Monday, December 10, 2007
Friday, November 23, 2007
My Assessment of My Energy Presentation Video
Earlier I delivered a presentation on the energy I save from riding the bus over driving a car, the slideshow of which is located here.
What follows are my thoughts on the project.
Overall I was impressed with the video of my presentation. I said "um" and other similar words very little. I was articulate, although I may have spoken a little too quickly relative to my content of explaining math concepts. While in a speech repetition absolutely isn't bad in and of itself, I repeated myself a few times in a silly manner when explaining why I set up an equation the way I did. Also, while I personally found my presentation interesting (as it was filled with math being applied to the real world), most students probably found it boring. I also spoke for close to ten minutes, which perhaps was a little too long. Unfortunately, save for my title page, I had no graphics, something that I believe tremendously enhances a presentation.
Overall I was impressed with the video of my presentation. I said "um" and other similar words very little. I was articulate, although I may have spoken a little too quickly relative to my content of explaining math concepts. While in a speech repetition absolutely isn't bad in and of itself, I repeated myself a few times in a silly manner when explaining why I set up an equation the way I did. Also, while I personally found my presentation interesting (as it was filled with math being applied to the real world), most students probably found it boring. I also spoke for close to ten minutes, which perhaps was a little too long. Unfortunately, save for my title page, I had no graphics, something that I believe tremendously enhances a presentation.
Article Assessment #3
For class I read three articles on the use of technology in education. What follows are my thoughts on "The Overdominance of Computers" by Lowell W. Monke.
I found myself in deep agreement with Monke's arguments. I believe that while it is absolutely necessary for us to prepare our youth for living in a technologically advanced world, it is even more essential for us to develop their minds, including self-discipline, morals, ethics, ambition, judgement, empathy, sympathy, reasoning, logic and kindness. These qualities are not developed by mindlessly watching the tube and playing video games all day, although watching educational programs on the television (including those on PBS, Discovery, National Geographic and the History Channel) and playing educational video games can and do help significantly.
I agree with Monke that elementary school should not be saturated with technology, but should have very little of it. Humans are most impressionable and formative during their early years, and it is extremely important for children to have, in the words of Monke, "a deep knowledge of the physical world and community relationships" around them. If children spend too much time in virtual reality while developing, they stand a good chance of forever bearing a disconnect to physical reality. We need to slowly introduce students to technology in order to ensure they lead spiritually fulfilling lives.
I found myself in deep agreement with Monke's arguments. I believe that while it is absolutely necessary for us to prepare our youth for living in a technologically advanced world, it is even more essential for us to develop their minds, including self-discipline, morals, ethics, ambition, judgement, empathy, sympathy, reasoning, logic and kindness. These qualities are not developed by mindlessly watching the tube and playing video games all day, although watching educational programs on the television (including those on PBS, Discovery, National Geographic and the History Channel) and playing educational video games can and do help significantly.
I agree with Monke that elementary school should not be saturated with technology, but should have very little of it. Humans are most impressionable and formative during their early years, and it is extremely important for children to have, in the words of Monke, "a deep knowledge of the physical world and community relationships" around them. If children spend too much time in virtual reality while developing, they stand a good chance of forever bearing a disconnect to physical reality. We need to slowly introduce students to technology in order to ensure they lead spiritually fulfilling lives.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Assessment of Technological Abilities of JDHS
One of our assignments was to analyze the technological abilities of JDHS. What follows are my thoughts on the project.
I gained a decent amount of knowledge and wisdom from this project, however most of the information I had already known. One thing that I find interesting is that my school has a technology guru on the job at all times. When my parents were in school, there is a good chance that the job never existed! My host teacher informed me when we were discussing computers in school that he wasn't consulted at all about the computers the district provides the teachers. He would have opted for a laptop, but instead was given a giant desktop the size of a small refrigerator. On top of this, the internet on his computer is frustratingly slow, and the school-wide software program that covers attendance and student grades malfunctions an absurd amount. Thanks to technological advancement, however, in the near future these problems will be fixed!
I gained a decent amount of knowledge and wisdom from this project, however most of the information I had already known. One thing that I find interesting is that my school has a technology guru on the job at all times. When my parents were in school, there is a good chance that the job never existed! My host teacher informed me when we were discussing computers in school that he wasn't consulted at all about the computers the district provides the teachers. He would have opted for a laptop, but instead was given a giant desktop the size of a small refrigerator. On top of this, the internet on his computer is frustratingly slow, and the school-wide software program that covers attendance and student grades malfunctions an absurd amount. Thanks to technological advancement, however, in the near future these problems will be fixed!
