The last time we spoke, I was rejoicing in the fact that the summer semester was over and anticipating what the future of the MAC program held for me
Oh, how time changes everything.
We're now into October and about a week away from fall break--basically, the halfway mark of the semester. Wow. Time flies. It's been stressful, hard, scary, stressful, hard, and eye opening.
And then we go back into technology. Webinars this week. I've been familiar with webinars for quite some time. It's distance learning at the most basic level. I was able to take a look at a webinar done by Jeff Scheur, a 2004 MAC alum. Jeff has developed an amazing website (noredink.com) that helps students work on improving their grammar skills. Jeff put it quite simply--as teachers, we spend a lot of time focusing on little things like grammar when we know we'd rather be working on content. But we have to work with students on grammar to ensure that they have the skills necessary to be successful, contributing members of society.
The beauty of noredink.com is it's simplicity. The website features a series of tutorials and quizzes that focus on the most common grammatical problems found in student writing. The website provides clear explanations about what kind of error has been made and how to fix it. Scheur said he plans to roll the website (which recently won a major funding award) out with more tutorials to help them with skills that go beyond grammar--thesis writing, conclusions, detail work, etc. Pretty cool.
Obviously, this website doesn't take the place of the teacher, but it can be a huge asset to a teacher, as it frees up time in the classroom to focus on issues that go beyond grammar. The website also has incredible tracking features for teachers to use so they can see the areas where their students may need more work or to see where students are improving.
I'm the first to admit that I'm not a "grammarian" (or as I still call them, grammar nazis). It really isn't my priority. My priority is making sure my students can accurately put their thoughts about a topic in social studies down on paper. In the time I've spent in the classroom, I've had to accept the notion that if I can read it and it makes some sense, I have to take it. Obviously, blatant grammar mistakes I correct (double negatives is my big one...), but I'm learning to accept that some people have a very hard time getting which their/there/they're to use and despite repeated instruction about it, they just might never get it. It isn't the end of the world. But grammar does have a role in writing across the curriculum and regardless of what subject area you're in, you need to help students with it. My school uses ELA common core standards for writing assessments in social studies. Using a standard like that across the entire school helps reinforce what is expected of students in their writing.
I could see noredink.com being a huge asset in middle school classrooms, since it's still common to see grammar being taught in 6th and 7th grade classes. But I don't think it's benefit ends there. I think it has huge possibilities beyond English classes as the writing tools within the site expand.
Would it be an asset I'd have in my classroom? I don't know. I think it depends on my students. But it's something that I'll definitely keep an open mind on.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Saturday, August 4, 2012
I'm free and freedom tastes of reality
Greetings from Detroit Metro Airport, where I was supposed to be boarding a plane to Italy via Chicago in 90 minutes time, but instead am being told my plane is delayed because of weather and may be canceled!
Sweet!
Anyway, the summer 2012 semester for the 2012-13 SECMAC program is over. I'm still in a bit of shock over that since it still feels like June 18 was yesterday. I don't remember the last time I worked as hard as I did this summer (I lied. I do. It was 2008. The first summer I was working in management at in my former career and was at field school until the morning before an event started). It's tested me at time, but so far, I've passed the test. And it's going to take a lot to tell me I didn't pass. I had (past tense, it's gone from me) the bad habit of quitting when things hard in the past. I only felt like quitting once during the summer and it wasn't because of the program. That's big stuff.
If I was to reflect about the entire summer, I'd be reflecting all day. So I'll reflect on Friday's class instead. We listened to a panel of 5 past MACers talk about the experiences they've had in teaching and the role technology has played in their classrooms. It was enjoyable to hear MACers talk about their lives post program and even more enjoyable to know that they have jobs and have become the type of teacher I want to be. It was really interesting to hear different perspectives and see the reality of what technology in the classroom is. It takes on so many different roles. Two comments resonated with me, one from 2012 graduate of the program and the other from a teacher with a few years of teaching experience under her belt. Tom, who graduated this past spring, made a comment that opened my eyes up: he said you have to be ready to teach students how to actually use technology to their advantage. We assume that young people have some innate knowledge on all things associated to technology and that it just comes to them without issue. But that's not the case. We have to teach our students how to use technology if we want them to be successful with it. We have to do more then just show them a tool. We have to actually show them how to use it.
The other comment came from Stephanie, a MACer with a few years of teaching experience under her belt. She made the comment that you can have all the technology in the world available to you, but none of that matters unless you have the means of implementing it. She teaches at a school very close to the high school I attended. I suddenly viewed things in a totally different light when she mentioned she was the entire Spanish department at her school and that they felt like that one kid that just doesn't have what it takes to join the club. They have the technology, but no means of getting it used because of various circumstances in her school and district.
When I was in high school, I didn't see it that way. My mother is a teacher and I knew things could be rough, but it just never dawned on me about how things really were. And are. I want the happy, pretty lenses of schools that use a ton of technology and support that use to stay on. But I know that's not reality. I know that's not the school I'm going into or the district I'll be in. But I know I have a certain number of tools in my toolbox that I can work with and whatever I'm going to do is going to be done with those tools.
If I've learned anything over the past 6 or 7 weeks, I've learned that I can do this and when that when it get hard, I'm not doing this alone. I have 47 other people around me going through the same things. And when things did get bad for me, everyone around held me up and let me know that I wasn't alone, no matter what happened. Sometimes you just need to know that it'll be okay. And it has been.
But for now? I'm free. My parents just told me that if our flight gets canceled we do the second best thing behind Italy and go to Charleston. I'm not sure how South Carolina ranks second to Italy, but's a break and I need a break.
But we're free.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Edumablogging
So edublogging. I can make easy comment about it: I like it. I think it's nice. Okay, so maybe nice isn't the word I'm looking for, but you get the point. I like seeing the opinions and viewpoints of seasoned educators who have more content knowledge then I do or skills in an area I lack. Based on my age, I can't be considered a total digital native, but I've had significant technology most of my life--we'll say I'm digital immigrant, okay? Finding information from something like a blog makes sense to me. It works.
