Twitter

So I am now following a Twitter page @RenLearnUS which has K - 12 assessments, as well as effective ways to teach classes, and for students to learn from.  The latest post I found was actually about Technology! What a great link to stumble upon in a technology course.  For those of you who seem to think your students are better with technology than you yourself are, think again!  The link provided takes you right to The Journal and provides you with an educational article about how educated teachers actually are when it comes to technology.  "Teachers also tended to depend 'much more on using technology to solve daily problems, to improve productivity, and as learning aids.'"  There are a number of articles and educational tools supplied by just this twitter account alone - imagine how many others there are that utilize fantastic lessons and just the click of a link.  Think about how many tools are floating around waiting to be clicked on.  @RenLearnUS even has live webinars that their followers can join, the one that was done on October 24th was actually a math webinar, all you had to do was follow @AcceleratedMath and if you wanted to tweet any information on the webinar they were using #mathchat.  Through this twitter account alone, as well as the math chat hash tag, I realized how useful twitter can really be for planning your lessons in the classroom.  It's just another way for teachers to help teachers.

Connected Learning & Social Media

I really liked the article "Connected Learning" written by Steven Mintz as he starts off by quoting many articles that seem to think social media is terrible for our society.  However, Steven Mintz makes many good points as to why social media is a positive move in a world so filled with technology.  For example,  Mintz states that interaction does not always need to be face to face,  engagement in subject matter can take place in many different environments, what you have to say becomes more important that how you look, and peoples opinions can often become more valued by the public.  I absolutely loved these thoughts on social media, though I will always think there is a time and a place and it should't be utilized everywhere.  Social media allows people to get themselves out there, introduce themselves to a new world.  As an advocate for Tri Delta's concept of "Fat Talk Free Week" I will always value the idea of a positive body image.  And here on social media, yes, a positive image is still present.  Almost any site requires you to have a photograph of yourself, and if you leave it at the standard setting, well what does that say about you?  Are you lazy?  Have you not taken the time to figure out how to add it, and if you do add it, are you smoking or drinking, or are you in a nice dress or a suit and tie?  I find that face to face communication is a much better advantage for things like interviews, however, with social media you can expand yourself and promote your professionalism.  Not only is social media great for professional forums, but it allows knowledge to be spread worldwide in just seconds.  It allows reading and news to take new forms and allow people to educate themselves on the world around them, politics, illnesses and much more.  Social media can be used in classrooms to further educate students, and with a very high tech student body, what better way than to engage students through something they love and enjoy.  It may not be ideal in every subject area, or to be used everyday, but it is a great tool for teachers and students to utilize.

My take on "The Story of Movies"

While watching Reading Film: The Story of Movies, I thought the class being taught was very interesting, as it is not often that you associate science connecting with filmography.  At one part in the video the teacher points out that students often believe anything they hear or see on television or in movies, though not everything is true.  I think it is extremely important for students to understand that not everything it true, media over exaggerates news, movies change the events of movies based on a true story, etc.  the list could go on.  However, it is also important for students to learn the emotion behind a movie, the science and art behind lighting, even math can tie into filmography.  Anyone reading this is probably questioning "how?"  But as many don't know, animation is created by mathematicians, and they too need to understand the science of lighting and the music that sets the mood.   Do I think the program could be used in a lot of classes, no of course not, but do I think it is  a great class on its own, of course!  Especially when you hear that it is a free program.  It will help enhance critical thinking among students and allow them to assess what they think to be true or not.

My Take on "Life on the Screen"

While reading James Daly's article, Life on the Screen: Visual Literacy in Education, I noticed myself either nodding my head up and down or saying "ehh" out loud as well.  The article turns into a questionnaire with George Lucas, a famous filmmaker and his take on education.  What really grabbed my attention was when Lucas was asked " What do students need to be learning that they're not?"  The first thing was " They need to understand a new language of expression."  He is referring to visuals and I think it was a very interesting and enriching way to put it.  I agree that technology is something wonderful and should most certainly be used in the classroom.  However, my "ehh" reaction comes in where Lucas seems to think these things are not being utilized in the classrooms.  He makes a comment about how the teaching is still done in a style representing the 19th century, and though that holds true to most every day to day class,  technology is certainly advancing our classrooms in every subject of every grade level.  It's just not applicable in every lesson.  Lucas even brings math into perspective; after doing 3 technological lesson plans tailored to high school math assignments, it is a great tool - but I could never incorporate visual technology into ever lesson I teach.  It's just not logical.

Coming from a visual learner, it is extremely important to show the students in creative and technological way.  Just like Lucas explained, students need to learn and understand what is appropriate, what sets the mood of something.  Students need to understand emotion and explore the arts.  But it seems as though because we still do math with a pencil and paper, and because students still take notes during lecture that he thinks technology is not being implemented in the class, but it is.  And I know it is, because I've been a student for 17 years now and I have experienced a number of devices and technology in the classroom.  I have been given the chance to explore the arts and find my passion.  So I think we are listening to Lucas, because it's already happening.

