Or, is this a blog of a sceencast of an old blog. Maybe it is. Whatever. It's hard to find something that is buried in a cyberbucket under a bunch of other cyberstuff.
http://www.screencast.com/users/mjohn631/folders/Jing/media/1790335b-f208-48e1-aca0-b17d6377379c and, I am trying to embed the screencast.com file and while that works it embeds larger than this blog page. I am not certain that I can make it smaller. I will try. I found that the links I point to all do work fine. The Gobi Desert video that I made a screencast of would now be embedded since you taught me how to do that. I tried to do it in an e-mail but that doesn't work.
I guess I have to buy a different version of screencast in order to change the screencast size of an embedded video. So, I can use the flip cam to video the screencast and then upload it to vimeo if I have any space left. Then I can embed that here. Ok, I try.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Gambling OnLine PSA
I had previously made a video with moviemaker. So, This project was relatively easy for me. Initially, I spent a few days thinking about different subjects and trying to relate them to different themes of digital citizenship. At first, I wanted to tackle "Occupy Wallstreet". My passion was colored by past experiences with civil rights demonstrations and demonstrations against the government that got us out of Viet Nahm. This violence changed the U.S.A. I would not be surprised if "occupy wallstreet" ultimately has similar success. It begann after social media was used to revolutionize northern Africa. I suspected this to happen here too. I was also enjoying a 25th anniversary of Les Miserable and thinking about The French Revolution and the fact that the Poor executed so many of the wealthy French who controlled the government there. The very idea that it could not happen here does not exist in my mind. Prevention of revolution is why the government forces children to recite the Pledge every day. I believe that the brainwashing of children is the greater crime. I say, "Off with their heads!"
Then, I considered the e-commerce theme and realized that I had participated in Western Union transfers of money and remember being threatened with prison if I failed to report people who either sent and received money by wire when it concerned gambling. The federal government has standing to prosecute anyone who might send an e-mail across state lines because that is interstate communication and related e-commerce is interstate trade. So, even when no state law is violated a citizen can be prosecuted for a non-crime in federal court. Interesting, don't you think? Big brother is watching you, after all.
So, I e-mailed my idea and got one fellow (not really a fellow) student response to join in the effort. I was never able to contact the student again. So, I proceeded on my own using volunteeers. I had previously written a brief script and identified the punch line to use up front, "You can't win!" Of course, you can't. You can gamble over the Internet, but because you can not legally transfer money associated with gambling in that manner, you can't win!
I spent about 2 hours making a series of video clips and about another 2 hours making and uploading the video to Vimeo. Now, I am using 1-2 hours more to write this memoir and to embed the finished PSA into the blog. I just learned to embed and I like it very much.
I enjoy making the movies and as a result, I will use this a lot in class to have students construct their own learning. I will enjoy helping them. Maybe, other students will ask me for help when they try to do the EDUC 331 assignment during the last minute. I will be happy to help them. I think the hardest part for everybody will be identifying a message and coming up with a script.
One question is whether the PSA is appropriate for K-12 learners. Except for my last statement, it is because online gambling is where under age children could get away with it. There is no way to enforce the age limit really. My last staement could have been something like, "So, if you plan to gamble on line because you are not yet 21, forget it because You Can't Win; You can't get paid". The truth is that nobody really enforces the law. How would a Western Union agent know that a person is getting or paying money from gambling? In one case, I found out because I asked why the customer was coming in so often and getting so much money. He told me. He shouldn't have told me. Now, he does his transfers at a different Westeern Union operation.
My volunteers liked participating too and the movie making program is so much fun that I will buy my own little, sneaky camera that I can keep in my pocket. Then, when I catch people doing things they shouldn't, I can show them how they looked. I think that I will also heve students film, edit and criticize some of my class performances. I bet that assignment will be a big hit.
By this timew in the semester, I have also found that it is nearly impossible to connect with other students in the class. They don't know me in the first place. Because of my age, I travel to the beat of a different drum in the second place. My motivations are different, I think. It will be interesting to see the proportion of students who do the A contract. I wonder why they don't have enough time. My PLC group has done nothing that I kn ow of on the book study or on the wondering. Why? I know that one of them is really pressed for time, and has told me she will probably not do the A. I know that she can do it. We'll see. In the third place, it must be pretty damn intimidating to have a grandfather figure who is a university professor for a classmate. Is it a generation gap thing, or arte they just afraid of not measuring up? Nothing to be afraid of, really. We are all neophytes in EDU. Maybe F2F is too much. Would Internet interaction with out ever knowing anything elso make a difference? That would be a very neat Ph.D project for EDU. Maybe I shoiuld do that. Where can I do that?
Friday, November 11, 2011
Rethinking 10
"In some sense, the divorce of schooling and learning may take us back to an era where individuals negotiate their own learning experiences , often with strong guidance from their parents." Page 129
So, what kid listens to their parents? Home schooled kids do , I think. Don't you think that the authors are pretty presumptive by claiming that children don't learn anything in schools anymore? I have to think more about this one.
