There is a very healthy overall attitude toward using technology at Sitka High School. Mikolas and Joe are helpful and supportive. I have taken several classes over to the computer rooms for various projects and it is easy to sign up and find an available time. Because there are ample computers available you can have an average size class in the room and if there are a few students that come in and need to use computers for a project there are usually computers available. And there are computers in the library. I think that this willingness to spend money to make sure there are enough computers available is a good sign. The only thing that could be better would be one computer at each desk. This would be handy and useful but is not necessary when access to computers is readily available.
When I take a class to work on a project I find it a little worrisome that while most students are either e-mailing their work to their homes or saving it on a flash drive to work on at home, there are still too many students that do not have this luxury.
It is a luxury for some students and the problem is that it puts them behind and stifles their ability to keep up. It also seems to do something to their attitude about the work. The other minor flaw as I see it is that while the tech support is fantastic, I find it a little random in terms of access and this is no ones fault in particular, but rather a system thing and is actually not that difficult to work with. try this link
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Monday, September 17, 2007
listen to the natives
Jeff Glase jglase@mail.uas.alaska.edu 9-17-07
Listen to the Natives by: Marc Prensky
In the magazine piece Going Native Marc Prensky talks about today’s student being digital natives and compares them to those people who weren’t born into the digital world,he calls these people digital immigrants. It is time to shift gears and move teaching into the 21st century by starting to use tools like cell phones to do things like help students access language or vocabulary training. And maybe even have teachers deliver interactive lessons over cell phones. His idea is to compact legacy knowledge lessons to make room for 21st century learning. The idea that teachers are out of touch with student’s interest and needs in the digital world is emphasized in the quote that he uses from Henry Kelly, president of American Federation of Teachers, “the cookies on my daughter’s computer know more about her interests than her teachers do.”
REFERENCE POINTS:
1. Prensky believes that teachers must practice putting engagement before content when teaching.
2. Educators should take cues from students’ 21st century innovations and behaviors.
3. Student collaboration with teachers is important. Students should collaborate on everything including curriculum.
4. A web cam in every room to show parents what really is going on?
5. Personalized instruction, adaptive lessons geared to individual students’ abilities rate of learning would be possible with modern computers.
Not only is this a statement about how educators need to be aware of the digital world and learn how to incorporate digital technology into the classroom, but he also incorporates an education philosophy. The ideas of curriculum collaboration with students are a somewhat progressive philosophy. I think this is useful because in the digital realm the students may have a better idea of what will work for them, and so some collaboration could be a positive development. I especially like the idea of computerized adaptive lessons and testing. A computer that would instantly figure out a students learning abilities while they are using it is something I would be using right now if I had the capability and tools. This type of learning tool would fit nicely into today’s multi-cultural and multi-level classrooms. If I had access to cell phones that could help users access language or vocabulary training I would try to incorporate it into my curriculum. I know something like this would take several years to figure out and implement, but I think it could be very useful and very engaging for today’s students.
Listen to the Natives by: Marc Prensky
In the magazine piece Going Native Marc Prensky talks about today’s student being digital natives and compares them to those people who weren’t born into the digital world,he calls these people digital immigrants. It is time to shift gears and move teaching into the 21st century by starting to use tools like cell phones to do things like help students access language or vocabulary training. And maybe even have teachers deliver interactive lessons over cell phones. His idea is to compact legacy knowledge lessons to make room for 21st century learning. The idea that teachers are out of touch with student’s interest and needs in the digital world is emphasized in the quote that he uses from Henry Kelly, president of American Federation of Teachers, “the cookies on my daughter’s computer know more about her interests than her teachers do.”
REFERENCE POINTS:
1. Prensky believes that teachers must practice putting engagement before content when teaching.
2. Educators should take cues from students’ 21st century innovations and behaviors.
3. Student collaboration with teachers is important. Students should collaborate on everything including curriculum.
4. A web cam in every room to show parents what really is going on?
5. Personalized instruction, adaptive lessons geared to individual students’ abilities rate of learning would be possible with modern computers.
