Directions:
Set-up the video camera to document your teaching lesson (you may tape over an observation tape).
Review the videotape at a later time.
List, describe, and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of technology use, as well as the strategies used for teaching and learning.
Bring the videotape to the following class so we can discuss your reflections together.
Response:
Technoloy
~Flash Drives: The students used flash drives to save all of their work. The flash drives have typically been a problem because the students have not saved all of their work on the flash drives as needed. However, since this project has been going on for many days most of the work has been saved in the correct location. The problems with the flash drives are that the students are not learning how to safely remove the hardware and many of the flash drives are sketchy on their ability to function. Students also are unaware that the flash drive should light up if working correctly. It seems that the students have missed the basic knowledge required to use the flash drives but are still trying to use them anyway.
~Word: Some students are using Microsoft Word to write the stories. I believe only four students were still at this step in the movie making process. The students were suppose to be using the story template to help speed up the story writing process. This was causing some problems because the adult helping was taking far too long to write the story.
~Internet Explorer/Internet: Students used the Internet to access the checklist (created in Word) and the list of possible websites to search. The students also used the Internet to search for sounds and pictures for the movies. This was an excellent way for the students to have access to a wide variety of sounds and pictures but took far more time than it should have. Students spent far too long looking for sounds, were looking for inappropriate sounds, and the adult supervision was not monitoring the work as needed.
~Sound Recorder/Microphone: Sound Recorder with the computers' built in microphones were used to record the narration for each student. I was finally able to observe students using the program for a few minutes before I had to find someone more knowledgable on the program to replace me. One student worked extremely well recording her story and being done with the program while the other student was scared to record his voice and then started recording things unrelated to his story. More supervision was needed in the recording stations to help speed up the process of recording the narration.
~Movie Maker: Movie maker was used by some students to create the movies. This program was actually quite useful for the students. Students seemed to be able to run the software with few problems. It did appear though as if every student was receiving direct help from an adult and each adult was giving different directions. It does seem that having the students receive directions from the same adult (or at least the same directions) would make things better.
Teaching
Since no teaching was actually done, this section will not be a list this time. Instead, I will discuss various things that occurred. I spoke with one teacher about a student who was searching the Internet (unsupervised) for Pokemon pictures. She said that we should leave the student alone because of all of his issues and just be happy if he socializes with any students at all. First, I was shocked she was telling this to me because it was not my business (about the student's personal life) plus I am unfamiliar with what to do in cases where students have personal issues that cause problems. I did note though when the student was later speaking to another student and how it was an accomplishment. At one point in time I made an announcement for those students searching for sounds and how they had been searching too long and needed to finish up quickly. At this point I expected the adults helping students find sounds to help the students finish up quickly. Instead, most students continued to search for sounds for the remainder of the time. There were also teaching problems at the recording station. Students were being allowed to record the narration many times when they should have only been allowed to start over perhaps 3 times. Otherwise not much teaching was being accomplished. The adults helping the students were not pushing students along at a fast pace which will cause problems next week.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Friday, March 23, 2007
Reading Response
Directions:
1. Based on the reading describe the following terms:
a.) student-centered instruction
b.) teacher-centered instruction
c.) instruction view
d.) construction view
e.) directed instruction
f.) constructivist (inquiry based learning)
g.) objectivists
h.) constructivists
2. Discuss the two main perspectives. Which terms go together? Why? What makes one perspective different from the other?
3. Give a way technology can be used for each perspective from your own content area (i.e. secondary mathematics)
4. Post a question or comment on another student's blog.
Response:
Student-Centered Instruction: Student-centered instruction occurs when teachers lead class in a manner where students are assisting other students in learning. Students are themselves experts of topics and the teacher is a fellow learner.
Teacher-Centered Instruction: Teacher-centered instruction occurs primarily when teachers lecture and lead the class calling on students to answer questions. Teachers using this method are usually the ones disclosing the facts while students have only the job to listen.
Instruction View - The instruction view of education is where teachers are the ones doing most of the actions. The teachers lecture, walk around the classroom, and call on students to speak. Students normally are meant to simply sit and listen.
Construction View - The construction view of education is where one believes that learning is not just a transfering of facts but instead a process where students learn to learn by creating the facts and knowledge through a collection of personal feelings and experiences.
Directed Instruction - Directed instruction is the traditional instructional method that focuses on memorization and test performance. This type of instruction puts a great deal of importance on memorization and being able to reproduce information.
Constructivist (Inquiry Based Learning) - Constructivist based learning is the method of teaching where the instructor stresses interactions and cooperation along with being able to learn on their own and apply the knowledge to every day life.
Objectivists - Objectivists are those people who feel the instruction should be based on objective standards such as multiple choice, true/false, and matching questions. They feel projects do not adequately assess students and that even essays need to be graded based on a rubric formed from standard criteria.
Constructivists - Constructivists are those people who feel the instruction should not be based on objective standards because that form of assessment is too removed from real life situations. Instead, constructivists may feel assessment through projects would be more adequate.
The two main perspectives in general are the instruction view and the construction view. The instruction view is similar to the teacher-centered instruction, the directed instruction, and the objectivists. These terms all are based on the teacher being the center of the learning. These methods rely on the teacher being able to lecture and the students being able to learn from being passive learners. The construction view is like the student-centered instruction, the inquiry based learning, and the constructivists. These views focus on the student leading his or her own education by being an active learner. The students help each other by assisting each other when possible and trying to apply the learned material to normal life. The two perspectives are obviously different because one is centered around the teacher teaching and the other is centered around the students doing the self-learning.
For the instruction view, providing the students with Number Munchers would help the students reinforce skills taught while lecturing while focusing on only the numbers and whether the answer is right or wrong. From the construction view, the teacher could leave students to solve a real world problem involving cost and suggest the student use Microsoft Excel to find the minimization of price. The students could also actually research the most up-to-date prices or actual locations for the real world situation.
