Sherry Turkle (2004) says, “Information technology is identity technology. Embedding it in a culture that supports democracy, freedom of expression, tolerance, diversity, and complexity of opinion is one of the decade’s greatest challenges (p.B28).”
What role could multimedia instructional materials and student multimedia projects play in bringing about this culture?
Students are very different in this day and age. They are exposed to a wide variety of multimedia sources , more so than ever. We are competing in many ways with a technology crazed society. Our students are used to watching TV, playing video games, and surfing the Web. If we show up in our classrooms expecting them to listen to our lectures and discussions then we need to do some deep thinking. Education is more than just a teacher talking, but it is a chance for students to get immersed in the learning process in a variety of ways. Multimedia allows students the opportunity to take ownership of their learning and to make it their own. Thinking back to the original quote (see above), just imagine how different our world would be if we began creating a spirit of democracy from an early age? What would it be like if even the smallest child could embrace diversity, express their opinions openly, and appreciate the thoughts of those around them? Multimedia can be a jumping point for establishing this culture in your own classroom.
How can teachers’ use of multimedia support the development of such a culture?
Students should have opportunities to express their thinking in a variety of ways. Recently I have been experimenting with a FlipCamera in my classroom. The students have used it to record reading presentations, but also as a forum to share their thoughts to others. I have seen even the shyest of students open up and express their opinion even if for a few seconds. I feel in many ways a democratic society has squelched the idea of sharing ones honest opinions with others. Yes, there are many that are vocal with their opinions and viewpoints, but in the end many simply follow without expressing what they hold to be true. We should desire as educators to give our students the chance to become communicators that can listen to the opinions of others, but at the same time know how to communicate their own viewpoint to the world around them.
What are the challenges in your classroom?
1- Limited resources: Many of the technology items in our school are shared amongst staff. Lessons must be planned way in advance to assure that the proper technology is available.
2- Limited funds: Our school currently has less than 100 students. As we struggle to provide for the basic needs of our school, many times technology and multimedia items are pushed to the back burner to look at later.
3- Student Focus: As mentioned in question number one, our students are being raised in a very different time than we were raised in. In many ways we are trying to keep our multimedia driven students focused on learning and the task at hand. If the two can be combined the better the result.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Questions????
After you have explored the Questioning Toolkit , Part 2, and Part 3 websites, what types of questions do you generally use when you teach students?
What kinds of questions would lead students to think critically and at higher levels?
Before reading through the questioning toolkit the first thing that came to my mind was how so many my age were trained to be teachers. Going through college we were drilled time after time with the idea of Blooms taxonomy. This is something we were not only asked to use, but we were also encouraged to write in our lesson plans. Recently at our school we have begun writing GLIs (Grade Level Indicators) to go with our school standards. In this process we have used the idea of Blooms to make sure that we are covering a wide variety of knowledge base. We should desire for our students to go just behind memorization. They should be encouraged to think and use the brains that they have been given. As an elementary teacher I try to incorporate a wide variety of questions into my classroom, especially in the area of testing. Instead of giving my students a list of multiple choice questions, I ask my students to explain their answer in their own words, to create, and to construct. As we use integrated units at our school, I feel that it is important to make learning as real life as possible. Instead of asking questions like "What are the three states of matter?" one could ask " What makes each state of matter unique?" or "Describe what the atoms and molecules look like in the three states of matter." Also with our GLI writing process we have been challenged to use essential questions before starting each of our lessons. Basically it boils down to the question, "Why are we about to do what we are doing?" The purpose behind what we are doing is very important. Essential questions serve as guidelines for what is being taught. Along with essential questions I am a huge fan of organizing information in the area of questioning. I think it is important for students to be able to organize information in a manner that can be easily accessed.
What kind of questions would complement the integration of technologies in your classroom?
The concepts of questioning that one uses in each subject area can also work with the integration of technology. A scale of questioning, such as Blooms, could also be used to aid higher level thinking. Again it comes down to the idea of making things true to life and practical for students. As students explore the world around them through technology they will begin to see how technology can be used to solve problems on their own.
Blooms Taxonomy Information (taken from: http://www.teachervision.fen.com/teaching-methods/curriculum-planning/2171.html)
1. Knowledge: remembering or recalling appropriate, previously learned information to draw out factual (usually right or wrong) answers. Use words and phrases such as: how many, when, where, list, define, tell, describe, identify, etc., to draw out factual answers, testing students' recall and recognition.
2. Comprehension: grasping or understanding the meaning of informational materials. Use words such as: describe, explain, estimate, predict, identify, differentiate, etc., to encourage students to translate, interpret, and extrapolate.
3. Application: applying previously learned information (or knowledge) to new and unfamiliar situations. Use words such as: demonstrate, apply, illustrate, show, solve, examine, classify, experiment, etc., to encourage students to apply knowledge to situations that are new and unfamiliar.
4. Analysis: breaking down information into parts, or examining (and trying to understand the organizational structure of) information. Use words and phrases such as: what are the differences, analyze, explain, compare, separate, classify, arrange, etc., to encourage students to break information down into parts.
5. Synthesis: applying prior knowledge and skills to combine elements into a pattern not clearly there before. Use words and phrases such as: combine, rearrange, substitute, create, design, invent, what if, etc., to encourage students to combine elements into a pattern that's new.
6. Evaluation: judging or deciding according to some set of criteria, without real right or wrong answers. Use words such as: assess, decide, measure, select, explain, conclude, compare, summarize, etc., to encourage students to make judgements according to a set of criteria.
What kinds of questions would lead students to think critically and at higher levels?
