Monday, December 08, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Programming Programs: What Do Students Really Need to Know?
We have been discussing, those of us who have a stake in the technology education of our students, what high school students need to learn in the arena of programming as preparation for college and careers.
Our new technology teacher, who is fresh out of college and therefore an expert, reports that most students who are not Computer Science majors need to be comfortable with the workings of Office, perhaps some of the iLife applications and their PC equivalents, and effective use of the Internet. His experience tells him that most students who go beyond the basics of technology in their college courses do so using media applications, hence the needed exposure to iLife, etc.
This still left us wondering a bit about teaching Programming -- where do we begin with something that changes every nano-second? What are the skills students need to learn? Where do we start?
When I found myself and my laptop ensconced in a booth at Panera during my July vacation (they have free wifi, and I had no Internet access either at my mother's or my brother's homes in Huntsville, Alabama), I couldn't help eavesdropping on the guys in the next booth, who were obviously deep into webspeak. As I was packing up, I introduced myself as an educator and asked one baseball-capped young man (his companion was in the vestibule on his cell phone) if he wouldn't mind answering a few questions....
It turns out he works in web development for a new start-up out of Denver. He had a good first job just out of college, but happily gave it up for the pleasures of tele-commuting. I asked him what he thought students should learn by way of programming -- he was entirely self-taught before college -- and he recommended this progression: a basic introduction to the concepts of programming (like Alice or Scratch), Java, Flash, and then "anything else that's out there." With those things under their virtual belts, he felt, students could then strike out into the digital world and follow their own programming interests.
This sounds logical to me, but that's easy to say for someone who has no programming no-how whatsoever. I'd love to hear what others may think.
Our new technology teacher, who is fresh out of college and therefore an expert, reports that most students who are not Computer Science majors need to be comfortable with the workings of Office, perhaps some of the iLife applications and their PC equivalents, and effective use of the Internet. His experience tells him that most students who go beyond the basics of technology in their college courses do so using media applications, hence the needed exposure to iLife, etc.
This still left us wondering a bit about teaching Programming -- where do we begin with something that changes every nano-second? What are the skills students need to learn? Where do we start?
When I found myself and my laptop ensconced in a booth at Panera during my July vacation (they have free wifi, and I had no Internet access either at my mother's or my brother's homes in Huntsville, Alabama), I couldn't help eavesdropping on the guys in the next booth, who were obviously deep into webspeak. As I was packing up, I introduced myself as an educator and asked one baseball-capped young man (his companion was in the vestibule on his cell phone) if he wouldn't mind answering a few questions....
It turns out he works in web development for a new start-up out of Denver. He had a good first job just out of college, but happily gave it up for the pleasures of tele-commuting. I asked him what he thought students should learn by way of programming -- he was entirely self-taught before college -- and he recommended this progression: a basic introduction to the concepts of programming (like Alice or Scratch), Java, Flash, and then "anything else that's out there." With those things under their virtual belts, he felt, students could then strike out into the digital world and follow their own programming interests.
This sounds logical to me, but that's easy to say for someone who has no programming no-how whatsoever. I'd love to hear what others may think.
Monday, April 07, 2008
Chinquavocab: Beguile (Othello, Act I)
Listen here for a sample Gabcast from my English II class. The link will also take you to all our podcasts for vocabulary from Shakespeare's Othello. Gabcast! Chinquavocab #3
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Chinquavocab #1: Welcome
Gabcast! Chinquavocab #1
This is my first attempt using Gabcast to upload audio files via cell phone. We will be using this in English II over the next few weeks to study vocabulary. If this project takes off, I'll set up a separate blog for it.
This is my first attempt using Gabcast to upload audio files via cell phone. We will be using this in English II over the next few weeks to study vocabulary. If this project takes off, I'll set up a separate blog for it.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Students Go Digital-Global
I would like to invite my readers to take a look at the wiki created by the students in my junior-level Language Arts class last fall. Students were asked to create the wiki, start to finish, including the writing, design, images, and organization, based on written responses and discussions throughout the year. Students became motivated to think about how technology both rules and enhances their lives -- and to share their ideas and proposals with the world. Hence, our digitalglobal wiki.
If you would like to get a sense from students themselves about how they see the technological changes affecting their world, take a look. We would be thrilled to hear your responses here!
Sunday, December 02, 2007
6th-Graders on Excellence
What do 6th-graders have to say on the subject of excellence?
Here is my recent work with a colleague's class. I asked these students to respond to photographs that suggested "excellence" (a photograph of Judith Jamieson dancing jubilantly, a photograph of a soccer player sitting on the field looking dejected). Then we moved on to voicethread.com , where they responded to photographs of students as well as their own drawings depicting excellence. Their observations are pretty marvelous!
They were excited about this project and eager to try all the aspects of the voicethread application. I could see this tool being used in all kinds of new ways in the classroom!
Here is my recent work with a colleague's class. I asked these students to respond to photographs that suggested "excellence" (a photograph of Judith Jamieson dancing jubilantly, a photograph of a soccer player sitting on the field looking dejected). Then we moved on to voicethread.com , where they responded to photographs of students as well as their own drawings depicting excellence. Their observations are pretty marvelous!
They were excited about this project and eager to try all the aspects of the voicethread application. I could see this tool being used in all kinds of new ways in the classroom!
