Yesterday, in EDU580, we began presenting 20 minute lessons that incorporate technology. All of the lessons were really great. We learned how to create animations, we learned how former U.S. Presidents felt about slavery, and we even learned how to prove the Pythagorean Theorem. Everything went pretty smoothly . . . except for one. Our classmate, Jordan, created a really cool lesson about the Pythagorean Theorem. Jordan's lesson was supposed to incorporate a website in which the user can manipulate shapes in order to properly prove the Pythagorean Theorem. I checked the website out before class began and it looked like a really interesting lesson. Unfortunately, when it came time to teach her lesson, the website seemed to be down. Everyone in class who tried to get to the site was unable to. This left our classmate in quite a pickle. She had to teach the "old-fashioned" way. She simply used a white board and markers in order to teach us the material.
So, the question is, what can we learn from this experience? In my opinion, Jordan did exactly what she needed to -- she just kept going. When we're in a situation where technology is not going our way, we need to have a back-up plan. Technology is wonderful when used correctly, but let's be honest, sometimes it just doesn't work. We have to prepared for times like these. As interesting and cool as lesson may be with technology, we need to be prepared to take another route if something goes awry.
Should we let this deter us from using technology in the classroom? Absolutely not. We have great opportunities to incorporate technology in our classrooms, and our students can benefit from our use of technology. We cannot be afraid. If something goes wrong, then so what. We just need to expect the unexpected. Have a back-up plan just in case something were to go wrong. Then we don't need to be scared of our technology not working. We are ultimately responsible for teaching a content area, and whether we use technology to aid us in that process is solely our choice as educators. But we need to be able to teach content both with and without technology. We cannot solely rely in technology and we cannot completely ignore it. We cannot trust it all of the time, and we cannot be afraid all of the time. In times of crisis in the classroom, we can look to the old adage of the stage: The show must go on!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Do you Twitter?
This week in class, we talked about the micro-blogging tool, Twitter. I don't personally use Twitter, but my husband does . . . all the time. The interesting thing about Twitter is that you can keep minute by minute updates of your activities and then everyone who "follows" you will know what you're up to. It's a great way to keep up with friends and family, and it's just fun to fill people in on what you are doing. What I also like about Twitter is the ability to follow others. My husband has old college friends that live on the west coat, and Twitter is the way he keeps up with them. On top of that, there are many celebrities that Twitter, and they let their fans know what they are doing. There are also many podcasters who Twitter. It's just a great way to keep up with what people are doing.
The big question, however, is can Twitter be used in an educational setting? Personally, my initial reaction is a big fat no. The majority of Twitter takes place on cell phones, something that I am completely against in the classroom. Yes, our students have cell phones. Yes, they try to use them in school when they think we're not looking. No, we do not need to give them an excuse to use their cell phones. I work with sophomores, juniors, and seniors right now. I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that their life is not all about academics. Their life is about friends, families, dances, parties, sports, etc. I think that we need to come to terms with that. If we give students permission to use their cell phones to Twitter about academics, it will take them no time to jump on their cell phone and start texting their friends about Friday night's plans. School is not a place for cell phones. That's it. That's how I feel. Students should not be allowed to use their cell phones in school, and we don't need to give them excuses to use them.
I don't really see many instances when using Twitter in the classroom would be beneficial. What ever happened to having a conversation? A class discussion? A free-write about thoughts and feelings? I understand that blogging and Twitter may be good for shy students, but those shy students still need to learn how to have conversation. They still need to learn about social situations. We should not encourage shy students to constantly hide behind a computer screen or a cell phone. Part of our job is to prepare students for the "real world." And while that world is full of technology, it is also full of people. Students need to learn about how to treat other people, how to have conversations, how to function in a group, how to find their place among the crowd. Technology is important, but it's not the only thing that is important.
The big question, however, is can Twitter be used in an educational setting? Personally, my initial reaction is a big fat no. The majority of Twitter takes place on cell phones, something that I am completely against in the classroom. Yes, our students have cell phones. Yes, they try to use them in school when they think we're not looking. No, we do not need to give them an excuse to use their cell phones. I work with sophomores, juniors, and seniors right now. I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that their life is not all about academics. Their life is about friends, families, dances, parties, sports, etc. I think that we need to come to terms with that. If we give students permission to use their cell phones to Twitter about academics, it will take them no time to jump on their cell phone and start texting their friends about Friday night's plans. School is not a place for cell phones. That's it. That's how I feel. Students should not be allowed to use their cell phones in school, and we don't need to give them excuses to use them.
I don't really see many instances when using Twitter in the classroom would be beneficial. What ever happened to having a conversation? A class discussion? A free-write about thoughts and feelings? I understand that blogging and Twitter may be good for shy students, but those shy students still need to learn how to have conversation. They still need to learn about social situations. We should not encourage shy students to constantly hide behind a computer screen or a cell phone. Part of our job is to prepare students for the "real world." And while that world is full of technology, it is also full of people. Students need to learn about how to treat other people, how to have conversations, how to function in a group, how to find their place among the crowd. Technology is important, but it's not the only thing that is important.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Musical + Technolgoy = One Spectacular Show!
