The first issue that hits home is the systemic change explanation. In Michigan, all schools are being affected by the “statewide policy systemic change”. The state has recently changes the graduation requirements for all high school students. The requirements have become more intense with more classes geared toward college bound students. For a lot of students, this is a good thing. It forces them to take the classes they will need to succeed in higher education. On the flip side, for students who are not planning to go on to a college or university, there changes can hinder their future. Let me explain, there are students who can succeed with effort. The motivation comes from the fact that if they don’t take all of these required classes, they don’t get a diploma. This program is good for them. There are those students who simply cannot pass certain classes, no matter how hard they try. These are kids with learning difficulties (who do not, BUT SHOULD) qualify for special education programs. There are low performing students who perform to their I.Q. level. If a student’s level is at 4th grade, even though they are in 8th grade, and he performs at a 4th grade level he won’t qualify for special education. [Keep in mind, this is a very base explanation of the system as it was explained to me.] These kids are now expected to complete the college prep. classes in order to get a diploma with a state seal. For some people, this is impossible. However, the statewide policy systemic change says this is where all schools need to be. (I’ve heard the state is reconsidering some of these graduation requirements.) This statewide change has initiated District and Schoolwide systemic changes. Our school has considered either going to trimesters or increasing out school day from 6 periods to seven in order to keep up with the state mandate. I am trying to reserve judgment. I am but a junior high teacher and am not affected by the new statewide systemic change. Yeah right! I, as well as the other junior high teachers, am working to help the school develop a course of action to help all of our students achieve to the best of their ability and walk out of our school with a state seal on their diplomas.
The other trend that hit home is the product vs. process approaches to change. The school at which I work is involved with an accreditation program. The goal of the program is the product of having a more successful school, based on two or three areas in which the school decides it need to improve. We set up teams from the top; principals of all schools in the district and the superintendent; teachers to over see the process; teams (involving all of the teachers from the schools) with a team leader to plan and help others implement the changes. It sounds great in theory; however, I believe we would have much better results if we followed the Step-Up-To Excellence approach. The way we have been trying to improve our school, over the past seven years, has not done much. I have not seen any real changes at all. On paper we look good, the place granting us the accreditation said we are doing a great job and gave us the accreditation. (They also showed us how to show positive results in out final report.) But, if you asked me and I could talk anonymously, I would have to say that our school has taken a downward turn in the last five years. A lot of it has to do with the lack of money in the school system, but some of it is that this process we are using, is not really working. The product is not there. I truly believe that our school is trying to do the right thing. If the could adopt the Step-Up-To Excellence approach, with its many teams and roles, our school would have a better chance of making changes for the better that would actually work, not just look good on paper.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
The Life and Death of Edgar Allen Poe
This map is so full of information it is hard to read on this small space. If you'd like to experience the whole map including photos, youtube, and text, go to this map link. http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?client=firefox-a&hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=100181033036540227442.00045a6c6e3da6f1b9eaf&z=3.
I also posted a link on my blogger link list to the right.
When I first started this project, I thought I would only be making a map for my students. I would use the map to teach students about a particular author. I started to create a map featuring the life and death of Edgar Allen Poe. He is a very interesting fellow and it is Halloween. Poe, being the father of the horror story, seemed a logical idea. Also, junior high students really seem to like the tales he spins. Once I figured out how to use the map features and embed YouTube and photos, it took a short time to complete. I was having fun. At school, I showed one of my seventh grade English classes my completed Poe map. They were glued to the computer screen. No one was fooling around, talking, or even fidgeted. They especially liked the YouTube videos. Some students even asked if I had any Poe books they could read! It was at this point that I realized this was the perfect tool for the students to use to create author biographies. It has all of the media the students like, YouTube, photos, and copy and paste. How much more fun can that be for a young tween/young teen? So I had to revise my lesson idea to the following.
Before introducing my lesson, I will have the students look at the Edgar Allen Poe map. I will let the students take their time to explore the different media and text balloons. Then we will discuss what they learned about Poe. After the discussion, I will teach the students how to use the interactive Google map features. When students have practiced with Google Map for one class period, I will give them the assignment below.
My students will create an interactive Google map of Mark Twain. The students will mark his birth, death, and marriage place. In addition, students should mark places where he lived or worked during his career. Also, include any traveling abroad. As a bonus, students can mark the settings for the different short stories or novels Twain wrote. The students should have at least 10 balloons with text. (Go to Wikipedia or another online encyclopedia to get ideas and copy text for your balloons.) Students will also need to embed 5 (five) photos and at least 1 (one) YouTube about Mark Twain.
