I considered using the format that we used in the beginning to start of this post. But that wouldn’t show much of a progression would it? Then I realized I didn’t want to use it then either. Isn’t it funny how some notions don’t change, and yet the way we express them does. I was rebellious in our first post. I actually created a school, and didn’t summarize the Sugata Mitra or the blog post we read. Though I still followed the format we were given, and answered the questions like a good little student should. But what does this have to do with my reflection of the class? Well quite a bit actually.
When we envisioned our students in the beginning, they weren’t my focus. They were, but weren’t. I was excitedly looking at the future of my students’ education, a place that I hoped would one day exist. So in that aspect I was envisioning my students, just not within realities complex. The reality disappointed me. It was not my future students that disappointed me, but the confines that would bind them.
Now I have a slightly different view. This view is much more hopeful, even though it is less imaginative. Well, less imaginative for our generation of teachers. Our society has developed, and is continuing to develop in such a way, that the binds that I hoped to lift with my imaginary school, are being lifted without. My students will be able to experience things that will allow them to connect with others around the world, see math in action, and have access to all knowledge including literature, history, and science. Though I do like my imaginary school, it isn’t required to remove the binds. And I see my students in a different way.
First, my students will know much more than I could ever know when it comes to technology. My generation was the leader into this development, but we are falling behind. The latest trends are not geared towards us, and we must keep up with them regardless if we believe them to be practical or not. My students will be able to work a computer, Ipad, gaming system, and etc. And they will be able to do it faster than me. Though, I am thankful that I am not going to be as slow as the generation behind me will be.
I was supposed to be teaching math to high school students. But my convictions have changed. Though to what I am not sure. But I still hope to teach high school students in the end. This will be interesting regardless, for they will be the most apt at knowing trends. Within a few years all of them will have been blogging, googling, watching videos, playing on face book, their entire lives. It is almost scary to consider it this way. The good thing is, they will be apt to changing technologies quickly. This may be thanks to trends changing every six months, which is considered deplorable by many in past generations, but at least it is preparing them.
I don’t know the tools I will use, mainly because most of them haven’t been invented yet. That doesn’t mean I will scrap everything I have learned in this class. I will probably be using Google and its applications the rest of my life. Blogging may even remain main stream and current, but I suspect there will be a different form of it in the near future. One that is more up to date. I will probably use a smart board for a little while, but I’m certain in 5-10 years there will be something new. Technology is always changing, so why limit ourselves.
My classroom will still look, smell, and feel the same as I introduced it would. My students will see pictures of anime characters, puns, equations, famous art, and other students’ works every day they come into class. I will always have something that smells delicious and warm. It will feel homey. I hope to give as much one on one attention to my students as I can, and hope the setting allows them to feel comfortable and do their best.
I hope to be as lively and excited about everything as I am now. I hope to fill their brains in ways where they don’t even realize I’m doing it. I want to do fun projects that stick with them for life. And I hope they will be better people because of what I teach, as well as more knowledgeable.
I will still dream that my imaginary school will come to be. That one day we can enter a virtual world that allows us to touch, smell, see, hear, and taste things, and use that ability to connect with others and learn to our upmost potential. But in the meantime, we can still educate our students in a way that doesn’t bind them. The knowledge they can obtain is endless. So let us try to fill their brains with endless knowledge.
Just to clarify two things in the video. First, I hated how we learned in this class, not the class or material. And second, you can stay one step ahead of someone while still following them. Think of two people walking in a straight line one in front of the other. The person behind might be a step ahead, like their right foot may already be on the ground before the person in front of them has just lifted it. But beyond literal, we are able to direct our students, even if we are behind them. And that is how we stay one step ahead of them. I'm having trouble explaining it, so if you don't get it I'm sorry.
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Blog Post 15
How would you describe color to a blind person? We don’t often think that some of the most basic things can be complex and difficult to describe. And yet, I can find no words to describe a color that would genuinely describe it to someone whom is blind. It is so simple that it isn’t.
Although this could be heavily contemplated, I don’t think it would be important to describe color to a blind person. They may not be able to see color, but they have other abilities that I would rather focus on. Rather than trying to constantly describe something almost impossible to describe to someone whom has never seen it, I would focus on what they could do. Color may be beautiful, but life is not dependant on it.
However, in our society there are certain things that we have made our lives dependent on. As unfortunate as it may seem for those who don’t have it, we run our society with money. Trillions of dollars are constantly being spent around the world. And money is the only way for us to get our basic necessities for life in this society. We need money to purchase water, food, houses, everything. And I’m certain it is much easier to describe money than it is color. But the fundamentals for using and spending money are math, and how would you describe math to a blind person?
