Sherone+Barnes

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Virtual Fieldtrips

Virtual fieldtrips are, in my opinion, wonderful educational tools. However its usefulness has quite a few variables that can cause it to be ineffective. One, a virtual fieldtrip is totally dependent upon a student having access to the worldwide web for accessibility; two, if the information in the fieldtrip is difficult to navigate that will dissuade student use. It is mind-boggling how colors, sounds and movement can hinder or accelerate the learning ability provided from a virtual fieldtrip. There can be two virtual fieldtrips with the same information but different presentation and that can make all the difference in the world in regards to whether or not the fieldtrip is a successful teaching tool.

Because I am a visual learner and a digital immigrant I find these fieldtrips not only a learning experience but entertaining as well. Our classroom discussion has noted that although disappointing to us as educators it seems that “entertainment” is a key ingredient in how we communicate information.

I would love to use the virtual fieldtrip of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in preparation for a school fieldtrip. The virtual fieldtrip would enable the students to map out a route according to their interest or based on an assignment. This would enable the student to spend more time acquiring information versus wondering around trying to find their way around.

The Memorial Hall Museum Online American History could be used as an exhaustive resource for students. I would assign different categories and ask them to use this virtual source to glean information to create a Jeopardy game. For example one assigned category would be “Least Known Historic Events” or “Native Americans in American History.” I believe students would learn much by looking for the information needed in this particular online exhibition.

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Stand I had a dream There was a crowd of people A question was asked A decision for a life A man who had done no crime They asked who will stand and testify for this life Guns were raised daring anyone to defy order Many stirred, strained looks, moving around, undecided The man looked around tears running down Knowing justice would be overridden by fear The judge started counting Silence engulfed the place I stood

This poem is very special to me since the author is my youngest daughter. I really enjoyed making the podcast and I can see numerous possibilities of its use in the media center. The added music feature in the podcast really made the poem and its message stand out. This would be a wonderful assignment during the poetry segment of the curriculum for 7th and 8th graders.

Prensky Article

Digital Immigrants/Digital Natives Discussion of Characteristics of the Younger Generations
Digital natives can often be observed doing more than one thing at a time. They are known as multi taskers. I have two digital natives in my home. When they do their homework it is often with music playing or the TV on. I used to think there was no way they could possibly stay focused but on the contrary this was their natural habitat for getting the homework done. It became a problem when the teacher would call from school to say that one of my digital natives was reading during class. I got this call often. My digital native was finally blessed with a digital native instructor who allowed her to read during class. The instructor was aware that she could both listen to him and process the information and read her book. Go figure! I have observed some of my students who have this same characteristic. They can carry on a conversation and send text messages at the same time. They can listen to music with earphones from their phones or IPod and still take notes in class or take an exam.

Digital natives thrive on instant gratification. I refer to it as the Paris Hilton way. The way to find out information is not by reading a book or looking up a word in a dictionary. These are the long way around time consuming methods. They would much rather prefer to just input the word into www.dictionary.com or find the answer to a question on [|www.ask.com]. They are avidly opposed to reading a book to find out any information. I have observed the pain and agony students display when asked to do research by reading a book. I once had a young man come to the media center so that he could look up a list of words assigned to him. He wanted to use the computers. I told him he could use the dictionary of which we had many. I gave him the dictionary and he gave it a blank stare. He had no idea how to use. I t was only then that I observed that he did not know how to alphabetize words. It was a sad moment for me. The student was an 8th grader.

Digital Immigrants/Digital Natives Characteristics, Part II
The article discussed two processes which change the way the brain responds. I was most interested and in agreement with the process defined as malleability. Malleability is the process whereby the brain thinks and processes information based on its development. Whatever culture or environment you were raised in would cause the brain to process in a specific way.

I really believe this is true. I have often noted that the test scores for our public schools have not been able, with all its changes and improvements, to lessen the learning and achievement gap between Caucasians, Asians and African Americans. Although these are American Asians their culture and environment will always be different from African Americans. Even though they attend the same public schools and receive the same level of education the rate of learning between the three races cannot be matched. I think this is due to the malleability discussed in Mr. Prensky’s article. I agree that these people think differently from African Americans due to their culture and environment. Teachers will definitely have to evolve. They will no longer be able to use the same methods that they did twenty years ago. I think that teachers will have to study cultures and use that knowledge to instruct a diverse 21st century student. Teachers will have to use the technology of the digital natives as well as the culture in which their minds were developed. Just as teachers evolved to teach to different type learners (audio, kinetic, visual) they will now have to develop the skills necessary to teach these digital natives with their diverse cultures.

What skills did you develop that may not be important for the younger generation of learners?
When I think about the skills I acquired in comparison with the 21st century learners it sounds funny. For instance we spent a lot of time developing our handwriting skills. We were told if you could not write legibly your education would suffer. I remember writing and re-writing letters and words so that the curves and squiggles of cursive writing would be pleasing and understandable to the eye. This young generation does not need to write. Everything is digital. You will often hear the question “Do you have an electronic copy?”

What benefits do you see coming from the use of technology tools in student learning?
One of the most important benefits is the rate of learning. In this fast paced society in order for us to keep up we need to learn at a quicker rate which is what technology provides for students. Communication is faster. You no longer have to wait to receive a letter in the mail from the post office. Just about everything is instant; instant messaging. The quicker we disseminate information the faster we will have to learn and understand.

What observations have you made about the new generation of learners that may be of concern to you? Do you think the younger generation’s use of technology has hindered their development in any way?
One concern I have with the younger generation is that they don’t seem to understand the old adage “Don’t throw out the baby with the bath water.” I believe it is still important to learn and understand history. If we don’t learn basic algebra, calculus and trigonometry I think it will be a problem for us down the road. There will be those times that technology will fail and you just might need to write a handwritten note. You might need to use an analog clock. I believe the younger generation is somewhat handicapped because they have not been taught the basics we used to survive in the past. I believe they will still be useful to them in the future along with technology advances.

There was a time we knew how to read a compass, a time we knew how to tell which direction we were going in based on the rising and setting of the sun, a time we remembered phone numbers, and street addresses. I think we have lost a great deal of our capacity to memorize important facts. The best this young generation can do at times is 911.

Glogster

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UDL Lesson Plan Presentation



Cast Reflection