In the midst of packing, moving to a new apartment, and the painful unpacking process, I forgot to reflect on Friday's tech class! Needless to say, in the middle of removing numerous items from a box, I suddenly remembered my blog!
I enjoyed Friday's technology class for many reasons. I will put them in a list form, since I am fresh out of ideas in how to make my blog cool and interesting to look at. Now, my list will not be as great or as long as David Letterman's (Though I did steal the idea from him)
Molly's Top 3 List:
3) Past MACers coming in to tell us about the job market, the benefits of using technology in the classroom, and how to be creative when the school does not have a budget for technology.
2) Having "Lolo From the Bronx" in class (that is not the name of her blog, I just couldn't help putting her name instead of J Lo's). I follow her blog- and enjoy what I read from her! That being said she was the first person in her class/cohort to find a job and she was an English major and Sociology minor in the MAC program- and I am an English major and Sociology minor as well...
... and the #1 top reason why I enjoyed Friday's class is...
1) Kevin getting a grant for using skype in the classroom to connect his students with a woman in Saudi Arabia after reading a book that takes place in Saudi Arabia. To see someone do what I want to do and actually get a grant for it, makes me much more confident dreaming about incorporating culture and technology into my English classes. Thank you, Kevin!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Sunday, July 25, 2010
"My mind possessed the wisdoms of the ages, and there were no words adequate to describe them."
When reading the article on GEN M, I kept thinking of instances in my life that reflected what average teenagers do today. First, I was just discussing the very issue of what is deemed private vs. public for teenagers with my older sister. While bored one sunday, we spent most of the afternoon creating a fake myspace profile in hopes of finding my cousin and being able to see what she really has been up to. To actually go through so much trouble in order to confirm or deny my worries was quite upsetting. Yet, she was one of the teenagers who used youtube and myspace as a lens into her life. She was exposing too much of herself, and I was afraid that she wouldn't be able to take any of it back. Thankfully, when I was in high school, I didn't have the options of keeping a blog diary or having pictures of me out and about in high school posted on facebook. What I did was able to remain private, unless I vocalized my problems. I could have embarrassing teenage moments, which everyone experiences, and not have a daily reminder of them online.
In all honesty, this topic emerged when my sister asked me about sexting. My sister, being a true thirty year old, cannot seem to remember what it was like as a teenager, an undergrad student, or a twenty-something, broke-as-a-joke graduate, so she is constantly watching high school television shows and asking me why so-and-so did this, or what was the meaning of a certain reference. That being said, she had just finished reading a story about some boys being prosecuted for sending pictures of a female classmate via text message. We talked about how frightening it is today, with cell phones, blogs, and network sites, that nobody can really be sure what they say, do, or send, is truly private. Everything can be made public with a click of a mouse or button. Building up our feelings of disgust, astonishment, and worry, we quickly began making sure that our cousins had not done anything too revealing on the internet. Needless to say, we did find a lot that we wish we could forget.
But, when it comes to using the media, I do not think that teenagers are the only group that is constantly using internet, phones, and other sources of technology to stay in touch. Last Christmas, after receiving a kindle from my parents, I immediately began using it. My sisters also were given Kindles and the three of us sat side-by-side on the couch reading. After an hour, I looked up to find a pretty amusing sight. Each one of us was focused on our electronic books, had cellphones in our hands (either texting, sending emails, or surfing the web), and A Family Stone was on the television serving as background noise. We were so connected to the media, we barely talked to each other. The only sounds coming from the room came from each piece of technology.
I will only tell one last story. When I was a freshman in college, I had a horrible roommate. Up until recently, I thought of her as the worst roommate alive. However, she did not threaten or try to kill me, so I am removing the "worst roommate alive" title from her name. Anyway, "one of the worst roommates" Amanda had set up her desk so she could type on her computer, watch the television, and jump onto her bed without turning. One night, I had crept into the room expecting her to be asleep. Why? Because the lights were off. Also, she had warned me of her need to go to sleep at 10:00 in order to wake up around 4:00 AM for crew and I always took these warnings seriously. That is because if she did not get enough sleep, I would suffer from her alarm clock blasting Barry Mannilow at 4 AM. Since she went to bed early, and Barry's voice was starting to make my ears bleed, I followed the rules she set up: if coming home after 10, I would sneak in, and not turn on my computer, television, or use my phone. If I must do any of the three things above, I would have to spend the night elsewhere. If I did any of the things above by accident, than the next time I got locked out of the suite, she would pretend to not hear my knocks and refuse to open the door.