At first I didn’t even notice how difficult this would be. After all, blind people do have a way for reading. But math is truly its own language. We may be able to describe things with words, but it is rare to work out problems simply with words. Math uses numbers, uses many different and ornate signs, has rules for order of operation, and etc. So how could do you teach it to be read?
The video Teaching Math to the Blind showed these complications and one of their approaches to handling it. The video introduced a board which allowed students to construct math equations, to feel and understand the importance of the placement of numbers, and speaks to them. I was very intrigued by this so I looked up another technology being used to help blind people learn math.
I found an article titled, New UAH technology helps the Blind Learn Math discusses the development of a computer program that allows math questions to be easily typed into a computer, and doesn’t require specific code. It is amazing the way our technology is advancing, and how it is helping reveal a world that was once almost indescribable.
iPad Usage For the Blind that was demonstrated by Wesley Majerus.
Written by: Jamie Baxter
iPad usage for the blind amazes me. Technology helps the vision impaired use a tool that people use that can see everyday.
In EDU 301, we had a blind artist come visit our classroom. His name was Ricky Trion. During his presentation he mentioned that he wanted an iPhone because of all the apps for blind people. He said there is one app that you can scan your shirt, and the phone will tell you what color shirt it is to help blind people get dressed.
This will be an excellent tool for me in my future classroom. If I have a student that can not see, this will be very helpful for them. The iPad would allow them to be able to listen to text I assign the children to read and many other things via the iPad.
Jamie found an interesting video titled Deaf Children Use Games Machines to learn in Schools. This was a news report in Birmingham Alabama showing where deaf students use gaming machines to help them learn a book. The children scan the book, and it plays a video clip about what the book page is about. This is a very interesting way to teach the students who are hearing impaired.
The Mountbatten. This video was created by The Florida School for the
Deaf and Blind in St. Augustine, FL
Written by, Colin Richard
Life tends to be a series of routines. We tend to go about our lives with our blinders on and let the world happen as it may, as long as it does not interfere with our routine. This “bubble” can make people forget their are others that have a routine too, but has to be structured a totally different way. An example would be people who are blind. Even when we think about it and try to put ourselves in their shoes, the feeling can never even come close. After all, there is something about doing an experiment and knowing that when we choose, our lives go back to “normal.”
So, when dealing with technology that aids people with a disability, normally the inventors are people that can step out of their boxes and understand what the other person could benefit from. The “Mountbatten” is no different. Produced by Quantum Technologies in Australia, this device has become the upgrade from the traditionally used Perkins Brailler. This device can, in addition to the traditional keyboard, include memory which allows braille text files to be stored in much the same way as is done with a word processor, speech feedback allowing the user to listen to the text he or she has just typed or from files, and forward and back translation between text and braille. The Mountbatten can be connected to a printer allowing files to be printed as text, while a regular PC keyboard can be connected to the Mountbatten enabling text to be produced as contracted or uncontracted braille. Speaking of technology, this invention even has bluetooth, which can connect itself to one’s Ipad or Iphone. So, being battery powered too, it is easily portable.
As we can see, this is a wonderful tool for the blind, in any setting. However, not every student will have this piece of equipment, it is almost five thousand dollars. One can not, being a teacher, rely on the disabled student or parents, to provide all the necessary tools that will help that child. As an educator, we need to first take initiative. Find out what tools are used at home and see if we can use these items in our own classrooms. The student will benefit greatly if they use what they already know. The Blind Acces Journal is a wonderful website for any teacher that has a student with any form of visual impairment. After all, having the desire for the visually impaired, or any student with any disability, to succeed is the first and greatest step. Then the next step is how. This website gives that how.
In the end, students with visual impairments want to be viewed and treated like everyone else. So, in the classroom, let their routine of learning, become part of your routine of teaching. Now that is a routine everyone should follow!
Although this could be heavily contemplated, I don’t think it would be important to describe color to a blind person. They may not be able to see color, but they have other abilities that I would rather focus on. Rather than trying to constantly describe something almost impossible to describe to someone whom has never seen it, I would focus on what they could do. Color may be beautiful, but life is not dependant on it.
However, in our society there are certain things that we have made our lives dependent on. As unfortunate as it may seem for those who don’t have it, we run our society with money. Trillions of dollars are constantly being spent around the world. And money is the only way for us to get our basic necessities for life in this society. We need money to purchase water, food, houses, everything. And I’m certain it is much easier to describe money than it is color. But the fundamentals for using and spending money are math, and how would you describe math to a blind person?
At first I didn’t even notice how difficult this would be. After all, blind people do have a way for reading. But math is truly its own language. We may be able to describe things with words, but it is rare to work out problems simply with words. Math uses numbers, uses many different and ornate signs, has rules for order of operation, and etc. So how could do you teach it to be read?