Article Assessment #2
What follows are my thoughts on "The New WWW: Whatever, Whenever, Wherever" by Tom March.
Indeed, advanced technology provides us with what we want when and where we want it, a downside of which is a spoiled-to-hell human race. It affords us with the opportunity to impulse-buy 24/7, which has many positive and negative effects. Being immersed in what I call "instant capitalism" makes us happy, but potentially on solely a superficial level. In many respects, instant capitalism is analogous to soma in "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxely- it makes us happy, but superficially so. As the article said, "Children and teens with mobile media devices are like kids in a candy shop." Indeed, we need to ensure we don't overdo it.
I agree with March when he writes that it is unfortunate that too few schools integrate the internet into the curriculum. I strongly believe that a class website and blog are an extremely effective way for students to engage (further) in a subject and that every teacher should have one. We need different, better mediums for teaching and learning.
Indeed, advanced technology provides us with what we want when and where we want it, a downside of which is a spoiled-to-hell human race. It affords us with the opportunity to impulse-buy 24/7, which has many positive and negative effects. Being immersed in what I call "instant capitalism" makes us happy, but potentially on solely a superficial level. In many respects, instant capitalism is analogous to soma in "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxely- it makes us happy, but superficially so. As the article said, "Children and teens with mobile media devices are like kids in a candy shop." Indeed, we need to ensure we don't overdo it.
I agree with March when he writes that it is unfortunate that too few schools integrate the internet into the curriculum. I strongly believe that a class website and blog are an extremely effective way for students to engage (further) in a subject and that every teacher should have one. We need different, better mediums for teaching and learning.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
My Mantra Regarding the Use of Technology to Teach Mathematics
My mantra with regard to why I will use technology in teaching mathematics: "To develop a richer, deeper understanding of how math works."
Given that we are immersed in technology, we "see" it in order to evaluate its utility and impacts by a multitude of means. Engaging in hiking, backpacking, kayaking, canoeing, rock/ice climbing, skiing, snowboarding and other outdoor activities is a superb example. As Joni Mitchell said, "You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone." Immersing oneself in the outdoors without the presence of "technology" forces one to mull over the utility and impacts of the powerful institution. Another means is reading novels, which serves to expand one's mind and drive one to regard familiar objects in different lights. Also, watching movies that take place in the olden days helps one develop perspective on our current technology-oriented lives. Technological advancement is something I cannot help but contemplate on a daily basis.
Given that we are immersed in technology, we "see" it in order to evaluate its utility and impacts by a multitude of means. Engaging in hiking, backpacking, kayaking, canoeing, rock/ice climbing, skiing, snowboarding and other outdoor activities is a superb example. As Joni Mitchell said, "You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone." Immersing oneself in the outdoors without the presence of "technology" forces one to mull over the utility and impacts of the powerful institution. Another means is reading novels, which serves to expand one's mind and drive one to regard familiar objects in different lights. Also, watching movies that take place in the olden days helps one develop perspective on our current technology-oriented lives. Technological advancement is something I cannot help but contemplate on a daily basis.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
How Much Will Technological Advancement Change the Way We Teach?
I believe that the increasingly interactive and diminished size of computers, communicators and handhelds will exert a strong influence over secondary education with regard to how teachers teach and students learn. What I mean by this is that while I believe that the substance of lessons will not change significantly, the teaching and learning process will. I believe that it is a matter of relatively short time before every student has some type of personal computer that they bring with them to school. (As a side note, I recently skimmed an article discussing how one school district is using iPods to enhance the process of students learning English as a second language.)
While right now most teachers and students prefer to have physical books, papers and tests, for example, in the near future I believe most teachers and students will opt to have them in digital form. In digital form, reading will be easier (including note-taking, highlighting, reverting to previous passages, etc.), papers will be easier for teachers to grade and tests will be easier for students to take and teachers to grade.