I don't mean to go on a tangent, but talking about "one of the worst roommates" Amanda brings back vivid, painful, memories. So, I had opened the door slowly and was expecting to be welcomed with darkness, a slight snore, and not much else. Was I mistaken! Amanda was sitting at her desk, communicating with friends via AIM. I took that as an initiative to break all the rules. I started my desktop, turned on Desperate Housewives, and set my phone to ringer instead of vibrate. Just as I was getting settled, an instant message box popped up on my computer. It was from my roommate, sitting about three steps to my left. Her AIM asked me how I was doing on this evening. I looked up, partly to make sure I wasn't imagining her at her desk, and when I was sure that I was not seeing things, I vocally replied. Instead of starting a verbal conversation, she sent another message. On this went for a few minutes, until the conversation ended! Here I was, sitting next to someone and able to communicate out loud, but she was refusing to do so!
In the end, when reading the article about GEN M, I tried to decide how I would handle facebook issues. Would I set up two pages, one for my friends and one for my students? Would I erase my facebook page? Would I make it extremely private and ignore all friend requests from students? I am leaning towards the last one. This is because I do not want to see what they are doing, just as much as I do not want them to see what I am doing. Being connected through facebook is an open invitation for danger.
In all honesty, this topic emerged when my sister asked me about sexting. My sister, being a true thirty year old, cannot seem to remember what it was like as a teenager, an undergrad student, or a twenty-something, broke-as-a-joke graduate, so she is constantly watching high school television shows and asking me why so-and-so did this, or what was the meaning of a certain reference. That being said, she had just finished reading a story about some boys being prosecuted for sending pictures of a female classmate via text message. We talked about how frightening it is today, with cell phones, blogs, and network sites, that nobody can really be sure what they say, do, or send, is truly private. Everything can be made public with a click of a mouse or button. Building up our feelings of disgust, astonishment, and worry, we quickly began making sure that our cousins had not done anything too revealing on the internet. Needless to say, we did find a lot that we wish we could forget.
But, when it comes to using the media, I do not think that teenagers are the only group that is constantly using internet, phones, and other sources of technology to stay in touch. Last Christmas, after receiving a kindle from my parents, I immediately began using it. My sisters also were given Kindles and the three of us sat side-by-side on the couch reading. After an hour, I looked up to find a pretty amusing sight. Each one of us was focused on our electronic books, had cellphones in our hands (either texting, sending emails, or surfing the web), and A Family Stone was on the television serving as background noise. We were so connected to the media, we barely talked to each other. The only sounds coming from the room came from each piece of technology.
I will only tell one last story. When I was a freshman in college, I had a horrible roommate. Up until recently, I thought of her as the worst roommate alive. However, she did not threaten or try to kill me, so I am removing the "worst roommate alive" title from her name. Anyway, "one of the worst roommates" Amanda had set up her desk so she could type on her computer, watch the television, and jump onto her bed without turning. One night, I had crept into the room expecting her to be asleep. Why? Because the lights were off. Also, she had warned me of her need to go to sleep at 10:00 in order to wake up around 4:00 AM for crew and I always took these warnings seriously. That is because if she did not get enough sleep, I would suffer from her alarm clock blasting Barry Mannilow at 4 AM. Since she went to bed early, and Barry's voice was starting to make my ears bleed, I followed the rules she set up: if coming home after 10, I would sneak in, and not turn on my computer, television, or use my phone. If I must do any of the three things above, I would have to spend the night elsewhere. If I did any of the things above by accident, than the next time I got locked out of the suite, she would pretend to not hear my knocks and refuse to open the door.
