Space Exploration: Past, Present, and Future
Please follow the link to download the virtual field trip powered by Google Earth. This is an extension for the Ender's Game unit that takes students through the history of our space travel program, a look into UFO's at Roswell, NM, our first lunar landing, and possible manned exploration of Mars. To move about the trip, double click the locations designated and follow the instructions within. At the end of the trip, the students head to Kennedy Space Center and follow the links to Discovery Education where they must watch a video and answer and essay question on whether or not they would make great astronauts. After their video, the students take one last trip to Moscow, Russia, to learn about a rival space program.
The goal of this extension would be to familiarize students with space travel, its accomplishments, struggles, and future as many students may not have a background in space exploration. Having the students view the technology that we have in our society will give them a reference point to help imagine the futuristic technology discussed within the novel.
Though this is not a global PBL, this is a global webquest of sort, designed to make students familiar with different media that can be gathered and used to extend a complex topic. This will help create ethical minds as they are introduced to history that has defined a generation, and helped to launch careers not only in the space exploration field, but the Science Fiction genre of writing. Because of our fascination with outer space novels, TV shows, and movies about this concept were excepted into the main stream. Finally, it helps students link the novel with present technology and aspirations of space exploration.
Space exploration is a culture all its own, with nations coming together on the international space station, the moon, and working together toward a common goal. After the students have learned about the topic in general, the tour takes them to Moscow, Russia, where they can follow the link to learn about their program and compare it to ours. The novel Ender's Game uses real life tension created during the Cold War and Warsaw Pacts that remain evident in characters. The students will have already been familiarized with these concepts via the glogster assignment.
As Gardner emphasizes the developing the ethical mind, students can see professionalism through teacher demonstrations using new technology to enhance learning. My students have used the glogs and prezis created during this semester, as well as created their own, learning in groups, delegating responsibility, and holding each other accountable for their own work.
As far as using and sharing this technology, it was a bit more difficult that I had planned. It is a great tool for educators to share information, or to extend learning with students, but as I am always looking for digital media tools that students can use to create new presentations, this one may prove to be a bit frustrating. First of all, to view the samples I had to download a 15 day free trial of a software that would allow for a .kmz project to be viewed. And even after the initial download I still had problems viewing, as many times the files came up blank even after I had completed the final project. I could have just as easily created this type of presentation with a Prezi, though it would not have the aesthetically pleasing look as the field trip does flying from location to location, including the Moon and Mars.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Friday, April 19, 2013
Creating Ethical Minds through Global PBL's
Creating Ethical Minds
I am in awe of the "Global Dreamers" webquest created by Marsha Goren in which she created a greater interest in English, and in doing so connected with classrooms from all over the world.
With this in mind, paired with the Reed article about global collaboration, I thought that one of the best ways to create ethical minds for tomorrow would be to involve my students in global collaboration. Here are some of the sites that I have discovered could help create this need to share and create with students from around the world.
As an English Teacher I was drawn to the content of the ePals Global Community website. Not only was it extremely easy to navigate, but it had many writing sections. The creative writing section would be perfect for students to receive and give feedback on a wide variety of creative pieces; from short stories to poetry. I think that many times it is hard for students to give their peers honest feedback, especially if they are reading and editing a partner’s paper while sitting next to them in the same classroom. The ePals website allows students from around the world to comment, critique, and view student work. It also gives student writers a chance to compare their writing styles to others from across the country and globe. I believe it is important for students to define their own voice through writing, and witness others’ as well. Through this online forum, students could also discuss how different cultures‘ morals and values can shape
and change each individual piece.
I also found that globalschoolnet.org was easy to navigate. For me, technology needs to be user friendly and convenient if I am to implement its use in my classroom for the simple reason that middle school students are easily distracted, and no teacher wants to spend a week on a project just getting the students familiarized with the technology. Globalschoolnet.org made it easy to find different global projects. I really liked the “Letter’s to Santa” project. I think that a project such as the one described that is in its 23rd year of operation would not only be a great way for students to learn creative voice and interact with others using digital media, but also create a sense of empathy and nostalgia. Too often older students seem to forget what it was like to have child-like excitement. This activity would be a great way for older students to reflect on their own fond memories of Christmas, and create a sense of maturity within the older student, as they are now personally responsible for another’s joy as they await a reply from Santa.