View Larger Map
I also posted a link on my blogger link list to the right.
When I first started this project, I thought I would only be making a map for my students. I would use the map to teach students about a particular author. I started to create a map featuring the life and death of Edgar Allen Poe. He is a very interesting fellow and it is Halloween. Poe, being the father of the horror story, seemed a logical idea. Also, junior high students really seem to like the tales he spins. Once I figured out how to use the map features and embed YouTube and photos, it took a short time to complete. I was having fun. At school, I showed one of my seventh grade English classes my completed Poe map. They were glued to the computer screen. No one was fooling around, talking, or even fidgeted. They especially liked the YouTube videos. Some students even asked if I had any Poe books they could read! It was at this point that I realized this was the perfect tool for the students to use to create author biographies. It has all of the media the students like, YouTube, photos, and copy and paste. How much more fun can that be for a young tween/young teen? So I had to revise my lesson idea to the following.
Before introducing my lesson, I will have the students look at the Edgar Allen Poe map. I will let the students take their time to explore the different media and text balloons. Then we will discuss what they learned about Poe. After the discussion, I will teach the students how to use the interactive Google map features. When students have practiced with Google Map for one class period, I will give them the assignment below.
My students will create an interactive Google map of Mark Twain. The students will mark his birth, death, and marriage place. In addition, students should mark places where he lived or worked during his career. Also, include any traveling abroad. As a bonus, students can mark the settings for the different short stories or novels Twain wrote. The students should have at least 10 balloons with text. (Go to Wikipedia or another online encyclopedia to get ideas and copy text for your balloons.) Students will also need to embed 5 (five) photos and at least 1 (one) YouTube about Mark Twain.
View Larger Map
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Week 8: Chapter 18 and Class Reflection
Chapter 18
When I first read the chapter title, I thought, what could I possibly learn from this chapter that will apply to my job as a junior high educator. Well, again, I was surprised to find that it is about teaching (training), and that training applies to all learners. I did find two concepts in the chapter that perked my interest. The first was Foxon’s view of transfer as a five-stage process that occurs over time after training. The second is how ISD designers must internationalize (strip the product of all cultural specific traits) a product and then localize (add cultural specific traits) the product for the target audience.
Foxon’s view of transfer as a five-stage process that occurs over time after training can easily be, and should be, the goals for teachers in all grades. Foxon’s stages are as follows: 1. intent to 2. Initiation, initiation to 3. Partial transfer, partial transfer to 4. Conscious maintenance of skills, conscious maintenance of skills to 5. Unconscious maintenance. This is what I try to do with my students on so many different skills. I have never heard of the learning process broken down this way. It really simplifies the explanation of the teaching process. A teacher can teach, but if the student cannot use the knowledge outside of the classroom, then the students didn’t really learn. (At least in the reading and writing process.) I have had several students who did not complete the five-step process after “training”, that it makes my job as a teacher more difficult. I now have to repeat the training the student already had. This time trying to make sure s/he gets to the conscious maintenance or, hopefully, the unconscious maintenance of the skill. I really like Foxon’s view and will try to adapt it to explaining my lesson plans to students and parents.
Internationalize (strip the product of all cultural specific traits) a product and then localize (add cultural specific traits) the product for the target audience can be a useful tool for today’s educators. As all teachers are aware, each end every class that comes through your room is different. They have had different experiences, are at different learning levels, and have different learning styles. A lesson that was “golden” the year before, may not work this year. Keeping a base lesson plan, an internationalized lesson plan would be very helpful. The teacher could then plug in, or localize, it for the current class. As a teacher, I am leery about becoming predictable. I don’t like to use the same information I’ve used a million times before to teach the same concept. Because of this, I never keep lesson plans for more than a year. It is a lot of work, but it keeps ideas fresh and keeps me from becoming boring. If a lesson went really well, I tend to remember the lesson for the next year. It also helps me to design lesson geared toward my current student population. If I had “internationalized” lessons, I could build on the basics and make the lessons specific for my current crop of students. This would definitely save me planning time, and keep me from reinventing the wheel every year. It would also keep to my style of teaching toward the learner. I’m looking forward to trying it. Now maybe I will keep something in my filing cabinet besides my purse.
