Podcasting as an Educational Tool
I love the use of pod-casting as an educational tool, be them created by the teacher specifically for the class, or one of the educational podcasts found on iTunes. It seems as though today it is impossible to get teens to put down their MP3 player, so why not harness that technology to benefit them in the classroom? With the number of free pod-casts available through iTunes, teachers of any subject can find video or audio pod-casts to compliment lessons. Or, if a teacher would like to make customized pod-casts, that is possible too for a minimal fee. The use of technology could help increase student interest because the iPod or any other MP3 player is something they are familiar with using and enjoy. As I looked through the iTunes selection of pod-casts I immediately thought of one of my students who is in the process of learning English as a second language. The day after class I showed him the free pod-casts designed for native Spanish speakers learning English and he was so excited to have some extra tutorials. Too often teachers think of MP3 players as something that is a distraction to students instead of harnessing the technology for the benefit of education. It is time to spread the word, pod-casting works to complement education.
As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, remember those that may not have a meal at all. Donate food, or time to a food cupboard or community shelter to help those that are in need, and give everyone a reason for being thankful.
Into the Web we go
Web page authoring is an aspect of technology and the Internet that I have wanted to learn for a long time. Although we may only be scratching the surface of dream-weaver, and not learning any html coding, it excites me to finally have some instruction in the basics of the program. The idea of having my own web page, be it for personal or classroom use is really exciting. On the page I could display my student’s or my own art work, and maybe even sell some. Web Page authoring is something I may even have to take an entire class on once I have finished my masters for certification.
As we begin the non linear powerpoint assignment I am also excited. Not only do I get to work within my content area, but I get to produce a presentation that I will be able to use when teaching. We have decided to focus our presentation on Pop artist Roy Lichtenstein, and I was amazed at the number of images he created that I had never seen before. This assignment seems like it may be one of the more fun projects to complete, and a welcome change after writing a paper.
VOTE – 11/4/08 – Make your voice heard – VOTE
Education in the World of Misinformation
Educating students has become even harder as a result of the vast amount of misinformation available in this digital era. Now that massive information on any topic is only a google away, doing real research in books is becoming seemingly obsolete amongst the high school students I work with. I too rely on google for things such as definitions and phone numbers that I used to look up in books. That being said, I do not think enough is being done to demonstrate to students the importance of old fashioned research from books or cross referencing your Internetsources. I finally understand why my college professors required both Internet and hard copy sources for our research papers.
Its obvious that the Internet provides a wealth of information that can be accessed at any time and it is now the job of parents and teachers to come together to help children with how to discern between what is good and what is bad. All children should know from any early age that the anyone can put something on the Internet, and just because you can google it does not mean it is a fact. Several times I have had to explain to 7th graders that websites frequently contain faulty information, and can be put online by anyone. Students need to know how to filter information and the importance of cross referencing to verify the information they are using. As educators, we all want our students to learn, and Internet resources are wonderful learning tools as long as they are used to learn the correct information. So we all need to teach young students, and continually remind older students to sort through the data smog and info garbage, and get to the valid facts.
Education in the Digital Era
As we begin learning new technologies to implement in the classroom, I find myself reflecting upon my own experiences with education as a student. The time period I think about most is my high school years because I currently teach in a school that has grades 7-12. I constantly find myself comparing the experiences I had as a teenager in the mid 1990s with the experiences of my current students. After learning the Inspiration program, I felt as though it would have helped me so much during my own high school education. As a visual learner, the program would have assisted with classes that I struggled in such as math. After learning Inspiration, I also wondered how it could assist my students for not only brainstorming activities in my Studio Art classes, but also in their other classes. As an educator it excites me to see programs that assist in learning and make it fun, however application in the classroom becomes difficult when schools do not have a lot of computers for students to work.
New technologies in the field of art continue to excite me both as an artist and an educator. Programs such as Photoshop, Illustrator and Flash give artists and students endless ways to manipulate images with the click of a mouse. Also, as the field of Graphic Design continues to grow, the knowledge of such programs can lead students to successful careers.
