Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Do ELA classrooms support the "new middlers?"
So that's the question huh? In my opinion I don't feel the ELA classrooms do support the "new middlers." If we are moving into a new age then everyone I feel should be on the same page. Technology should be taught in every school at whatever grade and as future educators we know that can't happen with some of the schools that are in desperate need for upgrades in more than one way. Yes, the whole idea of the "new middlers" might take place, but I feel it will take a long time due to the fact that everyone is not at the same place. The high school I went to has great funding, but no teacher is using technology in the classroom to get the students prepared for the real world. That will be the toughest hurdle, getting the teachers to incorporate technology and changing their ways of teaching with the changing times.
Did you know?
Did you know that that YouTube video freaked me out? No lie, pure honesty. Knowing that technology is advancing so quick and that my laptop I just got for my birthday less than a year ago will be out of date within so many years? CREEPY. Another fun fact that really disappointed me was that our country is so low with number compared to other countries. We live in such an egocentric country that we honestly have little to show for it compared to Japan. I guess this was a real eye opener as to where we will be in the near future...computers that are smarter then the WHOLE human race. Unbelievable.
Friedman
So...I don't know if I am going to be blogging about the right information, but here we go. I found Chapter 5 of Friedman not as interesting as Chapter 6, so I honestly paid more attention to Chapter 6 and found some interesting facts. One quote that intrigued me was when Friedman stated,
"Let's start at the beginning. The key to thriving, as an individual, in a flat world is figuring out how to make yourself an 'untouchable'" (278).
How does one become an untouchable in today's world? Honestly, I think it should start with us as teachers. I feel by becoming en educator it is part of our responsibility to encourage our students to be what they want to be and push them in a direction that will benefit them in the long run. We need to set a spark inside of them to pursue what they want to do with their lives. For the students that don't know what they want to do or don't want to further their education we need to me their motivators to show them that they can do the unthinkable, they can become "untouchables." As teachers, we need to find different ways to stimulate their education and their learning so they want to be in school and they can find something passionate to do with their lives.
Also, with reading Chapter 6 Friedman states,
"The more we have good synthesizers, who can bring disparate things together, the more we will need managers, writers, teachers, producers, journalists, and editors who are also good explainers -- who can see the complexity but explain it with simplicity" (284).
To me that line alone goes to show that the classroom will never go away. How can we have classes online when Friendman even said that we can explain things. Granted yes you can explain things online, but how easily? How quickly can a teacher respond to a question? We hold classes to teach and to explain the hardest of topics. I don't know if this is making sense, but I have many thoughts and I don't think they are coming out right.
My favorite story in this chapter is about the lemonade man at Camden Yards that took such a simple job ("vanilla task") and made it his own and really makes a living doing it. He is doing something anyone can do and putting his own spin on it to make money. It is his own thing and that is what makes him successful. I smiled while reading this story, I don't know, it's good to know that there are people out there working hard for their money.
"Let's start at the beginning. The key to thriving, as an individual, in a flat world is figuring out how to make yourself an 'untouchable'" (278).
How does one become an untouchable in today's world? Honestly, I think it should start with us as teachers. I feel by becoming en educator it is part of our responsibility to encourage our students to be what they want to be and push them in a direction that will benefit them in the long run. We need to set a spark inside of them to pursue what they want to do with their lives. For the students that don't know what they want to do or don't want to further their education we need to me their motivators to show them that they can do the unthinkable, they can become "untouchables." As teachers, we need to find different ways to stimulate their education and their learning so they want to be in school and they can find something passionate to do with their lives.
Also, with reading Chapter 6 Friedman states,
"The more we have good synthesizers, who can bring disparate things together, the more we will need managers, writers, teachers, producers, journalists, and editors who are also good explainers -- who can see the complexity but explain it with simplicity" (284).
To me that line alone goes to show that the classroom will never go away. How can we have classes online when Friendman even said that we can explain things. Granted yes you can explain things online, but how easily? How quickly can a teacher respond to a question? We hold classes to teach and to explain the hardest of topics. I don't know if this is making sense, but I have many thoughts and I don't think they are coming out right.
My favorite story in this chapter is about the lemonade man at Camden Yards that took such a simple job ("vanilla task") and made it his own and really makes a living doing it. He is doing something anyone can do and putting his own spin on it to make money. It is his own thing and that is what makes him successful. I smiled while reading this story, I don't know, it's good to know that there are people out there working hard for their money.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Teen Book Award Winners
Wow, I really thought I was watching a trailer to a movie, that was impressive. The quality of that video and how much time and effort they put into it had to have been great. I did not read The Book Thief last semester, but honestly after watching that, I do. If there were more of those that teachers could show their students before they are ready to read a new book, maybe it would motivate the students to actually read and become engaged in the book because they can visualize what is going on and what the scene should look like. I just got really excited watching that and I feel every book should have one. When you tell your students they are going to be reading a book they HEARD is dreadful, show them the trailer to change their minds. I feel these trailers could really make an impact on students and adults to read me and to enjoy reading more.
The D.A.T.E Conference
How exciting was it to actually see and hear Jennifer Donnelly, the author of the best book I read in 374, A Northern Light. Listening to her was amazing. Hearing about how she actually wrote the book and all the time and effort it took was incredible. She had an idea for a book and completely followed through with it. I was in awe the whole entire time. I still can't really put into words how I felt listening to her.
Another fun event that really interested me was going to Kjersti Vanslyke-Briggs presentation on, "Dealing in the Digital: Explorations in Literacy." This was also exicting to me to see the other face on the other side of our classroom blog last semester in 374. To see how much technology is really being used is crazy. The other woman with her teaches at Horseheads and to me that is a little school compared to where I went to high school and to see what they do that is web-based it amazing. It is such an inspiration as a future teacher that there is more than just books and paper, there is a whole other world via the internet that we can teach our students the positive from. I know I won;t ever get rid of books and paper, but to incorporate something that the students are so familiar with and so user-friendly with, maybe it is something like a blog or whatever to get the kids interesting in English class and keep them interested.
Another fun event that really interested me was going to Kjersti Vanslyke-Briggs presentation on, "Dealing in the Digital: Explorations in Literacy." This was also exicting to me to see the other face on the other side of our classroom blog last semester in 374. To see how much technology is really being used is crazy. The other woman with her teaches at Horseheads and to me that is a little school compared to where I went to high school and to see what they do that is web-based it amazing. It is such an inspiration as a future teacher that there is more than just books and paper, there is a whole other world via the internet that we can teach our students the positive from. I know I won;t ever get rid of books and paper, but to incorporate something that the students are so familiar with and so user-friendly with, maybe it is something like a blog or whatever to get the kids interesting in English class and keep them interested.
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