While right now most teachers and students prefer to have physical books, papers and tests, for example, in the near future I believe most teachers and students will opt to have them in digital form. In digital form, reading will be easier (including note-taking, highlighting, reverting to previous passages, etc.), papers will be easier for teachers to grade and tests will be easier for students to take and teachers to grade.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Students' Using Technology in the Classroom
I wholeheartedly agree with the International Society for Technology in Education Standards. High schools in this country already indirectly require students to demonstrate a certain level of technological literacy in order to graduate (such as requiring students to submit typed papers and take math tests that require the use of a TI-83). Requiring mastery of certain technologies is for the students' sakes as well as society's, as making a descent living in the near-future global economy necessitates it.
As a teacher of mathematics, one thing I can do to advance technological literacy among my high school students is teaching them how to use a TI-83 and such computer programs as Mathematica. If I am a middle school math teacher, however, I believe I will focus the learning process more on manual math. The availability of new media drives the development of new literacies by giving the masses a delectable taste of what is possible in the near future. Humans are lazy and seek to maximize their time and energy, hence technological advancement!
As a teacher of mathematics, one thing I can do to advance technological literacy among my high school students is teaching them how to use a TI-83 and such computer programs as Mathematica. If I am a middle school math teacher, however, I believe I will focus the learning process more on manual math. The availability of new media drives the development of new literacies by giving the masses a delectable taste of what is possible in the near future. Humans are lazy and seek to maximize their time and energy, hence technological advancement!
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Cool-Hunting Reflections
What follows are my thoughts on a video we watched in class on companies' predicting clothing trends in advance of their advent.
Glad am I that I am not obsessed with being cool. I feel as though I would be an enormously successful cool-hunter, as I have always been one step ahead of the game with regard to style (it comes naturally). Major corporations should contact me at 907-790-9881 to gain advice on what styles will be "in" in the near future (I charge $100,000.00/1 minute).
I find the phenomena of style and trends extremely interesting on a psychological, sociological, scientific and philosophical level. Why is it that 20 years ago (7300 days ago) mullets were "fresh," yet now they are considered as ugly as sin? I also find it interesting that trends ebb and flow in cycles (for example, tight pants are "in" nowadays, as they were in the '70s). It is only a matter of time before mullets will be sported by every cool kid in school. I predict 2028.
Glad am I that I am not obsessed with being cool. I feel as though I would be an enormously successful cool-hunter, as I have always been one step ahead of the game with regard to style (it comes naturally). Major corporations should contact me at 907-790-9881 to gain advice on what styles will be "in" in the near future (I charge $100,000.00/1 minute).
I find the phenomena of style and trends extremely interesting on a psychological, sociological, scientific and philosophical level. Why is it that 20 years ago (7300 days ago) mullets were "fresh," yet now they are considered as ugly as sin? I also find it interesting that trends ebb and flow in cycles (for example, tight pants are "in" nowadays, as they were in the '70s). It is only a matter of time before mullets will be sported by every cool kid in school. I predict 2028.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Introduction
My name is Andrew and I am currently enrolled in the UAS M.A.T. program. I am 22 years old. I lived in Suburban Seattle from age 0 to 18, Colorado from 18-22, and will be living in Juneau until age 23, at which point I will begin my teaching career. I enjoy listening to music (my favorite band is the Beatles and my favorite singer/songwriter is Bob Dylan), reading novels and the New York Times, watching DVDs, hanging out with friends, working out and eating good food. At some point in my life I'd like to live in Vermont, Montana and Appalachia. I love fog, rain, mist and the color blue.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Article Assessment #1
What follows are my thoughts on "Listen to the Natives" by Marc Prensky.
I found this article very interesting. To be perfectly honest, as I am a digital immigrant, I am still a bit of a traditionalist with regard to using "technology" in the classroom. As a mathematician, I believe that it is wrong for a math teacher to advance too much of a technology-oriented curriculum. K-12 math is extremely basic, and every single one of our students (with few exceptions) should be able to master the curriculum without significant recourse to computers.
Would Prensky, advocate elementary school students' not learning how to add, subtract, multiple and divide manually, but on a computer? While computers carry profound advantages, a disadvantage of theirs is that they enable humanity to a certain extent to turn off their minds.
While Prensky had a good point that teachers need to take students' interests into account when teaching, I believe that most students are too immature to recognize what is and is not good for them. If eighth graders had a choice as to what they would study in social studies class, I believe that a large percentage would opt to study the personal lives of such Hollywood celebrities as Britney Aguilera and Christina Spears (or whatever the hell the names of the pop stars the kids are into these days are). In certain respects I despise Hollywood from the core of my being and believe it is rotting society.
