Thankful for Technology

Technology has surely enriched my life this semester. I was and still am very unfamiliar with most of it. However, with this class I have been able to learn how to create a WebQuest. I think that these WebQuest will and are a very important part of the education system. I feel that they will not only grab a students attention, but they will keep them involved in the subject a teacher is trying to teach them. I never really know what a Blog was. Now I know. Quite unique in its own right. I like being able to write my thoughts for people to read who could be interested in the topic. I think that this blog in particular is a good way for our class to journal our thoughts; particularily with an online class. It also lets Lisa know if we are paying attention to the details, and not just pushing through the information. I never realized that you could create an eportfolio. I like this idea. It puts your best face and foot forward; and advertizes your knowledge in a particular subject matter. Twitter, I honestly can say I was not very fond of. Of course it is my personal opinion. I thought of it more as a way to talk with friends or follow the latest gossip. I personally am short on time these days. I think that it most of the reason I was not interested in it. Wiki on the other hand I feel is a great educational page. I think when the time is spent into looking into the information on the page it is a useful tool. With that said; and I know that I am forgetting something I have began to learn this semester. Overall I rate this technology stuff; quite useful if used properly. There are numerous ways to take advantage and use the resources negatively. Lastly, I am grateful for technology and grateful that I took this class; and had such a patient and wonderful teacher. Thank you, Lisa.

Vlogging

I chose not to video blog my thoughts. I don't have the proper equipment to do so, and camera's are not my best friend. I checked out the "how to juggle three ball" video. I guess that vlogging is not for me, I am too old-fashioned. I did check out a vlog. http://aslvlog.net/ Very interesting to the deaf or hearing impared. I really liked the information in this vlog. I could not stop checking it out. I do not know how to do sign language, however this will teach you or me for that matter. Great idea for someone who is just learning to handle being deaf or to learn interesting techniques when talking to someone who is hearing impaired.

Do Schools Kill Creativity?

Sir Ken Robinson is exceptional. I could listen to him all day. In his speech when he talked about Jillian being taken to the doctors before ADD/ADHD was "invented" created a deep thinking in my idea of what ADD/ADHD is and how it is treated. Robinson said the some people need to "move to think". The one thing that came to mind is that while I am at work (I am a supervisor in a school kitchen) I am constantly on the move. The more I move the more things I write on my list of things to accomplish for that day. I don't have ADD/ADHD, however it makes sense. Sometimes when I am at my computer trying to do my homework for this class and others my brain seems to "clog up" and I get frustrated by the idea of not being able to complete the lesson. However if I get up and do something, like a load of laundry or the dishes, I can remember what I wanted to write down. Perhaps it is just because I don't like housework, I don't know but it sometimes works.
"Creativity is as important as literacy and should be treated as such!" This is a great statement. I do believe that childrens creativity should be expressed and not confined. I have seen in my own children that they have been prepared to be wrong. My children are so afraid of failing tests that they have convinced themselves that they will not learn even if they do study. But, I have seen preschoolers who will try anything and not care if they can do it or not. These kids are not afraid to take chances because their minds are an empty slate. They have not experienced the fear of being wrong and told they are wrong.
In my opinion he is right about the unpredictability of teaching our children today. The way we live is changing. Just like it was perfect to teach our children to meet the needs of industry in the 19th century. Times have changed, education needs to as well. Students need to be more creative and like doing what they do. Technology is exploding as the new career of the future. The students who are creative enough to create video games, computer programs and all that technological savvy stuff are the ones who find the careers. Education has changed in that it is starting to accept the exceptional child in the inclusive classroom. Perhaps it is now time to accept that there are many ways to learn and many things to learn; and we should not squash these ideas.

Hans Rosling

Hans Rosling is a witty, highly intelligent man. He can entertain an audience by bringing boring information to life. He discovered that to get people interested in a topic that is plain or important you need to find out what their preconceived ideas are on the topic. Like his speech in Monterey California on World Knowledge, he realized that the students have divided the world into two sections; the Western world, small families-long life, and the Third World, large families-short life spans. The software that he uses to prepare the graphs to communicate the data necessary are exceptional. They make the data come to life and become interesting on a very difficult topic. I think that with any data that needs to be shown to the public Hans Rosling could make the speech exceptionally interesting with his charm and unique abilities in creating graphs that move and change according to our preconceived ideas.

Bloom's Taxonomy....again!

At first glance I think that Bloom's is very intimidating. However, after a considerable amount of time researching the topic it is quite interesting. I have finally learned that knowledge means the observation and recall of information; comprehension means understanding the information; applications means using the information to solve problems; analysis means seeing patterns in the information, such as seeing hidden meanings; synthesis means using old ideas to create new ones; and evaluations means the ability to compare and discriminate between different ideas about the information. I think that it is very hard to accomplish all six competences on one lesson or webquest. As far as my webquest I tried to seperate my components and see what competency was being used. For some, I think I confused them. Some in my opinion could be overlapped into others. However, until now I had not realized the work involved to become a teacher. I mean with the "higher level of thinking" aspect. This is one triangle I hope I will never forget.

Webquests

I think that with Filamentaly and a lot of hard work, I have finally gotten my webquest finished. It is not exactly how I wanted it. I think that it is very basic and not exactly filled the requirements of the assignment. However it is my first one, and I think I did okay for a beginner. It does not have any pictures or moving objects on it. I think that they would be more interesting to second graders. However, I have gotten the topic I think down. It took me a lot of time to change everything and get it in the sections that I wanted the information in. However, I think that the process was a great learning opportunity. I just hope I can remember how I did it!!! This technology stuff is so fascinating, yet completely mind boggling. I think for some it just comes naturally or so it seems. For me it is a trial and error everytime I turn this computer on. I guess I should of been more interested when I was younger. Then, I do not feel that would of helped all that much. The world of technology changes everyday it seems. The kids of today a lucky in a sense that they are so adaptable to new changes. For me it is like changingor starting a whole new way of living. Harder for the established but easier for the new learners not yet set in their ways.

Bernie's Taxonomy

Bernie's Taxonomy is similar to that of Bloom's do to the fact that they are both creating an authentic webquest. Bernie's Taxonomy starts with life verbs such as decide, design, create, predict and judge. Then, classroom verbs which are know, tell and remember. In the center, he has apply, analyze and explain. So to create a successful webquest you need to decide what the topic is, design and create the topic information, predict what the students will learn and judge if they have learned the subject. You, need to have the students apply the knowledge they gain, analyze it and explain how it works. Then, the student will be able to know what they have learned, tell the teacher about it and remember it for future reference. The webquest has to be in a format so that the student knows what you are asking of them. Open-ended questions are best it gives them time to personalize and internalize the answer. There are no wrong answers, it just takes them to a higher level of learning. Bernie also recommends that the webquest not be a procedure, a factual recall, topics that they are learning in their textboooks, and update on a task, or inauthentic task, single facet topics and absolutely no essays.