Dear Mr. Larson,
I have been exposed to some methods of technology intergration in the classroom. There are very simple techniques that a teacher can use in any subject; but I will focus on your history class. History is a visual science. Students tend to need to be able to relate somehow to the past because if they have no relation to the past, it is just that, the past. So one easy method to help students relate to the past is by using videos. In my high school classes my teachers had us watch a lot of historical videos. While this is not such a bad idea, I would like to introduce 21st century technology into the classroom. I would make use of short video clips of the day's subject. These type of clips can be found on YouTube.com. But be careful, you have to do a little searching outside of the classroom before you put any of these videos on the screen in the classroom. But YouTube is now home to thousands of relavent videos that can greatly enhance your subject.
Another method of integration for social studies would simply be using the internet for web quests. Most webquests are designed for younger children; but there are some difficult quests out there that give high school students a challenge. PodCasts are also great. Many podcasts are from people that have actually witnessed history. But you have to know when to press stop. Students can begin to dose off with just audio.
But there are many options availible for you. Most are going to be reliant on the computer...as they should be. The issue is, do you have the resources in your school to use any of these techniques? If you don't, there are other cheaper uses of technology to enhance your history class. These include basic televisions, recorders, and any form of media. Take your class to the public library and let them explore the internet there...of course under supervision. But the reality is, whatever topic you have for the day, there are simple technologies out there to allow you to enhance your lesson. All you have to do is be exposed to the technology. Search google.com for ideas that have been used in other school in your subject area. There are many out there.
Good luck,
-Phill
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Monday, April 30, 2007
Reflection
Basically, I did not mind this course. However, I know my problems when it comes to my own education: if the course is not difficult, I do poorly. It has been a flaw in my learning for a long time. I try and try to see a way for me to get through this problem but if another course is more difficult I will focus more on that one. I am not saying that this course was completely easy. It was just easier than my other courses because I am familiar with technology. But this course was also different than what I expected. I was expecting more of a lesson of how to incoporate technology into the classroom. But I feel odd about that subject because I feel as if the class did not expose me to that subject; but you certainly showed up podcasts and blogs and other stuff. So I feel like you did your job perfectly. But the problem is, I think I already knew how to incorporate that type of stuff into a class. Perhaps it was because of other classes in the School of Ed I have taken. I also understand that this is the 1st course in a series and I am looking forward to using these methods in the future. I wish, though, that instead of elementary kids we could have been at a middle or high school. I just do not have a connection to little kids at all. Maybe in the other courses that can happen.
Another thing about this class, and please forgive me for this everyone, but all the crying about the work. The workload in this class was not that much. Now I know I did not get everything turned in on time or at all; but I take the responsibility that I could not or did not do it. So Anne, don't lessen the load of work if you teach this again and don't do it for W310. This is an addition to your license and everyone is treating this as any other lame class. I signed up for W310 for next fall, bearing that IU doesn't fail me out because of a registrar issue with another class, and I am expecting it to be in-depth, interesting, and hard. I think its going to be just me and Andrew....pleanty of one on one teaching there so please kick our ass with work.
So back to this class again: Anne I always heard you during the classes say something like "I dont want to hear any other clicks during this presentation" referring to us looking at the web. I was thinking about that and I think that maybe if the lab lights were all the way on except during the overhead time (which was a lot of time) would maybe make us pay more attention. Darkness just instigates lazyness. Another thing I would have liked is maybe a little more exposure to technology. We talked about that during class where we use one new item each week. Thats not such a bad idea.
Anne you might hate me on this one but I think the lesson plan templates were bad. I think that we should have been required to make our own templates. If we get a template and fill in the blanks, that lessens the quality our of creativity. We need to expand our own ideas using technology and creating our own lessons from scratch could have broadened our boundaries. This is just how I felt about the templates. When a plan was due, I would judt download the template and be like "well, looks like I can spend maybe 10 mins on this because its all right there for me: what is my plan, what resources, how much time?". I just simply mean that we needed to make our own stuff. And if people complain about doing that, tell them that as a first year or even 2nd or 3rd, new teachers are typically required to submit weekly lesson plans to the principal for approval. So get used to it!
Being that the lab that we were in was in the School of Ed, someone with influence needs to submit to the tech crews there to install educational programs that we need to be introduced to. They do that for the school of music and b-school and they have all kinds of math programs on all the systems at IU....but the school of ed is a forgotten product of past tax dollars. It is like IU does not pride itself in anything but the 3 Rs....typical of a lousy public school. So thats another thing that could have enhanced our learning experience in this class. Nothing you can do about that right now though. IU would rather buy brand new White Chevy Subarbans than spend the money to properly prepare all of us Ed majors.
I am sorry that I did miss a lot of this class. I wish I didn't have this problem with my damn kidneys because life would be a lot easier......and I would be freakin done with college.
So overall, I think this class was useful. Even though I think it was easier than my other classes, it did further expose me to new technology that I had heard of, but never used. I hope that this reflection serves you well in the future.
Thanks!
