To be honest, I have been extremely busy and unable to keep up on my network obligations. I intend to keep this blog up once I have some free time. We have all been in this spot before where we learn something new and then want to share it with everyone. The only constraint is time because I have the internet, I have the know how, and I have the access. If you have an amazing way for me to keep up, please tell me and I will gladly share and continue to keep this work in progress going.
Thanks for checking in, whoever you are.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Monday, November 8, 2010
A Big Thanks
I have to say that I was impressed by The Social Networking in the History Classroom presentation that I attended today. Two teachers collaborated with their curriculum and their classrooms to create an impressive Edmodo network site for their students. You can tell by viewing their work that they had put a lot of effort and time into it and are also getting the results that they were looking for.
This presentation from Mary Helen Diegel and Kelly Eddy made me proud of what teachers can do when given the rights tools and permission to use them. I had to write this impression down because I wanted to include their ideas on this blog. They also handed out a large handout filled with digital source material for teachers that also included informational pieces and testimonials from the teachers who use them.
I hope to include this large link list here so that it may be accessible by anyone wishing to partake.
This presentation from Mary Helen Diegel and Kelly Eddy made me proud of what teachers can do when given the rights tools and permission to use them. I had to write this impression down because I wanted to include their ideas on this blog. They also handed out a large handout filled with digital source material for teachers that also included informational pieces and testimonials from the teachers who use them.
I hope to include this large link list here so that it may be accessible by anyone wishing to partake.
MCSS Presentation
Here is the presentation that I have been working on for the MCSS Fall Conference 2010. The Title of the Presentation is Convergence: Teaching History in the Digital Media Age
Powerpoint of Convergence and The Digital Age
Powerpoint of Convergence and The Digital Age
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Media Convergence in the Digital Age
There is a lot of ground to cover when speaking to that title. Although, many of us are aware that my first statement really does not conceptualize the terms Convergence and Digital, we still understand what the underlying meaning is. You simply cannot mention those terms without having to give more validity to how we understand our world today. This posting cannot cover everything that went into making our digital age what it is. You have to first list the items that contributed to it such as WiFi, 4G, and the Internet. Then you have to get into the other work put into those items by the people, countries, and companies that made them possible.
The internet is not a series of tubes as some senators would have you believe. The before mentioned items are not recent developments in technology, they are simply the most recent ones made available to the general public for consumption. Many of these items have existed for more than 20 years but have just gotten better with age. What is said, pictured, and written can be found on almost any device with access to the internet. This type of information is not only available to those in North America, it is available and taken from all parts of the world.
How does this apply to today's student? A valid question when thinking about how to teach them. There is a lot to consider when you realize that many students have way more access than our schools will allow. They have way more spare time when you also consider the amount of time it takes to get this information. Most of us grew up having to look up information in a book within the confines of a school or public library. This was time consuming. Many of us still take delight in this process. Our students do not and you know this to be true when you do a traditional research project.
So, back to the question, How does this apply to today's student? Media is all around our students and sometimes right in their pockets. Should we consider accessing this more often to inform them more on how to use it? Should we also be the navigators of this information so the students are learning what is correct and incorrect on the internet? Should school districts take a good look at their budgets for technology and consider the use of a textbook in the future?
Unfortunately, I do not have all the answers. I just see a real need for Teachers to increase the awareness of the age we live in and use it more effectively in and out of the classroom. Education is within a paradigm whose shift may need a tsunami to effectively catch us up to our students.
The internet is not a series of tubes as some senators would have you believe. The before mentioned items are not recent developments in technology, they are simply the most recent ones made available to the general public for consumption. Many of these items have existed for more than 20 years but have just gotten better with age. What is said, pictured, and written can be found on almost any device with access to the internet. This type of information is not only available to those in North America, it is available and taken from all parts of the world.
How does this apply to today's student? A valid question when thinking about how to teach them. There is a lot to consider when you realize that many students have way more access than our schools will allow. They have way more spare time when you also consider the amount of time it takes to get this information. Most of us grew up having to look up information in a book within the confines of a school or public library. This was time consuming. Many of us still take delight in this process. Our students do not and you know this to be true when you do a traditional research project.
So, back to the question, How does this apply to today's student? Media is all around our students and sometimes right in their pockets. Should we consider accessing this more often to inform them more on how to use it? Should we also be the navigators of this information so the students are learning what is correct and incorrect on the internet? Should school districts take a good look at their budgets for technology and consider the use of a textbook in the future?
Unfortunately, I do not have all the answers. I just see a real need for Teachers to increase the awareness of the age we live in and use it more effectively in and out of the classroom. Education is within a paradigm whose shift may need a tsunami to effectively catch us up to our students.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Screencasting away
Well, the larger lesson is more f0r my colleagues who continually ask me for help with a variety of software. I would love to make a resource file on our shared network with instructional videos for all of the software that we share.
