Monday, September 25, 2006
Wiki Question
I would like to copy a picture onto one of my wiki pages, but I don't know how to do that. Can anyone help??
Paper Vs. Computer
After reading several blogs regarding the difficulty of blogging and the course wiki, I now know I am not alone. I do think, however, that I know why I have such a hard time. I like to write everything out on paper. My thought process is not as smooth and it certainly doesn't flow as well if I am typing my first draft instead of writing it on paper. However, with blogs and wikis, it seems such a waste of time to sit down at my desk and write what I want to say on paper, then come to my computer and type the same things here. This is definitely a sign that I am a digital immigrant.
When I was subbing the other day, the seniors were working on brainstorming ideas to put into their college essays. Several of the students had a hard time writing what they wanted to say. They said that it is hard to think on paper and that they prefer to type on the computer. This opened my eyes to how removed I really am from these digital natives!
When I was subbing the other day, the seniors were working on brainstorming ideas to put into their college essays. Several of the students had a hard time writing what they wanted to say. They said that it is hard to think on paper and that they prefer to type on the computer. This opened my eyes to how removed I really am from these digital natives!
Friday, September 22, 2006
Podcast
After adjusting the volume settings on the computer within Garage Band, I still can barely hear my recording within Garage Band. I know it's not the borrowed microphone from the library because I can record at any level at home on my PC. I am running out of time that I have available to hit the campus to access a Mac. Between subbing and the baby, I will be lucky if I make it up once more to do the final viewing and saving.
Speaking of saving, when I saved and then reopened my podcast yesterday, some of the audio I had recorded was missing and some was duplicated in the spots where it was missing. I went back through and recorded and shifted things, but I am dreading opening it back up to find that it is changed again. Any ideas about why it did this?
Another question, are we to go through all of Chapter 12 with our podcast? That is, are we supposed to publish and share it on iWeb? Or are we just sharing our podcasts off our copy we create to be handed in?
Thanks for any feedback.
Speaking of saving, when I saved and then reopened my podcast yesterday, some of the audio I had recorded was missing and some was duplicated in the spots where it was missing. I went back through and recorded and shifted things, but I am dreading opening it back up to find that it is changed again. Any ideas about why it did this?
Another question, are we to go through all of Chapter 12 with our podcast? That is, are we supposed to publish and share it on iWeb? Or are we just sharing our podcasts off our copy we create to be handed in?
Thanks for any feedback.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Technology as a Tool
I couldn't agree more with David Sharos's article from the Chicago Tribune titled "Technology: Enabling or Disabling Youth?" While he presents both sides of the issue of whether technology benefits our students or not, one argument that he does seem to stick behind is that technology is a tool. When doing my research for my thesis paper in Spring of 2005 on the effects of technology use in the English classroom, my findings all reflected that technology is only as good as the teacher/user. By incorporating technology into the curriculum, teachers embrace the real world that their students live in. However, teachers must use the technology in an enriching way to benefit the students. Sharos quotes a Director of Education as saying, "The key is about empowering kids. We like to use technology as a tool, not have kids all wrapped up in it as an escape."
During my research, I found that technology use does not always guarantee increased student achievement, for technology needs to be used in the right manner in accommodation with other teaching practices. It is a tool that current and future teachers have in their tool belts that can help motivate and engage their students.
During my research, I found that technology use does not always guarantee increased student achievement, for technology needs to be used in the right manner in accommodation with other teaching practices. It is a tool that current and future teachers have in their tool belts that can help motivate and engage their students.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Thank you James!
After visiting James's blog and reading about his "21st century blog," I just had to try the feed thing. I had read about it in Will's book, but I had no plans of actually trying it. But after James commented on how easy and convenient it is, I had to try it. Thank you James. Now it's so easy to see what new information is posted out there without wasting time going to each blog. This new technology stuff is too cool!!!
Monday, September 11, 2006
First Day of Subbing
Today I started a new year of subbing. It was nice to get back into the school and see some familiar faces from my student teaching experience. Today just reinforced how excited I am about getting a teaching job. I can't wait to have my own classroom where I can start the year off with the students. They are so full of energy, and you can't help but get energy from them.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Children Without Books
On pg. 385 of Friedman's "The World is Flat," he states "...this crisis [faltering education] we see in our schools has its root in American homes increasingly devoid of books and printed material, where children turn exclusively to television, computers, and electronic games for entertainment- and see adults around them doing the same." This is such a depressing picture. I was raised with books, and I can't imagine a home without books in which children can get lost in. I couldn't agree more with Friedman in regards to literacy starting in the home. I think it is very important for children to see their parents reading for entertainment.