1. Based on the reading describe the following terms:
a.) student-centered instruction
b.) teacher-centered instruction
c.) instruction view
d.) construction view
e.) directed instruction
f.) constructivist (inquiry based learning)
g.) objectivists
h.) constructivists
2. Discuss the two main perspectives. Which terms go together? Why? What makes one perspective different from the other?
3. Give a way technology can be used for each perspective from your own content area (i.e. secondary mathematics)
4. Post a question or comment on another student's blog.
Response:
Student-Centered Instruction: Student-centered instruction occurs when teachers lead class in a manner where students are assisting other students in learning. Students are themselves experts of topics and the teacher is a fellow learner.
Teacher-Centered Instruction: Teacher-centered instruction occurs primarily when teachers lecture and lead the class calling on students to answer questions. Teachers using this method are usually the ones disclosing the facts while students have only the job to listen.
Instruction View - The instruction view of education is where teachers are the ones doing most of the actions. The teachers lecture, walk around the classroom, and call on students to speak. Students normally are meant to simply sit and listen.
Construction View - The construction view of education is where one believes that learning is not just a transfering of facts but instead a process where students learn to learn by creating the facts and knowledge through a collection of personal feelings and experiences.
Directed Instruction - Directed instruction is the traditional instructional method that focuses on memorization and test performance. This type of instruction puts a great deal of importance on memorization and being able to reproduce information.
Constructivist (Inquiry Based Learning) - Constructivist based learning is the method of teaching where the instructor stresses interactions and cooperation along with being able to learn on their own and apply the knowledge to every day life.
Objectivists - Objectivists are those people who feel the instruction should be based on objective standards such as multiple choice, true/false, and matching questions. They feel projects do not adequately assess students and that even essays need to be graded based on a rubric formed from standard criteria.
Constructivists - Constructivists are those people who feel the instruction should not be based on objective standards because that form of assessment is too removed from real life situations. Instead, constructivists may feel assessment through projects would be more adequate.
The two main perspectives in general are the instruction view and the construction view. The instruction view is similar to the teacher-centered instruction, the directed instruction, and the objectivists. These terms all are based on the teacher being the center of the learning. These methods rely on the teacher being able to lecture and the students being able to learn from being passive learners. The construction view is like the student-centered instruction, the inquiry based learning, and the constructivists. These views focus on the student leading his or her own education by being an active learner. The students help each other by assisting each other when possible and trying to apply the learned material to normal life. The two perspectives are obviously different because one is centered around the teacher teaching and the other is centered around the students doing the self-learning.
For the instruction view, providing the students with Number Munchers would help the students reinforce skills taught while lecturing while focusing on only the numbers and whether the answer is right or wrong. From the construction view, the teacher could leave students to solve a real world problem involving cost and suggest the student use Microsoft Excel to find the minimization of price. The students could also actually research the most up-to-date prices or actual locations for the real world situation.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Modeling Blog Reflection 2
Directions
Take notes during the modeling lab session.
List, describe, and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of technology use
List, describe, and discuss the strategies used for teaching and learning.
Response
Technology:
~Flash drives: Each student had his or her own flash drive where all work was suppose to be saved. As mentioned before, the flash drives were nice because all students were able to have a location to save their work but also a bit sketchy since the students were not practicing the correct way to remove the flashdrives from the computer. It is also the case that not all students were using the flash drives as their saving location. Perhaps providing the students more than 1 location to save their work is making things more complicated than they need to be. Also, I discovered this week that some students do not seem to understand how a flash drive works. I had two students approach me about the flash drive not working. After inspecting the situation, the green light of the flash drive was not lit. It seems like the students should know that the green light needs to be illuminated for the flash drive to function.
~Projector: The projector was used at the beginning of the lesson so the instructor could show the students an example of the check list. There did not appear to be any problems with the projector this time except that the image was not displayed on the provided white screen. As a result, there was a little bit of difficulty in seeing the projector image from some locations in the room. The projector was useful though in introducing some students to the checklist, reminding the rest of the students what had been happened during the previous session, and reinforcing the concept of the goals.
~Internet Explorer/Internet: Internet Explorer was used in many situations including accessing the check list, downloading sounds, and downloading pictures. This form of technology was necessary to provide the students with the wide array of options available from the Internet. The students would otherwise not have been able to gather sounds, distributing the check lists would have taken much longer (or required paper), and gathering pictures would have taken much longer and possibly required scanning. However, the use of the Internet also opened up the vast array of problems involving students misuse of the Internet. One of our "safe" pages of sounds had some inappropriate words that that student I was working with pointed out. I left my student alone to explore one of the sound pages and some how she ended up off of the page and I had to direct her back to the correct location. Having the students browse the Internet was a risky lesson but since there were so many adults present I feel the decision was acceptable. I believe most students used Internet Explorer though I see no benefit for using Internet Explorer over other web browsing software.
~Windows Media Player: The students played sound bits from the Internet opening most of them in Windows Media Player. It was nice for the students to have a program open where they could adjust the sound and replay the sound. I did not see problems with this technology except for the fact that it left one more program open and one more window to close.
~Microsoft Word: The students used Microsoft Word for various aspects of the activity. Some students used the Story Template in Word to help write their story while others accessed their checklist in Word. The story template was great because it gave students an outline to help them form a beginning, middle, and ending to their stories. However, it did drastically decrease the creative capabilities of some students and upset some students that we had provided this template. The checklist was an excellent idea because it provided the students a visual list of goals for the day. However, I am not convinced students are using the checklist as a tool. I think the adults might be pushing the students through the checklist without the students actually being confident that the necessary step is accomplished.
~Sound Recorder/Microphone - External Microphones hooked up to computers allowed students to record their narration using Sound Recorder. I believe the external microphones probably helped minimize background noises and possibly helped make students more excited about recording their stories. The problem with this technology is that the number of computers where students could record was limited. There was also initially a problem with whether Sound Recorder could record for more than 60 seconds at a time.
