Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Monday, November 18, 2013
Blog Post #14
In EDM 310, our focus is on using and demonstrating technology in the classroom, using 21st Century skills, and Project Based Learning.
1) Watch this YouTube Video Top 10 Reasons to use Technology in Education: ipad, Tablet, Computer, Listening Centers (5:30).
2) Write a post in which you discuss AT LEAST five reasons to use technology in Education, and explain them.
3) Follow the requirements in Writing A Quality Blog Post.
(This blog post assignment would be most appropriate for at the beginning of the semester, when everyone is still trying to wrap their heads around why technology is so important in Education and why it is so heavily stressed in this course.)
In the YouTube video, Top 10 Reasons to use Technology in Education: ipad, Tablet, Computer, Listening Centers, it lists 10 reasons why we should use technology in Education and in our classrooms, however I will only be listing five of those reasons. The first reason why we should use technology in Education is because students love it. "Whether it be the cool factor, or a genuine interest in technology, student's just love it." Technology in classrooms allow teachers to vary their activities throughout the day and they help in engaging students. In this video the narrator says, "There is no commandment for Education that says thou shalt not have fun!" When students get home from school they spend hours on different types of technology, so why not engage our students by using their favorite mediums? The second reason why we should use technology in Education is because it engages the four key components to learning. The four key components to learning are: active engagement, participation in groups, frequent interaction and feedback, and connection to real world experts. The third reason why we should use technology in Education is because it helps in professional development. Using new technologies allows students to learn and practice new skills, which will help them in the future marketplace. Many jobs now require basic computing skills, if not advanced computing skills, so teaching our students through technology is like "killing two birds with one stone." The fourth reason why we should use technology in Education is because it is proven to improve test scores. Through technology and media, students are able to benefit because they are able to work at their own pace. Faster working students would not be held back from those who are working at a slower rate. Technology in Education is also proven to improve test scores because it reaches different types of students who learn in different ways. The fifth and last reason why we should use technology in Education is because it helps gain the attention of students who usually have lower attention spans. By mixing up the learning process with different methods and by doing engaging activities, we can help students with low attention spans stay focused and interested.
1) Watch this YouTube Video Top 10 Reasons to use Technology in Education: ipad, Tablet, Computer, Listening Centers (5:30).
2) Write a post in which you discuss AT LEAST five reasons to use technology in Education, and explain them.
3) Follow the requirements in Writing A Quality Blog Post.
(This blog post assignment would be most appropriate for at the beginning of the semester, when everyone is still trying to wrap their heads around why technology is so important in Education and why it is so heavily stressed in this course.)
In the YouTube video, Top 10 Reasons to use Technology in Education: ipad, Tablet, Computer, Listening Centers, it lists 10 reasons why we should use technology in Education and in our classrooms, however I will only be listing five of those reasons. The first reason why we should use technology in Education is because students love it. "Whether it be the cool factor, or a genuine interest in technology, student's just love it." Technology in classrooms allow teachers to vary their activities throughout the day and they help in engaging students. In this video the narrator says, "There is no commandment for Education that says thou shalt not have fun!" When students get home from school they spend hours on different types of technology, so why not engage our students by using their favorite mediums? The second reason why we should use technology in Education is because it engages the four key components to learning. The four key components to learning are: active engagement, participation in groups, frequent interaction and feedback, and connection to real world experts. The third reason why we should use technology in Education is because it helps in professional development. Using new technologies allows students to learn and practice new skills, which will help them in the future marketplace. Many jobs now require basic computing skills, if not advanced computing skills, so teaching our students through technology is like "killing two birds with one stone." The fourth reason why we should use technology in Education is because it is proven to improve test scores. Through technology and media, students are able to benefit because they are able to work at their own pace. Faster working students would not be held back from those who are working at a slower rate. Technology in Education is also proven to improve test scores because it reaches different types of students who learn in different ways. The fifth and last reason why we should use technology in Education is because it helps gain the attention of students who usually have lower attention spans. By mixing up the learning process with different methods and by doing engaging activities, we can help students with low attention spans stay focused and interested.
