So Friday's class was in North Quad. I liked the change of scenery - it was truly a magnificent architectural marvel. The room we were in was spacious and brimming with sweet acoustics for Kristin to echo directions over. The day was mostly spent going over our "Organizing My Online Life" handouts in small groups, and I gotta say...I learned more than I expected.
I was charged with examining the relevant aspects of Skype and how it could help contribute to the classroom. Well, I - and everyone else in my group - was already pretty familiar with Skype. Skype, to me, has always been just a social tool used to connect with others. Well...whaddayaknow...isn't that kind of what we do in class as teachers on a daily basis? Sure enough, the opportunities are bountiful to utilize Skype in a fantastic way. We can conduct classes online via Skype. We can connect with OTHER classes ANYWHERE. Forget Ann Arbor - how about being able to teach kids in Kuala Lumpur about the various intricacies of the American judicial system? Well, I can finally do that now - and it's all thanks to Skype! (Brace yourselves, Lumpurites)
I'd like to extend my appreciation to my group members - Lakeza, Pete, and Carrie. They all did wonderful jobs with their individual presentations. Pete's breakdown of Dropbox was very useful and I look forward to utilizing it in my own way eventually. Carrie's explanation of Evernote was fantastic. Though I already use it, I discovered new ways to better harness its capabilities and use all of its tools to my advantage. I can already assure you a lot of time will be spent on Evernote in the future. Last but certainly not least, Lakeza introduced me to this very odd, but very interesting bookmarking application called Diigo. Though it's still in its beta stage, I'm amazed at its potential. Lakeza did a very nice job of setting the stage for an application that I think will be hugely useful moving forward.
All n all, my experiences on Friday compelled to find a whole lot of usefulness in this assignment - which is a credit to both Kristin and Jeff. I learned some new things, I learned some new things about old things, and I generally had a great time interacting with my fellow teachers and concluding that there's a whole lot of technological innovation on the horizon - and it's up to us to make the most of it.
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Monday, July 23, 2012
The Talented Mr. Bing
“regardless of cultural background, one should be able understand the text as long as one is thoroughly entangled in modern life.”
-Xu Bing
The subject of language is something I've always had a particular sensitivity to discussing. On one hand, I have always had a deep admiration for the many unique languages and cultures that make the world the way we see it today. These languages not only indicate where someone is from - they can also indicate who that person is. And for me, nothing is more admirable than someone who knows multiple languages - the wherewithal that it takes to learn totally new languages, the gratifying feeling they must feel when they speak to someone and shock them with their fluency - it's a truly beautiful sight to see.
On the other hand, I stand in stark contrast to those people. Even with my ethnicity and my foreign place of birth, English is still the only language I have grasped - and though I would like to believe I've harnessed it well enough, I still feel a bit of shame whenever I confront someone who speaks Arabic...and reveal to them that we can't really have a conversation in our native tongue. Language is understanding. It's about being aware of a world separate-but-oh-so-close to the world you live in. As it stands, though, language is anything but uniform and there is still sometimes a massive lack of exchange of cultures and ideas as a result.
Which brings us to Xu Bing's quote above, nestled within an excerpt from a book that was briefly discussed in class Friday. Bing's "language of icons" is truly fascinating, if not simplistic: By simply gathering familiar icons and images and framing them together, Bing manages to formulate a language that - for the most part - anyone can understand. As teachers, there sometimes can be a monumental rift in language in our very own classrooms. It is important that these stark contrasts are minimized in the future, and I believe technology is the best way of going about it in the future. Technology can be used for many things, and I believe social interaction is one of its greatest benefits. We can sit down, right now, and chat with somebody in Hong Kong about the many different intricacies of language and how it effects our daily lives. We can also chat with our Hong Kong friend about better ways of bringing our cultures closer together. Whatever the case may be, the fact is we CAN create a society more interconnected than ever before. Xu Bing's Language of Icons is a testament to that.
-Xu Bing
The subject of language is something I've always had a particular sensitivity to discussing. On one hand, I have always had a deep admiration for the many unique languages and cultures that make the world the way we see it today. These languages not only indicate where someone is from - they can also indicate who that person is. And for me, nothing is more admirable than someone who knows multiple languages - the wherewithal that it takes to learn totally new languages, the gratifying feeling they must feel when they speak to someone and shock them with their fluency - it's a truly beautiful sight to see.