"The current school system does not help students develop intrinsic motivation to learn. One report found that 50% of high school students are bored every day in classes; another found 82% of California 9th and 10th graders reported their school experiences as "boring and irrelevant."" Page 131
I agree with this set of statements. I find that students are bored in every school that I am in. But, they are not bored in every class. They like band, choir, shop and certain classes where they are constructing things such as the video/TV production studio, Art and sometimes their web design classes in schools that have that. This should tell us something. Maybe we need to design teaching so that students are doing something physically active to learn academic content. I used to take all of my upper level wildlife classes hunting and fishing on weekend field trips. I had a mini physics class where certain students signed up for "special studies" where a retired physicist and Marine taught us to reload ammunition, tune rifles and how to shoot well. Students seemed to like those "special studies", especially girls.
"As a society we need to understand how to balance the need to use schools as engines of economic committment..............." Page 144-145
Yes, this is my complaint. We should be training students for the work force. But then, we might need to stop the practice of hiring foreigners who pay no taxes, take the money home and who pay no social security taxes. A lot of business owners would not like this because for every one they hire, they save the 7.5% soc sec match.
So, what kid listens to their parents? Home schooled kids do , I think. Don't you think that the authors are pretty presumptive by claiming that children don't learn anything in schools anymore? I have to think more about this one.
"The current school system does not help students develop intrinsic motivation to learn. One report found that 50% of high school students are bored every day in classes; another found 82% of California 9th and 10th graders reported their school experiences as "boring and irrelevant."" Page 131
I agree with this set of statements. I find that students are bored in every school that I am in. But, they are not bored in every class. They like band, choir, shop and certain classes where they are constructing things such as the video/TV production studio, Art and sometimes their web design classes in schools that have that. This should tell us something. Maybe we need to design teaching so that students are doing something physically active to learn academic content. I used to take all of my upper level wildlife classes hunting and fishing on weekend field trips. I had a mini physics class where certain students signed up for "special studies" where a retired physicist and Marine taught us to reload ammunition, tune rifles and how to shoot well. Students seemed to like those "special studies", especially girls.
"As a society we need to understand how to balance the need to use schools as engines of economic committment..............." Page 144-145
Yes, this is my complaint. We should be training students for the work force. But then, we might need to stop the practice of hiring foreigners who pay no taxes, take the money home and who pay no social security taxes. A lot of business owners would not like this because for every one they hire, they save the 7.5% soc sec match.
Rethinking 9
"For the first time in history , children are more comfortable, knowledgable and literate than their parents." Page 122
I would have agreed with this 2 months ago. It might be true but I don't think it is a valid generalization. Now that I have examined David Grabski's 7th and 8th grade classes, and have spent numerous sessions in computer labs with high school students, I see that students can't do as much as people think they can. Some do, but most don't. They primarily know how to text and play video games. Do you know that a lot of students who regularly text can't send an e-mail? Did you know that most students are not very good at choosing key words or phrases for information searches. Most students have never used spread sheets like Excell or Access. Most students don't know how to do a budget. Most students (just like me) have not thought much about how the technology available to them can be used. We teachers keep making these broad assumptions about how technologically literate and savvy kids are, and our understandings are skewed by a few good students who have learned a lot. We still need to teach most students how to use the technology to advance their own interests.
"Pick up a controller and take Madden 2005 or Pokemon for a ride; let your children teach you how to play , and raise critical questions about strategies and the purpose of the game play." Page123
I do this all of the time in high school computer lab. I have yet to see a game where their is any real strategy that challenges my imagination. I guess the one where students kill their teacher in a lot of different ways is fun. But cutting off teachers head or stabbing him in the guts to watch cyber blood squirting all over the place doesn't inspire critical thinking does it? I don't have Madden 2005 or Pokemon. Therefore, I can't comment on these games. I see from Wikipedia that there are more to them than there is to the games I normally see. We can'y play these in schools over Internet connections. I encourage students to do all sorts of other things. A substitute can't get much response. However, as a regular teacher, I bet I could get students to look at bettter ways to use technology.
On page 125 the authors ask, "How has technology changed kids' social lives and learning?"
But, then they don't really address this in their dialogue. They do explain that by the 1960's millionss of teens primarily went to school to socialize with friends rather than to get an education. Ok, fine. But, that has nothing to do with technology. It has more to do with a rapidly growing technology, I think. Is the cart before the horse here? Kids are more social than before because they go to school regularly. They go to school regularly because their parents can afford for them to do that, and because the government says they must. Technology did not make kids more social; technology created an economy that made kids go to school where they became more social. That's what I think, anyway.
