Soooo, Rayhan and I are in the same blogging cohort as is Matt Pierson. When Kristin was showing us Google Reader we decided to subscribe to all of the people's blogs in our cohort. Rayhan was then checking out the content from her subscription on google reader and when she went over the stuff from Matt Pierson's blog she found some stuff that wasn't on his blog. When she clicked the link to it it took her to Pierson's blog but had a date of 2010 (well before he created his blog) and it said content not available. The mystery content were drawings of little green neighborhoods and people with pumpkin heads. Just silly stuff.
I asked Matt P and he said he had no idea what that stuff was. SOooo, I figured that there must have been a blogspot with the same domain name as his that existed before his but was since deleted. Somehow, Google reader can still summon this content.
I'm not really sure how I feel about this. Actually I am sure. That shouldn't be happening. I wonder if Google reader is aware of this. Probably they are.
Just goes to show the world wide web is a crazy place and sometimes things happen that shouldn't. Mysteries abound. Glitches happen. Just thought it was interesting.
P.S. If you're interested in seeing the pumpkin people, simply subscribe to Matt Pierson's blog on google reader . . .
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Saturday, July 28, 2012
My Toolbar (Tool belt) is getting heavy.
First things first . . . lyrics to the Jukebox Hero parody, Dropbox Hero . . .
If you're feeling adventurous, you can listen to the song while you read the new lyrics and replace them . . .
If you're feeling adventurous, you can listen to the song while you read the new lyrics and replace them . . .
Standing
in the rain, with his head hung low
Couldn't find a seat, it was a sold out 504
Heard the roar of the crowd, he could picture the scene
Put his ear to the wall, then like a distant scream
He heard of one new tool, just blew him away
He saw stars in his eyes, and the very next day
Went to dropbox.com, having files to store
Didn't know how to use it, but he knew for sure
That one new tool, felt good on his Mac, didn't take long, to understand
Just one dropbox, icon down low
Was a one way ticket, only one way to go
So he started droppin', ain't never gonna stop
Gotta keep on droppin', someday gonna make it to the top
. . . and be a DROPBOX hero, got stars in his eyes, he's a DROPBOX hero!
Couldn't find a seat, it was a sold out 504
Heard the roar of the crowd, he could picture the scene
Put his ear to the wall, then like a distant scream
He heard of one new tool, just blew him away
He saw stars in his eyes, and the very next day
Went to dropbox.com, having files to store
Didn't know how to use it, but he knew for sure
That one new tool, felt good on his Mac, didn't take long, to understand
Just one dropbox, icon down low
Was a one way ticket, only one way to go
So he started droppin', ain't never gonna stop
Gotta keep on droppin', someday gonna make it to the top
. . . and be a DROPBOX hero, got stars in his eyes, he's a DROPBOX hero!
I shared this with my organizing your online life team. I'm not too sure they got a kick out of it. I did, though.
We learned about Diigo, Dropbox, Evernote, and Skype.
I had never used the first three and I use Skype every day. My sister and brother-in-law live in Germany and my girlfriend is in Russia. Skype is awesome.
Dropbox seems to be overlapped considerably in its functionality by other tools/devices. Their website also opens with a horribly boring tutorial video. I'm sorry, but if you can't whip up some better marketing than that, I'm not sure if your free product even warrants my time. Having said my two cents, I do understand why a person might use it. If a person is constantly skipping from device to device it seems like it could be a great tool. One of the coolest things is the easy sharing.
I should emphasize easy. Because what dropbox does is not terribly more than what email or a USB can do, it really aims to persuade users with its ease. It does what you already can do. Maybe it makes it a little easier.
I'm sure there are lots of dropbox heroes out there. I'm sure it saves them some time. Maybe I will go this route when I have more devices. For now, everything is on my laptop, USB, and email. So far, so good.
Diigo seems really cool!!!! More on this later . . .
I'm back . . .
So if I actually get on the Diigo horse I feel like it has the potential to revolutionize how I organize how the information in my online life. I think I will have to change the settings to make it not so invasive. I want to have it available when I want it, but I do not want it to bother me when I'm trying to do other stuff. I know it is vying for my attention but like a clingy girlfriend, people will be driven away. People need their space. It sent me an email and also popped up when I was googling stuff . . . so I turned it off and haven't turned it back on. I think I will some time after my life slows down. Or maybe when I have an expansive research project. Actually, I think it might be better to use it for some sort of fun application first so I get used to its functionality stuff. We'll see.
