In a post I read by Vicki A. Davis called, “Do we Need More than Text to Tell the Stories?” It was talking about how we are limiting ourselves to just writing and reading stories or information in schools. I think she has a very good point, with all of the other learning tools we have why just stick to the same one.
This relates to me because I am more of a kinesthetic learner so I do a lot better in activities when they are hands on learning and more interactive than just reading a book. In class if we were to do something even on a computer and more interactive, like the Google earth project I could get more involved and hopefully understand it better than reading out of a packet with no discussion.
This article gave good ideas on ways we could mix things up a bit and make leaning more enjoyable and more understandable. She said we should make these tools more available and have kids be familiarized to all of the possible resources. More than just text is a part of our learning experiences, there are other things like pictures and communicating that play major roles in our lives.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
PLNweek3-post5
In a post recommended by Ms. Smith called, ‘Is Payment for Good Grades Legitimate Motivation in this Day and Age?’ It was discussing on whether or not giving kids money for getting good grades is a good idea to get kids to try harder in school. I honestly think it is a good tactic to use. I’m not really going to argue on me getting money. Even though my mom doesn’t do that and all I get is a “good job”, if my mom did do that I would probably get straight A’s. But then again, I sort of do already. Right now I’m not doing that great but still have A’s and B’s.
I don’t think it is necessary to give your kid money for doing well in school but it’s a nice gesture. The student should want to get good grades for themselves though, not just to get some money when report cards come out. My old soccer coach would say that if we won our games, he would take us out for ice cream. Yes we would look forward to that but honestly no one on my team was saying, “I hope our goalie blocks this shot because I’m really in the mood for a Chocolate Sunday!” No, we wanted to win so we could say that our team was the best and to have that feeling of accomplishment. It’s the same in class, I wouldn’t do good on my PLN entries just to get five bucks from my mom, I would do it so Ms. Smith wouldn’t kick me in the shins!
I guess it just depends on what works for the individual student. If him/her knowing that if they do well on a test they will be able to go to a party, then they might study a little more. When I think of getting money for grades it makes me think of a job and how you work to get money. So me doing my homework is like my job, and then I get payed. But, I don’t think that any kid needs that money at the end of the symester to motivate them to do a good job in school, that should just happen, and the money be an extra reward.
I don’t think it is necessary to give your kid money for doing well in school but it’s a nice gesture. The student should want to get good grades for themselves though, not just to get some money when report cards come out. My old soccer coach would say that if we won our games, he would take us out for ice cream. Yes we would look forward to that but honestly no one on my team was saying, “I hope our goalie blocks this shot because I’m really in the mood for a Chocolate Sunday!” No, we wanted to win so we could say that our team was the best and to have that feeling of accomplishment. It’s the same in class, I wouldn’t do good on my PLN entries just to get five bucks from my mom, I would do it so Ms. Smith wouldn’t kick me in the shins!
I guess it just depends on what works for the individual student. If him/her knowing that if they do well on a test they will be able to go to a party, then they might study a little more. When I think of getting money for grades it makes me think of a job and how you work to get money. So me doing my homework is like my job, and then I get payed. But, I don’t think that any kid needs that money at the end of the symester to motivate them to do a good job in school, that should just happen, and the money be an extra reward.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
PLN week2-post4
In an article on denverpost.com was telling about a 3-year old boy who was attacked by his grandmother’s Rottweiler. The attack happened on Wednesday morning at the grandmother’s home. Police report stated that the dog had the boy by the torso and was “thrashing him back and forth”. The young boy is now in intensive care at Children’s Hospital. What a horrible thing to go through at such a young age, or at any age. I hate hearing about dogs attacking people or each other. There is big controversy over dog fighting but that’s a different story. We already have enough violence going on with humans we don’t need our pets to cause anymore.
Some people say that some dogs are just born vicious, like Pit bulls and Rottweilers; I on the other hand believe that you can train a dog out of its “meanness”, but if treated badly they will rebel. I think there are laws in some areas prohibiting some certain breeds of dogs. Some dogs I don’t think are suitable for some situations. At my dads apartment complex one of his former neighbors had two Pit bull. I saw them once and though they did not look incredibly vicious they still were not allowed there and I was actually relieved to see them go. I’m not saying that just those types of dogs are prone to violence. My dog; Shelby, was attacked by one of our old neighbors dogs who had known Shelby for a while, it just goes to show you that you have to always be aware of your dogs behavior.
The main point of this story (the what matters) was one; what dogs are violent, and two; what the punishment should be for this kind of behavior. The known and used punishments consist of: up to 199$ in fines, 90 days in jail, in addition to the dog being put to sleep. Though I think it’s very sad when an animal is put down or killed, sometimes I think it’s just what has to be done. Like I said before, we already have enough violence in this world as it is, and can’t risk having anymore due to animals.