I don't mean to go on a tangent, but talking about "one of the worst roommates" Amanda brings back vivid, painful, memories. So, I had opened the door slowly and was expecting to be welcomed with darkness, a slight snore, and not much else. Was I mistaken! Amanda was sitting at her desk, communicating with friends via AIM. I took that as an initiative to break all the rules. I started my desktop, turned on Desperate Housewives, and set my phone to ringer instead of vibrate. Just as I was getting settled, an instant message box popped up on my computer. It was from my roommate, sitting about three steps to my left. Her AIM asked me how I was doing on this evening. I looked up, partly to make sure I wasn't imagining her at her desk, and when I was sure that I was not seeing things, I vocally replied. Instead of starting a verbal conversation, she sent another message. On this went for a few minutes, until the conversation ended! Here I was, sitting next to someone and able to communicate out loud, but she was refusing to do so!
In the end, when reading the article about GEN M, I tried to decide how I would handle facebook issues. Would I set up two pages, one for my friends and one for my students? Would I erase my facebook page? Would I make it extremely private and ignore all friend requests from students? I am leaning towards the last one. This is because I do not want to see what they are doing, just as much as I do not want them to see what I am doing. Being connected through facebook is an open invitation for danger.
"I think everybody should like everybody"
If you want the truth, I still do not know the value of learning twitter. I understand that we can connect to other education bloggers and find information that might be useful to teachers. However, why am I paying tuition to learn how to use it? Yet, I am keeping an open mind about writing on twitter, or tweeting on twitter, because it has done one good thing. It has forced me to become a concise, to the point, writer. I cannot explain my thoughts in detail, for I am only alloted 140 characters.
On the other hand, though I never had an interest to create or listen to podcasts, I was less angry about learning how to use it. Podcasts are beneficial for students who have missed class or did not write down the homework assignments. I never thought about using podcasts as a tool to help students outside of the classroom, and learning about it was valuable.
On the other hand, though I never had an interest to create or listen to podcasts, I was less angry about learning how to use it. Podcasts are beneficial for students who have missed class or did not write down the homework assignments. I never thought about using podcasts as a tool to help students outside of the classroom, and learning about it was valuable.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
"video games are bad for you? That's what they said about rock and roll."
In all honesty, I do not have much to say on this subject... maybe that is because I am in the middle of an intense Tetris game and all of my thoughts are concentrated on where to put the L-shape piece.
I am not an avid video game player, but I do enjoy, every now and then, a good game of Super Mario or Mario Kart. However, I was not aware, according to Gee, that I am learning. But am I? As we can tell from my first statement, Tetris has obviously not helped me with geometry- for I obviously do not know the names of such complicated shapes, and therefore, must refer to them by things they might look like...
I can understand Gee's argument that playing video games builds cognitive skills and allows you to apply what you learned to other situations. Yet, I don't know if I am going to be assigning video games for homework any time soon.
On the other hand, two summers ago I completed my foreign language requirement by taking an intense Spanish course. During the day, our teacher would bring in his WII as a tool for learning. He had an immense collection of Spanish-speaking games, and thought that our being able to play the game successfully would serve as an assessment for our understanding. If we could understand the rules, we could understand the language. In this type of setting, games provided a fun way to test your knowledge of the Spanish language. However, bringing games into an undergraduate classroom and assessing the level of knowledge of a foreign language might be different from incorporating a video game into a lesson plan in high school for English.
I think this might be where I end my post. Not much to write about today, for I have not much to say about this subject.
I am not an avid video game player, but I do enjoy, every now and then, a good game of Super Mario or Mario Kart. However, I was not aware, according to Gee, that I am learning. But am I? As we can tell from my first statement, Tetris has obviously not helped me with geometry- for I obviously do not know the names of such complicated shapes, and therefore, must refer to them by things they might look like...
I can understand Gee's argument that playing video games builds cognitive skills and allows you to apply what you learned to other situations. Yet, I don't know if I am going to be assigning video games for homework any time soon.
On the other hand, two summers ago I completed my foreign language requirement by taking an intense Spanish course. During the day, our teacher would bring in his WII as a tool for learning. He had an immense collection of Spanish-speaking games, and thought that our being able to play the game successfully would serve as an assessment for our understanding. If we could understand the rules, we could understand the language. In this type of setting, games provided a fun way to test your knowledge of the Spanish language. However, bringing games into an undergraduate classroom and assessing the level of knowledge of a foreign language might be different from incorporating a video game into a lesson plan in high school for English.
