The Course
While I didn't enjoy it, the Spreadsheet and Database assignments were helpful. I needed to learn to use Excel and Access, but could never make myself spend the time. Now that I know the basics I will feel more comfortable using these programs in the future. I also found the blogging useful. This was my first experience blogging. I can understand why some people really like it. You can vent your frustrations, explore how you feel about a topic, or simply tell the cyberworld how you see things. However, I can see why some people don't care for it. I was always worried about writing about my school or my students or expressing an opinion that would not be viewed favorably by the administration. I also struggled sometimes when I was given a topic I didn't have a great deal of interest in.
My biggest struggle was finding the time to get the work done. I thought an online course would be easier for my schedule because I didn't have to go to class each week. However, when I'm in class, I'm there. My family can't bother me and it is time set aside for school. When I try to set aside time at home, my family easily distracts me.
Another thing that was hard for me was the discussion board. When I'm in a classroom I rarely say anything. The discussion boards force you to put your opinions out there and to comment on other people's discussions. I'm still not completely comfortable with putting my opinions out there for everyone to read.
The final struggle I encountered stems from not being a digital native. I need to print stuff. I need instructions to be in one place. It was difficult to do the assignments at first because the instructions were on one page, the information I needed was on another, and the space to enter your answer was on another. I'm getting better, though. Currently, I'm navigating between the blog instructions and my blog. I didn't print!
We've made a great deal of suggestions over the semester and Dr. Lan has been quite accomodating to our needs. I think it might have been easier if the course started with a face to face meeting. That way the instructor could explain the setup of the course on Blackboard and clarify any questions. It would also be helpful if assignment instructions, examples, and rubrics were all in the same folder.
Overall, I don't think I learned any more or any less content than I would have in a classroom setting. It was just different. I do think I've become a bit more comfortable conversing with my peers via the discussion boards. I learned a great deal about different types of technology through the assignments. The resources that I've aquired through the reading, suggested resources, and the blogs and discussion boards have been tremendously helpful. I don't think I would have acquired so many new ideas in a face to face class. Its much easier to click on a link than to ask somebody for a website and remember to look it up on your own time.
Overall, I don't think I learned any more or any less than I would have in a classroom setting. It was just different.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Topic 19. Sometimes It All Works
For some strange reason I cannot make myself unsubscribe to the AP World History listserve. There is something useful on the thing maybe once every month. Most of the time a bunch of middle aged, history teachers argue over things that have nothing to do with World History. In the midst of one such discussion, a teacher decided to try to change the subject by posting something useful. He suggested using the Miniature Earth video in class to give students some perspective as they embark on their Thanksgiving celebration. I watched the video and thought it would be a good thing to show. Of course, I figured it was political and probably had a few errors (what historian wouldn't), but the overall message can't be denied.
Of course, other teachers had the same thought and set out to debunk the usefulness of the video. A teacher posted a link to a site that pointed out all the mistakes in the Miniature Earth video. I went to the site and read the critique. I quickly realized the person who posted the critique site had not watched the Miniature Earth video posted. The Miniature Earth video has been around for a number of years and the critique site had been written several years ago. Apparently, the people who produced the video saw the critique and addressed the issues in an updated version. The updated version reflects the criticism. The new video makes more precise arguments rather than generalizations and has taken out several statistics that the site criticized as hard to prove (such as what percentage of the world population are homosexuals).
The cool thing about this exchange on the listserve was that the internet created this whole conversation and would create many more in the classroom. The video is circulated on the internet. The critique of the video was published on the internet, the producers read the critique, and then updated the video based on the critique. Teachers found the video online and then recommended it to other teachers through a listserve. Then teachers went online to examine the validity of the claims in the video. The teachers then shared the critiques with other teachers. I got a two fold lesson out of this video for my students. They learned they were pretty lucky in life and they learned about doing a little research on stuff you find online before you take it as truth.
Of course, other teachers had the same thought and set out to debunk the usefulness of the video. A teacher posted a link to a site that pointed out all the mistakes in the Miniature Earth video. I went to the site and read the critique. I quickly realized the person who posted the critique site had not watched the Miniature Earth video posted. The Miniature Earth video has been around for a number of years and the critique site had been written several years ago. Apparently, the people who produced the video saw the critique and addressed the issues in an updated version. The updated version reflects the criticism. The new video makes more precise arguments rather than generalizations and has taken out several statistics that the site criticized as hard to prove (such as what percentage of the world population are homosexuals).
The cool thing about this exchange on the listserve was that the internet created this whole conversation and would create many more in the classroom. The video is circulated on the internet. The critique of the video was published on the internet, the producers read the critique, and then updated the video based on the critique. Teachers found the video online and then recommended it to other teachers through a listserve. Then teachers went online to examine the validity of the claims in the video. The teachers then shared the critiques with other teachers. I got a two fold lesson out of this video for my students. They learned they were pretty lucky in life and they learned about doing a little research on stuff you find online before you take it as truth.
