Focus the Nation

On the site I had difficulties finding a activity to do to teach myself about global warming. I did find some resources for teachers and read about the history of the climate debate. That was really informative because I didn’t really realize that it had been going on so long. It really has geared up in the last 5-10 years but research has been happening for much longer then that.
A. In 1896 there was discussion of how coal burning and coal usage would add CO2 to the atmosphere and add to the global temperature.
B. In the 19th century people also realized a correlation between cutting down many trees and an increased rainfall.
C. Since the 1950 people have discussed the problem of global warming but the impact seemed far off.

This information from the site is amazing because it seems like people are saying now, “why didn’t we know this awhile ago?” and according to the article we did, we just ignored it. Its interesting as a historical perspective to see how one man introduced the idea and was virtually rejected because the idea seemed improbably and now we look back and see the Intelligence behind hid ideas, and how many people are now recognizing them to be true.

In a classroom I might spend some time focusing on the historical impact of these discoveries. This would be perfect opportunity to do some cross subject collaboration with a science class. It would be interesting to be able to touch on some of this while student were learning about the scientific reasoning behind it. I would create a lesson designed to have students discover how back people were researching climate change, what happened to their ideas, and how their ideas effected the future.

Web 2.0 Educator

I read the blog Dy/Dan. He is leading in nominations for best new blog. I think his blog is hysterical. In his entry “Back On The Mainland” from Jan 28th, he writes “I was blogging back when blogs were written on paper and called ‘journals’ (it's an old-person thing — don't worry about it).” Man, I laughed out loud, then realized I was alone in my room and my neighbors probably heard me, and that made me uncomfortable.

From Dan’s Blog I realized he is a young teacher, just 5 years into it. He teaches math, algebra and Geometry. He seems to talk a lot about technology and has 41 blogs related to it. From the blogs, it seems he is frustrated with the lack of technology, and in particular teacher who are set in their own teaching styles and are resistant to using it. I have been searching the blog for particular inclusions of technology in his classroom but I find a lot of the blogs relating to technology integration in the school or about ed-techs.

I wish I could find more on what Dan Meyer did in his own classroom. As a whole the blogs I read were really enjoyable. He brings a good sense of humor into his writing and makes it enjoyable to read. I really enjoyed his blog about music and the “Can I get that on a mug” quote: “I’m not an expert on education but I can very reliably tell you when I’m bored out of my mind.” I also relate to his writing as I see him experimenting because he is a new teacher. I think others in the class would appreciate it as well.

To find his blog go to http://blog.mrmeyer.com/

Type I and Type II Technology

Type I and type II technology differs in the way it interacts with the user. Type I is technology that makes teaching easier but leaves the user relatively trapped in what can they do with the technology. There is not much freedom. Type II technology is technology that changes how we teach students. It is technology integration in the classroom, it is allowing internet usage for research, it is pretty much all technology that changes the way we teach. It allows for a much more flexible usage of technology and gives more freedom to the user.

Type I technology has been apart of my schooling, unfortunately. I think it relates highly to the time I grew up though. When I started school we still have basic computers, and the teachers understanding on computers and technology was limited. We worked with spelling on floppy drives. Granted the games were fun, but they were basic and didn’t allow for much exploration of the computer. Online tests can be considered a type I technology as it doesn’t really allow for the user to really take advantage of the technology, and makes an educator’s life easier. I subbed recently in a third grade class and they were taking vocab tests to help determine reading levels. If they understood a question, a harder one would appear until they finished the test. This can be considered another aspect of type I.

I took film class in high school. We would watch films and then write papers and discuss them. We would also would be responsible for filming and editing our own movies. We filmed silent movies, scripted movies, documentaries, and another film of your choice. We explored both how to use digital video cameras but all became adept at movie and some other video editing programs. This, I would consider, all Type II technology usage. In high school, power point presentations were beginning to take over from the traditional poster presentation. Often the option was given to do one or another but by allowing students to experiment and express themselves through PowerPoint, it gave them access to technology. The laptop program in Maine is a huge type II technology. It is changing everything about how we are teaching this generation of students.

Source: Maddux, Cleborne D. and D. LaMont Johnson "Type II Applications of Technology in Education: New and Better Ways of Teaching and Learning." Haworth Press Inc.

My MEL Experiences

• Student/Teacher Relationship:

Student teacher relationships are key for a successful learning environment. The best connection towards a class was when the teacher of the class knew the students. I think that when there is extra time spent to make the personal connection it allows for a more of a respect between the teacher and the student. If I know the teacher has an investment in my education, and wants me to learn then I almost try harder to not disappoint them.

• Hands on Experience:

My senior year of high school I took statistics. Each week was exactly the same work. On Fridays we would turn in the packets that we worked on each week. There was no difference week to week with what we worked on. It was miserable. I easily could have handled the work, and for the first month it wasn’t bad, but as time went on and the work didn’t change the course became unbearably boring and my grades slipped as the year went on. The course was something very manageable but without mixing up what we did, and without any hands on experiments or anything, I got bored, and a bored student is an ineffective student.

