Saturday, September 28, 2013

Blog Assignment #6

                                                       Education: A Process of Inquiry


School of Athens PaintingThe first educated men were the ones brave enough to ask questions. All scholars from the Greek Philosophers, to the Renaissance, to the Enlightenment, and beyond first began by asking questions.

As teachers, our core desire is to inspire ourselves and others to ask questions, but how do we do so? What questions do we ask, and how do we ask them? More so, teachers need to know effective and creative ways of asking students questions. In this way, asking questions can be used in conjunction with Project Based Learning.

High School Principal Ben Johnson inquired of the learning process: "What does a teacher asking questions of a class expect the class to learn from the questioning process?" (Source: Ben Johnson, edutopia.org: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/asking-better-questions-deeper-learning-ben-johnson)


The key phrase here is "...expect the class to learn...".

According to Ben Johnson's The Right Way to Ask Questions in the Classroom, students realize their "role" in the classroom very early on. Some students deem themselves intelligent, others un-intelligent, and some do not care.

Questioning Student Without Hand Raised
The goal of a teacher is to engage all students in the learning process by going about asking questions in the right way. Merely asking questions and selecting only the "smart" students to answer only benefits the "smart" students because the other students in the class may or may not be paying
attention.


Mr. Johnson Proposes that the way to engage all students in the questioning process is an altered version of Mary Rowe's questioning method. Rowe's method includes asking a question, waiting three seconds, and selecting a student. Mr. Johnson proposes randomizing the students being selected engaging not only the students who do not feel they fit into the "smart" category, but also the students who have already answered questions because they may be called on again. This prevents students from day-dreaming during the questioning process.

One of the most important methods of effective questioning includes asking questions that will inspire more questions and invite thoughtful responses. This is accomplished by asking open ended questions.

The two main types of questions asked in an academic setting are closed-ended questions and open-ended questions. Closed Ended Questions are questions that can be answered merely by a "yes", "no" or a simple phrase. Open Ended Questions leave the response open to students, thereby challenging the student to think about the ideas, events, and concepts that make the question significant.

In my opinion, there are two dimensions to Open Ended questions. The first dimension is based on how the teacher phrases the question. Joanne Chesley's "Rosa Parks" example provides a great example of how phrasing can change a Closed-Ended question into an Open-Ended question. Take a look.



In addition to Phrasing, I believe another method of Open Ended Questioning includes Counter Factual Evidence. In the academic field of History, scholars use Counter Factual Evidence to discern significant events and gain a better knowledge of History in general. Counter Factual evidence is the process of saying "What if?" in a historical scenario.

For example: "Hitler was a message carrier in the German Army during World War 1, what if Hitler had been shot when delivering a message and never lived to become the leader of Nazi Germany? How would World War 2 have been different? Would it have happened? How would the world be different now?"

By asking "What if" we can use Counter Factual Evidence to inspire Open Ended questions that result in an engaging learning process of inquiry and discovery.

One must also be sure to ask comprehensive, specific questions that engage students in the learning process. Teachers must avoid leading questions. These leading questions are questions that are phrased in a way that insinuate what the answer is. The only time leading questions are appropriate is in a scenario where one is asking leading questions to prove a larger point or move on to another, more serious question.

As teachers, it is essential that we are interested in students questions. Questioning is an interactive and engaging process, so teachers need to be prepared for interactivity in the classroom.

Students in Socratic CircleI believe an extremely effective way of both questioning and engaging students is having students engage in Socratic Circles in the classroom.

Named after Greek Philosopher Socrates, Socratic Circles have students arrange in a circle to discuss a topic or idea. The leader of the group asks an Open Ended question and the students respond to the question one at a time with their interpretations, ideas, or more questions. The students listen to one another and discuss the topic in depth, thus gaining a more comprehensive understanding of the topic or idea.

It is essential for us to not only ask questions, but know how to ask questions. More so, it is our job to inspire students to ask questions themselves. Questioning was the first way the scholarly mind developed, and continues to be the most significant to this day.

