Simulations in Educations

What role do you think simulations have in education?
Using simulation in the classroom can be a great learning resource. Science classes are now using simulations to dissect animals. As a science teacher, this would be an excellent program to have. I wish I had a simulation my students could complete for every lab. Oh, the time it would save. There is something to be said for hands on learning, but in my experience students are just as excited to work with computers as real equipment. I also teach Social Studies. Simulations are an excellent source of learning in this subject. Students get so much out of games like Oregon Trail and Civilization. The only problem is the cost. It is very expensive to legally equip each student to play the games. A new version of Sims will soon be released which allows users to pick from over 400 careers. Each career has detailed information and real life dilemmas users most overcome. This program would be excellent for a high school senior who is about entering the work force. Simulations are extremely important and beneficial in the medical and flight industry, two professions that can afford no mistakes and rely on simulations to ensure success. Why not education? The fact is that simulations should play a greater role in education.

Video Games in Education

The article brings up some interesting points. Like it or not video games play a large part in today’s society. When I was a kid my brother and I would spend most of your time at our neighbor’s house. Not because we liked him but because he has a Nintendo. My father was against any video games in the house which made us want to play even more. When I was fifteen I almost got arrested for stealing from a tip jar at an Asian restraint. Why was I stealing? I wanted to go to the arcade and play video games. “Fifty-eight percent of kids declare that they play almost daily, 36.7% one or two days per week, and 4.8% never use videogames.” The numbers do not lie. Education caught on to the trend early with the introduction of educational games like Oregon Trail, Number Munchers, and Bomber (all games in which I spent countless hours on trying to fulfill my gaming needs). “Videogames are useful instruments for learning specific strategies and for acquiring knowledge; they also develop the learning that is characteristic of the culture of the information society, and this learning is likely to have long-term consequences.” There has always been resentment for video games in education. It is almost like teachers do not want their students to play games for the simple reason that they are spending their time in front of a computer screen and not a text book. The Education field must come to the realization that video games are the future of education. Video games enhance personal and social development, language and literacy, mathematical development, creative development, knowledge and understanding of the world, and physical development. It is our duty as teachers to positively engage our students and educational video games do just that.

PBS Site

http://www.pbs.org/video/
Review by: Sam Atkinson

Videos are divided into collections:
American at War, Be Green, Cold War, Iran in Flux, etc.

And Topics:
Cinema, Culture, Arts, Lit., Nature and Envirnment, etc.

The site was average. I think most of the videos are very dry. Even high school students could be easily bored. If I were to use this site I would use it was a web quest. Students could not be expected to sit and watch the videos on their own. The videos are easy to find and are up to date. This site would be very useful to an AP civics class. On this site I was able to find a link to http://kids.pbs.org/go/video/. The kid’s site would be fantastic for students k-3. It has a great search engine and is very easy to use.

A day in the life of a teacher in a 21st century classroom

The day would begin when the teacher woke up to his or her morning triple shot mocha blend or energy drink. The teacher will drive to school via hybrid. When the teacher arrives at school he or she would have a quick video conference meeting with their fellow team members to discuss the day’s plans. When the students come in they will get out their laptops or I-phones out and type in the day’s agenda. Students will then complete a short web quest or entry task and the day’s lesson will begin.
In the 21st century, content will no longer be taught with the emphasis that it once was. Instead, thinking skills will dominate the curriculum. Student learning will be focused on collaboration (the ability to work in teams), critical thinking (taking on complex problems), oral communications (presenting), written communications, using technology, citizenship (take on civic and global issues; service learning), and learning about careers (through internships). Naming state capitals and identifying the parts of the human body will be a thing of the past. Teachers will teach their students how to think productively and effectively.
Personal connections between students and their teachers will become less and less likely due to the emergence of technology. By the end of the century it is entirely possible that teachers will not be in physical contact with their students. Instead they will we forced to converse and teach them via video conference.
At the end of the day a teacher will once again meet with their peers via e-mail, social networking, blogging, etc. and discuss what went well and where the curriculum needs to change. The teacher will then drive his or her hybrid home, watch the latest internet game show, and go to bed.

