Blog Assignment #14

What Was Left Out?

This post asks for ideas on assignments that should have been included as blog post assignments over the semester; the assignment states that the suggestions should be within my area of speciality. As a Secondary Education/English major, the assignments this semester have all been interrelated with my field of study; each assignment required appropriate writing and appropriate use of grammar. In addition, most assignments used online tools or the use of Apple products to develop a lesson, make a video, interact with others, etc... While these assignments proved to be enriching, my thought was, "What about school districts within poverty areas? What do you do when there is not an iPad in every class? What happens when there is only one computer to utilize in your classroom?" These questions have been with me since our first video assignment requiring the use of iMovie. It was the first time I was without the tools needed to complete an assignment; fortunately, the university had the needed tools, but it did not stop me from thinking about my future students and the tools they would have access to. While many graduates may very well work in a school district with all the latest technology, some will be faced with challenges of low funding and families in poverty. With the aforementioned in mind, I have outlined a suggested blog assignment below.

For this assignment, students will need to imagine a world without immediate gratification. A world where Google will not give you the answer in .1 second. After achieving this mindset, students will create a project based learning plan without the use of the internet. This assignment can be presented with visual aids in the form of a poster, a written essay, or a picture collage.

Why would a class with an intention of teaching technology have an assignment where the internet is not used? The reason is to promote original and creative ideas. It is difficult to be original when the world around you makes it so easy to access another's ideas, another's thoughts, or another's complete resources. Would technology have advanced to this point without someone first having an original thought? This assignment will challenge students to use their imagination; furthermore, it will give students an opportunity to realize the vast advancements that have been made in the last several years regarding technology. An appreciation of technology promotes further learning.

After students have created this project, students will be given the same assignment a month later with the instruction to research using the internet and present the project in their chosen tool (Prezi, iMovie, Google Presentation, etc...). This will provide an opportunity for all to see the differences in a world where technology is not easily accessible and the world many of us have the advantage of living in.

Project #2 -PLN

My Personal Learning Network (PLN)

As a reminder to myself, I ask, "What is a PLN?" A PLN is a set of people and tools that I can rely on for collaboration, resources, and help when needed. My PLN has grown somewhat this semester; my social circle previously did not include many educators, as I am experiencing a change in careers. This semester has assisted me in networking in the educational realm. Through blog assignments, C4T, C4C, and C4K, I have found websites, tools, and individuals that I will call upon in the future to provide support. The most influential resource I encountered was people. Yes, people! I have gained the feedback of many educators in my own community by sharing the knowledge I have gained and asking for assistance from them on issues I do not understand. One teacher allowed me access to her classroom to utilize the Promethean board to gain a better understanding of this technology, and another teacher asked for my assistance in creating a picture slideshow for her class. I enjoy talking face to face; however, I did enjoy a FaceTime conversation with one educator who provided me with a better understanding of Common Core Standards.

While the people I have met this semester were extraordinary and professional, the tools I have gained are countless. This past summer, I had one web browser and one social networking site membership. Now, when I log in to my computer, I have a widget sidebar with quick links to my favorite sites, my Google Chrome browser has many shortcuts to educational applications that I have found useful, and I have more items in my "reading list" that I know will contain more resources.

My PLN will never stop changing, I have already "trashed" a few tools that I found unnecessary or not user friendly. I cannot wait to speak with more educators and gain even more resource; I know this is just the beginning to my journey, and I hope for many more years of learning.

Comments for Teachers - #4

Partnering with the Super City
By: Dorothy Burt

In this blog post, Dorothy provided details of the mayor's commitment of the Super City, Auckland, NZ to support the Manaiakalani Education Trust. This understanding means free internet for children, and completion of infrastructure to make this a reality. In the post, Dorothy also provided a video of the mayor signing the agreement and singing a song with the children.

In my response to this post, I expressed my excitement over the agreement that was reached with the mayor. I advised that this type of change is promising for our future and for our children.

Six Years of Film Festivals
By: Dorothy Burt

Dorothy provides and overview of the sixth annual Manaiakalani Film Festival. This year, the festival had two theaters being utilized and over 3,000 students attending the event. Dorothy linked some of the videos that were highlighted at the festival. I commented to Dorothy about the film festival. I advised her that I thoroughly enjoyed the post, and was excited to see that so many students were able to participate.