-Phill
Another thing about this class, and please forgive me for this everyone, but all the crying about the work. The workload in this class was not that much. Now I know I did not get everything turned in on time or at all; but I take the responsibility that I could not or did not do it. So Anne, don't lessen the load of work if you teach this again and don't do it for W310. This is an addition to your license and everyone is treating this as any other lame class. I signed up for W310 for next fall, bearing that IU doesn't fail me out because of a registrar issue with another class, and I am expecting it to be in-depth, interesting, and hard. I think its going to be just me and Andrew....pleanty of one on one teaching there so please kick our ass with work.
So back to this class again: Anne I always heard you during the classes say something like "I dont want to hear any other clicks during this presentation" referring to us looking at the web. I was thinking about that and I think that maybe if the lab lights were all the way on except during the overhead time (which was a lot of time) would maybe make us pay more attention. Darkness just instigates lazyness. Another thing I would have liked is maybe a little more exposure to technology. We talked about that during class where we use one new item each week. Thats not such a bad idea.
Anne you might hate me on this one but I think the lesson plan templates were bad. I think that we should have been required to make our own templates. If we get a template and fill in the blanks, that lessens the quality our of creativity. We need to expand our own ideas using technology and creating our own lessons from scratch could have broadened our boundaries. This is just how I felt about the templates. When a plan was due, I would judt download the template and be like "well, looks like I can spend maybe 10 mins on this because its all right there for me: what is my plan, what resources, how much time?". I just simply mean that we needed to make our own stuff. And if people complain about doing that, tell them that as a first year or even 2nd or 3rd, new teachers are typically required to submit weekly lesson plans to the principal for approval. So get used to it!
Being that the lab that we were in was in the School of Ed, someone with influence needs to submit to the tech crews there to install educational programs that we need to be introduced to. They do that for the school of music and b-school and they have all kinds of math programs on all the systems at IU....but the school of ed is a forgotten product of past tax dollars. It is like IU does not pride itself in anything but the 3 Rs....typical of a lousy public school. So thats another thing that could have enhanced our learning experience in this class. Nothing you can do about that right now though. IU would rather buy brand new White Chevy Subarbans than spend the money to properly prepare all of us Ed majors.
I am sorry that I did miss a lot of this class. I wish I didn't have this problem with my damn kidneys because life would be a lot easier......and I would be freakin done with college.
So overall, I think this class was useful. Even though I think it was easier than my other classes, it did further expose me to new technology that I had heard of, but never used. I hope that this reflection serves you well in the future.
Thanks!
-Phill
Summit Elementary
Well, I do not know how much I can say about this school. This blog will account for the couple of times I went there. First off, rolling chairs in a computer lab is not a good idea for young children. Joseph loved rolling around everywhere. Also, having these kids sit where they wanted to was a bad idea because when they sat together they did not accomplsih anything. But overall this was probably my favorite school because the lab was much nicer and there were not as many students. I pretty much spent my time with Shelby. She seemed to have a good head on her shoulders and last Thursday she was ready to put everything in movie maker. So she was a good kid. I also thought that the teachers there helped out a little bit more than the other schools. Boys and Girls club seemed to make things a little bit more difficult at the other schools. I was glad that the teachers here did not let the students just do anything they wanted...well at least they tried. But overall I thought it was a good experience because these are students that a lot of us young future teachers will have to deal with at first being that they were a lot of trouble and that Title One schools always have openings for young teachers such as us. And one last note, I am not sure if this is appropriate to put in here but the one female teacher at Summit did not dressed appropriately. She is lucky I do not have a child in that school because i would have made a complaint. This is coming from a guy too.
See ya
See ya
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Little 500
Well I hope everyone is having a great Little 500 week. I, on the other hand, am not. This week I have had to sit at home 3 times with intense pains in my left kidney. So class has not been too fun. Not that I am much of a party person in the first place, but it would be nice to at least go out and see some friends. My roommates and neighbors are having this giant party TOMORROW at my house and theirs. I already know I am going to be trying to have a good time even though all this crap is going on. I not sad about it or anything, its just a big hassle. Other than that, everyone should stop by my house. Its behind Eigenmann...can't miss it....only blue house with a red truck in the driveway. Hope everyones project is working well. Thanks Anne for the links you gave me for mine...they do in fact help out.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Pool
everyone should come out to my house behind eignemann during little 5 week.....my pool rocks! Only been two days and the water temp is up to 60 from 50!
Ben Philips and Templeton
My reflection on last week's time at Templeton. Well I spent the entire time helping Ben Philips. He had his story nearly completed so we worked on that at first. I typed his story in word because he had typed it in paint and because I would do it faster. We then went through the movie check-list to see what we still needed to get done. He had all his sounds ready; I just helped him get them organized. He still needed to get some pictures which were a problem to find because he needed bloody-type pictures for his zombies. But I convinced him that he could just use some that were already on the website. We then got his narrative recorded and then moviemaker started. I got his pictures in place and his sounds....but not his narrative. We ran out of time to complete that part of his movie. But I think Ben worked hard on his project; he just needed a little encouragement because if I did not say anything for a while he would go off on tangents and look at other stuff. Kinda makes me think of Andrew's blog in that if kids do not have one on one supervision, they look at other things on the computer.
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