I acquired an Apple product for the first time a few months ago, the iPad2. It has noticeably changed a few ways in which I use computers.
Having always required significant computing power for the games I like to play, my computers - even laptops - are always heavy and bulky. Not very mobile at all. With the iPad2, I have accessed the web on more places than ever before. To me this has been a key change: being connect on more locations other than my classroom or the living room.
I also appreciate the speed and customization of web access that the iPad offers, in particular through the use of specific apps. For example, if searching for hotels on Booking.com, the website offers an app which makes finding a hotel even more intuitive and easier than on a regular browser.
In the future, I would like to look into owning a smaller, but equally as powerful method for accessing the web - like an Android phone or an iPhone - but for now, the benefits have not overcome the costs.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Sharing on the WWW
One of the first ideas of 'content protection' that I came across in Education was when a previous school where I worked implemented Moodle. Teachers were protective of their worksheets, lesson plans, curriculum maps and other documents. I feel that sharing is a natural part of advancing the world, in whatever aspect a person can possibly contribute with.
As for the financial reward, I feel that schools are more interested in the rapport with students, how classes are constructed and effective student learning than where your ideas came from or where they're going. The collective mass of teachers should have the same goal in mind, thinking that if a lesson plan a teacher designed in Brazil is going to help a student being taught by a teacher in South Korea, that this is beneficial for all parties involved, regardless of any recognition.
This is not to say that authors of educational material shouldn't get credit for their work - and more important, teachers should not appropriate themselves of work that's not their own. Credit should be given where credit is due, of course, but protecting the work a teacher makes like it's the recipe for Coca-Cola won't help anyone besides the insignificant fraction of the world's student population this particular teacher works with.
As for the financial reward, I feel that schools are more interested in the rapport with students, how classes are constructed and effective student learning than where your ideas came from or where they're going. The collective mass of teachers should have the same goal in mind, thinking that if a lesson plan a teacher designed in Brazil is going to help a student being taught by a teacher in South Korea, that this is beneficial for all parties involved, regardless of any recognition.
This is not to say that authors of educational material shouldn't get credit for their work - and more important, teachers should not appropriate themselves of work that's not their own. Credit should be given where credit is due, of course, but protecting the work a teacher makes like it's the recipe for Coca-Cola won't help anyone besides the insignificant fraction of the world's student population this particular teacher works with.
GoogleDocs
I have been using GoogleDocs extensively for the past two years at the high school, more frequently with the juniors and seniors lab reports.
Many of the advantages listed by Wojcicki were evidenced, such as easy peer-, self- and teacher reviews during the writing process (rather than at the end), regardless of location. Students also run out of excuses, as the simple act of creating the document and sharing it with the teacher and peers indicates when the student started to work on the assignment, and monitors every step from then on. It also allows students to realize the benefits of starting their work early, as the earlier the assignment is started, the more support/help the student receives.
In Science, GoogleDocs still has a number of limitations: Google Spreadsheets has a limited number of formatting and formulae options, and the inability to add complex graphs and tables in a Google Document. For these, it is still necessary to have the final product, written in GoogleDocs, to go through a more professional word processor, such as MS Word. The same is true when teachers are trying to create elaborate charts of yearly academic planning, curriculum maps and so on.
Also, as we discuss GoogleDocs and its 'innovative' implications on collaboration between teachers and administratio, no one has been making use of an already available - and quite expensive - platform, which is MS Outlook. Everyone still send emails asking 'when can we meet', even though calendars, tasks and meeting planners are all embedded in the email platform we use daily.
Many of the advantages listed by Wojcicki were evidenced, such as easy peer-, self- and teacher reviews during the writing process (rather than at the end), regardless of location. Students also run out of excuses, as the simple act of creating the document and sharing it with the teacher and peers indicates when the student started to work on the assignment, and monitors every step from then on. It also allows students to realize the benefits of starting their work early, as the earlier the assignment is started, the more support/help the student receives.
In Science, GoogleDocs still has a number of limitations: Google Spreadsheets has a limited number of formatting and formulae options, and the inability to add complex graphs and tables in a Google Document. For these, it is still necessary to have the final product, written in GoogleDocs, to go through a more professional word processor, such as MS Word. The same is true when teachers are trying to create elaborate charts of yearly academic planning, curriculum maps and so on.