Over the past 2 weeks, I've been reading up on some edubloggers recommended by Kristin and Jeff, as well as various social studies blogs I've come across. And surprise, surprise, I found some I like. One that I've been digging as I've read through current and archived posts is Learning is Messy. The very name works for me because learning is not neat and clean is easy, so why should be we expected anything going along with it to be that way? The blogger, Brian Crosby, is an educator from Nevada who does a lot of work with technology in his classroom. Crosby blogs about his career, as well as technology that can be used in the classroom in ways I wouldn't always think about it. In a post from April, he talks about how he's "snuck in" technology in his classroom and how well it's been accepted. He's using google docs and Skype to collaborate with classrooms around the country. Crosby talks about innovative pedagogy and finding ways to force technology into the curriculum. At a secondary level, I'm not sure how forcing technology into the curriculum would really work, especially since more and more schools are starting to require students to have at least one technology course before graduation (I think the state of Michigan has made this a graduation requirement as well). I never took "technology" course in high school, but that was just at the start of the emphasis on technology being crucial in all classroom levels. We were just starting to have 1:1 computer classrooms throughout the school. But I do remember my teachers introducing things like topic specific blogs, listservs, and the like. Thinking back 10 years to high school, those things seem so basic and simple, but they were really revolutionary at the time.
Another blog I enjoyed was The Unquiet Librarian. The blogger, Buffy Hamilton, makes some points that hit on all aspects of technology--from maker and hacker spaces to the role of libraries in our lives--but a blog she posted yesterday hit home from me. She was talking about the role of E-readers and when she feels they work best. It felt like something I was writing because her opinions were so similar. For fluffy light stuff, my Kindle is great. I'm preparing to go to Italy and France and my Kindle is pretty much the only thing I know I'm DEFINITELY packing. But I can't use my Kindle or iPad for any kind of serious or non-fiction reading. They're my last resorts when it comes to doing my reading for school. For non-fiction and school related work, I have to be able to hold something, highlight it, and make annotations. Even if I open a PDF on my iPad and make notes, it's not the same. If I want to be able to get the most out of non-fiction reading, I have to have a copy of it in my hands. Hamilton talks about how certain genres of reading work best for her on her E-reader, like poetry. Poetry is something she can go through quickly on her E-reader and now doesn't see a point in buying paper copies of poetry anymore. I agree so much with that. For things that I'm reading for pure pleasure, it seems easier and cheaper to buy an electronic copy. If it's something I need to comprehend, it has to be more "real."
I'm pretty sure I'm going to be seeking out more and different edubloggers over the next few months and years. I see them really as a wealth of knowledge and information for a teaching neophyte like myself.
So, let's end this with something fun, as I like fun. In fact, I dig cheesy fun stuff a lot. Hence, the reason why I love this clip of the US Olympic Swimming team so much. It's so cheesy, it's fabulous.
Over the past 2 weeks, I've been reading up on some edubloggers recommended by Kristin and Jeff, as well as various social studies blogs I've come across. And surprise, surprise, I found some I like. One that I've been digging as I've read through current and archived posts is Learning is Messy. The very name works for me because learning is not neat and clean is easy, so why should be we expected anything going along with it to be that way? The blogger, Brian Crosby, is an educator from Nevada who does a lot of work with technology in his classroom. Crosby blogs about his career, as well as technology that can be used in the classroom in ways I wouldn't always think about it. In a post from April, he talks about how he's "snuck in" technology in his classroom and how well it's been accepted. He's using google docs and Skype to collaborate with classrooms around the country. Crosby talks about innovative pedagogy and finding ways to force technology into the curriculum. At a secondary level, I'm not sure how forcing technology into the curriculum would really work, especially since more and more schools are starting to require students to have at least one technology course before graduation (I think the state of Michigan has made this a graduation requirement as well). I never took "technology" course in high school, but that was just at the start of the emphasis on technology being crucial in all classroom levels. We were just starting to have 1:1 computer classrooms throughout the school. But I do remember my teachers introducing things like topic specific blogs, listservs, and the like. Thinking back 10 years to high school, those things seem so basic and simple, but they were really revolutionary at the time.
Another blog I enjoyed was The Unquiet Librarian. The blogger, Buffy Hamilton, makes some points that hit on all aspects of technology--from maker and hacker spaces to the role of libraries in our lives--but a blog she posted yesterday hit home from me. She was talking about the role of E-readers and when she feels they work best. It felt like something I was writing because her opinions were so similar. For fluffy light stuff, my Kindle is great. I'm preparing to go to Italy and France and my Kindle is pretty much the only thing I know I'm DEFINITELY packing. But I can't use my Kindle or iPad for any kind of serious or non-fiction reading. They're my last resorts when it comes to doing my reading for school. For non-fiction and school related work, I have to be able to hold something, highlight it, and make annotations. Even if I open a PDF on my iPad and make notes, it's not the same. If I want to be able to get the most out of non-fiction reading, I have to have a copy of it in my hands. Hamilton talks about how certain genres of reading work best for her on her E-reader, like poetry. Poetry is something she can go through quickly on her E-reader and now doesn't see a point in buying paper copies of poetry anymore. I agree so much with that. For things that I'm reading for pure pleasure, it seems easier and cheaper to buy an electronic copy. If it's something I need to comprehend, it has to be more "real."
I'm pretty sure I'm going to be seeking out more and different edubloggers over the next few months and years. I see them really as a wealth of knowledge and information for a teaching neophyte like myself.
So, let's end this with something fun, as I like fun. In fact, I dig cheesy fun stuff a lot. Hence, the reason why I love this clip of the US Olympic Swimming team so much. It's so cheesy, it's fabulous.
Sunday, July 29, 2012
And I saw my reflection in a snow covered hill...
We talk so frequently about reflections in class. We're told to reflect about everything to think about and try to understand why we do things the way we do. After class on Friday, I realized I do have some serious reflecting to do because I have definite thoughts about what we're doing, why we've done it, and why.
