Michael Wesch: Toward a New Future of Whatever

This video was eye-opening. In my personal life, I am constantly using the word, "whatever!" I use it in all contexts however. I never thought of it as meaning I was self-centered; interesting description. In the classroom I would never use the word in a negative connotation with my students because they may develop the same narcissistic meaning of the word much of the world has. The future meaning of the word should embody a universal meaning of, according to Wesch, "I care. Let's do whatever it takes...by whatever means necessary." I believe that as a society we should be more positive so we ensure that our future leaders are positive. In my personal life, "whatever" is used neutrally if that is possible. I say "whatever" quite often but I do not necessarily use it in a negative connotation.

As a student, I use the word quite often and, normally, it is under negative circumstances. If a teacher assigns something that I think is irrelevant of bogus, it gets a "whatever." If the teacher makes a comment about something or gives extra work or cancels a class at the last minute, it gets a "whatever." Basically if it is not to my liking...whatever! After watching the video, I realize how negative the word is and how it affects me as a person. As an instructor, it is my duty to get my children to see how limiting the word is negatively. Instead they should use the word more positively. The word can also be a sign of frustration and it is our duty as instructors to get our students out of this type of thinking and when they do not understand something they should be thinking, "What can I do differently to get the answer; no matter hw long it takes to get the answer, I can do it."

Why Publish Student Work to the Web?

I think it is important for students to post their work to blogs because they get a chance to express themselves. When they learn something new, they can share their enthusiasm and share it with the world. Their excitement and get someone else interested in the topic. Through our blogs, we have been able to learn about new resources and webistes such as ALEX and ACCESS. Also videos we have been assigned make comments on, fr some, got us feedback from the makers of the video or instructors. We learn from those videos and other blogs we have read and are able to apply what we have heard or read in our classrooms.

I think it is important to publish student work to the web because it is a way for students to network with other students all over the world. They can share each other's thoughts and male comments which can include suggestions. In class, we have Personal Learning Networks we have created with other professionals. We are able to communicate through blogs and posts on Twitter, Blogger, Facebook, etc. Our PLNs are a great learning resource and students sharing their work online can also turn into a learning resource for others. Also, with our Comment4Kids assignment, we read students' blogs and make comments. Students see these comments and are motivated and through our inspirational words, students feel good and have an increase in self-esteem.

With our iGoogle assignements, I learned something new and I am able to familiarize myself with all of the uses for it. My students can have access to it and get help with homework and find cool sites! As a student, he or she can create a page that is full of creativity and is about him or he. Students learn more and more about the Internet through blogs and taking advantage of what the Internet has to offer.

ACCESS: Alabama Connecting Classroom, Educators and Students Statewide

Alabama Connecting Classroom, Educators and Students Statewide (ACCESS) was launched on November 1, 2004 and funded $10.3 million on October 1, 2005 under Governor Bob Riley. The purpose of ACCESS was to, "provide equal access to high quality instruction to improve student achievement through distance learning opportunities." It is available to all public high schools in the state. It includes web based and Interactive Videoconferencing (IVC) courses taught by "highly qualified" educators. ACCESS supports distance learning within the state. It provides access to advanced diploma and AP courses and supplemental resources. It also provides instructors with technology and tools needed to make classroom instruction better. Since its launch, ACCESS has increased course offerings and enrollments at participating schools. These schools are provided cameras, routers, projectors, training and anything else that pertains to this project. ACCESS is also in the process of getting parents involved which I think is crucial for this to be more of a success. Parents who are not technology savvy can learn from their children and have a motivating spirit. Students gain confidence that they are able to make it in the competitive world because they possess skills they, otherwise, would not have without this project. With this project, students have a reason to be excited about school and progressing in life.

I think this project can be a huge success if not abused and misused. I appreciate the fact that it is being offered to public schools who may not otherwise have the opportunity to explore the benefits of the Internet. I can see the benefits of having this in my classroom and also see the negative. As I said before, some students will not have access to a computer, let alone the Internet so this project is helping to bridge a gap between low and hig income students. The downside, however, is the lack of interaction between the student and online instructor. I am sure this can be compensated throught the in-class instructor but if students need outside help, they cannot get it unless they have the Internet available to them all of the time.