Project #2 Final Report on PLN
A PLN, Personal Learning Network, is a set of people and tools that you can call upon for help, consultation,
collaboration, or other assistance. It is NOT the method of presenting or organizing your PLN. At the beginning of the semester, we had to give a summary report on our progress in developing a PLN. I created a Symbaloo when I was developing my own Personal Learning Network. A Symbaloo is one example of a PLN. It is a way for you to have fast access to the resources, people, and tools you use the most. When using a Symbaloo, you are able to create your own icons which will take you to where ever you set them up to go, just by clicking on them. I really liked Symbaloo at first, and I have grown to like it even more now. It is so convenient to have all of your resources, tools, and people all together at one place. It is also very easy to navigate and easy to use. Like I explained in my first summary report, on my progress in developing my PLN Symbaloo, I have organized my icons by different colors. My blue icons are located across the top and they are personal links. Including examples like Facebook, Pandora, and We Heart It (a photography site). To the left I have pink icons which are my icons for my own blog, the EDM 310 class blog, and blogger. To the right I have specific teachers blogs that I found very helpful and resourceful. I have continued to use Symbaloo and I have added more teachers and teacher's blogs like Dr. Paige Vitulli, Mr. Brian Crosby, Mrs. Cathy Jo Nelson, and Mrs. Elvira Deyamport. I also added a link to Randy Pausch's last lecture, because I found his video so inspiring and helpful. I will continue to use my Symabloo and I will continue to add to my PLN, even after this semester is over with. I have really enjoyed using this PLN and I look forward to growing my PLN even further. You can visit my Symbaloo PLN at Katlyn's Symbaloo.
C4T #4
For my fourth C4K I was assigned to Dr. Paige Vitulli. Dr. Vitulli is an educator here at the University of South Alabama.
#1
The first post of Dr. Vitulli's that I read and left a comment on was called "Quilting our way to International Dot Day at USA". In this post she explained what International Dot Day was, how it started, and what she has done with International Dot Day herself. She first began by writing, "International Dot Day is a global celebration of creativity, courage and collaboration. It began when teacher Terry Shay introduced his classroom to Peter H. Reynolds' book "The Dot" on September 15, 2009. She then explained that this book is a story of a caring teacher who dares a doubting student to trust in her own abilities by being brave enough to "make her mark". She wrote, "what begins with a small dot on a piece of paper becomes a breakthrough in confidence and courage, igniting a journey of self-discovery and sharing, which has gone on to inspire countless children and adults around the globe." Dr. Vitulli included directions on how to let students "make their mark" and she even included pictures of her own classes "Dot" art work.
I am a student of Dr. Vitulli's and I loved this book so much. It was inspirational, encouraging, and most importantly it was relate-able. I also love how this book can be turned into an activity for students, with letting them create their own "Dot" or having them "make their mark." I know for certain that I will be buying this book and doing this activity when I become a teacher. In the comment I left Dr. Vitulli, I told her how much I loved this book and activity. I also thanked her for providing us with such wonderful ideas that we can use in our own future classrooms. I concluded my comment by telling her she could visit my blog anytime, and then I left the link to my blog.
The following is the picture Dr. Vitulli took of my class and our "Dot marks."
#2
The second post of Dr. Vitulli's that I read and left a comment on was called, Interest Driven Learning. In this post, Dr. Vitulli shared a YouTube video called "Diana Rhoten on Sparking Student Interests with Informal Learning (Big Thinking)." The video begins by Mrs. Rhoten saying, "Every kid has an interest, sometimes he doesn't know what it is, sometimes he can't articulate it, but every kid has an interest." In this video, they try helping kids identify their interests, by museums and other facilities, but they also help them progress their interests. One of their goals is to create new youth networks across the city. Mrs. Rhoten said, "They see kids they work with, want an experience they can relate to personally, they want to relate it in the own context of their lives." One of my favorite things Mrs. Rhoten says on this video is, "Part of the opportunity here is learning the content, which is very much the 20th Century idea around Education, but in 21st Century, it's learning the tools and the skills of remaking that content, becoming the creator and the producer." In the comment I left Dr. Vitulli I told her, that almost sums up exactly what we have been learning in EDM 310. To learn from hands on experiences, and to learn the tools and skills needed in order to learn specific things. I also told Dr. Vitulli other specific things I liked about this video, and I thanked her for sharing it. Below is a picture of Mrs. Diana Rhoten.
#1
The first post of Dr. Vitulli's that I read and left a comment on was called "Quilting our way to International Dot Day at USA". In this post she explained what International Dot Day was, how it started, and what she has done with International Dot Day herself. She first began by writing, "International Dot Day is a global celebration of creativity, courage and collaboration. It began when teacher Terry Shay introduced his classroom to Peter H. Reynolds' book "The Dot" on September 15, 2009. She then explained that this book is a story of a caring teacher who dares a doubting student to trust in her own abilities by being brave enough to "make her mark". She wrote, "what begins with a small dot on a piece of paper becomes a breakthrough in confidence and courage, igniting a journey of self-discovery and sharing, which has gone on to inspire countless children and adults around the globe." Dr. Vitulli included directions on how to let students "make their mark" and she even included pictures of her own classes "Dot" art work.
I am a student of Dr. Vitulli's and I loved this book so much. It was inspirational, encouraging, and most importantly it was relate-able. I also love how this book can be turned into an activity for students, with letting them create their own "Dot" or having them "make their mark." I know for certain that I will be buying this book and doing this activity when I become a teacher. In the comment I left Dr. Vitulli, I told her how much I loved this book and activity. I also thanked her for providing us with such wonderful ideas that we can use in our own future classrooms. I concluded my comment by telling her she could visit my blog anytime, and then I left the link to my blog.
