Well, another semester in the MT program is coming to a close. It's been a worthwhile year of self improvement; most of which involved me being humbled by students and partner teachers alike. That being said, it is time to start developing a personal growth plan that will aid me in my first year of teaching.
1.) Become more organized
-Get a hold of a filing cabinet to house all of my teaching resources.
-Divide grades and subjects up.
-Separate units appropriately.
-Create exams for known units and save them online/in filing cabinet.
-Stay true to the system listed above. Do not put things in improper order thinking "I'll fix it later". Regular people can't find the time; successful people make the time.
This is the first lesson I learned during semester 3. I know that I have managed to fumble through post secondary education being as disorganized as I am, and still doing reasonably well, because I was only looking after me. I now know that I cannot act the same way when looking after 120 different student's works. Staying true to the system is a matter of maintaining discipline in demanding a higher standard of myself. I believe that this is key.
2.) Have differentiated plans for units before you teach a class.
-Look at available units I might have to teach.
-Select the preliminary assignments that would be appropriate.
-Start adjusting these assignments for differentiation.
-Make sure this is done before a unit is started.
Preparing for differentiated classes is the only way to effectively teach them. I feel as though it's a shame when a teacher teaches a class and doesn't plan for differentiation until they realize, by the first exam, that some students aren't "getting it". If you have the plans there and use them a few times, chances are you will reach more individuals.
3.) Balance work and leisure appropriately.
-Manage class time in such a way to get work done while the students are getting work done. There's no sense in sitting around looking pretty when there are things to do.
*Never do this at the expense of the students!
-Manage to leave class 45 mins after class is let out every single day.
-Reserve 2 hours for family time and 2 hours for hobby time.
-Enter marks into the computer within one week of obtaining them.
-Emphasize peer review as an assessment practice to ensure you are working for your students, and they are working for each other too.
This balance is the difference between a teacher who enjoys their work, and an individual suffering patterned baldness on account of extreme stress levels. I believe that staying consistent and budgeting your time properly allows teachers to have more social time than many professors and other teachers have admitted to. Again, maintaining discipline is the key. I also believe that students should be used as an additional assessment on one another. In doing so, students receive more feedback on their work and prevent the entire marking workload from being on your shoulders. It's not so much as tricking students into doing your work so much as it is making your work the work that they should appreciate doing/getting.
4.) Stop leaving things to the last minute.
-Begin preparing interim/regular report card comments and findings, at least, two weeks before they are due.
-Have general unit plans ready for the entire year before the semester even starts.
-Enter unit marks for students into the computer within 1 week of obtaining them.
-Ensure all parents have been communicated with, at least, once before any major unit test/pt interview takes place.
Again, discipline is the key to this one. There are many more aspects that I would like to focus on in order to "track" my progress, but these are the main ones that stick out (I can't remember the others at the moment). At any rate, adequately preparing for the year and not leaving things to the last minute will, likely, ensure that I stay fresh throughout each term. If I can manage to stay fresh in mind and body, I am sure that will translate into better teaching practices. As such, my students will, hopefully, remain fresh in my classroom.
I will update this blog later today...
Monday, April 19, 2010
Friday, April 16, 2010
Tekno Noob Not So Noobish Anymore...
It's been a long 13 weeks since I joined Inquiry and Technology SIPS. It's hard to imagine a time when I didn't have any clue about Xtranormal, GIMP software, Comic life, presi.com, etc. Truth be told, I can barely believe that I was hardly aware of these programs being available, let alone familiar with them...
During my 3rd semester practicum, I was (in part) against using technology in the classroom to any great degree. Since I was not exposed to technology very much during high school, I thought that emphasizing on technology would pull my students away from the traditional learning that would serve them well in University. However, what I discovered (during my practicum and during semester 4) was that I had grown to learn, and love, using technology as a student. Being an older individual, I was failing to give my students the same opportunities that I have already had in using and adapting to technology.
During semester 3, I made a gradual transition to begin using computer and internet technologies for my classes. This started out with a brief internet scavenger hunt in an effort to teach my students how to research information on the net. From there, students were instructed how to site specific information from the web using an MLA style guide. Finally, I had students conduct an online research assignment that was meant to serve their assignment in a debate regarding the Youth Criminal Justice Act. While this progression may have been rudimentary at best (and a weird form of corporeal punishment at worst) I believe my students began to appreciate the internet as a resource for information rather than something they can use to communicate with friends.
Still, during my practicum, I was very unfamiliar with technology and how I could use it efficiently and effectively in my classroom. Through the past few weeks and months, I have viewed several programs, websites, and applications that could be vital to my teaching career. I've gone further adapt several of thse programs for use in my classroom based on the curriculums I am familiar with. In turn, these programs have gone on to facilitate creating a few great tasks for my students to undertake in general (and specific) inquiry. My body of work, while small, shows that my understanding of technology in the classroom is growing. Since I have information planned out for tasks, assignments, and an entire unit, I can work towards developing every other unit to have similar tasks that will ensure great learning opportunities and a level of consistency in my classroom.
I must admit that there is still much work to be done. I have not fully explored the possibilities for creative lessons and units found in Intelligence Online, or the Galileo website. Each of these websites holds a tremendous amount of possibility which excites me in ways I never thought lesson planning could. I will no longer have to sit and think of simple exercises to push through a lesson. I will not have to go through the motions in a novel or a textbook because it's "what everyone else does". Instead, I can tap into a collective/collaborative wealth of knowledge that serves to aid me as I serve to contribute back. To me, this newfound collective approach to teaching leaves me filled with hope and inspiration to teach.
That's not to mention the importance of exploring my programs of choice to their fullest extent. I must work diligently in order to find the potential for each program. I must also intend on putting these programs into practice for my future students. The time for theory has ended. Now it is time to put what I have learned into practice...