Global PBL assignments are an interesting way for students to connect with other students around the world. I did like many of the project ideas and set ups, but the challenges of collaborating with another classroom, and the high level of responsibility placed on the individual student learner, make some of these tasks daunting. For instance, I would personally be embarrassed if my students were not pulling their weight, or were a reason for another group’s missed deadlines, ect. The first article notes this difficulty, and describes the teacher as having to switch groups multiple times do to student absences, or failure to complete assignments. But, I do believe that projects like this will help to create the classroom of the future.
I am in awe of the "Global Dreamers" webquest created by Marsha Goren in which she created a greater interest in English, and in doing so connected with classrooms from all over the world.
With this in mind, paired with the Reed article about global collaboration, I thought that one of the best ways to create ethical minds for tomorrow would be to involve my students in global collaboration. Here are some of the sites that I have discovered could help create this need to share and create with students from around the world.
As an English Teacher I was drawn to the content of the ePals Global Community website. Not only was it extremely easy to navigate, but it had many writing sections. The creative writing section would be perfect for students to receive and give feedback on a wide variety of creative pieces; from short stories to poetry. I think that many times it is hard for students to give their peers honest feedback, especially if they are reading and editing a partner’s paper while sitting next to them in the same classroom. The ePals website allows students from around the world to comment, critique, and view student work. It also gives student writers a chance to compare their writing styles to others from across the country and globe. I believe it is important for students to define their own voice through writing, and witness others’ as well. Through this online forum, students could also discuss how different cultures‘ morals and values can shape
and change each individual piece.
I also found that globalschoolnet.org was easy to navigate. For me, technology needs to be user friendly and convenient if I am to implement its use in my classroom for the simple reason that middle school students are easily distracted, and no teacher wants to spend a week on a project just getting the students familiarized with the technology. Globalschoolnet.org made it easy to find different global projects. I really liked the “Letter’s to Santa” project. I think that a project such as the one described that is in its 23rd year of operation would not only be a great way for students to learn creative voice and interact with others using digital media, but also create a sense of empathy and nostalgia. Too often older students seem to forget what it was like to have child-like excitement. This activity would be a great way for older students to reflect on their own fond memories of Christmas, and create a sense of maturity within the older student, as they are now personally responsible for another’s joy as they await a reply from Santa.
Global PBL assignments are an interesting way for students to connect with other students around the world. I did like many of the project ideas and set ups, but the challenges of collaborating with another classroom, and the high level of responsibility placed on the individual student learner, make some of these tasks daunting. For instance, I would personally be embarrassed if my students were not pulling their weight, or were a reason for another group’s missed deadlines, ect. The first article notes this difficulty, and describes the teacher as having to switch groups multiple times do to student absences, or failure to complete assignments. But, I do believe that projects like this will help to create the classroom of the future.
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Glog
For this week's project I created a Glog using Glogster.com. Glogster is a digital tool that creates interactive "posters". Like Prezi, Glogster is a great canvas for infusing multiple forms of media into one streamlined presentation. Though in the past I have really enjoyed using Glogster, this week I found that I had trouble loading videos and images. On a few occasions after I saved the glog, the links did not take the viewer to the desired web page, or any page for that matter. As my students have the option of creating their own glog based on one of the four themes discussed in the novel, this lack of dependability could be a source of great frustration to them.
This interactive poster's purpose is to help students gain a better understanding of the history that is interwoven with fiction to create a political backdrop in the novel. As my 7th grade students have not yet been introduced to World War II or Cold War history, the glog will help introduce them to this new material. Because Gardner writes that the creator's goal is to "extend knowledge", that is what my glog has done with the use of external links, pictures, and videos. I once again chose short, high interest YouTube videos as my students commonly use this site as source of information and entertainment.
