Sir Robinson lecture was about how and why education kills our children's creativity. He begins with stating that ALL children have tremendous talents and that creativity in education is just as important as literacy. He mentions that even Shakespeare had an English teacher, and this shows how important our roles are as educators. He goes on to mention that all over the world there is a hierarchy of education...with math and sciences at the top, then humanities and language, and lastly, the arts. This is because educational systems were not formed until the 19th century, in order to meet the needs of industrialism. This should be reformed! In the world today, because of overpopulation, and the availability of education, degrees have a decreasing value (he calls this academic inflation). We should be encouraging all types of expression, interests, and education not only because of all the different talents of our children, but so we can open up different opportunities for them in the future. He also mentions 3 things about education that always hold true: education is diverse, intelligence is dynamic, and intelligence is distinct. The main point of his lecture was that we as educators should rethink fundamental principals we are using to educate our children. No talent is more important then another.
I completely agree with Sir Robinson! As a future special educator, I fully realize that not all children learn the same way and excel in all the same areas. We should encourage all talents and abilities no matter what it takes. It is also a proven fact in education that when a child is allowed to succeed in something that they are good at and enjoy, they gain self-esteem, and all other areas improve. It is an absolute shame that so many schools in America have eliminated many areas in education having to do with music and the arts. This should be illegal. Would we ever eliminate math? science? Of course not.
Monday, April 27, 2009
My Experience with Twitter
When I first started using twitter I did not like it. However, after finding out about a few helpful tools I learned that Twitter can be a great way to stay updated on news, keep up with my favorite bands, and learn from other teachers about teaching methods and how they are in fact using twitter themselves and how their students are using it. This became much easier after I began using tweetdeck and monitter. These tools make it easier to find people to follow and organize your tweets and messages.
Through twitter I was introduced to various podcasts on autism by following "Autism Speaks", met teachers from all over the country, found articles on early childhood special education, and followed my favorite band by keeping up with "PanicCrew" tweets. I also was able to tweet briefly with my computer professor about problems I was having with it! It is a quick, easy way to communicate with others and proved to be very helpful! For an entire weekend I was slightly addicted to twitter. After a while I began signing on periodically just to check for messages and see if there was anything tweeted about that interested me.
As an early childhood special education major, I don't see my future students having the capability of using a tool such as twitter. However, I will certainly use it for ideas for teaching and for collaborating with other teachers all over the world. I also find it to be a great tool for older students who can effectively navigate a computer. This would be a great starting point for research or other ideas related to school.
The only negative aspect about twitter as that tweets must be kept SO short. There is so much I want to say in response to certain tweets! However, I can see why it must be kept that way, when receiving so many messages from so many people. All in all, I feel twitter is a great way of communication and conversation between people from all over who may have never gotten the chance to share ideas with those living in other places.
Through twitter I was introduced to various podcasts on autism by following "Autism Speaks", met teachers from all over the country, found articles on early childhood special education, and followed my favorite band by keeping up with "PanicCrew" tweets. I also was able to tweet briefly with my computer professor about problems I was having with it! It is a quick, easy way to communicate with others and proved to be very helpful! For an entire weekend I was slightly addicted to twitter. After a while I began signing on periodically just to check for messages and see if there was anything tweeted about that interested me.
As an early childhood special education major, I don't see my future students having the capability of using a tool such as twitter. However, I will certainly use it for ideas for teaching and for collaborating with other teachers all over the world. I also find it to be a great tool for older students who can effectively navigate a computer. This would be a great starting point for research or other ideas related to school.