During my 3rd semester practicum, I was (in part) against using technology in the classroom to any great degree. Since I was not exposed to technology very much during high school, I thought that emphasizing on technology would pull my students away from the traditional learning that would serve them well in University. However, what I discovered (during my practicum and during semester 4) was that I had grown to learn, and love, using technology as a student. Being an older individual, I was failing to give my students the same opportunities that I have already had in using and adapting to technology.
During semester 3, I made a gradual transition to begin using computer and internet technologies for my classes. This started out with a brief internet scavenger hunt in an effort to teach my students how to research information on the net. From there, students were instructed how to site specific information from the web using an MLA style guide. Finally, I had students conduct an online research assignment that was meant to serve their assignment in a debate regarding the Youth Criminal Justice Act. While this progression may have been rudimentary at best (and a weird form of corporeal punishment at worst) I believe my students began to appreciate the internet as a resource for information rather than something they can use to communicate with friends.
Still, during my practicum, I was very unfamiliar with technology and how I could use it efficiently and effectively in my classroom. Through the past few weeks and months, I have viewed several programs, websites, and applications that could be vital to my teaching career. I've gone further adapt several of thse programs for use in my classroom based on the curriculums I am familiar with. In turn, these programs have gone on to facilitate creating a few great tasks for my students to undertake in general (and specific) inquiry. My body of work, while small, shows that my understanding of technology in the classroom is growing. Since I have information planned out for tasks, assignments, and an entire unit, I can work towards developing every other unit to have similar tasks that will ensure great learning opportunities and a level of consistency in my classroom.
I must admit that there is still much work to be done. I have not fully explored the possibilities for creative lessons and units found in Intelligence Online, or the Galileo website. Each of these websites holds a tremendous amount of possibility which excites me in ways I never thought lesson planning could. I will no longer have to sit and think of simple exercises to push through a lesson. I will not have to go through the motions in a novel or a textbook because it's "what everyone else does". Instead, I can tap into a collective/collaborative wealth of knowledge that serves to aid me as I serve to contribute back. To me, this newfound collective approach to teaching leaves me filled with hope and inspiration to teach.
That's not to mention the importance of exploring my programs of choice to their fullest extent. I must work diligently in order to find the potential for each program. I must also intend on putting these programs into practice for my future students. The time for theory has ended. Now it is time to put what I have learned into practice...
Friday, March 19, 2010
Taming the GIMP
Looking back on my presentation for SIPS, I feel as though I didn't necessarily address the application of the software as best I could. While I did explain a few practical uses for the software across many disciplines of study, I didn't get to do as many demonstrations as I would have liked. One of the reasons for this is the depth and breadth of the program. There are too many functions, options, and tools to use to explain in their entirety.
*However, I do feel as though that might be a little harsh, as many of the tools and "toys" are similar to Microsoft Paint, which many of my peers have, likely, encountered.*
I must admit that a few more demonstrations would better explain how to use the program. Perhaps, if I had shown the class how I created my "Put Yourself in the Picture" assignment, there would have been more engagement in the class. I believe that my peers may have found a more practical use for the application if they could see where THEY could put themselves. Also, they may have been more interested in the attention to detail that they could adopt when creating their own GIMP art. Furthermore, they would see the entire process more thoroughly instead of seeing a brief demonstration and then a bunch of finished products. I find that it is difficult to understand the process without seeing the process first hand, and that process may take time.
This brings me to the time constraint. Bowen and I, simply, didn't have the time to explain our applications to the full extent (At least not while presenting together). If I(we) had more time, things could have been different. On the other hand, these presentations were designed to give a quick look at a certain piece of technology. We weren't meant to hold seminars on tech. Still, it was my duty to explain this piece of technology and I believe I did the best I could - all things considered.
When life gives ya lemons you have to make lemonade...
*However, I do feel as though that might be a little harsh, as many of the tools and "toys" are similar to Microsoft Paint, which many of my peers have, likely, encountered.*
I must admit that a few more demonstrations would better explain how to use the program. Perhaps, if I had shown the class how I created my "Put Yourself in the Picture" assignment, there would have been more engagement in the class. I believe that my peers may have found a more practical use for the application if they could see where THEY could put themselves. Also, they may have been more interested in the attention to detail that they could adopt when creating their own GIMP art. Furthermore, they would see the entire process more thoroughly instead of seeing a brief demonstration and then a bunch of finished products. I find that it is difficult to understand the process without seeing the process first hand, and that process may take time.
This brings me to the time constraint. Bowen and I, simply, didn't have the time to explain our applications to the full extent (At least not while presenting together). If I(we) had more time, things could have been different. On the other hand, these presentations were designed to give a quick look at a certain piece of technology. We weren't meant to hold seminars on tech. Still, it was my duty to explain this piece of technology and I believe I did the best I could - all things considered.
When life gives ya lemons you have to make lemonade...
Friday, March 5, 2010
The Smartest You Will Ever Be
This is a Case Study Presentation I gave during semester 3. Just a thought about the state of teaching and students in grade 9 during that point. Enjoy...
Does anyone else find it funny that human beings, while at the top of the food chain, are responsible for pumping out the most idiotic offspring in the world? Baby calves don't need much more than a few months of mummy dearest coddling before they're free to roam the open plain. That's saying quite a lot considering the sum total knowledge of all cows on this planet couldn't figure out how to bypass a barbed wire fence without leaving a fresh steak behind. Human beings, on the other hand, need at least 18 years (21 if you're American) before they can be cut loose to face the real world. Does anyone have any idea why? Some would blame the education system, the parents, television, class distinctions, gender bias/confusion, blah blah blah blah. These ideas, being so tired and washed out, are easy targets that fail to look at a far simpler approach. I would argue that it comes from the system we made that makes every child feel special. The way I see it, you make everyone mediocre when you make everyone special.
