"Steer Less and Suggest More"

First of all, Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I am trying to get all my work done so that I can enjoy the last few days of break (homework free). Since I have some free time now I decided I would work on my blog. I am also a little sad :( to say that this will be my last entry into this blog. I enjoyed keeping it and I would love to keep another one. My main problem is that I do not have motivation to write in one on my own. I do not really have anything to write about or any extreme passions or what not. Hopefully one day I will find my passion to blog about something. One kind of blog that I really enjoy are ones that are like year long projects. For example after reading Gretchen Rubin's Happiness Project (2009), which was turned into a book. You can see her blog here:http://www.happiness-project.com/. I really enjoyed her idea of documenting one year of her trying various techniques to find happiness. (I highly recommend the book). Interestingly enough, one of her projects was to start a blog. She found that it brought it her a lot of happiness because she was able to interact with her readers on an intimate level through the comments section. If I were to start my own blog, I would definitely model it after hers.
Anyways, in closing I would like to make a few remarks about my experience in the Introduction to Teaching with Digital Tools course. I highly enjoyed this course. It opened up my mind to the myriad of possibilities of using technology when I teach. Prior to this class, I had a slight interest in technology but I never knew how to apply it to my own pedagogy. This class definitely provided me with a lot of inspiration that I plan to implement once I start teaching. I love the idea of using a wiki. I would love to set up a wiki for my students in which they can access assignments, websites, documents, and interact with one another. I also plan on implementing skills for Twenty First Century learners into my lessons. I feel that this class has prepared me for becoming an educator in these modern times and provided me with positive attitude about creating and implementing change in the classroom. One quote that I really liked and would like to leave you with was, "Steer less and suggest more" (S.Nash as cited in Richardson p.143). I think this quote summarizes the direction that 21st century educators should be moving. They should move toward a goal of not spoon feeding students with information but with providing them with the knowledge and tools that they need to find the information for themselves. I would like to implement this style of teaching into my own pedagogy.

Teachers and Apples

(picture from: http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/files/2011/02/ipads2.jpeg)

          Teachers and apples go way back. I am sure you have heard the old cliche about the teacher's pet giving the teacher an apple. But what does this adage mean for today's classrooms. Clearly the apple has fallen off the tree and into your local mall or electronics store. The technology company Apple has seen success in a way like no other. For the past twenty years (or so), they have been light-years ahead of their competition with their innovative products that have essentially changed the way we live. Currently, the iPad (see above) is being adapted for use into classrooms for instruction and other purposes. As Dr. Falkenstein mentioned in the screen cast (http://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cX6tqoOMk), iPads provide many benefits within the education world. 

            He mentions benefits for both teachers and administrators. I have first hand seen some of the great instructional benefits that iPads and Apple Applications can provide in the classroom. Unfortunately, I do not currently have an iPad but I do have an iPod Touch and an iPhone. I have used these devices to supplement my lessons that I am currently teaching at a private learning center. The kids absolutely adore the innovation and creativity that the applications from these tools have brought to the classroom. I can specifically recall that I did one lesson with the students about the Magic School bus and the human body. I was able to use my iPod to show the students video clips from the television show and we were able to calculate specific events in our lives according to the human body calculator app. I loved using these technologies with my lessons and I hope to use more like them in the future! Some other useful apps that I have found on the Apple network are the Math Puppy Bingo Game, (where the students can play bingo to solve math problems), I feel ...Electric! (This application teaches the students about different feelings and various vocabulary words, the students can listen to music and create their own mood pets in this app as well. I also want to discuss the Talking Tom app. This app repeats whatever the students say. My friend who is a speech pathologist uses this app in order to help her students hear and understand their speech and language. Below, I have included some screenshots of these apps from my iPhone:

(In their respective order: the first picture is a screenshot from Math Puppy Bingo, the second is from an application that allows the students to practice writing, the third is the feelings and emotions app entitled I feel Electric, and the last one is Talking Tom). 

         With these applications and more the possibilities for iPad use in the classroom are endless. Also, I would like to include this video that further demonstrates the uses of iPads in the classroom. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bw6oZh_spAs.

        As Dr. Falkenstein has mentioned, the iPads provide tremendous benefits for classroom instruction as well as administrative duties. Since the iPads are small and portable, they are very easily used by students in small groups or centered activities and the teacher can also the iPad to monitor the student's progress. The administrator can also use the iPad for walkthroughs of the classroom, since they are small and portable and allow for mobility. 

         I can not wait to see how this technology is going to change the world of education! 

      