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Speed Teaching Ourselves
At this past weekend's NMSA conference, I learned the concept of “Speed Teaching” from a session on "The Adolescent Brain: Reaching and Teaching" presented by David Vawter. So I've applied the basis concepts of the Six Rs -- Reflexes, Reflection, Review, Reteaching, Relevancy, Ready for what is next -- to how my colleagues and I might make the most of what we learned at the conference.
Reflexes: The brain is designed to add physicality to learning.
For Friday’s 2-3 minute presentation, use blocking or gestures to represent the most significant thing you learned at the conference. (Don’t be afraid to be silly.)
Reflection: “If you want long-term retention, you must have reflection.”
Blog (or journal) your responses to something powerful you learned at the conference. Share something valuable with a “neighbor” at the coffee station or at lunch or by email. Tell a story – let Susan videotape you? -- that makes connections to emotions to establish memories (or memory retention). Pass anything relevant along to me, and I will be happy to disseminate it.
Review: When the brain creates new connections, it immediately coats that link with a chemical to make it forget what it learned (this is to avoid a brain-wide meltdown). To overcome this, we must consciously create a coating of mylin so it won’t be forgotten. Thus, it is not a matter of how long we study, but of how many times we briefly review what we have learned or how many times we use a new concept. The first review creates one coat of mylin; the fourth creates four coats of mylin. Add up four reviews and you have ten coats of mylin, and a long-lasting connection.
So, review your notes from the meeting. Pass along what you have learned at the NMSA in more than one way: email a colleague, tell stories, teach via blogging, make school-wide proposals on the wiki (I’ve created a space for this), copy a handout for our shared file (to be placed by the copier) and write a note about its relevance. Each time you do something, you will be making the connections stronger in your own mind.
Re-teaching: Contrary to popular belief, it is not the same thing over again only louder and slower. Re-teaching involves new strategies or formats. Teach to a different learning preference each time: oral, auditory, visual, kinetic. Use students who “got it” the first time.
Don’t be afraid to tell people something they’ve heard before. Put it in a new format, perhaps a PowerPoint or iMovie?
Relevancy: This comes in two varieties – making it relevant to your life and making sense of why you are doing it.
Come up with a way you can immediately apply something you’ve learned in one of your classes (thus, making it relevant to your life). Remind yourself you are doing this because it helps you retain what you have learned (thus, meta-cognitively reinforcing your learning)
Ready for what is next: preview.
Give me a blurb of your “nugget” for Friday’s meeting? Pique our interest? I’ll create a trailer? Okay, maybe an agenda?
Reflexes: The brain is designed to add physicality to learning.
For Friday’s 2-3 minute presentation, use blocking or gestures to represent the most significant thing you learned at the conference. (Don’t be afraid to be silly.)
Reflection: “If you want long-term retention, you must have reflection.”
Blog (or journal) your responses to something powerful you learned at the conference. Share something valuable with a “neighbor” at the coffee station or at lunch or by email. Tell a story – let Susan videotape you? -- that makes connections to emotions to establish memories (or memory retention). Pass anything relevant along to me, and I will be happy to disseminate it.
Review: When the brain creates new connections, it immediately coats that link with a chemical to make it forget what it learned (this is to avoid a brain-wide meltdown). To overcome this, we must consciously create a coating of mylin so it won’t be forgotten. Thus, it is not a matter of how long we study, but of how many times we briefly review what we have learned or how many times we use a new concept. The first review creates one coat of mylin; the fourth creates four coats of mylin. Add up four reviews and you have ten coats of mylin, and a long-lasting connection.
So, review your notes from the meeting. Pass along what you have learned at the NMSA in more than one way: email a colleague, tell stories, teach via blogging, make school-wide proposals on the wiki (I’ve created a space for this), copy a handout for our shared file (to be placed by the copier) and write a note about its relevance. Each time you do something, you will be making the connections stronger in your own mind.
Re-teaching: Contrary to popular belief, it is not the same thing over again only louder and slower. Re-teaching involves new strategies or formats. Teach to a different learning preference each time: oral, auditory, visual, kinetic. Use students who “got it” the first time.
Don’t be afraid to tell people something they’ve heard before. Put it in a new format, perhaps a PowerPoint or iMovie?
Relevancy: This comes in two varieties – making it relevant to your life and making sense of why you are doing it.
Come up with a way you can immediately apply something you’ve learned in one of your classes (thus, making it relevant to your life). Remind yourself you are doing this because it helps you retain what you have learned (thus, meta-cognitively reinforcing your learning)
Ready for what is next: preview.
Give me a blurb of your “nugget” for Friday’s meeting? Pique our interest? I’ll create a trailer? Okay, maybe an agenda?
Sunday, October 07, 2007
Colorful
At the Heart of Texas Fair, in Waco, last night. Forgot my camera, so I used my phone, and this is what I got. Looking for color where we can find it, adding color to our lives.
Okay, so I took this picture with the "colorful" tag at flickr.com in mind. I am aware of how social networking and blogging have given new importance to the still photograph.
I am looking for new ways to explore using visual photography in my teaching. In the spring, I'll be teaching "Creative Media" and will start to employ some of what I learned through the Literacy through Photography program at Fotofest here in Houston.
Has the advent of flickr and other ways to share photographs changed how we "see"?
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