The video Teaching Math to the Blind showed these complications and one of their approaches to handling it. The video introduced a board which allowed students to construct math equations, to feel and understand the importance of the placement of numbers, and speaks to them. I was very intrigued by this so I looked up another technology being used to help blind people learn math.
I found an article titled, New UAH technology helps the Blind Learn Math discusses the development of a computer program that allows math questions to be easily typed into a computer, and doesn’t require specific code. It is amazing the way our technology is advancing, and how it is helping reveal a world that was once almost indescribable.
iPad Usage For the Blind that was demonstrated by Wesley Majerus.
Written by: Jamie Baxter
iPad usage for the blind amazes me. Technology helps the vision impaired use a tool that people use that can see everyday.
In EDU 301, we had a blind artist come visit our classroom. His name was Ricky Trion. During his presentation he mentioned that he wanted an iPhone because of all the apps for blind people. He said there is one app that you can scan your shirt, and the phone will tell you what color shirt it is to help blind people get dressed.
This will be an excellent tool for me in my future classroom. If I have a student that can not see, this will be very helpful for them. The iPad would allow them to be able to listen to text I assign the children to read and many other things via the iPad.
Jamie found an interesting video titled Deaf Children Use Games Machines to learn in Schools. This was a news report in Birmingham Alabama showing where deaf students use gaming machines to help them learn a book. The children scan the book, and it plays a video clip about what the book page is about. This is a very interesting way to teach the students who are hearing impaired.
The Mountbatten. This video was created by The Florida School for the
Deaf and Blind in St. Augustine, FL
Written by, Colin Richard
Life tends to be a series of routines. We tend to go about our lives with our blinders on and let the world happen as it may, as long as it does not interfere with our routine. This “bubble” can make people forget their are others that have a routine too, but has to be structured a totally different way. An example would be people who are blind. Even when we think about it and try to put ourselves in their shoes, the feeling can never even come close. After all, there is something about doing an experiment and knowing that when we choose, our lives go back to “normal.”
So, when dealing with technology that aids people with a disability, normally the inventors are people that can step out of their boxes and understand what the other person could benefit from. The “Mountbatten” is no different. Produced by Quantum Technologies in Australia, this device has become the upgrade from the traditionally used Perkins Brailler. This device can, in addition to the traditional keyboard, include memory which allows braille text files to be stored in much the same way as is done with a word processor, speech feedback allowing the user to listen to the text he or she has just typed or from files, and forward and back translation between text and braille. The Mountbatten can be connected to a printer allowing files to be printed as text, while a regular PC keyboard can be connected to the Mountbatten enabling text to be produced as contracted or uncontracted braille. Speaking of technology, this invention even has bluetooth, which can connect itself to one’s Ipad or Iphone. So, being battery powered too, it is easily portable.
As we can see, this is a wonderful tool for the blind, in any setting. However, not every student will have this piece of equipment, it is almost five thousand dollars. One can not, being a teacher, rely on the disabled student or parents, to provide all the necessary tools that will help that child. As an educator, we need to first take initiative. Find out what tools are used at home and see if we can use these items in our own classrooms. The student will benefit greatly if they use what they already know. The Blind Acces Journal is a wonderful website for any teacher that has a student with any form of visual impairment. After all, having the desire for the visually impaired, or any student with any disability, to succeed is the first and greatest step. Then the next step is how. This website gives that how.
In the end, students with visual impairments want to be viewed and treated like everyone else. So, in the classroom, let their routine of learning, become part of your routine of teaching. Now that is a routine everyone should follow!
Blog Post 12
How Schools Kill Creativity-Thomas Leytham.
It is difficult to write a good summary for this TED talk simply because there wasn’t very much to it. I literally can sum up his message in two sentences. .
Schools were created to industrialize people and because of this they kill creativity. To fix this, we should stop stigmatizing the arts and promote the arts as equals. .
The rest of the talk was that of a poor stand-up comedian. I don’t mind jokes, but it was so constant that I found it obnoxious. They also didn’t circle into his message… lack of message. .
I didn’t learn anything from this TED talk, which is quite a shame. I’ve heard this repeated banter about how to fix schools numerous times, specifically how we need to stop stigmatizing the arts, and this was by far the simplest and worst regurgitation that I have ever heard. You know what is killing my creativity? Being told to watch videos about how school killed my creativity.
Changing Education Paradigms -Jamie.
Ken Robinson’s video Changing Education Paradigms was a very interesting video and agree with everything he said. I learned a lot from his thought about ADHD medicine and divergent thinking. .
