Well, I went through block 6 assingment #1 and I have to say that for me anyway, it is truely "Mind Boggleling". I started with the first optional assignment (the Infro Literacy Qiz). Unfortunately, right off the bat there was so much stuff that I didn't know. I am familiar with blogs and wikis from our classes, but the rest of the survey kind of went down hill fast for me. What's a boolean search term?? Man!!!! Even the different ends on address sites were new to me. I recognized them, but had no idea what they implied. I think that this would be a good quiz to take my students through at the start of the year. I'm pretty sure that they would know it, but if they didn't they might feel to "stupid" to actually say anything. This is a familiar feeling with me and the internet, so hopefully I'd recognize the "deer in the headlight look". Ie it takes one to know one. I know that I take my student's knowledge of technology for granted and perhaps I should reaccess this thought, plus as I have mentioned, it was a HUGH learning curve for me and some of my students (maybe the older ones??) might not be so sauve?? With the internet being for many, the major information source, the ability to authenticate it is major. I like the MAP acrinom becuase it's simple and I like simple for obvious reasons. I printed off the MAP slides and will keep those for future use too.
Next, I read the article "Developing critical Literacy Skills for the Internet". Just as fyi:
http://www.pwc.k12.nf.ca/internetliteracy
What I really liked in this article was the bit about not relying on filtering software but on teaching students ( and me obviously) critical literacy skills to empower them. This really hit home because 21st century skills of which literacy is one, is what my final project is about and this whole idea of evaluating the internet sources is new to me. I guess you really do learn something new everyday - if you're lucky. I guess that I can see now that it is really encumbant on my part to introduce this to my instruction so that my students can develop this skill's confidence so that they can take it with them to their practicums and jobs. I just never really thought about it.... Not much of an excuse, but it is the truth. For all the reading, etc that I've done, man I sure have alot left to go. Like I've mentioned before, I guess that a good starting place is recognizing this and being willing/able to move forward.
I also liked the part on intelectual property. This is kind of familiar to me in terms of plagerism, but I never thought about downloading mp3 players in this frame of reference. I guess too that I also appreciate the U of R's online library becuase I can now see with hindsight that it sure did alot of work for me.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Clarence Fisher's Blog review continued
Howdy one and all again. This is this week's review of Clarence. He titles it "How Did You Know it's 60 Days Past Christmas" This is a comment about how you can figure out the reason for your students frustration. It's due to the 60 day free trail period of Window running out for your students. It's kind of funny, but it made me think of just how pervsive technology really is in so many lives. We don't even really think about it often, much less access the impact. It's kind of just taken for granted. What about those who don't have access to technology? How do they fair in the educational and work systems? How much of a disadvantage do they face? It's such a big advantage, but maybe for those who can't afford it, a hugh stumbling block. Just a thought. darcy
http://remoteaccess.typepad.com/
Howdy one and all again, I am now reveiwing his blog from this week. He started with a Ted video and says that he kind of wants to be able to see beyond current ideas of what technology is. Clarence writes that he thinks we need a new word that is free from connections to politics and big companies, so he comes up with the word edpunk. I'm not one who is real keen on making up labels for something that already exists, even though I do see his point of how much Microsoft and other hugh companies are really political machines that influence us in so many ways - many of which we don't even think about. Anyway, no more ranting. What I wanted to say is how Clarence's ideas really connect to the 2 literature reviews that I did on the blog this week. Wow, sometimes I have to say that these connections really blow my mind. I guese that I should expect them becuase that is kind of one of the points of this class. ( how to use technology to help us improve what we're doing, not just maintain the status quo. Just one more connection here for me and then I'm done. For my project for this class, Brent suggested a webpage. marnie then gave me a ninehub site to go to that let me post all my classes (each lecture) on the web for delivery to the students. At work, my coworkers have mentioned this several times to me but I always thought why do more work when what I have is doing ok right now? Well, unbeknost to me, once I got over the technical problems of using the site, I have to say that I really like it. It would be a real life saver at work, and once this initial imput is finished, I can see it acutally saving me time. As things change and I need to add new information, all I do is go to that lecture and add it in. NO more photocopying!!!!!!!!!!! Ya HOO!!!!! When I was talking with Marnie about what to do , she had questions about the importance of making the project about something that I would use. To be truthful, I thought yah, yah, yah. I'm just gonna do what needs to be done for this project and get out of this class with my skin still one. I guess that I have to say that this has been one of the most surprising things of this class in general. that technology can really help me, I just have to be open to it. I guess that I'm just one of those people that are dragged to the table kicking and screaming, but it's really all been pretty good at the end of the day. to go back to Clarence's post, the point of being open to new things ( no matter what you call them) is really a good thing. For me, it also helps me to remember what it's like to be student who always has new things throwen at them in my program. darcy
