Reflectiing on the Interactive Whiteboard Lesson

I think that on the interactive whiteboard lesson I exerted a decent amount of effort. I think if I would have spent a bit more time playing around with some the Smart Notebook tools I could have made a bit better of project.  I think too if I would have chosen not to a simple review I could have made a much better lesson. In retrospect I think if I were to use more interactive tools on it could have been a better lesson. One thing that I thought while doing this project was that some of things that I did could be accomplished without using a interactive whiteboard, but could be done through alternative means such as using a projector and computer, overhead, and whiteboard. One of the things that is nice about it is that as I would do the lesson I wouldn’t having to be switching media all the time and would have the lesson in one place.

I think that designing a interactive whiteboard affects my future teaching by making me familiar with a tool that will likely be around in schools that I work with in the future. I think another way that it impacts my future teaching is that it made you assess if the tool is really necessary to use in a particular situation. If I thought I could get by doing the lesson without the IWB then I am probably not using the device to the fullest of the capabilities and it is probably not appropriate to be using it. Another thing thinking about if the lesson is appropriate for using the IWB is that it provides ideas for alternatives if you have a device that is not working in the classroom the day of the lesson.

Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology Chapter 10 Reflection

How my thinking on technology in education was affected after reading this chapter was that it really brought into focus that change in education is occurring. I think that the main idea was that lifelong learning is going to be the key difference from education of the past to how it is going to be different in the future.  It thought that the way that it was made real clear was the fact that many people today and in the foreseeable future will have many career changes in their lives that will necessitate having to return to school or take classes on the side to prepare them for those changes. Something really interesting that I found from this chapter was how it discussed that in many other parts of the world that most of the resources for education are put toward the top 10% of students in their respective countries versus in the United States where are more universal learning is the goal. That is something that really surprised me. I think that being different and having the ideal of universal education is something positive that U.S. has going for it in its educational institution.  The problem is that though we have the goal for a chance at universal education it is not a reality. I can see how technology can attempt to level the playing field but without substantial reform on how schools are funded and the model we use for schools changes it will not be a reality. The idea of the lower cost computers allowing disadvantaged students will help in this equalization, but there will always be those with more means to get the tools that they want to give them an edge whether that be in being able to afford better equipment or private tutors. It is kind of a pessimistic view, but it I find it to be realistic. One of the things that I think that this book comes back to as a repeated theme is the idea of motivation and applicability. Over and over again that seems to be the core of what this book has gotten at, technology just seems to be one of the main tools they prescribe to improve the health of the system. 

I think how this reading will impact my future teaching is it has put into perspective the things I can do. One thing that I can do is advocate for changes that I feel are important to improve the education of children in the district I work, this could range from changes I make in my own classroom to working to changing the curriculum in my department. Though these would not be huge in the grand scheme of education as a whole as a single teacher if effective I can hopefully influence others to change as well. Another effect that this new thinking will have on my future teaching is that I hope provide my students with options for their future, knowing that many of my students may not go to college I need to knowledgeable one what options they have in terms of other educational opportunities to prepare them for the workforce

What I took from class today

When using new tools in the classroom it is important to use a group time to orient students in their use. Another good idea that was talked about after the presentation was to set clear limits and directions for how a question should be answered in this example limiting a response to five words or less.

Contemporary Issues Podcast Reflection

I was actually a bit surprised on how easy it was to setup the podcast. By far the thing that took the most time was finding an article that I wanted to podcast about and to write the script for the podcast. Recording took a little more time than I expected even though I had a written script. The nice thing was that unlike the screencasting using Jing I was able to take multiple takes and piece together chunks of the recording. I really enjoyed the editing and recording portion of this assignment. I had worked with other recording programs before, but this was my first time using Audactiy. In the past I had used Acid Pro which is more aimed at music recording, it was a bit more complex and less user friendly, but had many more features that could be utilized in the editing mode.

Creating and sharing my podcast with peers affects my future teaching in giving me more tools to have under my belt to utilize in the classroom. I think that this assignment was meant to reduce our fears in using technologies that we are unfamiliar with and to open our eyes at how easy learning a new tool is. I find that by just sitting around and playing with many of these tools it makes me want to try others out and inspire new ideas on how we could use them in the classroom. While doing this assignment I go to thinking about some of the ways I could use podcasts and videos in the classroom not just as projects for students but as alternative ways to deliver content. One idea that I would like to use in the future was one that I saw used in a class that has always impressed me. In a past science class the instructor rather than simply having a paper lab manual used videos uploaded to Ipods that students could use as reference during lab. As a student I found this great because before lab you could watch the procedure carried out which was more effective for me than just reading about it in the text. During the lab many students used recording as a reference during lab to conduct procedures. I didn’t use the video aspect during the lab but used the audio reference to direct me as I could conduct the procedure. This was great because you could follow along with the recording as you went. In my future classroom I really want to try using this idea.

