The first concept I found interesting in this article is when the authors discuss how podcasting in education has been around for a long time. Before this class, I didn't really know anything about podcasting or vodcasting. I think it's a great idea for colleges and universities to use podcasting to share lectures and audio books to students. I definitely would have used podcasted lectures when I was in undergrad. Instead of re-reading the same pages of text and not getting any information out of them, podcasted versions of the text would have helped the information sink in better. The concept of using podcasts as pre-lectures to assist students grasp difficult content would be extremely beneficial. I also liked the idea of some universities including orientation information on iPods and handing them out to the students. I look forward to seeing more of this technology used in the future.
The second concept that I found valuable was how the authors emphasize the concept of student control and ownership of podcasts that they create. I agree that allowing students to create their own podcasts or vocasts not only teaches them how to use the technology, but it teaches them to work together and combine information from all students involved. Research states that students learn best from each other, and by creating podcasts as a team, students are able to gain more knowledge by seeing and doing. Students are able to learn new things from other student's perspectives that they may not have thought of otherwise.
The third idea I liked was using podcasts/vodcasts as a tool for learning language. I would love to do a unit on various foreign languages for my special education class, since many of them do not have to opportunity to go out for language classes. Podcasting Spanish lessons on the computer would allow the students to be exposed to the language dialogue first-hand. By using podcasting, students would not be just reading out of a book and completing worksheets. They would be actually infusing themselves in the language by experiencing the various accents.
By incorporating podcasts/vodcasts in my classroom, it would open up new avenues for learning that the majority of my students have not experienced before. Let's face it--reading from an outdated textbook and completing worksheets day after day is not my idea of learning. Podcasting is a great way to get students involved in their own learning. I know the students in my class will do anything to use their iPods or the computer. By allowing them to use the technology they love to enhance their learning, kids will be more motivated to learn.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Friday, July 10, 2009
Vodcasting
3 Vodcasting Ideas:
1. Current Events Debate-- In my classroom, we begin each day with reading the newspaper and discussing current events. These discussions often turn into debates, which I think would be a great way to utilize vodcasting. Students could break up into teams based on their position, do some research on the internet, and share their information they found via vodcast.
2. Anger Management Skills-- Since my classroom blends academics and therapy together, we often do a writing assignment along with group therapy sessions. Students could vodcast various anger management strategies that they use and the other students can view the vodcasts to get new ideas for helping control their anger.
3. Pre-Algebra--Most of the kids in my class are in pre-algebra level math, but because of meetings and individual therapy sessions throughout the day, lessons often get interrupted and students end up missing their math lessons. Trying to catch everyone up is a difficult task. Students who work faster and have a good understanding of the math lesson can make a vodcast of the particular math lesson for other students to use.
1. Current Events Debate-- In my classroom, we begin each day with reading the newspaper and discussing current events. These discussions often turn into debates, which I think would be a great way to utilize vodcasting. Students could break up into teams based on their position, do some research on the internet, and share their information they found via vodcast.
2. Anger Management Skills-- Since my classroom blends academics and therapy together, we often do a writing assignment along with group therapy sessions. Students could vodcast various anger management strategies that they use and the other students can view the vodcasts to get new ideas for helping control their anger.
3. Pre-Algebra--Most of the kids in my class are in pre-algebra level math, but because of meetings and individual therapy sessions throughout the day, lessons often get interrupted and students end up missing their math lessons. Trying to catch everyone up is a difficult task. Students who work faster and have a good understanding of the math lesson can make a vodcast of the particular math lesson for other students to use.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
21st Century Skills
I believe that the Colonial Intermediate Unit 20 does an average job of fostering and developing 21st Century skills when it comes to training their employees, but is way behind when it comes to the students in the classroom. At the Central Office, there are spacious conference rooms with high-tech projectors that are used during many of our trainings. They do a great job trying to incorporate technology into our meetings and trainings. This year we began using Elluminate webinars to conduct some of our mental health training sessions so that we could all communicate with each other from our classrooms that are located all around Northampton and Monroe counties instead of driving to the Central Office. While there were some bugs that needed to be worked out, it ended up being convenient for everyone. Many of my supervisors also received brand new iPhones to improve communication with all the sites. In the particular classroom that I work in, there are 4 staff members known as a "team". It is essential that we have effective communication skills while working with students with mental health issues. While we are not perfect, I believe that our team does a pretty decent job of collaborating, interacting, and having the same goal of putting the students above everything else. We also make an effort to get to know many of the teachers at Saucon Valley High School, which is where our site is located. Many of our students are able to take part in inclusion classes and there is a lot of communication back and forth between our team and the mainstream teachers.