I once was a daycare teacher when I was in high school, and there was a child in my class whom was on Ritalin. The days that his mother did not give him his medication, he acted out and was very hyper and disobedient. I did not realize then what the problem came from. I know that children when I was in elementary school did not have medication for ADHD, so there had to be another solution. After watching this video, it makes so much sense to me that children are bored in classrooms. They are smarter and more educated through TV, phones, and computers; they get bored with boring lectures. Children cannot concentrate when the teacher is lecturing on a chalkboard. They need to have fun things to learn and be more involved with 21st century tools for learning. .
I like the way Ken Robinson explained divergent thinking. He said, “Divergent thinking is not the same thing as creativity.” He explains that creativity is the process of having original ideas that have value. Divergent thinking is an essential capacity for creativity. It is to see multiple answers not one. I learned a lot from this because it made me realize that my students in my future classroom are not all going to learn in the same way. I need to realize this when making my lesson plans, so I can accommodate for all my students. .
How to Escape Education’s Death Valley -Colin After watching this video, I know one thing for sure, I love Ken Robinson. His philosophical statements on education are spot on and right inline with my own. When I do a brief summary of this video, I will only reiterate in my own words what he states because I am really only echoing sentiments that I have held for at least a decade. So, let us not hesitate, let us just jump in. .
“Humans are naturally different.” He explains that even siblings are entirely different so why should we expect great things to happen in school systems now based on conformity. Well, the easy answer is you can not. The “No Child Left Behind” educational protocol has done just the opposite of its mantra; it has actually left behind millions of children because of a premise of a cookie cutter educational system of “learning.” A fundamental problem has become the de emphasis with subjects such as Art, the Humanities, and P.E.. ADHD has become a scapegoat for children falling behind as opposed to teaching methods being so boring that kids just want to fidget. Curiosity has almost died in our education. Lost are the days of exploring why as opposed to being spoon fed everything to make sure you pass the test. .
Which brings us to standardized testing. If we look at Finland, which scores tops in Math, Science and Reading, it is not because they solely focus on these courses, it is because they do not obsess over these courses. It is also because there are no standardized tests. Plus, there is not even a drop out rate. Which brings us to a few answers to why. First, education is about learning. Kids learn in these environments where their natural instincts are satisfied during the learning processes. Second, testing is not the dominant culture of education. Third, they support learning not obstruct it. Finally and maybe most importantly, teachers are just as highly regarded as doctors. .
“Humans are creative” so why not have Individualized teaching and learning. In this country we can not because we take responsibility away from the teachers. Bureaucrats tell us what is best and that is because there is not a high status in teachers. Teachers are put in a position where they can do the minimum, as long as their kids pass the standardized tests. Schools that are generally left alone to do as they please, tend to do better. They can see what they need to do, what needs improvement and what works with what they have. Dropouts have reasons too and most of the time the outside world engages them, right or wrong, a lot better than the classroom. We do need to create conditions where students thrive. Which brings us to his last and most poignant case in point. .
Death Valley, the driest place in North America, where nothing really grows. However, after a massive rare rainfall, the following Spring, flowers were everywhere. This synonym to education is when given the right circumstance, learning can happen where once education looked dead. .
So, let us stand together with people such as Ken Robinson and begin a revolution. Let us make sure that we will not stand for average. That we will not stand for millions of kids left behind. That we will not let bureaucrats from the top, dictate what the people in the trenches know. Let us stand up for our students, our kids and this country's future. Let us stand united in making teachers the greatest revenue this country has. .
It is difficult to write a good summary for this TED talk simply because there wasn’t very much to it. I literally can sum up his message in two sentences. .
Schools were created to industrialize people and because of this they kill creativity. To fix this, we should stop stigmatizing the arts and promote the arts as equals. .
The rest of the talk was that of a poor stand-up comedian. I don’t mind jokes, but it was so constant that I found it obnoxious. They also didn’t circle into his message… lack of message. .
I didn’t learn anything from this TED talk, which is quite a shame. I’ve heard this repeated banter about how to fix schools numerous times, specifically how we need to stop stigmatizing the arts, and this was by far the simplest and worst regurgitation that I have ever heard. You know what is killing my creativity? Being told to watch videos about how school killed my creativity.
Changing Education Paradigms -Jamie.
Ken Robinson’s video Changing Education Paradigms was a very interesting video and agree with everything he said. I learned a lot from his thought about ADHD medicine and divergent thinking. .
I once was a daycare teacher when I was in high school, and there was a child in my class whom was on Ritalin. The days that his mother did not give him his medication, he acted out and was very hyper and disobedient. I did not realize then what the problem came from. I know that children when I was in elementary school did not have medication for ADHD, so there had to be another solution. After watching this video, it makes so much sense to me that children are bored in classrooms. They are smarter and more educated through TV, phones, and computers; they get bored with boring lectures. Children cannot concentrate when the teacher is lecturing on a chalkboard. They need to have fun things to learn and be more involved with 21st century tools for learning. .