Response to "Why Some Schools are Selling Their iPads"

While reading this article and after being introduced to Google drive, I can understand why schools are finding Chromebooks easier to use within their classrooms, though I have never used one.  I think that utilizing technology closer to a  lap top rather than the iPad which involves more of a fun, gaming environment is more beneficial for students.  Even though all of Google's apps are available on an iPad, it is not always the greatest workspace.  Chromebooks will allow students to work collaboratively or independently, where iPads, Google drive is the only way you can be collaborative other than playing games together on the iPad.   I think if I were a school investing in products, I would certainly purchase the Chromebook for students, however I wouldn't eliminate ipads completely.  I would buy enough for a few "iPad labs" similar to how colleges have "computer labs."  This way teachers can reserve labs for certain lessons and still have access to all types of technologies while still being cost effective to the school.

Response to "What Will it Take for IPads to Upend Teaching and Learning"

While reading the article, I caught my head shaking my head yes through most of the first section.  After my most recent Instructional Technology class, my love for iPads has dwindled.  Though I think they have tons of great features and can certainly be implemented within the classroom, I surely don't think they should be replacing computers or standard education.  I think that a number of them to purchase for the school as a whole is a great idea or even having a few classrooms where they can be utilized for the entire class.  Then when I moved down to teacher who used the iPad in his everyday classroom, I just couldn't fathom how it was possible.  I can't grasp how that is his everyday lesson, I feel as though his students are being cheated.  In mathematics, notes are extremely important, if his notes are just posted everyday and the students don't have to physically take them down, you are eliminating one of their reinforcers.  What I did like though was that it is less time consuming, allowing students to work on more on examples,  In my opinion, applying the notes into a problem is what shows students fully understand the concept and is certainly the most important.  As for English or other Languages, I feel as though the iPad could be implemented much more often than in a math classroom.  There are many more apps for reading, learning the alphabet, and to help with pronunciation and annunciation.  It seems through a majority of the article, every teacher at Hillview would love to use them, but they are still working through figuring out the best way to use them.  At the end of the day, I think they are a great tool to use in the classroom, but they should not be a replacement everyday.

Speed and Accuracy v.s Learning

So again, my bloggers did not blog, however Rational Math has many posts that I can back track to and still find the things I am looking for.  After and increasingly stressful two weeks as a senior math major, I noticed one of his posts referred to students feeling anxious about math causing them to choke.  The post is titles "Fear & Loathing in Calcville: Who Makes Kids Anxious About Math?"  and I'll give you a hint - it's not just for students who don't like math (that would be me).  Teachers in schools often teach students that calculation, arithmetic, and speed with accuracy is what matters in "school math."  The highlight of this sentence in my opinion... speed with accuracy ... every bell, whistle and ding is going off right there.  For me personally, I love math, obviously I would not have chosen to be a math major, however the second you put a timer on my exam, everything goes out the window because I want to be sure I get through every problem.  However, this isn't something that mathematicians face, they aren't being timed to work through calculations.  This is something I have been saying for years and finally I have some support through it, and not just the blogger - but there is a book about it too!  Choke: What the Secrets of the Brain Reveal about getting it Right when You Have to written by Sian Beilock.  Of course tests and quizzes need to be utilized in the classroom, but I fully believe students should be given the amount of time they feel they need to complete it.  That may mean more time out of your day as a teacher, but isn't that what teaching is about?  Giving more of yourself for the success of your students and to better their future.

No Math?!

Well it seems I have the unfortunate luck of finding all math blogs, that well don't keep up with their blogging.  So this week I decided to go back to the Math Education Blog and scroll back a few pages where I came across a video called A World with No Math.  Looking back at one of my previous posts, it is evident that many students ask "When will I use this in life."  Now, we all know many people aren't using algebra or calculus every single day, but it is certainly built into your everyday life without even realizing it.  The house you live in, math built that.  The entire New York Skyline, math built that.  Every time you check the time, use a tape measure, or dance to a beat, you are using math.  Even in Disney movies like Toy Story and Finding Nemo, those animation creators are mathematicians.  Now the video A World with No Math is certainly a light hearted and funny way to approach things if numeracy was not something we had access too, and even stars Simon Helberg, or better known as Howard from The Big Bang Theory.  After all the goofing off about how life could be without math,  they put a spin on things - there actually is a world without math.  Around the world children are not being exposed to education we have here in America and Save the Children is hosting Numeracy Boost.  This program is designed to help under privileged students learn math in fun and exciting ways.  Though I don't know that it is something I would do because I prefer being close to home, it made me consider the alternative of taking a few months to go abroad and help these children develop a love for math, just as I have.