I'm definitely thankful for the introduction to all these new tools. Really cool stuff))))
Onward.
I'm back . . .
So if I actually get on the Diigo horse I feel like it has the potential to revolutionize how I organize how the information in my online life. I think I will have to change the settings to make it not so invasive. I want to have it available when I want it, but I do not want it to bother me when I'm trying to do other stuff. I know it is vying for my attention but like a clingy girlfriend, people will be driven away. People need their space. It sent me an email and also popped up when I was googling stuff . . . so I turned it off and haven't turned it back on. I think I will some time after my life slows down. Or maybe when I have an expansive research project. Actually, I think it might be better to use it for some sort of fun application first so I get used to its functionality stuff. We'll see.
I'm definitely thankful for the introduction to all these new tools. Really cool stuff))))
Onward.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Learning Stuff
I really enjoy the practical tech skills that we learn every class. The pinnacle moment of Friday's session was when I linked to my blog and embedded my aviary audio file on my new online portfolio/website. The key now is to not lose knowledge of these skills. I hope to keep refreshing them by working with these tools in a few creative projects.
What new creative projects should I partake in? Feel free to chime in, blogosphere . . .
I think there is a good chance I will employ the use of online websites/portfolios during my teaching career. I was surprised at how easy it was. The wide world web is really a place full of wonder . . . as long as you can avoid the spider. The most problematic thing seems to be the bit about posting student work online. I guess I work make it optional but just highly recommend it. As I commented on another blog, this online portfolio would have definitely motivated my adolescent self. I hardly ever showed my parents any of my work. If I was made to put it all online in a cool looking, sleek web portfolio, I would happily send my parental units the link. It's actually a reason for them to look at it. I'm sure many of you had different experiences, but thinking about mine, an online portfolio would definitely enhance my parent's interest and involvement in my work.
The presentation from the former sMACer, Tom (was that his name?), was cool. The real question that it brought up was how much time are you willing to sacrifice to actually make a lesson interesting . . . ? A teacher always needs to be mindful of the curriculum but simultaneously mindful of how much droning a student can take before they die of boredom. In 10th grade, I used to walk into my American Democratic Society class (Civics) and say to my buddy, "what are we going to do today, brain?" And he'd say, "the same we do every day pinky . . . vocab and busy work."
The kids in Tom's classroom are going to remember their lesson on parabolic equations years from now. How much else will they remember? Probably not a whole lot.
What new creative projects should I partake in? Feel free to chime in, blogosphere . . .
I think there is a good chance I will employ the use of online websites/portfolios during my teaching career. I was surprised at how easy it was. The wide world web is really a place full of wonder . . . as long as you can avoid the spider. The most problematic thing seems to be the bit about posting student work online. I guess I work make it optional but just highly recommend it. As I commented on another blog, this online portfolio would have definitely motivated my adolescent self. I hardly ever showed my parents any of my work. If I was made to put it all online in a cool looking, sleek web portfolio, I would happily send my parental units the link. It's actually a reason for them to look at it. I'm sure many of you had different experiences, but thinking about mine, an online portfolio would definitely enhance my parent's interest and involvement in my work.
The presentation from the former sMACer, Tom (was that his name?), was cool. The real question that it brought up was how much time are you willing to sacrifice to actually make a lesson interesting . . . ? A teacher always needs to be mindful of the curriculum but simultaneously mindful of how much droning a student can take before they die of boredom. In 10th grade, I used to walk into my American Democratic Society class (Civics) and say to my buddy, "what are we going to do today, brain?" And he'd say, "the same we do every day pinky . . . vocab and busy work."
The kids in Tom's classroom are going to remember their lesson on parabolic equations years from now. How much else will they remember? Probably not a whole lot.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Aiming for Gaming, TED talk girl Button Mashing with the best of them . . .
Hmmm. A video game designer tells me that the secret is video games and one of her main arguing points is about extremely circumstantial/unreliable historical data that semi-relates. She draws hugely unfound conclusions (in my opinion). BUT, her boots are cool.
The idea, nonetheless, is still worth discussing. This along with the text by the baby boomer James Gee shared similar enthusiasm for the gaming - learning equation but I think envisioned slightly different applications.
Here is Gee:
""So the suggestion I leave you with is not “use games in school”—though that’s a
good idea—but: How can we make learning in and out of school, with or without using
games, more game-like in the sense of using the sorts of learning principles young people
see in good games every day when and if they are playing these games reflectively and
strategically?""
