The Educational Way to Watch YouTube Videos

The article from iLearn Technology’s which was posted by Admin reiterates something we all know;  YouTube can be a great educational tool.  What are some downfalls of YouTube in the classroom?  Think of the students that have a hard time regaining focus after someone sneezes during a quiet reading time.  What could bother their learning while using YouTube?  I agree with iLearn Technology’s Admin opinion and I agree that the advertisements can be distracting.  Don’t forget about some of the awful, negative comments that some people post.  (Digital etiquette should be part of the core curriculum)  And don’t forget those schools that have YouTube blocked, how can they watch videos for educational purposes?

The article, 10 Ways to Eliminate Distractions around YouTube Videos, gives educators some great ideas.  One example, SafeShare.Tv allows students to watch video without those pesky ads and the possible inappropriate other videos that may be automatically suggested by YouTube.  Read the article to get other great ways to include appropriate and less distracting videos in your classroom.

IPads in the Gym!

I have subscribed to several different blog feeds now.  There is one called Educational Technology which is edited by Ray Schroeder.  His blog connected me to an article from School CIO.

I teach computers along with Physical Education and would love to be able to incorporate more technology into the gym.  Most schools have CDs as their latest technology.  One school in my district saved enough money to buy a radio that has an IPod dock.  

Woohoo kids!  It is time to do the Cha-Cha Slide. 

What other great pieces of technology can be integrated in Physical Education?  IPads of course!  Now if all of us could get a grant to pay for these, classes would get even more exciting.

This article by School CIO gives a brief overview of a wonderful technology piece in a California gym.  Teachers are able to use the IPads for planning, videos, and assessments.  The school is also able to use the tablets for recording student skills and watching for refinement.

I own a tablet and I would really like to record the students during the class.  I’m sure kids will want to show their parents how to do that Cha-Cha Slide.

Gaming in the Classroom

In my tenth grade Economics class I remember playing a Sims game.  It was a fun way to build cities and be engaged in the classroom.  The hard part is, I don't remember what the educational outcome my teacher was hoping for.  Maybe if he had us document our journey or pretend to be the major and journal our experience while using econ vocabulary it could have been a more rewarding experience.


Andrew Miller's Edutopia article, Game-Based Learning to Teach and Assess 21st Century Skills, discusses how games can actually be beneficial to the classroom.  He makes important arguments where I can take both sides.  I am not a big "gamer" so I don't feel comfortable telling you that I have a strong opinion either way.  So my next step is to purchase World Of Warcraft and sit in front of my computer for a straight 72 hours and then I will give you my educated opinion.  Well, I don't have time for that, but I know people who make time.  


Back to Miller's suggestive article...  


He states that you can set up a curriculum involving World of Warcraft with Language Arts standards.  I know a dozen kids that would never leave the classroom!  His most important points are that games can help produce "collaboration, communication, and critical thinking/problem solving".  


Miller has me on the collaboration and says that games can be followed up by "written reflections"  which would incorporate some of those great Language Arts standards.  


He also has me convinced on the communication piece.  Whether it be a whole class discussion at the end of the lesson or communicating via a headset during the game communication would also be a product of gaming.


Where it gets a little fuzzy for me is the critical thinking/problem solving.  I agree that it can help students with these important skills.  He brings up "Angry Birds" (I haven't played, but it appears that you fling birds at things) and how it teaches "perseverance".  I agree it probably does, but in the educational setting I think that there could be a more productive and just as engaging way to do that.  Maybe with a different game. 


In conclusion, I am open to the hearing more about incorporating game-based learning in classroom.  


I really want to find some more examples, but I think this is an emerging concept and would like to find more ideas.  Do you have any ideas?

Homework With A Purpose

I am really enjoying the interesting feeds that I am getting from Edutopia.

The article that I read tonight Making Homework Meaningful was written by a successful high school student, Dominick Recckio.  He surveyed students as to why they do homework.  Some stated that homework is necessary for academic achievement. They build it into their schedule and make sure to get it done and they also study.  There are the few students that are able to listen to the teacher and remember it.  I have a friend that is an auditory learner like that...she is now a doctor.  I was always envious of her auditory superpower. :) Other students that Recckio talked to believe that homework is not worth enough in the final grade to focus on it.