Some people say that some dogs are just born vicious, like Pit bulls and Rottweilers; I on the other hand believe that you can train a dog out of its “meanness”, but if treated badly they will rebel. I think there are laws in some areas prohibiting some certain breeds of dogs. Some dogs I don’t think are suitable for some situations. At my dads apartment complex one of his former neighbors had two Pit bull. I saw them once and though they did not look incredibly vicious they still were not allowed there and I was actually relieved to see them go. I’m not saying that just those types of dogs are prone to violence. My dog; Shelby, was attacked by one of our old neighbors dogs who had known Shelby for a while, it just goes to show you that you have to always be aware of your dogs behavior.
The main point of this story (the what matters) was one; what dogs are violent, and two; what the punishment should be for this kind of behavior. The known and used punishments consist of: up to 199$ in fines, 90 days in jail, in addition to the dog being put to sleep. Though I think it’s very sad when an animal is put down or killed, sometimes I think it’s just what has to be done. Like I said before, we already have enough violence in this world as it is, and can’t risk having anymore due to animals.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
PLN week 2-post 3
At http://www.fischbowl.blogspot.com/an article titled, “Is it Okay to be a Technologically Illiterate Teacher?” was about well… if it is okay to be a technologically illiterate teacher. In other words can a teacher do their job efficiently without knowing how to work a computer? I don’t think they can in my opinion. With the vast growth and spread of technology in this world how can you teach something on a computer (which is what we are starting to use often in class) if you can’t even work one. As Karl Fisch noted,
One of my teachers (who I won’t name, because actually trying to pass that class) is very illiterate in technology. In that class we have used a computer or the projection screen almost every day, and we waste about at least 10 minutes of class time waiting for him/her to figure out where the “on” button is. Luckily there are a few kids who know how to use these things thanks to other teachers who have taught us this like they should. In the article he mentioned how he hears many parents almost bragging about how they were/are never good at _____ subject. Same with this teacher of mine he/she is always joking about how he/she doesn’t know about technology because “back in their day” they wrote on stones and if were lucky got a big leaf to do math on. Not to sound rude but I missed where that was our fault? If in my future career a certain requirement is needed that I never learned in school because that wasn’t part of the curriculum then part of my responsibility is to now learn that new skill.
In conclusion whatever the skill or knowledge needed to know at the time, you need to know. If you don’t want to put in the effort to learn that new subject, than I suggest looking into a new career path. As he also stated,
“in order to teach it, we have to do it. How can we teach this to kids,It’s as if you are trying to teach someone to ride a bike, you have to know that you have to pedal to make it go, how we will learn if you can’t teach.
how can we model it, if we aren’t literate ourselves?”
One of my teachers (who I won’t name, because actually trying to pass that class) is very illiterate in technology. In that class we have used a computer or the projection screen almost every day, and we waste about at least 10 minutes of class time waiting for him/her to figure out where the “on” button is. Luckily there are a few kids who know how to use these things thanks to other teachers who have taught us this like they should. In the article he mentioned how he hears many parents almost bragging about how they were/are never good at _____ subject. Same with this teacher of mine he/she is always joking about how he/she doesn’t know about technology because “back in their day” they wrote on stones and if were lucky got a big leaf to do math on. Not to sound rude but I missed where that was our fault? If in my future career a certain requirement is needed that I never learned in school because that wasn’t part of the curriculum then part of my responsibility is to now learn that new skill.
In conclusion whatever the skill or knowledge needed to know at the time, you need to know. If you don’t want to put in the effort to learn that new subject, than I suggest looking into a new career path. As he also stated,
“If a teacher today is not technologically literate- and is unwilling to makeNow is it really that drastic? Maybe not, but in a few years I think it will.
the effort to learn more- it’s equivalent to a teacher 30 years ago who didn’t
know how to read or write.”
“…this is the only four years these students will have at our high school- they
can’t wait for us to figure it out.”
Thursday, September 13, 2007
PLN week 1-post 2
In a an article I read on http://fischbowl.blogspot.com called “All Work and No Play…” it discussed on how adults are giving children more “adult work” then they should have. I don’t think any kid should have any adult work to do, that’s what separates us. That’s not always the case whether it is at school, in sports, or even at home kids and teenagers are getting way too much for them to handle in my opinion. People will argue well we are getting them prepared for the future…what about now?! Yes, the future will come but until then let us live!
In class we read a short story called “The Scarlet Ibis” its theme or the “what mattered” was expectations. It made me think about expectations that adults have on kids these days. Everyone says we are the new generation in learning and when we are older we will become the most successful people in the world… umm I’m just trying to pass 9th grade English. I have always heard from my parents, teachers, and coaches to always set your goals high, and I completely believe in that. However, I think there is a difference in having high goals and having appropriate limits. Sports these days are very, very competitive! It seems like it’s not for the fun anymore, even though they are still called games. Yes, you should push yourself hard, but it is as if coaches and parents are pushing kids too far. Should we really be working so hard to make our self sick? At a soccer camp over the summer we were running so hard I had an asthma attack. Is winning a game really worth risking my health, or even life?