Once the students have independently followed the glog, they are then instructed to answer a prompt with one last video attached to it through Discovery Education. In this way, they can demonstrate how well they have understood the new information, and then synthesized it into an answer that asks them to put themselves in the place of the novel's main character. This seemed to be an appropriate medium as this week's theme dealt with the fostering of creativity within classroom using digital media. Their answers will vary based on their individual experiences with leadership. Those with less leadership experiences will undoubtedly have to be a bit more creative with their responses. This prompt will also serve as a piece that my students can reflect upon as the read the story to see if they were correct in their assumptions.
Though I was frustrated with the software, I do normally enjoy using glogster. I find that it is a great tool for middle school students to help facilitate creativity through creation as many find it less complex than a prezi presentation. Also, glogster does allow for students to upload and present their own pictures, link to their own blogs, and share their own videos. Therefore, the students are creating a medium to share their own material, not just link to other sources. Please follow the link to my glog below.
http://mrlstaff.edu.glogster.com/enders-game-background-information
This interactive poster's purpose is to help students gain a better understanding of the history that is interwoven with fiction to create a political backdrop in the novel. As my 7th grade students have not yet been introduced to World War II or Cold War history, the glog will help introduce them to this new material. Because Gardner writes that the creator's goal is to "extend knowledge", that is what my glog has done with the use of external links, pictures, and videos. I once again chose short, high interest YouTube videos as my students commonly use this site as source of information and entertainment.
Once the students have independently followed the glog, they are then instructed to answer a prompt with one last video attached to it through Discovery Education. In this way, they can demonstrate how well they have understood the new information, and then synthesized it into an answer that asks them to put themselves in the place of the novel's main character. This seemed to be an appropriate medium as this week's theme dealt with the fostering of creativity within classroom using digital media. Their answers will vary based on their individual experiences with leadership. Those with less leadership experiences will undoubtedly have to be a bit more creative with their responses. This prompt will also serve as a piece that my students can reflect upon as the read the story to see if they were correct in their assumptions.
Though I was frustrated with the software, I do normally enjoy using glogster. I find that it is a great tool for middle school students to help facilitate creativity through creation as many find it less complex than a prezi presentation. Also, glogster does allow for students to upload and present their own pictures, link to their own blogs, and share their own videos. Therefore, the students are creating a medium to share their own material, not just link to other sources. Please follow the link to my glog below.
http://mrlstaff.edu.glogster.com/enders-game-background-information
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Technology, Creativity, and Student Thoughts
Currently I teach 7th grade English, and asked them how they felt technology and digital media has enhanced their learning in the class, and I was surprised with their brazen honesty. Now, maybe their answers had something to do with the fact that we are currently administering the PSSA exam, but many students thought that the technology available to them has done little to "enhance" their knowledge of the subject material. One student noted that every year a teacher attempts to find a new program to try and make learning "cool" or fun, but then over uses the source so much that it becomes boring, pointless, and unenjoyable. My students have claimed that I, as well as teachers in the past, have ruined the excitement they once associated with Prezi... (Tough crowd) That's too bad since they are in the midst of a Prezi poetry presentation.
Another concerned voiced in our technology discussion today was the fact the BYOD policy has only further separated the "haves" from the "have nots". With more and more students bringing in their ipads, cellphones, and computers, some of the students that cannot afford these technologies feel left out. Also, some of my students said that they feel embarrassed when they have to admit to a teacher or groupmates that they cannot log onto the internet at home to complete projects. I replied that this is why most projects are completed in class with school provided technology, but they seemed to be displeased with some of the outdated operating systems.
A few others also questioned the big push for technology in the district, and said though they enjoyed creating with computers, found it frustrating that many times they thought teachers were using technology just to use technology. Why create a discussion on Edmodo when one could have just as easily been done in class face to face.
Most of the students when asked about creativity and digital media claimed that they wanted to learn how to create their own videos, video games, or apps, and were disappointed to learn that this was not possible with the technology we had available in school. There seemed to be a disconnect between the technology that they viewed as important, and the presentation based web tools that teachers collaborated with.
One positive that did come from the discussions had with the classes today was that most of the students did like the influx of videos and pictures that related the material being learned to their daily lives, but voiced they would rather have the teacher, or someone else create the presentations while they watched. These answers didn't surprise me too much, though it was a bit disheartening how negative many of the responses seemed to be. As I responded to their concerns I did mention part of our goal as teachers is to prepare students for the careers of the future in which technology is playing a much greater role. Collaboration and creation is a must, whether or not 7th graders find it "cool". Though some of the students may not believe that the technology has helped them grow, I do believe that they are becoming better digital citizens and more aware of how subject matter can be used in their daily lives.
