I recently implemented a professional development at my school on how to create a podcast using the Apple application Garageband. This blog entry will be a reflection on how it went, and also a couple of ideas for making the PD better in the future.
I have to say I feel like the PD on creating a podcast with Garageband went pretty well. I feel like I did a good job with having all the materials needed for the PD easily available for all those who participated. I think having them all online was very helpful. I will have to be sure and do this in the future. The class seemed to be very interested in the subject and seemed to remain pretty attentive during the explanations.
A couple of things that I think I might change about my PD are:
1. Less time on the Keynote slides
I had a little keynote slide show where I discussed a little bit about the benefits of pod-casting in the classroom, as well as some activities that can be used with pod-casting. This seemed like a great idea, and I think it would be depending on how long the PD actually is. However, I had a limited amount of time so I feel I spent to much time on those things.
2. More time for the students to explore
Because of all my jabbering, I felt that the students didn't get enough time to explore some of the concepts about Garageband that I was showing them. In the future I will be sure and a lot more time for exploration and application.
3. Less talking and more demonstration
Sometimes I need to just STOP TALKING!! Sometimes I feel the need to explain every little detail when really I could just demonstrate more and be more effective.
I think if I keep these few things in mind for the next time I give the Professional Development that it will flow a little bit better, and hopefully be more successful. All that being said, I feel that overall it was a pretty good PD.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
My opinoin on a definition of Professional Development
I was recently asked to give my thoughts on a particular definition of what professional development is. Below is the website that the definition came from:
http://www.nsdc.org/standfor/definition.cfm
This is part of that definition:
"PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT— The term “professional development” means a comprehensive, sustained, and intensive approach to improving teachers’ and principals’ effectiveness in raising student achievement --"
I would have to say that I agree with the majority of this definition. If professional development was actually based off the definition above then I think we as educators would be just fine. The problem is that somewhere between this definition and setting up the actual PD a couple of things usually get overlooked. The biggest one that pops out at my at first glance, is the word "sustained". Most the PD that I have ever be to is what I like to call a "one and done". Meaning, you go to a training on something you've never done before, and you have yourself a swell time learning about this or that, and at the end of the day your slowly starting to grasp the concepts and then the training is over. You get up, have the presenter sign your CPDU form so you can get credit for taking the training. You walk out of the room leaving most of the knowledge that received in the room you just came from. There very rarely is another training on the same subject, or any kind of follow up what so ever. If people where to take the word "sustained" in this definition seriously, teachers might actually get to retain some information they learned and actually apply it to their classrooms. If there was perhaps more than one training, or maybe even follow up training days it would make it much more of a possibility. I've never really understood how people expect you to really be able to grasp some difficult software program in a two hour training, or some new educational tool. That just doesn't seem right. I mean.... Teachers spend more time than that preparing lesson plans.
The definition itself is okay. In my opinion you can write whatever definition you want to, but it's the implementation of the definition that really matters.
http://www.nsdc.org/standfor/definition.cfm
This is part of that definition:
"PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT— The term “professional development” means a comprehensive, sustained, and intensive approach to improving teachers’ and principals’ effectiveness in raising student achievement --"
I would have to say that I agree with the majority of this definition. If professional development was actually based off the definition above then I think we as educators would be just fine. The problem is that somewhere between this definition and setting up the actual PD a couple of things usually get overlooked. The biggest one that pops out at my at first glance, is the word "sustained". Most the PD that I have ever be to is what I like to call a "one and done". Meaning, you go to a training on something you've never done before, and you have yourself a swell time learning about this or that, and at the end of the day your slowly starting to grasp the concepts and then the training is over. You get up, have the presenter sign your CPDU form so you can get credit for taking the training. You walk out of the room leaving most of the knowledge that received in the room you just came from. There very rarely is another training on the same subject, or any kind of follow up what so ever. If people where to take the word "sustained" in this definition seriously, teachers might actually get to retain some information they learned and actually apply it to their classrooms. If there was perhaps more than one training, or maybe even follow up training days it would make it much more of a possibility. I've never really understood how people expect you to really be able to grasp some difficult software program in a two hour training, or some new educational tool. That just doesn't seem right. I mean.... Teachers spend more time than that preparing lesson plans.
The definition itself is okay. In my opinion you can write whatever definition you want to, but it's the implementation of the definition that really matters.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
What do you consider the most important aspects of 21st Century Literacy?
21st Century Literacy has many aspects. I think we have come to a very important time in history when it comes to literacy. I think for the first time in history technology has changed the way we define what it means to be literate. It is no longer enough to just know how to read and write with a pencil and paper. In fact, I sometimes go days without using a pencil. I am constantly on my computer typing away. I'm creating documents, sending emails, sending instant messages while I'm working, sending text messages from my phone etc.....These are just some of the things that go into being literate.
All of that being said, to me one of the components of literacy that I think is coming to the forefront of conversation would have to be social literacy. Our lives, and our students lives, are so soaked in information on a daily basis that it becomes more and more of a challenge to maintain privacy (like the gentleman said in the posted video). This comes to mind because I was thinking of my day today. I spent a lot of time on the laptop today creating things for work, doing assignments for school, and staying in contact with people in my social life all at the same time. At one point I was writing a blog, creating a spreadsheet, checking the scores to a bball game, instant messaging a friend over seas, and answering text messages all at the same time. This got me thinking.
What happened to the days when you used to sit down to do something and you did it without any interruptions from technology? For me, it's been a while, and to be honest I start to feel weird if I don't have access to all those things. I feel as teachers it is important to teach students now when it is appropriate to use technology and when it is necessary to turn it off and not be disturbed. It is also important to teach them about social privacy. In other words, it is not necessary to tell the whole world what your doing every five seconds. For one thing privacy is important. It helps build self-thought and also self-awareness, which by the way, many of our students and just people in general lack these days. There are so many important components to 21st century literacy but we must not forget the most important component of all..........choice.
