This article is over how to increase middle school performance and cut down on the rate of behavioral problems among the students. Some educators believe the way to do this is to reconfigure the concept of middle school. A debate ensues when the educators started to disagree on whether or not to incorporate middle schools into the younger grades or the older grades; to coddle them or to force them to mature earlier.
As was mentioned in the article, I don't think that moving the middle grades into the schools for older or younger students will make a difference. The positive change has to come from a restructuring of the curriculum so that more in depth discussion on the material is allowed to happen and that the class sizes are decreased to allow for more personalized attention. As I learned in my psychology class, the biggest problems for middle schoolers academically is lack of challenge and lack of in depth discussion. Simply moving the students to a elementary or high school is not going to change that. Therefore, I think the change needs to come from an entirely different source. I think this debate will most definitely affect my teaching as I plan to teach the middle grades. It will be a constant battle over to coddle or prod my students into one age set or the other while all the while, the genuine problem isn't being addressed.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Podcasts 2
For my additional podcast, I went to the iTunes store and found a bunch of podcasts by Dane Cook. I chose to listen to the "Turkey Sandwiches Galore" podcast. What I really liked about his podcast was that it was funny and had music constantly playing in the background. In the podcast, he talked about what he had been up to, what movies he was working on, etc. One funny part was him reading through MySpace comments. Although I don't particularly care for Dane Cook, it was interesting to listen to him out of character and not doing stand up.
Podcasts 1
What is a podcast?
A podcast is the combined technology of the IPod and broadcasting, although an IPod is not necessary. It's most listened to on computers, is timeshifted and is not platform specific, so it will work on either the pc or the mac.
Compare/Contrast to another technology:
A podcast is similar to the radio, but with more benefits. Unlike a radio, podcasts can be listened to at any time and can be paused, stopped and skipped around. A podcast can also be saved for later use unlike a radio show. With radio shows, there aren't many options to choose from while there are 65,000 podcasts to chose from and the number is growing daily. Radio shows, on one hand, are very expensive and time consuming to produce while podcasts are very inexpensive and take very little time to put together. Another feature of podcasts is that they can be subscribed to and instantly downloaded, unlike radio shows.
Three usages/ Why use them in the classroom?
Well why not use podcasts? They can be used to send assignments to students, to connect your students to the rest of the world by giving them an audience, to practice in foreign language classes, to study for exams, to record/save oral projects and my personal favorite, to hear famous speeches from history. Also, podcasts are very simple to put together and are very inexpensive for teachers. When implemented, they also increase student motivation to succeed.
Why not use podcasts in the classroom?
The only reason I could think of to not use podcasts would be if the technology such as computers or software were not available to the students.
Having listened to the podcast on podcasting, I feel much more comfortable with how they work and would really want to try it in a classroom. My main thinking before this was that podcasts were really only for radio show type uses but now I see that they are much more versatile. I also didn't know if they were free or expensive to make so finding that they are very inexpensive makes me want to make one that much more.
A podcast is the combined technology of the IPod and broadcasting, although an IPod is not necessary. It's most listened to on computers, is timeshifted and is not platform specific, so it will work on either the pc or the mac.
Compare/Contrast to another technology:
A podcast is similar to the radio, but with more benefits. Unlike a radio, podcasts can be listened to at any time and can be paused, stopped and skipped around. A podcast can also be saved for later use unlike a radio show. With radio shows, there aren't many options to choose from while there are 65,000 podcasts to chose from and the number is growing daily. Radio shows, on one hand, are very expensive and time consuming to produce while podcasts are very inexpensive and take very little time to put together. Another feature of podcasts is that they can be subscribed to and instantly downloaded, unlike radio shows.
Three usages/ Why use them in the classroom?
Well why not use podcasts? They can be used to send assignments to students, to connect your students to the rest of the world by giving them an audience, to practice in foreign language classes, to study for exams, to record/save oral projects and my personal favorite, to hear famous speeches from history. Also, podcasts are very simple to put together and are very inexpensive for teachers. When implemented, they also increase student motivation to succeed.
Why not use podcasts in the classroom?
The only reason I could think of to not use podcasts would be if the technology such as computers or software were not available to the students.
