As of today, there are thirty-six days remaining in the year-round calendar of my school. This year has gone by so fast! Already, my students are being tested for the end of the year benchmarks. I still have so much more that I want to teach them, but my time is almost finished and they will have to move on to kindergarten. Most of them have made great progress this year, and will be at the top of their kindergarten class. Those whom have not made as much progress will still do better than others because of their experience in prekindergarten.
At a meeting on Friday with other prekindergarten teachers we learned that four teachers were laid off by the district, and another three were retiring. I have been with the prekindergarten program for 12 years, and now with the retirements, have been teaching prekindergarten with Columbus City Schools longer than any of the other prekindergarten teachers. At the meeting, many complained of not having enough computers to serve their children. One teacher remarked that she has one computer for 20 children. I thought about the six up and running computers I have acquired over time in my classroom and was reminded that sometimes being a pack rat pays off. I have had assistants come and go, many who thought our room was too crowded and if we removed one of the tables with two computers, we'd have room for other things. I always stuck to my guns and insisted that the computers stay. I treat the computers I have with kid gloves because I know, once they die they will not be replaced. If they are replaced, it will surely be with higher powered computers with lousy software. I learned to save everything from my Mom, who learned it from her mom who survived the Great Depression by being a thrifty pack rat. I shall survive the Great Recession by doing the same thing.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Creatively Speaking, Part One: Sir Ken Robinson on the Power of the Imaginative Mind
http://www.edutopia.org/sir-ken-robinson-creativity-video
Ken Robinson has got it right. While I believe in the importance of the institution of education, I see creativity stomped out of children each day, and it makes me sad. Creativity is a naturally occurring thing, where children try new things based on the way they have been socialized. When children attend school, the teacher says "Color the scarf red, and the hat blue." If the child uses the color they would like to use instead of what has been prescribed then that child fails. After so much time with these types of directions, children begin to lose their autonomy and depend on others to tell them what to do. This may make for obedient children, but not very creative children.
Ken Robinson has got it right. While I believe in the importance of the institution of education, I see creativity stomped out of children each day, and it makes me sad. Creativity is a naturally occurring thing, where children try new things based on the way they have been socialized. When children attend school, the teacher says "Color the scarf red, and the hat blue." If the child uses the color they would like to use instead of what has been prescribed then that child fails. After so much time with these types of directions, children begin to lose their autonomy and depend on others to tell them what to do. This may make for obedient children, but not very creative children.
Michael Specter: The danger of science denial
http://www.ted.com/talks/michael_specter_the_danger_of_science_denial.html?utm_source=newsletter_weekly_2010-04-13&utm_campaign=newsletter_weekly&utm_medium=email
Michael Specter's discussion of the danger of science denial was very interesting. I see I am not the only one who worries about the future of our world. Doctors on news reports warn of pandemics, hunger, disease's with no cures, and viruses stronger than our strongest medicines. Actresses and actors come forward with ideas they have formed on their own, and who does the media pay attention to? Tom Cruise says depression and postpartum depression aren't real and Jenny McCarthy says autism is caused by vaccinations and it's all people can talk about. Spencer says, "We've lost faith in progress, institutions, authority and science." He says we have become sceptical of what was once seen as truth. As I mentioned in my comments on another entry, there is a need for institutionalized education. It is only possible to self-educate to a point. After that point, a person needs to depend on others who have conducted their own studies, and learn to depend on the truth in history to shape our current knowledge. Spencer says, when something is proved believe it. Please stop questioning the known and begin searching the unknown.
Michael Specter's discussion of the danger of science denial was very interesting. I see I am not the only one who worries about the future of our world. Doctors on news reports warn of pandemics, hunger, disease's with no cures, and viruses stronger than our strongest medicines. Actresses and actors come forward with ideas they have formed on their own, and who does the media pay attention to? Tom Cruise says depression and postpartum depression aren't real and Jenny McCarthy says autism is caused by vaccinations and it's all people can talk about. Spencer says, "We've lost faith in progress, institutions, authority and science." He says we have become sceptical of what was once seen as truth. As I mentioned in my comments on another entry, there is a need for institutionalized education. It is only possible to self-educate to a point. After that point, a person needs to depend on others who have conducted their own studies, and learn to depend on the truth in history to shape our current knowledge. Spencer says, when something is proved believe it. Please stop questioning the known and begin searching the unknown.
Google Translate
http://translate.google.com/#
Google Translate is a wonderful tool for teachers on the web. I have students who speak Spanish and only know a few words in English. I took five years of French in school and only know enough Spanish to make it through a Mexican vacation in a mostly English speaking area. Google Translate has come in very handy when trying to get a message home to a parent who does not speak English. I simply type the message to the parent, click the translate tool, and then copy and paste the message to a new document and print it to go home with the student. The speaker button pronounces the words for me if I have a face to face meeting with a parent. While I have only used the English to Spanish section of the program, I'm sure the other language converters work just as well. The page could also be a great tool to help teach simple words and phrases to students. Finally, if you own a web phone this site would be a great help on vacation. You could simply type a question, let the person you are trying to communicate with listen to the translation and then allow them to type a response. Amazing!