The only negative aspect about twitter as that tweets must be kept SO short. There is so much I want to say in response to certain tweets! However, I can see why it must be kept that way, when receiving so many messages from so many people. All in all, I feel twitter is a great way of communication and conversation between people from all over who may have never gotten the chance to share ideas with those living in other places.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
EDM 310 podcasts evaluations
The assignment for this week was to listen to and analyze four podcasts recorded in our very own EDM 310 class with Dr. Strange. I chose the one in which Kimberly and I participated in on "Burp Back Education," the podcast on Randy Pausch's last lecture with Megan and Keith, the podcast about useful teaching tools for elementary school teachers by Joyce, Jared, Lauren, and Erica (who are actually in another class at a separate time), and the interview conducted by Jonas, Hannah, and Anthony on social networking in education. Overall, I feel that my fellow classmates and I did an exceptional job, but still have plenty of room for improvement. In this post I will critique each podcast, and give a brief description on each.
The burp back education podcast was designed as an interview with our course instructor, Dr. Strange. I feel that this interview flowed naturally and consisted of relevant, important questions, in which Dr. Strange answered eloquently. As, I listened to this podcast, however, I thought of many other topics and questions that I should have asked about at that time. Hopefully, this will lead our listeners to asking more questions about the topic as well. The podcast provided a link at the end of the interview that could allow listeners to further research project based learning teaching skills and ideas. Overall, I feel this podcast was successful in explaining burp back education, and how to avoid it.
The next podcast I listened to was about Randy Pausch's (a professor at Carnige Mellon) last lecture. This podcast came across as slightly scripted and mechanical. However, except for a few exceptions, the podcast was well organized. Another feature I found useful was that they provided a way for the listeners to view his speech themselves. The only suggestion for this podcast would be to practice more and become more familiar with the information.
The third and fourth podcasts I listened to were hard to find problems with! The podcast on useful internet sites for elementary school teachers provided many sites such as askjeeves, education-world.com, and teacherpathfinder.org, and a description of how each are used for teachers and/or students. The only thing I may want to suggest would be to not repeat certain functions of these websites too many times because it may become repetitive. As for the interview of Angela Rand, I found this group asked great questions and Mrs. Rand seemed very informed and passionate about social networking and its many uses. Overall, all groups did a great job creating their very first podcasts!
The burp back education podcast was designed as an interview with our course instructor, Dr. Strange. I feel that this interview flowed naturally and consisted of relevant, important questions, in which Dr. Strange answered eloquently. As, I listened to this podcast, however, I thought of many other topics and questions that I should have asked about at that time. Hopefully, this will lead our listeners to asking more questions about the topic as well. The podcast provided a link at the end of the interview that could allow listeners to further research project based learning teaching skills and ideas. Overall, I feel this podcast was successful in explaining burp back education, and how to avoid it.
The next podcast I listened to was about Randy Pausch's (a professor at Carnige Mellon) last lecture. This podcast came across as slightly scripted and mechanical. However, except for a few exceptions, the podcast was well organized. Another feature I found useful was that they provided a way for the listeners to view his speech themselves. The only suggestion for this podcast would be to practice more and become more familiar with the information.
The third and fourth podcasts I listened to were hard to find problems with! The podcast on useful internet sites for elementary school teachers provided many sites such as askjeeves, education-world.com, and teacherpathfinder.org, and a description of how each are used for teachers and/or students. The only thing I may want to suggest would be to not repeat certain functions of these websites too many times because it may become repetitive. As for the interview of Angela Rand, I found this group asked great questions and Mrs. Rand seemed very informed and passionate about social networking and its many uses. Overall, all groups did a great job creating their very first podcasts!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Blogging-Is it really THAT useful?
Reviewing my own blog, and reading the content of one of my fellow classmates, I can confidently say that blogging is overall very beneficial to students, teachers, parents, and any other learner. Blogging is a way of sharing ideas and information all over the world to other students, a way for teachers to communicate with parents about their child's curriculum and school events, and also a tool for teacher-teacher relationships linked all over the world through sharing teaching strategies, helpful educational websites, and a way to learn more about another teacher's culture or environment for better understanding of certain topics that may be addressed in the classroom.
