Sunday, January 27, 2013
Blog Post #2
"Did You Know"
Dr. Strange's Did You Know? 3.0- A John Strange 2012 Version is really eye opening. We are told all the time how are world is growing so much technologically, but many of us never realize just how big the numbers really are. I never really stopped and thought about just how many other people could be on YouTube simultaneously with me. I believe the growth of technology is great. Technology is constantly on a rapidly transforming pace. While technology isn't everything our world is about, it certainly opens many doors to new opportunities and ways to learn. We are truly learning in a different way than our grandparents and even our parents did.
Kids in school today are even using technology more than those of us who just graduated a few years ago. I see this firsthand when my nieces and nephews tell me how they get to play on the Wii in P.E. class. I was surprised that even kids as young as eight have a computer. It's amazing to see how much the world truly outnumbers the U.S. India and the Chinese leave us well behind in their dust when it comes to the number of designated Honor Students and even speaking our native language of English.
Mr. Winkle Wakes
This is a short animated video created by Matthew Needleman. The video begins with Mr. Winkle waking up from a 100 year long nap. He is blown away by the use of technology he finds in the office building such as business people communicating with each other from across the world. He begins to feel sick, so he goes to the hospital where he finds more technology that he has never seen before. Mr. Winkle then finds himself in a school where students are seated in rows while a teacher lectures them. Mr. Winkle feels right at home at the school. The school is exactly as he remembered it.
Many people's views will be hard to change, especially if they are new to the world of technology. Before college, about 95% of my work was done using the standard pencil and paper method. College opened up a new world for me, but it soon became quite beneficial to me since I am more of a hands-on learner. Technology is constantly growing and changing; we must simply learn to live with it.
Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity
Robinson is a firm believer in creativity. Robinson compares creativity to literacy. He obviously holds creativity to high standards. He argues children themselves aren't afraid to make mistakes, but as a society we teach them to be afraid of being wrong. Mistakes are an important learning tool. When we make a mistake, we gain the experience to know what to do differently next time. For example, when we learned to walk or ride a bike we had to just keep going until we were successful. Robinson points out that as we grow older we are less creative. Schools do not necessarily help this fact because they are trying to do away with the arts, such as music.
Robinson talks about the hierarchy in the school systems across the world. Math is at the top, next comes languages, followed by science, and finishing off with music/art. I agree with Robinson about the fact that creativity is being pushed out of schools. Creativity is a way of expression of individuality and is something that should be kept in the schools.
I have only used Pinterest for a few weeks, but it is quite interesting. Pinterest allows you to follow the activity of others and learn from them. It's almost like having your own personal library of ideas. Pinterest allows you to not only find new ideas, but to explore new areas you may have not looked at before.
Pinterest is an excellent way to keep up with the new ideas. It allows everyone to stay up to date and pretty much on the same page with whatever happens to be trending at the time. Pinterest is a great tool to use to design activities for students. It can also be used as a decorating tool.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Blog Post #1
About Me
As you can see my name is Laura Carpenter. I am twenty years old. I chose to attend the University of South Alabama because,in a sense, I was raised a Jaguar fan. Not only was my mom an employee of the University, but I am the third of my siblings to attend USA. I was born here in Mobile and have lived here all my life. Originally a Radiology major, I changed over to Elementary Education last spring.I developed a love for interaction with kids through all the time I spend with my total of thirteen nieces and nephews. I am quite popular with them. My interest in education also developed through my passion for English/Language Arts. English has always been my strongest subject in the academic environment. In high school, a few of my poems were published in National Anthology books. You may be thinking,well why didn't she just major in English? I chose English as my minor. A unique fact about me is I am the youngest of eight, although I am the only one between my parents. I have four half brothers and three half sisters, but we are very close. Despite the eleven year age difference between the closest one to me and about twenty years age difference between the oldest and I, they are some of my best friendsAll four of my brothers serve in the military. Another unique fact is that I was a special gift for my parents, considering they were in their forties when I was born. This led many to believe they were my grandparents.
I have encountered many challenges over the past eight years. During my brother's first tour in Iraq, he was the only survivor in a roadside car bombing. In 2005, my family's house was flooded during Hurricane Katrina. We salvaged what we could, but many irreplaceable photos and other items were lost. We lived in a FEMA trailer in our front yard while we repaired our house. Shortly after I started high school in 2006, my mom was diagnosed with lung cancer due to secondhand smoke. She has come a long way being in and out of remission, but sadly the most recent find was a tumor on her brain. This has changed her significantly. I believe all these obstacles were put into my life only to make me stronger and to learn from experiences for what is to come in my future.
