Are our students online often?
Yesterday I polled my classes and found out that 98 percent of my students have a facebook account that they update daily, 80 percent have a twitter account that they check ON THEIR PHONES daily, and about 65 percent upload photos to some sort of page (either facebook or something else) weekly. I asked them "what kinds of things do you discuss on these pages and what types of photos are you posting?" They proceeded to explain that they talk to friends about "stupid stuff," they swear or use slang in almost every post, and the pictures are usually of them doing something stupid or "fun," as they put it, because that was was what people like to see. The students I polled were in sixth grade...
Imagine if their "digital footprint" is starting out in this way, what will it be like when they are ready to join the real world? Isn't it time for someone to take charge and teach our students exactly what they are doing wrong? They do not understand the impact of how what they are doing right now at age 11 or 12 may have on them in the future depending on which road they choose to go digitally. Our job as educators is to prepare them for their future... why are our schools not catching on to the importance of this simple concept. We seem to be so bogged down with teaching to the standards, which are important as well, but we forget that no matter how good our students score on a test, it may come down to their digital footprint when it comes time for them to be hired into the workforce. This video is a great simple explanation of some statistical information regarding the importance of our digital footprints. Imagine if if employers are using this technology now to hire candidates, how much more impacting will it be in six years? I feel it will be a tool all companies will be looking to when hiring new candidates for a job. (Thank you to my PLN network for providing this video!)
Find more videos like this on The Educator's PLN
It is time for educators to stand up and teach our kids about the benefits of technology and the importance of using it to their advantage...
Further Reading on this topic...
A great essay regarding "Digital Footprints" by Will Richardson... http://bit.ly/8GZ4
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
What is our true goal?
An Educator's Goal
As an educator, as well as in any area in life, to be truly successful we must have a clear cut goal in which we are trying to achieve or strive for. I believe that every teacher, every good teacher, does have a goal of some kind coming into each year, as well as an encompassing goal that is being reached throughout the year. My fear however is that the goals we are striving to reach may be the wrong ones completely. It reminds me of a person who is taking a long road trip. They have destination, a goal, and they have a plan in which to reach that destination. They have a map and guidelines in order to assist them in finding all the wonderful places they seek. Yet in all the driving and all the planning they seem to miss the true beauty of what the actual goal of a road trip is, to explore and see new things along the way!
Our teachers today continue to have a focus and much of it has to do with what the district or school is forcing them to do. Too many teachers use the "Test" that the state provides as the ultimate standard on which to base their teaching, and therefore they "teach to the test." (After reading this article I was saddened to see that this continues to go on http://bit.ly/5hC5q4)
Times have truly changed as demonstrated here: http://ff.im/-deZ9V. It is so crazy to think that after only 10 years it is like we are living in a completely different world. Our technology has advanced one hundred fold and continues to do so everyday! What will our world be like 10 years from now? If we continue to "teach to the test" than our students will be great test takers, however they will not be able to function in society or in the future world that is ahead for them. Most of the jobs they will seek do not even exist yet, so how can we as teachers prepare them for what we do not know? That is a difficult task, but if we teach them to think, create, and set goals than they will be able to achieve just about anything they put their minds to.
What should our goal be?
I think that depends on the teacher, however I do not believe that our goal should be based on funding or old fashioned ideals. I believe our goal should be to train our students in a way that will make them successful in the world they will enter, to teach them to think outside the box, to help them utilize their true potential and embrace the technological minds they possess, and to provide opportunities for them to explore and understand that the sky is the limit for them, all they have to do is take the initiative to grab it!
It is an exciting world we live in and I am so happy to be living in it!
As an educator, as well as in any area in life, to be truly successful we must have a clear cut goal in which we are trying to achieve or strive for. I believe that every teacher, every good teacher, does have a goal of some kind coming into each year, as well as an encompassing goal that is being reached throughout the year. My fear however is that the goals we are striving to reach may be the wrong ones completely. It reminds me of a person who is taking a long road trip. They have destination, a goal, and they have a plan in which to reach that destination. They have a map and guidelines in order to assist them in finding all the wonderful places they seek. Yet in all the driving and all the planning they seem to miss the true beauty of what the actual goal of a road trip is, to explore and see new things along the way!
