As of October 2, 2009, Twitter is the end all, and be all of the twenty first century. Posting “Tweets” of 140 characters has enabled a world of “Tweeple” to stay connected. Individuals who utilize the world of tweets range from business men, students, stoners, pop stars, news anchors, cat-lovers, teachers, professional athletes…the list could go on forever! Imagine yourself sitting in class…the student next to you is Twittering; imagine yourself in a boardroom…the CEO is currently updating his Twitter profile; and finally, you’re visiting your grandmother, and what is she doing? She’s following up to the minute tweets on the new brand of cat food she’s interested in! What is the world coming to?? The next thing you know, the streets, schools, stores and office buildings will be empty and all you have to do is log onto Twitter, and there they are…giving you TMI on the minutiae of their lives.
Now don’t get me wrong. Unquestionably, I am a proponent, AND advocate for the integration of technology into our daily lives. However, I am having a difficult time understanding the extent to which Twitter can enrich and/or transform our lives for the better. Obviously, there are positives and negatives of virtually ALL aspects of innovative technologies, and Twitter is not exempt. As a prospective teacher, I am well aware of the long list of valuable resources Twitter offers, and I will do my best to employ those resources in a constructive and effective way in my future classroom. In the following list, I will record MY reasons for using Twitter as an educator.
1. Twitter can represent a virtual staffroom; a virtual world where teachers can access in seconds a stream of links, ideas, opinions, and resources from a hand-picked selection of global professionals.
2. By utilizing all that Twitter has to offer, educators are able to compare their ideas and classrooms with other educators located thousands of miles away.
3. As a mentor and educator, I want to be the BEST that I can be, and the only way I can do that is to reflect on the work that I am doing and maintain and develop it in order to make it better. Twitter would enable me to share my reflections, as well as offer support to other educators, and receive INSTANT feedback.
4. Twitter can also help you stay up-to-date on news and current affairs, and the latest developments in areas of school leadership and technology.
So, there are my reasons for wanting to use Twitter as an educator, mentor, and teacher. But, going back to what I said previously…I STILL am having difficulty in understanding ALL the positive ways in which one can utilize Twitter to its fullest potential. I keep getting bogged down by the mundane details of everyone’s daily (boring) lives. I have had one or two opportunities to follow educational “Tweets”; however, these occasions have been few and far between. I’m hoping these opportunities will rear their heads on a more daily basis. I guess, basically, I am having a hard time grasping how to go about FINDING these opportunities on my own. Adding on to the fact that I am a complete novice in terms of Twitter “lingo”…I have a really difficult time actually understanding what it is people are tweeting. All the abbreviations and what not just confuse me more!
Essentially, my view on Twitter is this: unless you are using Twitter in a PROFESSIONAL way…it is simply a way for individuals to make themselves feel better; it is a phony and bogus way to make yourself feel “popular”; like people actually CARE about what you are doing EVERY second of your life. Again, I can see the positive aspects of using Twitter as a professional, but I can’t seem to get past the surface level…
If anyone has any suggestions…PLEASE let me know…
Friday, October 2, 2009
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Check it out :)
I got a Flickr account about a week ago, in order to help me find suitable pictures for my blog, website, classroom, etc. I don't have very many photos uploaded at this point due to the sad state of my digital camara. But, hopefully, she (my camara) will be in working order shortly and I can add to my photostream.
Take a look at my slide show!
Take a look at my slide show!
It's Here!
Happy October everyone! I'm so happy my favorite month has finally made her appearance :) It even smells like October now...
Time to head to the cider mill, carve pumpkins, visit haunted houses, and buy that Halloween costume :)
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Advocating Creativity!
Creativity is vitally important in the lives of children AND adults.
Creativity can improve a child's self-esteem, motivation and achievement...students who are encouraged to think creatively and independently become interested in discovering things for themselves, they are more open to new ideas, and are ready and willing to work with others and explore new ideas.Creativity prepares our students for the future; for life.
Creativity enriches the lives of children.
Encouraging creativity in young children is a PROCESS. Teachers have to open their own minds and allow, accept, and turn over their control to the children themselves.Once again, my TE 401 class has provided me with a wonderful example of a technique that fosters creativity through the use of digital images. Here it is...Digital Storytelling. Anyone heard of it? Has anyone created their own digital story? Well, the gist of it is this...
