I was actually around several other people when I began reading “What Sticks”. After reading the introduction about the man and the kidney thieves, I made a disgusted sound and read it aloud. I got the same “wow” that I had given myself, and then I continued on with my day. That was two weeks ago. Today I reopened the article and finished reading it. I didn’t even have to reread that first page, as I remembered it almost exactly. It was, in fact, a story that stuck. That began my interest in reading the rest of the chapter.
How is it that two weeks after reading that story had it stuck with me? I was curious to know because I sometimes have a difficult time remembering things I have read. Maybe this article really held some merit. Those were my beginning thoughts. As I continued reading, I came across other stories that would hold my interest. The popcorn story and the Halloween story kept with me throughout the article. After I completed the reading I sat back and thought for a moment. I actually still have a vision of the razor blade in the apple and a Big Mac and fries in a popcorn bag. That is how I determined what gave this article its merit.
People look for emotion while they are reading or listening to something. They are looking for purpose to continue using their time and energy. This article showed how putting visuals to something people care about make it stick. It puts meaning into what you hear. If I were to read an article about the nation’s economy and it gave me all sorts of big numbers that really meant nothing to me, I would have no greater understanding of the issue at hand than I had before I read it. However, if I had concrete evidence, or a visual, to show me what the downfall in the economy really looked like and how it directly affected me, I might remember it more. It would have more meaning to my life. Reading “What Sticks” made this clear to me.
The “tapping and listening” activity that the article talked about interested me very much. It suggested that one person tap out a common song, such as “Happy Birthday” or “The Star Spangled Banner”, while the listener tried to determine what song the tapper was tapping. The listener did not have a very high success rate. This was because the tapper was able to play the beat of the song in their head while tapping. They already knew what the song was. However, the listener did not have the knowledge that the tapper had and could not play the tune in their head. Instead they were hearing what sounded like morse code. The truth becomes that the tapper has the advantage of already knowing what they are going to tap, and the listener knows nothing.
I use this in the sense of teaching. The teacher has the advantage of already knowing the information that they are going to teach. The student most likely has either limited or no knowledge of the topic. The teacher has to draw to the student’s emotion and connect it with them to make it stick. A person cannot erase what they have already learned. Therefore, the teacher often has difficulty remembering that the students do not know what they know. It is the teacher’s job to make it memorable and make it “stick”.
After reading the introduction to this book, I am interested in reading the whole thing. The theories of what the book wants to send to its’ readers seemed to work with me on just the introduction. I would like to see all the ideas the book has to teach someone how to do the same. I want to find and implement ways to make what I tell my students “stick”.
Monday, January 25, 2010
2010 Educational Technology Plan
The 2010 State of Michigan Educational Technology plan was not an easy read for me. However, after breaking down the information, I found it to have a great number of good ideas. With all good intentions comes a need for outlining a way to carry them out. There are many ideas that I think could be very beneficial to both students and educators, I am just not certain they are all feasibly possible. Although there were many different plans stated, I will focus on those that interested me the most.
The first goal, teaching for learning, is based on educators integrating technology into their everyday teaching. I like the idea of having the technology standards built right into the curriculum. My only concern with this is that it will take away the basis for while technology teachers will plan their curriculum. Presently, technology teachers base their teaching around what the technology standards are. If there are no more standards, what will they base their curriculum around?
I am also a big fan of the new high school graduation requirement of an online learning credit. However, this is one of the good intentions that I think may be difficult to carry out. Having an online learning credit requirement will allow students try out a new learning style, one that may open up new doors for them that they didn’t even know existed. The only problem is making it possible for all students to complete the credit. The school district would have to make computers available to all students. It would almost have to be like instead of meeting in a classroom for, say, third period, they would meet in a computer lab and have the designated time to use the computer and internet to fulfill their requirements.
The second goal of the Technology Plan is leadership. This goal was mainly about continuing to develop and carry through the technology plan, and who would be a part of this process. As of now the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) and Educational Technology Advisory Group (ETAG) are working together with other groups to try and make these goals a success. The second strategy of this goal is to make broadband access available to all educators and students outside of the traditional school building. I think this is a wonderful idea, as many students do not have the privilege of having this access and it would be greatly beneficial of them to have. However, I do not see how this can be done. Internet companies will not agree to allowing them to have it for free, so how else would they have the access “anywhere, anytime” as the goal states. Also, surely, not all school districts will have the funds available to provide this to all students and educators.
The third strategy of this goal states that there will be online access to educators for a plethora of resources. There will also be professional development opportunities to use these resources for effective learning. I think this is a great idea because although the resources will be available, to be able to apply them effectively will increase its use and success rate. This goal also says it will provide grants for educational technology projects. This is great because many teachers have plenty of great technological ideas, but cannot always be carried out because of funds. The question becomes how many funds and how obtainable will they be for educators?
The third goal of the plan is Professional Learning. I found this goal to be exciting as a fairly recent graduate of a teacher preparation program. The MDE wants to integrate these new technology plans into teacher preparation programs to ensure that new teachers are prepared to use them in the classroom. Although continuing to provide professional development opportunities will be essential, it is a great start to have knowledge on how to carry out technology teaching upon graduation.