Teaching:
~Experts/Assistants: The instructor introduced the idea that students who finished early could become experts of that topic. She also mentioned to one student who was particularly helpful that they should discuss the student becoming an assistant. The students seemed excited about the idea of potentially becoming an expert or an assistant. Allowing students to become experts and assistants might actually help those few students learn better. It has been shown that students who help other students are actually gaining knowledge and understanding by having to explain the material. Perhaps having a few assistants or experts could help every student learn and help things rum smoother.
~Repetition: The instructor had students verbally repeat the necessary tasks to complete many times. I failed to count the number of times "story, pictures, sound" (and sometimes "recording") was repeated but it was more than the three times I would have attempted. The students did not seem to be annoyed by the repetition but instead seemed to be louder and participate more each time the list was covered. I was surprised that the students repeted the list each time because I'm not sure high school or college aged students would normally do that. I was also shocked because I have always heard that repeating something three times is enough but it seemed the instructor went far past saying the list three times. Perhaps with elementary aged children three is not enough.
~Special Buddies: The instructor assigned one student who was behind a special buddy adult to help him catch up. The special buddy was able to help the student get a story written and begin searching for sounds. This was a great idea since the student otherwise would have probably been causing problems and completely unproductive. It was also nice to provide this assistance to the student since in most cases one on one assitance is not available. However, at this point there was a small discrepancy regarding the appropriate language to use in an elementary school setting by both the instructor and the student. Hopefully this topic will be clarified at a later time.
~Work Stations: The instructor labled computers as either "Sound Station" or left blank. The blank computers were intended for those students who were working on their story or collection of pictures while the sound station station was meant for those students downloading sounds. Last, the computers in a separate location were meant for recording. The stations were meant to help the instructors focus on the station task where they were stationed along with helping minimize distractions. I like the idea of the stations but the implementation of the concept was not great due to the technology in the room. The computers were sporadically labled due to the capabilies of each computer. Furthermore, changing from one location to another takes longer for those students who are not familiar with quickly accessing the flash drives and some students had trouble finding open computers so could not move. I also saw students just forgetting to move without any adult enforcing the concept of the stations.
Notes:
In general, this day of activities went well. There were many possible situations where things could have gone horribly wrong but things held together because of the desire to finish from the students. The adults also seem to have a general idea of what is going on now which is helping the students. I have a slight fear that some students may not finish making the movie in the next few weeks. Some students need to understand that the movie will not be perfect. The perfect picture may not be found and the best story may not be written but that some pictures are needed and a story is necessary too even if there are flaws. I do not want to encourage students to produce work that they are not satisfied with but I do not want to see the students not complete even their story either. Is there a way to nicely hurry these students along?
Take notes during the modeling lab session.
List, describe, and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of technology use
List, describe, and discuss the strategies used for teaching and learning.
Response
Technology:
~Flash drives: Each student had his or her own flash drive where all work was suppose to be saved. As mentioned before, the flash drives were nice because all students were able to have a location to save their work but also a bit sketchy since the students were not practicing the correct way to remove the flashdrives from the computer. It is also the case that not all students were using the flash drives as their saving location. Perhaps providing the students more than 1 location to save their work is making things more complicated than they need to be. Also, I discovered this week that some students do not seem to understand how a flash drive works. I had two students approach me about the flash drive not working. After inspecting the situation, the green light of the flash drive was not lit. It seems like the students should know that the green light needs to be illuminated for the flash drive to function.
~Projector: The projector was used at the beginning of the lesson so the instructor could show the students an example of the check list. There did not appear to be any problems with the projector this time except that the image was not displayed on the provided white screen. As a result, there was a little bit of difficulty in seeing the projector image from some locations in the room. The projector was useful though in introducing some students to the checklist, reminding the rest of the students what had been happened during the previous session, and reinforcing the concept of the goals.
~Internet Explorer/Internet: Internet Explorer was used in many situations including accessing the check list, downloading sounds, and downloading pictures. This form of technology was necessary to provide the students with the wide array of options available from the Internet. The students would otherwise not have been able to gather sounds, distributing the check lists would have taken much longer (or required paper), and gathering pictures would have taken much longer and possibly required scanning. However, the use of the Internet also opened up the vast array of problems involving students misuse of the Internet. One of our "safe" pages of sounds had some inappropriate words that that student I was working with pointed out. I left my student alone to explore one of the sound pages and some how she ended up off of the page and I had to direct her back to the correct location. Having the students browse the Internet was a risky lesson but since there were so many adults present I feel the decision was acceptable. I believe most students used Internet Explorer though I see no benefit for using Internet Explorer over other web browsing software.
~Windows Media Player: The students played sound bits from the Internet opening most of them in Windows Media Player. It was nice for the students to have a program open where they could adjust the sound and replay the sound. I did not see problems with this technology except for the fact that it left one more program open and one more window to close.
~Microsoft Word: The students used Microsoft Word for various aspects of the activity. Some students used the Story Template in Word to help write their story while others accessed their checklist in Word. The story template was great because it gave students an outline to help them form a beginning, middle, and ending to their stories. However, it did drastically decrease the creative capabilities of some students and upset some students that we had provided this template. The checklist was an excellent idea because it provided the students a visual list of goals for the day. However, I am not convinced students are using the checklist as a tool. I think the adults might be pushing the students through the checklist without the students actually being confident that the necessary step is accomplished.
~Sound Recorder/Microphone - External Microphones hooked up to computers allowed students to record their narration using Sound Recorder. I believe the external microphones probably helped minimize background noises and possibly helped make students more excited about recording their stories. The problem with this technology is that the number of computers where students could record was limited. There was also initially a problem with whether Sound Recorder could record for more than 60 seconds at a time.
Teaching:
~Experts/Assistants: The instructor introduced the idea that students who finished early could become experts of that topic. She also mentioned to one student who was particularly helpful that they should discuss the student becoming an assistant. The students seemed excited about the idea of potentially becoming an expert or an assistant. Allowing students to become experts and assistants might actually help those few students learn better. It has been shown that students who help other students are actually gaining knowledge and understanding by having to explain the material. Perhaps having a few assistants or experts could help every student learn and help things rum smoother.