I remember being a little kid and being told just because we don't like something or don't understand something doesn't mean that's necessarily bad. It's just different to us. And with that, welcome to Abby's personal philosophy on teaching with technology. Every single idea introduced to us this semester has true and specific merit. To someone in the class, it may be that defining piece of technology. I don't have to like it or use it, but I need to understand it and respect it. Something else may be my thing and it may totally puzzle the person sitting next to me. I preach keeping an open mind on things so much--really to the point that it probably annoys everyone--but I have to step back and make sure I'm doing that myself.
That being said, Friday was a very productive class for me. I learned about some online organizational tools I wasn't too familiar with, learned more about some, and found one I love. Let's go into them a little, shall we?
Skype
I am a Skype girl. I have been for a few years. My best friend lives in Minneapolis and Skyping Jessica is more therapeutic then just calling her. There's something about a face to face connection that you can never doubt. It makes things seem more real and more genuine. Last year, my kindergarten kiddos had "pen pals" at a school in Chicago where a friend from undergrad taught a K/1 split class. Since kids that little tend to not have the best writing skills yet, we had Skype conversations with them a few times a month, as well as sending letters. It was actually really cool to see how the kids interacted with each other via computer. They acted like they were in the same room together. It was adorable trying to see a bunch of five year olds all get some face time. I think Skype has some significant classroom potential--tutoring and practice come to mind, as well as activities like having a partner class at a school in a different state or country. I also like the idea of teaching my students about Skype because if they're not familiar with it when they get to me, they need to know the role it plays in the world. Starting in the fall, I'm teaching 11th grade. My kids will be 2 years away from college. Skype your parents. They miss you. They'll hear me saying that.
Dropbox
I first started using Dropbox in 2010. I love it. It makes life easier on so many levels...I use it to share files with friends and family, I use it to back up files, and as a way to not worry about losing things. I can almost guarantee that I'll be using Dropbox or another cloud service like it when I begin teaching. I want my kids to know about the importance of backing up things for common sense reasons (nobody wants to lose things that are important to them!), but also as a way of keeping track of things that can help them for the future. A great essay they write junior year and want to show in a portfolio senior year is still going to be available to them if they get a new computer over the summer if the file is backed up on something like Dropbox. And because I am a tree hugger at heart, anything that's paperless is A-OK to me. I can see myself making a folder on dropbox open for my kids to turn things and using that as a way for me to access their work. Or if the kids are working on a group project, Dropbox can be used to share research.
Evernote
Evernote was the program I studied. I'm fairly familiar with it. I used it when I worked in museum admin without much success. We never fully clicked with it. I've never really bought entirely into Evernote. I think it has some really strong points--like the voice note feature, for example. The ability to record something and be able to annotate if later is awesome. But I remember the good old days of when OneNote when was king. Like when I got my first master's. We swore by OneNote. Evernote does much of the same thing, but to me, it has this clunkiness to it. I don't know why I feel that way, but I do. I like how you can you the synchronization feature on it be able to access things from any computer, but my like for it ends just about their. I don't like having to download extra programs onto my computer or a special toolbar for something unless it's crucial...Evernote doesn't feel as crucial to me as other things.
Diigo
I was fairly familiar with Diigo before this assignment, but I'm now a 100%, full fledged Diigo lover. It's powerful. It's portable. It has what I want and need. I thought Delicious was cool, but Diigo takes the cake. I like Diigo because it's incredibly clean: I can have it an app from the Google store for Chrome or as part of a toolbar. What I like the most about Diigo is how easily accessible everything is. Things are located in clear and obvious libraries. I can make note of a specific line within a website or clip an entire website on. I can get a picture saved forever. I can make my bookmarks and take them everywhere I go. What I like most is the annotation ability. I like that I can bookmark a site, make comments and notes about it, and then share it. How sweet is that? I like something and to share it with others who might find it useful is hit a button. Cake. Complete and utter cake.
In the end, I think we all have to evaluate all the options around us to find what technology really works for us. As a social studies teacher, my technology needs are going to be different from a math teacher, who has different needs then a French teacher. But we're all going to have one thing we find great. And that's what a big part of this class is: finding the one thing that works for us and implementing it.
So, let's end with something relevant, okay? How about something from the Olympics? Okay? A recap of opening ceremonies? I'm down with that. I'm proud of my British roots. Though George was my favorite Beatle, I dig Paul. And I dig 60,000 person sing-alongs.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
She'll be blamed but feel no shame, 'cause she's stopped...she's the professional
We covered two totally different topics in class on Friday: the role of professional portfolios in our careers and the possibilities of video games with instruction. It ended up being an interesting class (and not just because none of us are used to finding parking on North Campus) that hit some important points that actually have a major role in our future.
Our culminating project of the MAC program is a professional e-portfolio that we'll be using in our job hunt, so I want as much information as possible about portfolios. We used weebly.com to make very basic portfolios. Starter portfolios, if you will. I think that having a well designed portfolio is going to be crucial in getting a job next fall. Being able to show a hiring staff lesson plans I've made and videos of me teaching is better then me just saying I'm a good teacher. I can show it! I know many districts and schools have you teach a sample lesson, but having a portfolio full of my work gives that an another boost.
I see portfolios having a huge role in the future of college admissions as well, so having my students make them would be logical step. Kristin mentioned a few schools in the area are requiring students to make portfolios and frankly, I'm surprised more aren't. If I was working on the admissions staff of a college, I would love to see student work in a portfolio. In a college application, you right a brief essay. Wouldn't' it be great to see something more then 250 words? Wouldn't it be great to see test results from more then just the ACT or SAT? Or for an art student...would it be great to see 250 images of work? Or a critical analysis of their work? Having all of the work in something like a neat, tidy url to present to people makes life easy. When I've run auditions or auditioned for thing myself, I've had to give CDs of my work to people. Giving a website is much easier.
I was actually surprised at how user-friendly weebly.com was to make our portfolios. I know websites like that are created as drag and drop functions so they can be used easily by anyone, but even I was surprised by this. It was a no brainer to create. I really think having some kind of e-portfolio, be it one from something like weebly or some big, bad professionally designed one, is the next stage of necessities for job hunting. It's what having an email has become.