Another concerned voiced in our technology discussion today was the fact the BYOD policy has only further separated the "haves" from the "have nots". With more and more students bringing in their ipads, cellphones, and computers, some of the students that cannot afford these technologies feel left out. Also, some of my students said that they feel embarrassed when they have to admit to a teacher or groupmates that they cannot log onto the internet at home to complete projects. I replied that this is why most projects are completed in class with school provided technology, but they seemed to be displeased with some of the outdated operating systems.
A few others also questioned the big push for technology in the district, and said though they enjoyed creating with computers, found it frustrating that many times they thought teachers were using technology just to use technology. Why create a discussion on Edmodo when one could have just as easily been done in class face to face.
Most of the students when asked about creativity and digital media claimed that they wanted to learn how to create their own videos, video games, or apps, and were disappointed to learn that this was not possible with the technology we had available in school. There seemed to be a disconnect between the technology that they viewed as important, and the presentation based web tools that teachers collaborated with.
One positive that did come from the discussions had with the classes today was that most of the students did like the influx of videos and pictures that related the material being learned to their daily lives, but voiced they would rather have the teacher, or someone else create the presentations while they watched. These answers didn't surprise me too much, though it was a bit disheartening how negative many of the responses seemed to be. As I responded to their concerns I did mention part of our goal as teachers is to prepare students for the careers of the future in which technology is playing a much greater role. Collaboration and creation is a must, whether or not 7th graders find it "cool". Though some of the students may not believe that the technology has helped them grow, I do believe that they are becoming better digital citizens and more aware of how subject matter can be used in their daily lives.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Do Schools Kill Creativity?
Yes,
I do believe that schools “kill” creativity within our youth,
though it is not the fault of the teacher or school itself, but a by
product of the system that supports the enterprise. The lack of
creativity is a huge problem in our schools today. As an English
teacher at the middle level, I feel that my my focus has almost
completely become that of form over function. Writing has become such
a methodical process that is feels like a math equation where
students are just mindlessly plugging sentences and phrases into a
formula for a predetermined outcome. This push as become even more
so due PSSA's and Keystones, and the scary fact that our salaries
could one day be tied to student performance. If this does become
the case, there will be even less room for creativity as a teacher's
livelihood could depend on how well a student can answer an essay
question. If we are to prepare students for jobs and an uncertain
future, where careers and technology shape the world at an alarming
rate, the ability to synthesize, collaborate, and create something
new and unique is a must.
The
solution? We have to change the way students are assessed. How can
we, on the educational level, push constructivist learning, project
based assignments, and higher level reasoning skills that WE KNOW
will better prepare our students for the "real world", when
standardized tests are still based on memorization and recall? I
feel as if politicians and policies are becoming so far removed from
the principals of good teaching practice that it is enough to drive
anyone insane.
A
sad side effect of constantly teaching the "five paragraph
essay" is that when students are allowed to branch out, they
either have no clue what to do without a strictly guided rubric, or
they confuse "creative writing" with a story so absurd even
Albert Camus would blush. To combat this I teach story-boarding,
meta-cognition through writing, fractured fairy tails, and assigned
at least one PBL per marking period. So far my school has met AYP,
but I fear students lack imaginative qualities needed to advancing in
a highly skilled and cognitive world.
I
use technology in all of these alternative assessments to help spawn
creativity within my students. The chance, and maybe sometimes
“need” to design and create, as well as the excitement over using
something visual and technology based helps drive these assignments.
For the fractured fairy tales project, students watch the move Shrek,
analyzing allusions and parodies within the film and then creating
their own fractured fairy tale using the web 2.0 too Zooburst; an
online digital media tool that created 3-D pop-up books. This is a
great tool for writers that desire a more visual outcome to their
project.
