Please leave your name, number, and homework after the tone...

   My first contact with podcasts was brief, accidental, and uninformative.  It was basically a group of guys arguing opinions on the details of a football game that had recently ended.  It seemed as though there was no legitimacy to the conversation and any credentials that these men had were not made apparent through their words.  However, I recently became more knowledgeable of podcasts and other similar programs.  While the random guys bickering about the football game is an example of a podcast, it is not indicative of the entire scope of what a podcast is, nor does it reflect the true utility in the classroom.  

    Being a foreign language teacher, I am sure that I will be using some form of podcast or a sister program in my classroom at some point.  Auditory learning usually takes a back seat to visual learning, which is somewhat warranted, but using the visual stimuli in addition to the auditory feedback is extremely useful and effective.  I have found that listening comprehension is a very difficult aspect of learning a foreign language.  Podcasts and other programs such as google voice allow students to practice their auditory skills as well as their oral affluence. 

    For instance, I am currently in a college course where our homework is to call into a google voice number a couple times a week and speak in a foreign language.  It is very little work for the teacher and it allows the student to complete the task on his/her time. Podcasts could be used much in the same way.  Students could record a conversation in a foreign language that is taking place in a virtual cafe.  Allowing students to get creative with means such as podcasts and google voice to complete assignments is an effective way to reach the interests of increasingly tech savvy students.  It is also a great way to gauge comprehension and assess the skill level of your students.  This can be done as a take home assignment or something that the students complete outside of school and bring it in to share with the class.  It seems as though the options are wider than one would think.  Especially one who thought podcasts were exclusive to terrible sports talk.  I got schooled. Hopefully I can school some students with this material.

    

My Badges > Your Badges

     Thursdays are long. We're all getting a pretty good sense of what it's going to be like to leave the house in the morning and get home at night without ever seeing the sun. Good times. Towards the end of last Thursday night, however, we were treated with a presentation by a Mr. Pete Pasque.  There was one element of his presentation that really struck me and got me thinking about the future of education and where this idea of BADGES falls in line.  

This photo was taken from a google images search of badges.

     The idea behind badges intensely intrigues me; especially in a foreign language.  I am imagining a certain badge for mastering the verb Aller, for example.  I can also see awarding badges to a student who masters a certain tense or area of vocabulary.  The possibilities, it seems, are endless with implementing badges to award student performance in a specific trade or concept.  Soon after brainstorming all of these possibilities, it seemed that the badge was too 'undefinable' to be of any use.  If anyone can create a badge, then why would it mean anything to a college or any institution that is trying to gauge academic performance, etc.  It seems to me that the key to badges is in the process of listing the credentials that the badge is representative of.  

     While he was presenting, I began to think of how well badges would work in my placement.  I have recently noticed a very competitive atmosphere between a number of students at the school.  It seems that competition drives their motivation to perform and increase their skill.  There's nothing wrong with a little friendly competition, right?  Being someone who embraced this idea as a middle and high schooler, I was ready to jump on board as soon as Pete mentioned this idea.  However, I wavered slightly because of something a friend told me reflecting back on a high school experience.  This person did not enjoy the competition, the recognition, or to be given any accolades that would put (z)er on display.  Strange for some of us to imagine, and maybe not so strange for others.  I realize that striving for medals can inspire hard work and increase productivity, but I am not certain that it would have the same effect across the board with all students.  I know it entices me, but I am not a reflection of the vast, diverse student population that is changing constantly and evolving each and every day.  Nevertheless, I left Mr. Pasque's presentation curious about the idea of badges and if they really could replace the rigid standards that make up most of school's forms of assessments.  

The Battle on the Mediterranean

French Battleships

         The theme of gaming in the classroom has sparked an incredible amount of thinking and excitement.  In the midst of the elation and thoughtful pondering (redundant<?), I realized that I am experiencing exactly the type of reaction that we are hoping to generate in our students. I would be ecstatic if even one my my students felt inspired to think of different ways that my lesson could be utilized in his or her future life. Cultivating an exciting atmosphere where students are engaged and motivated to participate is something to which I am committed. I also feel that this can be achieved by implementing activities much like the one we experienced in our class today.  Here is one idea I have for integrating a gaming approach to my french lesson:

Anyone remember playing this? Well get ready. Because Mr. Wilson is about to tell you how the game of Battleship and the French language meet in open waters.

     The idea I have for the lesson is to utilize the existing basic strategies used in the game battleship. In case you are unaware of the game, here is a link to the basic rules and objectives: 

http://boardgames.about.com/od/battleship/a/Rules-of-Battleship.htm

    The twist for my french lesson is to use subjects in place of the rows and verbs in place of the columns. In order for a successful guess or "missile launch", students will need to correctly conjugate the verb according to the specific subject. The game will then be played out much like the regular version.  Of course, this is also an opportunity to teach the students about nautical vocabulary and perhaps a history lesson on the usage of naval vessels in World War II. I am not aware of any program that is capable of performing this task online, but I have learned anything in this education with technology course, it is that the possibilities are endless with what we, as teachers, have at our disposal to enhance our classroom instruction. This transition period, as it has been labeled, offers us a chance to take risks and tap into resources that would be otherwise impossible without the use of technology and games.  