• Multiple Intelligence:

The most successful class, and also the most enjoyable, was the German class I took in high school. Now, granted, my mother was the teacher, but she was a huge proponent of teaching in ways which would allow for peoples’ multiple intelligence. She called the technique story telling but it really captured many different ways for a person to pick up the language. The story-telling technique is apparently a closer way that a child might learn their first language. We have a list of words, given at the beginning of the week, with just the German on it. This helped the visual people. We took 3-4 words a day and spent a lot of time on them. We would first translate them and write down the English meaning, again helping the visual people. We would repeat the words multiple times for the auditory learners. At the same time as we are acting out the words by either doing action of the word, or making up a symbol to do. This would help the physical learners. After about 15 minutes of learning and repeating these words, we would then select a few students to act out a story in which the words were used. We would follow along on out own copies of the story. Another component of the class was a music project. Each day we sang a German song. Songs changed every 3-4 weeks and at the end of the 3-4 weeks groups of four presented either a play or music video on the song being studied. Students acted out some or all of the song. These projects allowed me to become very acquainted with video editing, filming, and many other technological aspects through creating music videos. It was a great experience for me. For our senior year, I directed and filmed a German video that won first place at the German competition at Colby college for high schools in Maine. In all my other classes, I was not able to be exposed to such a variety of learning styles, and was not able to express myself through various means like films.

• Interest:

As a History concentration I think this will be something that I can use effectively for group projects. I already remember my history classes and having a teacher, Mr. Edmondson, who would give you a time frame for a project you would have to do. Lets say we were studying the Civil War. Individuals could then choose aspects of the civil war which interested them and could do their own individual research on the topics. I know some members of the class focused on the military aspects. I focused on medical procedures and the use of amputation. That interested me more then military maneuvers but for the students that found that interesting they could focus on that. I anticipate implementing a very similar technique for my classes.

• Autonomy:

From the German class example mentioned above, I understand the importance of letting students express themselves in various means. For the German class we had an exit project. These were the things you think about the entire time you were in the German class. Project were presented on parents night. I like to talk, and being very organized, myself and another student planned the parents night and then were the MC’s for the night. Other student baked German Food, one girl organized and led our parents through the traditional German dances we learn on Friday afternoons. The final projects were presented that night, 2 students wrote German music and sang it, videos were presented, parents were taken upstairs to look at the replica of graffiti from the Berlin wall that had been painted outside the classroom, or the ceiling tiles that were hand painted replicas of paintings done by German artists. I know that with whatever I teach, I am going to give students the choice of how they want to present themselves. With German it was easy to give almost free reign, with history I think it will be more challenging, but I will find ways for students to do it.

Learning Style Inventory Results

Visual	18
Social	20
Physical	14
Aural	9
Verbal	11
Solitary	6
Logical	16

The results are out of 20.


The results seem very accurate. I am a very social person so it makes sense that social would be my highest result. It didn't surprise me at all that visual, logical and physical were the next three highest. I need to visualize what I am doing, I am very logical and I really enjoy being outside doing things, and do some my best thinking while being active.

Results from: http://www.learning-styles-online.com/inventory/

Chapter 2: Respect, Liking, Trust and Fairness

Chapter 2. Fires in the Bathroom.

There was so much excellent advice in this chapter. One of the things that stood out for me was the talk about humor in the classroom. Humor is a good tool to help bridge a gap between students and the teacher. “Let them laugh a little. There is nothing like laughing at a teacher.” (Cushman, 20). Whether it being laughing at a teacher or laughing with a teacher I think it can help connect a classroom. Another idea that stood out was that students will respect you if you show up on time.

In terms of the time issue, I think one of the most successful things you can do as a teacher is let them know when work will be returned. I had a teacher in high school and she on the first day of class told us that if is a small assignment, you will get the graded paper or worksheet, etc., back the next day. If it was a larger assignment, it may take longer, in which case she would let us know when it would be returned. It made me want to pass my stuff in on time, because I understand she was working equally hard to get the work back to us on time. It was a respect issue from me to that teacher. The humor, coming from a person who like to laugh, is essential. I enjoyed classed more when it was light and funny. I will definitely will implement humor in my classroom.

Chapter 1: Know Your Students Well

Chapter 1. Fires in the Bathroom.

One of the things that jumped out at me was the sections on how students wanted to blend in. Two quotes in particular jumped out, one mentioning that students wanted to feel smart and special, while the other quote talked about the teacher keeping their boundaries. “I don’t want the teacher knowing too much about me. Don’t be singing Happy Birthday when I come into class.”(Cushman 1). This seemed like interesting perspective which I did not think of.

I think my perspective differs from both Vance and Bosung, the students mentioned and quoted above. I don’t really have problems getting close to teachers, letting them in on what is going on with my life. I don't care if they know my birthday. I sort of have that attitude with everyone though. I just feel like I can get along with everyone. Some of my favorite teachers in high school knew the most about me. It was enlightening for me to understand that not all of my students are going to be willing to let me into their lives. I may have to keep a respectful distance, while still engaging and teaching those students.