Thursday, July 23, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Language and Communication
During the group presentation in 649 today, I was really struck by the video about Walter Payton College Prep High School. The educational opportunities that those students have are incredible. Someone commented that they were a bit jealous because they never had those opportunities in high school. I wholeheartedly agree with this.
I studied Spanish in high school, and it was one of my favorite subjects. For a while I considered minoring in it. Even though I haven’t formally studied it in a while, I’ve kept up by reading Spanish novels and an occasional movie or two. Even with all of that, I’m by no means fluent. I can’t help but wonder how different my learning experience would have been if my Spanish AP class in high school had included video conferences with students in Spain or Mexico. As a learner, I’m aware that my biggest weakness is comprehending native speakers of Spanish. I was taught mostly by teachers who acquired Spanish as their second language. I had no trouble understanding when they spoke because they and my classmates all had the same American accent that I’ll never quite be able to lose (oh, those rr’s…). Having a chance to converse with a group of native speakers like the students at Walter Payton are able to would have made a huge difference in my learning experience.
Their interactions embody the type of meaningful cultural exchange that ties our increasingly interconnected world together. I was one of a lucky few students during high school who had the opportunity to travel abroad as a Student Ambassador. I’d be willing to bet that I learned more during the eight weeks I spent overseas over the course of three different summers than I did in any one classroom. Bringing people together allows them to share their unique perspectives on the world. We not only learn about a different culture; we learn a great deal about our own. Imagine how much richer our society would be if every student had the opportunity to interface with students from around the world.
I’m fascinated with the possibilities for the use of video conferencing in the classroom. I’m sure there will be another post soon about that.
All of this talk about using communication to bring people closer together makes me think of that most iconic of Disney structures: Spaceship Earth (Sorry, I’m a Disney nerd. They brainwashed me when I worked there…). I leave you with the old incarnation narrated by none other than Walter Cronkite. His version is a little dated, but the sentiment is the same, and he'll always be my favorite narrator. Is it possible that my repeated visits to this attraction as a child shaped my views about technology and communication?
I studied Spanish in high school, and it was one of my favorite subjects. For a while I considered minoring in it. Even though I haven’t formally studied it in a while, I’ve kept up by reading Spanish novels and an occasional movie or two. Even with all of that, I’m by no means fluent. I can’t help but wonder how different my learning experience would have been if my Spanish AP class in high school had included video conferences with students in Spain or Mexico. As a learner, I’m aware that my biggest weakness is comprehending native speakers of Spanish. I was taught mostly by teachers who acquired Spanish as their second language. I had no trouble understanding when they spoke because they and my classmates all had the same American accent that I’ll never quite be able to lose (oh, those rr’s…). Having a chance to converse with a group of native speakers like the students at Walter Payton are able to would have made a huge difference in my learning experience.
Their interactions embody the type of meaningful cultural exchange that ties our increasingly interconnected world together. I was one of a lucky few students during high school who had the opportunity to travel abroad as a Student Ambassador. I’d be willing to bet that I learned more during the eight weeks I spent overseas over the course of three different summers than I did in any one classroom. Bringing people together allows them to share their unique perspectives on the world. We not only learn about a different culture; we learn a great deal about our own. Imagine how much richer our society would be if every student had the opportunity to interface with students from around the world.
I’m fascinated with the possibilities for the use of video conferencing in the classroom. I’m sure there will be another post soon about that.
All of this talk about using communication to bring people closer together makes me think of that most iconic of Disney structures: Spaceship Earth (Sorry, I’m a Disney nerd. They brainwashed me when I worked there…). I leave you with the old incarnation narrated by none other than Walter Cronkite. His version is a little dated, but the sentiment is the same, and he'll always be my favorite narrator. Is it possible that my repeated visits to this attraction as a child shaped my views about technology and communication?
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Educating Citizens
I believe that “educating citizens” is the most important aspect of schools. On the surface, this seems obvious. Of course schools are intended to educate our citizens. However, I believe that there is a deeper meaning.
Educating citizens doesn’t mean filling students’ heads with facts and numbers and dates. It means providing them with the tools to function as effective citizens in today’s society. That’s not to say that the content-specific facts that we seek to convey aren’t important. They are also necessary in order to succeed in society. However, the greatest gift that we, as teachers, can give to our students is the ability to think and reason as functional adults. From this ability stem all of the skills needed to contribute to society. Simply memorizing a litany of facts may help students pass exams, but it will ill-equip them to succeed outside of the classroom.
At present, I believe that the most important skill to impart is the ability to critically evaluate information. We are constantly bombarded with information from sources varying from reputable to completely fabricated. The capability to filter that information and analyze its meaning is essential in today’s society. Without this skill, students will be doomed to fall for every hoax, ideological discourse, and misrepresentation of reality that they encounter.