This is a good question. Games don't increase learning, the types of things that they supply like intrinsic motivation promote learning. I'm very interested in this discussion of increasing ownership and incentives beyond just a grade perspective.
I've actually worked quite a but with games and learning and I'm not speaking of video games. I know these games not being video games gets away from not being technology but it still informs the discussion.
I've learned that with K-6 you can pretty much make a game out of anything. Make the rules of the game, enforce the rules of the game, add motivation for them to be successful, and hoila.
For example, when working as a counselor when I first started working at Camp Ohiyesa, I informed my cabin campers that whenever I saw trash on the ground, I would start making a nuclear noise and point to it and they had five seconds to pick it up or else we had to walk back a short distance and go through the area again and "do it the right way." You could not imagine how much excitement this created and how effective at picking up trash it was.
Furthermore, it is common at camp to award the cleanest cabin award. Human beings love to compete. It doesn't take much to get their juices flowing in this regard. If I established myself as someone they looked up to and how important their task was, they would buy into anything. I told them they were the best cabin and they were going to prove it to the camp every day by winning the cleanest cabin award everyday. And they did. Those floors were squeaky clean. Remember, we're talking about 15 young boys squeezed into a building in the woods. Squeaky Clean Floors. Anything can be made into a game. You just have to be creative. And I mean "creative" in a whole different way than many educators talk about. Game designers are highly creative people. Are teachers? Are they even allowed to be?
The idea, nonetheless, is still worth discussing. This along with the text by the baby boomer James Gee shared similar enthusiasm for the gaming - learning equation but I think envisioned slightly different applications.
Here is Gee:
""So the suggestion I leave you with is not “use games in school”—though that’s a
good idea—but: How can we make learning in and out of school, with or without using
games, more game-like in the sense of using the sorts of learning principles young people
see in good games every day when and if they are playing these games reflectively and
strategically?""
This is a good question. Games don't increase learning, the types of things that they supply like intrinsic motivation promote learning. I'm very interested in this discussion of increasing ownership and incentives beyond just a grade perspective.
I've actually worked quite a but with games and learning and I'm not speaking of video games. I know these games not being video games gets away from not being technology but it still informs the discussion.
I've learned that with K-6 you can pretty much make a game out of anything. Make the rules of the game, enforce the rules of the game, add motivation for them to be successful, and hoila.
For example, when working as a counselor when I first started working at Camp Ohiyesa, I informed my cabin campers that whenever I saw trash on the ground, I would start making a nuclear noise and point to it and they had five seconds to pick it up or else we had to walk back a short distance and go through the area again and "do it the right way." You could not imagine how much excitement this created and how effective at picking up trash it was.
Furthermore, it is common at camp to award the cleanest cabin award. Human beings love to compete. It doesn't take much to get their juices flowing in this regard. If I established myself as someone they looked up to and how important their task was, they would buy into anything. I told them they were the best cabin and they were going to prove it to the camp every day by winning the cleanest cabin award everyday. And they did. Those floors were squeaky clean. Remember, we're talking about 15 young boys squeezed into a building in the woods. Squeaky Clean Floors. Anything can be made into a game. You just have to be creative. And I mean "creative" in a whole different way than many educators talk about. Game designers are highly creative people. Are teachers? Are they even allowed to be?
Friday, July 13, 2012
I once met a Librarian in an orange colored booth . . .
Currently, I am waiting for the totem to edit the wiki which is now being referred to as only "the stick." Much angst has been generated by the passing of the stick. Most of this angst is because it is Friday at 5 pm. I will reflect on today's class while I wait.
Class today began with working in groups of 5 or 6 on building a lesson plan around the NYC soda ban. I really enjoyed being able to pick the brain of our group's librarian, Jan. She informed us of different databases to use especially those accessed through the MEL site that is paid for my the state of Michigan. One of the cool databases within the MEL site is "Opposing Viewpoints." This resource provides lots of good material for expository, argumentative essays, etc . . .