The other half of the class was devoted to application of video games in the classroom. A former MACer came in to show us how he used Angry Birds to teach parabolas and parametric equations in his secondary math class. What I really like seeing was how successful the project was, even when he really had no idea about how it would go. He took the video game, let the kids play around with it on the smart board, and then started teaching. I loved how he made it interactive. He actually took the kids outside and had them play a life-size version of Angry Birds he created. The kids actually had slingshots out and were trying to knock down boxes and other obstacles. They were actually experiencing parametric equations. Very cool. Doing a simulation like that gives the kids a better understanding of how to manipulate the game to their advantage and understand the math behind it.
I also liked learning about the background he put into forming the lesson. He showed us the variety of twitter feeds he used to get information, edubloggers he followed, and the resources he used to develop the lesson. This stuff is out there! We can create it, but we can also utilize what's out there.
My question, however, is one I find myself posing a lot: How do I do something that rad in social studies? I'm not going to lie, I want to be the really awesome teacher. I know that in the end, I'll be much happier knowing my students have learned things then being their friend or having them play a game, but I'm human. I want to be the one people like!
Let's finish up with something good? The Black Keys, live at the Joe 3-3-12. One of the best concerts I've been to in a while.
Our culminating project of the MAC program is a professional e-portfolio that we'll be using in our job hunt, so I want as much information as possible about portfolios. We used weebly.com to make very basic portfolios. Starter portfolios, if you will. I think that having a well designed portfolio is going to be crucial in getting a job next fall. Being able to show a hiring staff lesson plans I've made and videos of me teaching is better then me just saying I'm a good teacher. I can show it! I know many districts and schools have you teach a sample lesson, but having a portfolio full of my work gives that an another boost.
I see portfolios having a huge role in the future of college admissions as well, so having my students make them would be logical step. Kristin mentioned a few schools in the area are requiring students to make portfolios and frankly, I'm surprised more aren't. If I was working on the admissions staff of a college, I would love to see student work in a portfolio. In a college application, you right a brief essay. Wouldn't' it be great to see something more then 250 words? Wouldn't it be great to see test results from more then just the ACT or SAT? Or for an art student...would it be great to see 250 images of work? Or a critical analysis of their work? Having all of the work in something like a neat, tidy url to present to people makes life easy. When I've run auditions or auditioned for thing myself, I've had to give CDs of my work to people. Giving a website is much easier.
I was actually surprised at how user-friendly weebly.com was to make our portfolios. I know websites like that are created as drag and drop functions so they can be used easily by anyone, but even I was surprised by this. It was a no brainer to create. I really think having some kind of e-portfolio, be it one from something like weebly or some big, bad professionally designed one, is the next stage of necessities for job hunting. It's what having an email has become.
The other half of the class was devoted to application of video games in the classroom. A former MACer came in to show us how he used Angry Birds to teach parabolas and parametric equations in his secondary math class. What I really like seeing was how successful the project was, even when he really had no idea about how it would go. He took the video game, let the kids play around with it on the smart board, and then started teaching. I loved how he made it interactive. He actually took the kids outside and had them play a life-size version of Angry Birds he created. The kids actually had slingshots out and were trying to knock down boxes and other obstacles. They were actually experiencing parametric equations. Very cool. Doing a simulation like that gives the kids a better understanding of how to manipulate the game to their advantage and understand the math behind it.
I also liked learning about the background he put into forming the lesson. He showed us the variety of twitter feeds he used to get information, edubloggers he followed, and the resources he used to develop the lesson. This stuff is out there! We can create it, but we can also utilize what's out there.
My question, however, is one I find myself posing a lot: How do I do something that rad in social studies? I'm not going to lie, I want to be the really awesome teacher. I know that in the end, I'll be much happier knowing my students have learned things then being their friend or having them play a game, but I'm human. I want to be the one people like!
Let's finish up with something good? The Black Keys, live at the Joe 3-3-12. One of the best concerts I've been to in a while.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
A Girl and the Games
I'm not a gamer girl. I like video games, but I don't think anyone would categorize me as a gamer. Just a girl who can play video games. Why? It's fun. It's stuff I can't do in real life. I'll never be a super hero in the real world. Nor do I drive really, really fast, shoot things, or travel to distant worlds. But playing a video game? You can be anything. You can be the good guy. You can be evil. It's a role you're playing.
James Gee makes the point in his article Good Video Games and Good Learning that humans like learning. I totally agree. It's in our nature to question things and want to learn more. But he's right--you go into a school and a good chunk of the time, you won't see that. But you'll see engagement with video games. Video games do a lot of things school makes us do: they make us think on our feet (er...chairs), teach us fine motor skills, and problem solving. Sounds a lot like kindergarten!
The idea that any subject is a series of game is an interesting thought. I can agree with the idea that life is a series of abstract challenges, but I don't think of everything as a game, quite simply because some things are not a game. I don't necessarily think solving for x in an equation is a game. Some might, but I don't. That could be because I'm not a huge math fan. I think of life being a series of abstract challenges because most things we encounter in school (and eventually, life) are not things that are solidly right or wrong. They can be taken from a variety of positions. But they make us think and create a strategy to solve a problem.
Gee stated 16 principles that make up a good video game and can relate to education and learning. Some of them, like production, for example, relate directly to education. We're told that our students should learn to create their own systems of questioning and find their own answers. How is this different from the creation of a new, successful video game? Some of them are things we need more in schools, like challenge and consolidation. In my mind, a successful lesson will challenge students to their appropriate educational levels. A good video game has a series of levels that are challenging, but eventually, you figure out how to solve the challenges and you win the level and then the game. It's fun. It's good for you. You like the satisfaction that comes from "winning", be it in school or a video game.
Now, the TED talk by Jane McGonigal did make think. A lot. If we turned everything into a problem like those in a video game, does it make people work harder to solve them? I don't know. I think it just makes us view them different sometimes. I like how she talked about trying to "save the world" by playing bigger and better games. I just found that fun. Her notion of the "epic win" in gaming is something that I would LOVE to see in education. The image she showed of the "classic gamer" on the verge of something amazing is what I want my students to be. I want them to be the best versions of themselves and try the hardest.