Resources on the subject:
http://edtechlife.com/?cat=41
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literacy
http://www.21stcenturyschools.com/What_is_21st_Century_Education.htm
All of that being said, to me one of the components of literacy that I think is coming to the forefront of conversation would have to be social literacy. Our lives, and our students lives, are so soaked in information on a daily basis that it becomes more and more of a challenge to maintain privacy (like the gentleman said in the posted video). This comes to mind because I was thinking of my day today. I spent a lot of time on the laptop today creating things for work, doing assignments for school, and staying in contact with people in my social life all at the same time. At one point I was writing a blog, creating a spreadsheet, checking the scores to a bball game, instant messaging a friend over seas, and answering text messages all at the same time. This got me thinking.
What happened to the days when you used to sit down to do something and you did it without any interruptions from technology? For me, it's been a while, and to be honest I start to feel weird if I don't have access to all those things. I feel as teachers it is important to teach students now when it is appropriate to use technology and when it is necessary to turn it off and not be disturbed. It is also important to teach them about social privacy. In other words, it is not necessary to tell the whole world what your doing every five seconds. For one thing privacy is important. It helps build self-thought and also self-awareness, which by the way, many of our students and just people in general lack these days. There are so many important components to 21st century literacy but we must not forget the most important component of all..........choice.
Resources on the subject:
http://edtechlife.com/?cat=41
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literacy
http://www.21stcenturyschools.com/What_is_21st_Century_Education.htm
What was the last GREAT professional development you attended and why?
I go to countless amounts of professional development every year, and to be honest, most of them are TERRIBLE. I have found that many times they are a little self-indulgent. Meaning the presenter is not really there to help you out in the classroom, but more so to show off their accomplishments. However, they haven't all been bad. I once had a great PD at Apple on iMovie.
The reason it was so great, in my opinion was because of the amount of hands on training we received on the software program itself. Also, because the entire PD was presented in the same way an actual lesson would be presented. So instead of some self-indulgent person up there with a power point the PD was presented as a lesson as if we were the students. Which in this case we so happened to be. The great thing about this approach though is that it allows you to see first hand the benefits of actually using it in a classroom setting with students. I can't tell you how many PD's I have been in where there was some sort of a product or tool pitched without any clue as to how it would be implemented into each teachers classroom.
To me a good PD is one that is relevant. What makes it relevant? It is relevant to me as a teacher when it is laid out in such a way that I can tell right away that it will somehow benefit my students. OR, it has to make my job easier so I have more time to focus on my students and deal with some issues I might not get to without it. This Apple PD on iMovie did both of those things. It was presented in a way in which I FELT COMFORTABLE TO IMPLEMENT IT IN MY CLASS RIGHT AWAY! That is why it was the best professional development I have been to in a long time.
Some resources on the subject:
http://serc.carleton.edu/teacherprep/inservice/ProgramTips.html
http://allwhowonder.wordpress.com/2009/01/16/what-makes-good-staff-development/
http://www.publicschoolinsights.org/category/blog-story-tags/professional-development
The reason it was so great, in my opinion was because of the amount of hands on training we received on the software program itself. Also, because the entire PD was presented in the same way an actual lesson would be presented. So instead of some self-indulgent person up there with a power point the PD was presented as a lesson as if we were the students. Which in this case we so happened to be. The great thing about this approach though is that it allows you to see first hand the benefits of actually using it in a classroom setting with students. I can't tell you how many PD's I have been in where there was some sort of a product or tool pitched without any clue as to how it would be implemented into each teachers classroom.
To me a good PD is one that is relevant. What makes it relevant? It is relevant to me as a teacher when it is laid out in such a way that I can tell right away that it will somehow benefit my students. OR, it has to make my job easier so I have more time to focus on my students and deal with some issues I might not get to without it. This Apple PD on iMovie did both of those things. It was presented in a way in which I FELT COMFORTABLE TO IMPLEMENT IT IN MY CLASS RIGHT AWAY! That is why it was the best professional development I have been to in a long time.
Some resources on the subject:
http://serc.carleton.edu/teacherprep/inservice/ProgramTips.html
http://allwhowonder.wordpress.com/2009/01/16/what-makes-good-staff-development/
http://www.publicschoolinsights.org/category/blog-story-tags/professional-development
My experience of creating and implementing a problem-based lesson.
So I just did a problem-based lesson plan with one of my colleagues from my TIE cohort program for National Louis. We called the project "A Octopus'Garden", because it involved creating a little underwater world with the programing world called EToys. The creating of the lesson plan was not as difficult as the actual implementation of the lesson. Etoys itself is a sort of self-contained program, therefor the keyboard shortcuts we all know and love are non-existent. The program takes some exploration before you can just jump right in and ask students to create something. We found that there was more prior knowledge of some of the basics of the program needed in order for the students to feel comfortable and really get all that they needed out of the lesson. There was also a few minor glitches in some of our directions for the project in part because of the strangeness of the program itself. This of course meant that we spent most of our time helping students try to figure out the little discrepancies of Etoys.
In a more ideal situation the lesson would have been given after a couple days of going through some of the tutorials in EToys to have the students better prepared for the actual lesson instead of struggling through the program. Also, the idea came to me that this lesson could be split up into two lessons so that there is less to do in one sitting. Overall though, I thought the lesson was a success and it seemed to spark interest in the students for some programing basics.
In a more ideal situation the lesson would have been given after a couple days of going through some of the tutorials in EToys to have the students better prepared for the actual lesson instead of struggling through the program. Also, the idea came to me that this lesson could be split up into two lessons so that there is less to do in one sitting. Overall though, I thought the lesson was a success and it seemed to spark interest in the students for some programing basics.
What is the best way to get others at your schools to use more technology in their teaching and the students' learning?