Our group had many different ideas but after much discussion, we agreed on components of several of them and formed a week long lesson plan:
(skim as needed)
* students will have already been emailed a page of how to research (acceptable sites)
A. Do Write Now: response to article (10 minutes)
B. Show a few clips of newscasts, interviews, etc. (10 minutes)
C. Class discussion. What do you think about this article? What is your opinion on the soda ban? Do you agree? Disagree? Why? (15 minutes)
D. Explain assignment (10 minutes)- research sheet given
E. Assign roles-make sure roles are different from what they think and that students input on what the roles are - en(5 minutes)
a. restaurant owner
b. Michael Bloomberg (Mayor of NYC)
c. Coca-Cola executive
h. OCD Big GULP drinker
* ensuring they understand what they are reading
Examples: http://www.nytimes.com/pages/opinion/index.html?8qa
Students should also be allowed to include their own portraits!
B. Publish writing and post links on the class’s website. Comment on other people’s posts.
DAY 5/6
A. Group Presentations
1. Day 1: Pro arguments, end of class summarizing discussion (also identify logical fallacies and unreliable resources)
2. Day 2: Con arguments, end of class summarizing discussion (also identify logical fallacies and unreliable resources)
DAY 7
A. Show Nazi video about Jews (they were depicted as rats by the Nazis in order to de-humanize them). Show propaganda posters (US depictions of Japanese during WWII...). Show opinion pieces, newscasts, interviews, etc.
B. Discuss biases. What did they learn? Question every argumentative readings throughout
Backward Design
1. Identify Desired Results
3. Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction- ASSESSMENT
CC STANDARDS:
W.11-12.3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences. (for the creative writing activities)
W.11-12.6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information. (uhh everything)
W.11-12.8. Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation. (any expository writing activity)
SL.11-12.1. Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11–12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. (any communications activity, or if ELA activities include breaking students up into groups)
SL.11-12.3. Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and tone used. (any communications class; can also be used in performance-based ELA activities such as podcasts and news program projects)
SL.11-12.5. Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest. (performance-based ELA projects)
SL.11-12.6. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating a command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. (performance-based ELA projects)
L.11-12.2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. (all formal writing activities - probably not performance activities)
L.11-12.3. Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening. (all argumentative writing activities)
One thing that is hugely obvious is that a seven day lesson plan concerning the NYC soda ban is just not really feasible considering all the other elements of the curriculum (I don't even think my HS class spent seven days on Hamlet let alone an editorial.
We just had so many ideas and kind of wanted (after working out the single day lesson plan) to see what it would be like to lesson plan for a whole unit. I think we did this pretty successfully.
BTW, I'm now in the future and have since successfully uploaded by podcast. That was what we spent our second block of 504 class doing. This time was also very enjoyable and educational. I had never heard of Aviary but was very happy with what it provides. I look forward to exploring it more and potentially utilizing it in my classroom.
Class today began with working in groups of 5 or 6 on building a lesson plan around the NYC soda ban. I really enjoyed being able to pick the brain of our group's librarian, Jan. She informed us of different databases to use especially those accessed through the MEL site that is paid for my the state of Michigan. One of the cool databases within the MEL site is "Opposing Viewpoints." This resource provides lots of good material for expository, argumentative essays, etc . . .
Our group had many different ideas but after much discussion, we agreed on components of several of them and formed a week long lesson plan:
(skim as needed)
DAY 1 (50 minutes):
*students have article read before class (either passed out or emailed)* students will have already been emailed a page of how to research (acceptable sites)
A. Do Write Now: response to article (10 minutes)
B. Show a few clips of newscasts, interviews, etc. (10 minutes)
C. Class discussion. What do you think about this article? What is your opinion on the soda ban? Do you agree? Disagree? Why? (15 minutes)
D. Explain assignment (10 minutes)- research sheet given
E. Assign roles-make sure roles are different from what they think and that students input on what the roles are - en(5 minutes)
a. restaurant owner
b. Michael Bloomberg (Mayor of NYC)
c. Coca-Cola executive
d. caffeine-addicted semi-truck driver
e. super conservative (don’t take my rights)
f. health expert
g. fed up taxpayerh. OCD Big GULP drinker
DAY 2/3
A. Research (use links to databases and reliable sources on the teacher’s website; also allow students to search for videos and images)* ensuring they understand what they are reading
DAY 4/5
A. Write Op. Ed. pieces (opinion editorial) Examples: http://www.nytimes.com/pages/opinion/index.html?8qa
Students should also be allowed to include their own portraits!