The following is the picture Dr. Vitulli took of my class and our "Dot marks."
#2
The second post of Dr. Vitulli's that I read and left a comment on was called, Interest Driven Learning. In this post, Dr. Vitulli shared a YouTube video called "Diana Rhoten on Sparking Student Interests with Informal Learning (Big Thinking)." The video begins by Mrs. Rhoten saying, "Every kid has an interest, sometimes he doesn't know what it is, sometimes he can't articulate it, but every kid has an interest." In this video, they try helping kids identify their interests, by museums and other facilities, but they also help them progress their interests. One of their goals is to create new youth networks across the city. Mrs. Rhoten said, "They see kids they work with, want an experience they can relate to personally, they want to relate it in the own context of their lives." One of my favorite things Mrs. Rhoten says on this video is, "Part of the opportunity here is learning the content, which is very much the 20th Century idea around Education, but in 21st Century, it's learning the tools and the skills of remaking that content, becoming the creator and the producer." In the comment I left Dr. Vitulli I told her, that almost sums up exactly what we have been learning in EDM 310. To learn from hands on experiences, and to learn the tools and skills needed in order to learn specific things. I also told Dr. Vitulli other specific things I liked about this video, and I thanked her for sharing it. Below is a picture of Mrs. Diana Rhoten.
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Blog Post #13
Shukla Bose’s “Teaching one child at a time” by Katlyn Lusker
In Shukla Bose’s video "Teaching one child at a time" she tells the story of her Parikrma Humanity Foundation that is growing more and more each day. This foundation brings hope to the Indian slums by “looking past the daunting statistics and focusing on treating each child as an individual.” Shukla Bose began her speech in this video by explaining what led to her forming a foundation. She explained that they first walked through the slums of India. Of course, they could not go to all of them, but they tried to cover as many as they could. As they walked through the slums, they tried to identify houses where children would never go to school. They were excited about doing something, to bring them education, and then the numbers finally hit them. She said, “they’re 200 million children between ages 4-14 that should be going to school, but do not, they’re 100 million children who go to school but cannot read, and 125 million who cannot do basic mathematics.” Mrs. Bose also said that one in four teachers in India do not go to school the entire academic year. They have absent teachers, and that is harmful to children's learning. These numbers are overwhelming! She said it is hard not to get worried and scared about them, but instead they should and they want to focus on taking one child at a time. To make sure that child completes the circle of life.
The first Parikrma school was started in a slum where there were 70,000 people living below the poverty line. In this first school, they had 165 children attend. After six years, 4 schools, 1 junior college, and 1,100 children from 28 slums and four orphanages have developed. English was taught, and they adopted one of the best curriculum's possible. The curriculum is tough, some believe it is too tough, but the children actually do very well. Through this foundation, they have also started many programs for the children’s parents, as well. Many of the parents want to learn, and after-school programs have been developed just for them. They have started all kinds of programs just to make sure the kids come to school. Mrs. Shukla Bose started this thinking she wanted to transform the world, however, now she believes she is the one who has been transformed by the impact the children have played in her life. I have learned a lot from Mrs. Bose. She is very inspiring. Her dedication and commitment to helping these children is so moving. “Educating our poor is more than just a number game.” Instead of trying to reach as many children as possible, it may work so much better to help one child at a time, to make sure that what they are being taught is working and it is effective. Many children go to school, but not all of them learn.
Shane Koyczan "To this day... for the bullied and the beautiful" by Tarcela Kohn
In the video To This Day… for the bullied and the beautiful by Shane Koyczan, he shares his own experiences in a beautiful poem. This video was very moving, funny, and relatable. The way he opened the floor with “I’ve been shot down so many times I get altitude sickness just from standing up for myself,” was a part of his poetic journey in his video. Shane expressed that we are told- “to stand up for ourselves, but that is hard to do if we don’t know who we are.” However, to do this, he explained that “we are expected to define ourselves at an early age, and if we don’t, others will do it for us.” Shane uses the names "nerd," "geek," and "fatty" as examples of others defining us.
Shane Koyczan then went on to explain his childhood. When Shane was a kid, he wanted to be a man, and he wanted to shave. However now that he is older, he does not want to shave as much. By the time Shane was eight years old, he thought he wanted to be a Marine Biologist. When he was nine years old, he saw the movie “Jaws” and drastically changed his mind about becoming a Marine Biologist after all. Shane Koyczan had a very rough childhood. At ten years old, he was told that his parents did not want him anymore. At the age of eleven, Shane just wanted to be alone. When he was only 12 years he wanted to die, the next year he wanted to kill a kid, and at age 14 he was told to “seriously consider a career path.” Shane replied that he wanted to be a writer, and the response was “choose something realistic.” So he answered, “professional wrestler,” and the response then was “don’t be stupid.” Shane explained a great point: “We were being told that we somehow must become what we are not, sacrificing what we are to inherit the masquerade of what we will be.” This statement was a beautiful analogy; and is true. We are dismissing children’s dreams, to tell them what they want to dream.
