The Altitudinist - Step 1

The Altitudinist wants to know  that there are real thinkers in the classroom.  There has been an outcry to raise test scores and to challenge students to analyze and synthesize information and for them to then be able to apply skills that they have learned to create a great final product.  The problem with this is that we, as teachers, often rely too heavily on basic recall and fact regurgitation.   With that being said, I enjoyed most of the WebQuests and I felt that they all had pros and cons.  As the Altitudinist, my favorites were The Diary of John Wilkes Booth and The Problem with Landfills.  My least favorites were Creative Encounters and Poetry of War.

The Diary of John Wilkes Booth - I loved this one in terms of more bang for my bucks and it started with the introduction and continued throughout.  The creator gave students everything they would need to step into the shoes of Booth; background information, issues that outrage Booth, his state of mind just before the assassination, an so on.  Asking them to write from his point of view entails higher levels of thinking to analyze and synthesize information.  I also like the aesthetics with all of the 'old timey' images.  To make it better some technology could have been included like maybe a digital diary.

The Problem with Landfills -  I also liked this one.  Earth Day is a big deal in my second grade classroom.  I have created a unit that incorporates hands-on activities, group work, technology, and a recycled art project.  The students always enjoy that time.  Making students decide where an appropriate site for a landfill needs to be is awesome.  Again, they would have to use information, analyze it, synthesize, and apply it by making an informed decision.  The arrangement of this WebQuest was not as user friendly and flowing as some of the others. 

Ancient Egypt -In terms of higher level thinking, I did not like this one.  Students are expected to learn about Egypt and make decisions about what to include in the brochure, but that's about it.  The one thing that it does have going for it is that it incorporates PowerPoint (older technology).  They could have used something newer like Prezi.  To me this one seems to call for a lot of recall and regurgitation of facts.

Creative Encounters - This was my least favorite.  I like the color scheme, and that's about it.  I was overwhelmed in this one, and I'm an adult.  To be able to do this one and get any benefit from it, students would have to have (or be able to attain) a healthy understanding of the current system.  For me, this was too much.  I just didn't know where to go once I was in there.

Poetry of War - This one is just okay in my opinion.  I liked the visual aspects of it.  I am a visual learner and always use visual imagery to aid in my comprehension process, so I can identify with it.  As far as higher level thinking, I'm really not sure - it could if students really applied themselves, but I could also see completing this one by simply using facts found. 

I really enjoyed this assignment!   However, I do see how interests could play a role in the evaluation process of the WebQuests.  I love history, traveling and Earth Day stuff, and I hate math.  I enjoy poetry, but only if I am allowed to enjoy it without having to delve in and analyze it.  But, I tried to leave my interests out.

Weekly Reading #7

What surprised you, concerned you, or intrigued you about students' engagement with gaming?

A couple of things surprised or intrigued me in this chapter.  First was the ESA reports in 2007 that

 showed 38% of game players are women.   They also report that the gaming population is made up of a greater percentage of women (30%) ages 18 and older than males (23%) ages 17 and younger.  I do realize that game companies have been trying to reel women into the world of gaming, and it may actually be working.  I know that I love to play a game every now and then.

 

What aspects of your own gaming experiences were reflected in the case studies?

My own gaming experience definitely goes along more with 'Killing Time' than the other genres, but I do occasionally 'Hang Out' with my family with a full night of Wii.  I honestly do not have a lot of time to kill throughout my days.  I find that when I have a doctors appointment or when I have to wait on one of my kids to come out to meet me, I generally kill that time by playing games on my IPhone.  My game of choice lately is Fairway Solitaire.  It's awesome, and I have managed to get my husband hooked. 

I do remember one night many, many, many years ago of  'Recreational Gaming'.  To let you know just how long ago it was, we were playing Pac Man on an Atari.  I know, right.  I have to admit, I could play Pac Man for hours on end and could not be beaten by anyone in my home.  This particular night my sister decided to bring in good ol' cousin Rick who was a whopping 15 years old to my 10.  Let's just say that my mother finally had to make us quit at about 3 am with no winner declared.  Good times.