I would create tips for PowerPoints, how to use Novell email efficiently, tricks for Microsoft word, and how to use the Pinnacle grading program. All of these programs are simple to me because I take my time in learning them, but I would love a faster way to share this knowledge that can be played back at any time even if I am not around. My schedule is so hectic already and I truly want to help. I just don't have the time and this would give me that time.
I would create tips for PowerPoints, how to use Novell email efficiently, tricks for Microsoft word, and how to use the Pinnacle grading program. All of these programs are simple to me because I take my time in learning them, but I would love a faster way to share this knowledge that can be played back at any time even if I am not around. My schedule is so hectic already and I truly want to help. I just don't have the time and this would give me that time.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Week 11- Comparisons
The reading this week highlighted many things for me. There are an incredible amount of meetings, PD's, and workshops that I have attended this year and it is not over yet. I am also a team leader who mentors other teachers who are not tenured yet. So the professors and I have some commonalities.
How does this chapter relate to other ones? Well, each chapter deals with the processes used by all levels and how they are used to create a successful environment. They all credit ID for the process. They all see mentoring and leaders as a key components. They all rely on data to measure success. Sounds easier when I explain it this way. It also sounds like these components take little to no time to use.
Well, time is the one constant that is not easily attained. Each chapter depicts time as something that changes depending on the goals. Timelines are given, but they vary on which institution you belong to. The business community does not have the luxury of a long timeline while schools and universities have more leverage. Accountability increases and decreases a timeline depending on your profession.
Schools and universities are now losing the battle with time because the business model is being used. Most experts state that schools need 3-5 years to make something work or to get measurable results. This is something that I have learned as a part of our school reform. The business model usually does not allow for this because it means failure. Businesses cannot improve themselves in that time frame without losing to their competitors.
Ok, so maybe I went off on a tangent that relates mostly to me. It had to be stated because I feel each of these chapters have valid points and finding the connects is also valid. There is so much brought to the table of ID, who can honestly ignore the value of each.
How does this chapter relate to other ones? Well, each chapter deals with the processes used by all levels and how they are used to create a successful environment. They all credit ID for the process. They all see mentoring and leaders as a key components. They all rely on data to measure success. Sounds easier when I explain it this way. It also sounds like these components take little to no time to use.
Well, time is the one constant that is not easily attained. Each chapter depicts time as something that changes depending on the goals. Timelines are given, but they vary on which institution you belong to. The business community does not have the luxury of a long timeline while schools and universities have more leverage. Accountability increases and decreases a timeline depending on your profession.
Schools and universities are now losing the battle with time because the business model is being used. Most experts state that schools need 3-5 years to make something work or to get measurable results. This is something that I have learned as a part of our school reform. The business model usually does not allow for this because it means failure. Businesses cannot improve themselves in that time frame without losing to their competitors.
Ok, so maybe I went off on a tangent that relates mostly to me. It had to be stated because I feel each of these chapters have valid points and finding the connects is also valid. There is so much brought to the table of ID, who can honestly ignore the value of each.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Lesson Ideas
Google Map 1- Michigan
My thoughts for a lesson plan include a college tour and measuring out distances from their homes to their college of choice. I would also want them to transfer the map into Google Earth to get a layout of the land and apply labels. I would also have them search out my favorite places in Michigan. I have found that many of my students have limited knowledge of the state they live in because the last place that they learned about it was in elementary school.
Google Map 2- Hiroshima, Japan
Obvious lesson plan, but I think it would be great for them to research the blast pattern of the atom bomb with a modern map. They would use old photos of the blast pattern and apply them to the new map. The objective is to study the destructive force of the atom bomb and what the recovery of Hiroshima would have looked like using Google Earth photos. There will be many photos of the aftermath to be used also and many statistics about the fallout and the toll it played on the citizens.
My thoughts for a lesson plan include a college tour and measuring out distances from their homes to their college of choice. I would also want them to transfer the map into Google Earth to get a layout of the land and apply labels. I would also have them search out my favorite places in Michigan. I have found that many of my students have limited knowledge of the state they live in because the last place that they learned about it was in elementary school.
Google Map 2- Hiroshima, Japan
Obvious lesson plan, but I think it would be great for them to research the blast pattern of the atom bomb with a modern map. They would use old photos of the blast pattern and apply them to the new map. The objective is to study the destructive force of the atom bomb and what the recovery of Hiroshima would have looked like using Google Earth photos. There will be many photos of the aftermath to be used also and many statistics about the fallout and the toll it played on the citizens.
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