Project #12 - Part B

Project Based Lesson - Propaganda in WWII
Authored by: Secoria Burks, Jo Davis, Lindsay Stewart

In this Project Based Lesson, students will explore propaganda used in World War II. The lesson plan was presented via a SMARTboard lesson; please view the lesson below:

Blog Assignment #13

Ken's Top Ten
Authored by: Secoria Burks, Jo Davis, and Lindsay Stewart

Last week, we explored three talks presented by speaker, Ken Robinson. This week we had the opportunity to view additional thought-provoking presentations that Ken Robinson included on his “Top Ten List.” Ken’s recommendations are stimulating talks given by inspirational and world-changing educators and innovators. We dive into three of these videos in greater detail below.

What Do Babies Think?
Authored by: Lindsay Stewart

In this presentation, Alison Gopnik explores the decision-making and intelligence of babies. Alison seeks to answer why and how children and babies can learn so much so quickly. She suggests that it is due to the amount of time human beings spend being dependent on adults. Alison points out that the human species has the longest time for “learning” than any other species. In this “learning process,” babies and children are protected; this gives them time to learn and process all the information that their brains can handle. Alison states that babies are designed for learning; they are for learning, and their brains are one of the most powerful computers. Once the children grow into adults, all of the things learned can then be put into practice.

Alison shows us how children at the age of four can effectively experiment and form hypotheses; often we think children are “just playing around” or “not paying attention,” when in reality, they are experimenting. In one instance, a four year old was able to experiment with four different hypotheses in less than two minutes. Why are adults not able to do this? Alison suggests that it is because adults’ brains are like spotlights; they focus on one thing and block everything else out. Children, however, have brains like lanterns; they can analyze many different ideas from different places all at once. Children are unable to zero in on one idea, but the number of possible hypotheses is more numerable than an adults’.

Alison suggests that if we desire to become more open-minded and creative, then our goal is to become as children are. In this video, Alison’s research on the learning process in children and babies showed us that humans have a great capacity for learning, if we only stop and take the time to recognize it. Alison’s talk reveals that there is much to understand about the learning process, and there is much more to understand about our children. Overall, this video shows that it is vital to educate our children and give them all the tools necessary to become productive adults; it is our job to “water” their minds, and then watch them flourish in the garden called, “life.”

How to Use Videos in Education by Salman Khan
Authored by: Secoria Burks

Teaching through videos allows students to learn at their own pace. They have the ability to stop, pause, fast forward, or rewind if they need to. As far as flipping a classroom is concerned, videos can be vital. Mr. Khan also proposes the idea that videos can make a classroom more human, by using videos as an at home teaching tool. Classroom time can be used for practice, collaboration, and assessment; not instruction. Assessment is one of the topics his online school is attempting to change as a whole. He believes that a one shot test isn’t very productive. Students are taught a section and at the end they have a test. The score on the test indicates what they understood or retained, but no matter what the score, teachers move on to the next section. The Kahn Academy has created a system that prompts students to try until they master the skill.

Mae Jemison: Teach Arts and Science Together
Authored by: Jo Davis

Mae Jemison: astronaut, doctor, art collector, and dancer uses this TED talk to stress the importance of teaching the arts and sciences in conjunction. With a focus on the future, Jemison states that science education needs remodeling. Right away Mae Jemison introduces an idea that we could all learn from. She explains that the driving force behind research and science is curiosity, and curiosity is born of creativity. Creativity is of course sparked by and nourished by the arts; therefore, science and the arts are intertwined. This school of thought that keeps the arts and sciences separate is damaging to progress. She gives the example of the shuttle used to fly her to space and the Buntu statue she brought up with her were both products of human ingenuity and creativity. This is truly an invaluable way of perceiving the world and the things we learn. She even provides the following quote from Albert Einstein to support her view, “The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.” The mysteries of the world we live in invoke thought that leads to evolution in both art and science, so naturally it makes sense for both subjects to be taught in a way that expresses their mutual relationship. Jemison goes on to further explain how arts and sciences are not so different but the main point she stresses is how one is not more important than the other. Art and science alike are vital in composing and bettering the outcome that is the condition of human life. This disparity between the education of science and art in schools is detrimental to the learning habits of future generations. If only one thing was to be taken away from Mae Jemison’s TED talk it is the fact that the arts and sciences are both key to progress and must be regarded and taught as equals.

