Belief about Technology

I believe many different things about technology in the classroom. First of all, there is the belief, borne of my own education, that pencil and paper is the best way to teach and learn a lesson. I grew up thinking that if I used the computer, I was taking a short-cut and not learning the "true" lesson behind whatever task my teacher set for me. Now that I have become older and gotten more involved in technology, my beliefs are beginning to change. Technology can be useful in the classroom and it does help teachers reach students on a different level than ordinary lessons. Coming along with that, though, is the risk that any person takes when they use the internet for anything. So I am left feeling confused about using technology in the classroom.

Technology and the Classroom

For this post, I thought it would be best to respond to each link that I either viewed or read individually. For each, I will put the link to it at the beginning so that anyone interested in viewing it who is not in my class may have the opportunity.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ46vyR9o
This video is so extremely true. We are living in a time when technology is booming and a lot of colleges and universities are not taking full advantage of what is out there. Many schools are still stuck in the sedentary students watching a teacher at the front of the class mode of learning which is not very affective. Classes should be much more interactive and stimulating for students, even without the technology aspect. This video is very moving and a little bit over dramatic but it gets the point across nicely.

http://mediatedcultures.net/ksudigg/?p=84
I thought that some of the points made in this video were interesting. It is good that the web is becoming so much more accessible for ordinary people to use but I still can't help but think about all of those people in the world and our country who don't even have computers and have no idea what Web 2.0 is at all. It is almost like there are two different worlds: the world with computers and the world without. While Web 2.0 is advancing the world with computers and getting everyone more involved and connected, what is happening to the world without computers? They are being left behind and children in some schools will never be able to do the things that other, more privileged children will be able to do because they don't have access to those advances.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEFKfXiCbLw&feature=related
I agree that technology is something that can get students more involved in school. Some of the ideas that were in this video were a little age specific, targeting towards older students but, overall, the ideas were great. I remember sitting in class when I was in middle school and high school daydreaming instead of listening and I was one of the best students! If my teachers had used more technology, I certainly feel as though I would have been more interested. Again, though, I have to think about all of those students who do not have access to the same technology as their classmates. For example, on the cell phone and texting assignment, some students will not have cell phones and some of the ones who do have cell phones will not have texting available on their plans. So this idea seems a bit impractical. It is a wonderful idea but I'm not sure if it will be available to all students.

http://www.infinitethinking.org/2007/03/itm-6-and-walls-came-tumbling-down.html
I really don't like to repeat myself so much but, after viewing this video, I still feel like a significant portion of students will be left out. The idea of using online social communities in a classroom is a wonderful idea on paper (or, in this case, on a blog) but I'm not sure how it will play out in a real-life situation. There are so many different scenarios and situations that could leave students out. But, with that in mind, I do feel as though teachers can still use technology to get students more engaged but they will have to be creative and wary of how they have students get involved.

http://everyonelearns.blogspot.com/2006/04/do-something-disruptive.html
This is my favorite link of all of these. I feel as though this blog entry was able to explain more efficiently the practical uses of technology in the classroom. The whole point of using technology is to change the way that we teach because, obviously, something is not right with the current school system, seeing as how 50% of students drop out before they graduate. If we embrace this new idea of teaching, we will be able to reach more students and cultivate their creativity and eagerness to learn. Even those without the sane access to resources as others will benefit from this new idea of teaching as it trickles down the system. We as a society need to change our focus and realize that the most important areas of the country are our public schools and they need money so that all students will be able to live up to their best self.

A Change

Originally, this blog was created for my EDU 125 class last semester. I have now discovered that I need to have a blog for my EDU 302 class this semester. How thrilled was I to remember that I already had one set up and everything? Since I've decided that I do, after all, enjoy having a blog I have decided to change the title of it and keep it around for a while. Unfortunately, I can't change the URL but it will be a nice reminder of my first ever official class on education.

EDU 125 and SED 125

This past semester has been a very influential time for me as far as my career goes. I have always known that I want to be an educator and my preference has always been elementary school. After taking EDU 125 and SED 125, I am beginning to consider other possibilities for my career. I still know that I want to be in education but how is the question. I am looking into possibilities outside of the classroom like speech pathology. I have also broadened my outlook on the age group that I would like to teach. Middle school is not such a bad age. The other day I went to my 13 year old brother-in-law's 7th grade math class to teach a lesson on LCM and GCF. I had such a blast that I am considering changing my major to secondary education. But that is still undecided. All I know for sure is that I truly enjoy being involved in education.

Diversity in the Classroom

I think that I should start out this blog by writing out my personal definition of diversity. Diversity to me is the differences between people that make everyone unique and special. It should not separate people; instead, it should bring people together.

My own experience with diversity is very diverse (haha). In most of the schools that I have attended, there have been quite a few different types of students. I've been friends with African American people, Hispanic people, Dutch people, African people and many others. I have also had a wide range of friends and family members with different religious affiliations. I, personally, am Lutheran as is most of my family. Those that are not Lutheran are Catholic, Jewish, Mormon or Wiccan. I have also married into a Catholic family. In my family and friends, there are many different sexual orientations. I have friends who heterosexual, homosexual and bisexual; I accept all of them as they are. For the better part of my high school years, I was very much into Italian culture and I tried to learn as much about Italy as I could, although I did not get the chance to actually go there. In the first few years of college, I became interested in Spain and Latin America. Eventually, I hope to travel to as many different countries as I possibly can. My own personal diversity is very mixed. I am very much an American mutt. The majority of my heritage is Irish (I'm a quarter.) I also have Scottish, Austrian, Norwegian, Mexican and Native American heritage. Of all of these different backgrounds, the only ones that I feel tied to are Irish, Scottish and Austrian. These were the only ones that I learned anything about from my family when I was growing up. But I like to think of myself as a physical representation of America as a melting pot.