Howdy one and all , this is another review of Clarence's blog. Last week ( I had technical difficulties with editing my blog last week) he talked about classroom organization. How desk position can affect learning. I was really surprised when I read this. It makes sense to me, but I just never really thought about it before. When I went to school our desks were in rows and the teacher was at the front. Not real creative and it would be highly looked down apon today. It sets ups power structure, doesn't encourage free dialogue for just a few things. I do have to admit though,that my classroom has me at the front and desks in rows. I find this helpful with the technical information in my program becuase I usually the one dispensing the information to the students. What I try to do is question each student about what was covered in the previous class and in other classes to try to connect the classes together. However, despite what I have already said, here's the kicker. It's the lab portion of my program that is set up to mimic an acutal community pharmacy. Each student has a lab station that is like a workstation in a community pharamcy. The stations are close together so that I try to encourage team work amoungst the students. So, if I'm being honest, I guess I do consider classroom design to be import, just more so with the work related portion ( lab portion) of the class. I think that this maybe reflects my background as a practicing pharmacist. I think that at the end of the day, I still do teach from my position of comfort. Maybe I need to expand my viewpoint to that of a TEACHER as well. I just really have a hard time thinking of myself as a teacher. I still thinkk that I am a pharmacist who teaches. Maybe that's one really positive potential change of bias that this class could help me work on?? Teacher (pharmacist) teach thyself?? darcy
well, once again, it's time for clarence. He has a 30 point contact prestentation this week. it's about how he's getting student s to introduce what he calls simple technology into their assigments throught the smartset project. Ie youtube, flicker, etc. What I really liked is when he talked about the students using technology to learng in different ways. This has real connections to my thing of 21st century learning. Thinking outside the box, creativity, applying learning to new areas, are all skills that seem to be demand in the workplace, so we should be "teaching" them to our students. How to go clarence. i think that many teachers all circle around the same ideas, but that it's nice to have a place like clarence's blog to see what others are doing. It's kind of like a little collaboration. darcy
http://remoteaccess.typepad.com/
Howdy one and all again, I am now reveiwing his blog from this week. He started with a Ted video and says that he kind of wants to be able to see beyond current ideas of what technology is. Clarence writes that he thinks we need a new word that is free from connections to politics and big companies, so he comes up with the word edpunk. I'm not one who is real keen on making up labels for something that already exists, even though I do see his point of how much Microsoft and other hugh companies are really political machines that influence us in so many ways - many of which we don't even think about. Anyway, no more ranting. What I wanted to say is how Clarence's ideas really connect to the 2 literature reviews that I did on the blog this week. Wow, sometimes I have to say that these connections really blow my mind. I guese that I should expect them becuase that is kind of one of the points of this class. ( how to use technology to help us improve what we're doing, not just maintain the status quo. Just one more connection here for me and then I'm done. For my project for this class, Brent suggested a webpage. marnie then gave me a ninehub site to go to that let me post all my classes (each lecture) on the web for delivery to the students. At work, my coworkers have mentioned this several times to me but I always thought why do more work when what I have is doing ok right now? Well, unbeknost to me, once I got over the technical problems of using the site, I have to say that I really like it. It would be a real life saver at work, and once this initial imput is finished, I can see it acutally saving me time. As things change and I need to add new information, all I do is go to that lecture and add it in. NO more photocopying!!!!!!!!!!! Ya HOO!!!!! When I was talking with Marnie about what to do , she had questions about the importance of making the project about something that I would use. To be truthful, I thought yah, yah, yah. I'm just gonna do what needs to be done for this project and get out of this class with my skin still one. I guess that I have to say that this has been one of the most surprising things of this class in general. that technology can really help me, I just have to be open to it. I guess that I'm just one of those people that are dragged to the table kicking and screaming, but it's really all been pretty good at the end of the day. to go back to Clarence's post, the point of being open to new things ( no matter what you call them) is really a good thing. For me, it also helps me to remember what it's like to be student who always has new things throwen at them in my program. darcy
Howdy one and all , this is another review of Clarence's blog. Last week ( I had technical difficulties with editing my blog last week) he talked about classroom organization. How desk position can affect learning. I was really surprised when I read this. It makes sense to me, but I just never really thought about it before. When I went to school our desks were in rows and the teacher was at the front. Not real creative and it would be highly looked down apon today. It sets ups power structure, doesn't encourage free dialogue for just a few things. I do have to admit though,that my classroom has me at the front and desks in rows. I find this helpful with the technical information in my program becuase I usually the one dispensing the information to the students. What I try to do is question each student about what was covered in the previous class and in other classes to try to connect the classes together. However, despite what I have already said, here's the kicker. It's the lab portion of my program that is set up to mimic an acutal community pharmacy. Each student has a lab station that is like a workstation in a community pharamcy. The stations are close together so that I try to encourage team work amoungst the students. So, if I'm being honest, I guess I do consider classroom design to be import, just more so with the work related portion ( lab portion) of the class. I think that this maybe reflects my background as a practicing pharmacist. I think that at the end of the day, I still do teach from my position of comfort. Maybe I need to expand my viewpoint to that of a TEACHER as well. I just really have a hard time thinking of myself as a teacher. I still thinkk that I am a pharmacist who teaches. Maybe that's one really positive potential change of bias that this class could help me work on?? Teacher (pharmacist) teach thyself?? darcy