Google Translate is a wonderful tool for teachers on the web. I have students who speak Spanish and only know a few words in English. I took five years of French in school and only know enough Spanish to make it through a Mexican vacation in a mostly English speaking area. Google Translate has come in very handy when trying to get a message home to a parent who does not speak English. I simply type the message to the parent, click the translate tool, and then copy and paste the message to a new document and print it to go home with the student. The speaker button pronounces the words for me if I have a face to face meeting with a parent. While I have only used the English to Spanish section of the program, I'm sure the other language converters work just as well. The page could also be a great tool to help teach simple words and phrases to students. Finally, if you own a web phone this site would be a great help on vacation. You could simply type a question, let the person you are trying to communicate with listen to the translation and then allow them to type a response. Amazing!
Teacher Vision: Lesson Plans, Printables, and More!
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/
Teacher Vision is a good website for quick, relevant lesson plan ideas and starters. Because Earth Day is coming soon, I decided to check out some of the Earth Day ideas and plans. I was especially interested in the Green Activities.
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/environmental-education/teaching-methods/63270.html?detoured=1
A very long time ago, before Green was anything other than a color, I purchased a book to use with my classroom called Trash to Treasure.
http://www.amazon.com/Trash-to-Treasure-Book-9/dp/1574863207
Trash to Treasure used everyday trash items, like tin cans, milk cartons, and the plastic ties which hold soda cans together to make art and useful items in the classroom. Tin cans were made into pen and pencil holders. Milk cartons were made into bird feeders. The plastic soda can holders were tied together and made into a net to be used to hang in the classroom to display art or other collected items. The Green activities found on the web page had similar ideas, as well as ways to recycle and reuse everyday items. There were printouts available to send home with students and activities for the classroom. It's nice to see that what was old is still new, and relevant in our world.
Teacher Vision is a good website for quick, relevant lesson plan ideas and starters. Because Earth Day is coming soon, I decided to check out some of the Earth Day ideas and plans. I was especially interested in the Green Activities.
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/environmental-education/teaching-methods/63270.html?detoured=1
A very long time ago, before Green was anything other than a color, I purchased a book to use with my classroom called Trash to Treasure.
http://www.amazon.com/Trash-to-Treasure-Book-9/dp/1574863207
Trash to Treasure used everyday trash items, like tin cans, milk cartons, and the plastic ties which hold soda cans together to make art and useful items in the classroom. Tin cans were made into pen and pencil holders. Milk cartons were made into bird feeders. The plastic soda can holders were tied together and made into a net to be used to hang in the classroom to display art or other collected items. The Green activities found on the web page had similar ideas, as well as ways to recycle and reuse everyday items. There were printouts available to send home with students and activities for the classroom. It's nice to see that what was old is still new, and relevant in our world.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
A MUST-SEE for Every Educational Administrator in the World
http://www.classroom20.com/video/a-mustsee-for-every
"A MUST-SEE for Every Educational Administrator in the World" caught me by surprise. I wasn't sure what to expect, given the title of "A MUST SEE" video, but the content actually was compelling. Understanding that the world is changing, growing and morphing into something new and technologically amazing every few months is something the educational hierarchy does not want to acknowledge. Doing things the way we always do things is the mantra of the education system. However, this college kid, or college dropout may not make the big splash he is attempting to make with this six minute video. The education world does not respect, nor listen openly to the opinions of others unless they have letters after their name- letters with meaning like, BA, MA or the much more important letters, PhD.
His historical description of the importance of education to society over the centuries, and the class system which was born of that system is still in action today. Acquiring a respectable occupation does require some work in a formal educational institution. A high school and college graduate does have a much better chance of obtaining a more lucrative occupation than a dropout. Yes, there are many cases where people do not obtain a diploma or a degree, and still become extremely rich and famous, but this is not the norm. In most cases, the space on job applications for educational experience cannot be filled in with “self taught online.”
What this young man states about knowledge becoming free is the truth to a point. The internet does allow individuals to learn on their own beyond memorizing facts in a classroom. The fact that the "powers that be" will most likely sweep this video under the rug and forget about it is actually quite sad. Perhaps the rigor of undergraduate education should include more free dialogue with classmates. Maybe the digital age should begin to take over more classrooms. However, the point where the lines become fuzzy, and formal education wins, is when the facts students memorize lead to an educated comprehensive specialist in a field as opposed to a knowledgeable runner-up on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Yes, you can teach yourself many things via the internet, but there are many things you cannot teach yourself. For example, is it possible after reading online journals and articles or watching some “how to” videos on the internet that one can become competent enough to perform surgery? Of course not! My point is no matter how compelling this young man is in his video, there is a need for formal education.
