Using a podcast or vodcast in the classroom is effective if it is used the right way. This may not be the answer for all, but can reach out to some students. The article and study brought up several good points. I took 3 away that are meaningful or important to me and can relate them to what I would use this tool for in my classroom.
The first small, but very important point I liked was the fact that the podcast was less about learning strictly from listening to it. More is learned through the creation of the podcast. I think that this is very true. If a student listens to a podcast or a vodcast they may like seeing the visuals and learning some facts, but that is more like lecturing with a visual. It is the actual making of the podcast that the students learn from. They need to research and organize the information. In a way they are teaching which is again related back to the theory that we learn by teaching others. The students need to know the content that they are putting into the podcast. In my classroom I think this is how I would use the tool rather than me create one to share with the class. It makes it more interactive.
The second important point builds on the first point. The article discussed the theory behind the creation of the podcast. It builds collaborative and cooperative group work skills. In doing projects like this the students are working together and creating as a group. This allows for social interaction and each member may bring something new to the table. Knowledge building in the creation of the podcast is also based on the theory. In order to create one a student must not only build there knowledge of the process and use of technology, but more importantly the content. There is a great amount of knowledge that will be created in the process of doing an activity like this. Having the students create a podcast takes the level of learning deeper and allows them to sort of take control of it rather than a teacher delivering materials.
The third point that I took from this article I choose because it began to give me ideas for my classroom. They discussed the use of dialogue that occurs during the development of a podcast and the use of scripts with spontaneous talking. I really like this because it provides a way for a teacher to allow students to run with a topic and have a discussion with their peers. If an interview is used the students will need to know their material to be able to answer questions. It sometimes may be more effective than a script. It seems that the use in this way may support them to retain the information longer and think about it on a different level. This made me want to try this. I like the idea of using the interviews because it adds an interesting element to presenting and discussing information. It is also a way that I could assess what the students know.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Vodcast Ideas
1. Electricity- The vodcast would demonstrate making a complete circuit series and/or parallel. I would include the parts and show how to put each together to make the circuit.
2. Ecology- The vodcast would highlight the essential things that animals need to survive in a habitat. I would include pictures and words to explain what is needed and why.
3. English- The vodcast would define verbs and show different pictures and words that demonstrate action.
2. Ecology- The vodcast would highlight the essential things that animals need to survive in a habitat. I would include pictures and words to explain what is needed and why.
3. English- The vodcast would define verbs and show different pictures and words that demonstrate action.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
21st Century Skills and My School
The school that I currently work at does incorporate the 21st century skills in some different ways, but on different levels.
The Digital Age-The digital aspect of the skills is Incorporated through the district. We have computers and technology that is available. The students do take computer classes and develop their skills through these technologies. There is always room to improve and expand on this area due to the constant change and the cost to incorporate these skills. The multicultural aspect is addressed whenever possible through the school, but of course this is a skill that comes through a lot of students personal life experiences.
Inventive Thinking-I think that inventive thinking is an area that doesn't lie so much on the district as it does on the teacher. My view of the school that I am in is that it does incorporate these skills, but that is because I choose to use them in my personal teaching. The district does incorporate workshops and always supplies ideas for best practices that use these skills, but I really think that to incorporate these skills it must be a part of ones own philosophies of teaching. The skills are there through the projects I do such as allowing for a student to approach a project in their own creative way. Whenever possible I try not give them complete direction and let the student use their thinking and ideas.
Effective Communication- This is another area that I feel is not a sole responsibility of the district, but relies on beliefs. My district promotes these ideas and encourage teachers to use these skills in their planning. Whenever possible we have time to collaborate with one another, which is what we want to encourage students to do. I recently had to participate in a "learning walk" which Incorporated these skills. This was a team building expieriance and it was a way to develop this area as teachers and really collaborate. These skills for students can be incorporated through different activities and projects in the classroom.
