From an outside edublog titled "Free Technology for Teachers" I saw an interesting post pertaining to President's Day. The post was a youtube video of the cartoon "Animaniacs". The video clip was about a 3.5 minute long review of the Presidents of the United States in a song version. Two things came to mind. Keeping up with current events in the classroom and making education interesting for students.
I thought it was great to see a video like this come up when President's Day rolled around. I really like to see people celebrate or at least acknowledge any type of holiday. From an educational standpoint, a video like this can be shown in class or even assigned for students to watch at home as a quick activity to acknowledge President's Day. If the teacher wanted to, they can even attach a small assignment to the notion of President's Day.
I also thought it was a great video to come across because it is educational AND it can be entertaining to students. When training to become teachers we hear so much about making education interesting or making education meaningful to THEM. Videos like this are little things that a teacher can do to fulfill both of those demands. It reviews the history of every President (up to Bill Clinton when the video was made) and does it in a funny way where students will remember.
The link to this blog can be found at
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2011/02/fun-overview-of-us-presidents.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+freetech4teachers%2FcGEY+%28Free+Technology+for+Teachers%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Online Classes...in grade school?
During various projects and assignments throughout my high school and college career, I have come across articles that bring up the idea of having online classes for grades K-12. Online classes have become so popular in college. It is now possible, and has been, to get a college degree without going to class! Personally, since my second or third semester of college, I have always taken an online class each semester. Since starting graduate school, I have taken two online classes each semester. It is definitely a growing phenomenon. Some people enjoy taking online classes while others tend to stay away from them. Is it possible to implement online grade school?
It would definitely be a complicated process to setup an entirely online school. However, I can see where it would have some benefits. One of them is for parents who want their children to be home schooled. Rather than the parent/guardian being the teacher, students can attend an online elementary, middle, or high school. What about students who have had a physical injury and it is difficult for them to move around? This would also be a convenient alternative. What if that student's classroom had a camera setup so that student can "attend" his normal classes. The possibilities of having online class for grade school are endless.
Can anyone think of any other benefits of online grade school?
Do you envision an online grade school in a different way?
It would definitely be a complicated process to setup an entirely online school. However, I can see where it would have some benefits. One of them is for parents who want their children to be home schooled. Rather than the parent/guardian being the teacher, students can attend an online elementary, middle, or high school. What about students who have had a physical injury and it is difficult for them to move around? This would also be a convenient alternative. What if that student's classroom had a camera setup so that student can "attend" his normal classes. The possibilities of having online class for grade school are endless.
Can anyone think of any other benefits of online grade school?
Do you envision an online grade school in a different way?
Friday, February 11, 2011
Using Mobile Phones in the Classroom?
The topic of using mobile phones or smart phones in the classroom has been heating up it seems. I wanted to see everyone's opinion. Certainly, there are positives and negatives to the notion. Both sides of the debate seem to be extreme as well.
On the plus side, allowing students to use smart phones has the possibility of cutting technology costs for the school. Rather than the school providing laptops for everyone or just using the laptops for a day, students can use their phones to do research. They don't even have to connect to the school network. It would also make the laptops that the school has more readily available. With the increase of smart phones at younger ages, the need for a laptop goes down. They can do almost the same thing. Students would also be able to complete on-the-go research. No more hall passes to the computer lab and wasting time. They can do their research from their desk.
On the other hand, you can see why using smart phones, or any cell phone, in class can be quite a handful. How are we going to know if students are texting or playing games rather than doing research or typing notes? It would be very difficult to monitor what every student is doing with their phone. Both sides of the coin are very extreme.
On the plus side, allowing students to use smart phones has the possibility of cutting technology costs for the school. Rather than the school providing laptops for everyone or just using the laptops for a day, students can use their phones to do research. They don't even have to connect to the school network. It would also make the laptops that the school has more readily available. With the increase of smart phones at younger ages, the need for a laptop goes down. They can do almost the same thing. Students would also be able to complete on-the-go research. No more hall passes to the computer lab and wasting time. They can do their research from their desk.
On the other hand, you can see why using smart phones, or any cell phone, in class can be quite a handful. How are we going to know if students are texting or playing games rather than doing research or typing notes? It would be very difficult to monitor what every student is doing with their phone. Both sides of the coin are very extreme.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Why could blogging change, or not change, the traditional classroom?
I think blogging can dramatically change the traditional classroom. It has already begun changing the traditional classroom in certain schools and classes. As teachers are struggling to find the right technology to use with their instruction, they can turn to blogging. Blogging is one of the easiest ways to implement technology and one of the more powerful ways as well. Especially during the digital age, where the State is looking to implement online testing, blogging is one way for the teachers and students to get used to technology on a daily basis.
Possibly most important way that blogging can change the traditional classroom is the communication that takes place. Before teachers started using blogs, students would usually hand write assignments and submit them to the teacher. On a rare occasion, they would swap papers with a partner and critique each other. What does this do for the student? Not much. The student is writing for an audience of one person, the teacher. The student is only going to write what the teacher wants to hear. How does this help the student? It doesn't. The student is only getting feedback from one person, the teacher. Wouldn't it be beneficial to students when they get the perspective of a larger crowd? Well, blogging will do just that. Students will get feedback from all of their classmates, including the teacher. It also opens up conversation for students. Quite often, a lot of students don't get the chance to say what they want in class. Whether it be because they are shy or they needed time to think about the question, it gives them a chance to reflect on it. Also, depending on the privacy settings, outsiders, such as authors, can also communicate with the students on their blogs. Blogging can open up a whole new world for communication "in the classroom".
Possibly most important way that blogging can change the traditional classroom is the communication that takes place. Before teachers started using blogs, students would usually hand write assignments and submit them to the teacher. On a rare occasion, they would swap papers with a partner and critique each other. What does this do for the student? Not much. The student is writing for an audience of one person, the teacher. The student is only going to write what the teacher wants to hear. How does this help the student? It doesn't. The student is only getting feedback from one person, the teacher. Wouldn't it be beneficial to students when they get the perspective of a larger crowd? Well, blogging will do just that. Students will get feedback from all of their classmates, including the teacher. It also opens up conversation for students. Quite often, a lot of students don't get the chance to say what they want in class. Whether it be because they are shy or they needed time to think about the question, it gives them a chance to reflect on it. Also, depending on the privacy settings, outsiders, such as authors, can also communicate with the students on their blogs. Blogging can open up a whole new world for communication "in the classroom".
Blogging has numerous benefits to it and can get teachers away from traditional views. The first of those benefits is a high increase in the communication between your students. It also cuts down on the materials needed to complete writing assignments and collect them. Instead of students submitting a written or typed response, they just post it on their blog. It is also less of a headache for the teacher to collect materials and risk losing them. All the student needs is a computer. If it is not available at home, it can be done while at school. Lastly, they are very easy to setup and maintain. For example, we probably all setup blogs for this class in a matter of minutes. It is very simple. Find a website and create an account. Creating accounts for the class will take a bit longer but very simple to do. The teacher can configure any privacy settings and so forth. Blogging is an excellent first step for teachers to make in the digital age.
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