What this student of the world seems to long for is the conversation and dialogue in education which often takes place in graduate level classes. As a pre-kindergarten teacher, I know my students must learn the basics- letter recognition, phonemic awareness, counting and number properties before they can move on to deeper, and more interesting subjects. They must learn the letter to sound out the words. They must learn the words to understand the sentances. The same logic for education in college applies. Students must muddle through the boring, memorization of standard class work to understand the free thought of higher levels of education. Institutionalized education provides a clear cut path to knowledge. The free world of the internet is also wild and untamed. Institutionalized education helps students learn how to learn. Institutions teach students how to determine what is wild and untamed from what is enlightening and important.
"A MUST-SEE for Every Educational Administrator in the World" caught me by surprise. I wasn't sure what to expect, given the title of "A MUST SEE" video, but the content actually was compelling. Understanding that the world is changing, growing and morphing into something new and technologically amazing every few months is something the educational hierarchy does not want to acknowledge. Doing things the way we always do things is the mantra of the education system. However, this college kid, or college dropout may not make the big splash he is attempting to make with this six minute video. The education world does not respect, nor listen openly to the opinions of others unless they have letters after their name- letters with meaning like, BA, MA or the much more important letters, PhD.
His historical description of the importance of education to society over the centuries, and the class system which was born of that system is still in action today. Acquiring a respectable occupation does require some work in a formal educational institution. A high school and college graduate does have a much better chance of obtaining a more lucrative occupation than a dropout. Yes, there are many cases where people do not obtain a diploma or a degree, and still become extremely rich and famous, but this is not the norm. In most cases, the space on job applications for educational experience cannot be filled in with “self taught online.”
What this young man states about knowledge becoming free is the truth to a point. The internet does allow individuals to learn on their own beyond memorizing facts in a classroom. The fact that the "powers that be" will most likely sweep this video under the rug and forget about it is actually quite sad. Perhaps the rigor of undergraduate education should include more free dialogue with classmates. Maybe the digital age should begin to take over more classrooms. However, the point where the lines become fuzzy, and formal education wins, is when the facts students memorize lead to an educated comprehensive specialist in a field as opposed to a knowledgeable runner-up on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Yes, you can teach yourself many things via the internet, but there are many things you cannot teach yourself. For example, is it possible after reading online journals and articles or watching some “how to” videos on the internet that one can become competent enough to perform surgery? Of course not! My point is no matter how compelling this young man is in his video, there is a need for formal education.
What this student of the world seems to long for is the conversation and dialogue in education which often takes place in graduate level classes. As a pre-kindergarten teacher, I know my students must learn the basics- letter recognition, phonemic awareness, counting and number properties before they can move on to deeper, and more interesting subjects. They must learn the letter to sound out the words. They must learn the words to understand the sentances. The same logic for education in college applies. Students must muddle through the boring, memorization of standard class work to understand the free thought of higher levels of education. Institutionalized education provides a clear cut path to knowledge. The free world of the internet is also wild and untamed. Institutionalized education helps students learn how to learn. Institutions teach students how to determine what is wild and untamed from what is enlightening and important.
Monday, April 19, 2010
ABCya! Web Games for Early Childhood
http://www.abcya.com/kindergarten_computers.htm
ABCya! is a great find for parents looking for something extra for their children to do on the internet. It is vital that children learn to use computers at home and in classrooms, and it is equally important that students come into school having already learned how to navigate a computer screen.
The games on the page, while simple and fun, help children learn how to navigate a computer web page and more importantly, how to click, drag, and double click. The language on the web page is simplistic enough for young children on elevated reading levels to navigate without much help from an adult. As we know children should be closely monitored while using the internet. If a child were unable to read the boxes to click on, not much harm would be done by clicking randomly on the site, aside from opening a million windows. Even the ads on the boarder of the page are fairly child friendly. I love the "make a face" game. I'm going to bookmark the page on my computers at school as a fun extra turn on the computer.
ABCya! is a great find for parents looking for something extra for their children to do on the internet. It is vital that children learn to use computers at home and in classrooms, and it is equally important that students come into school having already learned how to navigate a computer screen.
The games on the page, while simple and fun, help children learn how to navigate a computer web page and more importantly, how to click, drag, and double click. The language on the web page is simplistic enough for young children on elevated reading levels to navigate without much help from an adult. As we know children should be closely monitored while using the internet. If a child were unable to read the boxes to click on, not much harm would be done by clicking randomly on the site, aside from opening a million windows. Even the ads on the boarder of the page are fairly child friendly. I love the "make a face" game. I'm going to bookmark the page on my computers at school as a fun extra turn on the computer.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
This Blog is being used as a tool for the Education 675: Internet Tools and Practices class for the spring quarter at Otterbein College, soon to be Otterbein University. Follow my Blog as I learn to create and maintain this Blog, create a web page, and learn to collaborate with my fellow classmates to increase technology usage within my classroom and enhance the education of my young students.
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