Most of what I learned about the technology of my school was from my host teachers and our classroom experiences. Our technology seems to vary widely depending on what teacher is teaching. Some teachers still write on the white boards; while others such as my hosts use PowerPoint's daily and clickers for exams. Many teachers have not arrived in the digital age, or they are confused about the technology available so they just give up. There are two computer labs in West. Teachers are allowed to sign up 8 times a quarter. This rule is commonly not followed. We recently tried to get into a lab and couldn't the rest of the quarter. This was rather upsetting for my host teachers. It seems that people do not sign up for the labs that often so a few teachers have decided that they would just sign up for all the open slots.
In my opinion we are off to a good start. I think that teachers need to get more educated and step out of their comfort zone and try something new. Of course money is always an issue. The classrooms in the science wing all have flat screen TVs mounted on the walls, or at least in the process of getting hung up. But this is not the case in all of the school. If every classroom could have a TV ready to project then I am sure teachers would be more excited about things.
Every teacher has a website; and they are encouraged to post grades and homework on line for parents and students. Not every teacher uses this though because of the time it takes. To post every grade and every assignment in a timely manner that would be helpful for students will of course take a lot of teacher time.
I also learned that our 2 technology staff members are overworked. They spend so much time troubleshooting and fixing problems they do not have enough time to work with teachers and students to create a better technological awareness at the school. So with more money and a bigger staff things would be great!! Yeah in a different world.
For a compete report click here.....you know you want to.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Article Assessment #1 - Listen to the Natives
Shannon Hendricks (marknshan@alaska.net) 9/6/08
Listen to the Natives - By Marc Prensky
Overview -
This article brings to teachers attention the difference between us and them. Teachers are digital immigrants, while students are digital natives. Being a digital native means to Marc that these students are native speakers of technology and are well versed in the language of computers and video games. He stresses that the traditional catch-up methods that teachers and administrators use such as in service days are not enough. He also points out that educators need to find a way to incorporate more technology into the classrooms and by that not just computers.
Technologies such as mp3 players, ipods, cell phones, blogs and much more need to be integrated. Students are familiar with these avenues of learning and will enjoy the work more and be more willing to do it. Marc also believes that students should be given the choice of the classes they take and what students they cooperate with in the class. He points out that we herd our students and instead we need to let them be involved in virtual groups so that no one gets left out of the learning process.
Another point that he brings out is that students should be learning 21st century subjects such as; nanotechnology, bioethics, genetic medicine and neuroscience. He states that if we don't stop and listen to our students we will be left with buildings to manage with students that are physically or mentally somewhere else.
Important Trinkets -
1) Teachers are digital immigrants trying to teach digital natives
2) We need to select our teachers for their empathy and not just for subject matter knowledge.
3) Today's educators have digital immigrant accents. They will always have one foot in the past.
4) Teachers should ask their students what equipment they would like to see in the classroom and then make every effort to get it.
5) We should teach students how to level up their education.
6) "This may sound like the inmates are running the asylum" I love how he parallels a school to an insane asylum.
7) "Herding" = involuntary assignment to specific classes or groups, not for their benefit but for ours.
8) Teachers can deliver lessons over cell phones and use text messaging to quiz or test students.
9) In other countries students are already using their cell phones as learning tools. The US needs to catch up.
My Reflections
This article had a lot of good points; and then some I wasn't so sure about. First of all I don't consider myself a digital immigrant, but I know that many teachers are. I think as the "old" generation of teachers start to retire. The new fresh teachers may be able to keep up with their students. I find that I play many of the video games my students do and visit many of the same websites daily as they do. One student even told me that my Ipod looked like I stole all the music from his girlfriend, to which I replied "whatev" (thanks Di).
I do agree that we should ask our students what they are using for fun at home and how we can use some of that stuff in the classroom. As I get older I am sure that I will get more out of touch with what kids are doing and this will become a valuable tool. I do like the idea that students should be able to level up while learning. But this idea leads me to a problem.
Is Marc Prensky trying to phase out teachers and turn us into programmers?
If the goal is to let our students learn all of their curriculum on a computer and through cell phones, what good are teachers?
I have mixed feelings about his ideas. I do agree that teachers need to integrate technology, it makes life easier. Students should be able to submit homework on the web, check grades on line, and email their teachers with questions. It seems though Marc wants EVERY aspect of education to revolve around a piece of technology and well I am not ready for that.