It started out with giving them toys to play with when they weren't in school. From there kids started getting their own food at restaurants, special prices on public transit and an entire amusement park targeted at their infantile brains. If that wasn't bad enough, kids were awarded trophies for participation and for improving a grade level. The final insults are graduation ceremonies for finishing preschool, elementary school, junior high school, and high school. Every single one of these accomplishments awards kids for doing what everyone already intended for them to do. We see no evidence of that last example anywhere in the adult world because no one would allow that kind of crap. It'd be like handing out awards for all members of society who didn't serve a prison term in the last 12 months. At any rate, all of these things work to produce a group that is satisfied even excited, with their own mediocrity. You might think those are small, if not irrelevant, issues but small things lead to big problems; like a piece of glass embedded in the urinary tract.
I say this because the students of today have been fooled (by us) into thinking that their every action is deserving of a celebration bordering on the fanatical. I have students who feel as though I should be impressed when they put their names on their assignments. In turn, I feel as if I've wasted the last six and a half years of education only to be surrounded by people so dim that a teachable moment is more like lighting a match than turning on a light bulb. Still, there's little use in embarrassing the students for their crippling ignorance because (according to them) they're the smartest they'll ever be at this age. It's as if students hit the age of 14 and immediately recognize their birthday as the first anniversary of born prodigal omnipotence. These scenarios are a painful reminder of why I am tired and why my parents always said, "the next generation is trouble".
Some of you might be wondering why I'm upset by this. I mean, this isn't exactly a big surprise. All generations loathe the next one coming along and there's no sense in getting upset at history repeating itself. Wayne Gretzky once said "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take". To me, letting this history repeat itself would not only mean missing a shot; but also trading your stick in for a cigarette and a lighter. The kids of today can't be thrown aside to fend for themselves because we made them who they are. We're the ones who drive them to school and forget to keep up with their performance. We're the ones who put them into sporting programs that reward them for merely being there. We're also the ones who put them in a system that is designed for failure.
Probably the most deviant way in which Albertans try to make their children feel special is the "no fail" policy that haunts the hallways of every primary and junior high school in this province. Instead of letting kids fail based on poor performance, students are pushed through each grade like beef through the meat grinder to promote their self esteem. Kids are told they all have special abilities and are good-natured without actually demanding any exceptional work from them; making students daydreamers by trade, masters of none. That is, of course, right up until grade 10 when the performance hammer comes down harder than a meat cleaver on a chopping block. Once the kids are able to fail a grade, everything changes. While it does force them to study a little bit to receive passing grades, teaching someone who is 15 that they now have to study to pass is like telling a pro athlete they have to pass a linguistics exam to play on the starting line. Suddenly the kids don't feel so special when they have to atone for 10 years of poor study habits and no repercussions for meager achievement. Add in the pressures to consume drugs and alcohol and you've got a wavering group of imbeciles with every reason to mess up, and why shouldn't they? This is the system the educated populace bought into and pushed for.
Since I've just finished sending out interim report cards to my students and calculated the marks from their first Social Studies Unit Exam, I've come to the conclusion that today's youth raises a red flag big enough to cover the hole in the ozone layer. Simple questions on the exam could not be answered because of outright disdain for having to read the question properly. It’s as if our technological age (where you can google an answer to any question and pretend to be an expert on it) endows young people the ability to will informed opinions into existence from the land of dreams. On that note I'd like to say that I worded the questions poorly and that I didn't deliver the material well. I'd like to say that. However, when all information is presented in chart form and I ask for details in numbers (ie: give me two examples of...) figuring out where I went wrong is about as pointless as a pillow after a trip through a wood chipper. That said I still have trouble blaming the kids; knowing what they are a product of. What am I going to do about it? Well, when I crawl out from my mountain of papers, posters and assignments I'll let you know. Until then, someone should check for a barbed wire fence to see if they can find a free steak.
Does anyone else find it funny that human beings, while at the top of the food chain, are responsible for pumping out the most idiotic offspring in the world? Baby calves don't need much more than a few months of mummy dearest coddling before they're free to roam the open plain. That's saying quite a lot considering the sum total knowledge of all cows on this planet couldn't figure out how to bypass a barbed wire fence without leaving a fresh steak behind. Human beings, on the other hand, need at least 18 years (21 if you're American) before they can be cut loose to face the real world. Does anyone have any idea why? Some would blame the education system, the parents, television, class distinctions, gender bias/confusion, blah blah blah blah. These ideas, being so tired and washed out, are easy targets that fail to look at a far simpler approach. I would argue that it comes from the system we made that makes every child feel special. The way I see it, you make everyone mediocre when you make everyone special.
It started out with giving them toys to play with when they weren't in school. From there kids started getting their own food at restaurants, special prices on public transit and an entire amusement park targeted at their infantile brains. If that wasn't bad enough, kids were awarded trophies for participation and for improving a grade level. The final insults are graduation ceremonies for finishing preschool, elementary school, junior high school, and high school. Every single one of these accomplishments awards kids for doing what everyone already intended for them to do. We see no evidence of that last example anywhere in the adult world because no one would allow that kind of crap. It'd be like handing out awards for all members of society who didn't serve a prison term in the last 12 months. At any rate, all of these things work to produce a group that is satisfied even excited, with their own mediocrity. You might think those are small, if not irrelevant, issues but small things lead to big problems; like a piece of glass embedded in the urinary tract.
I say this because the students of today have been fooled (by us) into thinking that their every action is deserving of a celebration bordering on the fanatical. I have students who feel as though I should be impressed when they put their names on their assignments. In turn, I feel as if I've wasted the last six and a half years of education only to be surrounded by people so dim that a teachable moment is more like lighting a match than turning on a light bulb. Still, there's little use in embarrassing the students for their crippling ignorance because (according to them) they're the smartest they'll ever be at this age. It's as if students hit the age of 14 and immediately recognize their birthday as the first anniversary of born prodigal omnipotence. These scenarios are a painful reminder of why I am tired and why my parents always said, "the next generation is trouble".
