I don't see how anyone can watch a video like Next Generation Learning and not say, "Awesome! How do I get involved? How do I get my kids involved?" The whole idea of making the classroom come alive like that is just simply exciting! Not only does it seem to keep children interested and focused, but it also allows parents to get involved with their children's education like never before. It would be so wonderful to see every classroom in the world equipped to allow such advantages. Where I work, we have the Internet, Elmos, and one classroom equipped for e-conferencing, among a few other new technological toys. However, it is nowhere near as advanced as Harry's school. What would it take to equip the world's classrooms like that? I wouldn't begin to guess, but I am sure programs are already in place to try to accomplish it.
From a parent's standpoint, it is almost past the time when my children would benefit from such technology in the classroom. However, I'm sure one day I will have grandchildren (Gasp!) who will. My kids are, of course, more technologically savvy than I am today. It would have been great to see them complete a homework assignment or project and then upload it at that point. I think that, in itself, would be an excellent tool for all students and teachers. I believe that access to the emerging classroom technologies will only benefit everyone involved.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Vicki Davis: Harness Your Student's Digital Smarts
Teaching today's students how to connect to the "digital" world is to give them a head start on the world of tomorrow. Ms. Davis spoke of the now old-fashioned pencil and paper. The students going into the digital jobs of the future, which increasingly do not require pen and paper, may one day not even know what they are! They may be put into a museum for people to "Ooh" and "Aah" over! Although I do agree that our students need to be prepared for the innovative future, as a physical education major, I do worry about the sedentary life it will most assuredly bring with it. A scene from the movie, Wall-E, pops into my mind here. In the scene, the overweight and sedentary humans, who get from place to place on personal transporters, need only hit a button to receive anything they wish. Although fanciful, it still made me uneasy to see it.
In support of Ms. Davis's program, I think technology can be a wonderful tool. In the computer elective class I taught, one project we did was a virtual road trip in which the students "visited" a place in the Continental United States. Because it was a road trip, they had to learn about car rentals, fuel tank capacity and gas mileage, hotel rates, and how much a minor repair on their car might cost. It was exciting to see their interest and excitement and watch them learn how they could use technology for research and fun. Ms. Davis goes so much farther with her class. It was very inspiring to see her students on the cutting edge of classroom technology. Today classrooms all over the world can be hard-wired together. As a result, I can see extraordinary possibilities for our future.
In support of Ms. Davis's program, I think technology can be a wonderful tool. In the computer elective class I taught, one project we did was a virtual road trip in which the students "visited" a place in the Continental United States. Because it was a road trip, they had to learn about car rentals, fuel tank capacity and gas mileage, hotel rates, and how much a minor repair on their car might cost. It was exciting to see their interest and excitement and watch them learn how they could use technology for research and fun. Ms. Davis goes so much farther with her class. It was very inspiring to see her students on the cutting edge of classroom technology. Today classrooms all over the world can be hard-wired together. As a result, I can see extraordinary possibilities for our future.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
The Scoop on Cindy
Hello to all! I am 39 years old and looking forward to the big "Four-O" in January! Yes, I am looking forward to it, believe it or not! I am very excited to be a college student at this point in my life because I have spent the past twenty years raising my children and trying to be a good wife. It has been my dream to come to college and here I am! I am pursuing my degree in Physical Education so I can coach volleyball - another twenty-year-old dream!
I am from a teeny-tiny town in Missouri called Leopold, and you guessed it, we have three state champion volleyball titles under our collective belt. My high school coach has been my inspiration to coach my own team some day. In Southeast Missouri my hometown is known for volleyball and as a great place to get an education. It has been twenty-one years since I graduated but I feel that my school prepared me extremely well to further my education.
I joined the Army after I graduated high school and that is where I met my husband, Jay. He is from this area, so when he retired in 2004, we moved back here from Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri. We have also lived in Germany and Virginia.
My daughter is also a college student and is studying to become a paramedic first and then a registered nurse. My son is a junior at Bryant High School and already knows that he wants to go into aviation mechanics. Both of my children are great kids and I am super-proud to be their Mom!