I believe that teaching diversity as a subject in itself is a very important idea. Since the world today is blending and mixing in ways that have never happened before, it is crucial that we adjust our ways of thinking to match the changes. Students in today's classrooms need to be culturally aware of the differences in the world and they need to be taught these differences in a positive way so that they can appreciate the beauty in diversity. We are all different and that is a good thing. The world would be very boring if we were all exactly the same. Seeing as how I live in house with three school age boys, I feel that it would be appropriate to use an example from one of their favorite television shows: Fairly Oddparents. There is an episode of this show where the main character, Timmy, wishes that everyone in the world was exactly the same because a mean dentist from down the street made him feel bad about his really big teeth. Since he has fairy godparents, his wish came true. All of the people in the world became big, grey blobs that looked exactly the same. Even though everyone looked the same, the mean dentist down the street still made fun of Timmy for not being "grey enough" or "blobby enough". This show demonstrates that even when there are no differences at all, people will still find ways to make themselves seem better than others. I think that letting kids watch this episode in class could help them to appreciate the differences that people have instead of making fun. Teaching diversity is very important in classrooms because students need to be able to value the person next to them for who they are, not by what makes them different.

Teaching diverse students seems like it would be fun. I would enjoy learning about all of their different cultures or backgrounds and figuring out solutions to any problems that they may have adapting to our ways and culture. Anytime that a person is given the opportunity to grow and develop is a good day in my book. Teaching diverse students would give me and the student that opportunity. Of course, there would be difficulties that come up along the way but meeting challenges like that is all a part of being a teacher. This is what we are here for, to help students in their quest for knowledge. Not only would I benefit from having a diverse classroom, the students and parents would as well because they are also given the chance to broaden their understanding of the world.

Maria Montessori and Jean Piaget

The two influential educators that I am researching for this project are Maria Montessori and Jean Piaget. I'm going to talk about them separately so I'll start with ladies first.

Maria Montessori was a woman who was born in Italy in 1870. She was the first female physician in the whole of Italy but about 5 years after graduating from medical school she started to become more interested in psychology and returned to school once again to pursue this new career. The ideas and groups that she is best known for are the Montessori method of education, the philosophy of children teach themselves, the "glasshouse schoolroom" exhibit and the Association Montessori Internationale. The Montessori method basically is letting the child grow and learn at their own pace and creating environments to stimulate that child. This method emphasizes individuality, social interaction and real world learning. Children are not drowning in facts and figures that are thrust at them. They learn the way that they, individually, need to learn. Her philosophy of children teach themselves is pretty self-explanatory. She believed that children have an inherent love of learning that can be helped along by willing and able teachers.

Print Source
Montessori : the science behind the genius


Jean Piaget was born in Switzerland in 1896. He is considered to be the father of cognitive psychology. He first began his illustrious career with a paper on albino sparrows when he was 11 years old. Eventually, his interests turned to psychology and, after having children, he developed his theory of cognitive development in children. This theory includes four stages of development: the sensorimotor stage (0-2 years), preoperational stage (2-7 years), concrete operational (7-11 years) and the formal operational stage (11+ years). His theory has helped to develop the constructivist method of teaching children. This method basically is a philosophy that we learn from our own experiences and we each have our own unique ways of thinking.

Print Source
Child Development 11th Ed. (pgs. 211-228)

The Scopes Monkey Trial

The Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925 took place in Dayton, Tennessee. It centered around a young science teacher and football coach named John Scopes who had mentioned teaching his students the theory of evolution despite a Tennessee statute that prohibited the theory of evolution being taught in classrooms. The issue being debated was not necessarily whether Scopes was guilty of violating the law, rather, the prosecution used the trial as a way to disprove Darwin's theories and to shove biblical ideas down the public's throat. The two lawyers that fought this battle were William Jennings Bryan for the prosecution and Clarence Darrow for the defense. Oddly enough, Darrow actually wanted his client to be found guilty because then he could appeal the case to a higher court and get the Butler statute evaluated. The trial ended with a famous question and answer between the two lawyers that convinced the jury to find Scopes guilty of violating the law. Later, the decision was appealed by a higher court but only because of a technicality and not because the law was found unjust.

It was not until 1967 that Tennessee finally got rid of the Butler Act. Afterwards, many other states began to appeal their laws banning evolution and even began to require that schools require equal coverage of biblical ideas and the theory of evolution. Emphasis was put on the fact that it is a theory and should not be taught as fact. Later, these laws emphasizing teaching creationism and evolution equally were also appealed on the basis that they were unconstitutional. In the classroom today, there is still a huge debate over how to teach students about how life came to be the way that it is. No one knows for sure and everyone has their own ideas of what students should learn.