But is the answer to that video games? I just don't know. In video games, you're trusted to save the world immediately. That doesn't happen in real life; nor does real life have collaborators who want to do nothing but work with you and help you. Moreover, how do I find an answer in video games that is applicable to social studies? I know there's a lot of war-esque games out there and even those based on real life situations. But I think parents would have some serious issues if I had their kids playing video games everyday.
I think her 10,000 hour idea of expanding knowledge is a bit lofty. It's a great thought to devote 10,000 hours to something and become incredible at it. But I don't think life always works that way. When I was younger, I played violin and cello. I played thousands of hours of violin and cello. But I never became that good at it. And I even liked it! I just don't think we can put this automatic association with time = automatic success.
McGonigal states that 4 things are making gamers "virtuosos": urgent optimism, tight social fabric, blissful productivity, and epic meaning. Imagine if learning in school would have that pull on people. It's pretty heavy. The epic games she mentions (World Without Oil, Superstruct, and Evoke, the game with the World Bank Institute) are sort of amazing. I'd love to see how may students would interact with those thoughts and whether they could apply them to their lives.
She also talks about how people play games to escape. I'm not sure how she views that. To me, it's not a bad thing. Games can be escapism that's safe. The real world is big and loud and scary. Sometimes, we need to step away from that. Is it really that bad to do so in a video game?
Finally, our video clip...one of my favorite movies, Almost Famous, and one of my favorite Simon and Garfunkel songs, America. "You'll be cool one day."
"Look under your bed...they'll set you free."
James Gee makes the point in his article Good Video Games and Good Learning that humans like learning. I totally agree. It's in our nature to question things and want to learn more. But he's right--you go into a school and a good chunk of the time, you won't see that. But you'll see engagement with video games. Video games do a lot of things school makes us do: they make us think on our feet (er...chairs), teach us fine motor skills, and problem solving. Sounds a lot like kindergarten!
The idea that any subject is a series of game is an interesting thought. I can agree with the idea that life is a series of abstract challenges, but I don't think of everything as a game, quite simply because some things are not a game. I don't necessarily think solving for x in an equation is a game. Some might, but I don't. That could be because I'm not a huge math fan. I think of life being a series of abstract challenges because most things we encounter in school (and eventually, life) are not things that are solidly right or wrong. They can be taken from a variety of positions. But they make us think and create a strategy to solve a problem.
Gee stated 16 principles that make up a good video game and can relate to education and learning. Some of them, like production, for example, relate directly to education. We're told that our students should learn to create their own systems of questioning and find their own answers. How is this different from the creation of a new, successful video game? Some of them are things we need more in schools, like challenge and consolidation. In my mind, a successful lesson will challenge students to their appropriate educational levels. A good video game has a series of levels that are challenging, but eventually, you figure out how to solve the challenges and you win the level and then the game. It's fun. It's good for you. You like the satisfaction that comes from "winning", be it in school or a video game.
Now, the TED talk by Jane McGonigal did make think. A lot. If we turned everything into a problem like those in a video game, does it make people work harder to solve them? I don't know. I think it just makes us view them different sometimes. I like how she talked about trying to "save the world" by playing bigger and better games. I just found that fun. Her notion of the "epic win" in gaming is something that I would LOVE to see in education. The image she showed of the "classic gamer" on the verge of something amazing is what I want my students to be. I want them to be the best versions of themselves and try the hardest.
But is the answer to that video games? I just don't know. In video games, you're trusted to save the world immediately. That doesn't happen in real life; nor does real life have collaborators who want to do nothing but work with you and help you. Moreover, how do I find an answer in video games that is applicable to social studies? I know there's a lot of war-esque games out there and even those based on real life situations. But I think parents would have some serious issues if I had their kids playing video games everyday.
I think her 10,000 hour idea of expanding knowledge is a bit lofty. It's a great thought to devote 10,000 hours to something and become incredible at it. But I don't think life always works that way. When I was younger, I played violin and cello. I played thousands of hours of violin and cello. But I never became that good at it. And I even liked it! I just don't think we can put this automatic association with time = automatic success.
McGonigal states that 4 things are making gamers "virtuosos": urgent optimism, tight social fabric, blissful productivity, and epic meaning. Imagine if learning in school would have that pull on people. It's pretty heavy. The epic games she mentions (World Without Oil, Superstruct, and Evoke, the game with the World Bank Institute) are sort of amazing. I'd love to see how may students would interact with those thoughts and whether they could apply them to their lives.
She also talks about how people play games to escape. I'm not sure how she views that. To me, it's not a bad thing. Games can be escapism that's safe. The real world is big and loud and scary. Sometimes, we need to step away from that. Is it really that bad to do so in a video game?
Finally, our video clip...one of my favorite movies, Almost Famous, and one of my favorite Simon and Garfunkel songs, America. "You'll be cool one day."
"Look under your bed...they'll set you free."
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Can I have your attention?
Friday was a good old fashioned double session of EDUC 504 which pretty much blew my mind. It covered two totally different topics, but both made me think.
So let's reflect!
We'd been given the past two weeks to mull over NYC's proposed soda ban (you know, that thing I talked about in my last post). We were told to think about potential learning opportunities using the idea of the soda ban. Being a social studies nerd, I went wild. The possibilities were endless, really. We had been given a scenario for what the class would be structured like a few days after the first class session, but we didn't get full details until the evening before. We would be working with school librarians to develop a basic lesson plan.
Cool.
I should say there's two librarians in my immediate family, so I think librarians are pretty swell. Anyway, our task was to utilize resources our librarian could give us to form our lesson plan.
My group was half of the social studies majors and an incredibly brave psych minor--Sarah was a great sport putting up with our constant debating and at times, circular thinking. So we talked things out. A lot. I wouldn't say it was a heated debate because their wasn't really negativity going about, but it was lively to, say the least. We tossed out at least half a dozen potential social studies lesson plans before deciding to talk about the soda ban in it's relationship to other nanny laws.