~Repetition: The instructor had students verbally repeat the necessary tasks to complete many times. I failed to count the number of times "story, pictures, sound" (and sometimes "recording") was repeated but it was more than the three times I would have attempted. The students did not seem to be annoyed by the repetition but instead seemed to be louder and participate more each time the list was covered. I was surprised that the students repeted the list each time because I'm not sure high school or college aged students would normally do that. I was also shocked because I have always heard that repeating something three times is enough but it seemed the instructor went far past saying the list three times. Perhaps with elementary aged children three is not enough.
~Special Buddies: The instructor assigned one student who was behind a special buddy adult to help him catch up. The special buddy was able to help the student get a story written and begin searching for sounds. This was a great idea since the student otherwise would have probably been causing problems and completely unproductive. It was also nice to provide this assistance to the student since in most cases one on one assitance is not available. However, at this point there was a small discrepancy regarding the appropriate language to use in an elementary school setting by both the instructor and the student. Hopefully this topic will be clarified at a later time.
~Work Stations: The instructor labled computers as either "Sound Station" or left blank. The blank computers were intended for those students who were working on their story or collection of pictures while the sound station station was meant for those students downloading sounds. Last, the computers in a separate location were meant for recording. The stations were meant to help the instructors focus on the station task where they were stationed along with helping minimize distractions. I like the idea of the stations but the implementation of the concept was not great due to the technology in the room. The computers were sporadically labled due to the capabilies of each computer. Furthermore, changing from one location to another takes longer for those students who are not familiar with quickly accessing the flash drives and some students had trouble finding open computers so could not move. I also saw students just forgetting to move without any adult enforcing the concept of the stations.
Notes:
In general, this day of activities went well. There were many possible situations where things could have gone horribly wrong but things held together because of the desire to finish from the students. The adults also seem to have a general idea of what is going on now which is helping the students. I have a slight fear that some students may not finish making the movie in the next few weeks. Some students need to understand that the movie will not be perfect. The perfect picture may not be found and the best story may not be written but that some pictures are needed and a story is necessary too even if there are flaws. I do not want to encourage students to produce work that they are not satisfied with but I do not want to see the students not complete even their story either. Is there a way to nicely hurry these students along?
Monday, March 12, 2007
Teaching Blog Reflection 1
Directions:
Technology used
Projector: The projector (connected to a laptop) was used to show the students how to access and edit the story template. This technology was useful to show how things worked to all the students at once. There was a slight problem with students trying to make shadows in the projector but this was not a large issue.
Internet Explorer: Internet Explorer was used to access the story template and the directions for Sound Recorder and downloading sounds. This was excellent because the students were able to access everything they needed from one website. However, problems occurred since some of the students had difficulty typing in the web address. This problem could potentially be solved if Bell and Beyond created their own permanent Wiki page. Then we could put a shortcut on each student's flash drive so they could quickly open Internet Explorer to the Wiki page. Creating a short cut could even be an activity for one session.
Word: Each student had a template in Word where they could fill in slots to create a story. Many students were unhappy about having to type out a story and having to stick to a template. However, Word was a good program to use since the students were introduced to the "Show/Hide" button but nothing else was going on. Minimizing the new use in the program allowed students to focus on creating a story. Unfortunately, I feel the "show/hide" button was not used in most cases or perhaps that the hints on how to fill in the blanks were confusing to the students. A better thought out template would have allowed this part of the project to flow with fewer problems.
Sound Recorder: Sound Recorder was being used to record the stories. This is where chaos swept over the room. Microphones and headphones were not present so students used the built in microphones and then the computer speakers to complete this task. Furthermore, students began recording strange noises for fun without being too productive. Although this activity was extremely fun, better monitoring was needed to ensure the proper use of Sound Recorder.
Flash Drive: Each student used his or her flash drive to save the story template and other work that was completed. It was nice that each student could save his or her work easily but a bit confusing since many students wanted to use the "lockers" provided by the school.
Teaching Techniques
Eye Contact: I tried to have all students look at me at one point when they were getting distracted by the projector. This technique was due to my error of opening up the page sooner than I should have which resulted in every student reading the page out loud by him or her self. The eye contact worked in bringing the group back together but required the assistance of other adults in the room.
Not continuing until silent: At one point I told the students I had a secret button to show them but that they needed to be quiet before I could tell them. Using the word "secret" was a stretch but I hoped it would grab their attention and make them want to know what I was going to say. This actually seemed to work and the students were attentive while hearing the secret.
Typed out instructions: Each student was provided with directions on a paper. Although some students chose not to use these directions, some problems were solved by simply pointing out that instructions were on the paper.
Suggesting good behavior would reward help: At one point I had a student start complaining about how she did not want to type or do the work. The student was being extremely rude and disrespectful to myself and those around her. I did suggest though that if she was polite then perhaps someone would be willing to help her type up her ideas. At that time, one of the volunteers said she would be willing to help if the girl was being nice about it. I am not sure how successful this approach was since the student was later screaming and claiming that she never used an "inside voice." Apparently my approach of fixing her behavior was only temporary or was completely unsuccessful.
Class participation: While discussing the importance of a beginning, middle, and ending to a story I asked students to participate by giving me examples of their story ideas. I was trying to help students refocus on the point of the project but instead created chaos. This technique was attempted early in the lesson so caught me off guard and required the assistance of other adults to bring the group back into control.
Notes:
In general, I had a lot of fun teaching this group. I am not sure I could teach younger children every day but it was not as horrible as I expected. I think the part that brightened my day the most was one student who came in late. First, I remembered her name which made her smile. Then I explained to her what had happened during the day and she asked if she could write the story and find pictures on the internet at home during break. This girl was excited about the activity and wanted to catch up during break. I don't know yet if she wrote the story at home (I suggested she not find pictures unless her parents helped her) but the fact that she wanted to do this extra work was amazing. It is such an amazing thing when students want to learn.