"Digital Storytelling is the practice of using computer-based tools to tell stories. As with traditional storytelling, most digital stories focus on a specific topic and contain a particular point of view. However, as the name implies, digital stories usually contain some mixture of computer-based images, text, recorded audio narration, video clips and/or music. Digital stories can vary in length, but most of the stories used in education typically last between two and ten minutes. And the topics that are used in Digital Storytelling range from personal tales to the recounting of historical events, from exploring life in one's own community to the search for life in other corners of the universe, and literally, everything in between." (http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/)
If you're interested...the following link will take you to a sample Digital Story :)
A second grader's autobiography
What do you think?
I've been working with a group of peers today, and we're preparing to present a technique for teaching social studies to my TE 401 class in the next few weeks. Our topic is whether or not our country should continue to celebrate Columbus Day...should it be called Native American Day? Personally, I believe the name should be changed and what we are celebrating needs to get a closer look. Genocide? Conquest? Are these concepts really what we are teaching our children to value???
Obviously, good ol' Columbus is no longer with us (although the mythological figure is...) but here is a photo of a Columbus memorial, located in downtown Baltimore...
Obviously, good ol' Columbus is no longer with us (although the mythological figure is...) but here is a photo of a Columbus memorial, located in downtown Baltimore...
Observe. Talk. Listen.
Today, I had a pretty cool encounter with a new way to utilize technology in a classroom. It's called Today's Meet. Today's Meet is a great resource for educators.
Imagine you are giving a presentation and you realize that your audience is no longer listening, in fact, they are passing notes, whispering, and falling asleep. Why are they tuning out your very interesting (that was sarcasm) lecture? Well, chances are, they either don't understand what you are talking about, they don't care where the lecture is headed, or they simply don't feel that their attention is needed.
Today's Meet is a resource that can prevent your audience from tuning you out. A lot like Twitter, Today's Meet is an instantaneous messaging online application; however, a social networking tool, such as Twitter isn't always appropriate. A few reasons being...your desired audience may not have Twitter accounts, or you simply do not want to have a public discussion forum. And that is where Today's Meet steps up to bat...
"Today's Meet gives you an isolated room where you can see only what you need to see, and your audience doesn't need to learn any new tools like hash tags to keep everything together"
So, rather than have your audience snooze and miss your awesome lecture due to boredom, you can now create an online classroom where students can post comments on your lecture and you can see these comments immediately, see participation, and tweak your lecture in whatever way necessary!
Wheeeww! Here's a link to the site so you can get a feel for it yourself...let me know if you have any questions :)
http://todaysmeet.com/
Imagine you are giving a presentation and you realize that your audience is no longer listening, in fact, they are passing notes, whispering, and falling asleep. Why are they tuning out your very interesting (that was sarcasm) lecture? Well, chances are, they either don't understand what you are talking about, they don't care where the lecture is headed, or they simply don't feel that their attention is needed.
Today's Meet is a resource that can prevent your audience from tuning you out. A lot like Twitter, Today's Meet is an instantaneous messaging online application; however, a social networking tool, such as Twitter isn't always appropriate. A few reasons being...your desired audience may not have Twitter accounts, or you simply do not want to have a public discussion forum. And that is where Today's Meet steps up to bat...
"Today's Meet gives you an isolated room where you can see only what you need to see, and your audience doesn't need to learn any new tools like hash tags to keep everything together"
So, rather than have your audience snooze and miss your awesome lecture due to boredom, you can now create an online classroom where students can post comments on your lecture and you can see these comments immediately, see participation, and tweak your lecture in whatever way necessary!
Wheeeww! Here's a link to the site so you can get a feel for it yourself...let me know if you have any questions :)
http://todaysmeet.com/
Friday, September 25, 2009
Michigan State University’s 4-H Children’s Garden
Just this past Thursday, I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in a class field trip to the 4-H Children’s Garden on the south end of Campus. My TE 401 course (concerning the methods of teaching Science to elementary students) is composed of seniors preparing for a career in elementary education. The objectives of the class field trip was to discuss the positive and negative aspects of school field trips, discuss how to create a memorable and educational field trip, and observe and experience the 4-H Children’s Garden programs and technology available to teachers.