![Ouch! Bullying Hurts]( "Source: northalabamamediaconvergence.blogspot.com")
Shane said, “at the age of 15, poetry hit him like a boomerang; the one thing that he loved came back to him.” He remembers the first thing he wrote, “I hated myself for becoming the thing that I loathed: a bully.” The words “Standing up for yourself doesn't have to mean embracing violence,” from Shane himself, are very positive and everyone can learn from his statement. Shane Koyczan, then delivered his poem about two kids, one a girl and the other him. The little girl was called names and was made fun of only because she had a birthmark on her face. Shane expressed that because he was adopted, he went to therapy and had a “personality made up of test and pills.” He was called a “popper,” and because of the cruelty, he wanted to end his life and he actually tried too in the 10th grade. He explained that they are not the only kids that grow up being bullied this way , and that it still goes on today. Another great message that we can receive from this video is when Shane said, “I want to tell them that all of this is just debris left over when we finally decide to smash all the things we thought we used to be, and if you can't see anything beautiful about yourself, get a better mirror, look a little closer, stare a little longer, because there's something inside you that made you keep trying despite everyone who told you to quit. You built a cast around your broken heart and sign it yourself. You signed it, They were wrong.” This video would be worth sharing with students to stop bullying and to show kids that are bullied that they are wanted, and there is something special about them!
Alison Gopnik's "What do babies think" by Jake Dukes
In the video What do babies think by Alison Gopnik, she explains how babies think and how they learn. She explains how babies think as if you were in a new place and you're just trying to learn your surroundings for the first time. In an experiment that Alison conducted(,) she used broccoli and goldfish crackers on a 18 month old child. The first thing she did was ask the baby which one they wanted and of course they wanted the crackers. The next time she did the same experiment but then switched it up. She tried to fool the baby by acting as if the the broccoli was yummy by eating and saying that it tasted good. Then she ate the goldfish and acted as if they were gross and said that it didn’t taste good. This didn’t fool the baby she again asked which one they would like, but the baby still went back to the goldfish. By this experiment she found out that babies already know at 18 months old that not all people like that same things. Alison says that as babies grow, they try to figure out how things work and how the world works. Another experiment she did was done on a five year old boy. This experiment involves a child putting shapes together in a particular order to make a light come on inside of a box. One of the sides of the box was already lit up, to show how it is works. After a couple of tries the kid was able to turn the light on in the other box by just placing the objects through a series of trials.
In Shukla Bose’s video "Teaching one child at a time" she tells the story of her Parikrma Humanity Foundation that is growing more and more each day. This foundation brings hope to the Indian slums by “looking past the daunting statistics and focusing on treating each child as an individual.” Shukla Bose began her speech in this video by explaining what led to her forming a foundation. She explained that they first walked through the slums of India. Of course, they could not go to all of them, but they tried to cover as many as they could. As they walked through the slums, they tried to identify houses where children would never go to school. They were excited about doing something, to bring them education, and then the numbers finally hit them. She said, “they’re 200 million children between ages 4-14 that should be going to school, but do not, they’re 100 million children who go to school but cannot read, and 125 million who cannot do basic mathematics.” Mrs. Bose also said that one in four teachers in India do not go to school the entire academic year. They have absent teachers, and that is harmful to children's learning. These numbers are overwhelming! She said it is hard not to get worried and scared about them, but instead they should and they want to focus on taking one child at a time. To make sure that child completes the circle of life.
The first Parikrma school was started in a slum where there were 70,000 people living below the poverty line. In this first school, they had 165 children attend. After six years, 4 schools, 1 junior college, and 1,100 children from 28 slums and four orphanages have developed. English was taught, and they adopted one of the best curriculum's possible. The curriculum is tough, some believe it is too tough, but the children actually do very well. Through this foundation, they have also started many programs for the children’s parents, as well. Many of the parents want to learn, and after-school programs have been developed just for them. They have started all kinds of programs just to make sure the kids come to school. Mrs. Shukla Bose started this thinking she wanted to transform the world, however, now she believes she is the one who has been transformed by the impact the children have played in her life. I have learned a lot from Mrs. Bose. She is very inspiring. Her dedication and commitment to helping these children is so moving. “Educating our poor is more than just a number game.” Instead of trying to reach as many children as possible, it may work so much better to help one child at a time, to make sure that what they are being taught is working and it is effective. Many children go to school, but not all of them learn.