As I read through Jonas Cockson's blog, I noticed that we had similar ideas on many assignments. I also found several points in his blog that I didn't think about when completing the assignment. For example, one thing that Jonas found very important involving the videos "The Edible Schoolyard" and "A Night in the Global Village" was how much activities such as these can improve the student-teacher relationship. He mentioned that it slowly becomes more of a mentor relationship. This made me realize one important fact. The more comfortable and confident a student is with the teacher, the more likely they are to ask questions and be engaged in what is being taught. I can certainly remember teachers growing up that kept themselves at a certain impersonal distance from their students at all times. This causes a certain type of insecurity and fear with that teacher and therefore results in a intimidated, disinterested child. I am very glad that I found this point on Jonas's blog and was able to personally expound on his idea. This is the essence of social networking and blogging in education!
One negative aspect of blogging is that just because a particular teacher posted certain information on a blog, does not mean that it is correct or the best way to teach. There is a certain amount of sifting one must do to find the most useful information, resources, and ideas. Another downside of blogging is that there should be a certain amount of supervision present when students are surfing blogs. There are all kinds of inappropriate blogs and blog topics out there that we my not want our children to be exposed to.
In all, blogging is a wonderful tool for all aspects of education and the people involved within its process (parents, teachers, and students.) Blogging will absolutely be a resource tool for me throughout college and my teaching career. Blogging and other social networking sites are very important and all teachers need realize its power and take the time to use it properly. Share what you learn so that others can benefit from it! Learn from others so that YOU and your students can benefit from it! These actions are our duty and obligation as teachers.
As I read through Jonas Cockson's blog, I noticed that we had similar ideas on many assignments. I also found several points in his blog that I didn't think about when completing the assignment. For example, one thing that Jonas found very important involving the videos "The Edible Schoolyard" and "A Night in the Global Village" was how much activities such as these can improve the student-teacher relationship. He mentioned that it slowly becomes more of a mentor relationship. This made me realize one important fact. The more comfortable and confident a student is with the teacher, the more likely they are to ask questions and be engaged in what is being taught. I can certainly remember teachers growing up that kept themselves at a certain impersonal distance from their students at all times. This causes a certain type of insecurity and fear with that teacher and therefore results in a intimidated, disinterested child. I am very glad that I found this point on Jonas's blog and was able to personally expound on his idea. This is the essence of social networking and blogging in education!
One negative aspect of blogging is that just because a particular teacher posted certain information on a blog, does not mean that it is correct or the best way to teach. There is a certain amount of sifting one must do to find the most useful information, resources, and ideas. Another downside of blogging is that there should be a certain amount of supervision present when students are surfing blogs. There are all kinds of inappropriate blogs and blog topics out there that we my not want our children to be exposed to.
In all, blogging is a wonderful tool for all aspects of education and the people involved within its process (parents, teachers, and students.) Blogging will absolutely be a resource tool for me throughout college and my teaching career. Blogging and other social networking sites are very important and all teachers need realize its power and take the time to use it properly. Share what you learn so that others can benefit from it! Learn from others so that YOU and your students can benefit from it! These actions are our duty and obligation as teachers.
Growth v. Fixed Mindsets in Learning
During this video the interviewee describes the difference between what she called a "fixed" and "growth" mindset. She explains a "fixed" mindset to be of a student who believes that their basic intelligence is a fixed trait and that there is nothing they can do about how smart they are. They often avoid certain activities that may show their intelligence.
Other students, with "growth" mindsets want to grow and develop as a student by learning as much as they can and striving to be a better student. Her idea was to teach this type of mindset to half of a classroom of students in a workshop, and the other half simply teach a study skills class. During the "growth" workshop, she explains to students about how the brain is like a muscle, and that it gets stronger the more it is used. She found that the students that attended the workshop about the "growth" mindset had the most improved grades by far then the other group of students.