On the other hand, I stand in stark contrast to those people. Even with my ethnicity and my foreign place of birth, English is still the only language I have grasped - and though I would like to believe I've harnessed it well enough, I still feel a bit of shame whenever I confront someone who speaks Arabic...and reveal to them that we can't really have a conversation in our native tongue. Language is understanding. It's about being aware of a world separate-but-oh-so-close to the world you live in. As it stands, though, language is anything but uniform and there is still sometimes a massive lack of exchange of cultures and ideas as a result.
Which brings us to Xu Bing's quote above, nestled within an excerpt from a book that was briefly discussed in class Friday. Bing's "language of icons" is truly fascinating, if not simplistic: By simply gathering familiar icons and images and framing them together, Bing manages to formulate a language that - for the most part - anyone can understand. As teachers, there sometimes can be a monumental rift in language in our very own classrooms. It is important that these stark contrasts are minimized in the future, and I believe technology is the best way of going about it in the future. Technology can be used for many things, and I believe social interaction is one of its greatest benefits. We can sit down, right now, and chat with somebody in Hong Kong about the many different intricacies of language and how it effects our daily lives. We can also chat with our Hong Kong friend about better ways of bringing our cultures closer together. Whatever the case may be, the fact is we CAN create a society more interconnected than ever before. Xu Bing's Language of Icons is a testament to that.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Oh Em Gee
As I went through our assigned readings/viewings for the week, I felt a pretty strong sense that all the authors and contributors involved were really awesome people. From a pedagogical perspective, it's pretty great to see to some established, "smart" people encouraging those in the teaching profession to explore new ways of teaching. More specifically, it's refreshing to see that we're being assigned readings that feature quotes like this one from Heidi Hayes Jacobs:
"Our students are in the 21st century. They are waiting for the teachers and curriculum to catch up."
That'd be an emotionally-gripping one-liner in a Michael Bay movie, wouldn't it?
On the other hand, it is a bit depressing that this sort of belief isn't more widely accepted. As teachers, we should be cognizant and embrace the fact that we are lagging behind in terms of testing the limits of a students ability to learn with technology. We share a lot in common with today's typical secondary student - we play the same games, watch the same programming on TV, and tinker and enjoy the same gadgets and gizmos that make our lives easier and more interesting every day. We are doing students a great disservice by not acting upon our many similarities with one another - it is imperative that we begin to take advantage and utilize instructional techniques that meld traditional methods with the sensational resources we have at our disposal in 2012.
I was particularly fond of James Paul Gee's "Good Video Games and Good Learning" article, partly because he references some pretty awesome games and mostly because he presented some pretty interesting talking points while contrasting children's experiences playing video games with their experience in the classroom. I was very, very impressed at how well he depicted the cognitive benefits people feel playing video games and how we as teachers can emulate the same sort of attraction and interest in our own works in the classroom. At one point, he discusses how guilds in World of Warcraft can be translated to the classroom setting - strategically placing our students into groups and building off of their unique traits and characteristics could cultivate a learning environment extremely conducive to higher learning. Having your students dress up in Mage or Warrior outfits for these learning activities is entirely optional but highly encouraged.
More than anything, I was amazed at how well strategies in video games relate to similar processes in the classroom - and how we as teachers need to take advantage of students strengths in these areas. One point Gee highlights is risk-taking - I mean, that's why we love video games right? You can do whatever you want, and if you fail, you'll learn from it. Schools, as Gee succinctly states, "too often allows much less space for risk, exploration and failure." Indeed, it is a crying shame we don't do enough to encourage our students to try new things as opposed to try not to fail - which is an unfortunate mindset a fair amount of students progress through school with. Teacher's can change that. Teacher's can change a lot of things, quite frankly. Video game traits like Agency, Challenge and Consolidation are all applicable in the classroom setting and can do a lot to bring about the change we all wish to see in teaching pedagogy. With that said, on a totally unrelated note, I want to conclude this with my favorite video game meme of all time...
LEEEROYYYYYYYYYY JEEEENKIINNSSSSSSSSSS
"Our students are in the 21st century. They are waiting for the teachers and curriculum to catch up."
That'd be an emotionally-gripping one-liner in a Michael Bay movie, wouldn't it?
On the other hand, it is a bit depressing that this sort of belief isn't more widely accepted. As teachers, we should be cognizant and embrace the fact that we are lagging behind in terms of testing the limits of a students ability to learn with technology. We share a lot in common with today's typical secondary student - we play the same games, watch the same programming on TV, and tinker and enjoy the same gadgets and gizmos that make our lives easier and more interesting every day. We are doing students a great disservice by not acting upon our many similarities with one another - it is imperative that we begin to take advantage and utilize instructional techniques that meld traditional methods with the sensational resources we have at our disposal in 2012.