On the other hand, and educated citizen is able to assess which information is worth knowing and disregard the “junk” that so often populates the internet. They will then be able to take advantage of the wealth of good information that technology allows us to access. The more accurate information that individuals can get their hands on, the better able to actively participate in and contribute to society.
This type of literacy must be addressed in the classroom. Teachers who fail to teach these skills to their students are doing them a huge disservice. We must encourage them to think critically about the information that is presented to them. This type of knowledge will stay with students long after the facts, formulas, and numbers that we teach have faded from their memories.
Educating citizens doesn’t mean filling students’ heads with facts and numbers and dates. It means providing them with the tools to function as effective citizens in today’s society. That’s not to say that the content-specific facts that we seek to convey aren’t important. They are also necessary in order to succeed in society. However, the greatest gift that we, as teachers, can give to our students is the ability to think and reason as functional adults. From this ability stem all of the skills needed to contribute to society. Simply memorizing a litany of facts may help students pass exams, but it will ill-equip them to succeed outside of the classroom.
At present, I believe that the most important skill to impart is the ability to critically evaluate information. We are constantly bombarded with information from sources varying from reputable to completely fabricated. The capability to filter that information and analyze its meaning is essential in today’s society. Without this skill, students will be doomed to fall for every hoax, ideological discourse, and misrepresentation of reality that they encounter.
On the other hand, and educated citizen is able to assess which information is worth knowing and disregard the “junk” that so often populates the internet. They will then be able to take advantage of the wealth of good information that technology allows us to access. The more accurate information that individuals can get their hands on, the better able to actively participate in and contribute to society.
This type of literacy must be addressed in the classroom. Teachers who fail to teach these skills to their students are doing them a huge disservice. We must encourage them to think critically about the information that is presented to them. This type of knowledge will stay with students long after the facts, formulas, and numbers that we teach have faded from their memories.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Historical Twitters
I found this video linked at a blog called Speaking of History. It should amuse all of my fellow history buffs out there.
I think that things like this video are great classroom tools to use. While it doesn't have any outright educational value in terms of conveying facts or dates, it is a good way to engage students with the material. Obviously, it isn't something to build an entire lesson plan around, but it would make an excellent introduction to something like a role-playing Twitter project.
I think that things like this video are great classroom tools to use. While it doesn't have any outright educational value in terms of conveying facts or dates, it is a good way to engage students with the material. Obviously, it isn't something to build an entire lesson plan around, but it would make an excellent introduction to something like a role-playing Twitter project.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Classroom Drawing
First off, I want to point out that my classroom drawing was horrendous. There's a reason that I'm not an art teacher. I never quite progressed beyond the ability to draw stick figures.
The technology I included in my classroom was fairly basic. All I really wanted was a TV, DVD player, computer, and a projection system. While I think it would be wonderful to have a classroom set of laptops for students to use, I don't think this is a realistic expectation in a public school. I think that the projection system is especially important because it will allow me to make use of many of the technological skills that we will learn in EDUC 504. I'm excited to learn more about the Poll Anywhere system and how to incorporate blogs and Twitter into the classroom. I've studiously avoided Twitter in the past because I thought it was silly, but I recently discovered that it's an interesting way of keeping up on breaking news.
I think that the ability to use these technologies is even more important for teachers nowadays because the students we will be teaching are so technologically advanced. Much is made of the negative effects that the Internet, text messaging, and blogging have on students in the classroom. While I agree that all of these can have a detrimental effect on students as they provide misleading information or serve as a distraction preventing them from focusing on their studies, I also think that they can be harnessed to change students' concepts of learning. By presenting information to them in their "language" (ie. through Twitter or a blog), it is my hope that I will be able to more fully engage students in the classroom.
The technology I included in my classroom was fairly basic. All I really wanted was a TV, DVD player, computer, and a projection system. While I think it would be wonderful to have a classroom set of laptops for students to use, I don't think this is a realistic expectation in a public school. I think that the projection system is especially important because it will allow me to make use of many of the technological skills that we will learn in EDUC 504. I'm excited to learn more about the Poll Anywhere system and how to incorporate blogs and Twitter into the classroom. I've studiously avoided Twitter in the past because I thought it was silly, but I recently discovered that it's an interesting way of keeping up on breaking news.
I think that the ability to use these technologies is even more important for teachers nowadays because the students we will be teaching are so technologically advanced. Much is made of the negative effects that the Internet, text messaging, and blogging have on students in the classroom. While I agree that all of these can have a detrimental effect on students as they provide misleading information or serve as a distraction preventing them from focusing on their studies, I also think that they can be harnessed to change students' concepts of learning. By presenting information to them in their "language" (ie. through Twitter or a blog), it is my hope that I will be able to more fully engage students in the classroom.
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