The iSchool Initiative from Travis Allen is great. It outlines all the great ways an iTouch or iPad can be used in a school setting. Travis has great ideas to use these devises in a school setting. He shows some of the apps that can be used. The apps will not only help teachers and students, but these will help parents stay in touch with both. Also I love that this is just a taste of the apps that can be used for students and schools.
I would suggest that iPads be used rather than iTouchs. I think this would make it easier for students to be able to see documents and be able to do work. I think that Travis’s idea of limited internet access is a great idea! I know that with the entire internet at their fingertips students might be tempted to surf when they should be doing schoolwork. Also there needs to be no way for the iTouch or iPad to be linked to the student’s cell phone number. The student then will not be able to receive texts. There also needs to be some way to watch the student’s email because if the students cannot text each other then they will email each other.
Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir - 'Lux Aurumque'
Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir performing 'Lux Aurumque' was amazing. When I found out that all the performers have never met and never performed together, I thought this was a great feat. I was curious how the people were picked to be a part of this project. I looked up Eric Whitacre’s blog to see the answer to my question. He held auditions online. He uploaded a new video recently with 3746 videos from 76 countries.
Teaching in the 21st Century
I thought Kevin Roberts video of Teaching in the 21st Century was interesting. One thing he said that caught my attention was that “Teachers are no longer the main source of information; they are the filter.” I really like this quote. With all the information out there for students, it is hard to decipher which website is telling the truth and which is not. Roberts also makes a good point in that it is not just our job to help students remember. It is also a teacher’s job to help a student understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create as well. Similar to what I am doing as a student in my class now, I would like to incorporate this in my classroom. I would like my students to be able to do their homework online, communicate online, and be completely at ease on a computer. So when it comes time for them to be in a class like EDM 310, they are ready for it or at least have a start since my students are to be elementary students. Yet the way things are changing my classmates and I may be teaching a great more of technology than we realize.
Flipped Classroom
I am so excited about flipped classroom. This is an amazing idea. When a teacher flips his or her classroom, he or she will send videos to the students for them to watch at home. These videos will be the instructional portion of the lesson. The students normally will then complete a couple of questions about the video as well. When the students come into class, they already have knowledge about the lesson and can go into deeper learning, practice problems, and other ways of learning. I would love to do this in my class! I have gone to classrooms and seem the different groups of bored students, challenged students, and confused students especially in a math class. I am glad that Ms. Katie Gimbar put up the FAQ because her first one “What if a student does not watch the video?” was my question. I was surprised when she said she did not have a lot of problems with this. When a student did not watch the video they tended to ask to go watch it before, or if they only watched parts they would normally be peer taught. She did a second part to the question saying to other teachers not to re-lecture. Another question I did not have, but I am glad she covered was “How does this work for all learners?” She mentioned that the high level learners did well because they could move ahead, but the lower level learners were doing better as well because they could pause and rewind the information. I also liked to watch Ms. Munafo video about flipping. It was interesting to see a teacher describing this method for the parents. One thing I want to know is that the boards they are using. I know that the boards can be reused every year, but is there some way to use a smart board or something that is less waste? Another thing I am curious about is whether the school, Hilburn Academy, Ms. Munafo is from has incorporated additional subjects other than math yet.
"...these devises in a school ..." devices, not devises In Great Britain devises is sometimes used for devices but even there I do not think that usage is correct.
ReplyDeleteTravis and his iSchool Initiative team visited with EDM310 this summer. he now is an advocate of the iPad which did not exist when he did his video.
Why are you opposed to student texting and students using email? I see lots of utility for both.
Can you please send me the link to Whitaker's video? I will use it. Thanks.
What is "the truth"? Some philosophers say there is no such thing. Some educators argue that the truth is that the Civil War started when the Confederates fired the shots at Federal ships in Charleston. Others say it started with the importation of slaves or the economic changes that changed a northern agricultural society into a manufacturing economy, or the election of Lincoln, or when the first seven rebelling states declared they were no longer part of the Union but instead had formed The Confederate States of America? The possibilities go on and on. What is the "truth"? Who decides? If i am giving you a grade, I do. If I am a preacher telling you what you should believe, he does. If a female is pregnant and she tells me who the father is, she determine what is "true" (although current science might have a different answer).
You need a better explanation of what flipping a class means. Someone who did not know about flipped classrooms still would not know after reading your post.
Thoughtful. Interesting.
I only think that texting and emailing during class would be a distraction, but I see the potential while doing a group project. Thank you for your help. I emailed you the link.
DeleteHi Maria,
ReplyDeleteI drew your name this week for the blog critique so I will try to be gentle. I really like your blog layout! You've done a lot with it! Maria you are a good writer but you need to proof read your work! You had a number of misspelled words, Dr. Strange pointed out one of the most obvious, and a number of sentences that need to be rewritten. A quick example can be found in the following sentence. I know that with the entire internet at their fingertips would be way to tempting while doing schoolwork or in class. This sentence doesn't make sense. You might rewrite it like this... I know that with the entire internet at their fingertips students might be tempted to surf when they should be doing schoolwork. Hope this has been helpful and not hurtful!
Paul Bedsole
Thank you for your help. I will try to read over my blogs more carefully.
DeleteHi Maria,
ReplyDeleteI'm Cyrus you had some really good ideas especially about the Ipad instead of the Itouch. The only thing I saw wrong was a few misspelled words.Other than that you made valid points on the information that was giving.Keep up the good work.