It also mentioned about how adults are getting children ready for the “real world”. Isn’t this the real world? Isn’t socializing with peers, learning, growing, working, and enjoying life the real world? If it’s not, then I don’t know what is. I agree that adult life is much more challenging than when we are kids and even teenagers, but they just have to trust us that we will cope with that lifestyle when we get there. Am I saying just let us figure out everything on our own and completely step back? NO! Adults are the supporters of a healthy growing childhood. A good example that I think of is when you see a baby tree with metal poles tied to it that are firmly in the ground. Grown-ups have themselves firmly set in place in life (or at least they should and hopefully do) and kids don’t. They are there to help us stay up and get our roots in the ground, but they aren’t the ones doing the growing, we are!
In class we read a short story called “The Scarlet Ibis” its theme or the “what mattered” was expectations. It made me think about expectations that adults have on kids these days. Everyone says we are the new generation in learning and when we are older we will become the most successful people in the world… umm I’m just trying to pass 9th grade English. I have always heard from my parents, teachers, and coaches to always set your goals high, and I completely believe in that. However, I think there is a difference in having high goals and having appropriate limits. Sports these days are very, very competitive! It seems like it’s not for the fun anymore, even though they are still called games. Yes, you should push yourself hard, but it is as if coaches and parents are pushing kids too far. Should we really be working so hard to make our self sick? At a soccer camp over the summer we were running so hard I had an asthma attack. Is winning a game really worth risking my health, or even life?
It also mentioned about how adults are getting children ready for the “real world”. Isn’t this the real world? Isn’t socializing with peers, learning, growing, working, and enjoying life the real world? If it’s not, then I don’t know what is. I agree that adult life is much more challenging than when we are kids and even teenagers, but they just have to trust us that we will cope with that lifestyle when we get there. Am I saying just let us figure out everything on our own and completely step back? NO! Adults are the supporters of a healthy growing childhood. A good example that I think of is when you see a baby tree with metal poles tied to it that are firmly in the ground. Grown-ups have themselves firmly set in place in life (or at least they should and hopefully do) and kids don’t. They are there to help us stay up and get our roots in the ground, but they aren’t the ones doing the growing, we are!
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
PLN week 1-post 1
For my first PLN post I decided to look at a post on http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com, on there is a power point called “Did you know”. When I first saw this I was just blown away, though most of it didn’t actually surprise me. It is a presentation about mostly technology and the advancements made and being made. It definitely got the point across to honestly just make people think.
There are things on there you wouldn’t have guessed, one that caught my interest was that it said “if you are one in a million in China… there are 1300 people just like you” talk about having a twin! Some of it was more random than other stuff, but some was really just imaginative, but probably true. It talked about how in the “future” there will be a computer that exceeds the capability of the human mind. Now the first thing that came to me was; robots are going to out-smart us and take over the world! Well I don’t belive that we know what we are fully capable of so how could we make a computer that’s as smart as us, if we don’t even know how smart we are?!
In my social studies class we were discussing all the stages we have economically gone through as a country, and even as a world. There was the “cave men” age (I suppose), agriculture age, industrial age, and now the technological age. So what will be next? I don’t think anyone really knows what next huge breakthrough we will make. Maybe something in medicine, they could find a cure for cancer, which would change a lot of things! Or what if we were to find another world out there, this galaxy is huge, bigger than we can even comprehend. We’ve only studied our backyard, there’s a whole universe to explore!
There is no doubt of how quickly and drastically we are changing economically (mainly technologically), so what will the world look like in just 10 years? Will I have a computer chip installed in me that connects me to anything or anyone within internet and communication devises? Will kindergarteners be learning to type, instead of write? Are these changes good? Or are we getting way over our head? I’m really not sure all I can do is I guess just wait and see.
There are things on there you wouldn’t have guessed, one that caught my interest was that it said “if you are one in a million in China… there are 1300 people just like you” talk about having a twin! Some of it was more random than other stuff, but some was really just imaginative, but probably true. It talked about how in the “future” there will be a computer that exceeds the capability of the human mind. Now the first thing that came to me was; robots are going to out-smart us and take over the world! Well I don’t belive that we know what we are fully capable of so how could we make a computer that’s as smart as us, if we don’t even know how smart we are?!
In my social studies class we were discussing all the stages we have economically gone through as a country, and even as a world. There was the “cave men” age (I suppose), agriculture age, industrial age, and now the technological age. So what will be next? I don’t think anyone really knows what next huge breakthrough we will make. Maybe something in medicine, they could find a cure for cancer, which would change a lot of things! Or what if we were to find another world out there, this galaxy is huge, bigger than we can even comprehend. We’ve only studied our backyard, there’s a whole universe to explore!
There is no doubt of how quickly and drastically we are changing economically (mainly technologically), so what will the world look like in just 10 years? Will I have a computer chip installed in me that connects me to anything or anyone within internet and communication devises? Will kindergarteners be learning to type, instead of write? Are these changes good? Or are we getting way over our head? I’m really not sure all I can do is I guess just wait and see.
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