Blog about 'Why School: How Education Must Change When Learning and Information Are Everywhere"
If you do anything here, please go down to the video about the dangers of DHMO (below).
I am going to assume that if you are on here looking at this blog of thoughts concerning the article "why school", you have already read the piece and I'll spare you a review description of it. If you haven't the comments may still be salient but you should read it anyway. It's only 1.99 on kindle and is worth it.
What an interesting and surprising read! It reads more like a long blog than a book to me but with sourced evidence to support claims. Sheesh, I'm not sure where to start actually.
I did my undergrad at UCLA and tech was already a huge priority for my major and in most of my classes- almost every class and almost every student had a computer in front of them while lecture, lab and discussion was taking place. It was strongly encouraged that we utilize all resources available. Never was any form of technology not allowed. Interestingly, I have attended more than a few classes at USD where teachers actually do ban computers (crazy right?) so the juxtaposition of ideologies with regard to technology use has been of interest to me as. I remember my first class at USD, it was working with an anthro prof, and I had my computer open while he was lecturing. I was the only one with my computer open and at one point he was talking about a specific depth measurement for an aquatic anthropological dig and what was the viable diving depth before he stopped talking. He looked at me and said, "Daniel, since you are working on your computer, you could find that out, right?" I had my screen open to the specific site he was discussing and was actually copying some the information into my note-taking ap. and I simply said, "I'm not sure but it looks like from the dig that it was on the sublittoral shelf at maybe 200 m? I'm not sure that would be angle or depth". That was literally my second class in graduate school and already I was seeing resistance to technology. I wish I could say that was an isolated incidence, but it wasn't and this was a teacher tolerating it. It was interesting as I made my way through USD as well as through my student teaching. With both there seemed to be a love/hate relationship. Some instructors tried to find every neat way of incorporating it, encouraging us to have it present in our grad classes, while others shunned and banned any form. With student teaching it was also love/hate but seemed to take on the feeling that while teachers did want to learn about and start using these new technologies they felt that there wasn't enough time and that it should be targeted in professional development. It is very clear that most administrations would like teachers to branch out and go further. As I apply for teaching positions both here, abroad, and even Africa, the ability to be even somewhat digitally capable is a big plus. But how does that trickle down to our students?
1. The availability of an immediate and immense fount of information can not be ignored by American Education; The world outside of the classroom requires facility with it, the classroom should too.
One of the things I have focused most on in my Action Research is the ability for students to determine their own learning. The project that they worked on in the second implenation are able to formulate what they study, how they study it, and how they presented it. I was amazed at how much I learned about technology from them when I turned towards teaming up with them to help them learn, instead of teaching them. Did you know there are at least four free websites that will take your source information, for things like citations, and organize it into the desired style. APA, MLA, Chicago, etc. can all be done without the student purchasing a new book for every new class they take in college. That there are dozens of quality map and game makers that enable them to focus on content and material review or teaching at the click of a button. Google Earth, and I keep mentioning it all over my posts, has become simply amazing. Students can now go back in time, with the use of National Geographic maps, as well as a host of others, to see and learn about history. From their seat at the computer, they are able to go into museums and learn about art and pieces while 'virtually' traveling down the hall to stop and look at things. My own 20% project has had me virtually go into the Prado museum to look around. The internet truly brings the world to them.
Richardson deftly describes what seem to be the trends in education and that the WAY we are bringing in technology astoundingly misses the point. What I see him suggesting is that we allow the students to learn the way many of them learn outside of the classroom; using technology.
2. The first stop for many students when doing homework is the internet and teaching students to locate the right sources and communities can offer amazing ways of learning.
The story that he told about his son learning and spending the rainy day working on minecraft had a simple but strong set of messages for me. The fact is, when the kid wanted to learn about minecraft he went straight into tutorials, blogs, and even videos about the game in order to try and learn the basics, understand the rules and attempt to begin to master the game. I have to admit...even before I read this I had been interested in minecraft, and while I have never played it, I too watched the video (among others and for a goof 45 min.), on how to survive the first day. In any case, he went through Vygotsky's zones of proximal development in a self directed way. He chose who would be best in helping him learn and how best to learn it. He utilized the internet to create a house by the end of the day! The second lesson was how self direction can turn a bored teenager into a motivated and highly engaged learner. Again, because he used his knowledge of tech. to direct what he was doing he was much more engaged. I am sure he still would have wanted to play it but, imagine watching the story unfold with his dad, this time, giving him a book of instructions.
