One thing I keep thinking about for my future class is the idea of small groups and literature circles. I love this theory, and I think it could really work. However, there is one part which I contemplate over and over. A lot of what we have read and heard seems to agree that students are more motivated to read when working with other students. This was something I had a slightly hard time believing. One problem I have is separating myself English major/dork self from the average high school student. Not all of these kids are like us. Not all of them like to read. Actually, not all English majors like to read. So, I took my thoughts to the streets.
I asked my roommate and a close friend, who are both more math people, if they would feel more inclined to read and do work in a group of fellow students. Their answers were extremely helpful. They both said that they would not feel obligated if they were in a group with people who they knew "would not judge them," people they were close friends with. However, if they were grouped by the teacher with people who they were not as comfortable with, then they would probably feel more pressure to read the material and pull their weight in the group. I just thought this would be helpful for us to remember so that maybe we can group our students in the most effective way. Just a tid bit you guess might like to know!
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Stereotypes
So, the readings this week were interesting, and I liked what they had to say. However, there is one reoccurring aspect of every reading that tends to rub me the wrong way. For example, Edmondson's article starts as follows, "They care that their 14-year-old cousin in Oklahoma had cheerios for breakfast. They care that their basketball camp roommate whom they haven't spoken to in the last three years locked herself out of her house this morning" (43). This type of language continues on for a little while. Personally, I feel that a lot of our readings start in similar ways, or make similar comments. Edmonson's article goes on to provide some amazing information and useful ideas. However, this first part just seems so negative, and bitter in a way. I understand that the generation writing this articles did not grow up with the social media and technology which we did and the current generation does. I still do not feel this is a reason to make it appear as a bad thing.
On of the reason this type of mentality always sticks out to me is that my grandpa and dad always seem to have this same debate. My dad knows that this topic gets to me, so he tends to poke at me and say things like, "Oh you guys are always texting and on facebook!" And then my grandpa will reply with something along the lines of, "Well you were always worried about albums and your political protests!" This taste of the conversation shows that Edmonson's parents probably had something to say about her generation as well. My point is that I feel a lot of educators see the switch to technology as a negative (not necessarily Edmonson because later she mentions the boost in writing and literacy because of social media) when it should really be embraced and looked at as a new way to advance our knowledge and use the human brain. I just do not want to see one generation looking down on the other because aspects have changed. We evolve, the world evolves, technology and intelligence evolves. We must accept, adapt, and advance because of these changes. A great quote about this thought comes from Hesse's Witness, "To those who swear our young are on the road to perdition take comfort in this-every generation has felt somewhat the same for two or three thousand years and still the world goes on." So, next time you lose faith in the future, remember that the last generation probably lost faith in us at some point too.
On of the reason this type of mentality always sticks out to me is that my grandpa and dad always seem to have this same debate. My dad knows that this topic gets to me, so he tends to poke at me and say things like, "Oh you guys are always texting and on facebook!" And then my grandpa will reply with something along the lines of, "Well you were always worried about albums and your political protests!" This taste of the conversation shows that Edmonson's parents probably had something to say about her generation as well. My point is that I feel a lot of educators see the switch to technology as a negative (not necessarily Edmonson because later she mentions the boost in writing and literacy because of social media) when it should really be embraced and looked at as a new way to advance our knowledge and use the human brain. I just do not want to see one generation looking down on the other because aspects have changed. We evolve, the world evolves, technology and intelligence evolves. We must accept, adapt, and advance because of these changes. A great quote about this thought comes from Hesse's Witness, "To those who swear our young are on the road to perdition take comfort in this-every generation has felt somewhat the same for two or three thousand years and still the world goes on." So, next time you lose faith in the future, remember that the last generation probably lost faith in us at some point too.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Tactful and Constructive Criticism
Here is my educational, yet not directly NPM related post. Recently I have been thinking a lot about what makes a teacher a memorable and effective teacher when it comes to criticizing a student. There is a lot that can be said that would put a student down and make him or her feel incapable of success. I never want to make one of my students feel this way. So, I want to make sure that any comments I might have are delivered in a positive way. Today, I had a great example of this.
I went to see a professor to look over a paper for his class. He took a few minutes to look over the paper, thought for a moment about what he wanted to say, and then guided me to an even better paper. He began to ask questions and develop a better understanding of my thought process. From there, he gave me the opportunity to explain my writing and basically present my paper. He truly wanted to see my point of view before making any changes or suggestions. With a better understanding, he was able to show me what the reader sees, and what aspects were confusing. He basically presented the paper back to me from an outsider perspective. By doing this, I was able to take a step back and hear my own work from a new voice.