This was fun. Way too fun. How do you really determine if something is a law designed to protect others or protect you from yourself? That was one of the questions we posed to our hypothetical students. Over the course of the morning session, we learned that it's hard to put a specific label on whether a law is a nanny law or just a basic law. We also had a pretty in depth discussion about the connotation of the phrase "nanny law." Does using those words automatically make us perceive something as bad? Do we see those words and automatically assume big brother is watching us?
Think about that for a second. Let's say we take a nanny law like seatbelt laws. It's universally accepted that they're a good thing and save many, many lives everyday. But call them a nanny law and we frown and think, "A nanny law? That sounds bad! It's probably infringing on my personal rights!"
Think about that seatbelt law again and call it a "public health law." Sounds totally different now, doesn't it? "A public health law? Well, that can't be that bad! It means the world is looking out for my best interest!"
Still the exact same law. Totally different feeling when you change the wording of what can of law it is.
In the afternoon, we switched gears to a totally different direction. Podcasting. About as different as it gets from work with librarians.
I like podcasts. It's how I catch up on my NPR nerd stuff or listen to people I like rant about things. I know many educators use them--iTunes U exists just for that purpose--but I still don't know what role they would play in my classroom. It's such a simple concept; they're really just recordings. It would be a great way to share information, but would students respond to them? How could I be sure my students would listen to a podcast on a topic unless I was watching over their shoulders? I'm trying to just be realistic with this. High school kids do what they want and if they can gloss over something or avoid it, they will. I'm afraid podcasts would fall into that category.
I think they would had serious potential if I was doing a project that centered around something like a speech or announcement. The kids could make their own podcasts of The Gettysburg Address and then dissects it's meaning. Students studying WWII could remake one of FDR's fireside chats or his Infamy Speech to congress. Definite potential in that area. It's allowing students to express their creativity while still being in the context of social studies.
And now, a video! A dance I was assistant choreographer on. Because of that, I got a trip to Disney World with a bunch of high school girls. Really, it wasn't that bad.
So let's reflect!
We'd been given the past two weeks to mull over NYC's proposed soda ban (you know, that thing I talked about in my last post). We were told to think about potential learning opportunities using the idea of the soda ban. Being a social studies nerd, I went wild. The possibilities were endless, really. We had been given a scenario for what the class would be structured like a few days after the first class session, but we didn't get full details until the evening before. We would be working with school librarians to develop a basic lesson plan.
Cool.
I should say there's two librarians in my immediate family, so I think librarians are pretty swell. Anyway, our task was to utilize resources our librarian could give us to form our lesson plan.
My group was half of the social studies majors and an incredibly brave psych minor--Sarah was a great sport putting up with our constant debating and at times, circular thinking. So we talked things out. A lot. I wouldn't say it was a heated debate because their wasn't really negativity going about, but it was lively to, say the least. We tossed out at least half a dozen potential social studies lesson plans before deciding to talk about the soda ban in it's relationship to other nanny laws.
This was fun. Way too fun. How do you really determine if something is a law designed to protect others or protect you from yourself? That was one of the questions we posed to our hypothetical students. Over the course of the morning session, we learned that it's hard to put a specific label on whether a law is a nanny law or just a basic law. We also had a pretty in depth discussion about the connotation of the phrase "nanny law." Does using those words automatically make us perceive something as bad? Do we see those words and automatically assume big brother is watching us?
Think about that for a second. Let's say we take a nanny law like seatbelt laws. It's universally accepted that they're a good thing and save many, many lives everyday. But call them a nanny law and we frown and think, "A nanny law? That sounds bad! It's probably infringing on my personal rights!"
Think about that seatbelt law again and call it a "public health law." Sounds totally different now, doesn't it? "A public health law? Well, that can't be that bad! It means the world is looking out for my best interest!"
Still the exact same law. Totally different feeling when you change the wording of what can of law it is.
In the afternoon, we switched gears to a totally different direction. Podcasting. About as different as it gets from work with librarians.
I like podcasts. It's how I catch up on my NPR nerd stuff or listen to people I like rant about things. I know many educators use them--iTunes U exists just for that purpose--but I still don't know what role they would play in my classroom. It's such a simple concept; they're really just recordings. It would be a great way to share information, but would students respond to them? How could I be sure my students would listen to a podcast on a topic unless I was watching over their shoulders? I'm trying to just be realistic with this. High school kids do what they want and if they can gloss over something or avoid it, they will. I'm afraid podcasts would fall into that category.
I think they would had serious potential if I was doing a project that centered around something like a speech or announcement. The kids could make their own podcasts of The Gettysburg Address and then dissects it's meaning. Students studying WWII could remake one of FDR's fireside chats or his Infamy Speech to congress. Definite potential in that area. It's allowing students to express their creativity while still being in the context of social studies.
And now, a video! A dance I was assistant choreographer on. Because of that, I got a trip to Disney World with a bunch of high school girls. Really, it wasn't that bad.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
To carbonate or not to carbonate...
It's probably best that I start this post by saying that all opinions are mine. Obviously. And that I have very, very strong opinions about pop (or to keep in line with language of the articles, "soda." I'm a midwestern girl. I drink pop). Very strong. Strong as in more then once I've told someone, "If you touch my pop I'll cut you." Seriously.
You don't have to be a rocket scientist to guess that I have strong opinions on the New York City soda ban. I'm a reformed hardcore pop drinker. During my undergrad, when various recitals or performances had me on the dancer's diet (diet coke, lara bars, and marlboro lights), I would drink 5 or 6 cans of diet coke a day. I had a dedicated pop section in my hall closet. I'm down to 1 or 2 day, simply because the invention of the Keurig Coffee Maker has taken my caffeine concerns elsewhere. But I digress. I'm a pop drinker for a caffeine. I don't sleep enough and use caffeine to make up for it.
That's the truth.
The truth about me and pop is also in the above--I don't drink regular pop. I never have. And when I say never, I really and truly mean never. I've always drank diet pop. I was the little kid who had diet coke with her happy meal. My mother is anti-sugar, so my entire life, I've drank diet pop. I can count the number of times I've had non-diet pop on two hands (I should also say that I totally don't want or need the artificial sweetener lecture right now, as I've had it and heard it inside out more times then I can count).