C4K Summary for November

No Justice for All
Authored by: Jacqueline

In her post, "No Justice for All...," Jacqueline highlights a Supreme Court case in which the court ruled that sentencing intellectually disabled persons to death row was "cruel and unusual," and these individuals should not be prosecuted as harshly. Jacqueline goes on to discuss a current case in courts; in this case, the defendant is being sentenced to death. The defendant registered an IQ of 71; therefore, the state of Florida does not consider this defendant to be "mentally-retarded" as his IQ is one point higher than what Florida considers intellectually disabled. Jacqueline pointed out that each state has different criteria, and this type of criteria is "not justice for all."

In my response to Jacqueline, I thanked her for highlighting this issue, as I was unaware of the court cases she wrote about. Jacqueline did an outstanding job of crafting her post, and I gave appropriate praise for her well thought out blog post.

Every Picture Tells a Story
Authored by: Brooklyn

Brooklyn tells a narrative story about a man and his brothers in this blog post. Brooklyn's story was about four brothers who were planting a garden, but they did not take care of it properly. Their father became upset because all the crops died due to improper care. In the end, the father and sons gave each other a hug. Brooklyn also graded herself on how well she did in writing the post.

I commented to Brooklyn that her story was enjoyable. I also advised her that the grading rubric was a good idea, and I stated the rubric was a good way to look back at the progress she was making.

I Can Write
Authored by: Loseti

In this post, a student named Loseti shows us how they wrote their name in the sand during a field trip experience. The students were enjoying a picnic at the river when Loseti wrote his name in the sand. In my response to this post, I told Loseti, that I like to build sand castles when I go to the beach. I also advised Loseti of the awesome job he did on writing his name.

Blog Assignment #12

TED Talks with Ken Robinson
Authored by: Secoria Burks, Jo Davis, and Lindsay Stewart

Ken Robinson is an innovator in education, and he pushes others to understand their students and their talents more fully. We listened to three videos provided by TED Talks in which Ken guides our thoughts into a direction away from the mundane, structural, and predictable educational system. He challenges us to question the current structure of our educational system and pushes us to encourage others in their creativity.

The Importance of Creativity with Ken Robinson
Authored by: Lindsay Stewart

In this video, Ken Robinson provides a profound case for the need of our educational system to nurture rather than undermine creativity. Ken’s talk is very entertaining, and he kept my full attention for the duration.

Ken explains that everyone has an interest in education; it is not only teachers or students that have an interest. Ken explains that education is meant to lead our children into the future. However, he also points out that the future is quite unpredictable, and how can we educate for unpredictability? Ken explains that we must begin with nurturing the innovation, talents, and creativity of others. He points out that our current education system stifles the creative minds of children; furthermore, Ken states that there is currently an academic inflation. There is a lot of focus on degrees and meeting education marks. Ken directs us to see that children are not, by nature, afraid of taking chances; rather, we are educating our children out of creativity. He argues that if you do not take chances and are afraid of being wrong, then you will not come up with anything creative and original; this is something that education takes away from children.

Ken is passionate about nurturing the creativity of others. Instead of squandering the talents of our children, we should embrace them. He shows us that degrees really are not worth much compared to the creativity we are stifling. We need to change our perception of human capacity, and we should use our gift of imagination wisely and encourage that gift in others. Ken’s talk on creativity brought to life again many points I have read and heard recently through the interaction in my EDM310 class. There are many passionate educators that want to see a change, and there are people that “really get it.” But how do we move from pointing out the issues to making the changes to put these great ideas into practice? There are many guidelines that educators must follow based on where they are employed. I would hope my classroom would be one that encourages all creativity, but I am concerned about my own limits as an educator. When will “those in charge” embrace the need to allow more imagination and nourishment of talents in our schools? As Ken says, the future is unpredictable; I hope the future includes many ideas I have in my own imagination.