What is the best way to get others at your schools to use more technology in their teaching and the students' learning? Well, If I knew the answer to that my job would be a lot easier. There are so many different ways to try to get teachers into using technology. One of them is throwing different ideas at them until you see that little gleam in their eye and know you have found something they are interested in. That can be time consuming and some what tedious though, and you may lose your sanity before that happens.
Another way is to find out what kind of projects the teachers are already doing in the classroom and try to show them how the could use technology to help create those projects. More often then not, teachers find that the technology offers something to the students projects that they didn't have before. Then they are usually hooked on something new that they didn't use before. That is one of the best ways I have found.
However, the absolute best way to try and spread the joy technological bliss for me is by pure example. I try to incorporate technology in everything I do throughout the day. If I'm in a meeting I'm using my laptop to take notes, and if it's really important I'm using garageband to record it. If someone has a question that needs answered I whip out my laptop and head to google and other sources. If someone tells me about an event or date I pull out my iPhone and put it in my calendar. If I'm doing a PD I am using the LCD projector to project whatever creation I have made using a new form of software or website. I have found that by doing things like this teachers are often curious and ask me how to do this or that. Then the conversation is opened up to discuss how they could implement different technology into their curriculum for the students.
Another way is to find out what kind of projects the teachers are already doing in the classroom and try to show them how the could use technology to help create those projects. More often then not, teachers find that the technology offers something to the students projects that they didn't have before. Then they are usually hooked on something new that they didn't use before. That is one of the best ways I have found.
However, the absolute best way to try and spread the joy technological bliss for me is by pure example. I try to incorporate technology in everything I do throughout the day. If I'm in a meeting I'm using my laptop to take notes, and if it's really important I'm using garageband to record it. If someone has a question that needs answered I whip out my laptop and head to google and other sources. If someone tells me about an event or date I pull out my iPhone and put it in my calendar. If I'm doing a PD I am using the LCD projector to project whatever creation I have made using a new form of software or website. I have found that by doing things like this teachers are often curious and ask me how to do this or that. Then the conversation is opened up to discuss how they could implement different technology into their curriculum for the students.
The use of computer games as educational tools
I was recently asked to contribute to the debate about the use of computer games as educational tools. It didn't take me to long to decide what my position would be. Especially since I come from the first generation of video and computer gaming. When thinking about the question I can't help but remember my first memory of gaming. I remember playing pong, and then I remember my aunt getting a Atari. I would sit there and play "Pitfall" or "pac-man" for hours!! I thought it was the greatest thing ever. Plus, it was difficult. It was a challenge. I wanted so bad to get to the next level that I would sacrifice a gorgeous day outside to achieve next level bliss. I remember my Dad hating it. He just didn't understand the infatuation, yet he still didn't know how to work the VCR, and had to ask me to turn it on every time he wanted to watch a movie. The whole time not realizing that the gaming was making me more comfortable with how to use technology.
I find my old recollections of my memories to be much like how some teachers feel about gaming in school, versus how the students feel about gaming. Teachers are often afraid that the students are just having fun or not really getting anything from what they are doing. A waste of time and brain power. Meanwhile.....The students are counting the minutes till they can get back home and play the latest version of Madden football on their Playstation 3. We are living in a time where it would be foolish for us to ignore the effects that gaming can have on our students learning.
If anything one of gaming's greatest qualities is grabbing the students attention. Believe me teachers, that 1991 VHS movie you still have of the planets......it's not going to do the trick. We have to take student interest in gaming seriously and figure out ways to incorporate it into some of our problem based learning activities. If there is anything I've learned about students it's they are only going to pay attention to you if they find you or something about you interesting. Gaming is a great way to tap into our students interest and to discuss problems and solutions.
Some resources on the subject:
http://www.futureofeducation.com/forum/topics/computer-games-as-educational
http://www.articlesbase.com/computer-games-articles/educational-computer-games-as-effective-learning-tools-904236.html
http://seayj.people.cofc.edu/cb/simgames.html?referrer=webcluster&
I find my old recollections of my memories to be much like how some teachers feel about gaming in school, versus how the students feel about gaming. Teachers are often afraid that the students are just having fun or not really getting anything from what they are doing. A waste of time and brain power. Meanwhile.....The students are counting the minutes till they can get back home and play the latest version of Madden football on their Playstation 3. We are living in a time where it would be foolish for us to ignore the effects that gaming can have on our students learning.
If anything one of gaming's greatest qualities is grabbing the students attention. Believe me teachers, that 1991 VHS movie you still have of the planets......it's not going to do the trick. We have to take student interest in gaming seriously and figure out ways to incorporate it into some of our problem based learning activities. If there is anything I've learned about students it's they are only going to pay attention to you if they find you or something about you interesting. Gaming is a great way to tap into our students interest and to discuss problems and solutions.
Some resources on the subject:
http://www.futureofeducation.com/forum/topics/computer-games-as-educational
http://www.articlesbase.com/computer-games-articles/educational-computer-games-as-effective-learning-tools-904236.html
http://seayj.people.cofc.edu/cb/simgames.html?referrer=webcluster&
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Essential Questions
The questions below are my first try at some Essential Questions for my Technology in Education courses at National Louis University.
Who are you?
What do you think she is thinking?
What makes a good artist?
Is this good music?
How long will he live?
When will it all end?
How do you love someone?
How do you know you love someone?
What is the meaning of life?
Is it all worth it?
Can I really make a difference?
What is the point?
Is there a God?
Does he really care?
Why does he let bad things happen?
What happens when we die?
Do dogs go to heaven?
Do the good really die young?
Why are some people luckier than others?
Why do people seek out the companionship of others?
These are my first tries so be gentle.
Who are you?
What do you think she is thinking?
What makes a good artist?
Is this good music?
How long will he live?
When will it all end?
How do you love someone?