ALEX: Alabama Learning Exchange

Alabama Learning Exchange (ALEX) provides courses of study (ACOS) for all content areas ranging from, my specialty, mathematics to physical education. It even has standards for driver's education! It lists the grade levels in which this course should be taught which is 10 - 12. I know it is a class but "standards" for it was not something I thought much about. I felt this way because there is no major for someone who desires to become a driver's education instructor. There are lesson plans available only for instruction about purchasing a vehicle, getting it registered and purchasing insurance for the vehicle. Moving right along...

There are standards for information literacy which measures a student's ability to gather and organize reliable information from sources. Character education includes, but is not limited to, courage, patriotism and kindness. There are web links and lesson plans available for these areas. Along with course of study, ALEX also has educational web links for instructors, administrators and students that are related to the courses of study. Lesson plans are also available for teachers to access and share with one another. You simply check the subject area and grade level and enter keywords to begin your search. The ALEX Thinkfinity search engine helps instructors and students access lesson plans and web links by searching its database. The personal workspace allows registered users to create a personal workspace so they are able to upload created lesson plans and search other instructors' web pages.

There is a personal learning section which provides instructors with websites to locate professional development workshops, tools for educating and news. What I find exciting is the podcast treasury. Here, you can find useful podcasts to incorporate into your classroom that pertains to Alabama unlike iTunes University which is on a universal scale.

ALEX is a wonderful resource for all instructors! I can use it in to find and use lesson plans and activities for my students. I find the podcasts to be exciting! As I stated before, it is more useful to me to have podcasts that are related closer to your home state. When I first clicked on it, the first thing I saw was the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute link. It made me think about home and, for students who are in Birmingham or from Birmingham, those students will find that particular podcast to relate more to who they are and where they come from. ALEX provides me with useful and reliable educational resources for me to share with my students and fellow educators. Since I am always looking to become a better teacher, I find it useful in the fact that it provides me with avenues for locating professional development workshops. It is a great site for new and tenured teachers alike!

Comment4Kids: Kiana

I read a blog post by Kiana. She is multicultural; her mother is both European and Native American and her father is African, Native and European American. She is very proud of her Native American heritage. She attends pow wows in the summer. She received her Native American name when she was 1 years-old. She says that her Native American name means sneaky little girl. Kiana is creative and funny. She loves to draw and listen to music. Her favorite artists is Lil Wayne. I told her to never lose her creativity. It will take her places. I, too, share her love for Lil Wayne as an artist. I am excited that she is so positive about her mix heritage and loves it!

Kaia

Wow!

Kaia's father, Jabiz Raisdana, read a book titled "The Last Child in the Woods." This book motivated him to take his 3 year-old daughter, Kaia outside and explore. He wanted her to see the beauty of things although they are surrounded by trash and building debris. He gave Kaia a digital camera and allowed her to take photos of everything, including the garbage. They live in Qatar, which can be described as a desert. He posted her photos on her blog and to his amazement, there were comments posted by Mr. Chamberlain's class in rural Missouri. The students in Missouri had so many questions that Mr. Raisdana decided to Skype with the class to answer those questions. They learned about each other's world during this Internet call. During the Skype, he suggested that the students create a video with audio for Kaia because she is unable to read their comments due to her age. The students in Mr. Chamberlain's class did just that.

Mr. Raisdana worries about the dangers of making his daughter's life so public and I can understand his concerns. But in exposing her to this technology so early in life, she will definitely be a qualified 21st century citizen. I think it is so fascinating how parent's willingness to teach his daughter to see the beauty of the world turned into something deeper. Students in Missouri learned how to create a video and upload to to the Internet or blog, Kaia learned how to take pictures and add her audio for narration and someone like me learned the power of technology and the Internet as a teaching tool. In my classroom, I can pose a problem or question to my students, who can, in turn, propose that same question to the world and get amazing feedback.

Comment4Kids

I really enjoyed this experience. The students were very illustrative, although some struggled with sentence structure, spelling and fragments. I can appreciate Mr. Goerend's effort to involve technology in a useful way for his students. These are 6th grade students and, potentially, a group I will be working with once I graduate from the University of South Alabama. I gave positive feed back to the students concerning their creativeness in story-telling. I gave the same critique to all of the students: Make sure you proof-read to eliminate all errors. I did not want to go in depth with them because I am not a certified teacher neither am I their teacher.

The first story I read belonged to Miranda and was titled "One Great Homecoming." She told a story about a football game she attended with her friends. Her story was so illustrative. Without the use of pictures, I felt like I was there. The football team won the game! The second story I read belonged to Zach and was titled "The Waukee Ankney Game." He also spoke about the football game. His story was more related to the statistics and actual game unlike Miranda who spoke about the setting of the game. Zach had many errors but I remained positive with my comment. The fourth story I read belonged to Emma and was titled "Homecoming." Emma's story told about what she did before the football game which was chow down on some Pizza Hut pizza; every child's daily dream. It is a wonder that these students love football. I am sure they saw each other at the game.