Our teachers today continue to have a focus and much of it has to do with what the district or school is forcing them to do. Too many teachers use the "Test" that the state provides as the ultimate standard on which to base their teaching, and therefore they "teach to the test." (After reading this article I was saddened to see that this continues to go on http://bit.ly/5hC5q4)
When will "teaching to the test" end and true learning and teaching begin?
Times have truly changed as demonstrated here: http://ff.im/-deZ9V. It is so crazy to think that after only 10 years it is like we are living in a completely different world. Our technology has advanced one hundred fold and continues to do so everyday! What will our world be like 10 years from now? If we continue to "teach to the test" than our students will be great test takers, however they will not be able to function in society or in the future world that is ahead for them. Most of the jobs they will seek do not even exist yet, so how can we as teachers prepare them for what we do not know? That is a difficult task, but if we teach them to think, create, and set goals than they will be able to achieve just about anything they put their minds to.
What should our goal be?
I think that depends on the teacher, however I do not believe that our goal should be based on funding or old fashioned ideals. I believe our goal should be to train our students in a way that will make them successful in the world they will enter, to teach them to think outside the box, to help them utilize their true potential and embrace the technological minds they possess, and to provide opportunities for them to explore and understand that the sky is the limit for them, all they have to do is take the initiative to grab it!
It is an exciting world we live in and I am so happy to be living in it!
Monday, December 21, 2009
Just a quote that struck me...
"There is nothing that is a more certain sign of insanity than to do the same thing over and over and expect the results to be different."
- Albert Einstein
Today I was reading a book titled "It's not how good you are, it's how good you want to be" by Paul Arden and this quote ended one of the chapters. How profound a statement and how true it is! Einstein, one of histories most amazing thinkers, knew exactly what it took to foster success. Why is it than that in America no matter what path life has taken us we seem to think that success is achieved by doing the same thing over and over again until we reach our goal. In business, we go to work everyday and continue to "crunch numbers" or network to gather a client base, yet we refuse to think outside of the box and take risks. It is the risk takers that truly succeed and head out in front of the pack! In education, teachers are comfortable with teaching the same things in the same manner everyday with the thought "Repetition will force them to understand!" In reality, the repetition is simply squelching the creativity that is dying to get out and be exposed. Repetition is forcing them to memorize instead of internalize. We, as teachers, need to understand that our students our creative, intuitive, intelligent, and bored! Why not take out the mundane, "same old thing," and replace it with fresh new ideas and ways for students to express their knowledge. Learning has changed and therefore teaching must do the same. Our students are ready to explore their learning and achieve their goals in various ways, therefore we must provide variety and thought provoking opportunities for them to learn and in turn, succeed. If we do the same thing over and over again, day in and day out, we will know the outcome every time. Imagine taking an idea, a concept, and exploring that concept in various ways to achieve numerous outcomes... the possibilities would be endless!
- Albert Einstein
Today I was reading a book titled "It's not how good you are, it's how good you want to be" by Paul Arden and this quote ended one of the chapters. How profound a statement and how true it is! Einstein, one of histories most amazing thinkers, knew exactly what it took to foster success. Why is it than that in America no matter what path life has taken us we seem to think that success is achieved by doing the same thing over and over again until we reach our goal. In business, we go to work everyday and continue to "crunch numbers" or network to gather a client base, yet we refuse to think outside of the box and take risks. It is the risk takers that truly succeed and head out in front of the pack! In education, teachers are comfortable with teaching the same things in the same manner everyday with the thought "Repetition will force them to understand!" In reality, the repetition is simply squelching the creativity that is dying to get out and be exposed. Repetition is forcing them to memorize instead of internalize. We, as teachers, need to understand that our students our creative, intuitive, intelligent, and bored! Why not take out the mundane, "same old thing," and replace it with fresh new ideas and ways for students to express their knowledge. Learning has changed and therefore teaching must do the same. Our students are ready to explore their learning and achieve their goals in various ways, therefore we must provide variety and thought provoking opportunities for them to learn and in turn, succeed. If we do the same thing over and over again, day in and day out, we will know the outcome every time. Imagine taking an idea, a concept, and exploring that concept in various ways to achieve numerous outcomes... the possibilities would be endless!
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Using backchannel tools in the classroom!
