Podcasts can be used in a variety of ways in the classroom and honestly, I am unaware of many of these uses! However, I have come up with a few uses. While researching podcasts I came upon The Math Dude's Quick and Dirty Tips to Make Math Easier (which I posted for the discussion section because I liked it!) which could be a really great resource to send students to. Sometimes when students get home and start their homework, they forget what a teacher said, the steps they said to use, or maybe the students just don't understand what the teacher said. Podcasts made by a third party could be beneficial because they may explain a topic in a different way which the student can relate to better, as well as review the steps needed in order to solve certain Math problems.
I could create my own podcasts to use in and out of the classroom. I could record myself walking the students through the steps to complete problems, but more entertaining, create songs from the methods needed. For my Differentiating Instruction class, my group and I created a YouTube video from a song we recorded (my groupmate actually wrote the song - she's very creative!). The song was based on a learning strategy to help students solve word problems -- check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEIlwVkFGck (yes those are my hands, but no, not my voice). Using this idea, the podcasts wouldn't need to just be audio, they could be video too. This could be very helpful for those moments mentioned above when students don't remember how a problem was solved, they could log onto their computer and search through my vodcasts and find the one that is relevant to the current subject.
As for my students creating their own podcasts, I'm a little stumped. It seems like it should be a no brainer - students could create their own podcasts about math, similar to the ones that I created. Or maybe instead of testing/quizzing students with paper and pencil, I have them create a podcast, through audio and/or video describing the steps involved in solving problems. Perhaps this could turn into an interview process where students quiz each other or help each other through the steps involved. This idea needs a little work...
Some times I struggle with ways to make Math more creative. However, I feel like with the help of this class, I have been brainstorming more and more ideas on how to Math more technologically interactive! Score!
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Digital Nation
I actually watched all three videos because the curiosity of the others was killing me!
I thought 21st Century Schools was interesting because the students were more engaged by the use of technology in the classroom. Even though at different points, students were not on task, the teachers were able to monitor them and get them back on task by letting them know they were being watched. Fascinating!
The Attention and Multitasking video kind of infuriated me. There was an arrogance that the interviewed students had about their ability to multitask. It seemed as though these students felt that their need to work on other things in class was more important than having to completely pay attention in class. Granted these are college students and they are paying for their time in class. I just felt it was disrespectful to the professors that the students thought they 'were wasting an hour in lecture class.'
The irony came in while I was watching the Virtual Worlds video. I myself was multitasking while that video was playing. I began to think about how the editing style (or lack there of) was quite boring compared to the other two. This video was literally just a talking head, whereas the others were edited with B-roll cut into it (insert this is what I studied in my first degree - video production). I found it harder to pay attention to this video because there was no 'flare' to it. However, I did pick up that the social groups in online gaming could be beneficial to students' futures as it requires them to work in groups with a specialty area.
I think in this day and again, technology is required in the classroom. We have become a technological world and if we don't embrace using technology in the classroom, we as a nation, will get left behind. Building upon students prior technological knowledge and teaching them how to use technology for more than just chatting, gaming, and social networking is vital.
I thought 21st Century Schools was interesting because the students were more engaged by the use of technology in the classroom. Even though at different points, students were not on task, the teachers were able to monitor them and get them back on task by letting them know they were being watched. Fascinating!
The Attention and Multitasking video kind of infuriated me. There was an arrogance that the interviewed students had about their ability to multitask. It seemed as though these students felt that their need to work on other things in class was more important than having to completely pay attention in class. Granted these are college students and they are paying for their time in class. I just felt it was disrespectful to the professors that the students thought they 'were wasting an hour in lecture class.'
The irony came in while I was watching the Virtual Worlds video. I myself was multitasking while that video was playing. I began to think about how the editing style (or lack there of) was quite boring compared to the other two. This video was literally just a talking head, whereas the others were edited with B-roll cut into it (insert this is what I studied in my first degree - video production). I found it harder to pay attention to this video because there was no 'flare' to it. However, I did pick up that the social groups in online gaming could be beneficial to students' futures as it requires them to work in groups with a specialty area.
I think in this day and again, technology is required in the classroom. We have become a technological world and if we don't embrace using technology in the classroom, we as a nation, will get left behind. Building upon students prior technological knowledge and teaching them how to use technology for more than just chatting, gaming, and social networking is vital.
Instructions to Post a link on Blog via Diigo
So it seems that some people have had trouble posting a link onto their blog via Diigo. Here are some step by step instructions that help, I hope!
Thanks all!
- Navigate to any website you want.
- Then in your Diigo tool bar, click Send -to blog.
- There will be a spot where you have to put your blog URL in (mine is http://kcic.blogspot.com/ if that helps).
- Enter username and password of your blog
- Click submit.
- You should be able to checkmark your blog to select it and at the bottom under the text editing box - where you can type stuff about your link - click send and it should post to your blog.
- It gives you a confirmation link to your blog so you can double check if you did it right.
Thanks all!
Monday, September 13, 2010
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Here we go
I'm very excited for this class. My first degree was from RPI, a very, very technical school. So technical in fact that I got a BS in art and communications - oh the irony! I have/had a decent amount of experience with technology - my 'career' job was as a "Technology Project Specialist." However, for the last 2 years as I am going back to school, I've gotten out of the loop more or less. That's the thing with technology, if you don't stay up on it, you could loose your edge pretty quickly.
I'm looking forward to learning many programs, softwares, and the latest cool thing to bring into the classroom. This class should be a nice conglomeration of my old degree and my new degree, thus I'm very excited!
I'm looking forward to learning many programs, softwares, and the latest cool thing to bring into the classroom. This class should be a nice conglomeration of my old degree and my new degree, thus I'm very excited!
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