My Class Reflection
Well, let’s see. A summative reflection of my first graduate class. And, not just any graduate class, a technology-online graduate class. I wouldn’t be telling the truth if I said I wasn’t terrified about starting this class. If you’ve read my older blogs, you would know that I am a recovering computerphobe. When I first started teaching in 1999, I could only use a computer to word process and maybe print if there were only one printer choice. I slowly got over that. I came to love technology. I became a closet computeraholic. I want to learn and share as much as I can about how to use technology. The only problem, it takes me a really long time. I was afraid the concept in this class would be too hard for me and I would fail. In fact, I put this class off for a year because I was afraid. I’m really glad I final took the class. Not only have I learned about some really great educational and personal tools, but I’m getting the confidence I need to go out and try some new things that aren’t on the weekly to do list. For example, I learned how to use Picasa 3. I never would have tried this photo organizer and editor before I took this class. I am really enjoying myself. (Okay, I’m enjoying myself when I finally get it right after hours out trying, frustration, trying, frustration, trying, jubilation, reflecting, and sleep.) It’s true, I have been very nervous about trying the new software and I get frustrated a lot (due to user error), but every time I get it right, I grow more confident. I am even sharing some of the things I’ve learned with my administrator and other staff at school. Finally, I am happy when the assignment for the next week is posted early. This way I get more time to play around with the project. I’m very curious about the final project. I hope I’ll have enough time and skill to complete it.
As for the support part of the class, I am more of an I-can-do-it-myself-if-I-keep-trying type of person. I only ask for help after hours of trying and failing (and crying). The one time I did ask for help, I found it was an internet-hosting problem. I got that fixed right away. Mostly I look to the forum to see if anyone else is having any problems. I have found a solution there before. I am quite satisfied with the way the class is progressing. I am getting more confidence in my computer skills, (my typing is getting faster), and I’m learning so very practical applications. I always look forward to the comments on my blogs and enjoy reading everyone else’s, even if I don’t always comment. I get a lot of insight from these, as well. Over all, I like the class.
When I first read the chapter title, I thought, what could I possibly learn from this chapter that will apply to my job as a junior high educator. Well, again, I was surprised to find that it is about teaching (training), and that training applies to all learners. I did find two concepts in the chapter that perked my interest. The first was Foxon’s view of transfer as a five-stage process that occurs over time after training. The second is how ISD designers must internationalize (strip the product of all cultural specific traits) a product and then localize (add cultural specific traits) the product for the target audience.
Foxon’s view of transfer as a five-stage process that occurs over time after training can easily be, and should be, the goals for teachers in all grades. Foxon’s stages are as follows: 1. intent to 2. Initiation, initiation to 3. Partial transfer, partial transfer to 4. Conscious maintenance of skills, conscious maintenance of skills to 5. Unconscious maintenance. This is what I try to do with my students on so many different skills. I have never heard of the learning process broken down this way. It really simplifies the explanation of the teaching process. A teacher can teach, but if the student cannot use the knowledge outside of the classroom, then the students didn’t really learn. (At least in the reading and writing process.) I have had several students who did not complete the five-step process after “training”, that it makes my job as a teacher more difficult. I now have to repeat the training the student already had. This time trying to make sure s/he gets to the conscious maintenance or, hopefully, the unconscious maintenance of the skill. I really like Foxon’s view and will try to adapt it to explaining my lesson plans to students and parents.
Internationalize (strip the product of all cultural specific traits) a product and then localize (add cultural specific traits) the product for the target audience can be a useful tool for today’s educators. As all teachers are aware, each end every class that comes through your room is different. They have had different experiences, are at different learning levels, and have different learning styles. A lesson that was “golden” the year before, may not work this year. Keeping a base lesson plan, an internationalized lesson plan would be very helpful. The teacher could then plug in, or localize, it for the current class. As a teacher, I am leery about becoming predictable. I don’t like to use the same information I’ve used a million times before to teach the same concept. Because of this, I never keep lesson plans for more than a year. It is a lot of work, but it keeps ideas fresh and keeps me from becoming boring. If a lesson went really well, I tend to remember the lesson for the next year. It also helps me to design lesson geared toward my current student population. If I had “internationalized” lessons, I could build on the basics and make the lessons specific for my current crop of students. This would definitely save me planning time, and keep me from reinventing the wheel every year. It would also keep to my style of teaching toward the learner. I’m looking forward to trying it. Now maybe I will keep something in my filing cabinet besides my purse.