I like the way Ken Robinson explained divergent thinking. He said, “Divergent thinking is not the same thing as creativity.” He explains that creativity is the process of having original ideas that have value. Divergent thinking is an essential capacity for creativity. It is to see multiple answers not one. I learned a lot from this because it made me realize that my students in my future classroom are not all going to learn in the same way. I need to realize this when making my lesson plans, so I can accommodate for all my students. .
How to Escape Education’s Death Valley -Colin After watching this video, I know one thing for sure, I love Ken Robinson. His philosophical statements on education are spot on and right inline with my own. When I do a brief summary of this video, I will only reiterate in my own words what he states because I am really only echoing sentiments that I have held for at least a decade. So, let us not hesitate, let us just jump in. .
“Humans are naturally different.” He explains that even siblings are entirely different so why should we expect great things to happen in school systems now based on conformity. Well, the easy answer is you can not. The “No Child Left Behind” educational protocol has done just the opposite of its mantra; it has actually left behind millions of children because of a premise of a cookie cutter educational system of “learning.” A fundamental problem has become the de emphasis with subjects such as Art, the Humanities, and P.E.. ADHD has become a scapegoat for children falling behind as opposed to teaching methods being so boring that kids just want to fidget. Curiosity has almost died in our education. Lost are the days of exploring why as opposed to being spoon fed everything to make sure you pass the test. .
Which brings us to standardized testing. If we look at Finland, which scores tops in Math, Science and Reading, it is not because they solely focus on these courses, it is because they do not obsess over these courses. It is also because there are no standardized tests. Plus, there is not even a drop out rate. Which brings us to a few answers to why. First, education is about learning. Kids learn in these environments where their natural instincts are satisfied during the learning processes. Second, testing is not the dominant culture of education. Third, they support learning not obstruct it. Finally and maybe most importantly, teachers are just as highly regarded as doctors. .
“Humans are creative” so why not have Individualized teaching and learning. In this country we can not because we take responsibility away from the teachers. Bureaucrats tell us what is best and that is because there is not a high status in teachers. Teachers are put in a position where they can do the minimum, as long as their kids pass the standardized tests. Schools that are generally left alone to do as they please, tend to do better. They can see what they need to do, what needs improvement and what works with what they have. Dropouts have reasons too and most of the time the outside world engages them, right or wrong, a lot better than the classroom. We do need to create conditions where students thrive. Which brings us to his last and most poignant case in point. .
Death Valley, the driest place in North America, where nothing really grows. However, after a massive rare rainfall, the following Spring, flowers were everywhere. This synonym to education is when given the right circumstance, learning can happen where once education looked dead. .
So, let us stand together with people such as Ken Robinson and begin a revolution. Let us make sure that we will not stand for average. That we will not stand for millions of kids left behind. That we will not let bureaucrats from the top, dictate what the people in the trenches know. Let us stand up for our students, our kids and this country's future. Let us stand united in making teachers the greatest revenue this country has. .
Blog Post 11, 13, and 14 Critiques for Change
Blog post 14 was one of the more interesting topics for a blog post. I really enjoyed receiving this topic. The only problem was I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted to do something that was actually exciting and got us learning, and I had many ideas to pick from. But most of them were a tad tricky, and would have required ample amounts of time in the planning of them and then several hours in actually completing them. And the more I stalled in picking one, the more I realized I didn’t have time to do any of them.
By this time it was Saturday, and I was slightly distraught. I knew that 2 of my blog posts were going to be late as it was, and now this one wasn’t going to be imaginative. I wasn’t going to be able to show how this class could be run, and show the capabilities that our other projects and posts had been lacking. I considered copping out and just picking a simple topic and assigning videos to watch so that it would be done on time. But I hated that. It is simply the worst way to teach a large group of students. It’s boring, unimaginative, and ridiculous. If anything, the head-fake for this class should be, “We were teaching you How NOT to Teach.”
We have discussed project based learning so many times, and we have seen technologies that better help our students. But we have never done a real project in this class that centered on learning. And our blog posts are meaningless because they are far too structured, have too many limitations, are too restrictive to the imagination, and are simply regurgitated repeated summaries.
So the due date came, and I just couldn’t do it. I didn’t know what to write about, and I just couldn’t be a shill. I needed more time to do something great. Of course, then it was Thanksgiving week, and I got distracted. I was just glad that I finished blog post 15 in a timely manner, and had finished the final project. But I kept this post in mind. And after going over and over in my head what I wanted to do my post about I realized, there isn’t a critique for this class. Not a real one. I mean we get a small area on our final questionnaire, but that definitely isn’t enough. I have so many things I want to say, and I want others to see it, critique it, and let me know how they feel too.