Also, as we discuss GoogleDocs and its 'innovative' implications on collaboration between teachers and administratio, no one has been making use of an already available - and quite expensive - platform, which is MS Outlook. Everyone still send emails asking 'when can we meet', even though calendars, tasks and meeting planners are all embedded in the email platform we use daily.
Blogging in the classroom
I feel that the benefits of blogs in the classroom are two-fold.
Firstly, the opportunity to reflect on learning is often neglected in classrooms as teachers are normally pressed for time and meeting content requirements, in particular in DP classes. However, it's important to note that reflection and meta-cognition are key elements of sustained and prolonged learning. Blogs can effectively fill this gap.
Secondly, it creates an important history of cognitive development for the students. I remember looking back on the essays and short stories I wrote in 5th grade and because of that, can vividly remember the circumstances in which I wrote them, what I was thinking and what I wanted to express. I think it would be quite powerful for a student to look back at his/her middle and high school careers and be able to pin point at which point he/she mastered a particular concept, or had a particular thought. In particular at an age in which students lose their notebooks on a regular basis, and very seldom keep notebooks from one school year to the next.
Firstly, the opportunity to reflect on learning is often neglected in classrooms as teachers are normally pressed for time and meeting content requirements, in particular in DP classes. However, it's important to note that reflection and meta-cognition are key elements of sustained and prolonged learning. Blogs can effectively fill this gap.
Secondly, it creates an important history of cognitive development for the students. I remember looking back on the essays and short stories I wrote in 5th grade and because of that, can vividly remember the circumstances in which I wrote them, what I was thinking and what I wanted to express. I think it would be quite powerful for a student to look back at his/her middle and high school careers and be able to pin point at which point he/she mastered a particular concept, or had a particular thought. In particular at an age in which students lose their notebooks on a regular basis, and very seldom keep notebooks from one school year to the next.
GMAIL
Gmail was one of the first tools that had a significant impact in my e-life.
Before Gmail, I remember backing up and saving pop configuration files and going through a heap of trouble to get my messages synced between my palm pilot and a desktop computer.
Gmail has incessantly increased the tools that are available and has made communication much more efficient, for example through the chat window and the method of archiving messages.
I must admit that the latter was one of the biggest 'climbs' in using gmail. Using labels instead of folders can be quite overwhelming at first, but is quite intuitive after you get the hang of it.
For those reasons, and the integration of all other google products, I wouldn't create an account anywhere else if I ever needed it.
For students, I believe a very important aspect is to make sure they understand this filing system; making sure that messages are not archived if they haven't been dealt with (out of sight, out of mind), or turn them into tasks/add them to the calendar; also making sure that messages are categorized and organized in a way that they are easily retrieved later (perhaps, by creating a label for each subject).
One of the down sides of gmail and its chat window is having students becoming distracted by it when they're supposed to be working on something individually. This, however, can be easily avoided by having a vigilant teacher (hint: students hardly giggle if they're working on a Biology paper).
Before Gmail, I remember backing up and saving pop configuration files and going through a heap of trouble to get my messages synced between my palm pilot and a desktop computer.
Gmail has incessantly increased the tools that are available and has made communication much more efficient, for example through the chat window and the method of archiving messages.
I must admit that the latter was one of the biggest 'climbs' in using gmail. Using labels instead of folders can be quite overwhelming at first, but is quite intuitive after you get the hang of it.
For those reasons, and the integration of all other google products, I wouldn't create an account anywhere else if I ever needed it.
For students, I believe a very important aspect is to make sure they understand this filing system; making sure that messages are not archived if they haven't been dealt with (out of sight, out of mind), or turn them into tasks/add them to the calendar; also making sure that messages are categorized and organized in a way that they are easily retrieved later (perhaps, by creating a label for each subject).
One of the down sides of gmail and its chat window is having students becoming distracted by it when they're supposed to be working on something individually. This, however, can be easily avoided by having a vigilant teacher (hint: students hardly giggle if they're working on a Biology paper).
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