My Class Reflection
Well, let’s see. A summative reflection of my first graduate class. And, not just any graduate class, a technology-online graduate class. I wouldn’t be telling the truth if I said I wasn’t terrified about starting this class. If you’ve read my older blogs, you would know that I am a recovering computerphobe. When I first started teaching in 1999, I could only use a computer to word process and maybe print if there were only one printer choice. I slowly got over that. I came to love technology. I became a closet computeraholic. I want to learn and share as much as I can about how to use technology. The only problem, it takes me a really long time. I was afraid the concept in this class would be too hard for me and I would fail. In fact, I put this class off for a year because I was afraid. I’m really glad I final took the class. Not only have I learned about some really great educational and personal tools, but I’m getting the confidence I need to go out and try some new things that aren’t on the weekly to do list. For example, I learned how to use Picasa 3. I never would have tried this photo organizer and editor before I took this class. I am really enjoying myself. (Okay, I’m enjoying myself when I finally get it right after hours out trying, frustration, trying, frustration, trying, jubilation, reflecting, and sleep.) It’s true, I have been very nervous about trying the new software and I get frustrated a lot (due to user error), but every time I get it right, I grow more confident. I am even sharing some of the things I’ve learned with my administrator and other staff at school. Finally, I am happy when the assignment for the next week is posted early. This way I get more time to play around with the project. I’m very curious about the final project. I hope I’ll have enough time and skill to complete it.
As for the support part of the class, I am more of an I-can-do-it-myself-if-I-keep-trying type of person. I only ask for help after hours of trying and failing (and crying). The one time I did ask for help, I found it was an internet-hosting problem. I got that fixed right away. Mostly I look to the forum to see if anyone else is having any problems. I have found a solution there before. I am quite satisfied with the way the class is progressing. I am getting more confidence in my computer skills, (my typing is getting faster), and I’m learning so very practical applications. I always look forward to the comments on my blogs and enjoy reading everyone else’s, even if I don’t always comment. I get a lot of insight from these, as well. Over all, I like the class.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Human Performance Improvement Week 7 reflection
Chapter 14 was a bit difficult for me at first. I actually had to read the chapter twice to feel I had a grasp of the information covered. I understood a few items. Human Performance Improvement is very important to education today. I know that the school I work at is under the gun to improve the students’ state standardized scores every year. While I was reading the chapter, I found myself thinking about a recent staff meeting. All of the teachers in the jr./sr high school were present with the principal and the superintendent. We were like a brainstorming HPI machine, trying to figure out ways to improve student performance on these Michigan state tests. It was very informative. We were able to pin down the problem areas and tried to come up with ways to correct them. Our main problem is student motivation. Our school is very small and one student can count up to 3% on a standardized test. This is difficult when there are several students who don’t care about the test, have no motivation for performing well on the test, and would rather blow the test than spend even five minutes working on it. This is very frustrating. We had all sorts of very good ideas including getting parents involved and training the teachers to help the students achieve better on these types of tests, but it didn’t solve the problem of motivation. We then discussed ways to motivate the kids to care. I gave an example of what I do in my classroom. In the JR. High, we celebrate the high scores in an awards ceremony. This helps to get the achievers to keep achieving. I also bribe the students into actually completing the test by giving them a three hour (three class period) break from English class to kick back and watch a modern movie. They only get this reward if every single student puts forth their best effort. I walk around the room on test day and look to see if the students are filling in all of the blanks and writing a good looking essay. (I can’t talk to them, but they know I am looking and taking mental notes. This gets even the unmotivated student to write something. No one wants to be the kid who blows it for the entire jr. high. Finally, I offer them a cake and pizza party if they beat the scores from the year before. Most years I have had to follow through. This has increased the test scores over 50% in the past four years. Of course, none of these strategies would work if the educational basis were not in place. Hopefully the school can make this type of reinforcement for performance a school wide idea. I really believe it would help. As for the teachers, the motivation is to see our school start getting the credit it deserves for the educational excellence that we give our students everyday. It is painful to have people think your students are dumb and the teachers are worse when it is just a few unmotivated students throwing the test. We’ll have to see if this works.
Podcasting and my first podcast (link)
Please visit my podcast or you can find it on i-tunes under the title "The Christmas Orange"
http://lucasstories.mypodcast.com/2008/10/The_Christmas_Orange-151199.html
Podcasting was very nerve racking. I tried a few different free podcasting creators before I settled on the first on I tried. Mypodcast.com worked very well for me. The reason I didn’t stay with it at first, is because the original recording had a lot of background clicking sounds. After a few days of trying others (that I couldn’t get to work), I went with mypodcast. Luckily, the background noise didn’t affect the final product. It was really exciting to hear my own story being published. WOW, what a great way to help kids who are having trouble with class. It would be so easy to record a lecture, even while you’re giving it in real time to the class. Many teachers already wear headgear for a speaker system. Why no wear one for recording your lesson. This way you would have a record of every class lecture. Students who need to hear the information again could just download it. It would also be helpful for our school tutors and special education teachers to see what is being done in class. These people are very important to my students. They help the kids get what I am trying to teach. If they could listen to the podcast of the lecture, they will know the exact concepts I am working toward. Finally, kids who are sick both short term and long term could download a lecture and listen to it at home. Not only that, but their parents. There are always parent, myself included, who wish they could find out what is going on in class. Especially when the child comes home and answers every question with, “nothin’.” “What did you learn today?” “Nothing’.” It is very frustrating. Other uses are educational podcasts. These are really informative and a lot are free. What a great idea to give parents who ask what they can do to help their struggling child. I really like the podcast idea. I’m going to have to do more research on the matter.
