Blog Post #5

The Ischool Initiative

The Ischool Initiative and Zeitgeist Young Minds Entry are videos by Travis Allen who is now a college student. He asks the question, " Does technology belong in our schools?". He thinks that it can be a solution to our current education problems. Travis Allen explains the Ischool with the Itouch platform can help schools, students, teachers, and parents. Apple has already so many apps that can help students, teachers, and parents learn and stay in touch with another.

Travis Allen explains that Ischools can help the schools save money by cutting the cost of paper, pencils, and expensive copy machines. He says it can save up to at least $600 per student because there are so many apps that are free to use such as email, world wiki (maps), U.S. presidents, star walk (about the universe), formulae (formulas for math and science), scientific calculator, calendar, and Ihomework. And it will save the environment. "Rethink, retool, rebuild our education institute to better prepare our young for the digital world they were born into" is a powerful statement he used. I think that he has a great and helpful plan to help improve our schools. I think that the students are fascinated with the Apple products such as the Itouch and the Ipad why not let them use them for learning. By using these products, students, teachers, and parents are able to access learning information at anytime and they will always be connected.

Virtual Choir

Lux Aurumque by Eric Whitacre is a virtual choir that is shown on a YouTube video. It is amazing how talented these performers and the creators of this video are. There are 185 performers that have never seen or practiced with each other. It is just pure amazing what they can use the internet for. They are very talented and creative.


Teaching in the 21st Century

Teaching in the 21st Century by Kevin Roberts converted to a video by Dr. Strange for our EDM 310 class is a video explains the changes that need to be made in the classroom to fit our change in technology. He explains that teachers are no longer the main source of knowledge, they are just a filter. And how do we teach our students to handle the new resources they have such as Google, Twitter, Facebook, blogs, YouTube, Wiki, and more. Now students can find information on anything, anytime, and anywhere. So, we need to teach our students how to validate, synthesize, leverage, communicate, collaborate, and problem solve information they get off the internet.

I think Keven Roberts is right that the teacher is no longer the main source of knowledge in the classroom. This affects us because we will not only need to focus on facts, content, but now skill in our curriculum. Skills are now needed because it only takes moments for people to find facts and content on the internet. We now have to teach through Blooms Taxonomy like understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create with these skills. I think that these skills are important for our children to succeed in the future.

Why I Flipped My Classroom

Why I Flipped My Classroom by Katie Gimbar, Dr. Lodge McCammon's Fizz- Flipping the Classroom by Dr. Lodge McCammon, and Flipping the Classroom-4th grade STEM by Ms. Munafo are videos about classrooms being "flipped". Ms. Munafo, Dr. McCammon, and Ms. Gimbar explain that the direct instruction is to take place at home. The instruction is taught the night before the assignment is to be practiced in class. Students watch prerecorded videos on the lesson, practice, prepare questions and discussions for the teacher the next day. Ms. Gimbar tells us that she use to just teach to the middle group of students. And that approach was not effective. She spent 90% of their class time delivering and reviewing and only 10% on application. The rest of the application was to be done at home for homework. But once she flipped her classroom the statics flipped also. Dr. McCammon explains that there is currently to much lecturing in our classrooms and not enough engaging. He says lecture is inefficient, not engaging, and an one shot deal which makes application individual and not engaging. But, Fizz video lectures are efficient, viewed multiple times, and creates classroom time. This way the classroom can focus on differentiated instruction which is engaging.

I think this approach is very interesting to say the least. I think it is something different for the students and the teachers. This approach is not really a foreign concept for me. One of my college math classes was a "flipped class", we watched the lessons the night before the class, wrote down questions for the professor, and practiced. Then in the class the next day we did some more application. So, I think this could be used in the class because I have used this approach as a student. It also creates student responsibility which I think is a great thing for students at any age. It also helps if the students are absent, they are still able to watch the lessons and not fall behind.