Shane Koyczan "To this day... for the bullied and the beautiful" by Tarcela Kohn
In the video To This Day… for the bullied and the beautiful by Shane Koyczan, he shares his own experiences in a beautiful poem. This video was very moving, funny, and relatable. The way he opened the floor with “I’ve been shot down so many times I get altitude sickness just from standing up for myself,” was a part of his poetic journey in his video. Shane expressed that we are told- “to stand up for ourselves, but that is hard to do if we don’t know who we are.” However, to do this, he explained that “we are expected to define ourselves at an early age, and if we don’t, others will do it for us.” Shane uses the names "nerd," "geek," and "fatty" as examples of others defining us.
Shane Koyczan then went on to explain his childhood. When Shane was a kid, he wanted to be a man, and he wanted to shave. However now that he is older, he does not want to shave as much. By the time Shane was eight years old, he thought he wanted to be a Marine Biologist. When he was nine years old, he saw the movie “Jaws” and drastically changed his mind about becoming a Marine Biologist after all. Shane Koyczan had a very rough childhood. At ten years old, he was told that his parents did not want him anymore. At the age of eleven, Shane just wanted to be alone. When he was only 12 years he wanted to die, the next year he wanted to kill a kid, and at age 14 he was told to “seriously consider a career path.” Shane replied that he wanted to be a writer, and the response was “choose something realistic.” So he answered, “professional wrestler,” and the response then was “don’t be stupid.” Shane explained a great point: “We were being told that we somehow must become what we are not, sacrificing what we are to inherit the masquerade of what we will be.” This statement was a beautiful analogy; and is true. We are dismissing children’s dreams, to tell them what they want to dream.
Shane said, “at the age of 15, poetry hit him like a boomerang; the one thing that he loved came back to him.” He remembers the first thing he wrote, “I hated myself for becoming the thing that I loathed: a bully.” The words “Standing up for yourself doesn't have to mean embracing violence,” from Shane himself, are very positive and everyone can learn from his statement. Shane Koyczan, then delivered his poem about two kids, one a girl and the other him. The little girl was called names and was made fun of only because she had a birthmark on her face. Shane expressed that because he was adopted, he went to therapy and had a “personality made up of test and pills.” He was called a “popper,” and because of the cruelty, he wanted to end his life and he actually tried too in the 10th grade. He explained that they are not the only kids that grow up being bullied this way , and that it still goes on today. Another great message that we can receive from this video is when Shane said, “I want to tell them that all of this is just debris left over when we finally decide to smash all the things we thought we used to be, and if you can't see anything beautiful about yourself, get a better mirror, look a little closer, stare a little longer, because there's something inside you that made you keep trying despite everyone who told you to quit. You built a cast around your broken heart and sign it yourself. You signed it, They were wrong.” This video would be worth sharing with students to stop bullying and to show kids that are bullied that they are wanted, and there is something special about them!
Alison Gopnik's "What do babies think" by Jake Dukes
In the video What do babies think by Alison Gopnik, she explains how babies think and how they learn. She explains how babies think as if you were in a new place and you're just trying to learn your surroundings for the first time. In an experiment that Alison conducted(,) she used broccoli and goldfish crackers on a 18 month old child. The first thing she did was ask the baby which one they wanted and of course they wanted the crackers. The next time she did the same experiment but then switched it up. She tried to fool the baby by acting as if the the broccoli was yummy by eating and saying that it tasted good. Then she ate the goldfish and acted as if they were gross and said that it didn’t taste good. This didn’t fool the baby she again asked which one they would like, but the baby still went back to the goldfish. By this experiment she found out that babies already know at 18 months old that not all people like that same things. Alison says that as babies grow, they try to figure out how things work and how the world works. Another experiment she did was done on a five year old boy. This experiment involves a child putting shapes together in a particular order to make a light come on inside of a box. One of the sides of the box was already lit up, to show how it is works. After a couple of tries the kid was able to turn the light on in the other box by just placing the objects through a series of trials.
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
C4K Summary for November
C4K #9
For my ninth C4K or my first for the month of November, I was assigned to a student named Makayla from Mr. Mark's 6th grade class at Pt. England School in Auckland, New Zealand. For Makayla's post assignment, they were asked to write about being stranded on an island. In her post "Lost", she wrote about how she got stranded on an island because her plane crashed into a forest. She wrote about how she needed to find shelter to keep her warm and that would protect her. She wrote that she "grew anxious not knowing what would happen next." On the second day of being stranded on the island, she wrote about how she woke up feeling the warmth of sun on her face. She continued by describing how she found a beautiful waterfall and then she fell into a cave, where she found a treasure chest. She concluded her story by writing, "Even though I was stranded on that island, I thought of the positives. I could have that cave as a house, and a great life. A new life. A better life. Being there could be the solution to my problem. I was finally free."
In the comment I left Makayla, I first told her who I was and what had brought me to her blog. I praised her for using lots of vivid imagery and I even gave her examples of the vivid imagery that I loved. I also praised her for having an attention grabbing introduction. I thought she did a great job telling her story. It was very fun and interesting to read. I concluded my comment by telling her that if she wanted, she could visit my blog anytime, and then I left the link.