http://lucasstories.mypodcast.com/2008/10/The_Christmas_Orange-151199.html
Podcasting was very nerve racking. I tried a few different free podcasting creators before I settled on the first on I tried. Mypodcast.com worked very well for me. The reason I didn’t stay with it at first, is because the original recording had a lot of background clicking sounds. After a few days of trying others (that I couldn’t get to work), I went with mypodcast. Luckily, the background noise didn’t affect the final product. It was really exciting to hear my own story being published. WOW, what a great way to help kids who are having trouble with class. It would be so easy to record a lecture, even while you’re giving it in real time to the class. Many teachers already wear headgear for a speaker system. Why no wear one for recording your lesson. This way you would have a record of every class lecture. Students who need to hear the information again could just download it. It would also be helpful for our school tutors and special education teachers to see what is being done in class. These people are very important to my students. They help the kids get what I am trying to teach. If they could listen to the podcast of the lecture, they will know the exact concepts I am working toward. Finally, kids who are sick both short term and long term could download a lecture and listen to it at home. Not only that, but their parents. There are always parent, myself included, who wish they could find out what is going on in class. Especially when the child comes home and answers every question with, “nothin’.” “What did you learn today?” “Nothing’.” It is very frustrating. Other uses are educational podcasts. These are really informative and a lot are free. What a great idea to give parents who ask what they can do to help their struggling child. I really like the podcast idea. I’m going to have to do more research on the matter.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
The Web and Internet are here to stay in K-12 Education
I most definitely think that the internet and web will have a major impact on educational programs at grades K-12. In fact, I believe the impact has already started.
Here in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, our schools are not schools of choice. This simply means that a parent cannot take a child out of school A and enroll him/her into school B (in the same county) without the permission of the superintendent from school A or paying a very high tuition rate at school B. Despite this, several schools in our county are competing for those ever-important federal dollars that students bring to a school. It is about $7,000 per enrolled student. Here is the catch. If a parent can provide a “good” reason for wanting their child to be released from a school district, the district will have to release him/her. Why am I telling you this? This is why. There are several schools in our county that cannot possibly compete with the bigger, better funded schools. These schools offer more. They have more foreign languages, AP classes, and college prep elective classes. The smaller schools don’t have the funds (or room) to offer these classes. Here is where the Internet and the Web come in. Through Michigan Virtual, a Web based program that offers foreign languages, AP classes and college prep classes, schools can offer their students any class that is found on this program. Now parents don’t have a “good” argument to move their child to a new school. Another advantage to this program is that smaller schools can produce better prepared students. All it takes is a computer lab, a lab monitor, and a Web based program called Michigan Virtual. (This is also available for homebased learners.)
Another advance I see in Internet and Web based learning are programs like Nova net. This Web based program can help students who have failed classes with traditional teachers get another chance at credit. Nova Net is a Web based program where students cover all of the state mandated high school curriculum for a specific class on a computer. The student works at his/her own pace with short lessons. Students can then go to the Internet to learn more about what they are learning. Each module of a class is broken down into exercises, which a student must pass with a predetermined percent of accuracy before continuing on to the next section. The results of assessments are immediate so the students get results and go on if they have passed or retake the section if they failed.
A final example is Study Island and other test prep Internet based programs. These are programs for learners of all ages and grade levels. These programs are similar to Michigan Virtual and Nova Net in that they teach interactive lessons and give feedback. The difference is that they are geared to different goals. The two programs mentioned above are used to help students achieve credit in high school courses. This program helps students to get better test scores on standardized tests. Teachers can use them both for specific instruction and to keep records of each students progress. The programs let the students go on at their own pace.
All of the above programs fit the criteria set forth in Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology, chapter 3, page 23. Reiser and Dempsey state that “in recent years there has been a significant increase in the use of instructional media”. The reasons they give for this increase mirror the qualities of the programs above. Specifically, “learners receive instruction and/or support…low-cost method of providing instruction to students…increased interactive capabilities.” The authors also state “with increasing multimedia capabilities”, schools can proved “more complex interactions between learners and content”. Their examples describe the Web based programs above. “feedback and problems presented has expanded, computers can present information in a variety of forms, and learners can link to various content.”
