I thought Ken Robinson gave an interesting and entertaining speech. Can we apply what he said to our curriculum? He told us what we should be changing, navigating away from "stigmatizing mistakes" while we should implicate the notion that, "creativity is as important as literacy." I would have to agree with him on that. I think as a society, we focus way too much on being correct. I remember when I was in Kindergarten, the teacher told us all to write the words "ON" and "OFF" on a piece of paper. That was the assignment. So I drew a light switch with the words "ON" and "OFF" because that is where I saw those words and recognized the meaning of the words. What do you think she did when I handed a drawing in? I had to write the words all over again because I did not do the assignment the way I was supposed to and I did not listen to directions. I think I will always remember that story when I become a teacher because what should have happened in this scenario is that I should have been praised for my creative outlook and for stepping outside of the box.
Can we apply creativity to our curriculum with the recent state of our economy? Well, I'm not quite sure how creativity would jeopardize our economy. After watching the video, it sounds like more of a ideology then a cost issue to re-inspire creativity as an important asset for schools. I can see how some schools with low funds have a hard time keeping subjects like music or art when they have to choose between those subjects or English. Ken Robinson thinks, "creativity is as important as literacy." With that said, it makes it hard to take a childs creative outlets away because of fund. Although they may not have an art class, English teachers can still incorporate art into the classroom. My example in Kindergarten shows that something as simple as drawing words to help kids connect to the curriculum on the creative level they need, to find an outlet that is comfortable, while assists their learning experience rather then entrenching it in strict assessment.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
21st Century Skills: Fad or Key?
To be truthful, after reading all of the articles, I was on the fence. Both positions made good points, but if I had to take a side, I suppose learning the 21st century skills is something that is important to me, as a future teacher. A lot of the points that were made in the articles revolved around that fact that the students need to adapt to a changing environment.
Susan McLesters notes, "Now that the United States is facing an increasingly competitive world market driven by digital globalization, how is our education system stepping up to the demand for graduates skilled enough to keep our country on the cutting edge?" (The Workforce Readiness Crisis). Our country needs a change with the economy at a struggling point. While we still can, I think it is important to set high but achievable 21st century goals for our schools. Without teachers incorporating 21st century skills into every day classroom, the students will be at a loss when they leave for college. For those who can not afford college, the 21st century plan may be the only help they will get for preparing them for a contemporary job.
Maura Banta recognizes that, "Our role now as policy makers, educators, business leaders, and parents is to provide students with the best of both worlds: a strong and challenging academic curriculum, and a full infusion of the 21st-century skills students will need to succeed outside of high school. Denying students the right to learn what we recognize is required by today's employers goes against our goal of providing all students with all the tools they will need to succeed after high school, regardless of race, ethnicity or ZIP code"(The Value of Teaching 21 Century Skills).
I thought it was interesting that she lumped zip code in with race and ethnicity. I think it will be harder for districts with lower funds to meet these goal because they simply do not have enough money for the pricey technology, the training of teachers, and the time it takes to give students a chance to incorporate the technology to what they are learning. The argument the other side was making is, "How are millions of students still struggling to acuire 19th century skills in reading, writing, and math supposed to learn this stuff?" (Jay Mathews, The Latest Doomed Pedagogical Fad: 21st-Century Skills). To argue with this statement, I would have to know a little more about how a classroom with the 21st century skills will be running. I do not imagine that all other aspects of the curriculum will be dropped in order to face these skills. I think it will be a challenge for teachers and students, but simple measures can be taken in order to infuse the two aspects of this goal: keeping the students knowledge on the curriculum and doing so with a less antiquated, more 21 century induced regime.
Susan McLesters notes, "Now that the United States is facing an increasingly competitive world market driven by digital globalization, how is our education system stepping up to the demand for graduates skilled enough to keep our country on the cutting edge?" (The Workforce Readiness Crisis). Our country needs a change with the economy at a struggling point. While we still can, I think it is important to set high but achievable 21st century goals for our schools. Without teachers incorporating 21st century skills into every day classroom, the students will be at a loss when they leave for college. For those who can not afford college, the 21st century plan may be the only help they will get for preparing them for a contemporary job.