First, I would like to say that having the opportunity to take a walk-through of the gardens from the perspective of a future teacher was really beneficial. I had never had an opportunity quite like that before. I believe the personnel and educators who make themselves available for children/classes, and who create these experiences for children that are not only educational, but fun and exciting, should be venerated! The fact that these people create such long-lasting memories for these kids is amazing. Science is a subject that completely surrounds us and by crafting such fun programs, programs that can last days or even weeks, MSU is instilling a life-long appreciation for science in our future leaders.
Secondly, I want to point out just how a-head of the game the curator of the 4-H Children’s Garden is. Dr. Norm Lownds was able to demonstrate just how technologically advanced their program is becoming. They have integrated a Smart Board into the “Curiosity Classroom” (the main classroom in which classes and children enter to do experiments, arts and crafts, discussions, lectures, etc.). The Smart Board they have installed enables instructors to fully integrate technology into their lesson introductions and follow-ups; in doing so, the hands-on experiences the children participated in in the gardens is enhanced and expanded on. Dr. Lownds and his colleagues also created a kids’ website/wiki page called “Seeds of Science”. This online application is an interactive arena where children can log-on and discuss what they experienced on their field-trips, they can ask questions and get immediate feed-back, and they can also take a virtual tour of the Gardens; the website also has photos, e-newsletters, videos, chat capabilities, web-cams, and so much more. The way in which Norm and his colleagues were able to arrange and establish their interactive online application, positively influences children’s excitement, involvement and motivation.
As a future teacher, I hope to follow their example of technology integration…I will use technology to enhance and expand, NOT impede.
First, I would like to say that having the opportunity to take a walk-through of the gardens from the perspective of a future teacher was really beneficial. I had never had an opportunity quite like that before. I believe the personnel and educators who make themselves available for children/classes, and who create these experiences for children that are not only educational, but fun and exciting, should be venerated! The fact that these people create such long-lasting memories for these kids is amazing. Science is a subject that completely surrounds us and by crafting such fun programs, programs that can last days or even weeks, MSU is instilling a life-long appreciation for science in our future leaders.Secondly, I want to point out just how a-head of the game the curator of the 4-H Children’s Garden is. Dr. Norm Lownds was able to demonstrate just how technologically advanced their program is becoming. They have integrated a Smart Board into the “Curiosity Classroom” (the main classroom in which classes and children enter to do experiments, arts and crafts, discussions, lectures, etc.). The Smart Board they have installed enables instructors to fully integrate technology into their lesson introductions and follow-ups; in doing so, the hands-on experiences the children participated in in the gardens is enhanced and expanded on. Dr. Lownds and his colleagues also created a kids’ website/wiki page called “Seeds of Science”. This online application is an interactive arena where children can log-on and discuss what they experienced on their field-trips, they can ask questions and get immediate feed-back, and they can also take a virtual tour of the Gardens; the website also has photos, e-newsletters, videos, chat capabilities, web-cams, and so much more. The way in which Norm and his colleagues were able to arrange and establish their interactive online application, positively influences children’s excitement, involvement and motivation.
As a future teacher, I hope to follow their example of technology integration…I will use technology to enhance and expand, NOT impede.
Surrender to What Is...Always Say Yes to the Present Moment
It’s Friday afternoon. I’m sitting on my patio, journaling away; taking in the sunshine and listening to the sounds of my neighbors discuss what kind of beer they’d like to drink later this evening. If it were a normal Friday afternoon, I would currently be sitting in a cubicle, staring blankly at a computer screen, surrounded by background noise…the scanner scanning, the copy machine copying, the secretaries gossiping, you know, the normal day to day monotony of state government offices. However, today is not a normal 8 to 5 work-day on the 5th floor of the Department of Natural Resources. In fact, it’s far from it. Rather than drag myself out of bed at 7 am, I decided to take a mental health day. Yes, I’m playing hooky, and while I believe that I have every right to be doing so, I still feel guilty. But why do I feel guilty? I work hard, I study, I go to class, and if I’m not in class, I’m at work, (well…except for today). But really, why do I feel so guilty for taking ONE day for myself?