I remember having the most homework in fifth grade.  My teacher was preparing us for middle school.  I remember being overwhelmed by the large amounts of homework.  I don't remember my homework serving a purpose other than making me cry and having our parents call each other each night to get answers.  It didn't help me the next day in school with the next lessons.  I was just getting it done to finish so I wouldn't get yelled at.  Of course that changed as I got into high school and college.

Recckio goes on to state four strategies that helped students achieve success.

1. Use In-School Time
2. Do Homework in Period Order
3. Use Social Media!
4. Make Real World Connections

My favorite part is when Recckio states that "homework needs to be shown as important and assigned as something substantial, not busy work".   So true, Dominick.

Technological Devices For All

Dear Schools, 

Buy Each Student a Laptop, please.  

Sincerely, 

An Eager Teacher with a few ideas

This article states that technology has slowly made its way into schools.  There are computer labs and a few in each classroom.  To make technological advances in education, each student needs more.  

I did find it interesting when the article claimed that the days of handwriting is done.  As a left handed person with terrible handwriting, I rejoiced.  I can type very fast and accurate, thanks to my high school typing class that incorporated Cortez Peters audio tapes.  Yes, I said typewriters and tapes. I hope that doesn't age me, I graduate in 2000.  At least the typewriters were electronic.  Back to the article, student work showed an improvement in their writing when it was typed.  Students were more apt to make their writing longer as well as included more details.  That should be enough conviction to teach the proper technique...and give every student a laptop. 

This article goes discusses teachers teaching the same concepts, but with technology they are able to make learning interesting.  Using simulation websites to help students learn concepts is an intriguing way to keep students interested.  There are several links listed in this article.

Progress with technology would be giving each student a laptop or an IPad.  Wouldn’t that be nice for our students?  Think of all that could be done.  For example, they could record a science experiment and post it online.  They could watch their peers with their experiments and compare/contrast.  The article goes on to discuss how administrators typically see the negatives with technology.  They make rules to ban cell phones or websites that students could use to enhance their learning.  The article calls it “one-to-one” (Prensky).  Each student needs a computer and the prices have dramatically decreased, so cost should not be holding schools back.

This is not an easy task, but it needs to be done.  We need professional development that provides teachers with the opportunity how to use technology to their advantage.  Most importantly, teachers need to be held accountable.  It isn’t easy to teach to teach an old dog new tricks; some are just comfortable having students read from a text book instead of experiencing something more interactive.  Oh yeah, and money.  

Here is Prensky's article - Shaping Tech for the Classroom | Edutopia

What are some other ideas or benefits for the classroom?

Great Examples of Technology in the Classroom








This short article and nine minute video is a great example of how technology can be utilized in different subjects.  Although this dates back almost ten years it shows the benefits of technology in school.  One teacher states in the video that she enjoys when the children use "discovery" to learn.  Another boasts that the children are having "fun".  
Ahhhhh, who said they can have fun at school?!  Especially when it comes to physics.  There is an example of students analyzing hobbies and interests in physics.  Watch the video and see how they are analyzing things that are personal to them.  


My favorite part about the video is how it shows cross curricular activities.  Since I do teach physical education I am always looking for ways to incorporate general education topics into the gym.  This video shows a cheer leading squad using a computer to take their heart rate and respiration.  The cheerleaders benefit from monitoring the progress in their athletic stamina.  Students in a math class took those same results and used it in math class.  I had third and fourth graders wearing pedometers last year and they recorded their steps throughout the year. I had one teacher ask if they could use the data to help the students learn range, mean, median, and mode.  I love when I am able to make things cross curricular.  

This video also shows clickers, the use of digital cameras (I know these are old news now), GPS devices and virtual field trips.  Here comes that f word again...the students were having fun with these technology pieces.  Using technology they were able to apply concepts to real life  situations.  I think this is when students truly learn.
What are some technology that teachers use at your school?What are some cross curricular ideas that you could implement?