B. Publish writing and post links on the class’s website. Comment on other people’s posts.
DAY 5/6
A. Group Presentations
1. Day 1: Pro arguments, end of class summarizing discussion (also identify logical fallacies and unreliable resources)
2. Day 2: Con arguments, end of class summarizing discussion (also identify logical fallacies and unreliable resources)
DAY 7
A. Show Nazi video about Jews (they were depicted as rats by the Nazis in order to de-humanize them). Show propaganda posters (US depictions of Japanese during WWII...). Show opinion pieces, newscasts, interviews, etc.
B. Discuss biases. What did they learn? Question every argumentative readings throughout
STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
THROUGHOUT THE semester will lead to long term critical thinking skills Backward Design
1. Identify Desired Results
a. Question everything!-critical thinking skills
b. What is bias? How do we determine if something is biased?
c. What is the value of looking at ideas, events, and opinions from different perspectives?
d. learn pro/con opinions, being the devil’s advocate
2. Determine Acceptable Evidence
a. Presentations, creative writing project (written evidence of their bias on this issue)
b. RI.11-12.1. Cite strong and thorough textual evidence - They must cite evidence in their biased opinion
c. RI.11-12.6. Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is particularly effective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power, persuasiveness or beauty of the text & RI.11-12.7. Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem - They have to identify bias in the assigned articles (should we have them look at video too? Such as newscasts or talk shows?
d. W.11-12.1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence - Have them write an exposition.
3. Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction- ASSESSMENT
CC STANDARDS:
W.11-12.3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences. (for the creative writing activities)
W.11-12.6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information. (uhh everything)
W.11-12.8. Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation. (any expository writing activity)
SL.11-12.1. Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11–12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. (any communications activity, or if ELA activities include breaking students up into groups)
SL.11-12.3. Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and tone used. (any communications class; can also be used in performance-based ELA activities such as podcasts and news program projects)
SL.11-12.5. Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest. (performance-based ELA projects)
SL.11-12.6. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating a command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. (performance-based ELA projects)
L.11-12.2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. (all formal writing activities - probably not performance activities)
L.11-12.3. Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening. (all argumentative writing activities)
One thing that is hugely obvious is that a seven day lesson plan concerning the NYC soda ban is just not really feasible considering all the other elements of the curriculum (I don't even think my HS class spent seven days on Hamlet let alone an editorial.
We just had so many ideas and kind of wanted (after working out the single day lesson plan) to see what it would be like to lesson plan for a whole unit. I think we did this pretty successfully.
BTW, I'm now in the future and have since successfully uploaded by podcast. That was what we spent our second block of 504 class doing. This time was also very enjoyable and educational. I had never heard of Aviary but was very happy with what it provides. I look forward to exploring it more and potentially utilizing it in my classroom.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
So, da ban, man . . .
Aww, yes. The cleverness of my title. It's amazing what four seconds of semi-interrupted thought can do for the everyday blogger. As the post title states, this entry is about the SoDa BaN that is currently going down in the City. Lame Duck NYC Mayor Bloomberg is fighting for the ban of large sodas (over 16 oz) ((That's a pint!)) in the city limits.
This seems to be quite an interesting issue in a lot of ways. The question I'm going to focus on is how could I apply this to the ELA classroom and use it to design a lesson. How? (Or in Russian, Kak?)
I first begin to think about what I've read in different editorials about the issue. Many of them have referred to the past to address this issue of the current. I might ask my students to do the same. We could dig on the Interwebs for articles about the previous bans of trans fat in the city, cigarettes in bars/restaurants, enforcing age limits on cigarettes, and even way back when they banned the booze (I have an inclination this was called Prohibition). These different government issuings all have different histories and all evoked many different opinions/arguments. I think it would be a blast to go back and search for some of these articles, find them, compare them, study their logic, and then ask my students to conclude logically which aspects of which banishments are most closely related to the current issue of the soda ban.
Another thing that could potentially be brought into the discussion is the issue of gun control. Many people have compared guns killing people as one in the same as spoons making people fat. This argument is very flawed. Gunmen don't only kill themselves. If they did, there would be no issue. But gunmen can kill people that aren't themselves. If there were such a spoon in which the wielder could use it to make other people fat, that is a spoon that I would definitely want banned. To me,this is the same type of logic that justifies the limiting of smoking in public places. When your action begins to disrupt the health of others, that is where the government can step in.
With the issue of the soda ban, no one else besides the large soda consumer is being affected health wise. HOWEVER (in Russian Kakever), other people are being affected fiscally in at least some ways as obesity related health care cost in the U.S. $147 billion!! The element of health does not factor one bit into the equation for me. People should be responsible for making their own decisions. Buuuuuuuut, when health related problems begin to affect others financially, it might be time for the government to step in.