I firmly believe and agree with the video in that students and all learners of all ages can improve their learning skills through practice, curiosity, and the belief that they can learn anything. One thing I thought of when viewing this and thought to be a good example of this idea was of something I learned in my Education in a Diverse Society Class. First of all, many female girls are acquiring the "fixed" mindset when it comes to math and science. This belief of girls not being as good at math and science as boys is instilled by our own society. Evidence shows that girls do not lag behind boys in math and science until about the 4th grade. This proves that something changes in these girls lives...not that they are not as smart as the boys. Also, from what I learned in that class is that students coming from a low socio-economic status often adopt this mindset as well, but for all areas of school. If we teach girls, and those of lower socio-economic backgrounds in particular this type of mindset at a very early age, student achievement would result in a more even playing field. I do, however, believe that all students could benefit learning a "growth" mindset. This will be something that I try to instill in all of my future students and within myself! One of the concluding statements of the video was that it is impossible to be a good mentor without a "growth" mindset....and I agree.
Other students, with "growth" mindsets want to grow and develop as a student by learning as much as they can and striving to be a better student. Her idea was to teach this type of mindset to half of a classroom of students in a workshop, and the other half simply teach a study skills class. During the "growth" workshop, she explains to students about how the brain is like a muscle, and that it gets stronger the more it is used. She found that the students that attended the workshop about the "growth" mindset had the most improved grades by far then the other group of students.
I firmly believe and agree with the video in that students and all learners of all ages can improve their learning skills through practice, curiosity, and the belief that they can learn anything. One thing I thought of when viewing this and thought to be a good example of this idea was of something I learned in my Education in a Diverse Society Class. First of all, many female girls are acquiring the "fixed" mindset when it comes to math and science. This belief of girls not being as good at math and science as boys is instilled by our own society. Evidence shows that girls do not lag behind boys in math and science until about the 4th grade. This proves that something changes in these girls lives...not that they are not as smart as the boys. Also, from what I learned in that class is that students coming from a low socio-economic status often adopt this mindset as well, but for all areas of school. If we teach girls, and those of lower socio-economic backgrounds in particular this type of mindset at a very early age, student achievement would result in a more even playing field. I do, however, believe that all students could benefit learning a "growth" mindset. This will be something that I try to instill in all of my future students and within myself! One of the concluding statements of the video was that it is impossible to be a good mentor without a "growth" mindset....and I agree.
iTunes U, WGBH podcast K-5
I selected three podcasts from the featured provider WGBH to listen to. The were entitled "Energy Flow on the Coral Reef Ecosystem", "Observe Clouds", and "The Total Solar Eclipse Animation." The first video I found to be very informative, however, some of the information could be slightly advanced for elementary school-aged children. It was very detailed and organized in presentation, with beautiful footage of the coral ecosystem. Even if were too advanced for these small children, it directly made the point of how energy flows through the food chain. I enjoyed this video very much and learned some things that I myself did not know!
The Second video, "Observe Clouds," didn't teach much information and was only about a minute and a half long. In the beginning it tells the viewer to observe the patch of sky that appears on the screen as it moves across the sky. After about 30 seconds, the video speeds up and a question appears asking if you can see the clouds moving and changing shape. After this the screen reads, "Let's watch it again," and the clip repeats. At the end of the clip the screen appears with this message, "Next time you see clouds, stop and watch them move and change shape." I liked the clip very much because it is telling children to stop and observe nature, however, it's not exactly the most educational video I have watched on iTunes.
Because the second clip was so short I decided to watch another video. This video was a virtual demonstration of a solar eclipse. I found it very appropriate for children from K-3 grade. It very explained each step of the process while including definitions of certain words that may not be understood. I think this would be a wonderful video to add to a lesson about space in the classroom.
These types of podcasts could be useful as a teacher by assigning them as homework or playing them in class to accentuate my lesson or activity. Many processes and experiments could be demonstrated on a video such as these and could provide students a greater more concrete understanding of these complex processes. I also believe when my students are assigned to watch certain videos for class, that they will stumble upon another subject they are interested in and view other podcasts that just strike their own interest! These videos will be a great tool for all educators and learners!