Aside from going to college, I am a substitute teacher at Alba Middle School. I have worked there for four years in mostly long-term assignments. To date, I have "taught" Science, Algebra, P.E., Civics, and a computer elective. I love working with the faculty, staff, and students at Alba. I am also a volleyball referee for the Alabama High School Athletic Association. This is also my fourth year as a referee.
I love to read, canoe, hike, bake, crochet, and all kinds of other stuff. I would love to learn to rock climb and scuba dive. I am looking forward to everything ahead of me in life!
I am from a teeny-tiny town in Missouri called Leopold, and you guessed it, we have three state champion volleyball titles under our collective belt. My high school coach has been my inspiration to coach my own team some day. In Southeast Missouri my hometown is known for volleyball and as a great place to get an education. It has been twenty-one years since I graduated but I feel that my school prepared me extremely well to further my education.
I joined the Army after I graduated high school and that is where I met my husband, Jay. He is from this area, so when he retired in 2004, we moved back here from Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri. We have also lived in Germany and Virginia.
My daughter is also a college student and is studying to become a paramedic first and then a registered nurse. My son is a junior at Bryant High School and already knows that he wants to go into aviation mechanics. Both of my children are great kids and I am super-proud to be their Mom!
Aside from going to college, I am a substitute teacher at Alba Middle School. I have worked there for four years in mostly long-term assignments. To date, I have "taught" Science, Algebra, P.E., Civics, and a computer elective. I love working with the faculty, staff, and students at Alba. I am also a volleyball referee for the Alabama High School Athletic Association. This is also my fourth year as a referee.
I love to read, canoe, hike, bake, crochet, and all kinds of other stuff. I would love to learn to rock climb and scuba dive. I am looking forward to everything ahead of me in life!
Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity
Aside from the wonderful message of Sir Robinson's speech, I was, first and foremost, impressed with his speaking skill. He infused his talk with entertaining tidbits which made him a joy to hear. Also, when he digressed with a joke or story, he seamlessly went back to or tied into his theme. He was very eloquent and enjoyable to hear. Very impressive!
Pertaining to the topic of Sir Robinson's talk, the importance of creativity, I agree. I do think that we are educating the creativity out of our children. Of course, they will lose some along with the loss of innocence as they mature, I believe, but it is not necessary to discourage them by not promoting their talents. I especially liked Sir Robinson's comment that our task is to educate our children's whole being. I think that each person is completely individual and each one's personal talents should be discovered and developed. It would be wonderful to see a shift in our education system that reflects Sir Robinson's ideas.
Pertaining to the topic of Sir Robinson's talk, the importance of creativity, I agree. I do think that we are educating the creativity out of our children. Of course, they will lose some along with the loss of innocence as they mature, I believe, but it is not necessary to discourage them by not promoting their talents. I especially liked Sir Robinson's comment that our task is to educate our children's whole being. I think that each person is completely individual and each one's personal talents should be discovered and developed. It would be wonderful to see a shift in our education system that reflects Sir Robinson's ideas.
Did You Know? 3.0
My first reaction to the Did You Know 3.0 presentation was, "Wow!" It is amazing how much information is out there today. It boggles the mind. On my Facebook page alone, there is more information than I can keep up with. How do people manage all those applications? I don't have time to go through and deal with every one so mine just keep accumulating. At this point in time, I "own" four e-mail accounts, have a MySpace page, and now thanks to this course, a Blog. I had no intention of becoming so active online; it just seems to keep sucking me in!
The Information Superhighway is shrinking the planet, but at the same time, I think it is overloading it with information. Yes, it is very nice to have answers right at your fingertips, but do we really need so much information? I'm sure I am not the only one who looks something up only to have to sift through a barrage of "hits" that may or may not pertain to my subject. Of course, I would not complain because the ease of access is just too convenient. However, sometimes I fondly recall the days when my only options were the encyclopedia and the dictionary!
The Information Superhighway is shrinking the planet, but at the same time, I think it is overloading it with information. Yes, it is very nice to have answers right at your fingertips, but do we really need so much information? I'm sure I am not the only one who looks something up only to have to sift through a barrage of "hits" that may or may not pertain to my subject. Of course, I would not complain because the ease of access is just too convenient. However, sometimes I fondly recall the days when my only options were the encyclopedia and the dictionary!
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