I hope that in consulting these issues of the past, my students will be able to see the intricacies of the question and which comparisons to the bans of the past are relevant and which are not. It would also be cool for them to think about the different writing style of journalists over the past 100 years. These things, along with the research element, could lead to a pretty cool two class project/discussion.
Toto, were not in Kansas, anymore""
This seems to be quite an interesting issue in a lot of ways. The question I'm going to focus on is how could I apply this to the ELA classroom and use it to design a lesson. How? (Or in Russian, Kak?)
I first begin to think about what I've read in different editorials about the issue. Many of them have referred to the past to address this issue of the current. I might ask my students to do the same. We could dig on the Interwebs for articles about the previous bans of trans fat in the city, cigarettes in bars/restaurants, enforcing age limits on cigarettes, and even way back when they banned the booze (I have an inclination this was called Prohibition). These different government issuings all have different histories and all evoked many different opinions/arguments. I think it would be a blast to go back and search for some of these articles, find them, compare them, study their logic, and then ask my students to conclude logically which aspects of which banishments are most closely related to the current issue of the soda ban.
Another thing that could potentially be brought into the discussion is the issue of gun control. Many people have compared guns killing people as one in the same as spoons making people fat. This argument is very flawed. Gunmen don't only kill themselves. If they did, there would be no issue. But gunmen can kill people that aren't themselves. If there were such a spoon in which the wielder could use it to make other people fat, that is a spoon that I would definitely want banned. To me,this is the same type of logic that justifies the limiting of smoking in public places. When your action begins to disrupt the health of others, that is where the government can step in.
With the issue of the soda ban, no one else besides the large soda consumer is being affected health wise. HOWEVER (in Russian Kakever), other people are being affected fiscally in at least some ways as obesity related health care cost in the U.S. $147 billion!! The element of health does not factor one bit into the equation for me. People should be responsible for making their own decisions. Buuuuuuuut, when health related problems begin to affect others financially, it might be time for the government to step in.
I hope that in consulting these issues of the past, my students will be able to see the intricacies of the question and which comparisons to the bans of the past are relevant and which are not. It would also be cool for them to think about the different writing style of journalists over the past 100 years. These things, along with the research element, could lead to a pretty cool two class project/discussion.
Toto, were not in Kansas, anymore""
Monday, July 2, 2012
Reflection on First Reflections (Like a Mirror facing another Mirror)
So after further inquiry, I've realized my first post may not be substantial enough . . . content wise. Well, I thought I was just supposed to reflect on class. There is a lot that happens in class completely unrelated to content. But with that said, in this post I will do my best to reflect on the "content of class."
Much of class I was thinking about how technology can create the type of social dynamic that can enhance motivation. (To me, the bio teacher used technology (technology as a tool, not a solution) to create a more interesting social dynamic to lab work) Some people will tell you that the relationships we have in life are the most important things. If these relationships are important to us, if we care about how we fit in, if we care about conversing then it seems very clear that establishing a type of forum where we can relate our work back to a social context would be an attractive concept to people. Some students may feel like their relationship with the teacher is important enough that they will do their best just for this. (As most often work is only seen by the teacher) Others will not be motivated by this - they don't/won't place emphasis on their relationship with the teacher but they are more likely to value their relationship with their peers.
That is why the photo taking caught their interest.
It is like, what if I had a facebook for all my schoolwork . . . hmm. All of my work would be shown to all the world. Would I be more motivated to do better? I think so. Grades never really motivated me and only the best teachers inspired me to give them my best work, but this online portfolio of work concept would definitely motivate me.
It's like writing a novel. It's much more difficult to spend all those long hours writing if you don't have any idea of who will read it. It becomes easier if you have a small group of friends who are eagerly waiting on your next draft to help critique it. You write it for them.
Teachnology <------ whoops, I just accidentally misspelled technology as teachnology but I like it so I'll leave it. What I was going to reiterate is that technology is a tool and the possibilities it can enhance motivation and learning in a classroom are endless. I look forward to learning in this class how to implement the right tool for what I'm trying to do in the classroom.
"You're going to need a bigger boat."