So my suggestion is very simple. You need a post that critiques the class. Discusses the good and the bad, and gives suggestions on how to keep the good and get rid of the bad. And that is what this post will be about.
First I’m going to list posts that I liked, followed by posts that need improvement but were okay, followed by those I disliked. This is just to give you a direct layout, so you can scroll down to whatever you wish to read at any moment. The paragraphs on each subject will discuss why I felt that way about the project, as well as offer suggestions on how to fix them if necessary. So I will be discussing all 16 blog posts as well as all 16 of the projects in this post. So keep in mind, it may be a little long.
The good:
Project 1, Project 3, Project 8, Blog Post 6, Blog Post 14, Blog Post 16
The “I need a slight tweak”:
Project 12, Project 13/14/15, Blog Post 1, Blog Post 2, Blog Post 3, Blog post 8, Blog Post 10, Blog Post 15
The Bad/Major Fixers:
Project 2, Project 4/5/6, Project 7, Project 9, Project 10, Project 16, Blog Post 4, Blog post 5, Blog Post 7, Blog Post 9, Blog post 11, Blog Post 12, Blog Post 13,
The Good:
First, I want to define what I meant by good. Anything listed in this grouping not only had interesting or necessary topics, but also fit perfectly in line with where they needed to be, and also had the correct instruction to go along with them.
Project 1 was an essential aspect to us getting any of this together. I believe blog posting can be an effective way of showing our knowledge to the world when done correctly. Although many students may not agree with this, it is definitely useful for this class. However, that doesn’t mean I would implement it in every class. But for this class, it does prove to be useful.
Project 3 had very detailed instruction and allowed us to see the many uses of Google. I didn’t realize how useful these tools were, and had no idea they existed before now. I appreciated this information, and I liked that we used Google drive as often as we did. I amazed by how much more Google is than just a normal search engine.
Project 8 was my favorite project. A little difficult at first, but it was a lot of fun. I loved making the book trailer, and it was the most useful in introducing us to iMovie.
Blog Post 6 was a great blog post assignment. It is important to understand how to ask questions, and it was limiting to my creativity like others were. I have a fantastic story that goes along with my post, and found an amazing piece of art to go along side with it.
Blog Post 14 is probably the best blog post assignment. Its placement is perfect. However, it may not be the best if you change things in the manner that I hope you do. Other things might become more fun, and if the class doesn’t need too many changes, it may be difficult to do.
Blog Post 16 is perfectly placed. It sums up everything we have done in class, and it makes since to have a post like this. It may not be the most fun, but I would advice keeping it regardless of any changes you make to the class in the future.
The “I need a slight tweak”:
Anything in this section was close to good, but just needed a few tweaks. This may include placement of the assignment, specific parts of the assignment that should be adjusted, or a way to conjoin assignments.
Project 12 had a few issues, but it wasn’t a bad project. When teaching a hands-on technology, you need to have hands-on instruction. And for everyone to get the instruction they need, we really needed to meet in class for this assignment. I would have preferred to have done the entire project in class, and have videotaped it in class. I suggest that instead of presenting our project 13/14/15, that on the Monday we began presentations we do Part A of Project 12. And on the next day (or second half of class) we do part B.
Projects 13/14/15 were great ideas. But the instruction was a bit off, and the projects as a whole need some tweaking. I think they should all be collaborative and perhaps they should be divided into parts. They could be pretty intense to finish in a week, but if only part of it was due for the week, it lessens the burden. And maybe meet in class for project 13 just to explain it a little better. It was kind of confusing the first time around.
Blog Post 1 was a good blog post. I almost put it in the good section, but remembered a tweak that I had for it. The instructions for the blog post were a little restrictive. I suggest you make it less restrictive and let the imagination flow. Of course, I made up my own rules for the assignment anyways. But it was a little scary to do that. And I think it only makes since for the post to be how we would create a school. You can keep the realistic part in it. Just make sure to have the imagination part as well.
Blog Post 2 and 3 were not bad posts. But I think they need to be combined. I think Mr. Dancealot could be added to blog post 1 for contrast, and that the collaborative assignment for post 2 should be the assignment in post 3. That way there is actually discussion in post 3, and the group members get to know one another. I also suggest you play a game in week 2 that allows us to get to know our class mates, and then allow us to pick our group. I think the groups as a whole will be more productive that way.
Blog Post 8 should be kept, but it shouldn’t be collaborative. It also should encourage a little more creativity. It may need a different placement as well.