"I cannot teach anybody anything. I can only make them think." - Socrates

Socrates Statue







Sunday, September 15, 2013

Project #3 Presentation


C4T Assignment #1

Lisa Thumann's blog Thumann Resources details Ms. Thumann's views on Education.

In her Blog Post "Let's Talk About Attrition Rates at Unconferences", Ms. Thumann evaluates the problem of wasted resources as attrition rates rise at Unconferences. An Unconference is a less-formal version of a conference, that is usually free and laid-back in nature. Attrition rates refer to the amount of people who did not show up for the Unconference, despite the preparation for a larger group of people than how many actually showed up.

Ms. Thumann's primary concern is that resources such as food and money are being wasted on preparation for people who didn't show up.

A solution to the problem would be to charge a small admission fee, but many feel this takes away from the nature of an Unconference.

In my response to Ms. Thumann I suggested that donating left-overs would be ideal if the food being served could be opened gradually as people show up, rather than all-at-once. This obviously couldn't be done with such food items as Pizza, but maybe stored food items could be donated.

Attrition rates are a huge concern due to the wasting of resources. Additional efforts have been taken to reduce attrition rates by informing people of the events on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

In her blog post "Common Core Communities of Practice", Ms. Thumann illustrates the idea of collaboration between teachers to put the Common Core Standards into better effect. Ms. Thumann states these communities of practice "will focus on grassroots improvement of practice and provide a collaborative onsite/virtual workspace for teachers to connect instructional practices and inspire creative implementation, gain in-depth knowledge and take immediate action steps to enhance learning and teaching." (Thumann, Lisa).

Ms. Thumann stated: "...we view learning and teaching as a process of collaboration, creativity and sharing...".

I could not agree more with this statement. In my comment to Ms. Thumann I detailed my support for her educational philosophy, as well as shared my support for the idea of Common Core Communities. Common Core Communities not only encourage networking between teachers, but allow for new educational methods to take hold, furthering Education as a whole.

Ms. Thumann's Blog: www.thumannresources.com

Saturday, September 14, 2013

Blog Assignment #4

                                                        Podcasting in the Post-Modern Age

I can't think of anything more innovative to come into play in the field of Education in recent years than the application of Podcasts.

In our day and age, most people are well-versed in the application of technology to their daily lives. Digital Immigrants and Natives pour into the streets of cities all over the world; updating their social media, taking photographs, capturing videos, sharing art and ideas. Capturing life.

A panorama of creativity exists in this, our Post-Modern age.

The same creativity and vivacity that exists in our modern world should (and is!) being applied to our Modern classrooms. I cannot think of a better medium to use for creative and interactive educational purposes than Podcasts.

Podcasts act as an amazing educational tool for a number of reasons! Podcasts are RELEVANT to students of the Digital Age. While I still view books as being a primary resource for Humanities subjects, Podcasts access areas of learning that books cannot. Students can collaboratively learn with Podcasts and create their own to exhibit what they've learned. In addition, students can subscribe to Podcasts for their area of interest whether it be Music, History, Theatre, Biology.

Moreover, most students seem to enjoy doing Podcasts. I feel this is not only because it is relevant to their daily lives, but because Podcasts engage students instead of merely lecturing and giving a test.

Podcasts are an amazing resource for people of all ages! Everyone from the young to old should find a Podcast that suits their area of interest. This is why Podcasts are a great educational medium for both Elementary and Secondary Education!

Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano's Blog "Langwitches" chronicled her experience with familiarizing 1st Graders with Podcasts by having them write a script for the book "Vacation Under the Volcano". This not only helped students foster reading and writing skills, but how to APPLY those skills and what they've learned to a medium where they can SHARE it! The students not only learned practical reading and writing skills, but the skill of applying technology, which they will need to know in our day and age.

Another 1st grade class in Ms. Tolisano's school used Podcasts in their Flat Stanley projects. If you're not familiar with the Flat Stanley project, students usually send a paper-cut out girl or boy to a location and have someone they know there take Flat Stanley around the city and take photos or videos of the locations with Flat Stanley. The goal is to learn more about other areas of the world!