How do you know you love someone?
What is the meaning of life?
Is it all worth it?
Can I really make a difference?
What is the point?
Is there a God?
Does he really care?
Why does he let bad things happen?
What happens when we die?
Do dogs go to heaven?
Do the good really die young?
Why are some people luckier than others?
Why do people seek out the companionship of others?
These are my first tries so be gentle.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
The evaluation of students' use of technology tools.
Upon looking at the scaling rubric provided by my professor at NLU, two important thoughts come to mind. 1. How do you seriously evaluate a student's work using a set of numbers and specific criteria. I will not be speaking for any of my colleagues I'm sure, but in my own personal opinion this is a very difficult thing to do, and there are always certain students who you can not grade using Bloom's WHATEVER! Everybody in the education world now is all about rubrics, test, and the next big educational philosopher. Here is my question..... What happened to personal attention and mentor ship? To me the the assessment of a student's work is plain and simple. It's the final product. Did the student do what I asked them to do and how did they go about making that happen? These are things that cannot be measured, correctly anyway, with the use of a rubric or test. It can only truly be a meaningful educational experience for the student if there is a very real feeling of one on one mentor ship. Meaning this, the teacher demonstrates how to properly do things. They break it down into how they themselves would go about finishing a project. Then they guide the student through the creation progress. They must be careful not to crush the creativity of a student because more than likely the student will come up with their own solutions to a problem. This is what we want as educators! To teach the students HOW to learn. Not to make them memorize the way we would do things, but rather teach them how to come up with there own solutions through trial and error. This is how real life works.
2.Why is everyone so worried about giving students a number that represents there success. I know it may seem like I'm on a soap box here, but what are we really teaching our students. That you need to do this or that to get a good grade, or score? Or, that projects and problems are solved with careful thinking planning and are not ever finished just because you got a B on it. There used to be a sense of pride and responsibility in doing a good job at anything. Getting it as perfect as you can and taking the time necessary to do so. Many times are students are thinking to themselves.... Well, I only have to do this and this to get a decent grade. Where as in the past, there was more time spent on the small details of a project instead of the Final product. I can't help but be afraid that with all the rubrics, and standardized testing that we are raising a generation of ROBOTS! "Do as we tell you, or you will not PASS!" That's enough to scare anyone into not thinking for themselves!
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/04/04/eveningnews/main1472010.shtml
http://www.gallup.com/poll/19552/testing-testing-schools-too-much.aspx
http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED430052&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED430052
2.Why is everyone so worried about giving students a number that represents there success. I know it may seem like I'm on a soap box here, but what are we really teaching our students. That you need to do this or that to get a good grade, or score? Or, that projects and problems are solved with careful thinking planning and are not ever finished just because you got a B on it. There used to be a sense of pride and responsibility in doing a good job at anything. Getting it as perfect as you can and taking the time necessary to do so. Many times are students are thinking to themselves.... Well, I only have to do this and this to get a decent grade. Where as in the past, there was more time spent on the small details of a project instead of the Final product. I can't help but be afraid that with all the rubrics, and standardized testing that we are raising a generation of ROBOTS! "Do as we tell you, or you will not PASS!" That's enough to scare anyone into not thinking for themselves!
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/04/04/eveningnews/main1472010.shtml
http://www.gallup.com/poll/19552/testing-testing-schools-too-much.aspx
http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED430052&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED430052
Monday, January 25, 2010
Tech Skills Integration
Many times as a technology teacher I have found myself trying to justify the teaching of technology skills (Typing, Software Instruction, etc.) as separate entities from everyday lessons in the classroom. I do believe that there is a time and place for both integration and stand alone technology lessons, but maybe it's because I teach at a elementary school that I find the need to have more lessons on the technology itself. I have found that some of the teachers at my school are quick to say things like type this document up in a word document. Now, this might seem like a no brainer to the teacher because they feel like they are teaching their students how to use technology as a tool to help them with their work. Then, they get every body's word documents and look with horror as their students have created documents with strange fonts, font size, improper titles and headings, and no paragraph indention. Not to mention that the students pecked it out with one finger and it took them twice as long to complete their document because they have never developed any typing skills. I have come to find that when teaching elementary age students you can never assume that students know how to use certain technology we take for granted properly. It is necessary to show students how to use any tool. You wouldn't give a table saw to a 10 year old and say, "cut this piece of wood. Make sure it's a clean cut because you only get one chance!" Although this may not seem like the same thing as telling a child to type up a word document, but in many ways it is the same. We are asking our students to create a quality product with a tool they have never been trained on. Which means we are setting them up for failure from the beginning. Same as the table saw we are also putting them in danger because we are allowing them the opportunity to develop bad habits they can follow them into high school and beyond. I should know. I still peck around the keyboard with two or three fingers because I was never trained with proper typing skills. So this blog, will take me longer than someone who has received the proper typing training. At the same time we have to be careful to not implement any technology skills into lessons because then students have a hard time understanding that technology is a seriously helpful tool for learning. It is a fine line we walk as educators, but as with the table saw you wouldn't want to teach your students how to cut a piece of wood just for the sake of cutting it. We have to teach that it is a means to an end. We want to show that by having the proper training with tech skills we create something that has meaning and use. Then our students can take that table saw and use it to express their creativity in a proper way.
