Webb of Thoughts

(This is an assignment I just submitted for my education class.  I’ll warn you, it’s a long post)

Just over a year ago I decided I wanted to pursue a career in education.  Since then, many people have asked me why I wanted to become a teacher.  At first, I was not entirely sure why I wanted to.  I would tell them that I wanted to make a difference, to work with children, to have as many holidays as possible, and to be able coach sports.  Don’t get me wrong, those are all things that still motivate me to become a teacher.  However, now I attribute my desire to teach to something much different:  I want to be a better teacher than my teachers ever were.  My teachers were behind in the times and did not always have the passion and enthusiasm I hoped for.  I do not feel that they prepared me to live in the world of today.  I can barely apply anything I learned in school to the real world and I am very inadequate when it comes to using technology.  My students will not suffer through an education experience similar to mine.  I will be a better teacher by using relevant, real-world problems and examples and I will incorporate the incredible tools of technology that are at my disposal.

From Flickr (click to enlarge)

For me, the most difficult aspect of school was applying what I was learning to the world I was living in.  Whenever a classmate of mine asked “Why are we learning this?” we typically got a response similar to “because it will be on your exam”.  What motivation is there for students to retain knowledge if the only reason they are learning is because it will be on their exam?  Students do not want to learn what will be on their exam, they want to know how it connects to their lives in the “real world” (Burden, 2000).   If a teacher can illustrate a purpose to a particular lesson, the students are more likely to dig deeper and expand their interest in the subject matter (Curtis, 2001).  Eventually, using this approach will encourage students to make connections to other lessons they have learned and apply a greater amount of knowledge when trying to solve a problem (Curtis, 2001).

This lack of real world applications will be addressed when I begin to teach.  If I can give my students reasons to learn, they will retain their knowledge rather than dismissing it immediately after their exam (Curtis, 2001).   I will give my students the framework to apply everything they learn within the walls of my classroom to the vast world outside of those walls.  I want my students to be able to do more than pass the final exam; I want them to connect their classroom experiences to their real-world experiences (Linking the real world, 2002).  It makes sense to say that “lessons related to real issues in a community have greater meaning to students than textbook ones” (Linking the real world, 2002, para. 17).  When students can build on their education outside of class, school will feel like less of a chore and will be more exciting.  Learning will become an everyday practice when students can start applying their school knowledge outside of school.

From Flickr (click to enlarge)

Having real life applications to schoolwork will unquestionably motivate students to learn.  Elliot Solloway, a University of Michigan professor, suggests that motivation can also be increased when technology is implemented into lessons (Kiedrowski, Smale, & Gounko, 2009). Tools like the internet can be used to link students to the real world (Linking the real world, 2002).  These tools make teaching more effective and interesting by better illustrating concepts and help appeal to the imagination and creative minds of students.

Technology is a bigger part of the world than it has ever been in the past.  In the 2004-2005 school year, there was over $7-billion spent on technology in the United States (Leonard & Leonard, 2006).  However, most technology still sits and collects dust (Leonard & Leonard, 2006).  When I was a high school student, technology was a large part of my everyday life, but never a part of my education.   Perhaps my teachers weren’t confident or educated well enough to effectively use the tools available to them.  According to Leonard and Leonard, many teachers have struggled to advance past the initial stages of using technology and ultimately have difficulty seeing its potential to boost their teachings (2006).

Some people argue that technology is not needed in education.  Some say the best teachers use very little technology while others argue that it disrupts the classroom environment (Leonard & Leonard, 2006; Kiedrowsk et al., 2009).  This may be true; however, technology is here to stay and is currently transforming our world (Leonard & Leonard, 2006).   Should education not reflect this worldwide trend?  Teachers need to begin finding ways to use technology for educational gains instead of ignorantly banning it (Kiedrowsk et al., 2009).  New technology needs to be used to its full potential because students will be using it for the rest of their lives (Leonard & Leonard, 2006).  For example, if a student is capable to accurately and professionally T9 text message a colleague in the future, they will have one more essential workplace skill than a peer who did not have the opportunity to learn this skill in their education (Kiedrowsk et al., 2009).

From Flickr (click to enlarge)

As a teacher, I plan to utilize technology to its full extent.  I do not intend for it to compensate for my shortcomings, but rather for it to complement my abilities.   It will be my responsibility to use technology appropriately and to ensure that my students are educated on how to use it safely and effectively (Kiedrowsk et al., 2009).  In the United States, the Congress’ Office of Technology Assessment believes that integrating technology into classrooms is the most important step for developing students to live in the future (Leonard & Leonard, 2006).   If a class can be made more exciting through the use of multimedia or projects made more fun with technology, why not use it to do so?  Teachers should be doing everything in their power to make learning more exciting and interesting for students.

I do not want my students to have a discouraging education experience like I did.  I want to make their schooling fun, exciting and practical.   My students will be prepared to live in the real world outside the walls of my classroom.  By encouraging my students to connect what they have learned in my class to their real life, they will be better prepared to handle real world problems on their own.  I will give my students the tools to succeed by exposing them to the incredible technology of the world and encourage them to use it in a safe, effective, and creative manner for their entire lives.   I want to be the teacher who makes school relevant to the real world.

References

Burden, P. (2000). Powerful classroom management strategies: motivating students to learn. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications Inc.