3. He says there is a hitch. That students' access to information doesn't come with an aiblity to use the interet well.
The reason the internet is so wonderful is the same reason it can be a problem. Server upon server, upon server working together create an immense secondary world of information where people are free to include what they like. As easily as I can find a fifty minute lecture on dark matter, along with class notes and two problem sets, by a professor from Yale for his class (this search took me less than 30 seconds) ,
http://oyc.yale.edu/astronomy/astr-160/lecture-20
I can just as easily multiple sites that appear to be backed with proof and official organizations warning that not only is Dihydrogen Monoxide one of the most deadly poisons, it is in every house in the United States; that it is so dangerous that it needs to be immediately banned. take a look at the video below. Aside from the video a search of Dihydrogen Monoxide will garner dozens of results discussing how deadly it can be. I'll continue below the video.
If you do anything here, please go down to the video about the dangers of DHMO (below).
I am going to assume that if you are on here looking at this blog of thoughts concerning the article "why school", you have already read the piece and I'll spare you a review description of it. If you haven't the comments may still be salient but you should read it anyway. It's only 1.99 on kindle and is worth it.
What an interesting and surprising read! It reads more like a long blog than a book to me but with sourced evidence to support claims. Sheesh, I'm not sure where to start actually.
I did my undergrad at UCLA and tech was already a huge priority for my major and in most of my classes- almost every class and almost every student had a computer in front of them while lecture, lab and discussion was taking place. It was strongly encouraged that we utilize all resources available. Never was any form of technology not allowed. Interestingly, I have attended more than a few classes at USD where teachers actually do ban computers (crazy right?) so the juxtaposition of ideologies with regard to technology use has been of interest to me as. I remember my first class at USD, it was working with an anthro prof, and I had my computer open while he was lecturing. I was the only one with my computer open and at one point he was talking about a specific depth measurement for an aquatic anthropological dig and what was the viable diving depth before he stopped talking. He looked at me and said, "Daniel, since you are working on your computer, you could find that out, right?" I had my screen open to the specific site he was discussing and was actually copying some the information into my note-taking ap. and I simply said, "I'm not sure but it looks like from the dig that it was on the sublittoral shelf at maybe 200 m? I'm not sure that would be angle or depth". That was literally my second class in graduate school and already I was seeing resistance to technology. I wish I could say that was an isolated incidence, but it wasn't and this was a teacher tolerating it. It was interesting as I made my way through USD as well as through my student teaching. With both there seemed to be a love/hate relationship. Some instructors tried to find every neat way of incorporating it, encouraging us to have it present in our grad classes, while others shunned and banned any form. With student teaching it was also love/hate but seemed to take on the feeling that while teachers did want to learn about and start using these new technologies they felt that there wasn't enough time and that it should be targeted in professional development. It is very clear that most administrations would like teachers to branch out and go further. As I apply for teaching positions both here, abroad, and even Africa, the ability to be even somewhat digitally capable is a big plus. But how does that trickle down to our students?
1. The availability of an immediate and immense fount of information can not be ignored by American Education; The world outside of the classroom requires facility with it, the classroom should too.
One of the things I have focused most on in my Action Research is the ability for students to determine their own learning. The project that they worked on in the second implenation are able to formulate what they study, how they study it, and how they presented it. I was amazed at how much I learned about technology from them when I turned towards teaming up with them to help them learn, instead of teaching them. Did you know there are at least four free websites that will take your source information, for things like citations, and organize it into the desired style. APA, MLA, Chicago, etc. can all be done without the student purchasing a new book for every new class they take in college. That there are dozens of quality map and game makers that enable them to focus on content and material review or teaching at the click of a button. Google Earth, and I keep mentioning it all over my posts, has become simply amazing. Students can now go back in time, with the use of National Geographic maps, as well as a host of others, to see and learn about history. From their seat at the computer, they are able to go into museums and learn about art and pieces while 'virtually' traveling down the hall to stop and look at things. My own 20% project has had me virtually go into the Prado museum to look around. The internet truly brings the world to them.