http://www.libraryinstruction.com/info-tech.html
http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/technology/front_tech.htm
http://www.gmu.edu/resources/facstaff/part-time/strategy.html
http://www.libraryinstruction.com/info-tech.html
http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/technology/front_tech.htm
http://www.gmu.edu/resources/facstaff/part-time/strategy.html
My last Awful PD
In my most recent technology cohort class the question was posed to me, "What was my last awful professional development, and why was it so awful?" I immediately laughed to myself because I knew exactly when it was. That same day of course. HA! The same day my professor asked me that question I had attend a CPS Tech Tuesday training on the use of iPods in the classroom. Before I got to the PD I was very exciting about learning something new I could show my teachers and the teacher I had brought with me to the training. What I was hoping for was maybe some new ideas on lessons and teaching strategies that my primary teachers could actually use. I had hyped it up to the 2nd grade teacher I had brought with me, and boy was that a mistake. The ALL DAY LONG PD was basically spent on showing us how to use a iPod. Okay, now I understand that working an iPod might be difficult for some but seriously, COME ON PEOPLE! This is the year 2010! The number of the people that have had no experience with an iPod in this PD was probably 1 out of 50. The entire PD was spent on how to work the different features of the new video iPod. There were no teaching strategies talked about. No real outline for lesson plans. No ideas offered on how to manage the use of iPods in the classroom, or anything of that nature. In fact, some of the best ideas from the PD came from the teachers that were there to learn from the presenter. It made me realize how important it is to think about the PD you are going to give thoroughly, as well as the audience that you are trying to target. It seems to me that PD is best when the presenter has a very specific implementation idea that they want to discuss with the trainees. Anything other than that is just worthless. Then again that's just my opinion.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Final Project Reflection
This post is a reflection for my final project for m Tie-542 class at National Louis University. For my final project I created a WebQuest meant to be used for 8th or 9th grade students. The WebQuest task was for two students to work together on a project called "Sign the Next Amazing Band". In this project students learn that they have just received a new position in a record company and there job is to search out new and young talent and pick a new band to pitch to the president of the company. The students will gather all the information they can about their group and develop either a Power Point or Keynote presentation that will persuade their boss (the teacher) and the company employees (the class) that their band is the next big thing.
Although I found this project difficult at first, I started to get into it and really enjoyed creating it. In fact I feel like this WebQuest would go over very well with my kids and plan on implementing it, and sharing it with the other teachers at my school. The most difficult part of the project was the actual set-up time that was necessary in Dreamweaver. Finding the right resources and all of that wasn't that difficult. After looking at some other WebQuest online as well as some of my classmates I feel that there are a couple of things I could do better. The first thing that I feel might make it a little more appeasing to the eye is if I would have added a few graphics when appropriate. I also think after reading it over a couple times that I could of laid it out a little bit better so that it would have read a little more smoothly. I do feel though that for my first WebQuest it wasn't that bad. I look forward to creating some more. Hope you enjoy!
Although I found this project difficult at first, I started to get into it and really enjoyed creating it. In fact I feel like this WebQuest would go over very well with my kids and plan on implementing it, and sharing it with the other teachers at my school. The most difficult part of the project was the actual set-up time that was necessary in Dreamweaver. Finding the right resources and all of that wasn't that difficult. After looking at some other WebQuest online as well as some of my classmates I feel that there are a couple of things I could do better. The first thing that I feel might make it a little more appeasing to the eye is if I would have added a few graphics when appropriate. I also think after reading it over a couple times that I could of laid it out a little bit better so that it would have read a little more smoothly. I do feel though that for my first WebQuest it wasn't that bad. I look forward to creating some more. Hope you enjoy!
Web 2.0 Application
I recently stumbled upon a new web 2.0 Application I thought would be very useful to my teachers called Quizlet. Quizlet is a great application that allows it's users to create Flashcards easily. It's a great tool because not only can you just create Flashcards but you can also easily create flashcard sets with as many questions and answers as you want, import questions and answers from your computer or other websites (or just type them in directly). You can also cut and paste questions from other peoples' flashcard sets to make your own and Invite friends to share your flashcards via email, Facebook, or MySpace. You can also do One-click look up of official dictionary definitions, and other users' previous answers.
One of the best features of Quizlet is you can create a group so your friends or classmates can study together. You can also discuss answers with your group via live chat. Another great feature is that you can get notified when group members post new study sets, you can edit and improve sets created by other group members, and a great feature the groups can be private or public. Here is a link where you can get look at a video tour.
This is a great site and a great teacher resource. It comes in handy in a lot of ways in the classroom, and is a great way to study with your students on upcoming test or math equations, formulas, scientific method. I hop you all find it to be as useful as I have.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
A Favorite Resource list!
A really well organized resource list on the web can be very helpful to any classroom teacher. One of my favorite internet resource list is called internet4classrooms.
This website has all kinds of resources for classroom teachers in it. The best thing about the resource depository for me is how well it is organized and categorized. The site does a great job of covering all the grade levels K-12 and also categorizes the resources for the different subject matters. The site even gives teachers lesson plans for internet related activities as well as some helpful sites for parents who want to work with their children.
Some other great things about the site is the many fun learning activities that it has for early childhood teachers. I have found that many early childhood teachers feel that they don't know how to utilize computers in the classroom with their students. This website offers many fun activities that my kindergartners can't get enough of. Another great feature of the sight is the links listed for exceptional children. There are some great lessons and activities for those students who may be gifted, have autism, and for students who have ADHD. As teachers we all know how a site like this can be helpful when trying to differentiate learning to all of the students in the classroom. The value of the information on this site is exceptional and the accessibility for teachers is a must have.
I almost forgot my favorite feature which is a extensive internet reference list for teachers to use in their classrooms. The list includes links for online dictionaries, thesaurus, and almanacs.
This website is an amazing resource for any teacher and can help spark a teachers own creativity. If there is one place I always recommend my teachers go if they are looking for ideas it's internet4classrooms.
This website has all kinds of resources for classroom teachers in it. The best thing about the resource depository for me is how well it is organized and categorized. The site does a great job of covering all the grade levels K-12 and also categorizes the resources for the different subject matters. The site even gives teachers lesson plans for internet related activities as well as some helpful sites for parents who want to work with their children.