After reading about some of the newest innovations out there I thought... "How can I incorporate some of these things into my classroom?" I began to research some of the backchannel tools and decided to begin using them. One of these backchannels is Live Audience Polling.
Live Audience Polling
I have talked briefly on this before, however this is a great tool to assist in discussion and a great way to get instant feedback! The other great thing is that it is completely anonymous and the students have no fear of failure or embarrassment when answering questions or commenting. I found that when I used this, my students were actively engaged and were able to express themselves in the conversation/discussion in a comfortable way. Every student was involved, not one student refused to answer... it was awesome! In an age where 90 percent of our students are texting instead of calling and feel more comfortable chatting with their fingers as opposed to chatting with their mouths this was right down their alley! When class ended they wanted to continue with the work we were doing and did not want it to end. They took so much out of the class and learned so much through the use of technology. Imagine being able to take the things that our students are passionate about and using that to help them learn! The link to the site I used for my polling is below... and it is free so check it out!
www.polleverywhere.com
Todays Meet
Todays Meet is a terrific tool to use in different situations when you are looking to begin an online chat. This is something that can be used to discuss a movie for instance while it is playing in class. As I walk down the halls of my school I often see movies being shown for education purposes. The teacher often uses the movie to enhance the learning. The problem is the students will have a question sheet to answer during the movie or they will be asked to take notes during the movie for a discussion afterward. How many ideas and how much insight is lost in the process??? I say plenty! Using this tool you have the opportunity to put up a chat room designed specifically for your class. You can open the chat for one day or one year or anything in between and the students can discuss DURING THE MOVIE! They can give insight and ideas and you as the teacher can discuss simultaneously... This is just one way to use this tool however I feel there are many ways to incorporate a class chat room and it can be very beneficial in the classroom! Imagine the possibilities and the student participation with something like this! The link for this site is below... try it out!
www.todaysmeet.com
I will be posting more backchannel ideas that can be used in the classroom and beyond. These tools are often used in college as well as business presentations everyday! Why are we not preparing our students to be comfortable with them? It is exciting what is out there and I am excited to continue researching and finding out new ways to explore the technology we can use! Hope this post was helpful to many of you...
Live Audience Polling
I have talked briefly on this before, however this is a great tool to assist in discussion and a great way to get instant feedback! The other great thing is that it is completely anonymous and the students have no fear of failure or embarrassment when answering questions or commenting. I found that when I used this, my students were actively engaged and were able to express themselves in the conversation/discussion in a comfortable way. Every student was involved, not one student refused to answer... it was awesome! In an age where 90 percent of our students are texting instead of calling and feel more comfortable chatting with their fingers as opposed to chatting with their mouths this was right down their alley! When class ended they wanted to continue with the work we were doing and did not want it to end. They took so much out of the class and learned so much through the use of technology. Imagine being able to take the things that our students are passionate about and using that to help them learn! The link to the site I used for my polling is below... and it is free so check it out!
www.polleverywhere.com
Todays Meet
Todays Meet is a terrific tool to use in different situations when you are looking to begin an online chat. This is something that can be used to discuss a movie for instance while it is playing in class. As I walk down the halls of my school I often see movies being shown for education purposes. The teacher often uses the movie to enhance the learning. The problem is the students will have a question sheet to answer during the movie or they will be asked to take notes during the movie for a discussion afterward. How many ideas and how much insight is lost in the process??? I say plenty! Using this tool you have the opportunity to put up a chat room designed specifically for your class. You can open the chat for one day or one year or anything in between and the students can discuss DURING THE MOVIE! They can give insight and ideas and you as the teacher can discuss simultaneously... This is just one way to use this tool however I feel there are many ways to incorporate a class chat room and it can be very beneficial in the classroom! Imagine the possibilities and the student participation with something like this! The link for this site is below... try it out!
www.todaysmeet.com
I will be posting more backchannel ideas that can be used in the classroom and beyond. These tools are often used in college as well as business presentations everyday! Why are we not preparing our students to be comfortable with them? It is exciting what is out there and I am excited to continue researching and finding out new ways to explore the technology we can use! Hope this post was helpful to many of you...
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Avatar: Glimpse into the future of technology?
I saw the movie Avatar and I have to say it was pretty amazing. The visual effects and the "alternate world" was very interesting. The movie itself had a good story line and kept me very interested for the three hours I sat and watched, but what was even more fascinating to me was thinking "how did they do that?" The technology used in this movie must be cutting edge and it was great.