However, the students in this 1st grade class were so inspired by Podcasts, they took it upon their selves to personify their own cut outs and mail "themselves" around the world. The students wrote a script detailing where they went, how they got there, and what they did when they got to their destination. The students then collaborated the script and developed a Podcast.

This once again shows that interactive learning by Podcasting not only engages students, but helps them learn along the way.

Teacher Joe Dale also supports the argument that Podcasts are an important educational medium. An important point Mr. Dale makes is that Podcasts are an effective way for students to learn outside the classroom. This is especially effective for absent students who are sick! It also functions as a great review tool in preparation for tests and learning in general. Podcasts also encourage project and cooperative based learning.

Mr. Dale's Blog: http://joedale.typepad.com/integrating_ict_into_the_/2009/04/the-benefits-of-podcasting-in-the-classroom.html

Ultimately, Podcasts are an effective way to engage students in learning. Podcasts are one of the most important ways in which we can use technology to teach students necessary skills and material. I couldn't imagine a more engaging and effective learning medium!



Sunday, September 8, 2013

Blog Assignment #3

                                                              The Art of Editing


            “You write to communicate to the hearts and minds of others what’s burning inside you,
                         and we edit to let the fire show through the smoke." - Arthur Plotnik


Peer editing is a crucial part of the learning process, especially when it comes to writing based subjects such as English and History. Peer editing is a practical exercise that engages students to learn interactively, rather than merely "burping back" facts. Peer editing does more than just help students edit their work before presenting it for a grade. It engages students; teaching them social skills and how to work in pairs or in a group, while practicing practical grammatical skills and language use in their writing.

There are effective steps students need to engage in when peer editing. These include: staying positive, be specific, and give compliments, suggestions (language, word usage, and paragraph structure), and corrections (grammatical errors). (Zardina, Adriana. http://www.slideshare.net/aszardini/tutorial-peer-editing-113187)

There are also ways one should NOT make suggestions during peer editing. Every now and then you're sure to run into a "Picky Patty" or "Mean Margaret", but students should be taught from the start that these are not effective ways to correct someone's mistakes.

Tim Bedley's video illustrating how one should NOT engage in peer editing illustrated this point very well. Its humorous nature illustrates a very true point that effective peer editing requires effective engagement. By this I mean that students should be taught the proper way to engage in peer editing, rather than adhering to one of the stereotypes performed in the video done by Mr. Bedley's class.

Students Peer EditingMr. Bedley's Class Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBuq4qgRhCc&feature=player_detailpage

Peer editing is an engaging and practical educational application that teaches students social skills and how to interact in groups and pairs.

In peer editing others' blog posts I prefer to leave a comment instead of sending an e-mail. This is because people usually respond more quickly to a comment being directly left on their page, rather than being mixed in with numerous e-mails. In addition, the recipient receives an e-mail letting them know someone has left a comment on their blog. Therefore by commenting, you get the best of both worlds!

In addition, blogger is an interactive network. Everyone can see the comments left (given the blogger's page is public).  Therefore, leaving comments can start discussions and debates with other individuals increasing the learning network.



Sunday, September 1, 2013

Blog Assignment #2

Connectivism in Education

 

Professor Dance-a-lot

    The video on Professor Dance-a-lot reflects the sentiment of “burp-back education”. Professor Dance-a-lot merely showed the students how to do something by lecture, when it would have been much more effective to have them engage themselves. The students didn’t really learn how to dance, because they never had to try. The point of the video is that in the future of the education we want to engage the students, not merely lecture at them. In this way teachers and students will both become more effective learners and leaders.


 Lance’s Video: The Networked Student


    The educational theory and practice known as Connectivism puts emphasis on networking and interactive learning rather than on traditional educational mediums , lecture and readings. The Networked Student video (created by Wendy Drexler) also puts emphasis on the role of technology in the future of the educational field. The Thesis of the video claims that Connectivism is the way of the future for education. Furthermore, the video reassesses the role of the teacher as a guide for the learning process.