Some other great things about the site is the many fun learning activities that it has for early childhood teachers. I have found that many early childhood teachers feel that they don't know how to utilize computers in the classroom with their students. This website offers many fun activities that my kindergartners can't get enough of. Another great feature of the sight is the links listed for exceptional children. There are some great lessons and activities for those students who may be gifted, have autism, and for students who have ADHD. As teachers we all know how a site like this can be helpful when trying to differentiate learning to all of the students in the classroom. The value of the information on this site is exceptional and the accessibility for teachers is a must have.
I almost forgot my favorite feature which is a extensive internet reference list for teachers to use in their classrooms. The list includes links for online dictionaries, thesaurus, and almanacs.
This website is an amazing resource for any teacher and can help spark a teachers own creativity. If there is one place I always recommend my teachers go if they are looking for ideas it's internet4classrooms.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Criteria for Web-Based Materials
Throughout the last few years that I have been involved with using the computers in the classroom with my students, the question that has often been raised by my fellow teachers is how do we know that sources and materials on the web are legitimately correct. This can be a tough question to answer so after some research of my own I have come up with some important evaluative questions to ask oneself when determining the authenticity of a web-based artifact.
The first question one needs to ask ones self is: By what authority is this page posted?
which could include looking for several things:
Is there an author? Is the page signed by him? If so, is the author qualified or an expert? If not, you may want to ask who is the page sponsored by, and are the reputable?
Look for a header or footer for validation of affiliation.
Look at the domain for clues like, .edu, .gov, .org, .net
The second question to ask would be: Is this information accurate?
Is the information reliable, and is it error free?
Does the page list an editor or someone who checks the information?
The third Question to ask: Does this page display objectivity?
All pages on the web are made for a reason. Read carefully and find out what that reason is. Is the page trying to sway your opinion one way or the other? Is the page trying to portray one particular view of information, or does it remain objective?
The fourth question: How current is this page?
Is there a date on this page, and if so how recent is the date?
Do all the links on the page work and lead to viable information?
The final question: What is covered on this page?
This is a very important question. What is this page about? Is the information on this page in-depth and thorough? What information does this page have to offer that other sources do not? Also, what is the value of this information?
Even when going through these questions I always try to tell my teachers and students to never rely on just one source for the bulk of your research. It is always important to collect credible resources, and compare them with each other to obtain full knowledge of a subject.
The first question one needs to ask ones self is: By what authority is this page posted?
which could include looking for several things:
Is there an author? Is the page signed by him? If so, is the author qualified or an expert? If not, you may want to ask who is the page sponsored by, and are the reputable?
Look for a header or footer for validation of affiliation.
Look at the domain for clues like, .edu, .gov, .org, .net
The second question to ask would be: Is this information accurate?
Is the information reliable, and is it error free?
Does the page list an editor or someone who checks the information?
The third Question to ask: Does this page display objectivity?
All pages on the web are made for a reason. Read carefully and find out what that reason is. Is the page trying to sway your opinion one way or the other? Is the page trying to portray one particular view of information, or does it remain objective?
The fourth question: How current is this page?
Is there a date on this page, and if so how recent is the date?
Do all the links on the page work and lead to viable information?
The final question: What is covered on this page?
This is a very important question. What is this page about? Is the information on this page in-depth and thorough? What information does this page have to offer that other sources do not? Also, what is the value of this information?
Even when going through these questions I always try to tell my teachers and students to never rely on just one source for the bulk of your research. It is always important to collect credible resources, and compare them with each other to obtain full knowledge of a subject.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Webquest
Webquest. Sounds like such a interesting name, but Webquest are essentially electronic scavenger hunts done on the web. Ideally this fun and exciting tool for teachers challenges students to use internet resources to answer a very specific question. It challenges the students to use higher order thinking skills and teaches them how to gather information from many different sources to come to a educated answer to a question. In the beginning Webquest were a little more difficult for teachers to create and use in the classroom, but in recent years many great websites have been created where teachers can share their Webquest ideas with each other. One such website I would like to share with everyone was created by eMINTS teachers.
My favorite thing about this website is that it offers teachers examples of Webquest along with rubrics for grading, and has them categorized by grade level and subject matter. Not only does it have several subject matters but it even has Webquest for the fine arts as well. Which we all know is close and dear to my heart.
Another great feature this site has to offer is that you can submit your own Webquest to the website to share with other educators. I believe this is so important because not only can you take great resources off of this site, but you can also contribute back to it.
The eMINTS website also provides a short list of great resources for other Webquest websites.
One of my favorite Wequest on this site is called "Radio Days". Radio days is a Webquest where the students are being asked to research old radio programs from the 1930's and 40's, and create a new radio show with a script and everything in the same way as they would have back then. The Webquest is laid out beautifully and includes the standards that apply to the assignment. I find this website to be a great source for teachers and one that will be used over and over again by myself for great Webquest ideas as well as good outlines for my own Webquest. Enjoy!
My favorite thing about this website is that it offers teachers examples of Webquest along with rubrics for grading, and has them categorized by grade level and subject matter. Not only does it have several subject matters but it even has Webquest for the fine arts as well. Which we all know is close and dear to my heart.
Another great feature this site has to offer is that you can submit your own Webquest to the website to share with other educators. I believe this is so important because not only can you take great resources off of this site, but you can also contribute back to it.
The eMINTS website also provides a short list of great resources for other Webquest websites.
One of my favorite Wequest on this site is called "Radio Days". Radio days is a Webquest where the students are being asked to research old radio programs from the 1930's and 40's, and create a new radio show with a script and everything in the same way as they would have back then. The Webquest is laid out beautifully and includes the standards that apply to the assignment. I find this website to be a great source for teachers and one that will be used over and over again by myself for great Webquest ideas as well as good outlines for my own Webquest. Enjoy!
Monday, July 6, 2009
Just How important are Internet Resources for the Arts?