I was particularly fond of James Paul Gee's "Good Video Games and Good Learning" article, partly because he references some pretty awesome games and mostly because he presented some pretty interesting talking points while contrasting children's experiences playing video games with their experience in the classroom. I was very, very impressed at how well he depicted the cognitive benefits people feel playing video games and how we as teachers can emulate the same sort of attraction and interest in our own works in the classroom. At one point, he discusses how guilds in World of Warcraft can be translated to the classroom setting - strategically placing our students into groups and building off of their unique traits and characteristics could cultivate a learning environment extremely conducive to higher learning. Having your students dress up in Mage or Warrior outfits for these learning activities is entirely optional but highly encouraged.
More than anything, I was amazed at how well strategies in video games relate to similar processes in the classroom - and how we as teachers need to take advantage of students strengths in these areas. One point Gee highlights is risk-taking - I mean, that's why we love video games right? You can do whatever you want, and if you fail, you'll learn from it. Schools, as Gee succinctly states, "too often allows much less space for risk, exploration and failure." Indeed, it is a crying shame we don't do enough to encourage our students to try new things as opposed to try not to fail - which is an unfortunate mindset a fair amount of students progress through school with. Teacher's can change that. Teacher's can change a lot of things, quite frankly. Video game traits like Agency, Challenge and Consolidation are all applicable in the classroom setting and can do a lot to bring about the change we all wish to see in teaching pedagogy. With that said, on a totally unrelated note, I want to conclude this with my favorite video game meme of all time...
LEEEROYYYYYYYYYY JEEEENKIINNSSSSSSSSSS
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Motivation from a Middle Schooler
There was a moment during our initial meeting inside that spacious, dimly-lit, Hogwarts-style room at the beginning of class where I completely zoned out. Maybe it was from the debauchery from the night before, maybe I was just daydreaming about the weekend (MTTC tests the next day at 7am! WOOHOO!!), but most likely I was just...blah. It was 10am and I was waiting for class to start, and eventually the staleness of the room was interrupted by the entrance of our good friends from Scarlett Middle School joining us for a few minutes. The excitement and exuberance they perspired was palpable. This felt like a moment of catharsis to me for two reasons 1) Man, I miss being a kid again and 2) It seems we were making a real impact on these kids lives considering they were so excited to see us. It's certainly not a feeling I'm used to - I don't mean that in a depressing way, just that it seems social interactions as an adult lose their luster when the majority of our acquaintances are work-related, academic, or something else lacking unique substance and enthusiasm.
Anyways, it was during these brief few minutes with our Scarlett friends that one of the students stood up and gave us all some very poignant advice:
"Be creative," the student said, addressing all of us teachers-in-training. "And don't be boring."
It wasn't exactly a musing akin to Plato, but it was effective nonetheless. In six words, this random student encouraged and embodied everything I want to offer my students as their teacher - effective, creative lesson planning and promoting a classroom atmosphere that keeps my students engaged and interested in the subject matter. Immediately following this revelation, we set off into groups to discuss the Soda Ban article we had read previously - and I had every intention on trying to present some of that creativity within the group I worked with.
Our group was accompanied by librarian Rachel Goldberg, who performed brilliantly as our mentor and de facto discussion leader during our brainstorming session. As we spoke of unique ways to try and present a lesson plan based on the NYC Soda Ban, Rachel offered some sage advice: "I'm all for purposeful technology" she exclaimed. If she didn't need it, she didn't want it. It was a simple, effective proclamation that basically encouraged us to not just use technology for the sake of using technology. Be diligent, and use it appropriately and effectively. This was especially pertinent to the podcasts we were introduced to in the second half of class(along with the suggestion of using Skype) - it's quite remarkable that we can use such mediums to meld students to learning more creatively.
Anyways, back to our session with Rachel. We bounced various ideas off each other about the Soda Ban, and it appeared we had all taken those Scarlett students words seriously from earlier that morning - my group members came up with some really great ideas to present this material effectively to our students. We spent a good portion of our time together trying to answer one seemingly simple question: What was our teaching goal with this assignment? Ultimately, we all came up with slightly different answers, but there was a common thread between all our ideas: They were creative, and they certainly weren't boring.
Mission accomplished, random Scarlett student. Mission accomplished.
Anyways, it was during these brief few minutes with our Scarlett friends that one of the students stood up and gave us all some very poignant advice:
"Be creative," the student said, addressing all of us teachers-in-training. "And don't be boring."