Not only is this a statement about how educators need to be aware of the digital world and learn how to incorporate digital technology into the classroom, but he also incorporates an education philosophy. The ideas of curriculum collaboration with students are a somewhat progressive philosophy. I think this is useful because in the digital realm the students may have a better idea of what will work for them, and so some collaboration could be a positive development. I especially like the idea of computerized adaptive lessons and testing. A computer that would instantly figure out a students learning abilities while they are using it is something I would be using right now if I had the capability and tools. This type of learning tool would fit nicely into today’s multi-cultural and multi-level classrooms. If I had access to cell phones that could help users access language or vocabulary training I would try to incorporate it into my curriculum. I know something like this would take several years to figure out and implement, but I think it could be very useful and very engaging for today’s students.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
EPIC 2015
This is a total freak out to me. I mean it's overwhelming. One hundred years from now, are countries going to invade other countries digitally or actually physically take over countries to gain access to their digital information. Yeah, well what about back in 1907, who thought we would be laser guiding missiles on one middle east country just to drive it out of another middle east country? Just for oil.
The idea of podcasting classroom information seems to be the most interesting and practical. Think about the possibility of never having to meet in a classroom. This makes sense as the classroom environment, especially for High School, is one of the most absurd environments I can think of, it makes more sense to hold classes in a mosh pit, or maybe in a place like the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange. But if teachers could podcast lessons to students on a daily basis and then maybe meet students individually or in small groups for those that have questions or want to talk about the lessons- WOW.
The other idea of the possibility of news being brought to you by so many different podcast that is actually verifiable, and who would have thought of this: objective
The question is not whether all of this is the thing of the future, but more like when does the school yard bully show up? I'm talking about the corporate Orcas cruising the waters looking to gobble up the little morsels of digital seals, and then turning all the good free stuff into some kind of fee based system.
The idea of podcasting classroom information seems to be the most interesting and practical. Think about the possibility of never having to meet in a classroom. This makes sense as the classroom environment, especially for High School, is one of the most absurd environments I can think of, it makes more sense to hold classes in a mosh pit, or maybe in a place like the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange. But if teachers could podcast lessons to students on a daily basis and then maybe meet students individually or in small groups for those that have questions or want to talk about the lessons- WOW.
The other idea of the possibility of news being brought to you by so many different podcast that is actually verifiable, and who would have thought of this: objective
The question is not whether all of this is the thing of the future, but more like when does the school yard bully show up? I'm talking about the corporate Orcas cruising the waters looking to gobble up the little morsels of digital seals, and then turning all the good free stuff into some kind of fee based system.
Monday, September 3, 2007
Hannah the Fox
This is a charming and nice example of real time story telling with a wonderful message that is founded in a native culture/modern fairy tale style. It is something that can reach people of all ages, which is a wonderful thing. This would have met all my grading expectations if I had assigned it to anybody. It's easy to follow, pleasant to watch, with the wonderful drawings in the background, and no cha cha cha music. It's the kind of production that didn't try to appease young peoples random abstract brain neuron pathway receptors by using half second cuts and screeching visuals. But the beauty of the whole thing is that it is an old type of story told using modern technology but still moving in real time, it's a beautiful thing.
Get on the metaphor train
Metaphor Train
It was probably a lot of fun for the kids to make this video. It seemed a somewhat frivolous exercise, but the kinesthetic aspect; the kids with arms on each other shoulders simulating a train is a nice physical example for them in terms of a train analogy/ metaphor. I suspect they had a minimal amount of work on producing and creating the video. But still it's a worthy cause to get fourth graders to understand metaphor, even if it takes such a huge production. I actually liked the first two minutes or so, minus the techno music shtick. Like most pieces of prose it became a little too fluffed up and I hit the peak of the content curve quickly, but I suppose that wouldn't be the case with fourth graders. The first part with the text overlay was effective and worthwhile and had the most meaningful learning content, the rest was just playing around. Still if I were grading it I would give it a top mark.
It was probably a lot of fun for the kids to make this video. It seemed a somewhat frivolous exercise, but the kinesthetic aspect; the kids with arms on each other shoulders simulating a train is a nice physical example for them in terms of a train analogy/ metaphor. I suspect they had a minimal amount of work on producing and creating the video. But still it's a worthy cause to get fourth graders to understand metaphor, even if it takes such a huge production. I actually liked the first two minutes or so, minus the techno music shtick. Like most pieces of prose it became a little too fluffed up and I hit the peak of the content curve quickly, but I suppose that wouldn't be the case with fourth graders. The first part with the text overlay was effective and worthwhile and had the most meaningful learning content, the rest was just playing around. Still if I were grading it I would give it a top mark.
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