As i sit here pondering how to begin this post, I look at my tittle and can't help but laugh to myself a little bit. Just how important are internet resources for the arts in education? I laugh because they are, at this point anyway, the most widely used resources on the planet. In fact, internet resources are so widely used by the arts community that I would say the question should be: Why has the internet become the most important resource for the arts? The answer to this question is simple. The internet provides resources for Arts teachers in a quick, easy, cheap, and easily shared way. Obviously in the day and age we live in, internet resources are not just important for Arts education, but for every person who now lives on this planet. Which brings me back to my first post in this blog where I talked about how the Arts, throughout history, have always been a reflection of the environment and time in which they are in. Therefore it is the same with the use of internet resources. The entire world around us is tapped into the internet on a daily basis looking at news, stocks, social networking, and yes reading journal articles rather for entertainment or for professional reasons. The internet has become our single most important resource for information there is.
Earlier today I was reading a article that was written by a group called ARTSEDGE. This group is associated with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The name of this article was appropriately called: Weaving a Future for the Arts in Education Through Technology
This article, which is now over ten years old, discusses how interactive networking technologies are going to change the face of Arts education in three different ways. First, by creating a place where ideas could be shared rapidly. Second, greater access to Arts materials and artifacts. Third, the ability to use Arts applications that allow students to create artifacts and collaborate on those artifacts with students from around the globe. I found this article to be very interesting especially because of when it was written. Ten years ago the Arts Educational community was already predicting what has now come to pass. The internet has become the place or people to share Arts educational ideas and philosophies. Take this blog for example. There are thousands of highly qualified professionals who blog about educational ideas all over the globe now. Creating a network of professional guidance on virtually any subject involving the Arts community. We also now have access to Arts artifacts on a seriously amazing level with the creation of sights like Youtube for example. I was teaching a trumpet lesson to a student the other day and was trying to explain the concept of Miles Davis' use of space in his playing. I was struggling to explain this the way that I wanted to and all of a sudden it hit me..... Let's let my student watch a live performance of him right now. After we watched the video together, which by the way took all of thirty seconds to find, I realized that as teachers we are living in a truly amazing time for education. So much information is available quite literally at our fingertips. We also have new applications that allow our students to create their own artifacts and collaborate with other students in creating them. One example might be garageband. I have personally had students who created a musical loop on Garageband, converted it to a Mp3, and email it to a friend who took the mp3, put it in Logic Pro and then laid down vocals on the loop, and email a final product to me. Now that's technology working along with the Arts to create something that would not have been possible ten years ago. The crazy thing about that scenario is that one of my students didn't know how to do it so they went home looked up a video tutorial on Youtube on how to create a mp3 in garageband. Just how important are internet resources for the Arts? This may be the biggest no brainer ever!
Earlier today I was reading a article that was written by a group called ARTSEDGE. This group is associated with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The name of this article was appropriately called: Weaving a Future for the Arts in Education Through Technology
This article, which is now over ten years old, discusses how interactive networking technologies are going to change the face of Arts education in three different ways. First, by creating a place where ideas could be shared rapidly. Second, greater access to Arts materials and artifacts. Third, the ability to use Arts applications that allow students to create artifacts and collaborate on those artifacts with students from around the globe. I found this article to be very interesting especially because of when it was written. Ten years ago the Arts Educational community was already predicting what has now come to pass. The internet has become the place or people to share Arts educational ideas and philosophies. Take this blog for example. There are thousands of highly qualified professionals who blog about educational ideas all over the globe now. Creating a network of professional guidance on virtually any subject involving the Arts community. We also now have access to Arts artifacts on a seriously amazing level with the creation of sights like Youtube for example. I was teaching a trumpet lesson to a student the other day and was trying to explain the concept of Miles Davis' use of space in his playing. I was struggling to explain this the way that I wanted to and all of a sudden it hit me..... Let's let my student watch a live performance of him right now. After we watched the video together, which by the way took all of thirty seconds to find, I realized that as teachers we are living in a truly amazing time for education. So much information is available quite literally at our fingertips. We also have new applications that allow our students to create their own artifacts and collaborate with other students in creating them. One example might be garageband. I have personally had students who created a musical loop on Garageband, converted it to a Mp3, and email it to a friend who took the mp3, put it in Logic Pro and then laid down vocals on the loop, and email a final product to me. Now that's technology working along with the Arts to create something that would not have been possible ten years ago. The crazy thing about that scenario is that one of my students didn't know how to do it so they went home looked up a video tutorial on Youtube on how to create a mp3 in garageband. Just how important are internet resources for the Arts? This may be the biggest no brainer ever!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Technology and Ownership
This past Friday some of my students premiered a music video at the Museum of Contemporary Art. The kids had spent the last month or so, creating a music video from scratch. They wrote their own music with a program called Logic Pro for Mac. They came up with the beats and the melodies themselves, and recorded it via USB keyboard. They then wrote lyrics and created a seriously deep, and personal song about some of the problems in their neighborhood seen through their teenage eyes. That in it's self would be any music teachers dream but they didn't stop there. They story booked out different scenes and sequences and then performed a seriously professional video shoot. THEN, they took everything and edited it, discussed different artistic ideas, and created a high quality MUSIC VIDEO!
To be honest it hadn't really hit until the night they presented it at the MCA, but I found myself becoming witness to a total transformation in my students. They went from being nervous, shy, and apprehensive, to being well spoken, wide-eyed and eager to tell people about their video. Then all of a sudden it hit me. One of the greatest things that technology brings our students in the arts, is a sense of ownership. A pride in themselves to display their expressive ideas. One of the most enduring qualities that the arts has to offer us as humans is the sense of self that one can recieve by expressing our deepest and most sincere feelings to our fellow man. Technology now makes that possible on so many levels. Not only can it help you create an artifact, but then technology can be used to spread that artifact all over the world.