Unfortunately, many of the students in our classroom do not get a chance to develop a lot of the 21st Century skills that many students do. We are lucky to have a complete set of text books in our room. Many times we have to borrow from generous district teachers. Also, we only have one student computer available to our students, which makes improving digital-age literacy quite a challenge. It is needless to say that we do not have access to a Smart Board; I'm still clapping the chalk dust off my hands from June. While these 21st Century skills are important for students to learn, it is difficult for students to develop them if they are not supplied with the appropriate resources. It is my hope that these students will be able to develop at least some basic 21st Century skills, especially effective communication.
There are many things that could be done to improve the development of 21st Century skills in our classroom. Students need to be supplied the resources necessary to foster and develop these skills. Teachers also need to be willing to work together and use effective communication skills while teaming and collaborating. If students can actually see their teachers working together for the benefit of the students, they will be able to see effective communication at work and be able to model that behavior.
Unfortunately, many of the students in our classroom do not get a chance to develop a lot of the 21st Century skills that many students do. We are lucky to have a complete set of text books in our room. Many times we have to borrow from generous district teachers. Also, we only have one student computer available to our students, which makes improving digital-age literacy quite a challenge. It is needless to say that we do not have access to a Smart Board; I'm still clapping the chalk dust off my hands from June. While these 21st Century skills are important for students to learn, it is difficult for students to develop them if they are not supplied with the appropriate resources. It is my hope that these students will be able to develop at least some basic 21st Century skills, especially effective communication.
There are many things that could be done to improve the development of 21st Century skills in our classroom. Students need to be supplied the resources necessary to foster and develop these skills. Teachers also need to be willing to work together and use effective communication skills while teaming and collaborating. If students can actually see their teachers working together for the benefit of the students, they will be able to see effective communication at work and be able to model that behavior.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
IWB Article
3 Key Concepts
One of the main ideas in the article that I found interesting was that although a teacher may be formally trained to use an interactive whiteboard, they may not use it up to its full potential. The IWB sometimes turns out to be just another chalkboard that teachers write upon. As far as what I have seen in the school that I teach at, the majority of teachers only use IWBs as fancy projector screens to show videos and Power Point presentations. To me, there is not a whole lot of interactive learning going on, which is the whole point of the whiteboards. Another concept that I found interesting was the figure on page 38 of the article which explained the nature of interactions as they correspond to teacher vs. pupil control. Personally, I get a lot more out of a class when a teacher lets the students steer the discussion. Often times teachers like to believe that they are letting their students run a discussion, when in actuality the teacher is "funnelling" the questions to the students. While this is easier for the teacher, what real benefits do the students get out of it? I find that working with kids who have both learning disabilities and behavioral issues it is extremely difficult to have the students deeply interact with each other during a discussion because of their mental capabilities, but perhaps technology would help improve their focus on learning. A third idea that struck a chord with me is that many teachers still continue to evaluate learning by traditional questioning. Teacher asks a question, student answers question in a few words, and teacher tells whether student is correct or incorrect. I can still remember that method from my elementary school days. I actually had a teacher who had a buzzer that he rang to tell the class if we were right or wrong. Eventually I became so afraid that the dreaded buzzer would go off if I answered incorrectly, so I simply did not answer. By using IWBs to their fullest potential, teachers are able to not only evaluate their students answers, but they are able to use strategies to open up discussions more widely to enhance the learning process.
Do interactive communication tools lead to interactive learning?
Interactive communication tools are meant to improve the process of learning and the learning environment, but unfortunately they do not always do so. If teachers are not given enough instruction on how to appropriately utilize their IWBs they are not as likely to use them to their full potential. If teachers are given an ample amount of training on how to use ICTs in an interactive manner, I believe that they should improve interactive learning of their students. Personally, it takes me a while to get fully comfortable using new technology, especially in the classroom. It takes a lot of trial and error when using ICTs to enhance interactive learning, and unfortunately a lot of teachers do not have the time or patience to do so. Fortunately, ICTs such as IWBs are relatively new in the education field and hopefully with more information and experience using these tools, educators will be able to engage students in interactive learning.