Maura Banta recognizes that, "Our role now as policy makers, educators, business leaders, and parents is to provide students with the best of both worlds: a strong and challenging academic curriculum, and a full infusion of the 21st-century skills students will need to succeed outside of high school. Denying students the right to learn what we recognize is required by today's employers goes against our goal of providing all students with all the tools they will need to succeed after high school, regardless of race, ethnicity or ZIP code"(The Value of Teaching 21 Century Skills).
I thought it was interesting that she lumped zip code in with race and ethnicity. I think it will be harder for districts with lower funds to meet these goal because they simply do not have enough money for the pricey technology, the training of teachers, and the time it takes to give students a chance to incorporate the technology to what they are learning. The argument the other side was making is, "How are millions of students still struggling to acuire 19th century skills in reading, writing, and math supposed to learn this stuff?" (Jay Mathews, The Latest Doomed Pedagogical Fad: 21st-Century Skills). To argue with this statement, I would have to know a little more about how a classroom with the 21st century skills will be running. I do not imagine that all other aspects of the curriculum will be dropped in order to face these skills. I think it will be a challenge for teachers and students, but simple measures can be taken in order to infuse the two aspects of this goal: keeping the students knowledge on the curriculum and doing so with a less antiquated, more 21 century induced regime.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Slidecast
Slidecast
I don't know about the rest of you, but that was very enduring. I didn't have a hard time with the slideshow but all the downloading and various links made me want to cry. I truly needed all week to complete this task. I kept wishing I was in an actual class so that I can see what to do. Even the tutorials didn't help and I watched them so many time. The most embarrassing thing I tried to do was record while my computer does not have a mic!
Well, I got through it, somehow. I think it will be beneficial when I teach. It looks professional and shows the teachers that you are technologically inclined, so that some of that knowledge can rub off on the students. Like I said in the previous blog, it also gives the parents who didn't make it to back to school night a chance to see what is going on in their child classroom.
The benefit of doing the slideshow with audio not only makes it more personal, but it gives the parents a chance to take an active interest in the students. I also liked seeing what everyone else was doing in their class. As a teacher, I can look at these slides and use ideas that I like and incorporate them to my classroom. The slidecast is easy to download as I accidentally did it twice, so it would be easy to download slides from fellow teachers.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Back to School Presentation
I also like the slide show because some parents have a hard time making it to parent-teacher meeting. The parents can watch the video at the convenience of their own home.
I did however, spend a lot of time on constructing the slideshow but it will be beneficial to refer back to when we are progressing through the course. In a way, the slide can act as a check list for the items we have accomplished in the class.
Monday, February 8, 2010
The Effect of Technology Standards
As technology standards begin to change, school districts have to keep up with the growing technology by educating the students while incorporating these standards in the classroom. The districts will have to change by adjusting spending and funds. Without adequate funds, a school will have a hard time achieving these technology standards.
A school as a whole will have to support technology by having a up to date technology lab where students can practice things that were stated in the standards, such as learning power point, functioning on word processor, and even operating the internet for constructive and applicable use. There will also be the possibility that the teachers will need a lesson on the new technology a school has to offer. It may effect what schools look for when hiring a prospective teacher.
The teachers will also have to adapt to the continually changing technological advances. For example, referring to the necessity of learning technology as a teacher will make it hard for those who have already been teaching for a while, who have used the same old principals of teaching, which may not include the use of many technologies that will assist child learning.
My personal development as a teacher will also be effected by the standard. I will have to keep up with the times to be able to relay necessary technology skills to my students. I don't want to be the teacher who can barely operate a VCR. It will also be important for me to keep in touch with other faculty through the use of e-mail or other discussion friendly cites. This kind of contemporary socialization is something I will look for in a school when I job search.
