Open Letter To Educators
Morgan Bayda
First off I just have to mention that Dan Brown's voice, mannerisms, and level of drama totally remind me of Glenn Beck. Not to compare politics or anything, it just looks like he went to the Glenn Beck school of public speaking, and I thought that was funny. Unlike Glenn Beck, he had some pretty good things to share.
I think that he has some pretty cool ideas about the direction that education needs to begin leaning toward. I'm not sure that it is completely valid to say that schooling gets in the way of our educations. That very well may have been the case for him, and the educational system may have plenty of room for improvements, but it's crazy to think that school has nothing to offer you.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Comments for Kids - Week 9
Day 116
The kids in this class went on a field trip to the Heritage Theater. There they learned about the history of some schools. They also posted a video of the class playing with tops.
The kids in this class went on a field trip to the Heritage Theater. There they learned about the history of some schools. They also posted a video of the class playing with tops.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Week Nine
ALEX
http://alex.state.al.us
Alabama Learning Exchange(ALEX), is a tool that teachers can use in order to interact with other educators. It allows teachers all over the state to create and share lesson plans for various subjects and grade levels. They can also use the lesson plans that others have posted in their own classrooms.
I think that this is a great tool that I will definitely use in my classroom. My only concern is that it could possibly create a laziness in certain teachers, that would be willing to rely totally on the lesson plans of others, rather than create one that is perfect for his or her classroom. I think that ALEX can best be used by studying other plans and picking and choosing what will work best for your students' specific needs.
ACCESS
http://accessdl.state.al.us/
The Alabama Connecting Classroom, Educators and Students Statewide (ACCESS) is a great way to provide learning opportunities to students that would regularly not be able to receive them. For example, if a gifted child lives in a small town, and their schools are unable to provide AP or IB classes, the students can take a class with a teacher in another area using video conferencing.
I'm not sure that this will be very relevant in my classroom, since I will be a special ed teacher, but I am certainly open to new teaching ideas. In fact, there may be classes being used now involving video conferencing that I am unaware of. It truly opens doors to endless possibilities.
http://alex.state.al.us
Alabama Learning Exchange(ALEX), is a tool that teachers can use in order to interact with other educators. It allows teachers all over the state to create and share lesson plans for various subjects and grade levels. They can also use the lesson plans that others have posted in their own classrooms.
I think that this is a great tool that I will definitely use in my classroom. My only concern is that it could possibly create a laziness in certain teachers, that would be willing to rely totally on the lesson plans of others, rather than create one that is perfect for his or her classroom. I think that ALEX can best be used by studying other plans and picking and choosing what will work best for your students' specific needs.
ACCESS
http://accessdl.state.al.us/
The Alabama Connecting Classroom, Educators and Students Statewide (ACCESS) is a great way to provide learning opportunities to students that would regularly not be able to receive them. For example, if a gifted child lives in a small town, and their schools are unable to provide AP or IB classes, the students can take a class with a teacher in another area using video conferencing.
I'm not sure that this will be very relevant in my classroom, since I will be a special ed teacher, but I am certainly open to new teaching ideas. In fact, there may be classes being used now involving video conferencing that I am unaware of. It truly opens doors to endless possibilities.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Comments for Kids - Week 8
Kindergarten Days - Day 111
I commented on a post about a kindergarten classroom that has a blog post for each day. It was really neat. They posted a video of a play called 'The Five Little Ducks' and another video about George Washington where they had colored some pictures of him and the teacher asked for some facts about him. They did a really good job.
I commented on a post about a kindergarten classroom that has a blog post for each day. It was really neat. They posted a video of a play called 'The Five Little Ducks' and another video about George Washington where they had colored some pictures of him and the teacher asked for some facts about him. They did a really good job.
Comments for Kids - Week 7
Sweet Alabama
This student posted a poem about Alabama and how it makes them feel. It was really nice, I love Alabama and feel the same way.
Health Poem
This student posted a short poem about the five components of health. Unfortunately they did not share what these components were, but it was a good effort.
This student posted a poem about Alabama and how it makes them feel. It was really nice, I love Alabama and feel the same way.
Health Poem
This student posted a short poem about the five components of health. Unfortunately they did not share what these components were, but it was a good effort.
Comments for Teachers - Joe Dale
Week Seven
In the first post I commented on, Joe had been recognized as a 'Twitter Star' by Ken Royal from The Royal Treatment. This seems like a pretty cool acknowledgement, and also shows the increasing importance of social sites like twitter. As someone who currently has nothing to do with Twitter, I guess it's about time for me to give in and sign up.