I believe the success and popularity of these programs are a taste of what we will see in the future. I still believe that a teacher is key in facilitating these programs, however, more classes will be taught through computers. The Web and Internet are the future of education.
Here in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, our schools are not schools of choice. This simply means that a parent cannot take a child out of school A and enroll him/her into school B (in the same county) without the permission of the superintendent from school A or paying a very high tuition rate at school B. Despite this, several schools in our county are competing for those ever-important federal dollars that students bring to a school. It is about $7,000 per enrolled student. Here is the catch. If a parent can provide a “good” reason for wanting their child to be released from a school district, the district will have to release him/her. Why am I telling you this? This is why. There are several schools in our county that cannot possibly compete with the bigger, better funded schools. These schools offer more. They have more foreign languages, AP classes, and college prep elective classes. The smaller schools don’t have the funds (or room) to offer these classes. Here is where the Internet and the Web come in. Through Michigan Virtual, a Web based program that offers foreign languages, AP classes and college prep classes, schools can offer their students any class that is found on this program. Now parents don’t have a “good” argument to move their child to a new school. Another advantage to this program is that smaller schools can produce better prepared students. All it takes is a computer lab, a lab monitor, and a Web based program called Michigan Virtual. (This is also available for homebased learners.)
Another advance I see in Internet and Web based learning are programs like Nova net. This Web based program can help students who have failed classes with traditional teachers get another chance at credit. Nova Net is a Web based program where students cover all of the state mandated high school curriculum for a specific class on a computer. The student works at his/her own pace with short lessons. Students can then go to the Internet to learn more about what they are learning. Each module of a class is broken down into exercises, which a student must pass with a predetermined percent of accuracy before continuing on to the next section. The results of assessments are immediate so the students get results and go on if they have passed or retake the section if they failed.
A final example is Study Island and other test prep Internet based programs. These are programs for learners of all ages and grade levels. These programs are similar to Michigan Virtual and Nova Net in that they teach interactive lessons and give feedback. The difference is that they are geared to different goals. The two programs mentioned above are used to help students achieve credit in high school courses. This program helps students to get better test scores on standardized tests. Teachers can use them both for specific instruction and to keep records of each students progress. The programs let the students go on at their own pace.
All of the above programs fit the criteria set forth in Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology, chapter 3, page 23. Reiser and Dempsey state that “in recent years there has been a significant increase in the use of instructional media”. The reasons they give for this increase mirror the qualities of the programs above. Specifically, “learners receive instruction and/or support…low-cost method of providing instruction to students…increased interactive capabilities.” The authors also state “with increasing multimedia capabilities”, schools can proved “more complex interactions between learners and content”. Their examples describe the Web based programs above. “feedback and problems presented has expanded, computers can present information in a variety of forms, and learners can link to various content.”
I believe the success and popularity of these programs are a taste of what we will see in the future. I still believe that a teacher is key in facilitating these programs, however, more classes will be taught through computers. The Web and Internet are the future of education.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Monday, October 6, 2008
Barbie Diamond Castle Outtakes. My kids love this
My three kids LOVE the outtakes from Barbie movies. This is kind of cute. I think you'll like it.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
My flickr site incase you missed the link on my blog page
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30962173@N07/
I posted this link on my blog on Thursday, but then I realized that if your using reader, you may not even go to my blog page to get the link. If you like old (100 years or so) photos, you'll like this photo share.
I posted this link on my blog on Thursday, but then I realized that if your using reader, you may not even go to my blog page to get the link. If you like old (100 years or so) photos, you'll like this photo share.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Week 5 Flickr (not for me) & Instructional Design/Lesson PLans
Flickr. I’m really not sure if I would use this site for educational purposes. Oh, I’m sure there are some very positive ways a teacher could use this site to enhance a lesson, but the possibilities of students getting to inappropriate content to too great, at least for the age group I teach.
One possible use for Flickr is to make the learning visual. A teacher could use this site to download photos of any subject that s/he is teaching at the time. For example, a history teacher could download jpegs of different presidents and give notes about those presidents in the comment boxes. The teacher could even categorize these presidents by party affiliation, era, wartime, the list goes on. Now the student gets a visual of the particular president, a category to place him in and notes under the picture. This would be a fun and interactive way of learning. Many teachers in different subject areas could do this. Nevertheless, this could also be done on some of the other sites we have been introduced to during this class.