The third story I read belonged to Aaron and was titled "Jacob and the 4th." Jacob told of his day before the 4th of July and the day of the holiday. He waited impatiently for the arrival of his friend Jacob as they prepared for the activities of the holiday. There was a block party in his neighborhood and they had a famous water balloon fight. Hot dogs, of course, was the meal of choice! The fifth story I read belonged to Matt and was titled "The Day I Got My New Puppy." This was a lovely blog because I love dogs myself. The student, upon returning from Alaska with his family, goes to pick out a new pet dog with his sister from an animal shelter. Although their mother preferred a cat, the two were very adamant about getting a dog to bring home. Her name was Piper but they changed it to Miss Piper because her name had to begin with an M. I thought that was so cute! But the topping on the cake was the "little yellow accident" Miss Piper had on the way to Pet Smart!

Personal Learning Network

I went to the website of Giselda dos Santos from her Twitter page. Once there, a video appeared from YouTube which read, "Why not use the technology our students love to reach more effectively?" This was a very interesting video which touched on ideas we have read or have made a point in our blogs. The video emphasises the point that our students are digital learners (iPods, cell phones, Internet, computer, etc.), but instructors are not taking advantage of this in the classroom. Instructors need to incorporate these devices for students in order to become more effective. The example that it used was to have your students text someone and in ten minutes get the some information. Bonus points would be awarded to students who received the information from persons in another country and in another language. The information the students get can then be used for statistics and graphing.

The second person in my PLN is Wendy Drexler. I posted a comment on her blog for our blog assignment last week. She quickly commented on my blog which was quit exciting because I was not expecting her to reply. I watched her Networked Student video and she said that she would be trying this out in the middle school. I see that she had implemented it in the middle school. There were many obstacles that she encountered however. The problems were not created by the students but involved the computers themselves. From her experience I realize that instructors HAVE to come out of pocket to help engage their students in something new; a new way of learning. The return value of that is priceless.

I am following Steven W. Anderson on Twitter and I have viewed his most recent blog on grades. It was a debate whether or not an actual letter grade is a good thing or has any real value in the classroom for students, teachers and parents. Should this traditional assessment be trashed for a more modern way of the students' progress? Some commented on education being taken over by grades and a supplementation to the grading system. Also what does a 98, 90 and 95 really mean? I honestly do not think there is a way to just do away with the traditional grading system anytime soon because generations upon generations have grown up on this system and may enjoy the satisfaction of seeing a letter grade. The numbr grades also serve a sense of satisfaction. The closer you are to 100, the more you are achieving. I think the best way to solve this problem is to have a supplement to the traditional grading system. I have not yet come up with a specific one, but if you have any suggestions, please feel free to express them!

Larry Ferlazzo is an inner city Biology teacher. I emailed him to ask him what is the best way, as a new teacher, to handle a class such as his. I was directed to read his blogs on "Class Practice." I found some useful information that I think can be used in all classroom settings. The first thing I noticed repeatedly was a chalkboard with "I will respect m students" written on it several times. This is so true. Adults often believe that respect is a one-way street but all human beings deserve the same amount of respect. Classroom rules was another interesting topic. I found it interesting that rules can be created by the students. These rules will hold greater value to those who created them. As adults, we have a great influence over our students. Sometimes we are all they have to look up to. Therefore, we must practice self-control so that they can do the same. What we have to remember is that we are the adults and should act as such. Just because we are having a bad day does not mean we take it out on them or the faculty and staff of the school. Students have bad days also which are sometimes much worse than what we are experiencing.

The next person I am following on Twitter is Judie Haynes an ELL instructor from New Jersey. She explains challenges ELL students face in the content areas of Reading, Social Studies and Math. For math, in particular, she notes that these students have different ways for arriving at an answer and may calculate their answers mentally which means that they are not able to show their work. The differences in cultures mean that students are not familiar with our measurement system, the decimal point and comma may have a different meaning and calculations may be all they know when they come to our classrooms. This information is very pertinent for me because I may think a particular student is a discipline problem because he or she does not do it the way I expect him or her to when the student is only having cultural issues. Instructors must be knowledgeable about their ELL students cultures while addressing them in the classroom.

