I know this is an integration of technology into education class and all, but I'm sorry, I just can't get behind the idea of using something like second life or some similar virtual world in my classroom (save for Google Earth). As you pointed out these things can take a little time to learn as far as navigation is concerned and frankly I think taking that time in class (or even out of) would be time better spent focusing on content, or working with epistemic games to solve more realistic problems.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. I'm not a fan of where things in this world are headed in a lot of ways. People push technology and virtual worlds as a great way to interact and become a global citizen. While I can't argue with the fact that social networking sites and things like Second Life are good ways to connect with others around the world, it is still not ACTUAL HUMAN INTERACTION!!! I'm sorry, but to me there is no substitute for having experiences in real life. I understand that often times budgets, logistics etc get in the way; but I for one if given the choice between taking my students on a trip out west at the end of the year to learn about geology or allowing them to 'learn' all about the same material virtually it wouldn't even be a choice. I'd do what ever I had to do (write grants etc) to make the REAL trip happen. Kids will forget about experiences in the virtual world soon after they are done. You know why? BECAUSE THEY AREN'T REAL!!!! However, a week + long trip in the real world that focuses on more than just content and actually becomes a truly education experience is something that I feel kids will remember for the rest of their lives. We're human beings after all. We thrive on shared experiences, and while the virtual world can offer us a plastic version of these experiences it will never be a substitute for the real thing. I am well aware that they are working on creating sensors and trigger that will trick your nervous system into believing that what you are feeling is real, but why would you want to do this? I just don't get it. I guess I'm a purist.
I just feel that in a lot of ways the way we are heading is compromising our humanity. I've heard it discussed a few places that while social networking sites allow us to stay better connected with people, our actual face-to-face interactions with our peers is actually declining. I hate to sound like the old guy that is afraid of change, but I really feel strongly about this kind of stuff.
Here's the link to my blog comment as well.
http://ucdblogs.org/mediaservices/?p=381&cpage=1#comment-1712
Monday, December 6, 2010
Sunday, November 28, 2010
final project
For my CIP project I will be doing a webquest which focuses on measuring the various morphological characteristics of volcanoes around the world. I'll need Google Earth (which I have) and a computer (which I have). I'll set up the webquest with the intent that the kids will not only get to learn about volcanoes, but will also get familiar with some of the more practical functions that can be used in Google Earth. Additionally, it is my hope that I will be able to integrate a bit of a geography lesson into this webquest as well because of the varied locations of the volcanoes that the kids will be looking at. With this project, I simply hope to learn how to better construct a solid webquest for use in my classroom.
From this, I hope that I can gain more confidence in developing similar tools for use in my future classroom. The way I see it, the better I can get at integrating technology tidbits like this into my classroom, the more my students can benefit, and the more marketable as an educator I will become.
From this, I hope that I can gain more confidence in developing similar tools for use in my future classroom. The way I see it, the better I can get at integrating technology tidbits like this into my classroom, the more my students can benefit, and the more marketable as an educator I will become.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Webquest
http://questgarden.com/109/15/1/100917151403/
Intro:
Strength - Very direct and easy to understand
Weakness - Grammar errors. Further, I think they could do more than just teach the kids about lat./long. which to me is something they should know how to do by 7th grade.
Task:
Strength - I like the fact that it is done as a group assignment.
Weakness - What if some of the group members can't access the web from home?
Process:
Strength - I like that it gets the kids using lat./long. and stresses the importance of using negative number for south and west
Weakness - The typos. There's no such latitude 600N or 500N. That's a huge error.
Evaluation:
Strength - Clear explanation of point values
Weakness - No explanation of what each category is.
Conclusion: I felt that the conclusion was super weak. Why not ask some closing questions? Why not try to relate this coordinate system to math. Just really lacking.
I probably wouldn't use this in my class as I feel its way too elementary for high school kids. I'd have to include some major modifications to the exercise if I were to use it. Such mods would include a 'scavenger hunt' for locations around the world. I'd probably also include information about how to read a maps key, scale, etc.
Intro:
Strength - Very direct and easy to understand
Weakness - Grammar errors. Further, I think they could do more than just teach the kids about lat./long. which to me is something they should know how to do by 7th grade.
Task:
Strength - I like the fact that it is done as a group assignment.
Weakness - What if some of the group members can't access the web from home?
Process:
Strength - I like that it gets the kids using lat./long. and stresses the importance of using negative number for south and west
Weakness - The typos. There's no such latitude 600N or 500N. That's a huge error.
Evaluation:
Strength - Clear explanation of point values
Weakness - No explanation of what each category is.
Conclusion: I felt that the conclusion was super weak. Why not ask some closing questions? Why not try to relate this coordinate system to math. Just really lacking.
I probably wouldn't use this in my class as I feel its way too elementary for high school kids. I'd have to include some major modifications to the exercise if I were to use it. Such mods would include a 'scavenger hunt' for locations around the world. I'd probably also include information about how to read a maps key, scale, etc.