- Set-up the video camera to document your teaching lesson (you may tape over an observation tape).
- Review the videotape at a later time.
- List, describe, and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of technology use, as well as the strategies used for teaching and learning.
- Bring the videotape to the following class so we can discuss your reflections together.
Technology used
Projector: The projector (connected to a laptop) was used to show the students how to access and edit the story template. This technology was useful to show how things worked to all the students at once. There was a slight problem with students trying to make shadows in the projector but this was not a large issue.
Internet Explorer: Internet Explorer was used to access the story template and the directions for Sound Recorder and downloading sounds. This was excellent because the students were able to access everything they needed from one website. However, problems occurred since some of the students had difficulty typing in the web address. This problem could potentially be solved if Bell and Beyond created their own permanent Wiki page. Then we could put a shortcut on each student's flash drive so they could quickly open Internet Explorer to the Wiki page. Creating a short cut could even be an activity for one session.
Word: Each student had a template in Word where they could fill in slots to create a story. Many students were unhappy about having to type out a story and having to stick to a template. However, Word was a good program to use since the students were introduced to the "Show/Hide" button but nothing else was going on. Minimizing the new use in the program allowed students to focus on creating a story. Unfortunately, I feel the "show/hide" button was not used in most cases or perhaps that the hints on how to fill in the blanks were confusing to the students. A better thought out template would have allowed this part of the project to flow with fewer problems.
Sound Recorder: Sound Recorder was being used to record the stories. This is where chaos swept over the room. Microphones and headphones were not present so students used the built in microphones and then the computer speakers to complete this task. Furthermore, students began recording strange noises for fun without being too productive. Although this activity was extremely fun, better monitoring was needed to ensure the proper use of Sound Recorder.
Flash Drive: Each student used his or her flash drive to save the story template and other work that was completed. It was nice that each student could save his or her work easily but a bit confusing since many students wanted to use the "lockers" provided by the school.
Teaching Techniques
Eye Contact: I tried to have all students look at me at one point when they were getting distracted by the projector. This technique was due to my error of opening up the page sooner than I should have which resulted in every student reading the page out loud by him or her self. The eye contact worked in bringing the group back together but required the assistance of other adults in the room.
Not continuing until silent: At one point I told the students I had a secret button to show them but that they needed to be quiet before I could tell them. Using the word "secret" was a stretch but I hoped it would grab their attention and make them want to know what I was going to say. This actually seemed to work and the students were attentive while hearing the secret.
Typed out instructions: Each student was provided with directions on a paper. Although some students chose not to use these directions, some problems were solved by simply pointing out that instructions were on the paper.
Suggesting good behavior would reward help: At one point I had a student start complaining about how she did not want to type or do the work. The student was being extremely rude and disrespectful to myself and those around her. I did suggest though that if she was polite then perhaps someone would be willing to help her type up her ideas. At that time, one of the volunteers said she would be willing to help if the girl was being nice about it. I am not sure how successful this approach was since the student was later screaming and claiming that she never used an "inside voice." Apparently my approach of fixing her behavior was only temporary or was completely unsuccessful.
Class participation: While discussing the importance of a beginning, middle, and ending to a story I asked students to participate by giving me examples of their story ideas. I was trying to help students refocus on the point of the project but instead created chaos. This technique was attempted early in the lesson so caught me off guard and required the assistance of other adults to bring the group back into control.
Notes:
In general, I had a lot of fun teaching this group. I am not sure I could teach younger children every day but it was not as horrible as I expected. I think the part that brightened my day the most was one student who came in late. First, I remembered her name which made her smile. Then I explained to her what had happened during the day and she asked if she could write the story and find pictures on the internet at home during break. This girl was excited about the activity and wanted to catch up during break. I don't know yet if she wrote the story at home (I suggested she not find pictures unless her parents helped her) but the fact that she wanted to do this extra work was amazing. It is such an amazing thing when students want to learn.
Friday, March 2, 2007
Hannah's Story
Apparenty a tutor in Australia is posting her student's work online in a forum. I don't completely know the intentions of posting the work but it has turned into having a malicious intent. To top it all off, the tutor appears to be using the student's real name and real personal information (such as the class name, the financial situation of the family, etc). The tutor also told the student that they should record the student reading her work so she can play it back and listen to it. The tutor then went ahead and posted the student's reading on the internet also. I admitt that the writing from this student is difficult to understand and in many situations I would probably also be laughing at this person but something just doesn't seem right this time. First, we do not know what the tutor is leaving out about Hannah and her life. Then, putting the student's work online is bad and I don't agree with doing that without the student knowing, but then to use her name, her personal life, and her voice even has to be crossing the line. I can't help but feel sorry for Hannah having her stuff be put online and so many people looking at it and laughing at her. Plus, Hannah had to make it this far in school somehow and her teachers passing her years ago when they shouldn't have is not her fault. The schools let Hannah become what she is and that isn't her fault. I don't see this as her being stupid but instead her school system failing at their job. This entire situation just doesn't seem right. The links to some of the forums are below. What do you think? Should this stuff be online?
http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=323026735
http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=323617743
Modeling Blog Reflection 1
Directions:
Take notes during the modeling lab session.
List, describe, and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of technology use
List, describe, and discuss the strategies used for teaching and learning.
Response:
Technology:
~ Projector: a projector was used to demonstate how to use paint to create a storyboard and also to present examples of a movie and of story boards. The strength of the projector was it transmitted information to a lot of students without much trouble. However, the projector was on a cart which could potentially cause problems. It was not an issue this week but the previous week a child kept leaning against the cart and moving the picture. I believe hooking the laptop to the projector was a better option than trying to have students gather around a computer to view the examples. The storyboard video displayed by the projector seemed a bit long for the attention of the students but hopefully helped develop some excitement for the activity.