High Productivity- This area is covered more through the district. They set the bar for what needs to be accomplished. The teacher is the one that has to instill these values on the students though. If a teacher allows for students to work on several projects at once they will quickly learn how to prioritize and produce quality work in a timely manner. I do think that sometimes this skill can cause a problem because of society's demand to get things done fast. It does become an issue because everything feels so rushed and sometimes children can't be rushed like an adult can. I think this is a skill that needs to develop with maturity.
So overall, I do think that my school is promoting these skills. They are making us aware of them through different school actives, the curriculum, team building among teachers and suggestions. The big problem with it is that it is really something that I think is determined by the teacher. A teacher that chooses to have students use technology, work in groups, be creative, think outside the box, and manage time incorporates these skills. The only problem is that some do not believe in these approaches. So I guess the question is how can districts get all teachers to move towards incorporating these goals?
The Digital Age-The digital aspect of the skills is Incorporated through the district. We have computers and technology that is available. The students do take computer classes and develop their skills through these technologies. There is always room to improve and expand on this area due to the constant change and the cost to incorporate these skills. The multicultural aspect is addressed whenever possible through the school, but of course this is a skill that comes through a lot of students personal life experiences.
Inventive Thinking-I think that inventive thinking is an area that doesn't lie so much on the district as it does on the teacher. My view of the school that I am in is that it does incorporate these skills, but that is because I choose to use them in my personal teaching. The district does incorporate workshops and always supplies ideas for best practices that use these skills, but I really think that to incorporate these skills it must be a part of ones own philosophies of teaching. The skills are there through the projects I do such as allowing for a student to approach a project in their own creative way. Whenever possible I try not give them complete direction and let the student use their thinking and ideas.
Effective Communication- This is another area that I feel is not a sole responsibility of the district, but relies on beliefs. My district promotes these ideas and encourage teachers to use these skills in their planning. Whenever possible we have time to collaborate with one another, which is what we want to encourage students to do. I recently had to participate in a "learning walk" which Incorporated these skills. This was a team building expieriance and it was a way to develop this area as teachers and really collaborate. These skills for students can be incorporated through different activities and projects in the classroom.
High Productivity- This area is covered more through the district. They set the bar for what needs to be accomplished. The teacher is the one that has to instill these values on the students though. If a teacher allows for students to work on several projects at once they will quickly learn how to prioritize and produce quality work in a timely manner. I do think that sometimes this skill can cause a problem because of society's demand to get things done fast. It does become an issue because everything feels so rushed and sometimes children can't be rushed like an adult can. I think this is a skill that needs to develop with maturity.
So overall, I do think that my school is promoting these skills. They are making us aware of them through different school actives, the curriculum, team building among teachers and suggestions. The big problem with it is that it is really something that I think is determined by the teacher. A teacher that chooses to have students use technology, work in groups, be creative, think outside the box, and manage time incorporates these skills. The only problem is that some do not believe in these approaches. So I guess the question is how can districts get all teachers to move towards incorporating these goals?
Thursday, July 2, 2009
How can educators be suure to use interactive communication tools to their best potential? (3 ideas)
Communication tools are not effective unless they are used the right way. One way to ensure that the tool is used correctly is related to planning and then to reflecting. It is crucial that teachers don't just throw up a presentation to read word for word to the students. It is much more effective to have the tool become part of the lesson and develop discussion and support thinking. After practice the teacher should reflect on the situation and see you to change the tool to make it more interactive and engage the students.
Specifically, in a lesson a second way to make the tool effective is to use it as a display for student ideas. Using inspiration is one of the greatest ways to involve students. In a classroom without a smart board we have the students discuss and come up with ideas. If the ideas are not written down it makes it difficult to remember what was said and change ideas. With the use of the tool the teacher is able to have the students decide what to say, come up and write/type it and actually relate it and move it around. This creates a visual for the student that is a visual learner. It also reaches out to the person that is an active learner. It lends an opportunity for the teacher to prompt students to use their critical thinking skills and think about the responses that they had and analyze them rather than just recall them.