On the down side, there are way too many opportunities for students to get into trouble. I was curious if Flickr had its own blocking system. It doesn’t. (Or if it does, I didn’t see it.) When I was on my own flicker site I clicked on the explore link, typed in the words naked people, and got several photos that would be inappropriate for a school setting. I teach kids between the ages of 12 and 14. A lot of them would also try this when I was not looking. (It is impossible to monitor the each computer in the lab and work with students at the same time. We don’t have the computer monitoring software set up on all of our computers.) I could not take the chance to use or even recommend this site to my students. I would more than likely end up in a lot of trouble with my principal and superintendent, not to mention the parents. The first chapter mentioned “Ethics” in Instructional Design and Technology. For my situation in my school, it would be unethical for me to introduce this site.
If there were a program that was very careful to monitor and filter out the content that was inappropriate for children under 18 or even 13 (my students’ age group), it might be a good learning tool. Until this happens, I think any benefits it may hold are far outweighed by the potential problems.
Chapter 2 of Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology outlines the lesson plan process very accurately. I use the Madeline Hunter lesson plan design. This design like Instructional design is “goal oriented”. “Establishing well-defined goals is central to the ID process.” Lesson plans must have well-defined goals and objectives as well or I would not know what to teach and the students would not know what they are to learn. Another similarity between ID and my lesson planning is standards of performance. The goal of all learning is for the student to be able to take the knowledge they have acquired and apply it to the “real world”. Just as ID “prepares learners to perform meaningful and complex behaviors including solve authentic problems.” I try to design lessons to help students learn the information and that use it in new, “authentic” ways. Of course, there are lessons of rote learning, but those are building blocks to the ultimate goal of having a learner able to use what hey have learned in new, out-of-school situations. Another way ID matches my lesson planning design is “assumes outcomes can be measurable in a reliable and valid way. I try to assess my students both formally and informally. Most of my assessments are “related to the issue of performance. Students must demonstrate to me that they are proficient in all steps of the writing process. The only way they can do this is to write and be assessed with an objective rubric. Objectivity is very important in keeping assessment fair and even. Every writing sample is graded the same way with the same assessment. This is a “valid measurement of performance”. I don’t, however, agree that multiple-choice tests are not valid. I believe they do show whether a child has read a book or not. It depends on the goal you set forth. If your goal is that a child read a specific number of pages a night, a multiple-choice test can answer that question.
There are some explanations in ID that I don’t think would work in my lesson plans. Reiser and Dempsey say that ID is learner centered. I agree. The whole point of teaching and creating lesson plans is to teach the learners. That being said, I don’t agree that “there may be no initial assumption that a live teacher is even needed for the learner to achieve the stated objectives”. I don’t believe this for a moment. In my lessons I always plan for teacher input, teacher modeling, teacher checking for understanding, and teacher led guided practice. These steps are very important. Most if not all of my junior high students need teacher interaction to accomplish the goals set forth. Even taking this online class would be difficult without an actual live instructor. I know I have had to ask the instructor questions or looked at the answers he has given to other members of our class. This is a very important part of the learning process. (I took another online class with no “live” instructor. It was a lot more difficult because I knew I was on my own. There are still parts of the assignments I’m not sure how to do.)
There are a few other characteristics I don’t necessarily agree with. Reiser and Dempsey say that “data collection is at the heart of the ID process. Yea, data collection is extremely important to show that the lesson plan is working and the students are learning, however, there is more to teaching that data collection. Teachers need to teach students how to learn. There is a human side to the educational process that children need. Data can be misinterpreted very easily. For example, the school where I teach, my students do very well on the MEAP test. The data shows that my school is at the bottom of the county for test scores. How is this possible? Well, the data does not state that a schools score is lowered when less than 95% of students take the test. Our school has an alternative/adult education program. These students are counted in out MEAP/MME scores. Most of them don’t show up for the test. Therefore, our scores look lower than they actually are. Data can be misinterpreted. It can’t be the end-all for measuring progress. Finally, ID is explained as a team effort. My lesson plans are based on a plan that was put together from a team. The state tells me which lessons I must teach in my subject area in my grade. I am the one, however, that plans the lessons, implements them, and assesses the students. Therefore, I would say that it is kind of a team effort, but not really.
Overall, I was impressed at how closely ID is to lesson planning. I really made me think about what goes into long-distance learning.
One possible use for Flickr is to make the learning visual. A teacher could use this site to download photos of any subject that s/he is teaching at the time. For example, a history teacher could download jpegs of different presidents and give notes about those presidents in the comment boxes. The teacher could even categorize these presidents by party affiliation, era, wartime, the list goes on. Now the student gets a visual of the particular president, a category to place him in and notes under the picture. This would be a fun and interactive way of learning. Many teachers in different subject areas could do this. Nevertheless, this could also be done on some of the other sites we have been introduced to during this class.
