Friday, July 29, 2016
Wiki Discussion
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Type of Unique,
Powerful, and Transformative Learning
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Examples to Be Added
to
Tech Tool Resource
List
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Critical Thinking
and Problem Solving
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http://www.figurethis.org/challenges/challenge_index.htm
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/lists/critical-thinking-apps-games
http://thinkonline.smarttutor.com
http://www.jumpstart.com/parents/activities/critical-thinking-activities
|
|
Digital Literacies
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www.Storylineonline.com
Digitalliteracy.us/ipad-apps-
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Communication and
Collaboration
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https://www.voicethread.com
https://www.chalkup.com
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Creativity
|
http://www abcya.com
http://www pbskids.org
http://www.meetmeatthecorner.org
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Digital Citizenship
|
http://hectorsworld.netsafe.org.nz/
The Digital Citizenship App from Learning.com
|
Discussion Four
Cherae L. James
July 5, 2016
EDLD 590
Discussion
Four
It can be argued that students are either
praised for their intelligence or for the effort that they make. This weekend, I had the pleasure of viewing Carol
Dweck’s video, “The Effects of Praise on Mindsets” on YouTube. In the video, testers deliberately praise
students differently: "You are
smart" or "Good job", one type of praise that affirms innate
ability, "You tried really hard" or responding by saying nothing is
different as type of praise that affirms effort. In this study, they gave a group of 5th graders a set
of easy puzzles to do. All of the
students were successful and praised for how smart they were. The 5th graders smiled when they
were praised for their intelligence, whereas those that were praised for effort
said very little or no response. Testers,
then, gave students a set of harder puzzles that they struggled with. In this study, when the 5th
graders where given a choice, many of them wanted to go back to the easier
puzzles, where they had been praised for their intelligence.
I feel as though effort is a means to an end to the goal
of learning and improving. Too often, praise is given to students who are
putting forth effort, but not learning,
in order to make them feel good in the moment, for example: “Great effort! You
tried your best!” It’s good that the students tried, but it’s not good that
they’re not learning. I believe that the
growth-mindset approach helps children feel good in the short and long terms, by helping them
thrive on challenges and setbacks on their way to learning. When they’re stuck,
we as teachers can appreciate their work so far, but add: “Let’s talk about
what you’ve tried, and what you can try next.”
After viewing this video,
I feel as though the wrong kind of praise creates a self-defeating behavior,
whereas, the right kind of praise motivates students to learn. I believe that they are also afraid of effort
because effort makes them feel less intelligent. Which can cause many bright students to stop
working in school when the curriculum becomes challenging. We as educators need to maximize students'
confidence in their abilities, their enjoyment of learning, and their ability
to thrive in school by praising their intelligence. Dweck’s
research has demonstrated the importance of praise that recognizes effort. Praise that acknowledges process related activities
such as practice, study, persistence and good strategies are proven to instill and develop a growth mindset in learners.
Discussion Three
Discussion Three
After
reading the article, I agree overall that by using
PowerPoint as the only tool of teaching in the classroom is abysmal for
communication. However, I disagree with
the view that these particular issues are the root of PowerPoint evil. I feel as though PowerPoints can be very effective
when showing pictures, diagrams and other visuals to students. By presenting
them in a PowerPoint, the teacher has them ready and well done and does not
need to spend time to draw them, poorly, on the board. They can also be used,
at the end of a unit or a discussion, for a summery and review. When I go in to do observations and
follow-ups with teachers, I have seen teachers that use the technology in every
class and make impressive presentation, but at the end the students are not
really learning. On the other hand, I have seen others, who are not obsessed
with PowerPoints and use them as supplementary method, or used in moderation,
whose students do much better. There are
many advantages to have technology in the class. Teachers who use it, make a
great impression on their administrators. But Technology used without the
teachers understanding of what his/her goals are, without plan of reinforcement
and with no real assessment, has no real value.
I personally do not use PowerPoints in my classroom, I mainly use
flipcharts. I love to use flipcharts
because they allow my 1st graders to involved and have ownership of
their learning. By being in this 590
class, I have learned about Prezi. From
what I have learned about Prezi, it not only engages students through the “wow”
factor inherent to a new tool, but also through the dialogue that is fostered
when students can ask questions and teachers can easily jump to a point in the
Prezi and focus on a detail. My goal is
to learn more about this PowerPoint tool and bring it back to my classroom this
fall.
Disruptive Technologies and Educational Change
Cherae L. James
June 20, 2016
EDLD 590
Disruptive Technologies and Educational
Change
Christensen says that “a disruptive
innovation is a technology that brings a much more affordable product or
service that is much simpler to use into a market. A disruptive technology, or
technological enabler, is a new technology that unexpectedly displaces an
established technology, but only if it is accompanied by an innovative business
model. According to the video, the enabler is generally cheaper, simpler, smaller,
and frequently more convenient to use, such as personal computers and cell
phones. A disruptive innovation is one that brings to market products and
services that are much more affordable, and, in the end, much higher in
quality. Also, it improves a product or service in ways that the market does
not expect, typically by being lower priced or being designed for a different
set of consumers. Other important
features Christensen highlights in the video are the timing and appropriateness
of the innovation at the time it is being implemented, which can jeopardize its
effectiveness from the beginning.
I feel as though teachers more than
ever have a vital role to play in helping students realize their futures by
providing them with instruction that gives direction and allows them to hone
their new cognitive and technological skills.
In high-performing schools, technology is used on a regular basis.
Teachers access Internet resources, incorporate online tutorials for students
who need extra help, and incorporate educational video games. For these
teachers, technology doesn’t sit idle in the classroom; rather, it enhances
instruction as a tool, just as a pencil or chalkboard did in past generations.
Elementary teachers, for example, might use short video clips to provide
students with visuals to help elucidate concepts and bring relevancy to a
lesson. One phenomenon that will
contribute significantly to this transformation of schools is "disruptive
innovation.” As earlier defined, Christensen describes disruptive innovation as
"the process by which an innovation transforms a market whose services or
products are complicated and expensive into one where simplicity, convenience,
accessibility, and affordability characterize the industry." In this process,
a product or service first takes root in simple applications at the bottom of a
market, geared toward people considered "nonconsumers." It then moves
up the market ladder, eventually displacing established competitors.
I
believe that this theory can make a huge impact on schools. For disruptive innovation to begin to make a
significant impact for real transformation, our schools must focus on
student-centered learning instead of teacher-centered instruction. When teachers
view their role as facilitators of learning and focus more on the students,
they can begin to customize instruction based on each student’s need, using technology
as an important delivery vehicle. They will be able to handle larger classes
while paying attention to students’ different learning needs. Students will use
computers to access online programs that allow them to learn at their own
pace. When learning becomes more
personalized, I believe that teachers will have the primary responsibility of
arranging the mastery of 21st century skills that students need to be
successful, such as leadership, team building, and various types of literacy
skills. With this shift from teaching educators will be in a better position to
prepare students for lifelong learning in a technological world and better
prepare students for college and a demanding workforce.
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