weakness. I do not want our kids to solely rely on technology for every aspect of their lives. I understand that it will help their learning and is a wonderful reliable resource for their education but what does that do for their social skills? If we, their educators, are teaching them to use technology instead of writing with a pencil and piece of paper doesn't that encourage the all time use of technology?
My strengths are that I have the ability to pick up on things pretty quickly. I can usually figure things out on my on with a little bit of time and thought. I also have the ability to realize that technology is a good thing for students and their education. As a teacher I have to show them the resources that are out there for them because technology is getting more advanced by the day. They will be more qualified to adapt if they get good practice. I will definitely use project based learning in my future classroom but I will also incorporate some pencil to paper or art project to go along with it.
There are many things that I need to do in the next year and a half before I graduate to prepare for project based learning. I have already learned so much and broadened my "technology horizons" just this year by coming back to college. This is my first semester back to college in 3 years and just in those 3 years a lot has changed academically. Almost all of my glasses are blended courses which means we have to do some work in class and other work online. This was not usually the case those three years ago. Just in this class alone I have been introduced to so many helpful online resources that I can and will use in my classroom. I am still learning and getting use to it but it is definitely getting easier. Once I let my guard down to learning this way it became less frustrating and more helpful. Being in the classroom during candidacy will also help me see how students learn best so I can learn how to adapt. Like I said, there are many things left for me to learn before I graduate but I will never stop learning. When I am a veteran educator I will still be learning and sometimes being taught by students.
How to make an audio of QR Code
I have seen these codes everywhere lately and have always wondered what they are and how they are made. Well this video taught me. This video showed how you or your students would record something and then make it into a QR Code. First they would go to www.recordmp3.org where they would press the record button and record until they were ready to press stop. Once they were finished they would click on use this recording and a URL would pop up. They would then copy that URL and go to www.QRcode-monkey.com. Once you are at this site you would paste the URL into the place where it says Enter URL and click Create QR-Code. Once that is clicked then your QR Code is made. In the video she copied and pasted it into a word document so the student or parent could scan it and listen to the recording. Anyone can get a QR Code scanner app for free. One of the great things about all off these websites and resources are that they are all free!
Ginger Tuck, GSES Kindergarten - iPad Centers
iPad in the Reading Center
First I want to say that I was so surprised and impressed that a kindergartner was already reading! She used iPad's in her reading centers to help students assess their reading. They would record themselves reading a book and then they would play it back and follow along in the book. This way they could recognize their mistakes and what they need to work on. I learned that giving your students freedom and letting them assess themselves is great way for them to practice and learn.
Poplet as a Center
I had never heard of Popplet before watching this video. It is a free app that you can download on any tablet. This is a simple and great resource for the lower elementary classes. The students choose a topic that they want to make their Popplet on and they type their subject into the center square. They would then create their web (the squares around the center square) by choosing images that relate their their center topic and put them in the squares. They would then add text to the square with a small description of the image. This teaches young kids to be able to read a book and transfer the knowledge into technology. It also helps with their typing skills. I think Popplet is a great stepping stone for children and their future presentations.
Alabama Virtual Library as a Kindergarten Center
The Alabama Virtual Library is a free app for all residents in the state of Alabama. The students will download the app and log in (the librarian and/or teacher will teach them these steps) to the elementary school edition since they are in elementary. Once they are logged in a search engine will pop up and they will type in the word they are trying to research. They will get these words from their teacher. When they search these words, images and a description will show up. Since they are in elementary they can actually play the description and an audio will read aloud to them and they can follow along on the screen. The teacher then has the students draw on paper the word that they researched. Once they practice this for a week or so she then made them start adding sentence to their drawings. This a a great activity that incorporates technology, typing skills, research, drawing pictures, and writing sentences.
Mrs, Shirley's 1st Grade Class: How to use and build a Board in DE for a Project Based Lesson
This video taught me about Discovery Education and how it is used in the classroom. The students will first log in with a user name and password to Discovery Education. They can watch videos about subjects that they will be doing their Board Builder on. Once they watch the videos they will write facts about what they learned. Once they are in Discovery Education and clicked on Board Builder they will then type in their title. There will be text boxes around the title where they can type in the facts about their subject. They can retrieve images and videos from Discovery Education and apply them into their boxes on their board. This site is very helpful with research and organizing your research.
Mrs. Tassin's 2nd Grade Class
These videos showed me more about Board Builders. They are basically power point presentations for children. It is a great way for students to research, organize, and present their work. It also teaches them how to navigate and search for things that they are looking for on their technology devices.
Using iMovie and the Alabama Virtual Library in Kindergarten July 7, 2014
One of the things I learned in this video is that kindergarten classes are already using iMovie and doing movie trailers. Last week we, as college students, had to use iMovie to do a movie trailer on a book. It wasn't difficult to figure out but it is very impressive that kindergartners are using this resource. It just goes to show that the younger they are the more adaptive they can be.
The Alabama Virtual Library is a free app for anyone in Alabama and teaches basic research skills. It also brings up kindergarten based articles and images for their research.
We All Become Learners
I really like that she brought up the fact that technology changes up the dynamics of learning. Everyone becomes a learner. Technology in the classroom is a new concept not only for the students but also for the teachers. Teachers and students are all learning together and teaching one another. I see that librarians are also involved in the new age of technology and teaching our students so they can be more prepared in the classroom. It seems like technology is bringing everyone together and getting everyone excited about learning.
Callie Barton
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)