I think this might be where I end my post. Not much to write about today, for I have not much to say about this subject.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
"For what we are about to see next, we must enter quietly into the realm of genius..."
This will be a very short post, for I have not much to say on Friday's class. I very much liked the idea of using a webinar in the classroom, but for very different reasons. Now, I am going to say what is on my mind, without taking into consideration the funding that it would require, or the practicability of it actually being able to happen. But, this is my blog, and I am going to just say what I think- if you don't like it, and if you want to tell me about the money issues or the absurdity of it, than we can argue about it in Shari's class with all the other educational issues ( I am just joking, because as I learned in Shari's class during conflict resolution, I am a chameleon and I don't do conflict).
My idea is for students (first my students, next students from all over the united states) to begin a common day pen-pal-like conversation with someone from another state or another country. The idea is for two people to talk who have nothing in common except for their age and their status as a student. They will have different backgrounds, different traditions, and even different ways of life. These students will talk via Skype or even email (now, remember what I said: I am dreaming, and my dreams exclude reality (which means money)). Students will be able to learn from each other and to teach others about themselves. It is a lesson in finding yourself, as well as understanding others.
So this ties back into class, I promise! First, the idea of the webinar sparked my interest in using Skype. However, if I were to use this type of technology in my class, many changes will have to be made. This is because I had a very hard time concentrating in class during the webinar, and I cannot imagine what high school students would be like in that situation. First, whether it was the connection or not, I found it very hard to hear what the two educators were trying to say. I think, out of that whole conversation, I caught every six words. Second, the connection was bad, since during the middle of the webinar, we lost contact. On Friday, people were able to use their own computers to catch the webinar, so there wasn't a heavy reliance on the main screen. Yet, I do not know if I am going to allow students to bring laptops into the classroom. Therefore, I will need to make sure that the technology works by doing a test run. I will also make sure that students are paying attention by having them either answer questions on a sheet or having them prepare their own questions to ask the students on the other side of the screen (or both). I will want them to be able to discuss and explain the culture they have learned about.
I am going to end my blog here, because any more would require me to write about twitter. I am not sure how I feel about twitter and my being forced into using it for graduate school. I have decided to leave my mind open when it comes to twitter, and try to learn about and (one day, hopefully) appreciate the benefits it has to offer for learning. When looked at this way, twitter is not a site where I can read about celebrities excellent, worry-free, high-class lives (while I sit in my un-air conditioned apartment), or post exciting tidbits about my wonderful day in grad school (where most of my time is now spent). I am now using it as a site to find other educators, learn from their wise words, and use this information to shape my curriculum and teaching methods.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Saturday! If my post seems too much like a long, miserable rant, it is probably because I spent my night watching Woody Allen's newest movie, Whatever Works. Two hours of Larry David will have some effect on the brain! Though, if you are a Larry David fan, I recommend the movie!
My idea is for students (first my students, next students from all over the united states) to begin a common day pen-pal-like conversation with someone from another state or another country. The idea is for two people to talk who have nothing in common except for their age and their status as a student. They will have different backgrounds, different traditions, and even different ways of life. These students will talk via Skype or even email (now, remember what I said: I am dreaming, and my dreams exclude reality (which means money)). Students will be able to learn from each other and to teach others about themselves. It is a lesson in finding yourself, as well as understanding others.
So this ties back into class, I promise! First, the idea of the webinar sparked my interest in using Skype. However, if I were to use this type of technology in my class, many changes will have to be made. This is because I had a very hard time concentrating in class during the webinar, and I cannot imagine what high school students would be like in that situation. First, whether it was the connection or not, I found it very hard to hear what the two educators were trying to say. I think, out of that whole conversation, I caught every six words. Second, the connection was bad, since during the middle of the webinar, we lost contact. On Friday, people were able to use their own computers to catch the webinar, so there wasn't a heavy reliance on the main screen. Yet, I do not know if I am going to allow students to bring laptops into the classroom. Therefore, I will need to make sure that the technology works by doing a test run. I will also make sure that students are paying attention by having them either answer questions on a sheet or having them prepare their own questions to ask the students on the other side of the screen (or both). I will want them to be able to discuss and explain the culture they have learned about.