When thinking further about this, I am disturbed at the prices of books these days. No wonder parents don't have bookshelves full of books. If the parents aren't interested in reading in the first place, the price of the books alone is sure the deter them from buying any.
This, however, is no excuse!! Thank goodness for book sales!!!!
When thinking further about this, I am disturbed at the prices of books these days. No wonder parents don't have bookshelves full of books. If the parents aren't interested in reading in the first place, the price of the books alone is sure the deter them from buying any.
This, however, is no excuse!! Thank goodness for book sales!!!!
Friday, September 08, 2006
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Elmo has Email!
Since we started this class, I have been much more aware of technology in my surroundings that I just didn't take note of prior to this class. Yesterday I was watching Sesame Street with my daughter, and Elmo has a segment where he learns to do something. Yesterday he was learning how to build things, and he was building a dog house. He needed help, so he called for his computer, which arrived promptly, and he emailed his friend for some advice. She got right back to him about how she built Snuffy a house and what materials Elmo would need, how to build it, etc.
It was a real eye-opener to me that this is the world we live in now. Computers are just another thing to help our children learn and connect with others. I think this is great. Our students are going to be so much further ahead than we ever were, and we can only increase this knowledge by tapping into the medium (is that the correct term?) that they are used to using.
This Elmo segment also shows this idea of Technology and Shared Learning (which is the subject of my first wiki in progress). Elmo was stuck, and asked his friend for help. When I was in school, it was all about the individual. Now education has changed to a group effort more than an individual effort. My main concern with this change is for the students who aren't able to work with others. I have seen many of those kinds of students both when I was a student and when I was student teaching. With team work and cooperation being such an important aspect of this new world, will the shy kids get left behind? Will group work become the norm in classrooms? Does anyone have much experience with group work? And how do you make sure everyone is benefiting from this sort of learning environment?
Just some thoughts. All triggered by that cute little red monster!
It was a real eye-opener to me that this is the world we live in now. Computers are just another thing to help our children learn and connect with others. I think this is great. Our students are going to be so much further ahead than we ever were, and we can only increase this knowledge by tapping into the medium (is that the correct term?) that they are used to using.
This Elmo segment also shows this idea of Technology and Shared Learning (which is the subject of my first wiki in progress). Elmo was stuck, and asked his friend for help. When I was in school, it was all about the individual. Now education has changed to a group effort more than an individual effort. My main concern with this change is for the students who aren't able to work with others. I have seen many of those kinds of students both when I was a student and when I was student teaching. With team work and cooperation being such an important aspect of this new world, will the shy kids get left behind? Will group work become the norm in classrooms? Does anyone have much experience with group work? And how do you make sure everyone is benefiting from this sort of learning environment?
Just some thoughts. All triggered by that cute little red monster!
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Flickr and Beta Blogger
Does anyone know why I can't blog a picture from Flickr to Beta Blogger? I didn't have a problem with the previous Blogger we were using, but it won't allow it here. Any ideas/suggestions?
Are the new Beta Blogger addresses posted on the course blog yet? Are they updated from Tuesday's switch?
Are the new Beta Blogger addresses posted on the course blog yet? Are they updated from Tuesday's switch?
"Listening to the Natives"
Monday, September 04, 2006
"Listening to the Natives"
After reading Marc Prensky's article "Listening to the Natives," I agree with most of what he advocates for a technology-rich learning environment for our students. However, one of his points hit a nerve with me. When he is discussing the use of cell phones in the classroom, he writes, "Why shouldn't our students have the same option [voting with their attention]with their education when educators fail to deliver compelling content." Ok, cell phones can be used productively in the classroom if the teacher knows what he/she is doing, but my experience is that students text message one another while the lesson is going on. Regardless of how stimulating the lesson is, not every 16 yr. old in your class is compelled to learn everyday. If a relationship ended at lunch, no lesson is going to keep a 16 yr. old girl from talking with her friends anyway possible. Since I wouldn't permit chatting in my classroom, I certainly wouldn't permit text messaging, which I feel is inevitable if the cell phone is handy. I know Prensky isn't saying that we should allow our students to zone out, but all it takes is one student who is having a bad day to distract all the others from your top-notch lesson. At this point in my experience, I think that cell phones should be banned from the classroom. Am I being a "digital immigrant" here? Is my accent showing??
posted by Danielle Utter at 12:13 PM
6 Comments:
KES said...