Some of you might be wondering why I'm upset by this. I mean, this isn't exactly a big surprise. All generations loathe the next one coming along and there's no sense in getting upset at history repeating itself. Wayne Gretzky once said "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take". To me, letting this history repeat itself would not only mean missing a shot; but also trading your stick in for a cigarette and a lighter. The kids of today can't be thrown aside to fend for themselves because we made them who they are. We're the ones who drive them to school and forget to keep up with their performance. We're the ones who put them into sporting programs that reward them for merely being there. We're also the ones who put them in a system that is designed for failure.
Probably the most deviant way in which Albertans try to make their children feel special is the "no fail" policy that haunts the hallways of every primary and junior high school in this province. Instead of letting kids fail based on poor performance, students are pushed through each grade like beef through the meat grinder to promote their self esteem. Kids are told they all have special abilities and are good-natured without actually demanding any exceptional work from them; making students daydreamers by trade, masters of none. That is, of course, right up until grade 10 when the performance hammer comes down harder than a meat cleaver on a chopping block. Once the kids are able to fail a grade, everything changes. While it does force them to study a little bit to receive passing grades, teaching someone who is 15 that they now have to study to pass is like telling a pro athlete they have to pass a linguistics exam to play on the starting line. Suddenly the kids don't feel so special when they have to atone for 10 years of poor study habits and no repercussions for meager achievement. Add in the pressures to consume drugs and alcohol and you've got a wavering group of imbeciles with every reason to mess up, and why shouldn't they? This is the system the educated populace bought into and pushed for.
Since I've just finished sending out interim report cards to my students and calculated the marks from their first Social Studies Unit Exam, I've come to the conclusion that today's youth raises a red flag big enough to cover the hole in the ozone layer. Simple questions on the exam could not be answered because of outright disdain for having to read the question properly. It’s as if our technological age (where you can google an answer to any question and pretend to be an expert on it) endows young people the ability to will informed opinions into existence from the land of dreams. On that note I'd like to say that I worded the questions poorly and that I didn't deliver the material well. I'd like to say that. However, when all information is presented in chart form and I ask for details in numbers (ie: give me two examples of...) figuring out where I went wrong is about as pointless as a pillow after a trip through a wood chipper. That said I still have trouble blaming the kids; knowing what they are a product of. What am I going to do about it? Well, when I crawl out from my mountain of papers, posters and assignments I'll let you know. Until then, someone should check for a barbed wire fence to see if they can find a free steak.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
What's Important
From our Great Task, these are the things I'll remember to improve upon:
-PROOF READING!
While Bowen conceded early on that it was his fault, I found a few sentences of my own making about as much sense as an Eskimo trying to speak Hebrew. Proofreading the actual example of a great task would be a good idea for showing some kind of finished product.
-Include a rubric for assessing the use of technology
I thought about this one for a while after class and came to the conclusion that providing a rubric that assesses our use of technology would greatly help our peer review. I also figured that including this same rubric for the students would benefit the class as a whole. I could discover how each class battles with technology and determine whether or not my intended uses for technology are appropriate to the students.
-Make the written component more specific
This one is my fault. The IO version of this assignment requires it to be a research based assignment. However, when I saw it being done in my first year practicum, it was an assignment that followed each chapter of the book "Night" by Ellie Wiesel. In one sense, we proved that this assignment can work in a myriad of ways to benefit the students. However, for the purpose of peer review, we could have tightened things up by explaining the rules a little better.
-Pre-approved pictures in work
This is one aspect of the assignment our team did not discuss. I imagine it was a case of not thinking "how deviant could our students possibly be when picking out pictures off the internet?" I do believe that parameters should be set, depending on what novel/part of history you are covering in your class. However, I do not believe that the teacher should have to check up on the students and the images they are using because it will rob them of some of their creativity. I believe that if the parameters are set properly, the students will choose images accordingly....hopefully...
Now, what we did that sparked some positive feedback:
-Made history cool and personal
I agree that this assignment allows students to choose a perspective outside of their own. In addition, students are encouraged to bring many of their own attitudes into these historical events to truly live them.
-Lots of room for creativity with liberating constraints
Gotta give students freedom from complete freedom.
-Cross curricular connections
Every Humanities/Language Arts teachers dream.
-Adaptable to many grade levels
-Gives students a reason to write something about themselves and the assignment instead of just for the sake of writing.
For all of those students who don't particularly like English Lit, this is a way for them to find a reason to write. It gives them the ability to describe something that is important to them because they are living the experience.
-PROOF READING!
While Bowen conceded early on that it was his fault, I found a few sentences of my own making about as much sense as an Eskimo trying to speak Hebrew. Proofreading the actual example of a great task would be a good idea for showing some kind of finished product.
-Include a rubric for assessing the use of technology
I thought about this one for a while after class and came to the conclusion that providing a rubric that assesses our use of technology would greatly help our peer review. I also figured that including this same rubric for the students would benefit the class as a whole. I could discover how each class battles with technology and determine whether or not my intended uses for technology are appropriate to the students.
-Make the written component more specific
This one is my fault. The IO version of this assignment requires it to be a research based assignment. However, when I saw it being done in my first year practicum, it was an assignment that followed each chapter of the book "Night" by Ellie Wiesel. In one sense, we proved that this assignment can work in a myriad of ways to benefit the students. However, for the purpose of peer review, we could have tightened things up by explaining the rules a little better.
-Pre-approved pictures in work
This is one aspect of the assignment our team did not discuss. I imagine it was a case of not thinking "how deviant could our students possibly be when picking out pictures off the internet?" I do believe that parameters should be set, depending on what novel/part of history you are covering in your class. However, I do not believe that the teacher should have to check up on the students and the images they are using because it will rob them of some of their creativity. I believe that if the parameters are set properly, the students will choose images accordingly....hopefully...
