Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Monday, September 28, 2009
Radio Reaps Rewards at Texas High School
When I was in college, I had a little radio program called, "Rainbow Connection". At that time, it had no other connotation other than Kermit the frog's song, and I loved the colors of a rainbow. If I could have become a D.J., I would have. I even made a demo tape for a local station here in California that had advertised for new talent. Unfortunately, I was too chicken to send it in...could have been a lost opportunity.
This high school offers students training and online radio experience. How wonderful! The interviewer questions whether training students in radio in the age of the iPod has any relevance to young peoples' lives? He asks, "Isn't this like training them to be steelworkers or something?" His question is relevant. Due to the amazing advances in technology, is radio becoming outdated?
Personally, I love radio, especially talk radio. Podcasts are great, but isn't radio a bit like an old-fashioned podcast that is 'live'? Hopefully there will be a place for both. I wish my high school had had such a program! Thankfully I had the experience for a short time in college and it is still one of my fondest memories. I think I even had a few fans...memories!
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Week 4 - Blog Posting #7 -Second Life
While I studied Spanish in Spain, we were each assigned an intercambio, or exchange, student friend from Spain. Part of our immersion experience took place in the classroom setting, of course, but most application took place within those personal relationships. I learned Spanish from my Spanish friend, and he learned English from me. Learning was enhanced through living, breathing, real-world experiences with other people.
Teaching languages works best when combined with social interaction. As an educator of English language learners, I know that foundational best practices for acquiring new language skills include discussion, conversations, and familiarity with social situations. Interaction is part of the learning process. Also included are culture, historical connections, and gestures that vary from culture to culture.
Second life is a free online virtual international community that offers a place where travel is a click away, interaction with people from around the world is possible, and where educational experiences include not only language learning, but every content area imaginable. My first time in Second Life I heard at least three different languages being spoken. My second time there, I met a group of people on Avatar Island that helped me navigate this new world, find my new avatar personality, and play a little.
My first month in Full Sail University's master's in Education Media Design and Technology threw me into a project that required me to explore historical places in Second Life. Four of us searched and teleported across many virtual oceans to places like Caledonia by the Sea, Sparta in Greece, and the Great Wall of China. On my own, I found a Shinto Temple, a Geisha Training Center, and simply fun places like fairy lands and free clothes shopping. One group I joined at the time was Chinoesfera, a group that studies about Asia.
Second Life is a lot of fun and has greater learning possibilities when interaction is involved, at least for me. When I have just gone on to explore without an agenda or a friend to meet, it was actually kind of lonely. Wandering randomly to explore is enjoyable, yet starts to lose some appeal when many places are quite empty. It can be like going to a great museum with no one there to share the experience.
Many types of groups are available on Second Life. Although I am far from an expert at this point, here are a few suggestions for educators:
Finally, this video makes educational uses of Second Life very clear:
Monday, September 21, 2009
Week 3 - Blog Posting #6 -Communities of Practice-Things that Matter
Communities of practice develop around things that matter to people.
Paxton Hood mused, Be as careful of the books you read, as of the company you keep; for your habits and character will be as much influenced by the former as by the latter. The company you keep shares ideas, gestures, support or rejection, and affects your thinking. The adage garbage in, garbage out holds true. The opposite could also be said, virtue in, virtue out.
Focusing on the virtues available is the goal. Skills are learned by association with people who are skilled. The simple age-old use of apprenticeships is an example of the power of this concept.
Hobbies offer a community of practice where both social and learning take place. My Aunt Pat has been taking painting classes in china and canvas for years. She has created some wonderful works of art and gained friendships as well. Hobbies can often lead to employment opportunities as well as the development of skills needed for the workplace and life.
Professional communities of practice bring people together to share knowledge, build rapport, solve problems, and enhance skills. The power of collaboration is key. When professionals gather their collective knowledge, the strength comes not only from the numbers, but the huge amount of brain energy.
Even in the Christian Bible, God mentions the power of collective planning in Genesis 11:5-6 (New International Version) 5 But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. 6 The Lord said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them." A testimony to the amazing potential of the collective knowledge and ingenuity of people who work cooperatively is here!