C4K #10
For my tenth C4K or the last for the month of November, I was assigned to a student named Dawson from Mrs. Cassidy's first grade class from Canada. The first post of Dawson's that I read/watched and commented on was his post Healthy Eating. In this post, his teacher Mrs. Cassidy is filming pictures of his healthy and non-healthy foods. She also asks him questions about healthy and non-healthy foods and he gives his replies. Dawson did a wonderful job drawing and coloring his pictures! He drew pieces of candy, carrots, apples, and many other things. In the comment I left Dawson, I explained to him who I was and I thanked him for sharing his work with the world. I also told him that I loved his pictures of healthy and non-healthy foods. He is a very good artist for being just a first grader! I concluded my comment by reemphasising the importance of eating healthy by saying, eating healthy is important because it gives us more energy among lots of other benefits. Dawson did a wonderful job with this activity, and I praised him for it.
The second post of Dawson's that I read/ looked at and commented on was his post Colours and Feelings. Mrs. Cassidy's class was finishing up their unit on exploring colours and feelings, so her students got to choose the medium they wanted to use, to convey an emotion of their choice. Dawson chose to color madness.
To color madness Dawson chose to use the color red. I first told him that I loved how he chose to use the color red to show anger, or madness. I continued by telling him that when I think of the colors that could represent anger, or madness, I think of red and black so I loved that he chose red. The second thing I told him was that I loved how he colored in different directions. I continued to say that was another great way to portray/ color anger. I told him I thought he did a wonderful job drawing the emotion madness, and that he captured it perfectly. I concluded by encouraging him to keep up the great work and to continue to use his creativity.
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Blog Post #12
"LEARNING FROM SIR KEN ROBINSON" by: Katlyn Lusker, Tarcela Kohn, and Jake Dukes
"Changing Education Paradigms"
There were so many things to learn from the video Changing Education Paradigms by Sir Ken Robinson. A few things we learned from Sir Ken Robinson were; “Every country on earth at the moment is reforming public education,” “The current system was designed and conceived for a different age,” “Kids now are living in the most stimulating period in the history of the earth and we because of this we need to make some changes,” and “We need to go in the opposite direction of school conformity and standardization.”
The first thing we learned from Sir Ken Robinson was “Every country on earth at the moment is reforming public education.” The two reasons for this are economic and cultural. This video asks the questions, “How do we educate our children to take their place in the economies of the 21st century?” and “How exactly do we do that when we cannot anticipate what the economy will look like at the end of next week?” We think these are two very important questions to ask ourselves, especially knowing how the economy has been going lately. We aren't guaranteed anything, so these questions are valid. Sir Ken Robinson put it best when he said, “One big problem we are facing is that we are trying to meet the future with doing what we have done in the past.” People who went to school a long time ago were told that if you work hard, do well, and get a college degree, you would get a job. Kids now a days do not believe that, and they have every right not to. Sir Ken Robinson said, “You are better off having a degree, but it does not guarantee you a job anymore.”
The second thing we learned from Sir Ken Robinson, which is a continuation of our last point, was “The current system was designed and conceived for a different age.” Sir Ken Robinson explained this by saying, “Public Education, paid for from taxation, compulsory to everybody, and free at the point of delivery, was a revolutionary idea.” He also said many people group other people into two categories based on “Academic Ability.” He said those categories are the “academic or smart people” and the “non-academic or non-smart people.” This creates a problem because many brilliant people think they are not because they have been judged on this particular view of the mind. Public Education being made up of economic and intellectual categories has caused chaos in many peoples lives. Some have benefited from it, but most people have not.
The third thing we learned from Sir Ken Robinson was “Kids now, are living in the most stimulating period in the history of the earth and we because of this we need to make some changes.” Kids have so many distractions “from every platform” now that include computers, phones, advertising, and television. We agree with Sir Ken Robinson when he said, “Children get to school and their teachers expect them to focus on ‘boring stuff’ for the most part.” We agree with this because we have witnessed this happen and we can testify to this ourselves. In this video Sir Ken Robinson continued by giving his views on ADHD and how lots of drugs to treat ADHD shut kids senses off, deadening them to what’s really happening. He said, “We are getting our children through education by anaesthetising them, but we should be doing the exact opposite.” We need to wake our children up to what is happening inside of themselves.
The fourth thing we learned from Sir Ken Robinson was “We need to go in the opposite direction of school conformity and standardization.” Children have basically always been put through school in “batches” according to their age, but is that really what’s important? Is that really what we want our students to think is the main thing they have in common with other students? One of the most impacting things we thought Sir Ken Robinson said was, “If you are interested in the model of Education, then you don’t start from the product line mentality.” Sir Ken Robinson believes we need to go in the opposite direction of school conformity and standardization, and that’s exactly what he meant by “Changing the Paradigm.” In order to make this change we must first, think differently about human capacity and get over the old conception of academic, non-academic because all it is is a myth and secondly, we have to recognize that greatest learning happens in groups, collaborations is the stuff of growth.