Topic 18. When Technology Goes Wrong
The last week at school has been completely frustrating. My computer became a little bit more human than anyone cares to believe. I'm not kidding. It refused to access any site hosted by my school district. It was in rebellion. I could google, use private e-mail, check my bank account, or access anything NOT hosted by our school district. No one could fix it until 8th period on Tuesday afternoon (15 minutes before the break).
Now this story is hilarious in retrospect but it made for a super stressful week. No one believed the problem. I had to log on to another computer to do all my attendance, grades, and posting to moodle which was inconvenient and I usually forgot. Then they kept interrupting my class to try to fix the darn thing. Most annoying was that they reimaged my computer without telling me. I lost an entire program and hours worth of work.
Technology is an amazing and wonderful thing. However, when it goes wrong it causes the teacher tons of stress, wastes hours of work, and creates more work. I share a room with another teacher who is not familiar with a lot of the technology in my room. When something doesn't work properly he lets a kid try to fix it. Many students are good with their own computer, but a networked computer is completely different. They are constantly messing with the settings on the Promethean and randomly pushing buttons. My 4th period class is always behind my other classes because I spend 20 minutes at least once a week trying to fix some sort of technology glitch.
Another frustration is reliability. At the beginning of the school year, we were all encouraged to use Moodle for assignments. The first night I wanted my students to access Moodle for their homework, the server crashed. The students were completely unprepared the next day. This went on for 2 more days. Luckily after the second crash I developed plan B.
Finally, using technology in the classroom is difficult because we are in transition as a society. While most of my students have wireless access at home, a computer, and the ability to use all sorts of programs, I have a few that are resistant. I can't assume everybody will be able to use the technology so I have to teach technology as well as history OR create another lesson plan. We have all sorts of technology that is supposed to help communicate with students and parents more effectively. However, we can't rely on it because some parents don't check their e-mail or use the online gradebook. Therefore, teachers have to use all the new technology and then the old fashioned approach as well.
Now this story is hilarious in retrospect but it made for a super stressful week. No one believed the problem. I had to log on to another computer to do all my attendance, grades, and posting to moodle which was inconvenient and I usually forgot. Then they kept interrupting my class to try to fix the darn thing. Most annoying was that they reimaged my computer without telling me. I lost an entire program and hours worth of work.
Technology is an amazing and wonderful thing. However, when it goes wrong it causes the teacher tons of stress, wastes hours of work, and creates more work. I share a room with another teacher who is not familiar with a lot of the technology in my room. When something doesn't work properly he lets a kid try to fix it. Many students are good with their own computer, but a networked computer is completely different. They are constantly messing with the settings on the Promethean and randomly pushing buttons. My 4th period class is always behind my other classes because I spend 20 minutes at least once a week trying to fix some sort of technology glitch.
Another frustration is reliability. At the beginning of the school year, we were all encouraged to use Moodle for assignments. The first night I wanted my students to access Moodle for their homework, the server crashed. The students were completely unprepared the next day. This went on for 2 more days. Luckily after the second crash I developed plan B.
Finally, using technology in the classroom is difficult because we are in transition as a society. While most of my students have wireless access at home, a computer, and the ability to use all sorts of programs, I have a few that are resistant. I can't assume everybody will be able to use the technology so I have to teach technology as well as history OR create another lesson plan. We have all sorts of technology that is supposed to help communicate with students and parents more effectively. However, we can't rely on it because some parents don't check their e-mail or use the online gradebook. Therefore, teachers have to use all the new technology and then the old fashioned approach as well.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Topic 17. World of Warcraft in the Classroom
I received my first T.H.E. Journal this week. I must admit I forgot that I had ordered it and I thought someone had sent me the journal as a joke. This week's "technology that is more interesting than me" for my students is Call of Duty. Somehow one of my class decided I play CoD and that is why their essays aren't graded (I wish I was playing video games). Anyway, I don't play CoD and have always been a bit wary of WoW.
Jennifer Demski's article "The WoW Factor" profiles a group of educators who play WoW. The educators not only play the game, but dialogue about educational matters. Most of the educators do not live in the same state and have never met face to face.
One benefit of playing WoW the article argues is the networking. Each person has an avatar which makes approaching people less threatening. People are also less threatened by position. For example, teachers will engage in educational discussions with superintendents. Superintendents will ask gaming questions of teachers because they have a higher point level on WoW, thus superior skills. The article implies this type of gaming and interaction could be used in the classroom. I'm not so sure I agree with this. While I think certain students shine when given a less threatening format (online discussions, etc), should we teach kids to hide behind an avatar? If education is preparing you for the real world, can you hide behind an avatar in your real life?