Curtis, D. (2001, 11 1). Real-World Issues Motivate Students. Retrieved October 18, 2009, from Edutopia: http://www.edutopia.org/start-pyramid

Kiedrowski, J., Smale, W., & Gounko, T. (2009). Cellular Phones in Canadian Schools: A Legal Framework. Education Law Journal , 19 (1), 41-62.

Leonard, L. J., & Leonard, P. E. (2006). Leadership for Technology Integration: Computing the Reality. Alberta Journal of Educational Research , 52 (4), 212-224.

Linking the real world to the classroom. (2002). Retrieved October 15, 2009, from Teaching Today: http://www.glencoe.com/ps/teachingtoday/educationupclose.phtml

I decided randomly on two tools to use from Alan Levine‘s list of Fifty Tools. I decided to use Vuvox Collage and Animoto.

Using Animoto didn’t require much work.  It basically did it all for me once I uploaded my videos and pictures. However, I wasn’t thrilled about the 30 second limit (I could get more time if I paid). I would have liked to include many more photos. You can view it below or here.

Using Vuvox Collage was really neat. I think some really amazing stuff could be made with this tool. It was really easy to upload and use my photos and videos and adding text was really easy. You can see my creation below or here. I really wish I would have given myself more time to play with this tool.

I hope to explore more of the tools listed and find some more great ones!

This past Friday I connected with another one of my ECMP Mentorhips!  This one is with Mike Poluk from Sault St. Marie, Ontario.  This is my only mentorship within Canada, but is by no means close to me.  Sault St. Marie is some 1500 kms away from Regina.

I quickly introduced myself to his class before they headed outside for a project.  They were quite surprised that we had snow already!

The class just created a Project Earth Homes (inspired by this blog) where they were split into groups and given half of an hour to gather 25 natural objects and build an earth home (perhaps inspired by earth houses I found on Wikipedia).  Mr. Poluk has created a video of the creations which can be seen here.

This week the class is setting up blogs and learning about blogging etiquette.  I’m excited to see what kind of blogs the students come up with.

I will also be using Skype once again to interact with the class this Friday! I can’t wait!

Image from Flickr (click for original)

Ever since I began my university career two and a half years ago I’ve had the concept and importance of Academic Honesty pounded into my head.   We have all been threatened with grades of zero, removal from our respective programs and expulsion from university all together.  These are things all students take quite seriously and I think, for the majority of us, encourages to be academically honest.  So where am I going with this?

This past Monday I was in one of my lectures (one most of my ECMP classmates would have also attended) getting lectured about how to write essays.  Our presenter was going on and reading examples from a hand out of photocopied works.  The only way you might know where they came from would be because it was included in the photocopy.  We then moved onto the next handout he had prepared for us.   In this handout he gave us a brief background on some strategies we should try to use for our papers.  The handout continues to give three extensive examples of some of these from pieces of literature.  There was no sign of any sort of the origin of these works, although he did mention they came from a collection of works he had.

Our last handout included basic APA rules and formatting guidelines.  This wasn’t really interesting until the first paragraph ended with:

“All three [direct quotation, paraphrase, and summary] forms of reference require you to name your source.  Not to do so is plagiarism.  Plagiarism implies that you have originated all the ideas in your text yourself.” (Source intentionally withheld.)

I hope I’m not the only one who sees a problem with this. Wikipedia also defines plagiarism as  ”the adoption or reproduction of ideas or words or statements of another person without due acknowledgment.”   These two definitions are essentially the same.

Is it me or is plagiarism not being clearly displayed in the first two handouts?!  After looking closer, there are at least 11 accounts of blatant plagiarism!

Image from Flickr (click for original)

Does plagiarism only apply to students?  Why are students being punished for simply paraphrasing incorrectly when someone with their Phd can do much worse without any consequences?

There is something clearly wrong here and it made me realize something; I have very rarely noticed handouts or slides that were properly acknowledged since I’ve started university.  I know that professors are very well educated but I’m quite sure that they don’t come up with everything they teach all by themselves.  Certainly, most of the content is their own thoughts or ideas, but it cannot be entirely if they’re teaching from a text book.

Has anyone else noticed this?  Now don’t get me wrong, I know some professors do acknowledge sources as they should and I know some may even mention them when they go over them.  But what about the ones who don’t?

Why should students be expected to cite perfectly (even if there is one little slip up there is usually consequences) when some of their professors don’t even put forth an effort?  Are professors held accountable for their actions like students are?  Do they get fired for such incidents like students get expelled?

I apologize for the rant, I just find it frustrating that standards aren’t consistent for everyone (or maybe I’m wrong and they are).

Two of my student mentorships for ECMP 355 have already begun.

The First Email from a Student!

Over the weekend, I created this video for Ms. Ionno’s class in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida to introduce myself to her students.  I’ve had one student already email me informing me that NASCAR fans are crazier than Saskatchewan Roughrider fans.  (The video is at the bottom of this blog post)

This morning I also got up early and spoke with Michael Kaechele‘s Grade 6 Math Class and his Grade 8 Tech Class later on.  I did this through Skype, which was really neat as the students were all able to ask me questions.  The most interesting question?: “Why don’t you have a Canadian accent?”

These were both scary but exciting experiences.  It boggles my mind that 11 and 12 year olds in Florida were watching a video of me.  And talking to 6th and 8th graders in Michigan over the internet was really neat.

I can’t wait to get deeper into these mentorships and get my other two going!