Blog Post 10 had an amazing video. I’m glad that you have this video. But I think that it needs to be in the beginning somewhere. I couldn’t write a summary because it was such a good video. I’m usually not stumped on writing summaries, but there were too many small parts in the video that just stuck out and a summary would have left them out. I suggest you play it in class in the third week, and discuss it in class. Or have the class write about how it affected their views on teaching as a blog post if there isn’t enough time to discuss it. Leave the summary part out.
Blog Post 15 was a great idea that wasn’t implemented well. I think this would be a good way to incorporate an off campus school tour, or an in-class meet up. The videos should just have been a way to prepare us for the assignment and get us in the right mindset. This post really got me thinking, but I would love to actually touch and feel some of the technology they describe and see what it is like. And the blog assignment could be how it felt, and what we learned from the experience. If you do it off campus at a school for disabilities create a questions list for the students and have them write about that experience. If you make it an in-class meet up, purchase some of the technologies in the videos you listed and have the students use them, but restrict them to using it the way it is meant to be used. For example, the technology that helps blind students use math, blind fold the students so that cannot see it and have them use it that way. The blog post should be about what they experienced, and what they learned from it.
The Bad/Major Fixers:
There were many assignments that needed to be removed or fixed heavily. And this part discusses those assignments and what I would do with them. But before I do that, I want to express what needs to happen to Edm310 for it to be fixed as a whole.
In Edm310 we discuss, but do not practice Project Based Learning. I understand that Dr. Strange wishes for us to learn it through the projects he has assigned. However, the projects and blog posts, as a whole, are not good enough. To be blunt, they are lame failed attempts. As I stated in my intro, we are just being taught to regurgitate information, and I know that is not what Dr. Strange wishes. Unless the class is suppose to be a head fake and teach us what not to do, this needs to change.
The previously discussed assignments listed above are pretty much the only things I would keep in the class. Not quite everything, but almost everything below needs to be completely revamped. I will be taking a break next semester, but will still be taking one class. I would love to help you work out a way to fix it in my off time. The reason I am so adamant for this change is because this class seriously made me reconsider my education major. And I don’t think that it should have.
Project 2 was a great idea, but a failed attempt. I understand the point of a PLN, but I was never implored to really create one. My senior year of high school I took an independent study class that required me to have contacted 50 educators (including college professors, business people, and masters on the subject) on what I was studying. I still didn’t have a great PLN because many of the people I contacted didn’t have enough information on the topic. Of course, Twitter wasn’t being used quite as thoroughly at that point in time as it is now, but there was a big push for me to try and create one. This class never gave that push. It is another thing I suggest begin in class, but the PLN truly needs a major push insuring people are reaching out to others. I’m not sure the best way to do this, but I’m sure there is a better way. This is one of the things in this section I would keep.
Project 4/5/6 was another great idea that doesn’t work as well as it could. On that note C4C is fine. C4T and C4K need the revisions. C4T is boring and doesn’t connect us with teachers. Not enough anyways. The C4T should become a heavy proponent to the PLN, but it should be done completely differently. You can give a listing of blogs so that we can get an email list and contact different individuals. But the commenting and summary of comments is ridiculous. C4K needs major revisions in a different way. I know you have considered it before, so I’m sure you are familiar with the idea. We need to have a set amount of students that we are commenting on and then continue commenting on those students’ posts. If I was a kid, and I got one comment from a student, I’d get excited. But if I never got another one I would be saddened and disheartened. Kids are smart. They know when people do things that have no heart. I actually have been trying to keep up with just one student who blogs a little bit. I saved the link in a Word Doc, and read his things occasionally and comment. It just seems better that way. Also, we need to make sure the set actually blogs enough for us to comment. I would keep C4C, revise C4K, and scrap C4T and make it something else.
Project 7 was stupid. I thought it was ridiculous, it didn’t help us get to know iMovie enough, and it was a bit morbid to a degree. I think people were a tad confused about how to do it and what to say. It is easy to replace, and it needs to be to make room for better projects.
Project 9 needs major revision if you wish to keep it. It isn’t a bad concept, but since my thoughts conjoin it with Blog post 4, I will discuss why this is in that paragraph. If you keep it, it needs to be more interactive and fun.
Project 10 at this moment is impractical. Once the PLN is corrected it would make more since. But there should be an option where it doesn’t have to be a movie, and can be done through an exchange of emails, or something. An idea to keep, but it needs to be implemented with a stronger PLN plan.
