Week of July 24th

Dr. Robert's Presentation

There were a couple of things that stood out to me from Dr. Robert's presentation. Firstly, I was surprised to see how much time kids are spending on media like computers, video games and television. I knew that kids spend a lot of time on electronic media but the actual numbers were a bit surprising to me.  He also pointed out how most kids don't have any rules at home about media use whether it is the television or computer or video games. So this means continued exposure to electronic media without any time limits for  a lot of kids. I believe this can be dangerous for kids as they tend to stay sitting at home without feeling the need to get outside and do things that can actively engage the mind and body.

Nowadays, kids can also "hang out"with friends online. With Facebook and twitter they don't think that they are being anti-social but quite the contrary. However, this does not build for a healthy lifestyle like playing basketball outside at the park with friends does or going for a jog or a bike ride with a friend can do.  Living in an area like the Bay Area with great weather and so much to do outside I feel this is almost a crime. However, it is useless blaming the kids for it as they are doing what they think is okay to do without any control on it. As adults we are in the position to not encourage that in children. Children, even teenagers need structure and boundaries. Just because they are 16 does not mean they are adults. As teachers and parents we are in a position to show them how and when to use electronic media and how much is appropriate use.  We can reiterate the fact that it is all about building a balance between doing what they want to do and what they also need to do. 

This leads me to the second and the most important take away I had from the presentation was the importance of repeating what was appropriate to kids even though it seems like it is not working and they are fighting us. Somewhere at the back of their minds they are listening and the point is getting registered. I feel as a teacher and a parent this is so important as  giving up because it seems like they don't listen anyway or for fear of alienating them is letting them know that you don't care and that is the worst thing to do to children. I think putting boundaries and limits on excessive media use or anything else is actually letting them know that yes, we care and we are doing this because we want the best for them. I feel children get that message sooner or later if we try.

NY Times Article

I found the New York Times article to be scary. I was extremely worried after reading it about the direction in which education is headed. I believe in technology and the importance of it in our lives today. Children should be familiar with using technology. But technology is only a tool. It is a tool like a  sprinkler system can be a helpful tool for watering grass. It can in no possible way replace the human mind or the person. So, how can it replace in class teaching? How does an educator get a feel of the lesson, of students engagement and progress if they are not face to face. So much of my teaching changes during my lessons depending on whether the students are getting it or not. If I see a lack of interest or a lack of understanding, in my students I have to change my lesson and try something different. Also, the joy you can get from seeing your students engaged and responding well to your lesson is priceless. I have no idea how to do this if they are not in front of me. So how does a teacher scaffold and teach online without seeing the student? In my teaching I have students work in groups a lot. How do you do this through an online class? How do you teach Math and Science that involves a lot of hands on exploration online? It brings into question some serious doubt about the quality of these online lessons.

The article talks about this form of learning being cheaper and fitting to the budget cuts more. However it overlooks and fails to mention the fact that it is another way of lowering standards and letting a student pass easily. Students will be attracted to this kind of education as it seems that they require much less of them and they can get away with a lot less. So what is the quality of the graduates that are coming out of these courses? Is the goal to have higher numbers graduating classes or is it to have graduates who are of high calibre? Yes, these kind of lessons can work but only as a supplement to proper in class lessons. It could work as an extension activity to a traditional lesson. However replacing proper classroom teaching with online classes will lead to a very poor quality of kids graduating and entering society not knowing anything.

Technology Resources for Teachers

1. www.glogster.com.

      This is website I would love to use as an extension activity to any lesson across the content areas of ELA, Math , Social Studies and Science. After finishing a unit I can have students make online posters for a specific topic and I can see students enjoying that.

1. www.donorschoose.org

I absolutely loved this website as schools and districts nowadays are facing budget cuts. At the same time classroom demands are not getting less. So for a teacher who does not have enough resources, it can be a great way to have something she really needs donated to her classroom.

1. www.rubistar.4teachers.org

I can see myself use a lot of this to make my own rubrics for my class. Students find it very helpful to have a rubric to see what they need to do to get a certain score for a project or a presentation in class. It is also helpful for them to see why they got a certain score if they have missed something.This is also helpful for peer assessments.

1. www.puzzlemaker.com

This can be a great site for vocabulary building. Having students make their own crossword puzzles or other activities, out of spelling words or words they have learned will be very useful.

Blog I responded to

uconnbball10.blogspot.com