The day before Thanksgiving I was assigned as a sub to the middle-elementary school (grades 3 & 4) for a half day. I was subbing for the vocal music teacher for two 4th-grade classes, but when I arrived they were just starting their Fall Assembly. So I met the class in the gym bleachers instead of the music room. The presentation was fascinating. A woman of Mohawk heritage gave an engaging presentation in Native American culture, including flute-playing, story-telling, and audience participation in simple signing, a few words from the Mohawk language, chanting, and a game.
Well, by the time the assembly was over, classes had changed, so I met my new class right there in the gym and we proceeded to the music room. The teacher had left a video for them to watch, so I went about setting it up. Got the video loaded in the proper machine, turned on the TV, went to press "Play" and. . .
there was no such button on the VCR player! Found a remote control, but IT had no play button, either. UH-OH! Twenty minutes to fill, and no plan B.
Well, one of the girls had commented on the necklace I was wearing, so I took that as a starting point, and explained a bit about it. It is made of recycled paper by fair-trade organization called BeadforLife, which provides employment to women in Uganda. http://www.beadforlife.org/
That led us into a discussion of poverty and its hardships and varying causes. With the Thanksgiving holiday the next day, I pointed out that when they sat down to their holiday, that they might remember people less fortunate. They opened up and began sharing what they do in their families to help others. Stories about making up Christmas packages for children they didn't know, customs of giving in their extended families and all kinds of involvement. As soon as one student had shared, two more hands cropped up to share their stories. I was impressed with their interest in the topic, their willingness to share their stories, and the thoughtfulness that went into the discussion. Even those who were not participating actively were following closely. Twenty minutes were gone in a flash, and I felt much better about what we accomplished together than about showing a video. I went home uplifted and grateful for the experience.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Thoughts provoked. . .
The video referenced in my last post keeps popping up in my thoughts from time to time. It seems to be trying to make itself a part of my developing educational philosophy. As fate would have it, my instructor picked up on the video and used it as material for a class discussion forum. We were asked to identify three of the main ideas of the video. Well, I was motivated to abstract the whole presentation, and then I selected three points to use in the class forum.
This is significant enough to me that I wish to share my full outline here.
Traditional methods of instruction are obsolete in the 21st century due to the fact that the amount of information available to today’s students is unlimited, and they know how to access it.
The role of a teacher now becomes not providing information, but filtering information, teaching students to be responsible and critical users of information with the following skills:
People need to be able to create, evaluate, analyze, apply, understand, and remember information.
Some of today's forms of creation are new: blogging, podcasting, programming; some have been used before: animating, planning, recording, designing.
Technical skills are also important: paraphrasing, attributing, subscribing, editing, twittering, experimenting, reflecting, tagging, commenting, searching, posting, locating, linking, integrating, networking, bookmarking, mashing, uploading.
Ethical values are also needed: responsibility, reliability, and integrity.
New tools and learning problems are needed to teach these skills and values.
Lessons need to be relevant, challenging, and engaging.
21st century tools should be used to engage, not entertain.
Teachers should provide meaningful and powerful engagement that is fun and exciting.
It all starts with ME, with the help and encouragement of colleagues.
This is significant enough to me that I wish to share my full outline here.
Traditional methods of instruction are obsolete in the 21st century due to the fact that the amount of information available to today’s students is unlimited, and they know how to access it.
The role of a teacher now becomes not providing information, but filtering information, teaching students to be responsible and critical users of information with the following skills:
- Validation
- Synthesis
- Leveraging
- Communication
- Collaboration
- Ability to solve problems
People need to be able to create, evaluate, analyze, apply, understand, and remember information.
Some of today's forms of creation are new: blogging, podcasting, programming; some have been used before: animating, planning, recording, designing.
Technical skills are also important: paraphrasing, attributing, subscribing, editing, twittering, experimenting, reflecting, tagging, commenting, searching, posting, locating, linking, integrating, networking, bookmarking, mashing, uploading.
Ethical values are also needed: responsibility, reliability, and integrity.
New tools and learning problems are needed to teach these skills and values.
Lessons need to be relevant, challenging, and engaging.
21st century tools should be used to engage, not entertain.
| Engagement | Entertainment |
|---|---|
| Active | Passive |
| For learning | For enjoyment |
| Long-term results | Short-lived |
| Meaningful & applicable | Does not require relevance |
| Solves problems | Allows escape from problems |
| Uses creativity of the participant | Uses creativity of others |
Teachers should provide meaningful and powerful engagement that is fun and exciting.
It all starts with ME, with the help and encouragement of colleagues.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
A really thought-provoking video
I was researching Prezi as a Web 2.0 tool for class when I came across this prezi that really sums up for me the issues we have been dealing in the Educational Technology class I'm taking. It's a bit long, but well worth the time. Enjoy!
Monday, October 10, 2011
Welcome!
This is the very beginning of my ePortfolio. I'm a non-traditional teacher candidate, renewing my Secondary Spanish certificate having spent the past 35 years in business. I'm currently enrolled at Lorain County Community College, where I'm taking Educational Technology and Spanish Grammar Review. This ePortfolio is starting its life as a project for the Ed Tech class. Stick around and watch it grow!
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