I am going to end my blog here, because any more would require me to write about twitter. I am not sure how I feel about twitter and my being forced into using it for graduate school. I have decided to leave my mind open when it comes to twitter, and try to learn about and (one day, hopefully) appreciate the benefits it has to offer for learning. When looked at this way, twitter is not a site where I can read about celebrities excellent, worry-free, high-class lives (while I sit in my un-air conditioned apartment), or post exciting tidbits about my wonderful day in grad school (where most of my time is now spent). I am now using it as a site to find other educators, learn from their wise words, and use this information to shape my curriculum and teaching methods.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Saturday! If my post seems too much like a long, miserable rant, it is probably because I spent my night watching Woody Allen's newest movie, Whatever Works. Two hours of Larry David will have some effect on the brain! Though, if you are a Larry David fan, I recommend the movie!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
"In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart"
When reading the article about cheating, I began to get a little worried about what I would be eventually facing. I hadn't really thought about whether or not I would use tests, and if I did, what type of tests I would create. I feel that for the classes I want to teach (creative writing, literature, etc.) tests do not serve as the only means of assessing student understanding, knowledge and improvement. I believe that discussions and portfolios are better tools for assessment.
However, if I did implement tests in my classroom, how would I handle cheating? I never really thought about this before, since I never cheated in school myself. Until Sessums mentioned it in his eblog, I didn't even believe that my students would cheat! I guess that is because I tend to believe the best in people. That being said, I have a lot of thinking to do about my reactions to cheating in my classroom...
Secondly, after reading two articles on twitter, I have come to the depressing realization that I will be expected to tweet in this class. I have used twitter before, but mostly as a source to organize my news sources into one page. Instead of receiving various newspapers in the morning, I could sign on to twitter and click on the headings I was interested in reading. That being said, I did not use twitter as a source of informing the world of my whereabouts (in 140 characters, no less!). I also do not know how I will use it in the classroom. If anyone has any ideas about how twitter could be used in the classroom, let me know!
However, if I did implement tests in my classroom, how would I handle cheating? I never really thought about this before, since I never cheated in school myself. Until Sessums mentioned it in his eblog, I didn't even believe that my students would cheat! I guess that is because I tend to believe the best in people. That being said, I have a lot of thinking to do about my reactions to cheating in my classroom...
Secondly, after reading two articles on twitter, I have come to the depressing realization that I will be expected to tweet in this class. I have used twitter before, but mostly as a source to organize my news sources into one page. Instead of receiving various newspapers in the morning, I could sign on to twitter and click on the headings I was interested in reading. That being said, I did not use twitter as a source of informing the world of my whereabouts (in 140 characters, no less!). I also do not know how I will use it in the classroom. If anyone has any ideas about how twitter could be used in the classroom, let me know!
"It's all over now, Baby Blue"
Today in Records of Practice, a very important question was brought up in how to teach poetry: how could a teacher make poetry, or any other type of creative writing, more relatable and enjoyable for the student to read and create? One idea was brought up ( I believe it was Eleni). The idea was to incorporate music into the classroom when creating, reading, and understanding poetry. Music could serve as a source of inspiration, or the students could use it as an initial introduction to poetry.
However, I love this idea! I remember a creative writing class where our teacher allowed us to look at art and listen to music as inspirations for writing! But the point of this blog is to inform any readers out there (maybe just Erin, but who knows?) that one of my favorite short stories was based off Bob Dylan's song, "It's all over now, Baby Blue." I wanted to post the link for anyone interested in checking it out! It also serves as a resource for any aspiring creative writing teachers (I don't think I am the only one!) to see that this can work!
http://jco.usfca.edu/works/wgoing/text.html
I will also include the song for anyone who wants to listen to it before/after/during reading the story.
However, I love this idea! I remember a creative writing class where our teacher allowed us to look at art and listen to music as inspirations for writing! But the point of this blog is to inform any readers out there (maybe just Erin, but who knows?) that one of my favorite short stories was based off Bob Dylan's song, "It's all over now, Baby Blue." I wanted to post the link for anyone interested in checking it out! It also serves as a resource for any aspiring creative writing teachers (I don't think I am the only one!) to see that this can work!
http://jco.usfca.edu/works/wgoing/text.html
I will also include the song for anyone who wants to listen to it before/after/during reading the story.
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