Read the last paragraph on page 240.  Do you agree or disagree with the comparison between sports and gaming and the benefits they offer children in terms of learning?

This question was really tough for me, and I had to really break it apart.  Let me start by saying, I personally would never consider comparing the benefits of sports and gaming.  To me the value of sports win hands down.  Sports are active and interpersonal, whereas gaming may be interactive, but not interpersonal.  With that being said, I have to agree with the question.  I think that the comparisons made are accurate in the question asked.

Generalizations About Case Studies

WOW!  I really enjoyed reading all of the case studies.  Some generalizations that I found is that the younger subjects do less hanging out, more messing around, and very little, if any geeking out.  The older subjects seemed to be partial to hanging out, thanks to the cell phone.  I was amazed that most of the younger ones tend to describe using technology more often in school and in different ways than the older ones who say that they only use computers for research and papers.  Could this be the beginning of the BIG change in our school systems (starting with the young ones and moving up)?  We have to start somewhere.  It is time for teachers to step up, me included.  Teachers need to be educated in different technologies, and then actually use them.  The implications are astounding.  If we use the tools that our youth know how to use, we can reach more individuals in a way that they are accustomed.  We need to work WITH them rather than AGAINST them. 

Media Ecology Case Study

Final draft at long last.

Link to Google Form

Media Ecology Survey

Weekly Reading #6

1. What surprised you, concerned you, or intrigued about students' access to technology in their homes?

I was intrigued by the the discussion of "reflexive parenting" (pg 152).   As a teacher and parent, I can see the shift in the nature of parenting that Alters is discussing.  Alters argues that over the past forty to fifty years parents have become uneasy about raising their children in a time with increased drug use, teen pregnancy, delinquency, and suicide rates of our adolescents.  Other factors indicate that single parent homes and women's lib also have played a role.  Parenting in the 21st Century is difficult with everything that's out there, and now with all of the technology offered, access is often unlimited.  To me, it often seems as though some parents are more interested in being their child's friend rather that their parent and/or disciplinarian. 

2. What kinds of household spaces related to technology, or rules about using technology, were similar or dissimilar to your own household environment?  When my older son was first born (1992) my husband and I had one computer in the house.  We kept it in my husband's den because he used it primarily for grad school.  As Dylan became curious about it, we limited his access and we sat with him anytime he wanted to explore, and exploring for him consisted of Living Books (they were awesome), Magic School bus software, and using the "Paint" program.  His time was also limited because we wanted him to learn to use his time wisely as he grew.  We were very strict when it came to his time on the computer.

3. Could this chapter be helpful for teachers who seek to integrate technology into their classroom activities in more meaningful ways? Give an example from the chapter.  I personally do think that technology has its place in the classroom and integrating technology is getting easier the more I am educated.  This chapter discussed a lot about parents anxieties and cautions about giving their children free range when it comes to technology.  Studies also found that "kids play an important role as the technology expert or broker in the family, translating websites and other forms of information for their parents" (pg 167).  It would be great if there was a way to educate the parents.  In a perfect world, I would love to offer parent/student workshops to educate on different aspects of technology (IPODS, IPADS,computers, whiteboards, etc.).  It would be great to let them see just what their children can do and how it fits in to school and their education.

Week #5 Interview Highlights

I found McKenzye to be more knowledgeable about technology than I thought she would be at the ripe ol' age of 10.  Here are some of the highlights from my interview.

Me: What’s your favorite technology?

McKenzye: The IPAD

Me: Do you use your mom’s computer?

McKenzye: Yes.

Me: What kinds of things do you use the computer for?

McKenzye: Uhmm, I use it to go on websites.

Me: What websites do you like to visit?

McKenzye: My school website.

Me: Tell me about your school website.

McKenzye: We have like these things where we can go to ask our teacher questions about homework, and I have a student email.  The principal looks over the emails.  We can email friends but can’t give any personal information so that it’s appropriate.  Well, we can give our favorite color.  It’s exactly like email with a list of friends.  We can paperclip links and PowerPoints.  We can write notes and send links to friends that we think they might like.