Project 16 was tedious. I get that it makes for an interesting final project, but I dislike that we can’t share it on our blog. Or more specifically, you don’t know how we can share it on our blog. There is a way, just like there is a way to share it via the internet, even though you can’t email it. It can be shared through drop box, which would have been nice to know. The first 2gb are free, and when you add someone you get another 500mb. I suggest you look into it. Also, to make it viewable on our blog, you can set it as a website. Though, I’m not sure exactly how this works. I sent mine to a friend of ours using Drop Box, and she sent me a link to a web address where I could down load it from after she edited it. I never showed the edited version in class. But I could show it now. If you keep this for the final, these revisions need to be done. I also suggest having a week in class where we begin preparing the books. It was a bit more hands on.
Blog Post 4 had a lot of issues. If you wish to keep podcasting you need to understand it. And I suggest you just make it a long lasting project. But first and foremost, you need to know the definition of a podcast. A podcast is a media file that is downloadable from the internet. Though the word can be ambiguous to include video podcast, it shouldn’t be. So if the media has video in it, you must call it a video podcast. Discussing podcast will not include video podcasts unless you specify it to. Also, there is a difference in streaming video and a podcasted video. Meaning, the “podcasts” that we created and uploaded to Youtube were not actual podcasts. They were streamed videos, but since they were not downloadable they were not podcasts. For it to be downloadable, you must be able to download it from the internet to a device, and then be able to play it on that device without it connecting to the original source. When you download a podcast from ITunes, you will notice that you can play the music without having to connect to the internet. That is a download, and hence a podcast. If it has video, it is a video podcast. So, there are many ways to make videos available to our students on the internet without making it a podcast. And none of the “podcasts” created in this class were podcasts. So I suggest you fix this. And delete the post about it. Make a project.
Blog Post 5 was informative, but the information should be connected to Projects 13/14/15. Also, the material should be discussed and shown in class. Delete the post about it.
Blog Post 7’s information is useless by the time we get to it. It would be interesting if we got to talk to Mr. Capps in person (or via skype) in class one day. Or, if you would like to connect the information with the other information on PBL, that wouldn’t be a bad idea. It’s just a little excessive. I would delete the post about it.
Blog Post 9 was annoying and useless. Whatever creativity blog post 8 inspired, this one demolished. It restrained us to much, and pushed us to write summaries. The videos can be used somewhere else, but the post itself needs to be deleted. It also wasn’t cooperative at all. Many coop assignments weren’t.
Blog Post 11 would have been better placed in the beginning. Again the topic restrained creativity, and the information was repetitive. It reminded me of the Anthony Capps video in the essence that it was useless by the time we got to it. I would love to have chatted with her in person/via skype, or to have the videos combined with PBL. Or her videos could have been used in the beginning to explain why we blog post. But the post about the videos needs a lot of reformation, or to simply be deleted.
DELETE BLOG POST 12. I personally disliked Ken Robinson’s videos. He is an idiot, and I can’t believe he does TED talks. His information is misleading, repetitive, and annoying. I know others liked him, and may even wish for you to keep them. However, I know he is using pseudo science, and can disprove some of his beliefs with real science. And that shouldn’t be expressed to our students.
Blog Post 13 was useless. TED talks usually are inspiring, but they are not meant to necessarily teach us new techniques. They are meant to show what can be and is being done. And if they are used in the future, use them for inspiration. But don’t require a summary.
Final Remarks
Since this class revolves around PBL it needs to utilize PBL. This would require our in-class meet ups to be more substantial, and may require us to attend class 50% of the time. I think it is worth it. The projects that are posted on the blog should illustrate what we did and what we learned. They should incorporate all of the topics you wish to cover, but must be done more effectively as suggested. You may need more of them, or more time for those that need expansions. The weekly blog posts themselves should be creative expressions. Give simple guidelines, but make most of them creative writing bits. On occasion have them discuss the projects, or place a few more restrictions (like what I suggested be done in blog post 1). The PLN should be a separate on-going project with monthly posts on progress. I suggest it be revised as I suggested.
Finally, I am labeling this as Blog post 11, 13, and 14 for two reasons. First, this is an incredibly long bit that I wish to have has my next post on my blog. And second, because I give a thorough explanation on why I didn’t do posts 11 and 13. I did watch the videos, and could discuss them. But I found it useless to summarize them. You should be able to tell I watched the videos in blog post 11 based on my explanation on what to do with them. But to prove I did 13, I watched Shukula Bose’s video Teaching One Student at a Time. It was very informative in the reform she has helped create in India with such a simple idea. I’m glad to see children in the slums receiving a caring and vigorous education. And it is amazing what one person can do. But as I explained, TED talks are usually for inspiration and not meant to teach us new techniques.
Also in a word document this post is over 6 pages long. That would almost be enough for a term paper, so I expect it covers enough to be posted as such. If you have any questions, please let me know. I hope this will help change this class.
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