So what does this have to do with New York City, one of my favorite places on earth? New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg recently enacted legislation that would ban big, sugary drink. Not just pop, but energy drinks and things like sweetened ice tea, as well. The city would impose limitations on the sale of any sugary drink over 16oz in places like movie theaters, arenas, and fast food chains. Interestingly, pre-packaged drinks are excluded from the ban, as are dairy based drinks, like milkshakes or some smoothies. The ban also has some interesting fine print in it. New York Times columnist Michael M. Grynbaum explains some of the details well:
--Restaurants would be prohibited from giving out cups larger than 16oz in size, but refills and additional drink purchases would be allowed
--The ban would not apply to drinks that have fewer then 25 calories per 8oz serving (that would give things like Vitamin Water the A-OK)
The ban isn't perfect. Far from it. The fine print says that. But as a soon-to-be social studies teacher, I see this as being an great talking put. Think about bans for a minute. How does this relate to bans of the past? (Prohibition, banned books, etc. What do these all have in common? Have they worked? What longterm outcome do they have?) It even leads to a great discussion about the legislative process.
Yes, I said the legislative process. The earliest the ban would go into effect would be March of 2013, so this shows the speed that the legislative process works with. It ties in directly with Bloomberg's failed attempts to get soda taxed and ban the use of food stamps on purchases of soda. It shows that it's an imperfect system. Want to take the political aspects a step further? We have a lesson on lobbyists! It should come as no surprise that big soda companies are trying their best to crush the ban. Canvassers are out in the five boroughs and Facebook and twitter efforts have been started.
This also sparks a conversation on the limits and powers of our government. What right does the government have to ban a certain size/type of beverage? Who makes the determination that something is hazardous to our health if the item was safe enough to sell legally? How far can the government go to say what we're allowed to have and not have? Let's bring it down a little more--who really is in charge of making the decisions about things like pop? Is it parents and families or is it the government paid scientists and dietitians?
All of this ties in with the idea of the common good and community responsibility as well. Our nation is fat. New York City is a fat city. If we can take steps to make something even a tiny amount healthier, shouldn't we do so? I'm trying to view this from the view of a 16-year-old: "If we have to wear seat belts because it's safer, how is banning cups of pop different? Both are trying to make people safer/healthier."
I'm strongly in favor of using current events that are relevant to the lives of high school students in my classroom. I see myself using this exact example...while I hide my diet coke from view of my students.
And on a lighter note, this post's video!
I have a passionate and unashamed love of Green Day. I have since I was like 11 and had their tapes. American Idiot, their 2004 album, is considered to by many to be one of finest and most prolific pieces of music produced in the past decade. It harkens back to the music of 1960s and 1970s that was a response to the world around us. Though I usually have a hatred of concept albums, American Idiot is one that works. It tells the story of Johnny, the "Jesus of Suburbia", and his life in the present. As someone who came over age c.2004, it addresses what was pressing at the time--the war in Iraq, the war on terror, and the uncertainty that went along with being on the verge of an adult. The album itself was a path to Green Day's 2009 follow-up album 21st Century Breakdown, an album describe as a "snapshot of the era in which we live as we question and try to make sense of the selfish manipulation going on around us, whether it be the government, religion, media or frankly any form of authority." Not long after the release of 21st century breakdown, Green Day took the concept album of American Idiot a step further and a stage adaptation of the album was produced. It featured every song from American Idiot, a smattering of songs from 21st Century Breakdown, and a few b-sides. It ran for 422 performance on broadway and won Tony awards for best design in a musical and best lighting design in a musical. Out of the blue, I decided I wanted to be part of this show. I went to an open call in New York for the second national tour back in the spring and had a callback a month ago based on my bitchin' dance skills. I didn't book it, but I had to give it a shot.
The scene below is a bootleg from the show featuring "Before the Lobotomy/Extraordinary Girl." It tells the story of one of Johnny's close friends, Tunny, who enlisted in the army, was wounded overseas and in subsequently having hallucinations of the nurse tending to him--the "extraordinary girl." The scene has amazing aerial work in it and a rad dance feature at the very end that I had to do 7 times during my callback.
Other reason for posting it? I want to be an Extraordinary Girl, just not in the hallucinatory sense.
You don't have to be a rocket scientist to guess that I have strong opinions on the New York City soda ban. I'm a reformed hardcore pop drinker. During my undergrad, when various recitals or performances had me on the dancer's diet (diet coke, lara bars, and marlboro lights), I would drink 5 or 6 cans of diet coke a day. I had a dedicated pop section in my hall closet. I'm down to 1 or 2 day, simply because the invention of the Keurig Coffee Maker has taken my caffeine concerns elsewhere. But I digress. I'm a pop drinker for a caffeine. I don't sleep enough and use caffeine to make up for it.
That's the truth.
The truth about me and pop is also in the above--I don't drink regular pop. I never have. And when I say never, I really and truly mean never. I've always drank diet pop. I was the little kid who had diet coke with her happy meal. My mother is anti-sugar, so my entire life, I've drank diet pop. I can count the number of times I've had non-diet pop on two hands (I should also say that I totally don't want or need the artificial sweetener lecture right now, as I've had it and heard it inside out more times then I can count).
So what does this have to do with New York City, one of my favorite places on earth? New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg recently enacted legislation that would ban big, sugary drink. Not just pop, but energy drinks and things like sweetened ice tea, as well. The city would impose limitations on the sale of any sugary drink over 16oz in places like movie theaters, arenas, and fast food chains. Interestingly, pre-packaged drinks are excluded from the ban, as are dairy based drinks, like milkshakes or some smoothies. The ban also has some interesting fine print in it. New York Times columnist Michael M. Grynbaum explains some of the details well:
--Restaurants would be prohibited from giving out cups larger than 16oz in size, but refills and additional drink purchases would be allowed
--The ban would not apply to drinks that have fewer then 25 calories per 8oz serving (that would give things like Vitamin Water the A-OK)
The ban isn't perfect. Far from it. The fine print says that. But as a soon-to-be social studies teacher, I see this as being an great talking put. Think about bans for a minute. How does this relate to bans of the past? (Prohibition, banned books, etc. What do these all have in common? Have they worked? What longterm outcome do they have?) It even leads to a great discussion about the legislative process.