Now, what we did that sparked some positive feedback:
-Made history cool and personal
I agree that this assignment allows students to choose a perspective outside of their own. In addition, students are encouraged to bring many of their own attitudes into these historical events to truly live them.
-Lots of room for creativity with liberating constraints
Gotta give students freedom from complete freedom.
-Cross curricular connections
Every Humanities/Language Arts teachers dream.
-Adaptable to many grade levels
-Gives students a reason to write something about themselves and the assignment instead of just for the sake of writing.
For all of those students who don't particularly like English Lit, this is a way for them to find a reason to write. It gives them the ability to describe something that is important to them because they are living the experience.
Muddy Waters
Whether or not we'd like to admit it, human beings require consistency in order to establish some kind of progress. When there is inconsistency, things are chaotic at best; which makes walking to the beat of the drum difficult when the drummer is a delusional/paranoid schizophrenic. One of the consistent concepts discussed in this program has been the importance of inquiry based teaching in schools. However, the way in which this concept is discussed causes the students to beg for some kind of music sheet to follow along with.
I say this because, as of right now, the only class that is close to following some kind of inquiry model is the SIPS class. Each week we are encouraged to see the application of various uses of technology, discover and use technology for ourselves, and ask how we can continue to use technology in our classrooms. The learning we engage in every week is important because each of us discovers a "how to" method that can be applied in our classrooms. I suppose the reason why I find this important is because the lessons we learn are pragmatic. They pertain to the job we have been training the last 18 months for. This makes preparing for SIPS class enjoyable because each week we can guarantee learning something new and relevant.
Lecture and Inclusive Practices, on the other hand, fall somewhere between counting cars and watching snow melt on the universal scale of time wasters. While that might appear harsh at first, let me go on to explain my conclusion:
Lecture, while important during my first undergrad (because it has assignments and tests based on the content), is almost unnecessary at this point in the BEd program. Week after week is spent sitting on an auditorium and listening to an expert on a certain subject blather on relentlessly until most of the audience is bored into a coma. I say this because the content of these lectures usually pertains to something we have, likely, already heard, or something we already know about. For example, last week's lecture involved making communication with parents. We were encouraged to use the personal meetings, phone calls, and email to establish contact. We were also given an explanation on: what an email subscriber listing is, why email is impersonal, and that contact between students, parents and teachers is vital for the student's benefit. One of my peers ended up writing on her "feedback" paper that "if we haven't made contact with parents, haven't been to parent teacher interviews, and haven't figured out how to use email, chances are we failed semester 3 practicum and aren't in lecture right now".
I understand that all students/staff might not know how to use email properly, but most of the content of that lecture was, plain old, common sense. Maybe this goes one step further in my affirmation that the "common" part of that term has to be removed. At any rate, if I were to pick on anything further from that lecture, it would be that sitting at the front of a room with 300 people in it and talking for 2 hours straight is not teaching me how to teach inquiry. Instead, it's teaching me how to not teach inquiry.
Which brings me to Inclusive Practices: last class was spent trying to figure out how to use the projector and sound system...during class...during 2 student lead presentations... I almost felt that sitting there and attempting to listen to my peers while advertisements for toilet cleaners and the Olympics ran in the background was some kind of test to see if we recognized the damage done by uncharacteristic interruptions. However, seeing how most IP classes seem to be thrown together haphazardly, it came off as a complete lack of respect shown by the professors to the students for not coming in early to make sure their equipment was working properly. If anything, it taught me how to NOT do something to/for my students.
I could go on to pick apart the assignments in that class...so I will. Being a class that does not have any kind of narrative assessment (or grade), I'm finding it increasingly difficult to recognize the importance of the assignments that are due in that class. I understand the importance of studying some diseases/disorders/disabilities for their own sake, but if we are going to do so (as part of our inquiry based learning), why are we doing so with no intended feedback on our findings? Why are we doing these papers if there won't be some kind of merit attached to it? Furthermore, why are we doing them without some kind of due date that is more solid than pureed H2O? I can do a research paper on Oppositional Defiance Disorder anytime I please, but the purpose of doing one (at this stage in my academic career) is to have a professional verify that I have made some kind of insight or progress in understanding a condition that my students are likely to have. Instead, I'm coerced into doing a 2 page paper only to get an arbitrary "good job" written on the second page. What's worse, we are being lead into the "drop off" inquiry method, where a teacher gives you free reign to study whatever you like and then leaves you alone with no guidance as to how we are to proceed. This is, precisely, the method of inquiry we've been told NOT to teach...yet this is what our superiors have committed to. It's as if this class has been compiled to give the students mindless busy work to give us the illusion of progress forthcoming and time passing.
I believe these papers might carry more intellectual weight if we scheduled some kind of volunteer hours (as part of the program) to interact with individuals who are afflicted with such conditions. I also believe that this class may have benefited the students more adequately if it ran during first year, when we were observing students in practicum, to see how recognizing these conditions is valuable to a teacher.
I guess what I'm getting out here is that following along this term has been a little bit difficult. In terms of self assessment, I feel that I have learned a lot about teaching this semester. Unfortunately, what I have learned most is how to NOT do certain things. I've also learned how rehashing and repeating subject matter redundantly can attribute to lost focus among students. However, it hasn't all been gloomily colored gun metal gray or top soil brown. I've learned unique ways in engaging my students through computer videos, using online organizers to give students direction on assignments, the importance of social networking sites and how students use them, and how to develop meaningful tasks that students will be eager to complete instead of dragging themselves through the motions of daily homework.