While great planning, practice and reflecting really make the board useful another specific way that I think the interactive board is effective in the classroom is that it allows for immediate feedback. For example, there are so many times in the day that students start to think about a certain subject and develop questions about that particular subject. If I were working to present and discuss insects on the white board and a student asks a question that they have really thought about and would like to know the answer and I don't know it, I can use the board right on the spot. I have found that this happens so often and it is always something that we will have to look up later and then it is forgotten or I have run to the computer to find out when there is free time. Being able to look something up on the spot provides a response or at least shows an attempt and may encourage students to want to find out more. It then involves them as thinkers and they may also be the ones to help search. This can lead to the interactive white board as a great resource and also as a motivational tool, leaving students questioning and thinking more in depth.
So, for a teacher to use the board for his or her best potential there a combination of things that must happen. They must plan, practice and reflect in order to use the board the right way. They must involve students, like having the students develop ideas for inspiration and support their ideas and move things around. They must also use all of the available resources that the board has to offer, such as looking something up for immediate feedback, creating a class chart in excel or showing a video clip to use for discussion.
Specifically, in a lesson a second way to make the tool effective is to use it as a display for student ideas. Using inspiration is one of the greatest ways to involve students. In a classroom without a smart board we have the students discuss and come up with ideas. If the ideas are not written down it makes it difficult to remember what was said and change ideas. With the use of the tool the teacher is able to have the students decide what to say, come up and write/type it and actually relate it and move it around. This creates a visual for the student that is a visual learner. It also reaches out to the person that is an active learner. It lends an opportunity for the teacher to prompt students to use their critical thinking skills and think about the responses that they had and analyze them rather than just recall them.
While great planning, practice and reflecting really make the board useful another specific way that I think the interactive board is effective in the classroom is that it allows for immediate feedback. For example, there are so many times in the day that students start to think about a certain subject and develop questions about that particular subject. If I were working to present and discuss insects on the white board and a student asks a question that they have really thought about and would like to know the answer and I don't know it, I can use the board right on the spot. I have found that this happens so often and it is always something that we will have to look up later and then it is forgotten or I have run to the computer to find out when there is free time. Being able to look something up on the spot provides a response or at least shows an attempt and may encourage students to want to find out more. It then involves them as thinkers and they may also be the ones to help search. This can lead to the interactive white board as a great resource and also as a motivational tool, leaving students questioning and thinking more in depth.
So, for a teacher to use the board for his or her best potential there a combination of things that must happen. They must plan, practice and reflect in order to use the board the right way. They must involve students, like having the students develop ideas for inspiration and support their ideas and move things around. They must also use all of the available resources that the board has to offer, such as looking something up for immediate feedback, creating a class chart in excel or showing a video clip to use for discussion.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Do interactive communication tools lead to interactive learning?
Through experiencing the interactive white board today, reading the article and discussions during class I believe that the actual tool does not lead to interactive learning. I think this because it is a tool and only a tool to teach. It is the role of the teacher to lead the interactive learning. Anyone can come up and push buttons, but it is really the discussion, reflecting, questioning and analyzing that leads to the interaction. It is important for teachers to remember that the interactive white board and the PowerPoint presentation is not the teacher. The teacher and the students are what makes learning happen. It may encourage teachers to think about incorporating interaction, but it does not complete the job for them. I think this is why in some cases teachers fall into the trap of lecturing even though they think that they are not because they are using some form of an interactive tool.
What 3 key concepts or ideas did you learn? (whiteboard article)
After reading the article about the interactive whiteboards I began to think of many problems and benefits of using them in the classroom. One point that I took away from this article is the idea that questioning is important. The article discussed the speed that they are used at and if the questions that are used during presentations on them are higher level. I thought about this trap that a teacher can fall into. I can see how this would happen while using the white boards. It is important to not only question students for recall, but make them think and allow time to respond and discuss. With this being said, I think that I would try to find ways to incorporate the technology to prompt discussion and activities based on the basic questions and ideas that can easily be presented. It reminds me of any form of teaching, interactive white board or not, it is what the teacher does to allow the students to begin taking control of their thinking. This is why the use of questioning and questioning choices is so important to the use of interactive white boards.