My article: Social Networking Belongs in School

Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology Chapter 9 Reflection

What new thinking I took from this chapter on what does it all mean is what kids are really getting out of the media that surrounds them. One example of something positive out of kids getting into in depth shows like Lost and things of that nature was that some get into using discussion boards. That in my mind is neat because in order to do something like that you probably would need to be able to analyze what you have watched in great depth.  If you then decide to post something you have to be prepared to defend your ideas and it could open dialogues between viewers to lead to new thinking. Another thing that I like about his book and this chapter in particular is that it keeps coming back to dismiss the idea that video games have no value. As a person that grew up on games, I like some to the points that the authors bring up as value in them. I definitely can see how video games can lead to skills in problem solving and additionally in MMOs players having to work together and coordinate to achieve a common goal. From personal experience playing games that problem solving skills are quite evident, particularly in puzzle games and strategy games. In a long series of games that I play a lot, Metroid, puzzles and problem solving are a central part of the game. Not only in form of visual, but also in the form of scans of surroundings in which the player must research in order to find clues about how to solve puzzles or defeat foes. I also think the idea of parents getting into the technologies that their kids use is also a valuable lesson that I can take as a teacher. In order to understand what they are getting out of those things and how you can foster them getting more out of it.

How this new thinking will affect my future teaching is I think that I will have to continue to keep current on technologies and to what my types my students are using. As the book suggests they will most likely be on the cutting edge of what it is cool and upcoming so they in themselves are a great resource for me as an educator to use. Going along with that I will need to critically evaluate those new technologies to find what value I can use from them to either use in the classroom or at very least reference to students when presenting material to make it engaging for them.  As kind of a final note, that I will have no problem doing, is I need to keep on playing video games, just to keep up with this future generation of learners.

Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts Reflection Chapter 10 & Epilogue

I think how this chapter has impacted my views on technology and learning is that it really pushed hard the idea that a shift in how teachers teach is definitely occurring. I can see that in order to keep students engaged and to be effective I am going to have to fully embrace the use of technology in the classroom. Another idea that I really liked in this chapter is that students shouldn’t be working independent all the time, it doesn’t reflect the “real world” where almost everybody at their jobs work together in projects at work whatever that may be. Another thing that I completely agree with in this chapter is to not just teach facts, formulas, etc. anybody can look that up. I once had a great teacher that used to say to all his students “don’t memorize stupid stuff” he made the point that any formula or constant you would ever use in a future job you could always look up to reference. On a side note, I really found the Google texting service quite interesting. I did not know that it existed before and immediately after reading that section I had to try it out. Frankly I find it to be quite useful, I could see as well that it could be a good tool in a future classroom to start as part of introductory activity, and I think it could engage students, because most young people I know love using their phones. Another big idea that I really felt I could get into is the idea of writing is not limited to text. After reading this book it has opened my eyes to how much media we are surrounded by each day. I looked at even my own habits and considered how many hours a day I spend either, watching television, working at the computer, or playing video games and considering that my future students may be engaged in those activities more than I am it is absurd to think that text based learning and production is the only thing to assign.

How this new thinking will change my future teaching is that I will be that I will try to teach big ideas not just facts and formulas. To a certain extent you need those facts and formulas to build up to those big ideas, but those big ideas are what is important and what students will take away with them. Another way that this new thinking will change my future teaching in considering what my students respond best to and to keep up with technologies as they come out like the teacher in the epilogue.  Lastly, I have to mention again the Google mobile search, I wouldn’t surprised if that, or some  newer service comes out, may enter use in my future classroom.

Book chapter project reflection

I feel that I exerted a decent amount of effort on preparing for the discussion. My partners and I met several times to work out what we all needed to do during the discussion. I found that we worked very well together, exchanging ideas and figuring out the best way to present the material. I think the area that myself and my group put the most effort into was trying to find a way to present the information that was not the two sided format that a number of the other groups used, that wouldn’t work well particularly with this content. The key thing that was the basis for the entire presentation was the Venn diagram that Nick came up with, we used that one slide to build everything else off of so it served as a nucleus that the whole presentation was connected to.

I think that the value of having us facilitating course content for are peers is firstly it gives us practice in giving lessons where we work on basic public speaking skills. Additionally it has us work on making lessons that are not just fact based, but concentrated on big ideas that students will be more likely to retain. It also gives us a chance to go a bit deeper and to look at how each of our peers responds to content, which provides insight into how others may take issues differently.

I think how discussing content with peers impacts my future teaching, by firstly giving good practice up in front of the room, I think this will put me more at ease in front of my own students because I personally feel it is much easier to go up in front of a bunch of high school students than in front of my peers. I think also discussing content with peers also gives me some ideas about how to structure my future lessons, they are able to assess and make comments on my lesson and give me tips on things to work on. I think that my future students ma y be less likely to be a honest of critics, so it is good to find out things that I need to work on right away.