Changing Education Paradigms
Authored by: Secoria Burks

In this video Ken Robinson addresses problems that we face in education so far. Education as it is alienates certain students, and marginalizes points of value in students. Current school structure was designed during the Enlightenment period and was based around economics and intelligence. This system has created the notion that there are smart and non-smart people and this is not only ineffective but creates unnecessary chaos. Another topic he discusses is the misappropriated use of prescription drugs on students and the effects they have on classroom participation. He explains how students of this age are the most stimulated in history. They are being stimulated by their surroundings and more and more by chemical substances.Both of these things make it hard for students to focus on what is usually boring student material. Instead of attempting to make the material just as stimulating students are often penalized for not being interested. The point he really works at is that students are being numbed to experiences that are supposed to make them feel alive. School structure is another big topic he discusses. He emphasizes the importance put on student age instead of ability. Also he elaborates on how schools are modeled after factories. There are ringing bells, separate facilities, subjects are divided up, and students are taught in batches determined by age. This is a form of educating that is only conducive to standardized learning. His final topic is divergent thinking, he begins by explaining that divergent thinking is an essential component to creativity and that as children progress in the current education machine they lose this skill.

How to Escape Education's Death Valley
Authored by: Jo Davis

In this TED talk Sir Ken Robinson discusses not only the problems that have caused the dire state of education in America but also the problems with the solutions that have been proposed to fix education in America. Firstly he addresses the ironically named “No Child Left Behind” program and the harm that it has done for education and for the flourishing of students' minds. Sir Ken Robinson states that there are three principles that are essential for human life to flourish and that they are all three contradicted by the system of education at present. The first of the principles that Sir Ken Robinson reveals is that human beings are naturally very diverse and vary greatly amongst one another. This nature of diversity is directly contradicted by the No Child Left Behind program that places an extreme importance on conformity and standardization. The forced system of standardization narrows the field of education for students to a small group of subjects that have been deemed necessary. The subjects and material being taught are important but by themselves with all the focus only on these subjects it is simply not sufficient. As Sir Robinson says, a focus on the arts and humanities is an absolute necessity when it comes to a proper education. Along with the cherry picking of subjects, the methods of teaching and learning are also being stifled so all children must learn and do school work in a uniform manner, yet again directly contradicting the diverse human nature. The next principle that Sir Robinson addresses is the inherent curiosity of human kind. He states that children are natural learners and if educators can just light the spark of curiosity the children will learn so much on their own. He attributes part of this problem to the de-professionalization of the teaching profession. Teachers are not meant to only pass along learned information but to rather facilitate learning. Instead, the current system of education in America enforces compliance by having teachers teach and students learn only for the purpose of a standardized test. In this system the curiosity of the students is being quashed and learning is being impeded. It is crucial that this problem is rectified as curiosity is absolutely vital in education and learning. The last principle Sir Robinson addresses is that of the creativity of humans. He states that education has a duty to nurture creativity in developing minds. This is yet again being stifled by the culture of standardization. Sir Robinson compares this to the highly successful education system in Finland and states that the Finnish individualize teaching and learning, place a very high standard on the profession of teaching, and devolve the power and responsibility of teaching to the individual school level. These methods address the three principles Sir Ken Robinson spoke on to create what diverse, curious, and creative humans need to learn...and organic system of education! With such a system that can develop and aid students in learning, the current crisis in American education would be no more. So much can be learned from Sir Ken Robinson by taking these essential factors for the flourishing of the mind and using them to evaluate the state of education in America. All educators should take his points into consideration because as he stated,” No school is better than its teachers.” America is certainly in dire need of an escape from education’s death valley.

Project #15 - Lesson Plan #3

Add Your Own Chapter

In this lesson, students in the 11/12th grade Literature class will add a chapter to a book of their choosing. The book must be one discussed in class. Students will explore the author's style, diction, and characterization when completing their project. An overview of the project can be found here: Add Your Own Chapter

Project #10 - Interview

Conversation with Connie Nobles

Connie Nobles is a fourth grade educator at East Central Upper Elementary. The school is located in the Jackson County School District in South Mississippi. Connie is a graduate of the University of South Alabama. In this interview, Connie discusses the use of technology in her classroom, and she also shares comments regarding Neil Postman's book, "The End of Education." I am interested in knowing how teachers balance their personal and professional lives; Connie gives us insight into this as well.

Project #12 - Part A

SMARTboard Demonstration
video by: Jo Davis, Secoria Burks, and Lindsay Stewart

In this video, our group (Matisse), demonstrates the basics of using a SMARTboard.