This Is How We Dream

This was a very interesting video. It involved constant movement and it seemed like it was done with a Mac because of the dual screens and ability to slide something out of the way and pull something else up; it was neat. The statement, "...living at moment of greatest change of human communication in human history." This is a very powerful statement. I think it is a true statement. Human communication has changed and continues to change everyday. Now we can connect to the Internet and stay updated on what is going on in the world in real time. We do not have to wait for it to be printed before we can have access to the information.

Richard Miller was raised in a house filled with books. Not all of us have that privilege to be around text like he was, however. But the presence of books geared him in the direction to dream about a job that involved him working with books. Now composition does not only involve text. We can also incorporate images and movies. Being able to view things and view changes as they happen is also an example as to how human communication has evolved. He also spoke about the ideas not belonging to the individual but are shared and belong to us a society. This is evident with iTunes U. Even if you are not a college student, you can listen to lectures about anything you want and learn!

In closing, I would like to expound on one important thing Mr. Miller said in his movie: the limits are ones we place on ourselves. This is true, not only here, but in general. It is important for us as educators to think outside the box and try new things. Excuses get us no where and we are hindering our students by sticking to the old ways of doing things. Change is good and necessary.

I am not ready to write a multimedia nor do I believe I will be able to teach my students how to do it. But who knows, before I am done with this class there is no telling what I will be able to do!

The Networked Student

I was shocked to see that everything that was included in the movie were things we are learning in class. We only attend class once a week and we have no textbook but we are learning new things and able to build upon what we have learned outside of the classroom as we do with our weekly blogs. I had never written a blog and I always wrote them off as if I would never have one of my own. But here I am; sharing my thoughts with the world and open to criticism. That is the one thing I have to deal with because not every one is going to agree with what you have to say which is another reason as to why I despised blogs. The same is true with Twitter. I was not interested in Twitter (my interest has yet to be fulfilled) but by using it, I understand that I can build relationships with others in my profession and with others who are knowledgeable about education. Networking is very important and I have always believed that to be true.

When we were told about audio and video podcasts, I thought it was very interesting until we had to do one on our own in front of one another. The podcasts are not very appealing to me. We have not learned much about Skype but I do believe that I will more excited to learn about it.

The networked student needs an instructor because the instructor educates the student on how to get started. If the student has any questions, he or she can come to their instructor for help. It is the instructor's responsibility to get the student on the right track and be their for support. The instructor motivates the student and helps him or her to maintain the network he or she has established.

In short, I do believe the things we are learning do make for a more well-rounded individual in the 21st century. If we introduce this early on then students will have more time to work with the technology and apply it everyday. What I worry about most is that this will not reach our students in the inner city schools. They are the ones who I really believe will benefit from being a networked student. If we can incorporate this into the curriculum of all instead of some, then I truly believe we can achieve a 21st century filled with networked citizens.

New Media Literacies Project

The New Media Literacies Project uses technology to cultivate a more knowledgeable society in regards of understanding our multicultural and diverse world through media. It equips our students with social skills. The team is working to get the NML skills implemented into the curriculum of each state. They stress a "participatory culture." Students, our future, need to adopt skills of brainstorming, team work, leadership, problem solving, collaborations and communications. All of these skills are used both inside and outside of the classroom. Students will be prepared to face the world; a very diverse world. As educators, itis our responsibility to equip our students with these skills so they are productive individuals.

It is their goal to help educators to develop a curriculum that will help us to integrate these skills in our classrooms. Our students have already become media creators due their profiles created on Facebook and mySpace. They do not know it, but they are already heaqded into the right direction. Also students are making and sharing podcasts and classroom blogs all over the world. They are particpating in the world-wide spread of knowledge. However, there are challenges such as the participation gap. There are unequal access to experiences and skills students need to become participatory citizens and artists. These inequalities can be seen in our inner city schools that are not well funded.

The New Media Literacies Video

The New Media Literacies video offered some new terminology that I was not aware of at all. I just so happen to possess a few of these qualities. My favorite would have to be that good old multi-tasking. I use it everyday. It is very useful but it can be stressful if you are not able to handle several different tasks at once. Also exercising good judgement is universal but here it is important to know what is and what is not a reliable source. Collective intelligence is useful in the classroom for myself as a student now and as a future teacher. I can share notes with my fellow classmates to work toward the common goal of passing an exam. As a teacher, I can have my students to post their notes as blogs to share for their peers who may have missed school.