Week Eight
This post was about an iPhone app call voice band. It is a really interesting tool that I think could be a lot of fun for anyone. In my comment I mentioned that I was interesting in music, and like to sing myself, but am unable to play any instruments very well, so it could be a fun app for me to play with. I also think that it could be a great way to nurture students who are interested in music programs.
Week Nine
In this post there was a video about the learning platform used at Gray's Infant and Nursery School. It seems like they are utilizing every opportunity to give their children the chance to learn about technology and use it in the classroom. I especially like that they let the children create their own podcasts. I think that this will be great for their confidence and public speaking skills.
http://www.joedale.typepad.com/
In the first post I commented on, Joe had been recognized as a 'Twitter Star' by Ken Royal from The Royal Treatment. This seems like a pretty cool acknowledgement, and also shows the increasing importance of social sites like twitter. As someone who currently has nothing to do with Twitter, I guess it's about time for me to give in and sign up.
Week Eight
This post was about an iPhone app call voice band. It is a really interesting tool that I think could be a lot of fun for anyone. In my comment I mentioned that I was interesting in music, and like to sing myself, but am unable to play any instruments very well, so it could be a fun app for me to play with. I also think that it could be a great way to nurture students who are interested in music programs.
Week Nine
In this post there was a video about the learning platform used at Gray's Infant and Nursery School. It seems like they are utilizing every opportunity to give their children the chance to learn about technology and use it in the classroom. I especially like that they let the children create their own podcasts. I think that this will be great for their confidence and public speaking skills.
http://www.joedale.typepad.com/
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Week Eight
Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams
http://tinyurl.com/mvy4oq
Randy Pausch seems like a pretty incredible guy. He has done all of these things that he wanted since childhood. Not only that, but he accomplished all of his goals with only half a lifetime. It seems that not only did he lead a fulfilling life, but also a pretty interesting one.
When he mentioned that 3-D ride at Disney that he designed, something spiked my memory. I actually got to visit Disney world as a child and it was around the time that they had just started that ride. Watching the video, you may look at it and think, 'man, these graphics are terrible, but I remember the experience, and at that time it was state of the art. I felt like I was actually there, which also shows you have far we have come in the short time since then.
Of all that Randy had going on in his life, I think what I found most fascinating was the way that he taught. I personally have a real issue with curriculums, and how they are instituted. I believe that they, more than any other single factor, can seriously limit the learning experience. I believe that work under the assumption that those who set up the curriculum know all that is worth learning, and that, I believe, is absurd. I don't mean that they are useless, in fact we need them, but we have to be open to integrating other material into the classroom.
It was also really cool to see the way that he was brought up. You can see that it is beneficial to allow your kids to express themselves. Randy is obviously someone who believes in doing what you love and doing it well. It doesn't seem to acknowledge the fact that he has a job, but rather acts like he gets paid to do this fun stuff. I think that is an attitude that he got from the creative freedom that his parents used to nurture him.
http://tinyurl.com/mvy4oq
Randy Pausch seems like a pretty incredible guy. He has done all of these things that he wanted since childhood. Not only that, but he accomplished all of his goals with only half a lifetime. It seems that not only did he lead a fulfilling life, but also a pretty interesting one.
When he mentioned that 3-D ride at Disney that he designed, something spiked my memory. I actually got to visit Disney world as a child and it was around the time that they had just started that ride. Watching the video, you may look at it and think, 'man, these graphics are terrible, but I remember the experience, and at that time it was state of the art. I felt like I was actually there, which also shows you have far we have come in the short time since then.
Of all that Randy had going on in his life, I think what I found most fascinating was the way that he taught. I personally have a real issue with curriculums, and how they are instituted. I believe that they, more than any other single factor, can seriously limit the learning experience. I believe that work under the assumption that those who set up the curriculum know all that is worth learning, and that, I believe, is absurd. I don't mean that they are useless, in fact we need them, but we have to be open to integrating other material into the classroom.
It was also really cool to see the way that he was brought up. You can see that it is beneficial to allow your kids to express themselves. Randy is obviously someone who believes in doing what you love and doing it well. It doesn't seem to acknowledge the fact that he has a job, but rather acts like he gets paid to do this fun stuff. I think that is an attitude that he got from the creative freedom that his parents used to nurture him.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Goggle Docs Presentation
Driving Through Mexico Google Docs Presentation Link
http://docs.google.com/present/edit?id=0AaY-Bl8ygOtaZGczYjM0eHhfMWZ2ZzNua2t4&hl=en
http://docs.google.com/present/edit?id=0AaY-Bl8ygOtaZGczYjM0eHhfMWZ2ZzNua2t4&hl=en
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