Another point in the article is that video games use many skills that are valuable in the classroom. One member of the group gave the example, "I need to to write all these ideas down, like doing a mathematics lesson based around a statistical comparison between one weapon versus another weapon, or this particular armor resistance and this particular armor resistance." While it probably is more interesting to teach statistical analysis using a video game, the point is to figure out how to most effectively kill someone. Not what I want my kid doing in school. I do think part of the point of the essay is to have kids write their own video games, but the article really implied using WoW.
I do think using some video games in the classroom might be effective, but I don't think WoW is an appropriate choice.
Jennifer Demski's article "The WoW Factor" profiles a group of educators who play WoW. The educators not only play the game, but dialogue about educational matters. Most of the educators do not live in the same state and have never met face to face.
One benefit of playing WoW the article argues is the networking. Each person has an avatar which makes approaching people less threatening. People are also less threatened by position. For example, teachers will engage in educational discussions with superintendents. Superintendents will ask gaming questions of teachers because they have a higher point level on WoW, thus superior skills. The article implies this type of gaming and interaction could be used in the classroom. I'm not so sure I agree with this. While I think certain students shine when given a less threatening format (online discussions, etc), should we teach kids to hide behind an avatar? If education is preparing you for the real world, can you hide behind an avatar in your real life?
Another point in the article is that video games use many skills that are valuable in the classroom. One member of the group gave the example, "I need to to write all these ideas down, like doing a mathematics lesson based around a statistical comparison between one weapon versus another weapon, or this particular armor resistance and this particular armor resistance." While it probably is more interesting to teach statistical analysis using a video game, the point is to figure out how to most effectively kill someone. Not what I want my kid doing in school. I do think part of the point of the essay is to have kids write their own video games, but the article really implied using WoW.
I do think using some video games in the classroom might be effective, but I don't think WoW is an appropriate choice.
Topic 16. Selling Lessons Online
I kind of ran out of ideas to write about on my blog, so I went to The New York Times' education page. I stumbled upon an article by Winnie Hu entitled, "Selling Lessons Online Raises Cash and Questions." The story explained teachers are not selling their lessons online at sites such as Teachers Pay Teachers. Some school districts are requiring teachers to give them a portion of the profits, claiming the teacher's work is their intellectual property.
As a sometimes very old school teacher, my first reaction was kind of negative to this story. After spending the last two years fielding requests for answer keys to quizzes and tests from my colleagues, I'm a bit sour on those who don't do their own work. However, I checked out the Teachers Pay Teachers site and there were a few lesson plans I would be interested in purchasing. I would probably tweak most of them, but there is something to be said for using what is available. One lesson was a station activity on the exchange of goods during 1450-1750. I was thinking of doing a similar activity and would benefit from somebody who has already worked out all the details. Although i would probably change things, why run into a bunch of problems I don't have to?
While I think most teachers would probably use these lessons as a guide, I do think some would use them without any consideration to their students abilities, their teaching schedule, state standards, etc. Several items for sale were tests and reviews. How can you give someone else's test or review without changes?
I see purchasing online lessons as a huge benefit for a teacher that does not have a mentor at their school or in their district. It would help the teacher know what other people were teaching and would save the teacher time. However, how quality are the lessons and resources available? I decided to preview a lesson I was interested in on Teachers Pay Teachers. The lesson was a "Who am I" review game. The idea is good, but the cards were filled with grammatical errors. My personal pet peeve, "Buddhism believes..." How does religion believe something? Buddhists believe, but not Buddhism. There are reviews but most are not very helpful. I enjoyed the one that complained, "there is no key provided." Beyond quality, are the lessons appropriate for the course? For instance, my class is a survey. We do not spend much time on one topic. There are lessons for AP World History that suggest spending 3 weeks on the Renaissance. The power points for sale provide WAY too much detail on the topics. They are probably good lessons but are entirely inappropriate for the course.
While I might not be offering up lessons for sale or buying them, I think they might be beneficial to some. What I find particularly interesting is the debate about intellectual property. While I know my school owns my computer and the technology in my classroom, I've never thought of my lessons as being their property. Honestly, most of my lessons are created at 2 a.m., long after I'm off their clock. Most of the teachers I know do the same thing. Furthermore, why would a school district begrudge its teachers some extra cash? Most of the lessons I saw were selling for $2-$3 its not like these teachers are getting rich. Would you sell your lessons online? Do you think your district would object?
As a sometimes very old school teacher, my first reaction was kind of negative to this story. After spending the last two years fielding requests for answer keys to quizzes and tests from my colleagues, I'm a bit sour on those who don't do their own work. However, I checked out the Teachers Pay Teachers site and there were a few lesson plans I would be interested in purchasing. I would probably tweak most of them, but there is something to be said for using what is available. One lesson was a station activity on the exchange of goods during 1450-1750. I was thinking of doing a similar activity and would benefit from somebody who has already worked out all the details. Although i would probably change things, why run into a bunch of problems I don't have to?