It wasn't exactly a musing akin to Plato, but it was effective nonetheless. In six words, this random student encouraged and embodied everything I want to offer my students as their teacher - effective, creative lesson planning and promoting a classroom atmosphere that keeps my students engaged and interested in the subject matter. Immediately following this revelation, we set off into groups to discuss the Soda Ban article we had read previously - and I had every intention on trying to present some of that creativity within the group I worked with.
Our group was accompanied by librarian Rachel Goldberg, who performed brilliantly as our mentor and de facto discussion leader during our brainstorming session. As we spoke of unique ways to try and present a lesson plan based on the NYC Soda Ban, Rachel offered some sage advice: "I'm all for purposeful technology" she exclaimed. If she didn't need it, she didn't want it. It was a simple, effective proclamation that basically encouraged us to not just use technology for the sake of using technology. Be diligent, and use it appropriately and effectively. This was especially pertinent to the podcasts we were introduced to in the second half of class(along with the suggestion of using Skype) - it's quite remarkable that we can use such mediums to meld students to learning more creatively.
Anyways, back to our session with Rachel. We bounced various ideas off each other about the Soda Ban, and it appeared we had all taken those Scarlett students words seriously from earlier that morning - my group members came up with some really great ideas to present this material effectively to our students. We spent a good portion of our time together trying to answer one seemingly simple question: What was our teaching goal with this assignment? Ultimately, we all came up with slightly different answers, but there was a common thread between all our ideas: They were creative, and they certainly weren't boring.
Mission accomplished, random Scarlett student. Mission accomplished.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Pop Rocks
Let me start off by saying that I am a recovering soda (or pop. Or coke. Whatever floats your boat) drinker. Pepsi used to be as big a part of my diet as any grain or fruit or meat product - I would drink it with my cereal, I drank it at lunch, I gulped it at dinner. I really could not envision myself having a meal without a Pepsi next to me. Soda? Count me in. I loved this stuff.
Then I saw the gigantic Pepsi-induced blob of mass below my chest one day decided enough is enough. I was cutting soda completely out of my diet - for my sake, for my bellies sake, and for the sake of my poor, poor cereal that had no idea why I was treating breakfast like a barbeque.
So it comes as no surprise, then, that I say "Bravo!" to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's plans to ban the sale of large-sized sugary drinks in NYC. I have always been perplexed at the sheer size of some of these drink cups retail stores and restaurants offer up to their customers - it's basically an invite to ensure that the United States will continue to glutton itself into a gloating, obese monstrosity. But that's neither here nor there; what's really cool about this latest development in New York City is how appropriate a talking point it is to discuss in my future social studies class.
Especially with regards to civics and political science, the issue of Bloomberg's attempt to ban large sugary drink sales could certainly provide for a rousing class discussion on the role government should or should not play in our daily lives. Is there a bit of a Big Brother complex inherent in what Bloomberg is doing? Does the government really have any right to dictate how we go about providing our own personal nourishment? What are the exact roles of our state legislature anyways, and should they be pursuing such a ban with other more pressing issues perhaps at stake? These are all solid questions that can incite quite a debate in the classroom - and make for an excellent writing assignment as well!
Bloomberg's previous efforts, like attempting to tax soda sales and restricting the use of food stamps to buy sodas, can also be highlighted to show the complexities of the legislative process. How bills pass through legislatures can be discussed and primed for a debate in class. There are so many ways to tactfully use an example like this to segue into more pertinent social issues and topics.
Speaking of bans, the NYC Anti-Sugary Drinkapalooza (No? Not even remotely clever? I agree.) could be contrasted against other bans governments and legislatures have enacted/tried to enact through the years. Prohibition, anyone? Or perhaps we can cross the Atlantic and compare that with efforts in France to ban the wearing of the hijab on certain premises? Boom! We just took my Civics class global. And all we needed was a can of chica-cherry cola.
Didn't get the last reference? This should help:
Then I saw the gigantic Pepsi-induced blob of mass below my chest one day decided enough is enough. I was cutting soda completely out of my diet - for my sake, for my bellies sake, and for the sake of my poor, poor cereal that had no idea why I was treating breakfast like a barbeque.
So it comes as no surprise, then, that I say "Bravo!" to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's plans to ban the sale of large-sized sugary drinks in NYC. I have always been perplexed at the sheer size of some of these drink cups retail stores and restaurants offer up to their customers - it's basically an invite to ensure that the United States will continue to glutton itself into a gloating, obese monstrosity. But that's neither here nor there; what's really cool about this latest development in New York City is how appropriate a talking point it is to discuss in my future social studies class.