The Second video, "Observe Clouds," didn't teach much information and was only about a minute and a half long. In the beginning it tells the viewer to observe the patch of sky that appears on the screen as it moves across the sky. After about 30 seconds, the video speeds up and a question appears asking if you can see the clouds moving and changing shape. After this the screen reads, "Let's watch it again," and the clip repeats. At the end of the clip the screen appears with this message, "Next time you see clouds, stop and watch them move and change shape." I liked the clip very much because it is telling children to stop and observe nature, however, it's not exactly the most educational video I have watched on iTunes.
Because the second clip was so short I decided to watch another video. This video was a virtual demonstration of a solar eclipse. I found it very appropriate for children from K-3 grade. It very explained each step of the process while including definitions of certain words that may not be understood. I think this would be a wonderful video to add to a lesson about space in the classroom.
These types of podcasts could be useful as a teacher by assigning them as homework or playing them in class to accentuate my lesson or activity. Many processes and experiments could be demonstrated on a video such as these and could provide students a greater more concrete understanding of these complex processes. I also believe when my students are assigned to watch certain videos for class, that they will stumble upon another subject they are interested in and view other podcasts that just strike their own interest! These videos will be a great tool for all educators and learners!
The Edible Schoolyard and A Night in the Global Village
These videos, provided by Edutopia on iTunes, were nothing short of amazing. The first video I watched was entitled The Edible Schoolyard. It was a short documentary of how Martin Luther King Junior Middle School used an organic garden completely grown by the students as a bases for all subject areas in school. The students spend their entire first period planting and tending to their garden while facilitating their math skills, social/cooperative skills, and scientific knowledge. The garden helps better portray topics such as the life cycle and recycling of matter, some chemistry, ecology basics, math, cooking, environmental science, and even social studies/history. What I also found intriguing, was that all learning styles are accommodated with the garden. Students have the opportunity to learn auditorally, visually, and kinesthetically while participating in maintenance of the garden!
The second video I watched was entitled A Night in the Global Village. This program is used to teach students how other people in the world live in poor living conditions, without proper supplies, water sources, food, or adequate shelter. They spend 24 hours living together in a natural setting, and are forced to trade and bargain with other groups for supplies they were not provided. One group, the refugees, begin with nothing. They must then build a fire, cook their food, and purify their water before they go to bed in their shack-like shelters. This teaches the students important living skills, cooperation, and can truly reveal to young people how others throughout the world live their daily lives. This program is also a nonprofit organization that works to donate livestock and other supplies to the deprived all over the world. Another aspect of this program called "Read to Feed," is utilized in the classrooms. This program provides books that educate students about other cultures and explains how American choices affect the rest of the world.
As an early-childhood special education major, I think that the most useful podcast for me would be the edible garden podcast. My goal is to work with autistic children ranging from 0-5, and in my experience, autistic children learn so much more and are much more engaged when participating in hands on activities. Perhaps the most prominent aspect of autism is social interaction. With something like a garden, or any other project the requires team work and cooperation, better social skills can be acquired with others. These podcasts will certainly remain in my mind when I become an educator, and I hope that I will one day create similar learning environments for my future students.
The second video I watched was entitled A Night in the Global Village. This program is used to teach students how other people in the world live in poor living conditions, without proper supplies, water sources, food, or adequate shelter. They spend 24 hours living together in a natural setting, and are forced to trade and bargain with other groups for supplies they were not provided. One group, the refugees, begin with nothing. They must then build a fire, cook their food, and purify their water before they go to bed in their shack-like shelters. This teaches the students important living skills, cooperation, and can truly reveal to young people how others throughout the world live their daily lives. This program is also a nonprofit organization that works to donate livestock and other supplies to the deprived all over the world. Another aspect of this program called "Read to Feed," is utilized in the classrooms. This program provides books that educate students about other cultures and explains how American choices affect the rest of the world.
