Check out my students' first foray into the world of Animoto! They couldn't believe how easy it was to make their own movie...
Our 1st class video!
Friday, October 26, 2012
Friday, August 10, 2012
Twitter to replace the neverending PD days?
Check out this new post on the HechingerEd blog:
HechingerEd Blog | Can Twitter replace traditional professional development?
I like that PD development could become more instantaneous via applications like Twitter and Facebook. Reaching out to the education community in real time about real issues in my classroom seems like a much more useful way of honing my skills as opposed to those 6 hour professional development days. While PD days often times cover interesting topics, it sometimes feels like learning in a vacuum - talking about things out of context, just to talk about them. Talking about things that COULD happen can't be the most effective way of expanding a teacher's repertoire... I'd much rather hear from someone who is going through the same issues as me. I'd think having that insight could be a much more valuable resource!
HechingerEd Blog | Can Twitter replace traditional professional development?
I like that PD development could become more instantaneous via applications like Twitter and Facebook. Reaching out to the education community in real time about real issues in my classroom seems like a much more useful way of honing my skills as opposed to those 6 hour professional development days. While PD days often times cover interesting topics, it sometimes feels like learning in a vacuum - talking about things out of context, just to talk about them. Talking about things that COULD happen can't be the most effective way of expanding a teacher's repertoire... I'd much rather hear from someone who is going through the same issues as me. I'd think having that insight could be a much more valuable resource!
The Great Digital Divide Debate
Another interesting article on my go-to blog of choice, the HechingerEd blog:
HechingerEd Blog | Online tests and the digital divide: Will poor children be left behind?
This post relates to what came up the very first week of my 21st Century Skills class, expecting technology skill sis all well and good, but not all students have access to computers! Unfortunately not everyone has access to computers in schools, or at home. How are these students expected to have the same level of information and technology literacy as students with more widespread access? It is an issue that is going to continue to plague us as we head toward the next big revolution in our education system.
HechingerEd Blog | Online tests and the digital divide: Will poor children be left behind?
This post relates to what came up the very first week of my 21st Century Skills class, expecting technology skill sis all well and good, but not all students have access to computers! Unfortunately not everyone has access to computers in schools, or at home. How are these students expected to have the same level of information and technology literacy as students with more widespread access? It is an issue that is going to continue to plague us as we head toward the next big revolution in our education system.
Interesting Math Site
I just came across an interesting site after reading an article on how professional development may be changing... (The HechingerEd blog keeps me in the loop of all the goings on in the world of education.) This blurb by Sarah Garland caught my eye, so I had to check out the site:
One new program that presenters promoted, LessonSketch, uses cartoon simulations to demonstrate teaching skills, complete with thought-bubbles hovering over cartoon-teachers as they instruct cartoon-students. Unlike in a real classroom, the simulations can offer “Choose Your Own Adventure” options, where the teacher might make one choice and face a series of classroom consequences, or make another with a different set of outcomes.
The site seems to be more user friendly than Kahn Academy, but is limited in topics. If you teach math, or know a struggling student, the site may be worth a visit!
One new program that presenters promoted, LessonSketch, uses cartoon simulations to demonstrate teaching skills, complete with thought-bubbles hovering over cartoon-teachers as they instruct cartoon-students. Unlike in a real classroom, the simulations can offer “Choose Your Own Adventure” options, where the teacher might make one choice and face a series of classroom consequences, or make another with a different set of outcomes.
The site seems to be more user friendly than Kahn Academy, but is limited in topics. If you teach math, or know a struggling student, the site may be worth a visit!
Saturday, July 28, 2012
A wise lady once said...
It doesn't matter how much you know as long as you know where to find answers.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Another useful web 2.0 site
Another interactive web tool I have used in my classroom is http://www.visuwords.com/. Visuwords is a cool tool that gets kids excited about exploring vocabulary, which isn't the easiest thing in the world! It is basically a graphic dictionary/thesaurus. You can type in any word you want and then watch as related words pop up and a visual map is created that identifies related words and concepts, while also giving definitions and examples of proper usage when you use your mouse to hover over words. My students loved watching the graphics expand and shift while interacting with the word maps generated by this web site.
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| Check out this example I created for the word eloquent, so you can get an idea of how it works! |
Khan Academy - love it or hate it, it's a useful tool
Khan Academy got pushed into the public eye with its semi-recent 60 Minutes segment. I came across it when brushing up on a bit of high school geometry. For my brain, it worked well. Search for a topic, watch a video, and then practice the concept... How coud that be a bad thing?
Visitors flock to http://www.khanacademy.org/ for the 3000+ instructional videos across most academic subjects. I have found the most helpful section to be math. The site offers videos that break down just about any mathematical concept you can think of and then offer interactive practice, which include video reminder prompts if you are stuck.
I think this could be very beneficial for students. Whether you introduce topics in class with these videos, or offer them as review before an assessment, the site provides another way to access content. Teachers can try a variety of teaching methods in a class, this site simply provides another avenue for delivering a lesson. Like any other means of instruction, it has pros and cons. Some brains will take to it, some won't. Modern education is all about exposing students to different viewpoints and ways of doing things and then letting the students themselves determine what works best for them, interactive web sites aren't any different!
Visitors flock to http://www.khanacademy.org/ for the 3000+ instructional videos across most academic subjects. I have found the most helpful section to be math. The site offers videos that break down just about any mathematical concept you can think of and then offer interactive practice, which include video reminder prompts if you are stuck.
I think this could be very beneficial for students. Whether you introduce topics in class with these videos, or offer them as review before an assessment, the site provides another way to access content. Teachers can try a variety of teaching methods in a class, this site simply provides another avenue for delivering a lesson. Like any other means of instruction, it has pros and cons. Some brains will take to it, some won't. Modern education is all about exposing students to different viewpoints and ways of doing things and then letting the students themselves determine what works best for them, interactive web sites aren't any different!
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