“How to Escape Education’s Death Valley”
In the TED Talks video; How to Escape Education’s Death Valley by Sir Ken Robinson, there was a lot of information that we found useful. Sir Ken Robinson started his video by saying that the No Child Left Behind is an irony, because approximately 60 percent of kids drop out of high school, and in the native community about 80 percent of the kids drop out. We were unaware that when a student drops out of school, it cost an enormous amount to clean up the damage. With this dropout crisis, it does not factor in the students that are disengaged, that don't enjoy school, and the students who do not benefit from school. Sir Ken Robinson stated “that this is the reason our education is going in the wrong direction.”
Sir Ken Robinson explained that there “were three principles on which human life flourishes, and work hand in hand by culture of education under most teachers have labor and most students to endure.” The first of the three principles that Sir Robinson explained that we learned was that all humans are different and diverse. Sir Robinson made a great analogy, he asked the audience members if they had kids, grandkids, or have seen kids. He then goes on to ask the parents of two or more children and makes a bet with the audience members that the children are different from each other. There is no way of confusing them with each other. “Education under the No Child Left Behind is based on not diversity but conformity.” One of the effects of the No Child Left Behind has been to narrow the focus on the STEM disciplines. Sir Ken Robinson said that the STEM discipline was very important; however, a real education has to give equal weight to the arts, humanities, physical education, and to the kids.
The second of the three principles was curiosity. Sir Ken Robinson explained that if you light the spark of a child’s curiosity, they will learn without any further assistance, very often. He continued by saying children are natural learners, and curiosity is the engine of achievement.
Lastly, we learned that teachers are the lifeblood of schools, but teaching is a creative profession. Sir Robinson stated that “to teach properly; it is not the delivery system that you just pass on received information. However, great teachers do pass on received information, but they are mentors who stimulate, provoke, and engage. We have also learned from Sir Ken Robinson that the role of a teacher is to facilitate learning, and that is it.
"How Schools Kill Creativity"
In the TED talks video How Schools Kill Creativity by Sir Ken Robinson, we learned a lot about creativity. Sir Ken Robinson began by saying, “creativity now is actually just as important in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status.” He explains that as kids we are more creative because we are not scared to be wrong. As we grow up we are more likely to be less creative because we are frightened of being wrong. Sir Ken Robinson also said, “we are now running national education systems where mistakes are the worse thing you can make.” This results in educating people out of their creative capacities. One specific thing we really liked in this video was when Sir Ken Robinson quoted Pablo Picasso saying, “All children are born artists, the problem is to remain an artist as we grow up.” Creativity is a good thing because it separates us from the rest of the people in our classes, making us unique. Sir Ken Robinson concluded his speech in this video by saying, “We need to see our creative capacities for the richness they are, and see our children for the hope that they are.” Our task as teachers should be to educate their whole being so they can face the future, and to help them make something of it.
"Changing Education Paradigms"
There were so many things to learn from the video Changing Education Paradigms by Sir Ken Robinson. A few things we learned from Sir Ken Robinson were; “Every country on earth at the moment is reforming public education,” “The current system was designed and conceived for a different age,” “Kids now are living in the most stimulating period in the history of the earth and we because of this we need to make some changes,” and “We need to go in the opposite direction of school conformity and standardization.”
The first thing we learned from Sir Ken Robinson was “Every country on earth at the moment is reforming public education.” The two reasons for this are economic and cultural. This video asks the questions, “How do we educate our children to take their place in the economies of the 21st century?” and “How exactly do we do that when we cannot anticipate what the economy will look like at the end of next week?” We think these are two very important questions to ask ourselves, especially knowing how the economy has been going lately. We aren't guaranteed anything, so these questions are valid. Sir Ken Robinson put it best when he said, “One big problem we are facing is that we are trying to meet the future with doing what we have done in the past.” People who went to school a long time ago were told that if you work hard, do well, and get a college degree, you would get a job. Kids now a days do not believe that, and they have every right not to. Sir Ken Robinson said, “You are better off having a degree, but it does not guarantee you a job anymore.”
The second thing we learned from Sir Ken Robinson, which is a continuation of our last point, was “The current system was designed and conceived for a different age.” Sir Ken Robinson explained this by saying, “Public Education, paid for from taxation, compulsory to everybody, and free at the point of delivery, was a revolutionary idea.” He also said many people group other people into two categories based on “Academic Ability.” He said those categories are the “academic or smart people” and the “non-academic or non-smart people.” This creates a problem because many brilliant people think they are not because they have been judged on this particular view of the mind. Public Education being made up of economic and intellectual categories has caused chaos in many peoples lives. Some have benefited from it, but most people have not.