The reason this amazed me was because while people like James Cameron are creating these amazing technological breakthroughs in their area of expertise, our schools refuse to teach kids how to surf the internet properly. How do we expect our students to become pioneers, experts, or even inspired to do something great when we do not give them the tools they will need to function in the society they will enter six years from now? I am not saying that our future leaders cannot achieve great things without the use of cutting edge technology but just imagine how the tool of technology could enhance their endeavors.
Life skills such as reading and writing would never be overlooked in school. If they were, people would be in an uproar and want all teachers fired! In our world today, and their world tomorrow, we need to realize that there are a few things that need to be added to the list. I do hope that teachers become more comfortable with using the tools we have to teach the kids. Just bringing laptops into the classroom for word processing is not enabling them to tap into the full potential of what they have at their fingertips. We need to fully engage ourselves in the world we live in now in order to totally understand the world our students will be entering in the future. There are too many teachers "stuck in their ways" and therefore the students they teach are becoming crippled in their education. Hopefully we will find a happy medium between teaching them the "essentials" that are needed as well as embrace the fact that technology is our future... Once this happens across America, I feel we will be taking the first step toward true greatness.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Simplicity
Just some thoughts for today...
The simple things in life seem to always be the things that are most important or most impacting! Why is this?
Simple inventions have made us think, "why didn't I think of that?" Something so basic yet at the same time something we cannot live without. Simple gestures or acts of kindness can impact us for a lifetime. Things that people choose to do everyday for no reason at all can be that one thing that changes lives. Simple memories, things that are forgotten in the short term, but in time come back as the best times of our lives, are the memories that last forever.
I was reading an article currently discussing the need for people to be the best no matter what the circumstance. In the article it spoke of a man who put all of his time building a business and in turn became extremely wealthy. The price he paid however, to me, was not worth it. He ruined his marriage by cheating, never spent time with his children, and his family was not known to him anymore.... but he was rich and therefore successful? I do not understand the way America defines success but I do think we need to get back to being simple. Jack Johnson says it best in his song Banana Pancakes: "It's just so easy when the whole world fits inside of your arms..." I think we need to understand how important it is to put those we love first and show them each day how much they mean to us.
So why is it that being simple seems to be a concept so difficult for people to understand. We try in our society to be the biggest, the richest, the most intelligent, or the most successful when in the end the core of who we are is really what matters. Too many of us have become superficial, looking for the things beyond simplicity. I do not feel it is wrong to be successful, rich, intelligent, or strong but if these are the things that define us than I do feel we are missing the boat. When I look back on my life I do not want to be defined based on the superficial but rather on the person I have become, the people I have impacted, and the time I took to appreciate the simplicity in life.
The simple things in life seem to always be the things that are most important or most impacting! Why is this?
Simple inventions have made us think, "why didn't I think of that?" Something so basic yet at the same time something we cannot live without. Simple gestures or acts of kindness can impact us for a lifetime. Things that people choose to do everyday for no reason at all can be that one thing that changes lives. Simple memories, things that are forgotten in the short term, but in time come back as the best times of our lives, are the memories that last forever.
I was reading an article currently discussing the need for people to be the best no matter what the circumstance. In the article it spoke of a man who put all of his time building a business and in turn became extremely wealthy. The price he paid however, to me, was not worth it. He ruined his marriage by cheating, never spent time with his children, and his family was not known to him anymore.... but he was rich and therefore successful? I do not understand the way America defines success but I do think we need to get back to being simple. Jack Johnson says it best in his song Banana Pancakes: "It's just so easy when the whole world fits inside of your arms..." I think we need to understand how important it is to put those we love first and show them each day how much they mean to us.
So why is it that being simple seems to be a concept so difficult for people to understand. We try in our society to be the biggest, the richest, the most intelligent, or the most successful when in the end the core of who we are is really what matters. Too many of us have become superficial, looking for the things beyond simplicity. I do not feel it is wrong to be successful, rich, intelligent, or strong but if these are the things that define us than I do feel we are missing the boat. When I look back on my life I do not want to be defined based on the superficial but rather on the person I have become, the people I have impacted, and the time I took to appreciate the simplicity in life.
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