Having listened to the podcast on podcasting, I feel much more comfortable with how they work and would really want to try it in a classroom. My main thinking before this was that podcasts were really only for radio show type uses but now I see that they are much more versatile. I also didn't know if they were free or expensive to make so finding that they are very inexpensive makes me want to make one that much more.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Copyright and Fair Use LR
#3- I would be pretty angry if I bought software that wasn't backwards-compatible. In today's world, where technology is always evolving and improving, it's obvious to that everyone will be constantly in the process of updating or upgrading their technology and while in transition, the need for backwards-compatible technology would be essential. ITunes, for example, is a company that is reasonable when it comes to backwards-compatibility. Although some features may not be available or may be slightly altered from version to version, I can still plug in my two-year old IPod into the latest version of the ITunes software and have it work perfectly. If that wasn't the case, I would either have to never update my software or worse, be forced to buy a new IPod every time a new version was released. I feel that backwards-compatibility must be integrated into the plans of the manufacturers every time they release a new product or new software. It is unfair for school systems and students to be penalized when they cannot afford for all of their software to be the latest version.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Copyright and Fair Use QR
#3- I think that it's ridiculous to have software on the market that isn't backwards-compatible, especially at the rate that technology is evolving.
#4- It's very ineffective to mandate that something in public schools be done when the state doesn't have or won't provide the resources to help achieve the task at hand and I feel that the schools should be able to do whatever they have to in order to meet those requirements.
#6 I'm glad that this isn't considered illegal because it would be a real hindrance for teachers getting information to their students if it were.
#7- I was very surprised to see that material that is not copyrighted can still be used on a password protected site.
#14- This is really annoying and frustrating as an RA because this law makes it so that we cannot formally design programs around watching a movie.
#16- I thought for sure that the use of those machines would be illegal as they unblock the copy protection.
#19- It seems rather petty to not allow the yearbook to use the entirety of the songs as it would only lead to more exposure to the general public for the artist's material.
#20- It makes sense for this to be illegal as it's basically a form of bootlegging and relates to personal gain.
#4- It's very ineffective to mandate that something in public schools be done when the state doesn't have or won't provide the resources to help achieve the task at hand and I feel that the schools should be able to do whatever they have to in order to meet those requirements.
#6 I'm glad that this isn't considered illegal because it would be a real hindrance for teachers getting information to their students if it were.
#7- I was very surprised to see that material that is not copyrighted can still be used on a password protected site.
#14- This is really annoying and frustrating as an RA because this law makes it so that we cannot formally design programs around watching a movie.
#16- I thought for sure that the use of those machines would be illegal as they unblock the copy protection.
#19- It seems rather petty to not allow the yearbook to use the entirety of the songs as it would only lead to more exposure to the general public for the artist's material.
#20- It makes sense for this to be illegal as it's basically a form of bootlegging and relates to personal gain.
QR Blogging
This blogging process is much different than my LiveJournal blog but I have to say that I like Blogger more. It has more and better choices for templates and font options. The only thing I don't like about it is that I have a hard time remembering the difference between my username, my display name and other bits of information. Now knowing about Blogger, I think I will move my blog over from LiveJournal.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
NetDay Results
I was shocked by how much I didn't know about "digital natives." I knew that technology was being incorporated into our culture at a younger age, but I didn't realize how young that point had become. Looking back at what kind of technology was available to my classmates and I in the lower grades, I would have to say that we are on the cusp of being "digital immigrants." All throughout my k-6 years, I didn't know about or use such things as DVD's, MP3's, cell phones or blogs. Even my regular desktop usage was very limited. From the results, I learned staggering facts like 63% of students in K-3 use desktops weekly and 30% have e-mail accounts.
This technology boom is sigificant for the teaching profession as it forces teachers to adapt. However, as the results indicated, a teacher's comfortability with technology isn't growing nearly as fast as a student's. This could have significant repercussions as some teachers will no longer be able to teach effectively for the age range they are working with if they cannot use technology in the classroom. For example, with every new trend that an age cohort undergoes, the teacher will have to adapt. One year, students might be more inclined to use e-mail to communicate, while another year, they might prefer IM. If a teacher is not in tune with these changes then student apathy or other problems might arise.
In general, I was mostly shocked by what I read. The number of advanced technology users and their ages are different than I would have thought. I realized that understanding and implementing technology in the classroom will be a crucial addition to a teacher's responsibilities if they are to teach effectively and reach out to their students.
This technology boom is sigificant for the teaching profession as it forces teachers to adapt. However, as the results indicated, a teacher's comfortability with technology isn't growing nearly as fast as a student's. This could have significant repercussions as some teachers will no longer be able to teach effectively for the age range they are working with if they cannot use technology in the classroom. For example, with every new trend that an age cohort undergoes, the teacher will have to adapt. One year, students might be more inclined to use e-mail to communicate, while another year, they might prefer IM. If a teacher is not in tune with these changes then student apathy or other problems might arise.