Post # 2 : Blog and Website design

Throughout this course, we have been experimenting with website layouts and design. This is an important twenty-first century skill, in order to tell the difference between a poorly designed website and a properly designed website. Since I am no computer programmer or web design professional, I definitely learned a lot so far from this course and this process. I believe that when creating an online forum or website for students there needs to be some design elements taken into account. Since there is a myriad of resources and graphics available on the internet, it is necessary for one to use these resources in their web venture. However, one must not let the graphics overpower the website. The purpose of them is to simply enhance it and allow for an engaging atmosphere for the students. I gained a lot from reading the website: http://library.albany.edu/imc/webdesign/index.html. One of the pages on this website that was the most helpful was the selection about color contrasts. From previous experiences with PowerPoint, I have noticed the importance of color contrast. "High contrast between text and background makes the text easier to read. Black text on white is the easiest. White on black, even though it is high contrast, is harder to read. Certain color combinations, such as red and blue, should be avoided because they result in extremely high perception problems."(Lipera, University of Albany). It is super important when creating websites and blogs to maintain a high contrast amongst colors in order for the website to be easy to read. When a website is difficult to read, nobody is going to want to use it and its' effectiveness will definitely dwindle.  I think that this website would be beneficial to all who use the internet to create blogs, websites, and more on the internet. I think that this website is extremely accessible and allows for the public to gain a better understanding of web-design.  I found this website which gives hilarious examples of poor webdesign. (If you would like a laugh and to see some examples of bad web design please view: http://www.webpagesthatsuck.com/)  Some of the categories on this website are overload (with many graphics) and "gorgeous websites from the 90's"- these websites are prime examples of what NOT to do when creating a website. I would recommend this website for anyone who is creating their own website on the read/write/web.
I have been personally using the web to create websites and blogs for a few years (starting from hometown.aol.com - where you can create personal webpage to my current facebook and twitter page). I wish I could link my original sites that I have created so you can see how pre-historic they are. As I recall, they are overloaded with graphics (such as a blinking stars background that was all the rage) and quite difficult to read. I would like to think that my web designing skills have matured and improved since those early days. (My last website that I created prior to this course was for a cultural club at Rutgers University, where I served on the executive board as the group webmaster. You can check out the website here: http://lebanese-americanstudentsatrutgersuniversity.yolasite.com/)  Now I believe in a more understated view of web design, such as this blog. I think the simpler the website is, the easier it is to navigate and peruse.

Source:

Lipera, R. (n.d.). Basic web page design and layout . Retrieved from http://library.albany.edu/imc/webdesign/page4.html

"Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish" -Steve Jobs (1955-2011)

Yesterday we lost an important figure in the technology community. I think it is pertinent to comment on the loss of Steve Jobs and how his brilliant legacy will live on in the future. His work and innovations with Apple have been implemented in a variety of classrooms and have changed the face of education. (In districts such as Edison, they are incorporating the use of iPads in the classroom.) These devices are changing the way that students think and teachers approach knowledge. Students can become engaged using applications to learn because of their easy to use interfaces and aspects that incorporate games into learning. Steve Jobs has revolutionalized many industries including education and his legacy will live on forever.

Steve Jobs 2005 commencement address to Stanford University

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own.
And you know what you know. You are the guy who'll decide where to go" -Dr.Seuss 

Hello!

Hello Everyone!
I want to welcome you all to my new blog. I have tried keeping blogs in the past but for some reason I can never keep up with them. Since this blog is for a course, I am hoping to solve that problem, and maybe figure out how I can maintain my own blog, and actually update and keep it. My blog is called "ensenanza es amor" which translated to English means teaching is love. I think that it is very important for teachers to act through love and kindness when teaching in order to never lose sight of the main goal of education - the better the lives of our students. (The name is Spanish because I studied Spanish Literature and Culture as an undergrad at Rutgers— go RU! and I find that it is sometimes easier for me to express my ideas in Spanish.)


First, this is my first time using Blogger. I have experimented with other blogs in the past (most notably Tumblr- which I was planning on using for this project, but it just did not work out). One of my favorite aspects of the “Read, Write, Web” is the ability to create a space that is solely yours. Here, I can relate all of my thoughts and feelings and the space can truly represent myself. I feel that when I have a key goal in mind, I am more likely to stick to updating and using my blog.


Next, I would like this post to focus upon technology in education and the outcomes that we hope to see when these skills are used in the classroom. Ultimately, the use of technology in the classroom is supposed to foster higher order thinking skills amongst our students. Blogs, Wikis, Skype…etc. and the multitude of tools available for use on the internet can foster the use of these skills. Specifically, when I reference higher order thinking skills I am thinking of Bloom’s Taxonomy and the skills that exist on the higher- levels of Bloom’s pyramid. (Please see this website for more information: http://www.odu.edu/educ/roverbau/Bloom/blooms_taxonomy.htm)

Above, is the Bloom’s Revised Wheel of Taxonomy. I have used this wheel when creating a myriad of lesson plans. I like how it connects Bloom’s verbs to activities that the students can complete. It bridges the gap from the abstract (the verbs) to the concrete (the activities). According to Bloom, the levels of higher-order thinking are Analyze, Evaluate, and Create. When students are working in these levels, they are not only demonstrating understanding of the topic at hand, but they are thinking about the topic in a deeper, more complex manner. When technology is used in the classroom, it should be used in a way that fosters this higher level of thinking. Some examples of higher level activities that involve technology can be:
1. The students can recommend useful websites to further reasearch on a particular topic.
2. The students can create a commercial about a certain product they they have learned about and put it on YouTube. Then they can pose questions to one another and discuss the video right underneath it.
These are just a few examples of the variety of ways one can use technology in the classroom to foster higher- order thinking.


Currently, I am taking a course entitled "Literacy Development for Middle Grades" at the Rutgers Graduate School of Education. Yesterday in class we read an article entitled, "Exploring Poetry: How does a Middle-School Teacher Begin?" (Shanklin, 2009). This article discussed various ways that a teacher can engage the students in a poetry unit and try to diminish the traditional apathetic attitude that students have toward poetry. This article contained some great ideas for changing up the poetry unit such as partner reading, allowing students to choose their poems to read, and having them present their poems to the class. The part of the article that intrigued me stated,"Keep in mind that you are inventing a poetry unit for twenty first century learners" (Shanklin, 2009). As a result of my coursework in Introduction to Teaching with Digital Tools, I found this sentence to be highly laughable. This article did not suggest any ways to integrate the use of technology into the unit or any ways for the students to use higher order thinking skills. I feel that as a result of my participation in this course, my views on education are changing and I am beginning to become a technology advocate in the classroom.


The picture is from: http://www.cobbk12.org/sites/alt/training/Blooms/circle.GIF.


Shanklin, N. (2009). Exploring poetry: how does a middle-school teacher begin?. Voices from the Middle, 16(3), 46-47.