Hakuna Matata

I recently explored the blog of a french teacher by the name of Ms. Perkins. I was instantly drawn to her blog by her use of videos, pictures, and creatively placed texts.  Right away, I felt a sense of enthusiasm and joy that she carries in her work. The organization of her work was appealing and had purpose.  The description of her blog basically said that her blog was her french class lessons and her thoughts.  She wants people who read her blog to gain an understanding and appreciated for the language through her material.
    I began to read into the most recent post she had made which concerned Mr. Bean and a lesson that went along with it. The blog post is titled (translated by me) Mr. Bean's sandwich.  There is a short video clip and then a subsequent set of activities. It seems like a rather fun activity that could be given to a french class.  She even gives examples of what instructions to give along with each lesson/activity. In addition, she lists what verbs are mentioned, what vocabulary is involved, and a worksheet that could assess understanding. I'm impressed at how much detail went into this post. It is clear that this particular teachers cares a lot about her profession to take the time to craft these well-organized lessons for the world to see and from which to learn.  It was an inspirational experience traversing through her blog.
     As I continued to scroll through some of the other lessons/ideas she had posted, I began to think of which ones I could want to use for my own classroom. I came across a lesson oriented around animals and the zoo. I really enjoyed learning about animals in all my science classes, but I enjoyed it even more when we got to talk about it in french.  Maybe this was because it felt like an extra treat that we weren't supposed to be doing. In any case, I hope that I will be able to generate as much excitement as this teacher seems to create. The reason I chose this blog was not necessarily because it was a french teacher's blog, but because it was titled "No Problems!" (Sans Problemes). Made me think of lion king. And insert DVD.

Mr. Wilson

Going for it in 2

Taking risks in Education

         Taking risks in order to achieve success sounds so idealistic and distant at times.  It is something on a poster in our rooms that we glance at, but rarely practice in our lives. I don't want to make too many assumptions about the general population, but I don't think it's too far of a stretch to say that most of our daily lives consist of following routines and schedules.  Obviously some of us take more risks than others, but what I want to discuss is the potential risks in education.  In many ways, education has morphed into that stagnant cycle that produces drones instead of innovators.  A risk in education would involve taking a chance to break the standard mold in an effort to produce engagement, creativity, and motivation through an idea that goes against the norm.  Our Ed Tech class has got me thinking about the potential rewards that could result from such a daring move.  These are some questions I have floating around as I imagine what it would feel like to have an innovative idea that you wanted to test for the first time: 

Is there a reason that this has never been tried before?

Is it sustainable over a long period of time?

Would kids lose the focus of what I intended to teach by the nature of my "experiment"? 

What if I try it out and see it is not working at an early stage? Do I scrap the idea and start from scratch or do I try to push through and finish the year?

Among others...

        The idea of making teaching like a video game is an interesting and intriguing concept, in my opinion. Because a gross number of adolescents seem to gravitate towards the virtual world of video games, it seems logical to integrate that into the classroom. However, many of these games involve violence, gore, and inappropriate behavior, which we obviously do not want to condone or encourage.  But what if we cut out a few positive components of video games on a broad scale and used that to drive the motivation of the students? For example, if you created a scenario where all the students created a gamer profile that accrues points (hw, quizzes, etc.), it might give them a real sense of ownership over their work and push them to put effort into their work in fear of missing out on points if they don't.  The obvious drawback to this idea is that for people who could care less about games and points, they would probably tune out and fall behind. On the other hand, if you gave incentives to tag along with this idea, it may bring the entire class motivation up a notch.  The idea of leveling up, which is common in many games, can be implemented in a variety of ways in the classroom. Bonus rounds and multipliers can be integrated into special activities and group work. The biggest idea behind this concept is to get the students to learn while having fun. Clearly learning is not going to be a blast all the time, but using gaming in the classroom might just be enough to make a difference. That's what we're all trying to accomplish, right? 

     Going for a par 5 in two is often associated with many risks. There are lakes, trees, bunkers, and obstacles that strike fear into the hearts of the conservative folks who aren't willing to let themselves fail every once and a while. In schools, these obstacles represent the structured curriculum and standardized tests that are expected to be followed. Taking the safe route may not get you in trouble, but I feel that it diminishes the opportunity for something much more satisfying and rewarding. Take out the 3 wood and give it a whack. 

20 Questions

How can skepticism improve learning?