Before reading through the questioning toolkit the first thing that came to my mind was how so many my age were trained to be teachers. Going through college we were drilled time after time with the idea of Blooms taxonomy. This is something we were not only asked to use, but we were also encouraged to write in our lesson plans. Recently at our school we have begun writing GLIs (Grade Level Indicators) to go with our school standards. In this process we have used the idea of Blooms to make sure that we are covering a wide variety of knowledge base. We should desire for our students to go just behind memorization. They should be encouraged to think and use the brains that they have been given. As an elementary teacher I try to incorporate a wide variety of questions into my classroom, especially in the area of testing. Instead of giving my students a list of multiple choice questions, I ask my students to explain their answer in their own words, to create, and to construct. As we use integrated units at our school, I feel that it is important to make learning as real life as possible. Instead of asking questions like "What are the three states of matter?" one could ask " What makes each state of matter unique?" or "Describe what the atoms and molecules look like in the three states of matter." Also with our GLI writing process we have been challenged to use essential questions before starting each of our lessons. Basically it boils down to the question, "Why are we about to do what we are doing?" The purpose behind what we are doing is very important. Essential questions serve as guidelines for what is being taught. Along with essential questions I am a huge fan of organizing information in the area of questioning. I think it is important for students to be able to organize information in a manner that can be easily accessed.
What kind of questions would complement the integration of technologies in your classroom?
The concepts of questioning that one uses in each subject area can also work with the integration of technology. A scale of questioning, such as Blooms, could also be used to aid higher level thinking. Again it comes down to the idea of making things true to life and practical for students. As students explore the world around them through technology they will begin to see how technology can be used to solve problems on their own.
Blooms Taxonomy Information (taken from: http://www.teachervision.fen.com/teaching-methods/curriculum-planning/2171.html)
1. Knowledge: remembering or recalling appropriate, previously learned information to draw out factual (usually right or wrong) answers. Use words and phrases such as: how many, when, where, list, define, tell, describe, identify, etc., to draw out factual answers, testing students' recall and recognition.
2. Comprehension: grasping or understanding the meaning of informational materials. Use words such as: describe, explain, estimate, predict, identify, differentiate, etc., to encourage students to translate, interpret, and extrapolate.
3. Application: applying previously learned information (or knowledge) to new and unfamiliar situations. Use words such as: demonstrate, apply, illustrate, show, solve, examine, classify, experiment, etc., to encourage students to apply knowledge to situations that are new and unfamiliar.
4. Analysis: breaking down information into parts, or examining (and trying to understand the organizational structure of) information. Use words and phrases such as: what are the differences, analyze, explain, compare, separate, classify, arrange, etc., to encourage students to break information down into parts.
5. Synthesis: applying prior knowledge and skills to combine elements into a pattern not clearly there before. Use words and phrases such as: combine, rearrange, substitute, create, design, invent, what if, etc., to encourage students to combine elements into a pattern that's new.
6. Evaluation: judging or deciding according to some set of criteria, without real right or wrong answers. Use words such as: assess, decide, measure, select, explain, conclude, compare, summarize, etc., to encourage students to make judgements according to a set of criteria.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Reflection
Reflect on a significant learning experience you had in at least one of the learning activities so far in workshop. Describe why it was important.
I have to confess that this class has been frustrating at times. The tasks that could have easily been completed in the states have been complicated with lack of resources or access to certain sites.I have found ways to work around things (for the most part) and to use the technology that is available to me. Sometimes it may be as simple as using an overhead for a lesson or pulling out the IPOD to listen to a song. Even the little things can add up and I have seen my students responding to the different types of technology I have used. One reason I have never used technology as much in the past is due to the area of assessment. It has been nice to bounce ideas off of other teachers and to see how they assess technology with rubrics or other means.
How would you use any of the tools as a form of professional development, building learning networks, and/or provide a platform to become a world changer?
I would like to set up a website for my classroom next year. This is something our school is currently considering and I feel that it would be a beneficial way to communicate with not only students, but parents as well. There has been much discussion about the use of blogs in the classroom, but at this time our school would be unable to assess them as a whole (due to location and blocked sites). There is the thought of setting up VPNs or other means to access blogs, but in the end websites or Wikis may be the most accessible choice for everyone involved.
Also during this process of figuring technology out I have found more ways to not only use technology, but also how to assess it as well. By using rubrics, web searches, and other means I can make sure my students are actually learning while using various forms of technology. My main goal in the use of technology is to give my students practical ways to learn and grow while exploring the world around them.
I have to confess that this class has been frustrating at times. The tasks that could have easily been completed in the states have been complicated with lack of resources or access to certain sites.I have found ways to work around things (for the most part) and to use the technology that is available to me. Sometimes it may be as simple as using an overhead for a lesson or pulling out the IPOD to listen to a song. Even the little things can add up and I have seen my students responding to the different types of technology I have used. One reason I have never used technology as much in the past is due to the area of assessment. It has been nice to bounce ideas off of other teachers and to see how they assess technology with rubrics or other means.
How would you use any of the tools as a form of professional development, building learning networks, and/or provide a platform to become a world changer?
I would like to set up a website for my classroom next year. This is something our school is currently considering and I feel that it would be a beneficial way to communicate with not only students, but parents as well. There has been much discussion about the use of blogs in the classroom, but at this time our school would be unable to assess them as a whole (due to location and blocked sites). There is the thought of setting up VPNs or other means to access blogs, but in the end websites or Wikis may be the most accessible choice for everyone involved.
Also during this process of figuring technology out I have found more ways to not only use technology, but also how to assess it as well. By using rubrics, web searches, and other means I can make sure my students are actually learning while using various forms of technology. My main goal in the use of technology is to give my students practical ways to learn and grow while exploring the world around them.
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