The third thing we learned from Sir Ken Robinson was “Kids now, are living in the most stimulating period in the history of the earth and we because of this we need to make some changes.” Kids have so many distractions “from every platform” now that include computers, phones, advertising, and television. We agree with Sir Ken Robinson when he said, “Children get to school and their teachers expect them to focus on ‘boring stuff’ for the most part.” We agree with this because we have witnessed this happen and we can testify to this ourselves. In this video Sir Ken Robinson continued by giving his views on ADHD and how lots of drugs to treat ADHD shut kids senses off, deadening them to what’s really happening. He said, “We are getting our children through education by anaesthetising them, but we should be doing the exact opposite.” We need to wake our children up to what is happening inside of themselves.
The fourth thing we learned from Sir Ken Robinson was “We need to go in the opposite direction of school conformity and standardization.” Children have basically always been put through school in “batches” according to their age, but is that really what’s important? Is that really what we want our students to think is the main thing they have in common with other students? One of the most impacting things we thought Sir Ken Robinson said was, “If you are interested in the model of Education, then you don’t start from the product line mentality.” Sir Ken Robinson believes we need to go in the opposite direction of school conformity and standardization, and that’s exactly what he meant by “Changing the Paradigm.” In order to make this change we must first, think differently about human capacity and get over the old conception of academic, non-academic because all it is is a myth and secondly, we have to recognize that greatest learning happens in groups, collaborations is the stuff of growth.
“How to Escape Education’s Death Valley”
In the TED Talks video; How to Escape Education’s Death Valley by Sir Ken Robinson, there was a lot of information that we found useful. Sir Ken Robinson started his video by saying that the No Child Left Behind is an irony, because approximately 60 percent of kids drop out of high school, and in the native community about 80 percent of the kids drop out. We were unaware that when a student drops out of school, it cost an enormous amount to clean up the damage. With this dropout crisis, it does not factor in the students that are disengaged, that don't enjoy school, and the students who do not benefit from school. Sir Ken Robinson stated “that this is the reason our education is going in the wrong direction.”
Sir Ken Robinson explained that there “were three principles on which human life flourishes, and work hand in hand by culture of education under most teachers have labor and most students to endure.” The first of the three principles that Sir Robinson explained that we learned was that all humans are different and diverse. Sir Robinson made a great analogy, he asked the audience members if they had kids, grandkids, or have seen kids. He then goes on to ask the parents of two or more children and makes a bet with the audience members that the children are different from each other. There is no way of confusing them with each other. “Education under the No Child Left Behind is based on not diversity but conformity.” One of the effects of the No Child Left Behind has been to narrow the focus on the STEM disciplines. Sir Ken Robinson said that the STEM discipline was very important; however, a real education has to give equal weight to the arts, humanities, physical education, and to the kids.
Lastly, we learned that teachers are the lifeblood of schools, but teaching is a creative profession. Sir Robinson stated that “to teach properly; it is not the delivery system that you just pass on received information. However, great teachers do pass on received information, but they are mentors who stimulate, provoke, and engage. We have also learned from Sir Ken Robinson that the role of a teacher is to facilitate learning, and that is it.
"How Schools Kill Creativity"
In the TED talks video How Schools Kill Creativity by Sir Ken Robinson, we learned a lot about creativity. Sir Ken Robinson began by saying, “creativity now is actually just as important in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status.” He explains that as kids we are more creative because we are not scared to be wrong. As we grow up we are more likely to be less creative because we are frightened of being wrong. Sir Ken Robinson also said, “we are now running national education systems where mistakes are the worse thing you can make.” This results in educating people out of their creative capacities. One specific thing we really liked in this video was when Sir Ken Robinson quoted Pablo Picasso saying, “All children are born artists, the problem is to remain an artist as we grow up.” Creativity is a good thing because it separates us from the rest of the people in our classes, making us unique. Sir Ken Robinson concluded his speech in this video by saying, “We need to see our creative capacities for the richness they are, and see our children for the hope that they are.” Our task as teachers should be to educate their whole being so they can face the future, and to help them make something of it.
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Project #15
The lesson plan I created is for 3rd graders. It is also a lesson plan for one week. In this lesson plan, students will be able to describe the life cycle of plants, including seed, seed germination, growth and reproduction. They will also be able to identify plant parts. In addition, they will be able to describe the role of plants in a food chain, understand ecosystems, and they will learn about herbivores. This lesson plan combines 21st century skills, writing skills, and art skills. With the use of a SMART board, internet, YouTube, and other resources, students will have fun with this lesson but most importantly they will be engaged.
The link to my Google site is, Katlyn's Lesson Plan Site.
The link to my Google site is, Katlyn's Lesson Plan Site.
Sunday, November 3, 2013
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