How can educators be sure to use interactive communication tools to their best potential?
1. Educators can gain more experience using interactive communication tools by discussing new ways to use them during team or department meetings. Teachers can share the ways that they incorporate ICTs into their classrooms with other teachers in an attempt to improve the use of technology to enhance learning.
2. It is a good idea for educators to stay abreast the latest technological trends in the classroom if it is going to motivate their students. By attending trainings and seminars that help further explain and given them new ideas on how to use ICTs, educators will be able to improve their student's learning potential.
3. As always, it is essential that educators take a close look at their students and how they learn best. It is beneficial for teachers to gauge the learning styles of their students and teach accordingly. For students who are visual learners, using ICTs would be a huge benefit for their learning process due to the large amount of images that can be shown on IWBs. Even for students who are predominantly bodily/kinesthetic learners, ICTs can be used in ways that get kids up and moving while learning at the same time. Teachers can give students the chance to use the IWBs for explaining their own viewpoints, which will motivate interactive learning even further.
One of the main ideas in the article that I found interesting was that although a teacher may be formally trained to use an interactive whiteboard, they may not use it up to its full potential. The IWB sometimes turns out to be just another chalkboard that teachers write upon. As far as what I have seen in the school that I teach at, the majority of teachers only use IWBs as fancy projector screens to show videos and Power Point presentations. To me, there is not a whole lot of interactive learning going on, which is the whole point of the whiteboards. Another concept that I found interesting was the figure on page 38 of the article which explained the nature of interactions as they correspond to teacher vs. pupil control. Personally, I get a lot more out of a class when a teacher lets the students steer the discussion. Often times teachers like to believe that they are letting their students run a discussion, when in actuality the teacher is "funnelling" the questions to the students. While this is easier for the teacher, what real benefits do the students get out of it? I find that working with kids who have both learning disabilities and behavioral issues it is extremely difficult to have the students deeply interact with each other during a discussion because of their mental capabilities, but perhaps technology would help improve their focus on learning. A third idea that struck a chord with me is that many teachers still continue to evaluate learning by traditional questioning. Teacher asks a question, student answers question in a few words, and teacher tells whether student is correct or incorrect. I can still remember that method from my elementary school days. I actually had a teacher who had a buzzer that he rang to tell the class if we were right or wrong. Eventually I became so afraid that the dreaded buzzer would go off if I answered incorrectly, so I simply did not answer. By using IWBs to their fullest potential, teachers are able to not only evaluate their students answers, but they are able to use strategies to open up discussions more widely to enhance the learning process.
Do interactive communication tools lead to interactive learning?
Interactive communication tools are meant to improve the process of learning and the learning environment, but unfortunately they do not always do so. If teachers are not given enough instruction on how to appropriately utilize their IWBs they are not as likely to use them to their full potential. If teachers are given an ample amount of training on how to use ICTs in an interactive manner, I believe that they should improve interactive learning of their students. Personally, it takes me a while to get fully comfortable using new technology, especially in the classroom. It takes a lot of trial and error when using ICTs to enhance interactive learning, and unfortunately a lot of teachers do not have the time or patience to do so. Fortunately, ICTs such as IWBs are relatively new in the education field and hopefully with more information and experience using these tools, educators will be able to engage students in interactive learning.
How can educators be sure to use interactive communication tools to their best potential?
1. Educators can gain more experience using interactive communication tools by discussing new ways to use them during team or department meetings. Teachers can share the ways that they incorporate ICTs into their classrooms with other teachers in an attempt to improve the use of technology to enhance learning.
2. It is a good idea for educators to stay abreast the latest technological trends in the classroom if it is going to motivate their students. By attending trainings and seminars that help further explain and given them new ideas on how to use ICTs, educators will be able to improve their student's learning potential.
3. As always, it is essential that educators take a close look at their students and how they learn best. It is beneficial for teachers to gauge the learning styles of their students and teach accordingly. For students who are visual learners, using ICTs would be a huge benefit for their learning process due to the large amount of images that can be shown on IWBs. Even for students who are predominantly bodily/kinesthetic learners, ICTs can be used in ways that get kids up and moving while learning at the same time. Teachers can give students the chance to use the IWBs for explaining their own viewpoints, which will motivate interactive learning even further.
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