As a future educator I do believe that my job is needed. I would never want to plop my kids in front of a computer and say "learn" then walk away. I feel that would be the same as handing them a book and telling them to figure it out.
Technology definitely has awesome applications. But people lets use it the right way please.
Listen to the Natives - By Marc Prensky
Overview -
This article brings to teachers attention the difference between us and them. Teachers are digital immigrants, while students are digital natives. Being a digital native means to Marc that these students are native speakers of technology and are well versed in the language of computers and video games. He stresses that the traditional catch-up methods that teachers and administrators use such as in service days are not enough. He also points out that educators need to find a way to incorporate more technology into the classrooms and by that not just computers.
Technologies such as mp3 players, ipods, cell phones, blogs and much more need to be integrated. Students are familiar with these avenues of learning and will enjoy the work more and be more willing to do it. Marc also believes that students should be given the choice of the classes they take and what students they cooperate with in the class. He points out that we herd our students and instead we need to let them be involved in virtual groups so that no one gets left out of the learning process.
Another point that he brings out is that students should be learning 21st century subjects such as; nanotechnology, bioethics, genetic medicine and neuroscience. He states that if we don't stop and listen to our students we will be left with buildings to manage with students that are physically or mentally somewhere else.
Important Trinkets -
1) Teachers are digital immigrants trying to teach digital natives
2) We need to select our teachers for their empathy and not just for subject matter knowledge.
3) Today's educators have digital immigrant accents. They will always have one foot in the past.
4) Teachers should ask their students what equipment they would like to see in the classroom and then make every effort to get it.
5) We should teach students how to level up their education.
6) "This may sound like the inmates are running the asylum" I love how he parallels a school to an insane asylum.
7) "Herding" = involuntary assignment to specific classes or groups, not for their benefit but for ours.
8) Teachers can deliver lessons over cell phones and use text messaging to quiz or test students.
9) In other countries students are already using their cell phones as learning tools. The US needs to catch up.
My Reflections
This article had a lot of good points; and then some I wasn't so sure about. First of all I don't consider myself a digital immigrant, but I know that many teachers are. I think as the "old" generation of teachers start to retire. The new fresh teachers may be able to keep up with their students. I find that I play many of the video games my students do and visit many of the same websites daily as they do. One student even told me that my Ipod looked like I stole all the music from his girlfriend, to which I replied "whatev" (thanks Di).
I do agree that we should ask our students what they are using for fun at home and how we can use some of that stuff in the classroom. As I get older I am sure that I will get more out of touch with what kids are doing and this will become a valuable tool. I do like the idea that students should be able to level up while learning. But this idea leads me to a problem.
Is Marc Prensky trying to phase out teachers and turn us into programmers?
If the goal is to let our students learn all of their curriculum on a computer and through cell phones, what good are teachers?
I have mixed feelings about his ideas. I do agree that teachers need to integrate technology, it makes life easier. Students should be able to submit homework on the web, check grades on line, and email their teachers with questions. It seems though Marc wants EVERY aspect of education to revolve around a piece of technology and well I am not ready for that.
As a future educator I do believe that my job is needed. I would never want to plop my kids in front of a computer and say "learn" then walk away. I feel that would be the same as handing them a book and telling them to figure it out.
Technology definitely has awesome applications. But people lets use it the right way please.
Futuring
A. How would you grade or assess Fox Becomes a Better Person and School Train?
The first time that I watched School Train I was really confused. The second and third time I watched it I began to make connections to what the students were portraying. I think that they did a good job relating school to a metaphor. I liked many of the "messages" that they included. Such as you sit in your seat, but you go really far. Which is true on a train and in school.
The design of the video was really good. The kids got to act like.....KIDS. Which was really great. I felt that they understood the project very well, they made accurate comparisons which was what I think that assignment was about.
Fox Becomes a Better Person was less confusing! I think that Hannah did a great job with her digital story telling. There are a few things that I liked.
1. She was dressed in culturally accurate clothing, she was playing the part of a story teller.
2. She created the "back drops" by herself. She drew the pictures, and didn't download them off of Google.
3. The story that she told seemed to incorporate AK Native values, and could be applied to any child or adult.
I think that Hannah really got into her role as a story teller, told a good story and did most of the work herself. Those are the things that I would look for when grading this project.