In our society, everything is always rush here, hurry there, do this, don’t do that…It’s beginning to feel as if our world is a never ending assembly line, and stopping to take a break or taking a moment to merely wipe the sweat off your brow, will cause everything to come crashing down. Everywhere I go, and no matter whom I talk to, at some point in the conversation that certain haggard lament will arise with a weary sigh: "Ugh! I’m sooo busy, I need a break!” or how about this one, “I never have any time for myself. School is taking over my life!” It seems there's never time to sit back and relax—and if we do, we feel guilty. I believe that life should be more than the 40 hours a week spent on the job or in the classroom, or fulfilling mundane responsibilities. How is it possible that in this complicated 21st century, in a society filled with time-saving devices, a person can’t seem to find the time to take a deep breath and just sit back? Is it EVEN possible? Our calendar has Labor Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day, etc. It seems there’s a day for everything. But where’s my day, where’s your day?
But here’s the irony…as soon as that tiny break presents itself; a compulsion to fill it seems to take over. Immediately, we’re rushing to surf the net, talk on our cell phones, play a computer game, go grocery shopping, or something. We find it nearly impossible to sit still. And THAT is the problem. People are unable to simply be. For some reason, society and our own mind, has convinced us that we should never just sit without anything happening, or without DOING something.
Lying in the sunshine without a book or cell phone and allowing your mind to simply cease has become a lost art, as is staring deeply into a crackling fire, or sitting peacefully and contemplating a beautiful sunset. So, what I’m realizing is this…I am so busy trying to get to this hypothetical future that my present moment has been reduced to a means of getting there. For the rest of my day…who cares about missing work, forget about the reading I have due next week, or about the assignment due on Tuesday. I will no longer feel stress or guilt; I will stop splitting myself between the past and the future, and I will accept the present.
In our society, everything is always rush here, hurry there, do this, don’t do that…It’s beginning to feel as if our world is a never ending assembly line, and stopping to take a break or taking a moment to merely wipe the sweat off your brow, will cause everything to come crashing down. Everywhere I go, and no matter whom I talk to, at some point in the conversation that certain haggard lament will arise with a weary sigh: "Ugh! I’m sooo busy, I need a break!” or how about this one, “I never have any time for myself. School is taking over my life!” It seems there's never time to sit back and relax—and if we do, we feel guilty. I believe that life should be more than the 40 hours a week spent on the job or in the classroom, or fulfilling mundane responsibilities. How is it possible that in this complicated 21st century, in a society filled with time-saving devices, a person can’t seem to find the time to take a deep breath and just sit back? Is it EVEN possible? Our calendar has Labor Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day, etc. It seems there’s a day for everything. But where’s my day, where’s your day?
But here’s the irony…as soon as that tiny break presents itself; a compulsion to fill it seems to take over. Immediately, we’re rushing to surf the net, talk on our cell phones, play a computer game, go grocery shopping, or something. We find it nearly impossible to sit still. And THAT is the problem. People are unable to simply be. For some reason, society and our own mind, has convinced us that we should never just sit without anything happening, or without DOING something.
Lying in the sunshine without a book or cell phone and allowing your mind to simply cease has become a lost art, as is staring deeply into a crackling fire, or sitting peacefully and contemplating a beautiful sunset. So, what I’m realizing is this…I am so busy trying to get to this hypothetical future that my present moment has been reduced to a means of getting there. For the rest of my day…who cares about missing work, forget about the reading I have due next week, or about the assignment due on Tuesday. I will no longer feel stress or guilt; I will stop splitting myself between the past and the future, and I will accept the present.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Chrome vs. Firefox?
So...I'm curious, what are people's thoughts on the new Google Chrome web browser? Personally, I always manage to feel somewhat attached and comfortable with specific web browser after a certain amount of time. Good 'ol Mozilla Firefox, has been treating me well for the past few years now, but I feel its time to branch out. And I think Google Chrome is the answer. It's definitely a pretty alternative :)
Monday, September 21, 2009
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