     Being open minded is an important skill to have, is it not? Accepting information without any filter, however, can be dangerous and foolish.  On the other hand, being too skeptical and cynical about everything we see and read will result in an isolated life of fear and doubt. No one wants that. So how de strike the balance of being open minded and skeptical and why is that important? Perhaps the better question is how do we get students to find that "happy medium" of skepticism? To answer those questions we must anticipate the subsequent inquires that children will have when we tell them they skepticism is a fragile, yet vital tool to have as a learner and personal, in general.  Here are a few of the thoughts I have after exploring the reasons that we question/absorb/reflect information and the individual experiences that lead us to those conclusions:

        The environment in which we grow up has a tremendous  affect on what beliefs and opinions we bring to any given source of information. This component alone sparks all kinds of inquiry and debate, but I want to focus on the individual aspect of assessing information, and even more specifically, information found on the web or through technology. The path I took to reach a "neutral stance" or "intelligent understanding"of a source was a process of determining the meaning of the article. Here is one example:                                                      

       There was a time when I would read "news" and soak in every bit of information thinking that people could not lie on the internet. That naive mindset slowly faded as I began to understand the author of that "news" had a purpose and a motive behind writing the information. Once I began to ask myself questions pertaining to the motive behind writing, I slowly started to realize that there was a bias laced into most pieces of literature.  However vague or obvious, this opinion based information allowed me to see that there were different perspectives that could be had on a certain matter. Furthermore, there wasn't a right and a wrong answer, just an opinion.  

      The activity today really got me thinking deeply about how and why we question the motives people have to speak their opinion or write their thoughts for many to see. As a student, what reasons do you have to be skeptical towards the teacher? Maybe (s)he is always asking me to answer because he wants to make me look bad and knows that I don't know the answer . I think Mr. X wants us to do this work so he can check his fantasy football results. I feel that Ms. Y is only concerned with our test scores because that is how she gets paid.

    I have only begun to imagine the types of skepticism we will all face as teachers. I do know that a certain amount of cynicism is necessary to develop an intelligent understanding of something, but how much is up for debate. I, personally, practice little skepticism in my day unless it is a certain area or content that I know to be predictably bias one way or the other. The questions I will consider moving forward with this thought in mind is how I will inform students of the importance of curiosity/skepticism? As well as how I can use activities like the 20 questions game today to make it engaging, fun, yet thought provoking.  

Mr. Wilson

If you hit the train tracks, you've gone too far...

Organizing your online life

    I need some sense of direction or guidance when it comes to venturing out into an unfamiliar realm, especially one as limitless and confusing as the internet can be.  As I pull out my compass and map, I start to realize that organizing an online life is much like organizing our daily schedules. There are varying degrees of order that can be seen with the likes of: colored tabs in folders, daily planners, calendars with different colored markers that correspond with different subjects, etc. However, perhaps needless to say, it is infinitely more complex when dealing with technology.  That doesn't necessarily mean that complexity is synonymous with difficulty, especially with the various tools at our disposal. For example, most of us today are aware of a few common tools that make online activities simpler and more efficient: google and wikipedia are arguable the most common of the sort.  I was recently introduced to a new (for me) tool that also enhances searching, but this specific website is engineered to help teachers and students engage in a virtual world of learning. It is my pleasure to introduce you to Gooru. 

*Notice*- The site does require some experimenting before getting comfortable with all of the customizable features. It is not as easy to use as google, but I feel it is much more useful and versatile. I recommend watching the tutorial found on the home page: http://www.goorulearning.org/#!discover

A brief overview of Gooru:

1) It is a search engine for learning that allows teachers to discover a topic related to learning. Unlike many other search engines, however, Gooru is explicitly designed to search for teaching tools. While searching, a member of Gooru (it's free) can filter the search to a degree I have never before seen. Search filters include grade level, subject area, even standards for teaching! For example, an earth science teacher can narrow a search of volcanoes down to {videos} for {high school}.

*Once I have found a tool that teaches me how to properly use screenshots, this post will (hopefully) be of much more use.

2) Once you have found a search that meets the criteria you desire, you are free to organize your findings into a customized playlist. Let me extrapolate. This site allows a teacher to form what's called a collection: a list of materials he/she would like to compile into a focused lesson.  For example, (keeping with the science teacher) a biology teacher can create a collection of "The Cell" or "Mitosis". After finding an appropriate set of materials that correlate with each title, all the teacher has to do is drag and drop the selected item into the collection. Once there, the user is free to edit, customize, and supplement the material with links and guides. The "share" option allows the teacher the option to create links to make the material public, open for sharing, or private. Another cool feature of Gooru is not all of the organizing needs to be done by the teacher. There are plenty of already existing collections that you can choose to use faithfully, or edit to your preference. 

3) once collections are created, the user has the option to create a lesson that can be interactive for students. If you select the "sharing" option, the teacher is given a link that he/she can give to the students.  The link will direct them to the collection the teacher has created which allows students to work through the lesson at their own pace and leisure.  This teach option is incredibly versatile and permits the teacher to use several different methods to integrate into the lesson. 

4) The fourth and final quadrant of this site allows students to study material provided by the teacher. This is a feature much more confined to the activities offered and constructed by the instructor. Similar to the teach compartment, the study feature can be a powerpoint, list of notes, online quiz, or a combination of them all.  

In short, it is a personalized study session for students that can be organized and controlled by the teacher.

  As I begin to explore these new tools available online, I can't help but feel overwhelmed with all of the possibilities. In saying that, I am excited to practice working with sites like this that will no doubt give me advantages I would otherwise not have.  I am looking forward to learning about the other sites in class tomorrow, in hopes of further expanding my knowledge of ways to organize my online life. 

Mr. Wilson