Much of class I was thinking about how technology can create the type of social dynamic that can enhance motivation. (To me, the bio teacher used technology (technology as a tool, not a solution) to create a more interesting social dynamic to lab work) Some people will tell you that the relationships we have in life are the most important things. If these relationships are important to us, if we care about how we fit in, if we care about conversing then it seems very clear that establishing a type of forum where we can relate our work back to a social context would be an attractive concept to people. Some students may feel like their relationship with the teacher is important enough that they will do their best just for this. (As most often work is only seen by the teacher) Others will not be motivated by this - they don't/won't place emphasis on their relationship with the teacher but they are more likely to value their relationship with their peers.
That is why the photo taking caught their interest.
It is like, what if I had a facebook for all my schoolwork . . . hmm. All of my work would be shown to all the world. Would I be more motivated to do better? I think so. Grades never really motivated me and only the best teachers inspired me to give them my best work, but this online portfolio of work concept would definitely motivate me.
It's like writing a novel. It's much more difficult to spend all those long hours writing if you don't have any idea of who will read it. It becomes easier if you have a small group of friends who are eagerly waiting on your next draft to help critique it. You write it for them.
Teachnology <------ whoops, I just accidentally misspelled technology as teachnology but I like it so I'll leave it. What I was going to reiterate is that technology is a tool and the possibilities it can enhance motivation and learning in a classroom are endless. I look forward to learning in this class how to implement the right tool for what I'm trying to do in the classroom.
"You're going to need a bigger boat."
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Fountain of Consciousness
Reflections . . . reflections. What to reflect about? This first ever blog post (and the blog in general) will function as a stream of consciousness, or rather, a fountain of consciousness, because it is flowing in no general direction. I hope to stay on topic, but if I don't, consider yourself forewarned.
With that said, here's to hoping this fountain quenches your 'teaching with tech' thirst . . . or rather, allows you to fulfill your commenting class requirement. You know who you are.
Class began in much the same way that other classes do, with instructors talking and students mostly listening. There was some discrepancy about the notion of "Michigan time." I am not opposed to this concept but our cohort was told quite sternly to avoid weaving ourselves into this ten minute tardy tapestry. Our instructors, however, were not. Now, fearless leaders of 504, if you are reading this, I am in no way condemning you, as if all of the university is on this time, in time of change back to "actual time" you should definitely be informed.
Michigan time or not, our class began with the lovely introductions of our instructors/professors/fearless leaders. We had met them briefly before but that was nearly two weeks ago, which seemed like it was sometime before the common era (thumbs up if you watched the Big History video about BC and BCE).
They seemed like long lost friends, and thanks to their cheerful demeanors, there was little to no awkward reunification stage like in such meetings of LLF's. I felt as if class was both informative and efficient, being especially impressed by the efficiency as they seemed to have every half hour planned out perfectly.
note to the reader: the previous passage may be referred to as the brown-nosing paragraph to which there will be one in every post.
I jest. I thoroughly enjoyed class, and thought the set-up of our semester and following semesters in one to make us feel prepared and inspired to teach with technology.
Every post I hope to end with a quote:
!Quote of the Post!
"I'll be back."
M Foran
With that said, here's to hoping this fountain quenches your 'teaching with tech' thirst . . . or rather, allows you to fulfill your commenting class requirement. You know who you are.
Class began in much the same way that other classes do, with instructors talking and students mostly listening. There was some discrepancy about the notion of "Michigan time." I am not opposed to this concept but our cohort was told quite sternly to avoid weaving ourselves into this ten minute tardy tapestry. Our instructors, however, were not. Now, fearless leaders of 504, if you are reading this, I am in no way condemning you, as if all of the university is on this time, in time of change back to "actual time" you should definitely be informed.
Michigan time or not, our class began with the lovely introductions of our instructors/professors/fearless leaders. We had met them briefly before but that was nearly two weeks ago, which seemed like it was sometime before the common era (thumbs up if you watched the Big History video about BC and BCE).
They seemed like long lost friends, and thanks to their cheerful demeanors, there was little to no awkward reunification stage like in such meetings of LLF's. I felt as if class was both informative and efficient, being especially impressed by the efficiency as they seemed to have every half hour planned out perfectly.
note to the reader: the previous passage may be referred to as the brown-nosing paragraph to which there will be one in every post.
I jest. I thoroughly enjoyed class, and thought the set-up of our semester and following semesters in one to make us feel prepared and inspired to teach with technology.
Every post I hope to end with a quote:
!Quote of the Post!
"I'll be back."
M Foran
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