Beyond all of that, I've managed to learn the importance of peer review. During our time in reviewing the Great Task, I learned the importance of having my work reviewed by colleagues. In doing so, my peers are likely to give insight on aspects of my work that I would not likely have seen or noticed. I say each assignment is like a pet project: we pet it, stroke it, feed it, and do everything to take care of it, except criticize it where it lacks. Only an outside perspective is likely to achieve that, and in order for our assignments to work, peer review needs to occur.
During that stint, I also learned the importance of reviewing the work of others. Breaking out the critical lens once in a while is good for the brain, as it keeps you working. Through this, I was able to see examples of other assignments that I could use in my classes. Everyone did such a fantastic job; it felt like we were all pooling our work together for the benefit of the entire class. I was so thrilled with this body of work! It gave me a glimmer of hope that getting some "how to's" is possible during my last semester here. It also taught me the benefit of working together instead of working alone. I can imagine that a teacher that works alone has a much harder road than the one who pulls in all available resources. This is the kind of teacher I would like to be!
My apologies for the uncharacteristically long post. I felt the only way to explain my learning to this point was to describe my experience in the program thus far. In short, inquiry done right, with peer review/assistance, and consistency makes a program flow with ease...inquiry done wrong, with interruptions, poor understanding and no guidance is a big flop.
I say this because, as of right now, the only class that is close to following some kind of inquiry model is the SIPS class. Each week we are encouraged to see the application of various uses of technology, discover and use technology for ourselves, and ask how we can continue to use technology in our classrooms. The learning we engage in every week is important because each of us discovers a "how to" method that can be applied in our classrooms. I suppose the reason why I find this important is because the lessons we learn are pragmatic. They pertain to the job we have been training the last 18 months for. This makes preparing for SIPS class enjoyable because each week we can guarantee learning something new and relevant.
Lecture and Inclusive Practices, on the other hand, fall somewhere between counting cars and watching snow melt on the universal scale of time wasters. While that might appear harsh at first, let me go on to explain my conclusion:
Lecture, while important during my first undergrad (because it has assignments and tests based on the content), is almost unnecessary at this point in the BEd program. Week after week is spent sitting on an auditorium and listening to an expert on a certain subject blather on relentlessly until most of the audience is bored into a coma. I say this because the content of these lectures usually pertains to something we have, likely, already heard, or something we already know about. For example, last week's lecture involved making communication with parents. We were encouraged to use the personal meetings, phone calls, and email to establish contact. We were also given an explanation on: what an email subscriber listing is, why email is impersonal, and that contact between students, parents and teachers is vital for the student's benefit. One of my peers ended up writing on her "feedback" paper that "if we haven't made contact with parents, haven't been to parent teacher interviews, and haven't figured out how to use email, chances are we failed semester 3 practicum and aren't in lecture right now".
I understand that all students/staff might not know how to use email properly, but most of the content of that lecture was, plain old, common sense. Maybe this goes one step further in my affirmation that the "common" part of that term has to be removed. At any rate, if I were to pick on anything further from that lecture, it would be that sitting at the front of a room with 300 people in it and talking for 2 hours straight is not teaching me how to teach inquiry. Instead, it's teaching me how to not teach inquiry.
Which brings me to Inclusive Practices: last class was spent trying to figure out how to use the projector and sound system...during class...during 2 student lead presentations... I almost felt that sitting there and attempting to listen to my peers while advertisements for toilet cleaners and the Olympics ran in the background was some kind of test to see if we recognized the damage done by uncharacteristic interruptions. However, seeing how most IP classes seem to be thrown together haphazardly, it came off as a complete lack of respect shown by the professors to the students for not coming in early to make sure their equipment was working properly. If anything, it taught me how to NOT do something to/for my students.
I could go on to pick apart the assignments in that class...so I will. Being a class that does not have any kind of narrative assessment (or grade), I'm finding it increasingly difficult to recognize the importance of the assignments that are due in that class. I understand the importance of studying some diseases/disorders/disabilities for their own sake, but if we are going to do so (as part of our inquiry based learning), why are we doing so with no intended feedback on our findings? Why are we doing these papers if there won't be some kind of merit attached to it? Furthermore, why are we doing them without some kind of due date that is more solid than pureed H2O? I can do a research paper on Oppositional Defiance Disorder anytime I please, but the purpose of doing one (at this stage in my academic career) is to have a professional verify that I have made some kind of insight or progress in understanding a condition that my students are likely to have. Instead, I'm coerced into doing a 2 page paper only to get an arbitrary "good job" written on the second page. What's worse, we are being lead into the "drop off" inquiry method, where a teacher gives you free reign to study whatever you like and then leaves you alone with no guidance as to how we are to proceed. This is, precisely, the method of inquiry we've been told NOT to teach...yet this is what our superiors have committed to. It's as if this class has been compiled to give the students mindless busy work to give us the illusion of progress forthcoming and time passing.
I believe these papers might carry more intellectual weight if we scheduled some kind of volunteer hours (as part of the program) to interact with individuals who are afflicted with such conditions. I also believe that this class may have benefited the students more adequately if it ran during first year, when we were observing students in practicum, to see how recognizing these conditions is valuable to a teacher.
I guess what I'm getting out here is that following along this term has been a little bit difficult. In terms of self assessment, I feel that I have learned a lot about teaching this semester. Unfortunately, what I have learned most is how to NOT do certain things. I've also learned how rehashing and repeating subject matter redundantly can attribute to lost focus among students. However, it hasn't all been gloomily colored gun metal gray or top soil brown. I've learned unique ways in engaging my students through computer videos, using online organizers to give students direction on assignments, the importance of social networking sites and how students use them, and how to develop meaningful tasks that students will be eager to complete instead of dragging themselves through the motions of daily homework.