Electronic Policy

I have mixed feelings about my districts Electronic Policy. In February 2006, voters approved a four-year, $10 million levy to purchase technology tools, provide staff training and hire technology support staff. A statement on the district website reads, “The challenge before us is to select technology that will enhance student learning. From the research that has been assembled by four school district committees, it is clear that there are many options from which to choose. It is also clear that the options are constantly changing as technology improves and we learn more about how to manage it to provide learning opportunities for students. Tahoma is launching the next step of an evolving approach to educating young people for 21st Century learning. We call it Classroom 10. Instead of relying on more traditional classroom teaching styles, Classroom 10 is where students not only learn facts but find ways to use what they learn to expand their thinking, solve problems and be creative. Students will use 21st Century skills to access digital information and tools that will help them reach their goals.”
My district incorporates a ton of technology but cell phones are forbidden at every level. Teachers are told by administrators to write up any student with a cell phone. Students are allowed to carry phones, but are only allowed to use them for emergency use only. A part of me thinks we should incorporate cell phones into our curriculum because there are so many cool educational things kids can do using a cell phone. However, the use of cell phones in the classroom can and will l lead to many problems. The biggest problem, texting. I believe there are many benefits to using cell phones, but the negatives outweigh the positives at this point.

Visual Learning

Wikipedia defines visual learning as a "teaching and learning style in which ideas, concepts, data and other information are associated with images and techniques." In Phillip Seymour's article "The Power of Images," he describes the need for visual learning in most fascists of education. The author believes that pictures play a vital role in education at all level. Seymour points out that 30% of all brain development is visual. The brain can process pictures 4 times faster than it can text. Using visual images can also improve critical thinking skills, visual literacy skills, and can enhance the learner’s technological skills. Seymour goes on to provide the reader with activities teachers can try in their own classroom. Lesson concepts titled, “Emotional images,” “Is Seeing Believing,” Deep Seeing & Deep Listing,” “What are they trying to sell me,” and “Create an Advertisement” are all way the author encourages teachers to use visual representation in the lessons they teach.

The Joys of Action Research

Cynthia Elliot’s article, Action Research: Authentic Learning Transforms Student and Teacher Success, examines how teachers who are involved in case studies benefit from the experience. Elliot beliefs that successful cases studies can play a vital role in a teacher’s improvement, why also impacting student success. Teachers… “become empowered through their newfound knowledge as they explore their own questions and begin to see the impact of their decisions on student learning.” The author believes that case studies can provide valuable insights into one’s own practice. When teachers have to take a hard look at themselves they learn more. Teachers can then use their new found learning to assist others within their own school. As a result, everyone (teachers, co-workers, and students) wins.

I believe that most people in life believe they are making progress, but all they are really doing is jumping through the hoops that someone before them set up. To truly better one’s self they have to commit to something and be willing to change. I agree with this article, because in the end the teacher is learning the most from themselves. If a teacher takes a hard look in the mirror there is always room for improvement.

Podcasting (Awesome when it works)

I decided to give pod casting a try. I had a very hard time setting up my pod cast and finding a website that would carry my pod cast. I subscribed to 5 websites before I found one that worked.

http://www.podomatic.com/people/index/mratkinson

Podomatic only works about 75% of the time. Errors frequently occur when uploading. Often users can not access podcasts because websites data base gets overloaded. Another possible site that may work is:

http://www.mypodcast.com/index.php

I found an excellent youtube post that teaches users how to create a podcast.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hrBbczS9I0

I have used podomatic to create two test reviews for my students. Those students that could access the podcast found it very useful.

Good Luck!

The Ethics of Tech.

Ribble and Bailey’s article, Developing Ethical Direction, describes the relationship between ethics and young people using technology. The authors believe that there are appropriate ways to use technology and that we need to pay attention to what is ethical when we use technology. As teachers, it is up to us to ensure that our students follow these codes of ethics. I believe it is the responsibility of the teacher to ensure that their students understand what they can and can not do on a computer. I myself am guilty of not citing pictures that I use when I create student worksheets and tests. I realize I should cite where I got the picture, but I rarely do. I am setting a bad example for my students. Students do need to know and use proper digital ethics. Our world is getting more and more digitalized and as a result laws will have to be enforced to keep order. It is essential that students practice good digital ethics now so they do now develop bad habits and get punished in the future.

Web 2.0

I recently discovered a fantastic website.

http://www.awesomehighlighter.com

Awesome Highlighter lets you highlight text on web pages and then gives you a small link to the highlighted page! Students can read articles on the web and then highlight the selects of their choice. This allows students to demonstrate reading strategies, summarizing strategies, evaluate text, and make predictions.

This program allows users to:
+To show others the important part of an article
+Reduce confusion about a sent link
+Save time for the reader
+Save the parts of the pages you find interesting

How it Works:
+Insert a web page address above and click "highlight page"
+Select the text you want to highlight on the next page
+Click "Done" when you're finished
+Copy & paste the web address, or email your highlights


Best of all, Awesome Highlighter is free to use!