    The example student in the video was shown to have taken very well to Connectivism. The student networked with other students studying his subject of interest, subscribed to Podcasts to watch classes around the world, and started blogging to discuss subjectively his area of interests with other students, as well as muse on his subject in his personal blog. It is argued in the video that this is the way of the future for education. The student only went to class three days a week and didn’t even have a book!


    Connectivism will definitely be a major aspect of the educational field in the future. What a wonderful resource the internet and technology are! However, putting too much emphasis on networking can either take away or dramatically add to the academic discipline being studied. The video assumes every student will do what is necessary to be a self-learner and take the time and effort to network. In the school system today, some students refuse to even do short reading assignments. Therefore it is impossible to assume every student will actively participate in Connectivism. However, this should not dissuade anyone from the value of Connectivism. I believe the ideal is to continue our push towards Connectivism without completely throwing off lecture and readings. In this way students will both learn from valuable resources (books, academic articles, journals), and network what they’ve learned online; making Connectivism even more valuable. Students could refer each other to academic sources and books that they’ve read and discuss themes or ideas from these reading assignments.


    The video asked: “In the future, why even have a teacher?”. The video argues that the teachers role is to be a guide for networking. This is a crucial element of our educational system because networking is such a major part of our modern society. I believe the teachers role is to actively participate in the learning process by lecturing and assigning relevant readings, but also to encourage networking and Connectivism. In this way our future students will be competent, educated, networking individuals.

Networking Students
 



 

Erin’s Crane's Video:

    Edutopia, an educational sources website, has a video detailing Vickie Davis’ unique way of using media tools to connect her students to learning.  Vickie is an innovative teacher in Camilla, Georgia that has taken it upon herself to use games, blogs, wikis, and virtual worlds to ignite a want in her students.  Mrs. Davis herself has won an award for best teacher blog in the world.  She has traveled around the country talking about the techniques she is using but her passion remains in the classroom with her students.  As a “teacherpreneur” she has taught her students new software, to learn how to learn, how to use the Wiki, and how to collaborate with other students more effectively.
 

    Mrs. Davis has collaborated with Julie Lindsey, a teacher in Qatar, to form a global collaborative project they named Digi Teen.  Students all over the globe have come together studying digital citizenship by researching and posting their finding through two digital portals!  Along with Digi Teen the two teachers have also founded another project.  Flat Classroom Project is a project that lets students experience trends in information technology by writing reports with other students and creating videos.  She has even with some of her students to the Middle East for a conference for the Flat Classroom Project.  Vickie Davis made a statement at the end of the video that stuck with me.  She said, “I believe this whole idea of turning school upside down and empowering students to share with one another.  If you can empower them you are just going to have a better classroom.”

 

Wesley Etheridge: Teaching in the 21st Century


Kevin Roberts made it clear that teachers in the 21st century will have to stop simply providing content, dates, facts, and formula’s. Teachers are no longer the source of information; instead we are the filter between the students and information they have access to learn on their own. Roberts nailed this point by listing all the things students can use to learn on their own. Resources such as blogs, Google, cell phones, Twitter, Wikipedia, and YouTube are available to the majority of students in America.

 What does it mean to be a filter? Kevin Roberts asks the question, “How do we teach students to handle their resources?”

Being a filter means that we show our students how to use the resources made available to them. Teachers in the 21st century must show students how to validate, synthesize, leverage, communicate, and collaborate information. Roberts poses another important question, with all of this information available should our curriculum be focused on facts and content, or skills? If students can learn facts on their own, it’s clear we should focus on the skills needed.
 
I honestly don’t disagree with anything Kevin Roberts stated. I think he’s correct, and I think it means we need to focus on engaging students rather than entertaining students. Engaging students begins with the teacher. As teachers we need make sure we’re doing anything it takes to keep our students engaged at all times. Rather it be through collaborating with fellow students or utilizing questions that challenge students to solve problems online, the focus needs to be on engaging students. If Roberts is correct the challenge for me will be to take risks. Instead of making assumptions that my students won’t be successful learning facts on their own, I want to try different methods and see what happens.