well, once again, it's time for clarence. He has a 30 point contact prestentation this week. it's about how he's getting student s to introduce what he calls simple technology into their assigments throught the smartset project. Ie youtube, flicker, etc. What I really liked is when he talked about the students using technology to learng in different ways. This has real connections to my thing of 21st century learning. Thinking outside the box, creativity, applying learning to new areas, are all skills that seem to be demand in the workplace, so we should be "teaching" them to our students. How to go clarence. i think that many teachers all circle around the same ideas, but that it's nice to have a place like clarence's blog to see what others are doing. It's kind of like a little collaboration. darcy
Literature Review
Computers in the Classroom Mindtools for Critical Thinking by David H. Jonassen 1996, Prentice-Hall
I found this book and really found it interesting becuase it not only connected our class concepts of constructivism and constructionism but also my area of interest of 21st century skills. The book talks about Mindtools which is as way of using computers to catch learners in the classroom and to help develop constructive higher order thinking tools. Mindtools provides the student/teacher with tools that then form a base that the critical thinking skills can be practiced and developed. It also goes into pedagogical criteria for evaluationg Mindtools. These criteria fall right in line with my final project. It also has a whole section on critical thinking skills that were really good for me. Not sure about the rest of you guys, but I thought that I would metion it and try to "entice" you guys into it???? Just a thought..... darcy
Technology in Education Sept. 2004
http://www.edweel.org/rc/issues/technology-in-education/index.html?rale=KQE5d7nM
I kind of liked this article too. Like the first article that I posted from the states (High School Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century) starts with some mind boggling percentages and stats. It begins with some really good access #'S ( 2/3'S of public schools in the states have internet access and that all schools should eventually have access. What a great way to level the playing field for all students. Maximize what technology can do for both students and teachers. Not all is so good though. The article continues that even with these advancements, there still seems to be a "digital divide" at home. I took this to mean that people don't have computers at home. This really surprised me. I thought that I was the only dinosaur that still didn't have a computer. Maybe things have changed since 2004 though??
What kind of got me with this article was that it said that teachers are still just using it to maintain their teaching, not really using technology to improve teaching. This kind of made me think about the quote that Marnie put on at the start of this block. Maybe things haven't really improved as much as we would like to think? Is this hopefulness or blindness?? darcy
Computers in the Classroom Mindtools for Critical Thinking by David H. Jonassen 1996, Prentice-Hall
I found this book and really found it interesting becuase it not only connected our class concepts of constructivism and constructionism but also my area of interest of 21st century skills. The book talks about Mindtools which is as way of using computers to catch learners in the classroom and to help develop constructive higher order thinking tools. Mindtools provides the student/teacher with tools that then form a base that the critical thinking skills can be practiced and developed. It also goes into pedagogical criteria for evaluationg Mindtools. These criteria fall right in line with my final project. It also has a whole section on critical thinking skills that were really good for me. Not sure about the rest of you guys, but I thought that I would metion it and try to "entice" you guys into it???? Just a thought..... darcy
Technology in Education Sept. 2004
http://www.edweel.org/rc/issues/technology-in-education/index.html?rale=KQE5d7nM
I kind of liked this article too. Like the first article that I posted from the states (High School Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century) starts with some mind boggling percentages and stats. It begins with some really good access #'S ( 2/3'S of public schools in the states have internet access and that all schools should eventually have access. What a great way to level the playing field for all students. Maximize what technology can do for both students and teachers. Not all is so good though. The article continues that even with these advancements, there still seems to be a "digital divide" at home. I took this to mean that people don't have computers at home. This really surprised me. I thought that I was the only dinosaur that still didn't have a computer. Maybe things have changed since 2004 though??
What kind of got me with this article was that it said that teachers are still just using it to maintain their teaching, not really using technology to improve teaching. This kind of made me think about the quote that Marnie put on at the start of this block. Maybe things haven't really improved as much as we would like to think? Is this hopefulness or blindness?? darcy
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)