Friday, October 15, 2010
NETS stuff
"Select digital tools or resources to use for a real-world task and justify the selection based on their efficiency and effectiveness. (3,6)"
In the past I've had my students work with Google Earth to take various measurements of different features on Earth. For example, last year I had my kids measure how far down stream ash from the Mt. St. Helens eruption had gone. I also had them calculate the area that the blast affected directly (where the effects could still be seen today). I also had them look at other types of volcanoes and take measurements on their size, relief, etc.
Still, my pipe dream is to be able to incorporate GIS into my classroom. This tool is so incredibly powerful for answering many geomorphological questions we have today. I would love to be able to expose high schoolers to this software as its pretty fun to mess around with too once you get the hang of it. I think my kids would really like to produce their own shaded relief maps of their home town or favorite area. More over, they can use GIS to conduct analysis on these areas. For example, they could quickly calculate what percentage of the land in their home town is covered by water, or they could find out what soil type they have in their backyard and whether or not it would be suitable for growing vegetables. Its just cool. But its too bad it runs about $5k-8k for one software package. Grant proposal? Uh, yes.
In the past I've had my students work with Google Earth to take various measurements of different features on Earth. For example, last year I had my kids measure how far down stream ash from the Mt. St. Helens eruption had gone. I also had them calculate the area that the blast affected directly (where the effects could still be seen today). I also had them look at other types of volcanoes and take measurements on their size, relief, etc.
Still, my pipe dream is to be able to incorporate GIS into my classroom. This tool is so incredibly powerful for answering many geomorphological questions we have today. I would love to be able to expose high schoolers to this software as its pretty fun to mess around with too once you get the hang of it. I think my kids would really like to produce their own shaded relief maps of their home town or favorite area. More over, they can use GIS to conduct analysis on these areas. For example, they could quickly calculate what percentage of the land in their home town is covered by water, or they could find out what soil type they have in their backyard and whether or not it would be suitable for growing vegetables. Its just cool. But its too bad it runs about $5k-8k for one software package. Grant proposal? Uh, yes.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
Friday, September 17, 2010
Please describe the technologies that you have available at home and in the classroom where you are teaching (if you are teaching). Do you have all of the technologies you need or are there technologies that you would appreciate having? Have you seen other teachers using technologies in your building? Finally, explain any talk you've heard about technology from students, teachers, or administrators . . . or is technology largely missing from your experience thus far. Would education be different if you had more access to technology? Finally, explain what you hope to get out of a class like this.
I did my student teaching last year at Grand Haven High School, a district fortunate enough to have a community that is financially able to support the education of its youth. GHHS is loaded to the gills with technology some of which I was a little intimidated by at the beginning of the year, but which I because extremely comfortable/excited using by the end of my time there. There are smart boards in every classroom using Promethians ActiveInspire software. The capabilities of these programs and hardware are nearly endless. While I still say Smartboards are basically a "gimmick" to hold kids attention, they work. With Smartboards you can really bring a presentation to life. Additionally, perhaps the best part about Smartboard tech is that your students will love using them in front of the class. Its pretty cool to see kids fired up about learning. It seemed as though the vast majority of the staff at GHHS used their smartboards on a daily basis in some capacity, which was good to see.
At home, I have my own Apple laptop as well as an iMac (older) and all of the normal goodies (MS office suite, Photoshop, iPhoto/Movie, etc) so technologically speaking I've got my bases pretty well covered.
As far as this class is concerned, I don't necessarily have any expectations one way or the other. I know that I'm going to learn a bit more about incorporating technology into the classroom, but beyond that I'm just gonna roll with the punches, and see what comes my way....
I did my student teaching last year at Grand Haven High School, a district fortunate enough to have a community that is financially able to support the education of its youth. GHHS is loaded to the gills with technology some of which I was a little intimidated by at the beginning of the year, but which I because extremely comfortable/excited using by the end of my time there. There are smart boards in every classroom using Promethians ActiveInspire software. The capabilities of these programs and hardware are nearly endless. While I still say Smartboards are basically a "gimmick" to hold kids attention, they work. With Smartboards you can really bring a presentation to life. Additionally, perhaps the best part about Smartboard tech is that your students will love using them in front of the class. Its pretty cool to see kids fired up about learning. It seemed as though the vast majority of the staff at GHHS used their smartboards on a daily basis in some capacity, which was good to see.
At home, I have my own Apple laptop as well as an iMac (older) and all of the normal goodies (MS office suite, Photoshop, iPhoto/Movie, etc) so technologically speaking I've got my bases pretty well covered.
As far as this class is concerned, I don't necessarily have any expectations one way or the other. I know that I'm going to learn a bit more about incorporating technology into the classroom, but beyond that I'm just gonna roll with the punches, and see what comes my way....
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