As an early-childhood special education major, I think that the most useful podcast for me would be the edible garden podcast. My goal is to work with autistic children ranging from 0-5, and in my experience, autistic children learn so much more and are much more engaged when participating in hands on activities. Perhaps the most prominent aspect of autism is social interaction. With something like a garden, or any other project the requires team work and cooperation, better social skills can be acquired with others. These podcasts will certainly remain in my mind when I become an educator, and I hope that I will one day create similar learning environments for my future students.
itunes University
Researching iTunes University was very informative, however, it was also frustrating! This should be used by all professors at the University of South Alabama (the university I attend). This tool could be so useful for all students but in particular for those students with special learning differences or those who may encounter serious health problems during the semester. It is a way for teachers to post their lectures or other helpful audio and visual mechanisms so that students can review what they learned in class or see what they missed if they were unable to attend.
iTunes U could be the world’s most extensive collection of free educational media available to students and teachers. iTunesU has over 100,000 educational audio and video files available, and has quickly become a wonderful tool for mobile learning. It gives the influence of the iTunes Store to professors so that they can distribute their lessons/lectures to either their students only, or to all over the world. Professors can do this by choosing to create a password intended for students registered for their class. iTunes is compatible for most all computers, making access more readily available for most students.
Psychological research proves that students who download a podcast lecture receive higher exam results than those who attend the lecture in person. This is probably because podcasted lectures give students the opportunity to replay the lecture to better understand it. This aspect in particular, can be very helpful to those students who may have difficulty with audio learning, and can give them a chance to take better notes, or see an experiment or demonstration done again. Also, this can be used by teachers in order to see how other instructors are teaching a particular subject/topic that he/she may be having trouble conveying to their students themselves. Over all, this is a very useful tool for all learners and teachers and should be integrated into all universities.
For more information on iTunes U, click here.
iTunes U could be the world’s most extensive collection of free educational media available to students and teachers. iTunesU has over 100,000 educational audio and video files available, and has quickly become a wonderful tool for mobile learning. It gives the influence of the iTunes Store to professors so that they can distribute their lessons/lectures to either their students only, or to all over the world. Professors can do this by choosing to create a password intended for students registered for their class. iTunes is compatible for most all computers, making access more readily available for most students.
Psychological research proves that students who download a podcast lecture receive higher exam results than those who attend the lecture in person. This is probably because podcasted lectures give students the opportunity to replay the lecture to better understand it. This aspect in particular, can be very helpful to those students who may have difficulty with audio learning, and can give them a chance to take better notes, or see an experiment or demonstration done again. Also, this can be used by teachers in order to see how other instructors are teaching a particular subject/topic that he/she may be having trouble conveying to their students themselves. Over all, this is a very useful tool for all learners and teachers and should be integrated into all universities.
For more information on iTunes U, click here.
The ipod in education
When searching the web for uses with the ipod in education, I was surprised and excited to find many cites on how to use the ipod in the classroom. Lesson plans, audio lectures, video lectures, podcasting, notes, references, quizzes, photos, calendars, games, and RSS feeds are all available through itunes and can be converted to the ipod. The most useful, however, seems to be the ipod touch because it has an automatic internet connection, and a touch screen, making web navigation and downloading easier and more accessible then the basic ipod.
There are many educational games available for the ipod such as the new and improved Oregon Trail, which I loved as a child. This particular game is not free; it costs $6.00 from the App Store. However, about 25% of the games available in the App Store ARE free. Here's the description of Oregon Trail from iTunes:
Oregon Trail shares information like what clothing to wear, how much oxen weigh, and which is the best seat in the wagon. Of course, by playing students get to practice map skills, conserve resources, and develop a strategy. Teachers using this in school will enjoy teaching students about dysentery (and other historical diseases) as well as having students compare the game to the real struggles pioneers had traveling across North America.