Today I attended the Eight grade graduation luncheon. I showed the music video the kids made to their parents, classmates, and staff. I was amazed at how many parents and students wanted copies of the music videos for themselves. One of my students was standing next to me when a parent asked for a copy. He smiled and said, " You better get that now, because the next one will cost you!" We all had a laugh, but I remember thinking to myself how right he was. I know that he has the confidence to do something like that on his own now, and maybe potentially a build a career. Technology does so many things for us, but maybe the most important is how it allows us to connect with each other. How it provides a vehicle for our expression, and how it can motivate us to continue to express our most intimate feelings.
To be honest it hadn't really hit until the night they presented it at the MCA, but I found myself becoming witness to a total transformation in my students. They went from being nervous, shy, and apprehensive, to being well spoken, wide-eyed and eager to tell people about their video. Then all of a sudden it hit me. One of the greatest things that technology brings our students in the arts, is a sense of ownership. A pride in themselves to display their expressive ideas. One of the most enduring qualities that the arts has to offer us as humans is the sense of self that one can recieve by expressing our deepest and most sincere feelings to our fellow man. Technology now makes that possible on so many levels. Not only can it help you create an artifact, but then technology can be used to spread that artifact all over the world.
Today I attended the Eight grade graduation luncheon. I showed the music video the kids made to their parents, classmates, and staff. I was amazed at how many parents and students wanted copies of the music videos for themselves. One of my students was standing next to me when a parent asked for a copy. He smiled and said, " You better get that now, because the next one will cost you!" We all had a laugh, but I remember thinking to myself how right he was. I know that he has the confidence to do something like that on his own now, and maybe potentially a build a career. Technology does so many things for us, but maybe the most important is how it allows us to connect with each other. How it provides a vehicle for our expression, and how it can motivate us to continue to express our most intimate feelings.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Why is technology so important in the development of the arts?
Hello every one and welcome to my blog. I would like first to thank any of you who end up reading this material, which will be a mixture of teaching strategies and my personal opinions on the subject of technology in the arts. I hope you find this material helpful and insightful.
For my first post I would like to discuss why I feel like it is important to use technology in the development of the arts. The answer to this is simple. The two are now interwoven into the other. In fact, a common misconception among those individuals not active in the arts is that technology has just recently been interwoven with the arts. This however is not true at all. Ever since the dawn of time when man first began to separate themselves from the other animals by creating artifacts of self-expression technology has gone hand in hand with the arts. Take music for example. From the creation of the Lyre to using certain size ram horns as wind instruments, to the major technological contribution of the piano, technology has always fueled the creative spirits of artist. The fact of the matter is this is really not a new subject. It has come to the forefront in recent years because of the widespread use of computers. Because technology has become more and more affordable, the use of them throughout the world has grown at unbelievable rates. The creation and worldwide use of the internet has also brought this topic to the forefront.
Up until recent years, much of the responsibility of how to make use of the newest technologies fell upon the artist themselves. The artist would have to research and experiment with the technology and develop their own personal thumbprint so to speak. This is of course still true but because of the use of the computer many artist are exposed to this technology at an early age. Within the last ten years computer classes and multimedia arts projects in schools has risen at alarming rates. Because of this we have seen the computer become a major technological tool in the creation of all the arts. In fact it doesn't matter what category of the arts we are talking about, knowing how to use the computer to enhance or create artifacts of self-expression is inevitable.
To me one of the most important uses of technology right now is not necessarily in the creation of these artifacts, but rather the exposure that technology can give to the artifacts of self-expression. The use of the internet has made it possible to expose artists artifacts on the world wide level. Before the internet many artistic communities were regional and could only be spread around to other regions by travel. Now a independent movie maker can publish their movies on iTunes and make it available to anyone on the globe. Knowing how to use this technology has become part of the artistry of the artist. Because of this it is necessary for the artist to be more than just a creator of artifacts of self-expression. It calls for all artist to be innovators in marketing on the internet, as well as schooled in the different tools there are availiable to them.
For my first post I would like to discuss why I feel like it is important to use technology in the development of the arts. The answer to this is simple. The two are now interwoven into the other. In fact, a common misconception among those individuals not active in the arts is that technology has just recently been interwoven with the arts. This however is not true at all. Ever since the dawn of time when man first began to separate themselves from the other animals by creating artifacts of self-expression technology has gone hand in hand with the arts. Take music for example. From the creation of the Lyre to using certain size ram horns as wind instruments, to the major technological contribution of the piano, technology has always fueled the creative spirits of artist. The fact of the matter is this is really not a new subject. It has come to the forefront in recent years because of the widespread use of computers. Because technology has become more and more affordable, the use of them throughout the world has grown at unbelievable rates. The creation and worldwide use of the internet has also brought this topic to the forefront.
Up until recent years, much of the responsibility of how to make use of the newest technologies fell upon the artist themselves. The artist would have to research and experiment with the technology and develop their own personal thumbprint so to speak. This is of course still true but because of the use of the computer many artist are exposed to this technology at an early age. Within the last ten years computer classes and multimedia arts projects in schools has risen at alarming rates. Because of this we have seen the computer become a major technological tool in the creation of all the arts. In fact it doesn't matter what category of the arts we are talking about, knowing how to use the computer to enhance or create artifacts of self-expression is inevitable.
To me one of the most important uses of technology right now is not necessarily in the creation of these artifacts, but rather the exposure that technology can give to the artifacts of self-expression. The use of the internet has made it possible to expose artists artifacts on the world wide level. Before the internet many artistic communities were regional and could only be spread around to other regions by travel. Now a independent movie maker can publish their movies on iTunes and make it available to anyone on the globe. Knowing how to use this technology has become part of the artistry of the artist. Because of this it is necessary for the artist to be more than just a creator of artifacts of self-expression. It calls for all artist to be innovators in marketing on the internet, as well as schooled in the different tools there are availiable to them.
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