Hey everyone! As some of you know, I recently just finished directing and producing The Wizard of Oz for Chateaugay Central School. In a previous post, I talked about how much technology we needed to use in order to pull off some of the cool special effects needed for the show. Not only did we need technology for the special effects, but we work with light boards and sound boards, and wireless microphones and projects, etc. We do just about everything! I just wanted to share some of our cool effects and a few of our scenes with everyone. I have some pictures below and a video clip of our "Dream Sequence" video. I'm very proud of my students. They all worked very hard and did a great job for the show. I'm also proud of myself and my fellow directors because we worked very hard to use technology to make this show great. Enjoy!
This is our wicked witch melting into the floor. We built a platform for this effect with a pulley system underneath. There is a stage crew member sitting behind the platform, lowering her into the floor. And so, it appears that she is melting.
This is when Dorothy and her friends go in to see the Wizard for the first time. We had a student in the projection room with a camera hooked up to a projector. This was done live for every performance. We used a digital effect on the camera and then projected our student's face onto a black center traveler curtain. It ended up looking pretty neat.
This is a shot from our "Dream Sequence" video. This is during the twister scene, when Dorothy hits her head and "sees" people fly by in the tornado. To see the video, click here. This was pre-recorded, and projected onto the big screen for every performance.
Below are some of my favorite scenes. I hope everyone enjoys the pics. For more pictures, you can check out our myspace page or our school's webpage.
This is our wicked witch melting into the floor. We built a platform for this effect with a pulley system underneath. There is a stage crew member sitting behind the platform, lowering her into the floor. And so, it appears that she is melting.
This is when Dorothy and her friends go in to see the Wizard for the first time. We had a student in the projection room with a camera hooked up to a projector. This was done live for every performance. We used a digital effect on the camera and then projected our student's face onto a black center traveler curtain. It ended up looking pretty neat.
This is a shot from our "Dream Sequence" video. This is during the twister scene, when Dorothy hits her head and "sees" people fly by in the tornado. To see the video, click here. This was pre-recorded, and projected onto the big screen for every performance.
Below are some of my favorite scenes. I hope everyone enjoys the pics. For more pictures, you can check out our myspace page or our school's webpage.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Lesson Plan using PBS resources
As stated in my previous entry, my class and I were fortunate enough to receive a tour of Mountain Lake PBS as well as a virtual tour of all of the PBS teacher resources. Below is an idea or an outline for a lesson plan using two of the PBS resources.
My lesson would be written for 7th or 8th graders, and would be about the Pythagorean Theorem. We all know the importance of Pythagorean Theorem; we see it constantly throughout our high school math classes. This lesson would be an introduction to the theorem as well as practice and reinforcement for using the theorem. What I would do is show students the "Triangles in Architecture" flash image from the VITAL website. These images show very famous architectural structures that feature triangles. This would be a great way to introduce triangle geometry and show students that triangles are used in architecture everywhere. It allows students to connect triangle geometry to the outside world. After the slideshow of images, I would then teach them about right triangles and the Pythagorean Theorem. I would show them the theorem, and walk them through the steps of solving problems using the theorem. Then, instead of having students practice with pencil and paper, I would have students practice their new skills using an interactive game found at pbsteachers.org. The game is entitled The Pythagorean Theorem. This interactive game walks students through the Pythagorean Theorem (great reinforcement), and then provides students with exercises to practice using the Pythagorean Theorem. I really like this game because it is a fresh and new way for students to practice using the Pythagorean Theorem. I think that students would be more engaged and would be having more fun than if they were using pencil and paper. What I really like about this game is that it provides students with a calculator, and so the questions are not simple. They challenge students, and they correct students' mistakes. The last part of the game is a review, which is really beneficial for students. I think this lesson would do well with students, and I can't wait to show my students these cool resources.
My lesson would be written for 7th or 8th graders, and would be about the Pythagorean Theorem. We all know the importance of Pythagorean Theorem; we see it constantly throughout our high school math classes. This lesson would be an introduction to the theorem as well as practice and reinforcement for using the theorem. What I would do is show students the "Triangles in Architecture" flash image from the VITAL website. These images show very famous architectural structures that feature triangles. This would be a great way to introduce triangle geometry and show students that triangles are used in architecture everywhere. It allows students to connect triangle geometry to the outside world. After the slideshow of images, I would then teach them about right triangles and the Pythagorean Theorem. I would show them the theorem, and walk them through the steps of solving problems using the theorem. Then, instead of having students practice with pencil and paper, I would have students practice their new skills using an interactive game found at pbsteachers.org. The game is entitled The Pythagorean Theorem. This interactive game walks students through the Pythagorean Theorem (great reinforcement), and then provides students with exercises to practice using the Pythagorean Theorem. I really like this game because it is a fresh and new way for students to practice using the Pythagorean Theorem. I think that students would be more engaged and would be having more fun than if they were using pencil and paper. What I really like about this game is that it provides students with a calculator, and so the questions are not simple. They challenge students, and they correct students' mistakes. The last part of the game is a review, which is really beneficial for students. I think this lesson would do well with students, and I can't wait to show my students these cool resources.
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