In short, I would say yes you are .. and I can hear your accent!!! You say just as you wouldn't permit chatting..clarify. I know you're not advocating a silent classroom with all eyes trained on teacher!! KES
1:56 PM
Danielle Utter said...
Of course I'm not advocating for a silent classroom. My most successful days in the classroom were when I had every student engaged and interacting. Interacting, not chatting. By chatting I mean whispering to a neighbor during class about what happened at lunch. I think this can be reduced when students gain respect for you and you respect them. At this point I just see cell phones as another way to lose the interest of students. During my student teaching, I had to take a cell phone away from a student who was texting her friend across the room. It is disappointing when you have spent time on a lesson when the students just zone you out. So again, I certaintly do not advocate a teacher-centered room by any means, but I do expect the students' attentions to be united as a whole class, not divided by students texting one another about what happened at lunch. I'm not against using cell phones for productivity, but I don't know how I would do that. Ideas?
2:34 PM
Larisa said...
Danielle,I agree with you that, at this point, cell phones should be banned from the classroom. We had a huge issue with students text messaging each other answers during tests. When doing an activity during science, their friends, who were taking a test in math, would text message the question and wait for the response. Not only did the student who was taking the test receive the answer, but the test questions were now "out there" for the rest of the students to know. There are just too many other factors to worry about on a daily basis, then to deal with cell phone use in the classroom.
2:38 PM
Sarah said...
I have had to compete with cell phones in my classroom as well, and it can be extremely frustrating. My first day of teaching not only did a phone loudly ring in class, but the student answered it. There was no apology for disrupting the class. I was appalled.Now, having read this article, I am encouraged. I would love to be able to say to my students, "We're not using our phones - yet." I would love to be able to create a time and place to use this technology that is so readily available. I personally think that banning cell phones is not the best way to handle the situation. The reality is that the majority of students have cell phones which are parent-santioned (of course, cheating with the phone is NOT acceptable in any way). Students need to be taught how to responsibly use their phones in the same way that they need to learn how to responsibly participate in the Read/Write Web (as Richardson calls it). In addition, I have to wonder how/why students had time to text back and forth during class. Shouldn't they have been actively learning? Shouldn't the teacher be monitoring the room durinng the test? Shouldn't there be "test taking conditions" set up in the classroom?Finally, I will attempt to step outside the box in an effort to really think about how to integrate technology into the classroom. Could cell phones be used to study for the test? Quizzing each other back and forth using their cell phones might make review more engaging. Maybe even more successful. It also would demonstrate a time and place to use cell phones as a learning tool. I'm just trying to shift my paradigm over here...what do you all think?Sarah
3:46 PM
Dave E. said...
I'm not going to make a long comment here or anything, but I think that if you can keep the students engaged... moving... on their toes... et cetera... then the TXT messaging can be kept to a minimum. An active classroom has much less potential for "chatting" than a lecture classroom. Sure, you won't eliminate it, but you're never going to.
3:53 PM
Danielle Utter said...
I have heard of students cheating on tests before with use of their cell phones, but I have never witnessed it. Similar to what Sarah said, it would be nice to take away some of the rebellion associated with sneaking messages in class. If the teacher embraced the use of cell phones for certain things (such as studying, perhaps) then maybe texting wouldn't be such an attraction. The student I was talking about earlier who I had to take the cell phone away from was clearly rebelling against me. If it wasn't a big deal to have a cell phone in your hand in the classroom, maybe the issue would die down. What do you think? Thanks for the reactions and ideas. Keep 'em coming!
"Listening to the Natives"
After reading Marc Prensky's article "Listening to the Natives," I agree with most of what he advocates for a technology-rich learning environment for our students. However, one of his points hit a nerve with me. When he is discussing the use of cell phones in the classroom, he writes, "Why shouldn't our students have the same option [voting with their attention]with their education when educators fail to deliver compelling content." Ok, cell phones can be used productively in the classroom if the teacher knows what he/she is doing, but my experience is that students text message one another while the lesson is going on. Regardless of how stimulating the lesson is, not every 16 yr. old in your class is compelled to learn everyday. If a relationship ended at lunch, no lesson is going to keep a 16 yr. old girl from talking with her friends anyway possible. Since I wouldn't permit chatting in my classroom, I certainly wouldn't permit text messaging, which I feel is inevitable if the cell phone is handy. I know Prensky isn't saying that we should allow our students to zone out, but all it takes is one student who is having a bad day to distract all the others from your top-notch lesson. At this point in my experience, I think that cell phones should be banned from the classroom. Am I being a "digital immigrant" here? Is my accent showing??
posted by Danielle Utter at 12:13 PM
6 Comments:
KES said...