Although it is important for new teachers to be knowledgeable on educational technology right away, it is also very important to allow experienced teachers the opportunity to learn how to integrate these strategies in their classrooms. This goal allows them to do that. It states that it will provide professional development sessions to show all educators how to be effective when teaching using technology and how to utilize the tools given to them.
Goal four focuses on school and community relations. How will those people that are still associated with student learning but are not present in the classroom at all times learn about the importance of educational technology and how to use it? The first strategy of this goal sets to create an action plan to inform parents, board members, community members, and policy makers of the benefits and concerns of integrating technology in everyday learning. One way they would like to this is to provide online access to data reflecting how educational technology has effective student learning. I like the idea of including the community outside of the school building in the technology plan. It will provide concrete evidence as to how this is beneficial to students, which will in turn create a positive understanding of the changes to traditional teaching without technology.
The fifth and final goal of the action plan is data and information management. I found this goal to be particularly useful in that it not only provides data to educators, but it also shows them how to take that information and apply it to their teaching. Based on findings, how can teachers change what they are teaching to be most beneficial to students? The word I liked most in the first strategy was “simplify”. To make anything simpler to use on an educator is essential. Teachers will not utilize tools provided to them if they are difficult to use and understand. The second strategy of this goal is to have a longitudinal data study on students beginning in PK that follows them post secondary. This will provide a great deal of data as to how teachers can efficiently and successfully alter their teaching to be most beneficial.
The final point of the technology plan that I liked was the fact that the MDE planned on showing educators how to use this data. Data is useless unless it can read properly and then can be used to improve student learning. If teachers know how to read the data and can have a thorough understanding of what it means, they can change some things about their teaching to advance student progress. This, in the end, is the purpose for teaching.
Works Cited:
Michigan Department of Education, . (2009, December). Draft 2010 state of michigan educational technology plan. Retrieved from http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/DRAFT_2010_State_Ed_Tech_Plan_vSBE2_304864_7.pdf
The first goal, teaching for learning, is based on educators integrating technology into their everyday teaching. I like the idea of having the technology standards built right into the curriculum. My only concern with this is that it will take away the basis for while technology teachers will plan their curriculum. Presently, technology teachers base their teaching around what the technology standards are. If there are no more standards, what will they base their curriculum around?
I am also a big fan of the new high school graduation requirement of an online learning credit. However, this is one of the good intentions that I think may be difficult to carry out. Having an online learning credit requirement will allow students try out a new learning style, one that may open up new doors for them that they didn’t even know existed. The only problem is making it possible for all students to complete the credit. The school district would have to make computers available to all students. It would almost have to be like instead of meeting in a classroom for, say, third period, they would meet in a computer lab and have the designated time to use the computer and internet to fulfill their requirements.
The second goal of the Technology Plan is leadership. This goal was mainly about continuing to develop and carry through the technology plan, and who would be a part of this process. As of now the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) and Educational Technology Advisory Group (ETAG) are working together with other groups to try and make these goals a success. The second strategy of this goal is to make broadband access available to all educators and students outside of the traditional school building. I think this is a wonderful idea, as many students do not have the privilege of having this access and it would be greatly beneficial of them to have. However, I do not see how this can be done. Internet companies will not agree to allowing them to have it for free, so how else would they have the access “anywhere, anytime” as the goal states. Also, surely, not all school districts will have the funds available to provide this to all students and educators.
The third strategy of this goal states that there will be online access to educators for a plethora of resources. There will also be professional development opportunities to use these resources for effective learning. I think this is a great idea because although the resources will be available, to be able to apply them effectively will increase its use and success rate. This goal also says it will provide grants for educational technology projects. This is great because many teachers have plenty of great technological ideas, but cannot always be carried out because of funds. The question becomes how many funds and how obtainable will they be for educators?
The third goal of the plan is Professional Learning. I found this goal to be exciting as a fairly recent graduate of a teacher preparation program. The MDE wants to integrate these new technology plans into teacher preparation programs to ensure that new teachers are prepared to use them in the classroom. Although continuing to provide professional development opportunities will be essential, it is a great start to have knowledge on how to carry out technology teaching upon graduation.
Although it is important for new teachers to be knowledgeable on educational technology right away, it is also very important to allow experienced teachers the opportunity to learn how to integrate these strategies in their classrooms. This goal allows them to do that. It states that it will provide professional development sessions to show all educators how to be effective when teaching using technology and how to utilize the tools given to them.
Goal four focuses on school and community relations. How will those people that are still associated with student learning but are not present in the classroom at all times learn about the importance of educational technology and how to use it? The first strategy of this goal sets to create an action plan to inform parents, board members, community members, and policy makers of the benefits and concerns of integrating technology in everyday learning. One way they would like to this is to provide online access to data reflecting how educational technology has effective student learning. I like the idea of including the community outside of the school building in the technology plan. It will provide concrete evidence as to how this is beneficial to students, which will in turn create a positive understanding of the changes to traditional teaching without technology.