~Paint: the software Paint was used to have students start developing their characters and setting for the story. I suppose using Paint made students more excited about creating the story. However, the painting aspect of Paint I felt deterred some students from actually focusing on the typed descriptions. At the same time, the pictures also caused some students problems because they felt the pictures were not good enough and kept erasing the same picture. I think in a normal classroom time would have been spent better if the activity had been done without the use of a computer but I understand for this activity the computer integration was the point of the day.
~Flashdrive: the students used their flashdrives to save their work. As in a previous blog entry, the flashdrives were nice because students could easily save their work and the possibility of losing the work was minimized since adults kept the flashdrives. However, the inability to safely remove the flashdrives still concerns me. Plus I had some students trying to convince a classmate to save her stuff in her "locker" instead of on the flashdrive so it appears the flashdrives are just another form of technology performing the same action as already present technology.
Teaching Strategies:
~The instructor specifically ignored some students who spoke out by saying she was looking for a student who was raising hir or her hand. This actually caused lots of students to raise their hands with excitement of possibly being called on. This was a good technique but would have been more effective if the names of the students had been known.
~The instructor actually thanked those students who were being good. I was highly amused by this because it was obviously an indirect way to try to stop a few students from being disruptive. I suppose this was meant to help by the few disruptive children wanting to be thanked also, but I think this time did not change much in the behavior. It was entertaining though that the students did not seem to notice what the instructor was doing.
~ The instructor used an interesting voice for the majority of time speaking. It seemed as if there were two voices - the voice for children and the voice for adults. Occasionally the soothing happy voice would slip into a different tone before recomposing back into the original tone. I think the primary voice used in teaching was the teaching technique and the slippage into a different tone may have been caused by momentary panic, confusion, or just frustration.
~I witnessed one of the instructors tell a student who came in late that she could go ahead and sit down to work for a few minutes and that the instructor would sit and instruct her what to do. The student sat down and logged in and turned looking for the teacher and the teacher was off doing something else. It seemed like having the student get involved quickly was a good thing but then telling the student there would be help and not providing the help was unfortunate. I did sit down to help the student and told the student she could work until the last second possible and that I would save her work for her after she left (she was upset that she had not completed the activity so might not be able to make her movie!). Then the same instructor that promised the girl her help came up and told the student she needed to quit and save. I told the instructor I offered to save and shut down for the student and the instructor (I had seen this done during a previous week) and she said "ok" and then went ahead and instructed the student to shut down. I think this situation confused me more than anything else. I'm sure the intentions were there. The instructor was obviously trying to get this student on the same track as the other students but things seemed strange regarding it all.
Take notes during the modeling lab session.
List, describe, and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of technology use
List, describe, and discuss the strategies used for teaching and learning.
Response:
Technology:
~ Projector: a projector was used to demonstate how to use paint to create a storyboard and also to present examples of a movie and of story boards. The strength of the projector was it transmitted information to a lot of students without much trouble. However, the projector was on a cart which could potentially cause problems. It was not an issue this week but the previous week a child kept leaning against the cart and moving the picture. I believe hooking the laptop to the projector was a better option than trying to have students gather around a computer to view the examples. The storyboard video displayed by the projector seemed a bit long for the attention of the students but hopefully helped develop some excitement for the activity.
~Paint: the software Paint was used to have students start developing their characters and setting for the story. I suppose using Paint made students more excited about creating the story. However, the painting aspect of Paint I felt deterred some students from actually focusing on the typed descriptions. At the same time, the pictures also caused some students problems because they felt the pictures were not good enough and kept erasing the same picture. I think in a normal classroom time would have been spent better if the activity had been done without the use of a computer but I understand for this activity the computer integration was the point of the day.
~Flashdrive: the students used their flashdrives to save their work. As in a previous blog entry, the flashdrives were nice because students could easily save their work and the possibility of losing the work was minimized since adults kept the flashdrives. However, the inability to safely remove the flashdrives still concerns me. Plus I had some students trying to convince a classmate to save her stuff in her "locker" instead of on the flashdrive so it appears the flashdrives are just another form of technology performing the same action as already present technology.
Teaching Strategies:
~The instructor specifically ignored some students who spoke out by saying she was looking for a student who was raising hir or her hand. This actually caused lots of students to raise their hands with excitement of possibly being called on. This was a good technique but would have been more effective if the names of the students had been known.
~The instructor actually thanked those students who were being good. I was highly amused by this because it was obviously an indirect way to try to stop a few students from being disruptive. I suppose this was meant to help by the few disruptive children wanting to be thanked also, but I think this time did not change much in the behavior. It was entertaining though that the students did not seem to notice what the instructor was doing.
~ The instructor used an interesting voice for the majority of time speaking. It seemed as if there were two voices - the voice for children and the voice for adults. Occasionally the soothing happy voice would slip into a different tone before recomposing back into the original tone. I think the primary voice used in teaching was the teaching technique and the slippage into a different tone may have been caused by momentary panic, confusion, or just frustration.
~I witnessed one of the instructors tell a student who came in late that she could go ahead and sit down to work for a few minutes and that the instructor would sit and instruct her what to do. The student sat down and logged in and turned looking for the teacher and the teacher was off doing something else. It seemed like having the student get involved quickly was a good thing but then telling the student there would be help and not providing the help was unfortunate. I did sit down to help the student and told the student she could work until the last second possible and that I would save her work for her after she left (she was upset that she had not completed the activity so might not be able to make her movie!). Then the same instructor that promised the girl her help came up and told the student she needed to quit and save. I told the instructor I offered to save and shut down for the student and the instructor (I had seen this done during a previous week) and she said "ok" and then went ahead and instructed the student to shut down. I think this situation confused me more than anything else. I'm sure the intentions were there. The instructor was obviously trying to get this student on the same track as the other students but things seemed strange regarding it all.
Vision Blog Reflection
Directions:
Form a response based on the following questions:
How do you see yourself using technology in your future classroom?
In your opinion, what is the difference between using technology in meaningful ways and using technology for other purposes?
Are there any situations in which technology is not a good answer or could not enhance the topic?