Richardson deftly describes what seem to be the trends in education and that the WAY we are bringing in technology astoundingly misses the point. What I see him suggesting is that we allow the students to learn the way many of them learn outside of the classroom; using technology.
2. The first stop for many students when doing homework is the internet and teaching students to locate the right sources and communities can offer amazing ways of learning.
The story that he told about his son learning and spending the rainy day working on minecraft had a simple but strong set of messages for me. The fact is, when the kid wanted to learn about minecraft he went straight into tutorials, blogs, and even videos about the game in order to try and learn the basics, understand the rules and attempt to begin to master the game. I have to admit...even before I read this I had been interested in minecraft, and while I have never played it, I too watched the video (among others and for a goof 45 min.), on how to survive the first day. In any case, he went through Vygotsky's zones of proximal development in a self directed way. He chose who would be best in helping him learn and how best to learn it. He utilized the internet to create a house by the end of the day! The second lesson was how self direction can turn a bored teenager into a motivated and highly engaged learner. Again, because he used his knowledge of tech. to direct what he was doing he was much more engaged. I am sure he still would have wanted to play it but, imagine watching the story unfold with his dad, this time, giving him a book of instructions.
3. He says there is a hitch. That students' access to information doesn't come with an aiblity to use the interet well.
The reason the internet is so wonderful is the same reason it can be a problem. Server upon server, upon server working together create an immense secondary world of information where people are free to include what they like. As easily as I can find a fifty minute lecture on dark matter, along with class notes and two problem sets, by a professor from Yale for his class (this search took me less than 30 seconds) ,
http://oyc.yale.edu/astronomy/astr-160/lecture-20
I can just as easily multiple sites that appear to be backed with proof and official organizations warning that not only is Dihydrogen Monoxide one of the most deadly poisons, it is in every house in the United States; that it is so dangerous that it needs to be immediately banned. take a look at the video below. Aside from the video a search of Dihydrogen Monoxide will garner dozens of results discussing how deadly it can be. I'll continue below the video.
If you aren't familiar with it DHMO is simply Dihyrogen, or two hydrogen molecules, and Monoxide, or one oxygen molecule. So, DHMO is H2O, or water.
When I was student teaching for 7th grade, I did a series of lessons aimed at showing the good and bad aspects of internet use. We worked on identifying ways of judging sources and sites, effective methods of searching for information and tools that could help, even creating a large project where they would use all that we had learned to create reliable information. The first day, and the hook, was about learning that information on the net isn't always what it seems. The first thing I did that day was to tell them that before we started I wanted to share something with them that I very seriously wanted them to know; that I was worried about it. I then showed this clip and asked them to write down their reactions and what they thought they would do next. Responses varied but many included talking to their parents about it and trying to get the word out. I then showed them some websites, by actually doing a google search, about DHMO to demonstrate that there was evidence and that these sites listed the Environmental Protection Agency, The National Cancer Institute, and even Greenpeace. Most were sold. I then unveiled the truth about it all and we went forward with different methods on checking up on a site and/or individual who has contributed.
To make a short point long, the internet is vast and can sometimes be misleading. I agree with Mr. Richardson that while it is an education changing aspect of our current times, we need to be careful in also teaching students some of the drawbacks.
When I was student teaching for 7th grade, I did a series of lessons aimed at showing the good and bad aspects of internet use. We worked on identifying ways of judging sources and sites, effective methods of searching for information and tools that could help, even creating a large project where they would use all that we had learned to create reliable information. The first day, and the hook, was about learning that information on the net isn't always what it seems. The first thing I did that day was to tell them that before we started I wanted to share something with them that I very seriously wanted them to know; that I was worried about it. I then showed this clip and asked them to write down their reactions and what they thought they would do next. Responses varied but many included talking to their parents about it and trying to get the word out. I then showed them some websites, by actually doing a google search, about DHMO to demonstrate that there was evidence and that these sites listed the Environmental Protection Agency, The National Cancer Institute, and even Greenpeace. Most were sold. I then unveiled the truth about it all and we went forward with different methods on checking up on a site and/or individual who has contributed.
To make a short point long, the internet is vast and can sometimes be misleading. I agree with Mr. Richardson that while it is an education changing aspect of our current times, we need to be careful in also teaching students some of the drawbacks.