The fifth and final goal of the action plan is data and information management. I found this goal to be particularly useful in that it not only provides data to educators, but it also shows them how to take that information and apply it to their teaching. Based on findings, how can teachers change what they are teaching to be most beneficial to students? The word I liked most in the first strategy was “simplify”. To make anything simpler to use on an educator is essential. Teachers will not utilize tools provided to them if they are difficult to use and understand. The second strategy of this goal is to have a longitudinal data study on students beginning in PK that follows them post secondary. This will provide a great deal of data as to how teachers can efficiently and successfully alter their teaching to be most beneficial.
The final point of the technology plan that I liked was the fact that the MDE planned on showing educators how to use this data. Data is useless unless it can read properly and then can be used to improve student learning. If teachers know how to read the data and can have a thorough understanding of what it means, they can change some things about their teaching to advance student progress. This, in the end, is the purpose for teaching.
Works Cited:
Michigan Department of Education, . (2009, December). Draft 2010 state of michigan educational technology plan. Retrieved from http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/DRAFT_2010_State_Ed_Tech_Plan_vSBE2_304864_7.pdf
Friday, January 15, 2010
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is an online website that has a plethora of information available to its viewers. However, the issue being brought up is "wikiality". What exactly is the reality of Wikipedia? After doing research on the topic of wikiality, I came to my own personal conclusion that Wikipedia is not a 100% reliable resourse, therefore, I would not encourage my students or myself to use the website as a source of valuable information.
My conclusion of this topic was first confirmed on the very first day of my freshman year of college during my undergraduate studies. At our library orientation, the students services director brought the Wikipedia website to our attention. She explained to us that any person can go in and edit or add a Wikipedia web page on the Wikipedia web site. There was no need to enter a password or show any credentials. This makes the truth to the information added very questionable. How much of it is actual fact? How much is only the opinion of the editor? Worst yet, how much of the information is completely false?
When doing a quick search on a topic, Wikipedia is often the first result. That leads me to believe that most people that search a topic will most likely first look on Wikipedia. With its contents being viewed so regularly, it makes the page more susceptable to errors because more people have access to changing its contents. When people read something they believe it is true, like they often do when reading the newspaper or watching the news. Why would anybody have reason to think that the information on Wikipedia is not true? Therefore, people are apt to believe that what they are reading is a solid resource. They would have no reason to think that they should get a second opinion or even to change the untrue facts on they website to something that can be backed up by another resource. If anything, reading the information on the website may make someone question their own previous knowledge on a particular topic before they would get a second opinion.
After watching the Colbert video my thoughts about Wikipedia were confirmed. He actually edited the web page with ridiculous information. There was no one there to tell him no, or to ask of proof of his edits, he simply edited the page and continued on. If someone had absolutely no previous knowledge about a topic, they would have no reason not to believe what they were reading. I think this is a scary thought.
My overall conclusion about Wikipedia is that it can have some valuable and real information on it, but because I cannot say that about everything found on the website, it should not be used at all as a reliable resource. Students do research to learn. I would not want them to learn false information because they found it on an unsecured website. I stand behind this opinion the strongest when talking about using Wikipedia in the classroom. All schools that I have worked in have discouraged the use of Wikipedia as a source of information. I stand behind this opinion and will use the same general rule in my classroom.
My conclusion of this topic was first confirmed on the very first day of my freshman year of college during my undergraduate studies. At our library orientation, the students services director brought the Wikipedia website to our attention. She explained to us that any person can go in and edit or add a Wikipedia web page on the Wikipedia web site. There was no need to enter a password or show any credentials. This makes the truth to the information added very questionable. How much of it is actual fact? How much is only the opinion of the editor? Worst yet, how much of the information is completely false?
When doing a quick search on a topic, Wikipedia is often the first result. That leads me to believe that most people that search a topic will most likely first look on Wikipedia. With its contents being viewed so regularly, it makes the page more susceptable to errors because more people have access to changing its contents. When people read something they believe it is true, like they often do when reading the newspaper or watching the news. Why would anybody have reason to think that the information on Wikipedia is not true? Therefore, people are apt to believe that what they are reading is a solid resource. They would have no reason to think that they should get a second opinion or even to change the untrue facts on they website to something that can be backed up by another resource. If anything, reading the information on the website may make someone question their own previous knowledge on a particular topic before they would get a second opinion.
After watching the Colbert video my thoughts about Wikipedia were confirmed. He actually edited the web page with ridiculous information. There was no one there to tell him no, or to ask of proof of his edits, he simply edited the page and continued on. If someone had absolutely no previous knowledge about a topic, they would have no reason not to believe what they were reading. I think this is a scary thought.
My overall conclusion about Wikipedia is that it can have some valuable and real information on it, but because I cannot say that about everything found on the website, it should not be used at all as a reliable resource. Students do research to learn. I would not want them to learn false information because they found it on an unsecured website. I stand behind this opinion the strongest when talking about using Wikipedia in the classroom. All schools that I have worked in have discouraged the use of Wikipedia as a source of information. I stand behind this opinion and will use the same general rule in my classroom.
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