What about the future of our society? As we move to a more technologically-focused society, how will this effect the way you use technology, and they way you have your students use technology?
What kind of school/classroom/district do you see yourself teaching in? What's the technology like? Describe this for me.
Form a basic response that addresses your vision of technology integration: How should technology be used in the classroom? How do you plan to use technology in your future classroom? Is this realistic?
Response:
My integration of technology into teaching will be dependent on the amount of technology available to my classroom. I plan on using calculators frequently in my classroom to help my students visualize the math concepts and to help provide the students with a method to check their work. I also like the idea of having announcements displayed in a slideshow on a television between classes. I think this provides the teacher with an interesting way to present the announcements. From my experience, writing announcements on the board can use time and boardspace while it is quite easy to push the power button on the television. I also see myself having activities for my students to do on computers if the computers are accessible in school. There are lots of wonderful math programs that make mathematics fun (or as fun as it can be for a student) and could be the basis of a lesson that has students reinforce already learned skills or experiment and form their own conjectures.
The difference between meaningful technology integration and integration for the point of integration still seems cloudy in distinction. Meaningful technology use would often be using technology to allow the classroom to experience things that would otherwise be impossible to experience. However, a new experience does not make technology use meaningful unless the students are learning and learning more efficiently (I apologize for such a vague word) than without the technology. The technology should assist in the learning of the students but should not replace the teacher. I feel meaningful integration of technology should also not replace other methods of learning. Although opening a paper encyclopedia is becoming less common and proof reading papers by hand is being replaced with inserting "notes" into the word document, there is still use in knowing these older methods and technology should not completely replace these other skills. Meaningful technology use does not necessarily mean teaching the students how to use technology but instead uses the knowledge of technology to facilitate the learning. Meaningful integration should also be designed to help all students learn and not divide those students with technology at home from those students without.
As a math teacher I am wary of saying technology integration is good. From my experiences instructing at Indiana University, I have seen first hand the pros and cons of calculators in the classroom. I have tutored students who type 2*6 into the calculator. I admit that I am one of those people because as my mind is rushing through my numerous calculations I often do not distinguish between those that are simple and those that are difficult. However, I have taught 2 classes at IU that do not allow calculators. The students do struggle sometimes to perform the calculations that could easily and quickly be done on a calculator but refusing the use of calculators is necessary in these classes. Students need to have some basis of basic calculations and that skill can not be strengthened without practice. You may argue (as most people do) that basic math skills are not necessary or that everyone knows basic skills. I can tell you now that basic math skills are not known by everyone and that you do use basic math skills in your life. I do not want my students to be able to graph lines 10 years from now but I do want my students to be able to estimate a tip or estimate the price of a shirt that is 20% off. Since technology is not always available in the world, some basic skills need to be practiced and kept refined. However, my argument against calculators has nothing to do with successful technology integration. If calculators can be added to a classroom to enhance an understanding, to check an answer, or to visualize an answer then I do think the integration is positive. In general, if the technology integration is done carefully and with thought then I think it could be integrated successfully into any topic.
Our society is becoming dependent upon technology. As a teacher, I will need to be cautious not to rely on technology to teach. Technology fails sometimes and I need to prepare my students to learn and function in society with or without technology. I will also need to be aware of the economic and cultural divides present in my school. If my integration of technology is hampering the learning of some students then I will need to reassess my lessons and the importance of using technology. It is my fear that technology will enlarge the educational divide into three groups - one computer per member of the family, one computer for the entire family, no computer. I have seen families in all three groups and even the distinction between the first two groups is noticable. If each child only has 1 hour on the computer each evening then less can accomplished than if the child has his or her own computer. It seems as technology becomes more important in society teachers will also have to become more cautious of what information students are bringing to class from outside sources. I admit that I have looked up math proofs online to assist me with my homework and gone into "math help rooms" to receive help with homework problems. I also am aware that my behavior was questionable in merit (though would not have gotten me in trouble) and that some students will start taking advantage of these online methods of help and will turn the available help into methods of cheating and copying.
I see myself teaching in an upper-middle class school district. This is unfortunate because I assume that I will not end up in a privileged school. I would love to teach in a privileged school wouldn't we all?) where every classroom has the basic technology of a television, an overhead projector, a telephone, 3-5 classroom computers, the teacher computer, math software, a classroom set of calculators, and even the chords to book the television to the tv and the calculator to the overhead projector. I also see other technology such as a set of laptops, a video camera, and digital cameras in plenty enough to be checked out when needed. I also picture 3-5 full computer labs with computer stations in the library. However, I feel the only reason I imagine myself teaching in that school is because that is the school I attended. I feel I could also end up in a rural school district. I honestly have no technology expectations of a rural school. I would not expect my students to have computers at home or even be able to afford graphing calculators. I would not even expect my students to be able to stay after school to use the computer lab if my rural community is a farming community. I would still at least expect an overhead projector and a teacher computer in my math class and therefore am already collecting my own hodgepodge of technology and calculators. I know I can not rely on my school for the technology. I do not see myself teaching in an inner-city school but it is too early for me to say where I will end up.
Technology should be used in the classroom in the manner that most adequately assists the students. In my classroom I will probably have homework answers displayed using an overhead projector. In general I frown upon displaying answers on an overhead projector but given time restraints and the size of the classroom I will probably only be able to provide students with correct answers in this method. I do not plan to teach on the overhead though because I feel my excitement of mathematics is better shown if I am moving and I think the movement helps engage the students. I might consider putting notes available online if my students have access and seem like students who would use the additional help. Depending on my school's math curriculum I will try to incorporate some form of project that requires the students to use a computer either in research, calculations, or presentation but this depends on the available time. Technology should be used in the classroom in ways that encourage the student to work and learn and does not give the students the notes and lessons. The technology should primarily be used as an educational tool and should not replace the job of the teacher.
Form a response based on the following questions:
How do you see yourself using technology in your future classroom?