In short, I would say yes you are .. and I can hear your accent!!! You say just as you wouldn't permit chatting..clarify. I know you're not advocating a silent classroom with all eyes trained on teacher!! KES
1:56 PM
Danielle Utter said...
Of course I'm not advocating for a silent classroom. My most successful days in the classroom were when I had every student engaged and interacting. Interacting, not chatting. By chatting I mean whispering to a neighbor during class about what happened at lunch. I think this can be reduced when students gain respect for you and you respect them. At this point I just see cell phones as another way to lose the interest of students. During my student teaching, I had to take a cell phone away from a student who was texting her friend across the room. It is disappointing when you have spent time on a lesson when the students just zone you out. So again, I certaintly do not advocate a teacher-centered room by any means, but I do expect the students' attentions to be united as a whole class, not divided by students texting one another about what happened at lunch. I'm not against using cell phones for productivity, but I don't know how I would do that. Ideas?
2:34 PM
Larisa said...
Danielle,I agree with you that, at this point, cell phones should be banned from the classroom. We had a huge issue with students text messaging each other answers during tests. When doing an activity during science, their friends, who were taking a test in math, would text message the question and wait for the response. Not only did the student who was taking the test receive the answer, but the test questions were now "out there" for the rest of the students to know. There are just too many other factors to worry about on a daily basis, then to deal with cell phone use in the classroom.
2:38 PM
Sarah said...
I have had to compete with cell phones in my classroom as well, and it can be extremely frustrating. My first day of teaching not only did a phone loudly ring in class, but the student answered it. There was no apology for disrupting the class. I was appalled.Now, having read this article, I am encouraged. I would love to be able to say to my students, "We're not using our phones - yet." I would love to be able to create a time and place to use this technology that is so readily available. I personally think that banning cell phones is not the best way to handle the situation. The reality is that the majority of students have cell phones which are parent-santioned (of course, cheating with the phone is NOT acceptable in any way). Students need to be taught how to responsibly use their phones in the same way that they need to learn how to responsibly participate in the Read/Write Web (as Richardson calls it). In addition, I have to wonder how/why students had time to text back and forth during class. Shouldn't they have been actively learning? Shouldn't the teacher be monitoring the room durinng the test? Shouldn't there be "test taking conditions" set up in the classroom?Finally, I will attempt to step outside the box in an effort to really think about how to integrate technology into the classroom. Could cell phones be used to study for the test? Quizzing each other back and forth using their cell phones might make review more engaging. Maybe even more successful. It also would demonstrate a time and place to use cell phones as a learning tool. I'm just trying to shift my paradigm over here...what do you all think?Sarah
3:46 PM
Dave E. said...
I'm not going to make a long comment here or anything, but I think that if you can keep the students engaged... moving... on their toes... et cetera... then the TXT messaging can be kept to a minimum. An active classroom has much less potential for "chatting" than a lecture classroom. Sure, you won't eliminate it, but you're never going to.
3:53 PM
Danielle Utter said...
I have heard of students cheating on tests before with use of their cell phones, but I have never witnessed it. Similar to what Sarah said, it would be nice to take away some of the rebellion associated with sneaking messages in class. If the teacher embraced the use of cell phones for certain things (such as studying, perhaps) then maybe texting wouldn't be such an attraction. The student I was talking about earlier who I had to take the cell phone away from was clearly rebelling against me. If it wasn't a big deal to have a cell phone in your hand in the classroom, maybe the issue would die down. What do you think? Thanks for the reactions and ideas. Keep 'em coming!
Welcome!
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Welcome to my blog! I am excited about getting this blog going, as it is my first attempt. Please make your comments here about Eng 506 and other important matters!
Thanks
Welcome to my blog! I am excited about getting this blog going, as it is my first attempt. Please make your comments here about Eng 506 and other important matters!
Thanks
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