My Future Classroom
When I become a teacher I plan to use quite a bit of technology in my classroom. In my opinion, this will allow for my students to experience hands-on learning. This will also be a good learning/teaching tool considering what a technical world we live in. I,myself, find it easier to retain what I have learned through interaction rather than following along with some lecture. As the motto goes for this course, I do not want to encourage "burp-back" learning. I would much rather encourage my students to develop their own opinions and ideas. I took the Arts in Education class last semester and it really brought my attention to how important incorporating the arts into the curriculum is important. I plan to use this in my future classroom.
I plan to be an encouraging teacher rather than one of the no personality and this is how it is type of teachers. I believe a student is more inclined to learn from a teacher whom they feel cares about them rather than one whom just sees them as a statistic. I plan on mastering in English and I hope to encourage my students to develop an appreciation for literature rather than just seeing it as a required reading.
Time Management
I like how Dr. Pausch encourages putting the "ugliest" task at the top of your to-do list. This makes it stand out like a sore thumb and less likely to put off until the very end. I find his idea to plan your days, then your weeks, and then your semester interesting. Rather than starting out with the big picture, he is encouraging you to start small and work your way up to the big picture. Pausch makes a claim to ask yourself WHY you're doing something ,WHY you'll succeed , and what will happen when you DO NOT do something on your list. I believe these are excellent questions to ask yourself because you will get a much better sense of what direction you intend to head versus what direction you are currently heading.
As you can see my name is Laura Carpenter. I am twenty years old. I chose to attend the University of South Alabama because,in a sense, I was raised a Jaguar fan. Not only was my mom an employee of the University, but I am the third of my siblings to attend USA. I was born here in Mobile and have lived here all my life. Originally a Radiology major, I changed over to Elementary Education last spring.I developed a love for interaction with kids through all the time I spend with my total of thirteen nieces and nephews. I am quite popular with them. My interest in education also developed through my passion for English/Language Arts. English has always been my strongest subject in the academic environment. In high school, a few of my poems were published in National Anthology books. You may be thinking,well why didn't she just major in English? I chose English as my minor. A unique fact about me is I am the youngest of eight, although I am the only one between my parents. I have four half brothers and three half sisters, but we are very close. Despite the eleven year age difference between the closest one to me and about twenty years age difference between the oldest and I, they are some of my best friendsAll four of my brothers serve in the military. Another unique fact is that I was a special gift for my parents, considering they were in their forties when I was born. This led many to believe they were my grandparents.
I have encountered many challenges over the past eight years. During my brother's first tour in Iraq, he was the only survivor in a roadside car bombing. In 2005, my family's house was flooded during Hurricane Katrina. We salvaged what we could, but many irreplaceable photos and other items were lost. We lived in a FEMA trailer in our front yard while we repaired our house. Shortly after I started high school in 2006, my mom was diagnosed with lung cancer due to secondhand smoke. She has come a long way being in and out of remission, but sadly the most recent find was a tumor on her brain. This has changed her significantly. I believe all these obstacles were put into my life only to make me stronger and to learn from experiences for what is to come in my future.
My Future Classroom
When I become a teacher I plan to use quite a bit of technology in my classroom. In my opinion, this will allow for my students to experience hands-on learning. This will also be a good learning/teaching tool considering what a technical world we live in. I,myself, find it easier to retain what I have learned through interaction rather than following along with some lecture. As the motto goes for this course, I do not want to encourage "burp-back" learning. I would much rather encourage my students to develop their own opinions and ideas. I took the Arts in Education class last semester and it really brought my attention to how important incorporating the arts into the curriculum is important. I plan to use this in my future classroom.
I plan to be an encouraging teacher rather than one of the no personality and this is how it is type of teachers. I believe a student is more inclined to learn from a teacher whom they feel cares about them rather than one whom just sees them as a statistic. I plan on mastering in English and I hope to encourage my students to develop an appreciation for literature rather than just seeing it as a required reading.
Time Management
I like how Dr. Pausch encourages putting the "ugliest" task at the top of your to-do list. This makes it stand out like a sore thumb and less likely to put off until the very end. I find his idea to plan your days, then your weeks, and then your semester interesting. Rather than starting out with the big picture, he is encouraging you to start small and work your way up to the big picture. Pausch makes a claim to ask yourself WHY you're doing something ,WHY you'll succeed , and what will happen when you DO NOT do something on your list. I believe these are excellent questions to ask yourself because you will get a much better sense of what direction you intend to head versus what direction you are currently heading.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
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