Some examples of free applications are: Grammar Girls Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing, English Idioms and Slang, Storynory: Free Audio Stories for Kids, MathGrad: Everyday Mathematics Explained, and First Amendment Minute.
Duke University, as an initiative to promote creative uses of technology in education, conducted a kind of experiment with there first-time freshman in 2004. They distributed 20GB ipods with voice recorders to each freshman and incorporated their uses in 15 courses at the university. They were used in courses such as foreign language, music, social science classes, and humanities courses. The ipod was used as a course content dissemination tool (portable access to music, lectures, historical speeches, etc...), a recording device during lecture, a field recording tool (interviews, environmental sounds...), study support through the ability of repetition, and for a back-up for file storage. Duke found the ipod to be very useful and will continue to encourage its use and other technology to improve the learning environment.
To find out more about the use of the ipod at Duke visit:Duke's final evaluation report.
For other ideas on ipod use in the classroom click here:Learning in Hand
There are many educational games available for the ipod such as the new and improved Oregon Trail, which I loved as a child. This particular game is not free; it costs $6.00 from the App Store. However, about 25% of the games available in the App Store ARE free. Here's the description of Oregon Trail from iTunes:
Oregon Trail shares information like what clothing to wear, how much oxen weigh, and which is the best seat in the wagon. Of course, by playing students get to practice map skills, conserve resources, and develop a strategy. Teachers using this in school will enjoy teaching students about dysentery (and other historical diseases) as well as having students compare the game to the real struggles pioneers had traveling across North America.
Some examples of free applications are: Grammar Girls Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing, English Idioms and Slang, Storynory: Free Audio Stories for Kids, MathGrad: Everyday Mathematics Explained, and First Amendment Minute.
Duke University, as an initiative to promote creative uses of technology in education, conducted a kind of experiment with there first-time freshman in 2004. They distributed 20GB ipods with voice recorders to each freshman and incorporated their uses in 15 courses at the university. They were used in courses such as foreign language, music, social science classes, and humanities courses. The ipod was used as a course content dissemination tool (portable access to music, lectures, historical speeches, etc...), a recording device during lecture, a field recording tool (interviews, environmental sounds...), study support through the ability of repetition, and for a back-up for file storage. Duke found the ipod to be very useful and will continue to encourage its use and other technology to improve the learning environment.
To find out more about the use of the ipod at Duke visit:Duke's final evaluation report.
For other ideas on ipod use in the classroom click here:Learning in Hand
Alice Christie
The site has several major sections. It is a resource for students and educators wishing to use technology in their classrooms. It also provides resources for educators on web design, links to her research publications, and a gallery of her photography. The section that I found most useful was her guide for web searching and researching. Here, Alice provides a a comprehensive list of searching tools for teachers and students, and online databases, including encyclopedias and almanacs, web cam directories, virtual field trips, and simulations.
Her ideas on virtual field trips were very exciting! She explains that virtual fiels trips are engaging to students because they enable students to make connections between themselves and the extensive world environment they live in with the click of a mouse. AND IT'S FREE! On efieldtrips.org, there are many locations throughout the world such as the Alaskan coast, the everglades, and the wetlands of Watsinville that kids can experience, and also historical trips through time in which students can get a feel for events such as the attack on Pearl Harbor and the struggle for equality during the civil rights movement on America. These tools will certainly be helpful for any teacher in almost any grade!
Please visit:
efieldtrips
Her ideas on virtual field trips were very exciting! She explains that virtual fiels trips are engaging to students because they enable students to make connections between themselves and the extensive world environment they live in with the click of a mouse. AND IT'S FREE! On efieldtrips.org, there are many locations throughout the world such as the Alaskan coast, the everglades, and the wetlands of Watsinville that kids can experience, and also historical trips through time in which students can get a feel for events such as the attack on Pearl Harbor and the struggle for equality during the civil rights movement on America. These tools will certainly be helpful for any teacher in almost any grade!
Please visit:
efieldtrips
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