Friends, colleagues - in the past few days, I have really ramped up my technological presence. I got a twitter account and this blog for class, and also satisfied my curiosity by joining Google +. I have to say, being so online makes me a little nervous. Will future employers be looking at everything I say? Will they disapprove of that picture because I look like I am smiling too much? Will random people start creeping on me? But then I remind myself that it will probably all be okay, that there are so many people in the world that I can't possibly be interesting enough to stalk out of the blue, and that I can always change my privacy settings if I need.
On this twitter business, I have to admit that I never intended to get an account. I never saw the point. Reading the articles for class and thinking about how it could be used in a classroom, I am still skeptical. Mainly, I am worried that involving twitter in homework privileges students who have computer access at home and / or on their phones, and I don't want to forget that not all students do. Using twitter in class instead of speaking seems like it would take time away from actually doing activities, and would mask students who were texting friends or otherwise distracting themselves with their phones or computers.
However, I do see that twitter could probably be a useful tool for collaborating with others in a PLN (personal learning network). I intend to find some neat educators and scientists to follow, and maybe even to share some of my own experiences. I wonder if tweeting can help educators sift through the massive amount of resources online to find (and re-tweet) the good stuff.
And really, I wish Ms. Frizzle had a twitter account. I would totally follow her.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Post-class reflection: a Tale of Two Technologies
After talking about our past experiences with technology in class, I wanted to share two of my memories of former teachers using technology in school. These examples embody both my fears about and hopes for using all those gadgets in my classroom.
Case #1: Powerpoint.
There were SO MANY teachers who misused and/or overused powerpoint. I was never given a lesson on how to take notes from a powerpoint presentation, so my notes were chronically unhelpful lists of words that I couldn't make sense of later (something like Congress: committees, bills, laws). Too often a teacher would simply read such lists out loud in class, not even explaining the content or context behind these empty phrases. The animations were over-the-top time-wasters. Frankly, I grew to loathe powerpoint. I do think powerpoint can be useful (especially when including pictures to add to the educational value) but it is not a technology I prefer. I fear that other technologies could be similar: time-wasting 'advances' that take away time from the content and leave students staring emptily at a screen.
Case #2: YouTube.
My physics teacher would show us THE COOLEST VIDEOS EVER in class. Years later, I STILL remember many of them. Who could forget watching that semi driving into the military-grade wall?! And there was this one video with a cat hanging on to a ceiling fan, and going around, around, around, and suddenly being flung off! I love cats but that was hilarious! The best part is that these videos were absolutely relevant to the content being taught and really did enhance our learning. Which direction did the cat go? Well, that tells us something about the instantaneous velocity of the cat and the moment of departure from the circling fan. Why did the truck basically bend and explode? Let's talk about it from the point of view of momentum and inertia. We watched videos of things we might not be able to see in real life. YouTube was an enhancer in the classroom, not a focus and certainly not a distraction from content. This example embodies my hopes for using technology in the classroom. I want to use technology to enhance my teaching, to add to my students' knowledge, and to widen the resources available to them.
I think this goal is possible in all content areas, but I am especially looking forward to investigating ways in which I can use technology in a physics classroom. In many ways, technology and physics go perfectly well together. Physics relies on a great deal of technology, and learning to use technology effectively helps students become better physicists. They are a natural pairing, akin to peanut butter and bananas. A delicious combination.
On a related note, I was pleased to read about John Dewey's progressive (literally and in multiple senses) take on science teaching. I wholeheartedly agree with his opinions that students learn by doing and that communities of learning enhance and are central to education. His thoughts on presenting science as 'objective' similarly resonated with me:
I believe that one of the greatest difficulties in the present teaching of science is that the material is presented in purely objective form, or is treated as a new peculiar kind of experience which the child can add to that which he has already had. - John Dewey, 1897
Teaching science should not be about additive learning. It should be about integrated learning - working with what the student knows and getting them to see and make connections in their own lives. Kudos to Mr. Dewey.
Case #1: Powerpoint.
There were SO MANY teachers who misused and/or overused powerpoint. I was never given a lesson on how to take notes from a powerpoint presentation, so my notes were chronically unhelpful lists of words that I couldn't make sense of later (something like Congress: committees, bills, laws). Too often a teacher would simply read such lists out loud in class, not even explaining the content or context behind these empty phrases. The animations were over-the-top time-wasters. Frankly, I grew to loathe powerpoint. I do think powerpoint can be useful (especially when including pictures to add to the educational value) but it is not a technology I prefer. I fear that other technologies could be similar: time-wasting 'advances' that take away time from the content and leave students staring emptily at a screen.
Case #2: YouTube.
My physics teacher would show us THE COOLEST VIDEOS EVER in class. Years later, I STILL remember many of them. Who could forget watching that semi driving into the military-grade wall?! And there was this one video with a cat hanging on to a ceiling fan, and going around, around, around, and suddenly being flung off! I love cats but that was hilarious! The best part is that these videos were absolutely relevant to the content being taught and really did enhance our learning. Which direction did the cat go? Well, that tells us something about the instantaneous velocity of the cat and the moment of departure from the circling fan. Why did the truck basically bend and explode? Let's talk about it from the point of view of momentum and inertia. We watched videos of things we might not be able to see in real life. YouTube was an enhancer in the classroom, not a focus and certainly not a distraction from content. This example embodies my hopes for using technology in the classroom. I want to use technology to enhance my teaching, to add to my students' knowledge, and to widen the resources available to them.
I think this goal is possible in all content areas, but I am especially looking forward to investigating ways in which I can use technology in a physics classroom. In many ways, technology and physics go perfectly well together. Physics relies on a great deal of technology, and learning to use technology effectively helps students become better physicists. They are a natural pairing, akin to peanut butter and bananas. A delicious combination.
On a related note, I was pleased to read about John Dewey's progressive (literally and in multiple senses) take on science teaching. I wholeheartedly agree with his opinions that students learn by doing and that communities of learning enhance and are central to education. His thoughts on presenting science as 'objective' similarly resonated with me:
I believe that one of the greatest difficulties in the present teaching of science is that the material is presented in purely objective form, or is treated as a new peculiar kind of experience which the child can add to that which he has already had. - John Dewey, 1897
Teaching science should not be about additive learning. It should be about integrated learning - working with what the student knows and getting them to see and make connections in their own lives. Kudos to Mr. Dewey.
Friday, July 8, 2011
The First Part
The first part of gaining momentum is starting to move. So, here's a test to see if my blog works!
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