In general, I was mostly shocked by what I read. The number of advanced technology users and their ages are different than I would have thought. I realized that understanding and implementing technology in the classroom will be a crucial addition to a teacher's responsibilities if they are to teach effectively and reach out to their students.
Friday, January 19, 2007
QR Chapter 2
Audra Whitney
Chapter 2
"Even the suspicion that a teacher holds a bias sometimes grows into students feeling that they can't do anything right." (22)
Having just taken a child and adolescent psychology course and been told about learned helplessness, I found this statement particularly interesting. I think that bias in the classroom is a huge problem but that it is also an unnecessary one. This being said, I can imagine that it is hard as a teacher to not show positive or negative bias toward certain students. I think this is something that many new teachers will struggle with.
Chapter 2
"Even the suspicion that a teacher holds a bias sometimes grows into students feeling that they can't do anything right." (22)
Having just taken a child and adolescent psychology course and been told about learned helplessness, I found this statement particularly interesting. I think that bias in the classroom is a huge problem but that it is also an unnecessary one. This being said, I can imagine that it is hard as a teacher to not show positive or negative bias toward certain students. I think this is something that many new teachers will struggle with.
QR Chapter 1
Audra Whitney
Chapter 1
"Students want teachers to know their strengths and acknowledge their expertise, but they rarely get a chance to make them known." (2)
This really jumped out at me because I was that kind of student in school. I wanted teachers to know that although I might not be the best student in their class, I still had other skills and strengths. Many times, however, I felt that the opportunity to share my accomplishments was never presented, or if it was, it felt forced and awkward. I also felt more confident when a teacher picked up and commented on something that I had done right. It prompted me to work harder.
Chapter 1
"Students want teachers to know their strengths and acknowledge their expertise, but they rarely get a chance to make them known." (2)
This really jumped out at me because I was that kind of student in school. I wanted teachers to know that although I might not be the best student in their class, I still had other skills and strengths. Many times, however, I felt that the opportunity to share my accomplishments was never presented, or if it was, it felt forced and awkward. I also felt more confident when a teacher picked up and commented on something that I had done right. It prompted me to work harder.
QR Introduction
Audra Whitney
Introduction
"It is about seeing students as complete human beings, with minds, hearts, and souls, rather than as test scores to be raised" (xvi)
With the advent of such programs as No Child Left Behind, the modern teacher is forced to teach to the test and overlook the students as unique human beings. This statement jumped out at me because while in high school, I felt that interpersonal relationships were underdeveloped with some teachers because their class time was too filled with curriculum and not filled enough with getting to know one another. While some teachers make it a point to connect with each and every student, some are so accustomed to trying to meet requirements that they now longer feel the desire to connect with students.
Introduction
"It is about seeing students as complete human beings, with minds, hearts, and souls, rather than as test scores to be raised" (xvi)
With the advent of such programs as No Child Left Behind, the modern teacher is forced to teach to the test and overlook the students as unique human beings. This statement jumped out at me because while in high school, I felt that interpersonal relationships were underdeveloped with some teachers because their class time was too filled with curriculum and not filled enough with getting to know one another. While some teachers make it a point to connect with each and every student, some are so accustomed to trying to meet requirements that they now longer feel the desire to connect with students.
QR Preface
Audra Whitney
Preface
"To keep the place running smoothly, students' behavior becomes more important than their understanding, acquiescence more valued than inquiry." (ix)
I had never thought of this as being the case in schools before, but after reading this statement, it made perfect sense. Often, the quiet, docile students are overlooked and most of the attention paid to the students with behavioral problems for the greater good of keeping the class in order and operating smoothly. Also, if a student has behavioral issues in class, the teacher's attention is more often focused on that student's behavior and its affect on the class instead of assessing whether or not they are learning the material.
Preface
"To keep the place running smoothly, students' behavior becomes more important than their understanding, acquiescence more valued than inquiry." (ix)
I had never thought of this as being the case in schools before, but after reading this statement, it made perfect sense. Often, the quiet, docile students are overlooked and most of the attention paid to the students with behavioral problems for the greater good of keeping the class in order and operating smoothly. Also, if a student has behavioral issues in class, the teacher's attention is more often focused on that student's behavior and its affect on the class instead of assessing whether or not they are learning the material.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)