Yes, I said the legislative process. The earliest the ban would go into effect would be March of 2013, so this shows the speed that the legislative process works with. It ties in directly with Bloomberg's failed attempts to get soda taxed and ban the use of food stamps on purchases of soda. It shows that it's an imperfect system. Want to take the political aspects a step further? We have a lesson on lobbyists! It should come as no surprise that big soda companies are trying their best to crush the ban. Canvassers are out in the five boroughs and Facebook and twitter efforts have been started.
This also sparks a conversation on the limits and powers of our government. What right does the government have to ban a certain size/type of beverage? Who makes the determination that something is hazardous to our health if the item was safe enough to sell legally? How far can the government go to say what we're allowed to have and not have? Let's bring it down a little more--who really is in charge of making the decisions about things like pop? Is it parents and families or is it the government paid scientists and dietitians?
All of this ties in with the idea of the common good and community responsibility as well. Our nation is fat. New York City is a fat city. If we can take steps to make something even a tiny amount healthier, shouldn't we do so? I'm trying to view this from the view of a 16-year-old: "If we have to wear seat belts because it's safer, how is banning cups of pop different? Both are trying to make people safer/healthier."
I'm strongly in favor of using current events that are relevant to the lives of high school students in my classroom. I see myself using this exact example...while I hide my diet coke from view of my students.
And on a lighter note, this post's video!
I have a passionate and unashamed love of Green Day. I have since I was like 11 and had their tapes. American Idiot, their 2004 album, is considered to by many to be one of finest and most prolific pieces of music produced in the past decade. It harkens back to the music of 1960s and 1970s that was a response to the world around us. Though I usually have a hatred of concept albums, American Idiot is one that works. It tells the story of Johnny, the "Jesus of Suburbia", and his life in the present. As someone who came over age c.2004, it addresses what was pressing at the time--the war in Iraq, the war on terror, and the uncertainty that went along with being on the verge of an adult. The album itself was a path to Green Day's 2009 follow-up album 21st Century Breakdown, an album describe as a "snapshot of the era in which we live as we question and try to make sense of the selfish manipulation going on around us, whether it be the government, religion, media or frankly any form of authority." Not long after the release of 21st century breakdown, Green Day took the concept album of American Idiot a step further and a stage adaptation of the album was produced. It featured every song from American Idiot, a smattering of songs from 21st Century Breakdown, and a few b-sides. It ran for 422 performance on broadway and won Tony awards for best design in a musical and best lighting design in a musical. Out of the blue, I decided I wanted to be part of this show. I went to an open call in New York for the second national tour back in the spring and had a callback a month ago based on my bitchin' dance skills. I didn't book it, but I had to give it a shot.
The scene below is a bootleg from the show featuring "Before the Lobotomy/Extraordinary Girl." It tells the story of one of Johnny's close friends, Tunny, who enlisted in the army, was wounded overseas and in subsequently having hallucinations of the nurse tending to him--the "extraordinary girl." The scene has amazing aerial work in it and a rad dance feature at the very end that I had to do 7 times during my callback.
Other reason for posting it? I want to be an Extraordinary Girl, just not in the hallucinatory sense.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
If the third time isn't a charm, there may be some issues...
So. Over the last 2 weeks, one thought has consistently run through my head:
"If the third time isn't a charm, I'm so freakin' screwed."'
I believe in the notion of charmed thirds because I believe in the idea of not giving up on myself. This is my third career route since I finished my undergrad work a few years ago. Quite simply, the options are fairly limited after this go 'round. While I was happy (at least temporarily...) with the jobs I've had in the past, I burned out so fast and furiously, you'd think I was making the fifth sequel to that movie. I don't feel that yet. Granted, it's only been two weeks, but the mental feeling isn't even there. I feel like I'm doing the right thing. Like the kindergarteners I used teach liked to say, this might be sorta okay.
Thing need substance, though. I can't just ramble endlessly, especially when I have something I have to talk about. So let's talk about school. Specifically, let's talk about Friday, when I have my teaching with technology class. Can I just start by saying this class feels unbelievably right? Not that learning about the origins of Bloom's Taxonomy isn't, but this feels much more real. Real in the sense that it's going to give me inspiration and direction in my classroom. Or at least ideas for what I'd like my classroom to be like (let's get real, my main concern is making it through the curriculum without myself or anyone else dying). My professors, Jeff and Kristin, gave us a lot to think about, but it was things we actually wanted to think about.
For real.
With the utmost respect to my classmates and professors, I've been having issues making sense of my thinking by the end of Thursday. I don't make sense to myself, so I greatly doubt that I'm making sense to everyone else in the room. But a large portion of us are "millenials." (I hate that word. Just for the record). Technology has played a massive role in our lives. But how do we make this work in the classroom? When I was in school, technology in the classroom consisted of our weekly computer class, some film strips in library, and the overhead projector. That was the big time. If I tried to run that boat now, I'd probably be laughed out of school.
When I met my mentor this spring, she insisted she was "low tech," but her classroom seemed different. There were 3 computers in the room, a TV, DVD/VCR, overhead projector, data projector, document camera, and a sound system. She had a class blog and class website. That's not low tech.
How does this work for me? How do I continue this trend? I think that's what I plan on learning over the next year.
What got me the most (in the good way), was the fact that we talked in the class on Friday. And not entirely about higher order thinking. We used happy small words sometimes. Things seemed much more applicable to our coming jobs (again, not that Krathwohl didn't work really hard on his revised taxonomy and not that I won't need it to teach). Relief, really. It's interesting to think about what "technology" means in a classroom setting in 2012. It's not what it was in 2002 or even 2006. It's getting bigger and bolder. It's more.
But because it's been a long week, I can only think so much. Let's end this on a lighter, simple Abby note. That means a video of something random!
When I was 11--a month or 2 before my 12th birthday--I saw my first concert. The make up back on KISS tour. Alice in Chains opened. It was at the old Tiger Stadium. In honor of that, a clip from '96 of KISS playing under the Brooklyn Bridge.
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