Kept forgetting to post this. This isn't the EDpuzzle I did for the credential class, but one I actually made for my own classroom.
Alan November’s book Who Owns the Learning?: Preparing Students for Success in the Digital Age is many things, but something I took it for was an idea, plan, and guide to helping students putting their learning in their own hands. In the book, November points out that too often “we teach students to use computers to create papers or do other work that could have been done without a computer” (6). This book is in many ways a rejection to that, and to the idea of a teacher leading the way of education rather than the students themselves. He details this grand idea for a “Digital Learning Farm Model” where students have more control, such as in designing their own assignments, rely more on peer learning, “learn how to learn,” and so on (November, 15). As I read the book, I without a doubt saw benefits that I would like to employ, yet recognized that in many instances there will be restrictions whether it be from district/school expectations, or perhaps more importantly access.
One of the ideas that I really liked was this idea of a student scribe that could effectively keep their peers updated on class notes, and perhaps schedule. I had seen a similar system in college and it seemed to work, but my one concern is access. At my first school site this should be relatively a non-issue since all students are provided Chromebooks, at my current school site we have to get class sets which can be an issue if we want to record every day’s activities. Yet what about school with students who have almost no access? I will likely try and adopt such a system, but those plans can be altered depending on the circumstances of my school and student body. My absolute favorite part of the book comes from November’s suggestion about teaching students how to research. I personally always try to add an element of multiple perspectives into my curriculum and assessment, thus I am all ears for something that can aid expanding my student’s views. November address this in part through research technique. He noted that “Without some real education about using the Internet for communicating and collaborating with an authentic, global audience, this marvelously rich medium will only narrow--not broaden--our perspective” (66). I too have seen the effects in my personal life as well as in my previous student research of selective, one perspective sources. So how does November address this? He mentions the Root Zone database and the possibility of having students research through websites specifically from other countries, because there are “two-letter codes for every country in the world” (November, 74). This is something I would like to incorporate, particularly if I am covering an event that involved other countries, such as his example, of how the “American Revolution” is being taught in Britain. I even just added the Google Global Search extension after reading this. In conclusion, I find November’s book and message to be noble. I would like to add some of his ideas into my practices, because he has some great ideas. Yet, I do understand that incorporating some of the ideas expressed in this book will be a process and not always necessarily applicable. Citation: November, A. (2012). Who Owns the Learning?: Preparing Students for Success in the Digital Age. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press. Chapter 5
Quotation: Without some real education about using the Internet for communicating and collaborating with an authentic, global audience, this marvelously rich medium will only narrow--not broaden--our perspective.” (pg 66) Question: What steps do you need to take to make sure students who might not want to broaden their perspective still use the internet in an effective manner, and not exclude differing thoughts? Connection: I have seen via social media that there definitely are a lot of people who use the tool of internet technology not to bridge the gap with those of differing opinions, but instead to only see similar perspectives to their own. This is especially common with people who have a strong political conviction. Epiphany: Perhaps I could give students a survey on their views on a particular issue and then make them research a site that takes the opposite stance. Chapter 6 Quotation: “‘Reflecting on my own education while growing up, I don’t remember any of my tests,’ Garth adds. ‘I don’t remember any of my multiple-choice tests or my written answers. But I remember the experiences that I had.” (pg 86) Question: How can I go about giving truly purposeful work, that will impact my students to the point that they do not just forget it like any other everyday task, but that they will actually enjoy and benefit from? Connection: I too cannot really think of many things or projects that I did growing up the the traditional school system in which I felt a very deep connection to. I definitely do not remember the tests that I took. I just remember multiple choice was a common method. Epiphany: I was just thinking I could potentially do some type of 20 time project, but still make a requirement that the content material is somehow tied in. Maybe it is not 20 time per se, but I would want to provide autonomy and choice on what students decide to perhaps study or create within whatever subject I am teaching. Citation: November, A. (2012). Who Owns the Learning?: Preparing Students for Success in the Digital Age. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press. Chapter 3
Quotation: “There is very little technology to learn; student scribes can do their work in Google Docs or any of a wide range of online word processing programs, and teachers need only a simple website where they can post the notes for review.” (pg 39) Question: How do you go about picking an appropriate student to serve as student scribe, and what incentive is there for them to serve as scribe? Connection: I remember that in my college experience there were offers for students to take notes for other students and they would get paid to do so. I was even offered once, and though it was tempting I decided not to because my note taking is very particular to myself and it might be hard for other students to follow. Epiphany: There definitely is potential that I could do this for my class website. Currently my students don’t have chromebooks every day, which could make this easy, but if i find a student with clear handwriting I could potentially scan their notes quickly and make a pdf still. Chapter 4 Quotation: “One of the most astonishing gaps in many students’ education is their inability to validate information on the Internet. And this is the generation many refer to as ‘digital natives’? Well, they may have been born after the web was invented, but that has nothing to do with their understanding of the architecture of information on the Internet.” (pg 51) Question: How much time should you dedicate to educating students on how to research and sift through information for validation? Connection: I have been trying to start this process with my students, but the hard part has been trying to get the to do the research while not taking up too much time explaining what is valid or not. I usually have to actively monitor them to make sure they are using valid sources. Epiphany: Perhaps I can turn to an instructional video to aid me with the explanation. One that is well organized and to the point. Citation: November, A. (2012). Who Owns the Learning?: Preparing Students for Success in the Digital Age. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press. Chapter 1
Quotation: “If we could embrace the tools many school districts are blocking (which are also essential tools for participating in the global economy and culture) we could build much more motivating and rigorous learning environments.” (pg 20) Question: What are the necessary steps to take to ensure that school districts start to invest more time and money in experimenting with, and incorporating these tools that many of them are currently blocking? Connection: I recently came across such as situation at my school site in which I tried to show an EDpuzzle video in my class but found I couldn’t because the restrictions on the initial video. I eventually unblocked the Youtube video, but still could not use my EDpuzzle because It came from the once restricted video and was edited down, and therefore a potential liability. Epiphany: There are indeed so many digital options for learning, but it is being stunted not only from old-minded teachers, but also via district restrictions on what should be provided as well. Chapter 2 Quotation: “With easy-to-use tools for screencasting and publishing to the web, students have a 24/7 opportunity to engage in peer tutoring with children from other classrooms, schools, nations, and cultural backgrounds.” (pg 26) Question: Where is the fine line in terms of students teaching their peers rather than the instructor teaching the students? When is it more beneficial to learn from a teacher, and when is it more beneficial to learn from your peers? Connection: This reminds me of my own screencast and those of my peers. Yet it also reminds me of the internet today, and Youtube in particular, which is a resource used by thousands or even millions of people each day to learn about something, or how to do something. These videos, as well as resources throughout the internet are used for peer tutoring spanning to regions across the world. Epiphany: I could perhaps save some time from creating lessons, and instead create detailed instructions and plans to have students design their own original lessons which can be utilized by their peers both in the class and within the entire world. Citation: November, A. (2012). Who Owns the Learning?: Preparing Students for Success in the Digital Age. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press. |
AuthorMy name is Michael Zora. I graduated from Cal State San Marcos with a degree in History with Single Subject Preparation in Social Science. I am now working on obtaining my teacher credential, also from Cal State San Marcos Archives
February 2016
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