An educator community of practice is Tapped In. This is a great name for this community of teachers that share knowledge and create a professional learning network. The first place that interested me was their link to What can educators do here? The following is their list:
*Plan and conduct learning projects with colleagues and students.
*Participate in or lead topical discussion and groups.
*Manage and attend online courses offered by TPD providers.
*Mentor other educators.
*Try out new ideas in a safe, supportive environment.
This is a unique community of educators. I just joined. What about you?
Week 3 - Blog Posting #5 -Social Media
Facebook is my friend! When I started in January, I was hoping to get in touch with some family and friends that I hadn't seen in a long time. So much has happened since then. I have made friends in England, Australia, Greece, Malaysia, and all over the United States. Now I am reconnected to friends from grade school to college. Yesterday I got an e-mail from my friend, Laura. I was the maid of honor in her wedding and we had lost track of each other.
Social networking has opened up many opportunities, friendships, and learning experiences for me. Before I joined, I was clueless about what it was, or why people were so enamored of it. At my school, we were concerned about students that had not used good judgement about pictures that they posted. Then my friend, Shelby, sent me an invite to join Facebook myself.
My conclusion is that Facebook, blogging, and social networking is a positive force. The potential good outweighs any negatives that I have seen. It has allowed me to get to know some teachers at school better also. We occasionally talk about the games we mutually play, like Yoville, and enjoy sending each other messages there. In the article Blogging Boosts Your Social Life by Claudine Ryan for ABC Science Online, blogging allows a person to feel more connected...and more satisfied with your friendships, both online and face-to-face. This has been true in my experience, as I'm sure is true for many others.
As an educator, social networks provide opportunities to read, research and discuss the best practices worldwide. Groups like the Global Education Collaborative and Classroom 2.0 provide educators a forum to learn the latest technology, how to use it effectively, and get advice as well as support from a wide variety of educators outside of the circle at one's own school. The knowledge base is staggering! Isolation is abolished by the open doors of internet collaboration.
This past weekend, I was researching blogs because I want to give my students an opportunity to fall in love with writing through blogging. Literacy today should involve the computer in some way. Some of the blogging sites I found are Edublog, Classblogmeister, and many more that I have put on my Netvibes page.
Then, I was taken aback when a friend told me he discourages kids from blogging due to predators online. He works with groups that catch such people and knows their tricks. Originally I wanted to do the free blogs through Blogspot, like this one. However, I must open e-mails for each of my students. Edublog allows control and the ability to add students, but it also has a fee, as does ClassPress. The cost is not high, but usually this comes out of my pocket and not the school budget, especially in today's economy.
One alternative is a wiki. Wikispaces has both free and pay plans. The free plan allows for an unlimited number of users. I'm still researching and plan to start by the end of this week. Any suggestions or feedback are appreciated.
Some references worth reading:
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Hello World!
The lack of belief is a defect that ought to be concealed when it cannot be overcome.
Jonathan Swift
Some say, "Fake it 'til you make it!" I've never been a very good concealer. It's not my favorite thing about myself. I know this isn't really a 'personal' blog, but ever since reading the Web 2.0 text for class, I'm feeling the need for greater connection. It occurs to me that in order to be heard, one must have something to say. I'm still unsure of so much.
Am I the only one who reads theory, great ideas, and the plethora of words that are supposed to help me be a better educator, but still feel I'm coming up short? Every day I work with my students, I want them to be blessed, to grow, to be excited about learning. Yet, I'm tired, and not at my best.
Then again, what is my best? Have I reached that? Have any of us?
I know I struggle with a perfectionism that hinders my ability to see the bright side sometimes. We all need to believe we have a purpose, a positive impact on our world. I may be trying too hard, or just need to let it go.
Thomas Edison said, "I haven't failed, I just found 10,000 ways that didn't work." Am I truly recognizing what does not work?
John C. Lilly said, "Whatever one believes to be true either is true or becomes true in one's mind." Hmmmmmm!
One of the limitations I feel is that of time, choices about how it is spent. When one part of my life suffers because of those choices, the consequences can be hard to face.
Belief is like either a fragile butterfly, or a solid rock. The butterfly has movement, but the rock stays firm. There is room for both, I believe. Right now, I'm fluttering a bit.
All quotes from iWise.com. I have their cool app for my iPhone!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