While cell phones, computers, televisions, iPods, etc. are important, we need to ensure our youth don't get sucked into them and lead meaningless, dull, superficial lives.
I found this article very interesting. To be perfectly honest, as I am a digital immigrant, I am still a bit of a traditionalist with regard to using "technology" in the classroom. As a mathematician, I believe that it is wrong for a math teacher to advance too much of a technology-oriented curriculum. K-12 math is extremely basic, and every single one of our students (with few exceptions) should be able to master the curriculum without significant recourse to computers.
Would Prensky, advocate elementary school students' not learning how to add, subtract, multiple and divide manually, but on a computer? While computers carry profound advantages, a disadvantage of theirs is that they enable humanity to a certain extent to turn off their minds.
While Prensky had a good point that teachers need to take students' interests into account when teaching, I believe that most students are too immature to recognize what is and is not good for them. If eighth graders had a choice as to what they would study in social studies class, I believe that a large percentage would opt to study the personal lives of such Hollywood celebrities as Britney Aguilera and Christina Spears (or whatever the hell the names of the pop stars the kids are into these days are). In certain respects I despise Hollywood from the core of my being and believe it is rotting society.
While cell phones, computers, televisions, iPods, etc. are important, we need to ensure our youth don't get sucked into them and lead meaningless, dull, superficial lives.
Traditional Oral Storytelling Meets Technology
Why am I studying traditional oral storytelling in an educational technology class?
On the surface, traditional oral storytelling and "technology" clash. When one reflects upon traditional oral storytelling, one's thoughts transport them to an earlier time, a time come and gone, a time that is past. One travels backward in time. When one reflects upon "technology," one's thoughts tend to be more future-oriented. One travels forward in time.
While I consider myself to be a progressive person, I hold many traditional beliefs. I believe that traditional oral storytelling is a beautiful institution that humanity should not permit to descend into extinction. Humans have been orally storytelling since the dawn of the spoken word and should continue so long as we are physically capable.
Instead of replacing, we should enhance traditional oral storytelling with something more technologically advanced. For a child, one of the best parts of the day is falling asleep to the smooth, gentle, even whispery voice of their mother or father telling a story in the traditional oral manner.
On the surface, traditional oral storytelling and "technology" clash. When one reflects upon traditional oral storytelling, one's thoughts transport them to an earlier time, a time come and gone, a time that is past. One travels backward in time. When one reflects upon "technology," one's thoughts tend to be more future-oriented. One travels forward in time.
While I consider myself to be a progressive person, I hold many traditional beliefs. I believe that traditional oral storytelling is a beautiful institution that humanity should not permit to descend into extinction. Humans have been orally storytelling since the dawn of the spoken word and should continue so long as we are physically capable.
Instead of replacing, we should enhance traditional oral storytelling with something more technologically advanced. For a child, one of the best parts of the day is falling asleep to the smooth, gentle, even whispery voice of their mother or father telling a story in the traditional oral manner.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Assessment on Videos
In class we watched two videos produced by students and one produced by professionals. What follows are my thoughts on the videos.
Despite my fatigue from a long day at school, I enjoyed watching the video projects, all three of which interested me. I found them to be creative and engaging.
The First Video
I found the first project to be the cutest one of all.
The Second Video
I found the second project to be krazy and kreepy (I believe that the way I (mis)spelled these two adjectives reflects my view of the character of the video quite well).
The Third Video
The last project intrigued me the most, in part because of its Big Brother undertone (I was pleased to note that the name on the identification card featured near the end was "Winston Smith," who was the main character in 1984 (one of my favorite books)). Another reason this project piqued my interest the most is that many of my thoughts and daydreams in life revolve around technological advancement.
On iTunes, I subscribe to the Car Talk podcast.
Despite my fatigue from a long day at school, I enjoyed watching the video projects, all three of which interested me. I found them to be creative and engaging.
The First Video
I found the first project to be the cutest one of all.
The Second Video
I found the second project to be krazy and kreepy (I believe that the way I (mis)spelled these two adjectives reflects my view of the character of the video quite well).
The Third Video
The last project intrigued me the most, in part because of its Big Brother undertone (I was pleased to note that the name on the identification card featured near the end was "Winston Smith," who was the main character in 1984 (one of my favorite books)). Another reason this project piqued my interest the most is that many of my thoughts and daydreams in life revolve around technological advancement.
On iTunes, I subscribe to the Car Talk podcast.
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