I left that meeting feeling even more confident about my paper and writing ability. He guided me and made criticisms; however, they were constructive and truly helpful. My professor did not just tell me what was wrong or unclear with my paper. He showed me, explained to me, and taught me what, why, and how things were weak. It was a learning experience and an opportunity for my professor and I to be on the same level. He took himself down from the pedestal and worked WITH me in a tactful and constructive way to strengthen my writing.
I went to see a professor to look over a paper for his class. He took a few minutes to look over the paper, thought for a moment about what he wanted to say, and then guided me to an even better paper. He began to ask questions and develop a better understanding of my thought process. From there, he gave me the opportunity to explain my writing and basically present my paper. He truly wanted to see my point of view before making any changes or suggestions. With a better understanding, he was able to show me what the reader sees, and what aspects were confusing. He basically presented the paper back to me from an outsider perspective. By doing this, I was able to take a step back and hear my own work from a new voice.
I left that meeting feeling even more confident about my paper and writing ability. He guided me and made criticisms; however, they were constructive and truly helpful. My professor did not just tell me what was wrong or unclear with my paper. He showed me, explained to me, and taught me what, why, and how things were weak. It was a learning experience and an opportunity for my professor and I to be on the same level. He took himself down from the pedestal and worked WITH me in a tactful and constructive way to strengthen my writing.
20 Shots of Fame
I know we are all amazed by the acting ability in our 20 Shot Movies. Personally, I surprised myself in the worst way possible. But, acting ability is not the point! The point was to tell a story in a very limited space. This was a challenge. Our story was complicated and had a lot of flashbacks to past events; however, that forced us to pick specific aspects that we felt were important to the story. I mean, the movie would probably not make sense to someone who has not read the story, but I would absolutely use this project in my future classroom after students have read every short story we planned to shoot.
From beginning to end, having to create this in a group helped me comprehend more of the story. We had to all agree on which aspects to present and how to portray our interpretation of each scene. Then, we had to agree on which angles to use for each shot. A lot of this is kind of personal. It involved opening ourselves up to classmates we do not know that well, and explaining how and why we viewed something a certain way in our minds. I felt like it was a pretty vulnerable and personal experience, but I liked getting to know Nate and Emily and how they viewed our short story. In addition, we all had to share camera time (both on camera and behind the camera). It really forced us to work together and listen to one another.
All of these realizations make me excited to use this project in my classroom. I want my students to get to know one and other and be open to other people's interpretations. I want them to explore deeper meanings of stories and find creative ways to portray those meanings. Doing this in a group will help encourage students to speak more in class, and possibly eliminate some fear or anxiety about sharing their thoughts. Overall, I had a great time with this project and definitely see it benefiting my future students.
From beginning to end, having to create this in a group helped me comprehend more of the story. We had to all agree on which aspects to present and how to portray our interpretation of each scene. Then, we had to agree on which angles to use for each shot. A lot of this is kind of personal. It involved opening ourselves up to classmates we do not know that well, and explaining how and why we viewed something a certain way in our minds. I felt like it was a pretty vulnerable and personal experience, but I liked getting to know Nate and Emily and how they viewed our short story. In addition, we all had to share camera time (both on camera and behind the camera). It really forced us to work together and listen to one another.
All of these realizations make me excited to use this project in my classroom. I want my students to get to know one and other and be open to other people's interpretations. I want them to explore deeper meanings of stories and find creative ways to portray those meanings. Doing this in a group will help encourage students to speak more in class, and possibly eliminate some fear or anxiety about sharing their thoughts. Overall, I had a great time with this project and definitely see it benefiting my future students.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Technology and Disablities
My group did our podcast about the young adult novel, "Freak the Mighty." In the story, two boys become friends and help each other through their struggles with disabilities. One has a physical disability but is very intelligent, and the other has a learning disability but is large in stature and strong. Together they go on adventures and face crazy real life situations.
After thinking more about our podcast, I realized how fun it would be for a student with a disability to do something like that. I know that my cousin who has Autism loves whenever his teachers do something different to appeal to those who lean differently. I think technology plays a huge role in this. As we know, every student learns differently and has methods which appeal to them more and help them better understand the material. For many, the hands-on and visual aspects of multimodal activities offer such students the opportunity to gain a better understanding. For example, students with visual disabilities no longer have to struggle through class. They are given books and readings with much larger font, or as a girl in my first high school had, some students have headphones in and listen to books on tape. Something which seems so easy to us may be a huge challenge for certain students; therefore, as educators we can aid in learning by just altering our plans and classroom activities slightly.