In my mathematics class, the knowledge of and the ability to use manipulatives in my classroom will be an aid to help students to have a visual of what they are learning. This is a way to measure the students' distributed cognition. I feel like I use this ability everyday when I learn something new on the computer. Play uses your surroundings as a means of problem solving. Students can measure the length, width and height of a wall and find measurements in the classroom for example. An individual having the knowledge to enter different groups and spaces, such as groups on Twitter or Facebook, is reference to negotiation.

Appropriation in the classroom is necessary in the sense of diversifying curriculum that only focuses on one group instead of all groups. Teachers will have to change up the readings or examples to reach all students. This is especially important in a classroom primarily made up of minority students and no students of the majority. Performance, to me, is the execution one step forward from appropriation. It is not so much the execution of it but once you use this skill in the classroom, you may have to take it a step further by acting out or performing for the students to get them to see what you are trying to say. I think of it as trying to explain what an acute angle, an obtuse angle and a right angle are. Using my arms or legs, I can show my students what I am talking about. Which also ties into simulation, only simulation is a more interactive approach; the students are involved like when we took driver's ed in high school. Networking is the ability for an individual to be able to research information and put it into his or her own words. Once you research information, you will have multiple sources and your ability to follow what is given about that topic is referred to as transmedia navigation. I do not totally possess this skills, but with further research and experience, I am sure I can master them.

I can definitely see why these skills can be seen as needed to be an effective 21st century citizen. I think they are all important. They can be used in different aspects of one's life; not just in technology.

iPods In Instruction

Duke University, in the spring of 2005, gave about 280 students iPods for classes and the number quadrupled in 2006. Students were able to learn outside of the classroom and enjoy doing it. Students were able to connect to other campuses and listen to lectures and communicate with other students. For more information on the Duke Digital Initiative their website and think of ways to incorporate this famous device in your classroom as you read on.

I viewed a powerpoint presentation created by a student who explored the benefits of the iPod Touch in the public school system. He addresses the issue of these devices being a distraction which is a concern of mine also. But as he mentions, "Pencils-now those are the real distractions..." This is so true; from playing pencil pop to sharpening them every ten minutes, pencils are more of a distraction than the iPod. With this device, students can explore the periodic table, math formulae, scientific calculator and much more! The calendar involved the parents because here, they are able to track attendance and upcoming events. Unlike the computers in the classroom that have turned into a recreational tool, the iPod Touch is less expensive.

If you look to the left of the video, you will see links to elementary, middle and high school applications. I clicked on the high school applications link and chose mathematics but there are so many more to choose from. The first one I chose to get a feel for it was the number line. It is a game that tests your ability to put fractions and decimals in ascending order on the number line. Another application, Math Drill Lite tests simple math skills such as addition and subtraction.

I also joined this group on Facebook! Just search: ischool initiative.

iTunes University

iTunes U is a great tool for the classroom as a student and a teacher. It is a free resource so that makes it even better in these hard times. I believe it connects all universities together because we are able to see what another school in another part of the world is studying and learn from them. Just as we can download and listen to music on the go on our iPods or iPhones, we can have these podcasts and videocasts at our fingertips. I never thought of iTunes as an educational resource. I only thought it was good for music!

I had never heard of iTunes U until I began on this blog. Since my field of expertise will be in mathematics, I explored it a little. There was a nice selection of topics from different schools to choose. As a student, I can explore this subject and also view other subjects. As an instructor, I can make my class lectures available via podcasts or videocasts for my students and the world to see. I can show others how I educate a particular topic and get my students involved as well.

Dr. Alice Christie's Google Earth™ Resource Guide

After exploring the Google Earth section of Dr. Christie's site, I realized how it could be applied to the classroom. However, I do believe that it is very limited in its use my classroom. With it I can educate the students on calculating length, width and height. I can use these lessons and switch them up in Trigonometry and Algebra. The numbers the students get in Google Earth from measuring the distance and length between two points they can find sine, cosine and tangent. Also, they can use these number with the Pythagorean Theorem.

I also took a look at some of her publications. I found the "Perceptions of High School Students and the Graduate Students They Mentored" to be very interesting. I never would have thought the tables would have been turned like that. But I do believe that, as adults, we can always learn something from those who are younger than we are. Also I enjoyed reading "Recognizing (Almost) Invisible Gender Bias In Teacher-Student Interactions." This is true as I think back to being in school. It was always so annoying for the boys to interrupt even the teacher and it is okay. It is not like that anymore now that we are in college.