A second idea presented in the article is related to the first idea. Reflecting on what the technology is being used for is essential. It is important to stop and think after using the white boards to determine if it is just a lecture tool and basically notes or if it is really enhancing the students learning. Along with this point I find that I am reflecting on today's experiences in the classroom with the white boards. As a first time attempt I did not even realize the potential that the different tools have. I was thinking more along the lines of showing a PowerPoint and not stopping and utilizing the tools to make the lesson more effective. As others shared their lessons I began to see how the tool can actually involve students and promote discussion rather than just presenting material. I think that it is important to reflect in order to grow as a teacher.
One last idea that I felt strongly about is also very related to the above. The idea that training is not a way to learn the potential of the interactive white board. It is essential to reflect and also experience. We always try to promote this idea of learning by doing in the classroom and as teachers it is essential as well. I feel that it would take a great amount of effort to perfect the use of the tool, but in the end the outcome will be successful if the students are truly interactive, not only with the tool, but in class discussions and thinking as well. This may be frustrating for some and I'm sure it will be for me as well, but practicing and exploring is really the only way to learn how to use it, not to watch how to use it.
A second idea presented in the article is related to the first idea. Reflecting on what the technology is being used for is essential. It is important to stop and think after using the white boards to determine if it is just a lecture tool and basically notes or if it is really enhancing the students learning. Along with this point I find that I am reflecting on today's experiences in the classroom with the white boards. As a first time attempt I did not even realize the potential that the different tools have. I was thinking more along the lines of showing a PowerPoint and not stopping and utilizing the tools to make the lesson more effective. As others shared their lessons I began to see how the tool can actually involve students and promote discussion rather than just presenting material. I think that it is important to reflect in order to grow as a teacher.
One last idea that I felt strongly about is also very related to the above. The idea that training is not a way to learn the potential of the interactive white board. It is essential to reflect and also experience. We always try to promote this idea of learning by doing in the classroom and as teachers it is essential as well. I feel that it would take a great amount of effort to perfect the use of the tool, but in the end the outcome will be successful if the students are truly interactive, not only with the tool, but in class discussions and thinking as well. This may be frustrating for some and I'm sure it will be for me as well, but practicing and exploring is really the only way to learn how to use it, not to watch how to use it.
John Dewey- Chapter 1 (3 important points and why)
In chapter one of John Dewey's Democracy of Education there are many ideas about life and education. The first important point is in the first section of the chapter, Renewal of Life by Transmission. Education is needed to continue on with life. This is important because as we grow we need to adapt to different struggles in order to survive and continue. Education is needed to help us grow and adapt. As we adapt we mature and change over time. As time progresses everything and everyone gets more complex. This is evident in education, which has changed and become more complex in order to continue changing with the times.
The second important point is related to communication. Communication is related to having things in common. We depend on others to learn, grow and accomplish things in life. In education we have a community and depend on one another to learn. (teacher to teacher or student to teacher...) Communication is important and needed in order to learn and survive.
The last important point in the chapter is related to keeping things balanced. This brings up questions of what should be taught and by whom. There are some things that are the responsibility of the school and some that are the responsibility of a parent or the outside world. It is important to decided what happens when and where. If there were no balance the responsibility falls too much on one side. Since the world is changing these responsibilities have changed in different ways and in different places.
The second important point is related to communication. Communication is related to having things in common. We depend on others to learn, grow and accomplish things in life. In education we have a community and depend on one another to learn. (teacher to teacher or student to teacher...) Communication is important and needed in order to learn and survive.
The last important point in the chapter is related to keeping things balanced. This brings up questions of what should be taught and by whom. There are some things that are the responsibility of the school and some that are the responsibility of a parent or the outside world. It is important to decided what happens when and where. If there were no balance the responsibility falls too much on one side. Since the world is changing these responsibilities have changed in different ways and in different places.
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