I know this seems random and simple, but it was just a topic I was thinking about today. We have come a long way in helping students with disabilities succeed in the classroom, and with careful planning, individualized instruction, and attention to each student's needs we could allow all of our students to grow even more.
After thinking more about our podcast, I realized how fun it would be for a student with a disability to do something like that. I know that my cousin who has Autism loves whenever his teachers do something different to appeal to those who lean differently. I think technology plays a huge role in this. As we know, every student learns differently and has methods which appeal to them more and help them better understand the material. For many, the hands-on and visual aspects of multimodal activities offer such students the opportunity to gain a better understanding. For example, students with visual disabilities no longer have to struggle through class. They are given books and readings with much larger font, or as a girl in my first high school had, some students have headphones in and listen to books on tape. Something which seems so easy to us may be a huge challenge for certain students; therefore, as educators we can aid in learning by just altering our plans and classroom activities slightly.
I know this seems random and simple, but it was just a topic I was thinking about today. We have come a long way in helping students with disabilities succeed in the classroom, and with careful planning, individualized instruction, and attention to each student's needs we could allow all of our students to grow even more.
Influencing Others to Become a Team
Alright, so Bill's blog inspired a rant. This week, we are allowed to blog about anything educational; therefore, I want to address teaching together with fellow educators. I know that we have touched on this in class, and TO has mentioned how some feel that certain subject teachers are responsible for certain learning aspects. However, the fact of the matter is that we are all teaching, so doesn't that mean that we should infuse these kids with knowledge in any way, shape, or form that we can? I would think so. What I'm saying is that maybe teachers need to work together more so that they can really get through to students and create a cohesive team.
The example I left on Bill's blog was that maybe each class could use the same type of technology, just in different ways so the students see how versatile the tool can be and how many projects they can use it for. If classes are managed this way then the students will go deeper into the topic or technology they learn. It would focus school more, and show kids how much each subject is useful and how often they overlap. It is important for students to understand that EVERY subject in school is important; however, this is difficult when nothing ties together and the students' minds are forced to go in 7 different directions. I just think it would be a neat idea to all work together and deepen the learning and understanding. It gives us more opportunity to teach, and it couldn't hurt for students to see some teamwork amongst their teachers.
The example I left on Bill's blog was that maybe each class could use the same type of technology, just in different ways so the students see how versatile the tool can be and how many projects they can use it for. If classes are managed this way then the students will go deeper into the topic or technology they learn. It would focus school more, and show kids how much each subject is useful and how often they overlap. It is important for students to understand that EVERY subject in school is important; however, this is difficult when nothing ties together and the students' minds are forced to go in 7 different directions. I just think it would be a neat idea to all work together and deepen the learning and understanding. It gives us more opportunity to teach, and it couldn't hurt for students to see some teamwork amongst their teachers.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Helping Expose Reality
So, after my exploration I found one blog that Wilber mentions that I really like. A Plethora of Technology is a pretty cool site; unfortunately, there hasn't been a new post since October 2012. However, it has some really versatile topics. One that I liked in particular was titled "What to Try Regarding Young IT Haters." It brought the realistic view of IT workers and what us tech-challenged should expect, or stop expecting. For example, I know that I want a fast answer because in my mind these people should know exactly what the problem is immediately after they see my computer. However, this is not realistic. These workers are dealing with computers. They are a science, and as far as I know, not many scienctist figure out the answers to a hypothesis or problem within ten minutes. It takes a little time to do it right, and we should realize that IT workers have to go through the scientific process in their jobs as well.
While I do not know if I would be capable of producing a blog like this one; I do see the value in doing something similar. Maybe I could create a blog that helps non-teachers better understand a teacher's daily life and what we (will) go through regarding parents, students, and classroom struggles. I think looking around the web at different blogs helps to spark idea like this one, and can be an enlightening experience. Hey, without exploration (which seems to be my theme this week) I would not have been politely put in place regarding IT support.
While I do not know if I would be capable of producing a blog like this one; I do see the value in doing something similar. Maybe I could create a blog that helps non-teachers better understand a teacher's daily life and what we (will) go through regarding parents, students, and classroom struggles. I think looking around the web at different blogs helps to spark idea like this one, and can be an enlightening experience. Hey, without exploration (which seems to be my theme this week) I would not have been politely put in place regarding IT support.
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