B. What impacts could the developments portrayed in epic2015 have on your classroom, particularly with respect to things like pod casting?
Ok now that was weird. epic2015 is a prediction of what news will be like in the future. Epic stands for the evolving personalized information construct. Essentially there will be no mainstream news, which is a little confusing for me. Instead people will have instantaneous access to only the news they want. The information will not just be filtered from so called news sources but also from podcasts, blogs, personal webpages and much more.
I had to watch this twice to understand why the narrator informed us that people would be getting a shallow version of the news. And then the second time through it hit me. If I only want to here news about how panda bears are domesticated like kittens then that is all that I will get. I would never get to see the other side of the story. No longer will people have to filter their news and decide what sources they will want to rely on. They will just read what is given to them and then move on.
I am not too familiar with podcasting. I guess I thought that it just took information that was already out there and stuck it on a device such as an Ipod. I guess I am wrong. Now I see that podcasting is a way that random people can get their ideas heard. Anyone can make a podcast, create their own "show" and produce their own news. I have never seen a podcast used in a classroom. It is something that I am going to have to look into, I don't want my students to be smarter than me at technology now do I?
C. How might you use Sabrina's piece as a model for something you would to with your own students?
Sabrina's Journey was a great piece. She talked about her beginnings and her goals. She told us where she was coming from and where she was going.
This would be a great project to do with my students. I think that all students should look at where they have been and where they are going. Of course a high school jock will tell me he wants to play professional football; but at least I got them thinking.
I would ask my students to: tell me where they have been , where they are now, and where they want to go. With that I want to know how they plan on getting to their future. I think the idea of a video will let them use the technology talents that EVERY high school student has to make something uniquely them.
The first time that I watched School Train I was really confused. The second and third time I watched it I began to make connections to what the students were portraying. I think that they did a good job relating school to a metaphor. I liked many of the "messages" that they included. Such as you sit in your seat, but you go really far. Which is true on a train and in school.
The design of the video was really good. The kids got to act like.....KIDS. Which was really great. I felt that they understood the project very well, they made accurate comparisons which was what I think that assignment was about.
Fox Becomes a Better Person was less confusing! I think that Hannah did a great job with her digital story telling. There are a few things that I liked.
1. She was dressed in culturally accurate clothing, she was playing the part of a story teller.
2. She created the "back drops" by herself. She drew the pictures, and didn't download them off of Google.
3. The story that she told seemed to incorporate AK Native values, and could be applied to any child or adult.
I think that Hannah really got into her role as a story teller, told a good story and did most of the work herself. Those are the things that I would look for when grading this project.
B. What impacts could the developments portrayed in epic2015 have on your classroom, particularly with respect to things like pod casting?
Ok now that was weird. epic2015 is a prediction of what news will be like in the future. Epic stands for the evolving personalized information construct. Essentially there will be no mainstream news, which is a little confusing for me. Instead people will have instantaneous access to only the news they want. The information will not just be filtered from so called news sources but also from podcasts, blogs, personal webpages and much more.
I had to watch this twice to understand why the narrator informed us that people would be getting a shallow version of the news. And then the second time through it hit me. If I only want to here news about how panda bears are domesticated like kittens then that is all that I will get. I would never get to see the other side of the story. No longer will people have to filter their news and decide what sources they will want to rely on. They will just read what is given to them and then move on.
I am not too familiar with podcasting. I guess I thought that it just took information that was already out there and stuck it on a device such as an Ipod. I guess I am wrong. Now I see that podcasting is a way that random people can get their ideas heard. Anyone can make a podcast, create their own "show" and produce their own news. I have never seen a podcast used in a classroom. It is something that I am going to have to look into, I don't want my students to be smarter than me at technology now do I?
C. How might you use Sabrina's piece as a model for something you would to with your own students?
Sabrina's Journey was a great piece. She talked about her beginnings and her goals. She told us where she was coming from and where she was going.
This would be a great project to do with my students. I think that all students should look at where they have been and where they are going. Of course a high school jock will tell me he wants to play professional football; but at least I got them thinking.
I would ask my students to: tell me where they have been , where they are now, and where they want to go. With that I want to know how they plan on getting to their future. I think the idea of a video will let them use the technology talents that EVERY high school student has to make something uniquely them.
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