Beyond all of that, I've managed to learn the importance of peer review. During our time in reviewing the Great Task, I learned the importance of having my work reviewed by colleagues. In doing so, my peers are likely to give insight on aspects of my work that I would not likely have seen or noticed. I say each assignment is like a pet project: we pet it, stroke it, feed it, and do everything to take care of it, except criticize it where it lacks. Only an outside perspective is likely to achieve that, and in order for our assignments to work, peer review needs to occur.
During that stint, I also learned the importance of reviewing the work of others. Breaking out the critical lens once in a while is good for the brain, as it keeps you working. Through this, I was able to see examples of other assignments that I could use in my classes. Everyone did such a fantastic job; it felt like we were all pooling our work together for the benefit of the entire class. I was so thrilled with this body of work! It gave me a glimmer of hope that getting some "how to's" is possible during my last semester here. It also taught me the benefit of working together instead of working alone. I can imagine that a teacher that works alone has a much harder road than the one who pulls in all available resources. This is the kind of teacher I would like to be!
My apologies for the uncharacteristically long post. I felt the only way to explain my learning to this point was to describe my experience in the program thus far. In short, inquiry done right, with peer review/assistance, and consistency makes a program flow with ease...inquiry done wrong, with interruptions, poor understanding and no guidance is a big flop.
Friday, February 5, 2010
What the heck is normal anyway, and how can I get Xtra?
So last week we were introduced to the website "XtraNormal", where people create internet movies featuring pre-rendered characters in pre-rendered settings. I had seen these videos used before, but never in an academic setting. I believe it does say something about your close circle of friends when they use decent educational tools to see how humorous it is to listen to a computer enunciate swear words. Still, having seen this site being used in an academic setting, I was very taken in by the potential this site has.
One of the problems I ran into when I was teaching my grade 9 students was having the students tire of hearing me explain things. While I never had anyone fall asleep on me, I could tell that certain subjects were about as dry as a Thanksgiving turkey that was cooked with a tiger torch. However, after seeing this software put to work, I immediately recognized this site as a teaching tool.
With 20 000 characters of text, I discovered (by playing around and making a few movies) that I could explain simple topics by creating little animated movies. What's more, by posting these videos on Youtube, I can encourage my students to revisit the videos to answer any questions they may have. This way, the information is always at the student's fingertips. I figure, if my students are going to be on facebook, on Youtube, or the internet in general, they might as well be exposed to some educational videos along the way.
Of course, the dangers of using this as a teaching tool is relying on it too heavily. Obviously a teacher cannot use these videos to teach everything. Since there are no pauses for questions, students may become completely overwhelmed with content and forget any questions they have if a video is too long. Furthermore, students may become distracted by the mannerisms of the "actors" in the movies.
As it relates to my class, I believe the importance of using this site is to give the students a different voice to listen to, and a different stimulus to view. The typical "stand and deliver" style of teaching, while useful, can become draining on the students and the teachers. Xtra Normal is a simple way to give teachers and students a break that is both visually entertaining and mentally engaging.
*NOTE* I saw Avatar last weekend. With all the color and computer animation in that movie, it really made me wonder if human beings actually get ADHD, or if we're subjecting ourselves to it by using technology? Honestly, that movie had so much visual stimulus that I nearly started drooling half way through the film. Albeit, 3D technology is very new to me, I can't imagine I was the only one completely blown away with the film. Still, are we intentionally giving people short attention spans by making videos, movies, video games, etc. more visually stimulating? Furthermore, does this mean that the future style of learning will rely more heavily on visual stimulation versus auditory and kinesthetic learning styles?
One of the problems I ran into when I was teaching my grade 9 students was having the students tire of hearing me explain things. While I never had anyone fall asleep on me, I could tell that certain subjects were about as dry as a Thanksgiving turkey that was cooked with a tiger torch. However, after seeing this software put to work, I immediately recognized this site as a teaching tool.
With 20 000 characters of text, I discovered (by playing around and making a few movies) that I could explain simple topics by creating little animated movies. What's more, by posting these videos on Youtube, I can encourage my students to revisit the videos to answer any questions they may have. This way, the information is always at the student's fingertips. I figure, if my students are going to be on facebook, on Youtube, or the internet in general, they might as well be exposed to some educational videos along the way.
Of course, the dangers of using this as a teaching tool is relying on it too heavily. Obviously a teacher cannot use these videos to teach everything. Since there are no pauses for questions, students may become completely overwhelmed with content and forget any questions they have if a video is too long. Furthermore, students may become distracted by the mannerisms of the "actors" in the movies.
As it relates to my class, I believe the importance of using this site is to give the students a different voice to listen to, and a different stimulus to view. The typical "stand and deliver" style of teaching, while useful, can become draining on the students and the teachers. Xtra Normal is a simple way to give teachers and students a break that is both visually entertaining and mentally engaging.
*NOTE* I saw Avatar last weekend. With all the color and computer animation in that movie, it really made me wonder if human beings actually get ADHD, or if we're subjecting ourselves to it by using technology? Honestly, that movie had so much visual stimulus that I nearly started drooling half way through the film. Albeit, 3D technology is very new to me, I can't imagine I was the only one completely blown away with the film. Still, are we intentionally giving people short attention spans by making videos, movies, video games, etc. more visually stimulating? Furthermore, does this mean that the future style of learning will rely more heavily on visual stimulation versus auditory and kinesthetic learning styles?
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Entering the Realm of the Keyboard Warrior
There is one universal truth regarding human beings and fear, and it is that no matter how much a person has experienced, there is always a fear of what is new. It's the same fear we had about the dark when we were young. It's the same fear we experience when traveling to a foreign country, eating at a different restaurant, or being taken into the back room during an airport security check. We fear these things because of the uncertainty that lays before us. There is nothing that says this new "thing" we are getting ourselves into is bad. There is nothing to prove that the new "thing" will be difficult. However, all humans are afraid of their potential for failure and hardship when attempting something new. This is my fear with integrating technology into my classroom.