Especially with regards to civics and political science, the issue of Bloomberg's attempt to ban large sugary drink sales could certainly provide for a rousing class discussion on the role government should or should not play in our daily lives. Is there a bit of a Big Brother complex inherent in what Bloomberg is doing? Does the government really have any right to dictate how we go about providing our own personal nourishment? What are the exact roles of our state legislature anyways, and should they be pursuing such a ban with other more pressing issues perhaps at stake? These are all solid questions that can incite quite a debate in the classroom - and make for an excellent writing assignment as well!
Bloomberg's previous efforts, like attempting to tax soda sales and restricting the use of food stamps to buy sodas, can also be highlighted to show the complexities of the legislative process. How bills pass through legislatures can be discussed and primed for a debate in class. There are so many ways to tactfully use an example like this to segue into more pertinent social issues and topics.
Speaking of bans, the NYC Anti-Sugary Drinkapalooza (No? Not even remotely clever? I agree.) could be contrasted against other bans governments and legislatures have enacted/tried to enact through the years. Prohibition, anyone? Or perhaps we can cross the Atlantic and compare that with efforts in France to ban the wearing of the hijab on certain premises? Boom! We just took my Civics class global. And all we needed was a can of chica-cherry cola.
Didn't get the last reference? This should help:
Sunday, July 1, 2012
The First Day
Teaching with Technology. Those three words are a gateway - not only our EDUC504 class, but the reality that lies ahead as we make our way in an increasingly digital age. The chalkboard-and-lecture style of teaching we had been engrained with as children is now a mere afterthought. As emerging teachers, our job descriptions are markedly more complex today than they ever were for our predecessors. Technology is shaping the way we live and it's evolving at a rapid pace that demands new teachers to get on board, harness its full capabilities, and encourage their students to achieve a higher level of cognition that generations of the past could never hope to achieve.
Teaching with Technology may be the formal name of this class, but a more appropriate title may be Teaching Without Limits. We are in the thicket of a vast interconnected world that we must utilize fully and responsibly. Our professors, Jeff and Kristin, certainly seem up to the task to help make us better teachers with the unbelievable tools we have at our disposal. The opportunities are almost quite literally limitless to what we can teach once we realize the potential of technology as a medium.
There are drawbacks, of course, and we discussed some of them in class on Friday. Cyber-bullying is obviously prevalent and it's an issue we must grapple with and be cognizant of. Students can be more distracted than ever before by the technologies we use, and it is not always a good thing. But by and large, there's far more good than bad to disseminated from the use of technology in the classroom.
I thought the Sheskey article did a much more poignant job than I could have in discussing the benefits of teaching with technology. One of the more interesting talking points in the article was the assertion that 'students demand a change' as a result of all this accelerated advancement in technology. Indeed, to make connections with students more authentic, he states "we must change our strategies to fit this new age of students." I find myself in complete agreement. 'Change' often invokes a variety of different emotional responses, but my hope is that the one invoked by my compatriots and I is one of anxious excitement. No other generation of teachers has had the chance to do what we can now do thanks to technology. Let us embrace it, and create new ways to make teaching more effective than ever before.
Teaching with Technology may be the formal name of this class, but a more appropriate title may be Teaching Without Limits. We are in the thicket of a vast interconnected world that we must utilize fully and responsibly. Our professors, Jeff and Kristin, certainly seem up to the task to help make us better teachers with the unbelievable tools we have at our disposal. The opportunities are almost quite literally limitless to what we can teach once we realize the potential of technology as a medium.
There are drawbacks, of course, and we discussed some of them in class on Friday. Cyber-bullying is obviously prevalent and it's an issue we must grapple with and be cognizant of. Students can be more distracted than ever before by the technologies we use, and it is not always a good thing. But by and large, there's far more good than bad to disseminated from the use of technology in the classroom.
I thought the Sheskey article did a much more poignant job than I could have in discussing the benefits of teaching with technology. One of the more interesting talking points in the article was the assertion that 'students demand a change' as a result of all this accelerated advancement in technology. Indeed, to make connections with students more authentic, he states "we must change our strategies to fit this new age of students." I find myself in complete agreement. 'Change' often invokes a variety of different emotional responses, but my hope is that the one invoked by my compatriots and I is one of anxious excitement. No other generation of teachers has had the chance to do what we can now do thanks to technology. Let us embrace it, and create new ways to make teaching more effective than ever before.
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