Communication Class

With all these digital ways to communicate knowledge and interests (social networking, Pinterest, Google Presentations, email, gaming, etc) will students be able to communicate effectively without these? All employers conduct interviews and usually they are face to face. A student communicating digitally throughout school will have the disadvantage. I was thinking that as we incorporate more of this technology into classrooms, we should compensate with teaching social skills and traditional communication. There could be a required speech/journalism class where students do speeches, debate, conduct interviews, and write professional articles. Not only will this help students land jobs, but these skills are also great to establish an inviting society which is productive and professional, full of entertainment, creative ideas, advancements, and thoughtful words.

Social Media, in the classroom?

This is a response to the pros of Social Media in the Classroom. (Read it here: http://campustechnology.com/Articles/2012/01/19/Pros-and-Cons-of-Social-Media-in-the-Classroom.aspx?Page=1) I think these are all good reasons to use social media, but not in the classroom. It should be used before or after class. It can be used in school, at the library, at home, or on mobile. It is a good tool, but it should be limited in the classroom. Using Twitter (or other social media platforms) in class is a distraction. There are too many things on there which will not keep children focused. The classroom time needs to be spent on learning, not digital socializing. Using social media in the classroom comes with many potential problems. How would it be monitored? Students can easily abuse it. There is also the chance of posting something that degrades your character, which especially shouldn't be seen by a potential employer or recruiter.

Flip Teaching Has Flaws

Education reform is needed. Giving kids worksheets that help them pass a standardized test is not working. We know this country is not one of the top in education. It should be. I think Project-Based-Learning is a good approach where you apply the knowledge and skills and learn more (look at http://www.nsgt.org/resources/articles/problem_based_learning.asp). But, what about Flip-Teaching? The students have instruction outside the class and then apply what they've learned in class. Would this work? I think it's a good idea to have them prepared before class, watch videos, rewind and play back at their own pace. But, I think there are major problems. How do you get the students to watch the videos or engage in the instruction? Would assigning some simple questions to answer work? What if they don't have the technology to get the instruction? I have a slow internet connection at home and it makes it hard for me to watch any videos. It just seems like this solution wouldn't work so well.

Subscribe to Comments

I noticed you can subscribe to comments. If you go to layout, you can add a widget on your page that allows people (including yourself) to subscribe to comments. I don't know if you can read it on the blogger page, but you can through Google Reader. I thought this was cool to easily see if people left comments on my page. Another way to subscibe to a comment is under it it says subscribe by email. There might be other things you can do too.

Animoto Video

Watch my video on podcasting (it's only 30 seconds):

Try our slideshow creator at Animoto.

Animoto is cool!

Gamification?

How should technology be used in the classroom? This is a difficult question. There are so many factors. The students, the resources, the subject, etc. But, it is necessary. The students are going to use it anyway. You might as well teach them how to use it effectively for learning. Isn't it the job of the teacher to prepare the students as much as you can for the future? I agree with people who say that students must learn how to evaluate, synthesize, and problem solve. The workforce uses technology, therefore the students must learn how to use it and leverage it. But, how should they use it? Is gamification (using gaming in the classroom) the answer? It is interesting that there is a digital school that incorporates gaming into everything, but is it wasting time? Is it necessary for their engagement? I would have to look into it more. Immersing someone in that culture might not be the answer. Would they know how to interact, communicate, and collaborate without it? I think the answer is to teach students to be critical thinkers and problem solvers by exposing them to a variety of different means.

Word Cloud

I just created a word cloud of my blog on wordle:

This is cool! But, I didn't see an easy way to save it.

Digital Native

After thinking about it and learning more about what comprises a Digital Immigrant, I think I'm a Digital Native. I grew up with a Macintosh Classic at home. Remember those? We learned how to use a mouse. How to click and double click. How to drag. How to open. How to manipulate windows. How to type in a word processor, create graphs, and draw in a paint program. These are all second nature to me that it seems that I'm a Digital Native. I also can think of a way to do something either on the computer or by using technology. A Digital Immigrant does not. A Digital Immigrant would pick up a piece of paper or go ask someone. I think one of the main differences between the two is that a Digital Immigrant has a very hard time figuring out the technology and the Digital Native does it with ease. But, with the technology changing so fast, we are all in a way Digital Immigrants. I don't know all the technology there is out there. There is so much. I'm learning so much in this class. I love it. I hope to be able to use it in my classroom when I am a teacher.

Books

So, this is a technology class and I put books on my background. Hmmm... Well let's talk about books. I thought that video was really funny about the kid trying to click on the picture in the book. Will kids know how to use books anymore if they all use tablets? Would they automatically open it and explore it? There is organization to a book and someone would have to know how to use it. There is a table of contents, an index, glossary, title page, chapters and sections. With ebooks, you can search for a word. You have to do all the searching on your own with a real book. That's something I like about books. You explore and discover info. You come across something you weren't looking for. You come across something that gives you a different perspective or an intuitive idea. You get the whole picture instead of just snippets that you were searching for. Ebooks might minimize time, but not provide the opportunity for contemplation and discovery.