Of course, as a student sitting in the middle/back of the classroom, as a younger man I always laughed at the teachers who couldn't figure out how to work their dvd players (God forbid if it was a VCR). Now, seating myself on the other side of the teacher's desk, I find it increasingly frightening that I am likely to be the same individual I used to scoff at. While I'm perfectly capable of using a VCR or dvd player, the technological gaps between 2003-present have been so significant that it's safe to say I've fallen off the map (or GPS if you're connected to tech).
My experience with technology in the classroom is fairly limited. I've briefly flirted with using powerpoint presentations, and I believe that they are effective so long as you don't use them as often as you use a cell phone to make a call. Like any other activity, students can get incredibly bored at viewing powerpoint presentations. When you consider the low lights, tv screen, and one or two people briefing the presentation, a lecture can be as sleep inducing as a sedative with Yanni playing in the background.
I've also used Youtube videos in some of my classes in order to give the students a chance to interact with their subject of material in a form that they can readily understand and identify with. I've used commercial clips for XBOX games to explain poetry and it's practical use, I've used Family Guy clips to explain concepts of poetry, song, and performance to a piece of writing, and I've shown music videos of the same song to explain perspective from one person to another. I found all of these methods effective. However, I do believe that I should make these activities more interactive so I am letting my students explore rather than be lead by me.
Finally, I've hooked up my laptop to a projection screen in order to show students how to write paragraphs properly, and to give final directions on assignments. This proved effective, as students could physically see the changes I would make on a paper, so they would recognize what to look for in their own writing. As for using the projection screen for giving out directives, students did respond to the screen easier than they did to the white board. I'm not sure why, but perhaps it's something more familiar to them and what they see at home.
My desire in entering this class is becoming, at least, as efficient in using technology in the classroom as my students are. While the teaching profession had been tech-proof for, probably, the last 50 years, now the profession relies on technology more each passing week. Teachers now have the fear of being left behind in an age of innovation that is constantly evolving around them. If students are more in touch with technology, there will come a point where the students will not need teachers.
Okay, maybe that's a bit of an overstatement. Students will always need teachers to explain the proper usage of information technology. However, with proper instruction, students will rely on their teachers less and less in order to discover the information that they need to know.
For instance, last semester I taught my grade 9 humanities classes how to write business letters. This was a part of the grade 9 LA curriculum as set out by Alberta Education. Just for fun, I googled different types of business letters and found a plethora of business letters that could be in all types of format. While it was my job to teach a specific business letter to my students, it came to my attention that if a student wanted to type up a business letter for their own purposes, they hardly needed me to show them how.
For my purposes, the same could be said for essay writing. There are so many sites that explain how to write an essay and all of it's component parts that a teacher is only there to hone the skill of writing. The steps are already all over the internet.
I guess, in this long and drawn out blog, I'm trying to say that I want to become on the same level of technological understand as my students so I can usher them in to the modern age with a respect for information and the potential it gives to all of us.
Of course, as a student sitting in the middle/back of the classroom, as a younger man I always laughed at the teachers who couldn't figure out how to work their dvd players (God forbid if it was a VCR). Now, seating myself on the other side of the teacher's desk, I find it increasingly frightening that I am likely to be the same individual I used to scoff at. While I'm perfectly capable of using a VCR or dvd player, the technological gaps between 2003-present have been so significant that it's safe to say I've fallen off the map (or GPS if you're connected to tech).
My experience with technology in the classroom is fairly limited. I've briefly flirted with using powerpoint presentations, and I believe that they are effective so long as you don't use them as often as you use a cell phone to make a call. Like any other activity, students can get incredibly bored at viewing powerpoint presentations. When you consider the low lights, tv screen, and one or two people briefing the presentation, a lecture can be as sleep inducing as a sedative with Yanni playing in the background.
I've also used Youtube videos in some of my classes in order to give the students a chance to interact with their subject of material in a form that they can readily understand and identify with. I've used commercial clips for XBOX games to explain poetry and it's practical use, I've used Family Guy clips to explain concepts of poetry, song, and performance to a piece of writing, and I've shown music videos of the same song to explain perspective from one person to another. I found all of these methods effective. However, I do believe that I should make these activities more interactive so I am letting my students explore rather than be lead by me.
Finally, I've hooked up my laptop to a projection screen in order to show students how to write paragraphs properly, and to give final directions on assignments. This proved effective, as students could physically see the changes I would make on a paper, so they would recognize what to look for in their own writing. As for using the projection screen for giving out directives, students did respond to the screen easier than they did to the white board. I'm not sure why, but perhaps it's something more familiar to them and what they see at home.
My desire in entering this class is becoming, at least, as efficient in using technology in the classroom as my students are. While the teaching profession had been tech-proof for, probably, the last 50 years, now the profession relies on technology more each passing week. Teachers now have the fear of being left behind in an age of innovation that is constantly evolving around them. If students are more in touch with technology, there will come a point where the students will not need teachers.
Okay, maybe that's a bit of an overstatement. Students will always need teachers to explain the proper usage of information technology. However, with proper instruction, students will rely on their teachers less and less in order to discover the information that they need to know.
For instance, last semester I taught my grade 9 humanities classes how to write business letters. This was a part of the grade 9 LA curriculum as set out by Alberta Education. Just for fun, I googled different types of business letters and found a plethora of business letters that could be in all types of format. While it was my job to teach a specific business letter to my students, it came to my attention that if a student wanted to type up a business letter for their own purposes, they hardly needed me to show them how.
For my purposes, the same could be said for essay writing. There are so many sites that explain how to write an essay and all of it's component parts that a teacher is only there to hone the skill of writing. The steps are already all over the internet.
I guess, in this long and drawn out blog, I'm trying to say that I want to become on the same level of technological understand as my students so I can usher them in to the modern age with a respect for information and the potential it gives to all of us.
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