While I think most teachers would probably use these lessons as a guide, I do think some would use them without any consideration to their students abilities, their teaching schedule, state standards, etc. Several items for sale were tests and reviews. How can you give someone else's test or review without changes?
I see purchasing online lessons as a huge benefit for a teacher that does not have a mentor at their school or in their district. It would help the teacher know what other people were teaching and would save the teacher time. However, how quality are the lessons and resources available? I decided to preview a lesson I was interested in on Teachers Pay Teachers. The lesson was a "Who am I" review game. The idea is good, but the cards were filled with grammatical errors. My personal pet peeve, "Buddhism believes..." How does religion believe something? Buddhists believe, but not Buddhism. There are reviews but most are not very helpful. I enjoyed the one that complained, "there is no key provided." Beyond quality, are the lessons appropriate for the course? For instance, my class is a survey. We do not spend much time on one topic. There are lessons for AP World History that suggest spending 3 weeks on the Renaissance. The power points for sale provide WAY too much detail on the topics. They are probably good lessons but are entirely inappropriate for the course.
While I might not be offering up lessons for sale or buying them, I think they might be beneficial to some. What I find particularly interesting is the debate about intellectual property. While I know my school owns my computer and the technology in my classroom, I've never thought of my lessons as being their property. Honestly, most of my lessons are created at 2 a.m., long after I'm off their clock. Most of the teachers I know do the same thing. Furthermore, why would a school district begrudge its teachers some extra cash? Most of the lessons I saw were selling for $2-$3 its not like these teachers are getting rich. Would you sell your lessons online? Do you think your district would object?
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Topic 15. Google Docs
Teaching students to write essays for the AP exam is always a challenge. It takes forever and the students get bored. Each year I try a new approach. Most of the time, they flop. This year I want to try using Google Docs for editing essays. I've heard of the site, but never really checked it out.
Google Docs is basically an online storage for documents. You can compose documents, spreadsheets, or presentations. The documents can be saved online. Once you have created documents, you can invite people to view and/or edit your documents. Up to 200 people can be invited. Only 10 can actively edit at one time. Editors can highlight and comment on the document. If you give them permission, editors can also invite other people to edit.
I like the idea of using Google Docs to edit essays in my classroom. I can bring the COWs in the room and the students can edit on the laptops. We can use the Promethean Board to pull up the documents and discuss edits as a class. I will be able to access edits without file transfer or using a document camera. Using Google Docs will also prevent making copies. Once we have edited the documents in class, students can go back into Google Docs to view the documents when preparing for an essay.
Because only 10 students can edit a document at a time, multiple documents will have to be created in Google Docs. One way would be to save the same document with numbers after it. This way, groups of students could work on each document. My plan is to publish essays of different quality. One good, two okay, and one weak. I will invite all students to view the documents, but only give certain students editing privileges on each document. The students will have 20 minutes to edit the essay and then they will present their ideas to the class. Since all students have viewing privileges, all students can see the document for later review.
Another issue with Google Docs is logging in. To login to the site, students must have a Google account. Students will either have to create an account or use a dummy account created by the teacher. There is an option to allow people to view and edit your document without logging in. The problem with this would be you don't know who is making edits.
Topic 14. More Social Studies Resources
I was kind of disappointed in the Social Studies resources given in the book. I am not expert, but many of the sites seemed to be for elementary or were sites you had to pay for. Here are a few things that I've found for free that I use all the time.
Images and Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Much of their collection is available online. The museum also has pictures and descriptions of their current shows online. I'm disappointed I didn't see the samurai exhibit. My students would have really liked looking at that. I've used this site to show works of art, as part of webquests, or I've used the COWs and let students look through an exhibit. Many museums have similar features and I've used their sites as well. http://www.metmuseum.org/special/index.asp
Google images is a great source for pictures.
Documents
The Medieval Sourcebook is excellent for historical documents. I find all sorts of treasures to use as discussion starters, for analysis, or to give examples. http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/Sbook.html
Virtual Tours
As with art, many of the sites I want to talk about have incredibly comprehensive web sites. When we do Absolutism I have students visit the Versailles website and the Suleymaniye Mosque website. Both have virtual tours, pictures, and more information than I could ever present. The students answer questions related to the period of Absolutism while looking through the sites. Versailles site: http://en.chatequversailles.fr
Suleymaniye Mosque site: http://www.saudiarmcoworld.com/issue/2000605/sulymaniye/default.htm
Timelines
The book talked about several programs for creating timelines. If you can't afford those, use Word to create your own. The instructions are here: http://www.microsoft.com/education/TimelinesWord.mspx
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