My
students also use Glogster and Voicethread in their Ender's Game
learning contract assignment, and learn how to make videos and create
commercials during the propaganda unit. In this way I not only
attempt to foster creativity, but also help them create skills that
can be transferred to real world applications. For now I believe we
must "fight the good fight", encourage creativity when and
where we can, and teach how we feel will best prepare students for
the careers of tomorrow.
Monday, April 1, 2013
Project 1: Prezi Presentation
Project 1: Figurative
Language Prezi
Prezis are a great way to
combine sources from multiple medias into one presentation. Prezi
combines videos, sound clips, pictures, and written explainations
into one smooth presentation, helping hit a variety of interest
points and learning styles for students. It also helps to create and
show a sort of thought process, which Gardner claims is essential for
a well disciplined mind capable of synthesising information.
Gardner argues that students
need to practice this ability to gather and synthesize information
properly instead of just memorizing facts and details. Memorization
is a skill thas become less needed in a world filled with technology
that can access information once reserved only for the highly
educated. Instead, students need to learn how to filter inforamtion,
synthesize, and create something new with the information gathered.
In my Figurative Language
Prezi Presentation, I have attempted to take what Gardner calls
“diverse entry points” and fuse them together into one
presentaion. This presentation will be used as a review for my
students as they study for their poetry and figurative language quiz,
and prepare for their own group prezi projects. By using many
different forms of media I hope to give students of diverse learning
backgrounds and styles the best attempt at synthesizing the
information for their own use. I have also attempted to use the
different mediums of YouTube videos, pictures, and songs to connect
the concepts studied in class to real world applications. The end
goal is not just to have students achieve high marks on the quiz, or
create a prezi of their own that follows a set rubric, but allow
students to identify and understand when, where, and how figurative
language is used in their every day lives to enhance music, movies,
and television.
By consistently exploring
content and how it realtes to our world, I hope to help students
build a disciplined mind. Students will have the chance to show
their own mastery of the concepts taught by building their own prezi
that demonstrates how they have used specific elements of figurative
language to create images within a set poetic form.
I had trouble with
attatching my citations to the Prezi. When I put them on the
specific slide, the pictures and videos cited appreared again. When
I attempted to delete the pictures and videos, I also deleted the web
address. Below are the citations for the Prezi, I will be attempting
to fix this problem by the end of the evening.
Bauer,
M. (2011, March 26). Onomatopoeia.
Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1b5kCvVBo8
Cabrera,
D. (2008, August 06). Every
metaphor and simile has an analogy inside .
Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhueKrKKNps
Cruiz89.
(Blogger). (2012). Disney
heroes.
[Print Drawing]. Retrieved from
http://cruiz89.wordpress.com/2012/05/03/final-blog-post-disney-heroes/
Department
of Education. (2013). Focus
on figurative language.
Retrieved from
http://www.pdesas.org/module/content/resources/4603/view.ashx
Freiburger.
(Designer). (2004). What
colors symbolize.
[Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.ffreelance.com/symbolism.html
Glasbergen,
R. (Artist). (1996). Romeo
and juliet.
[Print Drawing]. Retrieved from www.glasbergen.com
Jansen.
(Artist). (2012). Witsnips:
Disney villians.
[Print Drawing]. Retrieved from
http://jasenstation.blogspot.com/2012/03/disney-villains.html
Lewis,
Z. (2011, October 18). Similes
in songs.
Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWDSxmMo9Z0
Lindsay.
(Author). (2010). Twilight
cover.
[Print Photo]. Retrieved from
http://team-twilight.com/20101003/twilight-hand-model-wants-a-role-in-the-films/
LoveToKnow.
(1996-2013). Examples
of alliteration.
Retrieved from
http://examples.yourdictionary.com/alliteration-examples.html
LoveToKnow.
(1996-2013). Examples
of allusion.
Retrieved from
http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples/examples-of-allusion.html
LoveToKnow.
(1996-2013). Examples
of figurative language.
Retrieved from
http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-figurative-language.html
msbeanspiller.
(2011, January 23). Burly
hyperbole luchador.
Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjJbuwwlknk
Piven,
H. (1997). Piven
world.
Retrieved from
http://www.pivenworld.com/my-dog-is-as-smelly-as-dirty-socks/book-by-hanoch-piven
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)