Class this week was...interesting for me. Since I am secondary, I was pretty bored with Bailey's Bookhouse. Because I sub in all areas, I have had experience with the "center" use of programs like that. I can see how obviously using it ALONG with an instructional purpose would give it a more meaningful learning experience for kids. But I can also see how teachers sometimes just need fillers, and Bailey's would provide that purpose also. The other resources were much more interesting for me. They are a lot more open-ended which lends itself to all levels and grades of students. Seeing just a few of the thousands (I'm sure) of resources I could use does actually make me miss being in a classroom full-time. There's soo much I could do with these resources! I guess I'll have to be content with sharing them with the LA teachers I do work with and know pretty well.
Speaking of sharing resources...I did share Wordle with a 7th grade LA teacher, and she kinda brushed it off! I didn't actually have time to show her a Wordle creation, so that probably would have helped, but really...she could have acknowledged that there are resources she could be using that she doesn't even know about! Anyway, that kind of upset me if you can't tell. :-) I also had a conversation with that same teacher about how Ames schools have blocked YouTube. She and her co-teacher did actually use it for educational purposes last year, so she's very upset that they have chosen to block such a great resource. It's funny because her husband works for Ballard school district and they have chosen to keep facebook and YouTube accessible to students and teachers. They are just trusting that teachers will be responsible and use it appropriately. I feel like it's pretty much censorship when the technology director (or whoever decides these things) block sites that do have great possibilities to enhance learning. I know it happens in a lot of school districts, so is there something that can be done to reverse that? Can teachers get together and document their use of these sites so they see the benefits of them? I don't know if some teachers care enough to do that, but I think they should definitely try!
Moving on...I started reading the Mishra and Koehler article and I love that they give examples of the Web 2.0 resources they have used for their research of TPACK. I plan on researching some of them (especially the specialized search engines) and possibly using them for my resource review in CI 505. Very cool technology out there that is right at our fingertips!
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I would agree with you in regards to the Bailey's Bookhouse being REALLY boring. I remember about 10 years ago the school I was teaching at got a technology grant for about $10,000 dollars and had to buy computer programs for students. Some of the programs we purchased were awful and not age appropriate at all. So it is hard to find a good resource to meet the needs of students and is motivating.
ReplyDeleteAt my current school, teachers are afraid to use technology. So I hope with this class I can help motivate and show teachers the relavance of using tools like Wordle and the Comic Life program. Don't get discouraged!
I'm a little torn on the you-tube issue. You make good points on its educational use, but I still know the kinds of things that students could accidentally, or purposefully, come across when they're supposed to be doing classroom work. With classroom sizes the way they are, it would take a super teacher to monitor all students at once. Granted, some students are more trustworthy, but I was a "good student" and still messed around plenty when I knew the teacher wasn't looking. It's too bad there wasn't a filter of some kind on you-tube to ensure the students were on topic when using it. Until then, I don't think it's something I'll personally use in my classroom.
ReplyDeleteI guess I wasn't clear about the teacher using YouTube. I never did see the kids using YouTube. She was upset because she and her co-teacher could no longer use it to show educationally related videos to students as a whole group. For example, she used youtube for an advertising unit to show students commercials that they could analyze. I agree that I probably wouldn't have students use it, but it can be very valuable as a teacher (who can control what students see) as a different form of media to increase engagement and motivation possibly.
ReplyDeleteIf you are interested in exploring further on Web 2.0 tools,http://www.classroom20.com/ would also be a good resource. It's a community of teachers who are Web 2.0 supporter. In addition to forum and discussion board, Web. 2.0 tools are actually used to hold speech and discussion sessions, which is what attracts me the most, the project-based learning perspective. I'm sure you'll find it helpful.
ReplyDeleteYou have really started a discussion thread on this topic - and everyone is really giving good suggestions. One I have is that TeacherTube can be used (or should be unblocked) and probably the videos that the teachers were using are available here - in an already designated safe place. Have a look at it if you haven't already. Also, usually the technology director/coordinator can unblock such a site for several hours/a day if given enough notice. It just requires that teachers plan ahead in terms of preparation. I think they were using YouTube as a viable learning tool and I use it a lot myself. But, there are cautions involved with its use!
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