On the down side, there are way too many opportunities for students to get into trouble. I was curious if Flickr had its own blocking system. It doesn’t. (Or if it does, I didn’t see it.) When I was on my own flicker site I clicked on the explore link, typed in the words naked people, and got several photos that would be inappropriate for a school setting. I teach kids between the ages of 12 and 14. A lot of them would also try this when I was not looking. (It is impossible to monitor the each computer in the lab and work with students at the same time. We don’t have the computer monitoring software set up on all of our computers.) I could not take the chance to use or even recommend this site to my students. I would more than likely end up in a lot of trouble with my principal and superintendent, not to mention the parents. The first chapter mentioned “Ethics” in Instructional Design and Technology. For my situation in my school, it would be unethical for me to introduce this site.
If there were a program that was very careful to monitor and filter out the content that was inappropriate for children under 18 or even 13 (my students’ age group), it might be a good learning tool. Until this happens, I think any benefits it may hold are far outweighed by the potential problems.
Chapter 2 of Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology outlines the lesson plan process very accurately. I use the Madeline Hunter lesson plan design. This design like Instructional design is “goal oriented”. “Establishing well-defined goals is central to the ID process.” Lesson plans must have well-defined goals and objectives as well or I would not know what to teach and the students would not know what they are to learn. Another similarity between ID and my lesson planning is standards of performance. The goal of all learning is for the student to be able to take the knowledge they have acquired and apply it to the “real world”. Just as ID “prepares learners to perform meaningful and complex behaviors including solve authentic problems.” I try to design lessons to help students learn the information and that use it in new, “authentic” ways. Of course, there are lessons of rote learning, but those are building blocks to the ultimate goal of having a learner able to use what hey have learned in new, out-of-school situations. Another way ID matches my lesson planning design is “assumes outcomes can be measurable in a reliable and valid way. I try to assess my students both formally and informally. Most of my assessments are “related to the issue of performance. Students must demonstrate to me that they are proficient in all steps of the writing process. The only way they can do this is to write and be assessed with an objective rubric. Objectivity is very important in keeping assessment fair and even. Every writing sample is graded the same way with the same assessment. This is a “valid measurement of performance”. I don’t, however, agree that multiple-choice tests are not valid. I believe they do show whether a child has read a book or not. It depends on the goal you set forth. If your goal is that a child read a specific number of pages a night, a multiple-choice test can answer that question.
There are some explanations in ID that I don’t think would work in my lesson plans. Reiser and Dempsey say that ID is learner centered. I agree. The whole point of teaching and creating lesson plans is to teach the learners. That being said, I don’t agree that “there may be no initial assumption that a live teacher is even needed for the learner to achieve the stated objectives”. I don’t believe this for a moment. In my lessons I always plan for teacher input, teacher modeling, teacher checking for understanding, and teacher led guided practice. These steps are very important. Most if not all of my junior high students need teacher interaction to accomplish the goals set forth. Even taking this online class would be difficult without an actual live instructor. I know I have had to ask the instructor questions or looked at the answers he has given to other members of our class. This is a very important part of the learning process. (I took another online class with no “live” instructor. It was a lot more difficult because I knew I was on my own. There are still parts of the assignments I’m not sure how to do.)
There are a few other characteristics I don’t necessarily agree with. Reiser and Dempsey say that “data collection is at the heart of the ID process. Yea, data collection is extremely important to show that the lesson plan is working and the students are learning, however, there is more to teaching that data collection. Teachers need to teach students how to learn. There is a human side to the educational process that children need. Data can be misinterpreted very easily. For example, the school where I teach, my students do very well on the MEAP test. The data shows that my school is at the bottom of the county for test scores. How is this possible? Well, the data does not state that a schools score is lowered when less than 95% of students take the test. Our school has an alternative/adult education program. These students are counted in out MEAP/MME scores. Most of them don’t show up for the test. Therefore, our scores look lower than they actually are. Data can be misinterpreted. It can’t be the end-all for measuring progress. Finally, ID is explained as a team effort. My lesson plans are based on a plan that was put together from a team. The state tells me which lessons I must teach in my subject area in my grade. I am the one, however, that plans the lessons, implements them, and assesses the students. Therefore, I would say that it is kind of a team effort, but not really.
Overall, I was impressed at how closely ID is to lesson planning. I really made me think about what goes into long-distance learning.
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