8.1 Educational Technology
Grade 12 (8.1.12.F.2)
This strand describes the standard that says students should be able to use a computer and the internet to access informative databases. They should also be able to use these databases to obtain the information they need in correspondence to the class or world issue.
In high school classroom, I will have students use the internet to assist them with writing a paper and creating a thesis. Finding information on the internet is a learned skill as they will have to learn to siphon though the irrelevant or inaccurate information that can be found. I will show them how to obtain the proper information by going through the scholarly journal cites that are appropriate for the class. When doing this, tricks, such as how to enter the subject into the search engine can be helpful and efficient. Other skills are in the use of understanding the scholarly articles and applying them to the thesis of the paper. They will have to learn how to use their own ideas while incorporating them with the ideas of those who have published articles. When using other works to support your thesis, students must learn the rules of citation in order to avoid plagiarizing which is a very serious offense.
For example, students reading the novel, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, can read the novel, research different aspects of the Ibo culture in Africa, and comprise a essay, including a thesis, that is typed up in a formal paper.
A school as a whole will have to support technology by having a up to date technology lab where students can practice things that were stated in the standards, such as learning power point, functioning on word processor, and even operating the internet for constructive and applicable use. There will also be the possibility that the teachers will need a lesson on the new technology a school has to offer. It may effect what schools look for when hiring a prospective teacher.
The teachers will also have to adapt to the continually changing technological advances. For example, referring to the necessity of learning technology as a teacher will make it hard for those who have already been teaching for a while, who have used the same old principals of teaching, which may not include the use of many technologies that will assist child learning.
My personal development as a teacher will also be effected by the standard. I will have to keep up with the times to be able to relay necessary technology skills to my students. I don't want to be the teacher who can barely operate a VCR. It will also be important for me to keep in touch with other faculty through the use of e-mail or other discussion friendly cites. This kind of contemporary socialization is something I will look for in a school when I job search.
8.1 Educational Technology
Grade 12 (8.1.12.F.2)
This strand describes the standard that says students should be able to use a computer and the internet to access informative databases. They should also be able to use these databases to obtain the information they need in correspondence to the class or world issue.
In high school classroom, I will have students use the internet to assist them with writing a paper and creating a thesis. Finding information on the internet is a learned skill as they will have to learn to siphon though the irrelevant or inaccurate information that can be found. I will show them how to obtain the proper information by going through the scholarly journal cites that are appropriate for the class. When doing this, tricks, such as how to enter the subject into the search engine can be helpful and efficient. Other skills are in the use of understanding the scholarly articles and applying them to the thesis of the paper. They will have to learn how to use their own ideas while incorporating them with the ideas of those who have published articles. When using other works to support your thesis, students must learn the rules of citation in order to avoid plagiarizing which is a very serious offense.
For example, students reading the novel, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, can read the novel, research different aspects of the Ibo culture in Africa, and comprise a essay, including a thesis, that is typed up in a formal paper.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Teacher Web Pages
I took a look at Fairview Public Schools. The web site was very clear and easy to follow. The district web site had a list of the schools on the side tool bar. When I clicked on them, a page description about the school was displayed as well as administrative information. For a parent, this web site would be very helpful in deciding if you would like to move to this area, while for a prospective teacher, you can take a look at what the schools are like and if you'd be interested in working at one of them.
The web site also has a calendar for days off and a board for other frequently asked questions. Some of the icons are for the flu shot, district policies, and how you can reach them by e mail. The school seems very proficient in technology which reestablishes the importance of this class.
http://www.fairviewps.com/ Here is a link to the cite
The web site also has a calendar for days off and a board for other frequently asked questions. Some of the icons are for the flu shot, district policies, and how you can reach them by e mail. The school seems very proficient in technology which reestablishes the importance of this class.
http://www.fairviewps.com/ Here is a link to the cite
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