In your opinion, what is the difference between using technology in meaningful ways and using technology for other purposes?
Are there any situations in which technology is not a good answer or could not enhance the topic?
What about the future of our society? As we move to a more technologically-focused society, how will this effect the way you use technology, and they way you have your students use technology?
What kind of school/classroom/district do you see yourself teaching in? What's the technology like? Describe this for me.
Form a basic response that addresses your vision of technology integration: How should technology be used in the classroom? How do you plan to use technology in your future classroom? Is this realistic?
Response:
My integration of technology into teaching will be dependent on the amount of technology available to my classroom. I plan on using calculators frequently in my classroom to help my students visualize the math concepts and to help provide the students with a method to check their work. I also like the idea of having announcements displayed in a slideshow on a television between classes. I think this provides the teacher with an interesting way to present the announcements. From my experience, writing announcements on the board can use time and boardspace while it is quite easy to push the power button on the television. I also see myself having activities for my students to do on computers if the computers are accessible in school. There are lots of wonderful math programs that make mathematics fun (or as fun as it can be for a student) and could be the basis of a lesson that has students reinforce already learned skills or experiment and form their own conjectures.
The difference between meaningful technology integration and integration for the point of integration still seems cloudy in distinction. Meaningful technology use would often be using technology to allow the classroom to experience things that would otherwise be impossible to experience. However, a new experience does not make technology use meaningful unless the students are learning and learning more efficiently (I apologize for such a vague word) than without the technology. The technology should assist in the learning of the students but should not replace the teacher. I feel meaningful integration of technology should also not replace other methods of learning. Although opening a paper encyclopedia is becoming less common and proof reading papers by hand is being replaced with inserting "notes" into the word document, there is still use in knowing these older methods and technology should not completely replace these other skills. Meaningful technology use does not necessarily mean teaching the students how to use technology but instead uses the knowledge of technology to facilitate the learning. Meaningful integration should also be designed to help all students learn and not divide those students with technology at home from those students without.
As a math teacher I am wary of saying technology integration is good. From my experiences instructing at Indiana University, I have seen first hand the pros and cons of calculators in the classroom. I have tutored students who type 2*6 into the calculator. I admit that I am one of those people because as my mind is rushing through my numerous calculations I often do not distinguish between those that are simple and those that are difficult. However, I have taught 2 classes at IU that do not allow calculators. The students do struggle sometimes to perform the calculations that could easily and quickly be done on a calculator but refusing the use of calculators is necessary in these classes. Students need to have some basis of basic calculations and that skill can not be strengthened without practice. You may argue (as most people do) that basic math skills are not necessary or that everyone knows basic skills. I can tell you now that basic math skills are not known by everyone and that you do use basic math skills in your life. I do not want my students to be able to graph lines 10 years from now but I do want my students to be able to estimate a tip or estimate the price of a shirt that is 20% off. Since technology is not always available in the world, some basic skills need to be practiced and kept refined. However, my argument against calculators has nothing to do with successful technology integration. If calculators can be added to a classroom to enhance an understanding, to check an answer, or to visualize an answer then I do think the integration is positive. In general, if the technology integration is done carefully and with thought then I think it could be integrated successfully into any topic.
Our society is becoming dependent upon technology. As a teacher, I will need to be cautious not to rely on technology to teach. Technology fails sometimes and I need to prepare my students to learn and function in society with or without technology. I will also need to be aware of the economic and cultural divides present in my school. If my integration of technology is hampering the learning of some students then I will need to reassess my lessons and the importance of using technology. It is my fear that technology will enlarge the educational divide into three groups - one computer per member of the family, one computer for the entire family, no computer. I have seen families in all three groups and even the distinction between the first two groups is noticable. If each child only has 1 hour on the computer each evening then less can accomplished than if the child has his or her own computer. It seems as technology becomes more important in society teachers will also have to become more cautious of what information students are bringing to class from outside sources. I admit that I have looked up math proofs online to assist me with my homework and gone into "math help rooms" to receive help with homework problems. I also am aware that my behavior was questionable in merit (though would not have gotten me in trouble) and that some students will start taking advantage of these online methods of help and will turn the available help into methods of cheating and copying.
I see myself teaching in an upper-middle class school district. This is unfortunate because I assume that I will not end up in a privileged school. I would love to teach in a privileged school wouldn't we all?) where every classroom has the basic technology of a television, an overhead projector, a telephone, 3-5 classroom computers, the teacher computer, math software, a classroom set of calculators, and even the chords to book the television to the tv and the calculator to the overhead projector. I also see other technology such as a set of laptops, a video camera, and digital cameras in plenty enough to be checked out when needed. I also picture 3-5 full computer labs with computer stations in the library. However, I feel the only reason I imagine myself teaching in that school is because that is the school I attended. I feel I could also end up in a rural school district. I honestly have no technology expectations of a rural school. I would not expect my students to have computers at home or even be able to afford graphing calculators. I would not even expect my students to be able to stay after school to use the computer lab if my rural community is a farming community. I would still at least expect an overhead projector and a teacher computer in my math class and therefore am already collecting my own hodgepodge of technology and calculators. I know I can not rely on my school for the technology. I do not see myself teaching in an inner-city school but it is too early for me to say where I will end up.
Technology should be used in the classroom in the manner that most adequately assists the students. In my classroom I will probably have homework answers displayed using an overhead projector. In general I frown upon displaying answers on an overhead projector but given time restraints and the size of the classroom I will probably only be able to provide students with correct answers in this method. I do not plan to teach on the overhead though because I feel my excitement of mathematics is better shown if I am moving and I think the movement helps engage the students. I might consider putting notes available online if my students have access and seem like students who would use the additional help. Depending on my school's math curriculum I will try to incorporate some form of project that requires the students to use a computer either in research, calculations, or presentation but this depends on the available time. Technology should be used in the classroom in ways that encourage the student to work and learn and does not give the students the notes and lessons. The technology should primarily be used as an educational tool and should not replace the job of the teacher.
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