I would have agreed with this 2 months ago. It might be true but I don't think it is a valid generalization. Now that I have examined David Grabski's 7th and 8th grade classes, and have spent numerous sessions in computer labs with high school students, I see that students can't do as much as people think they can. Some do, but most don't. They primarily know how to text and play video games. Do you know that a lot of students who regularly text can't send an e-mail? Did you know that most students are not very good at choosing key words or phrases for information searches. Most students have never used spread sheets like Excell or Access. Most students don't know how to do a budget. Most students (just like me) have not thought much about how the technology available to them can be used. We teachers keep making these broad assumptions about how technologically literate and savvy kids are, and our understandings are skewed by a few good students who have learned a lot. We still need to teach most students how to use the technology to advance their own interests.
"Pick up a controller and take Madden 2005 or Pokemon for a ride; let your children teach you how to play , and raise critical questions about strategies and the purpose of the game play." Page123
I do this all of the time in high school computer lab. I have yet to see a game where their is any real strategy that challenges my imagination. I guess the one where students kill their teacher in a lot of different ways is fun. But cutting off teachers head or stabbing him in the guts to watch cyber blood squirting all over the place doesn't inspire critical thinking does it? I don't have Madden 2005 or Pokemon. Therefore, I can't comment on these games. I see from Wikipedia that there are more to them than there is to the games I normally see. We can'y play these in schools over Internet connections. I encourage students to do all sorts of other things. A substitute can't get much response. However, as a regular teacher, I bet I could get students to look at bettter ways to use technology.
On page 125 the authors ask, "How has technology changed kids' social lives and learning?"
But, then they don't really address this in their dialogue. They do explain that by the 1960's millionss of teens primarily went to school to socialize with friends rather than to get an education. Ok, fine. But, that has nothing to do with technology. It has more to do with a rapidly growing technology, I think. Is the cart before the horse here? Kids are more social than before because they go to school regularly. They go to school regularly because their parents can afford for them to do that, and because the government says they must. Technology did not make kids more social; technology created an economy that made kids go to school where they became more social. That's what I think, anyway.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Rethinking 8
"How can schools cope with the new technologies?"
I try to relate this title with the chapter content. Later on page 119, the authors say, "
Commercial video games can also be adapted to meet content standards in schools."
I wonder whether the authors are really writing about the problem of students playing games all the time rather than using the technology to do academic things. Of course games can be adapted just like scratch can be. Teachers need to keep students busy doing fun things that they can be successful doing. But, who will modify the games? Are you going to pay the owners to do that? You aren't going to do it. Why didn't the authors post an online portion of the book and demonstrate some of their ideas? It's easy to do, I think. Maybe it's because the authors are college professors like myself who don't know how to teach? Or, what? Well, I can see War Games being used to demonstrate historical battles. And, I can see students simulating alternatives like, "What if General Custer had never gone to subdue the Sioux? Would we still have casinos in Wisconsin?" Maybe students could use games to operate on dead bodies anmd create Frankenstein monsters. Or, what if students could modify the actions of Romeo and Juliet? That reminds me that I accidentally went to a movie that I thought was Romeo and Juliet but turned out to be "The Secret Sex Lives of Romeo and Juliet". It turned out to be a comedy. I didn't stay long because I was afraid it was something more. Maybe it was. I'll never know. If there is too much content in these so called games, will students still have fun playing them?
"Performance-Based Assessment" Page 113
During this year I have become increasingly interested in the idea of performance based assessments. Show me what you can do? During the interview last week, the new auto shop teacher who will soon start at Adams-Friendship was taken into the auto shop by the vice principal (former principal) and asked to show (proove) that he knew how to use the equipment and machines there. I thought that the vice principal was quite wise for doing that.
If students can show me that they can do something and I can record video of their performances, why do I need to give them written tests? This seems so very logical. I feel that this idea has to be considered any time I develop an assessment. Can they find the information? Can a student show me how to reeconstruct a skeleton? Can a student construct a concept map of the biosphere? Can a student construct a food web of plants and animals that are sympatric on the shortgrass prairie in eastern Colorado? Can a student cut down a tree and make it fall on a specific target? Can forestry students identify the types of wood in a series of samples. Can forestry students measure the volume of wood in a stand of trees? Can a forestry student scale (measure it and esrtimate the board feet of lumber it has) an individual tree? Sometimes the score would be pass/fail. They can do it, or not. When they can perform enough specific tasks, they pass because they are qualified for the job. I like the idea. Gee, it sounds like vocational education.
"Students would create a portfolio of credentials for purposes of employment or college applications.......................Developing a performance-based certification system would also force educators to be more careful about defining what they expect students to know and to do." Page 116
Didn't I just say this? Why should it take a threat from technology to make schools do this? Shouldn't schools be doing this regardless of technology? Is the problem expressed in the saying, "Those who can do; those who can't teach"? Is it any wonder that Neil Simon would write lyrics like, "When I think back on all the crap I learned in high school.........."?
"....., its a wonder I can think at all!"
I try to relate this title with the chapter content. Later on page 119, the authors say, "
Commercial video games can also be adapted to meet content standards in schools."
I wonder whether the authors are really writing about the problem of students playing games all the time rather than using the technology to do academic things. Of course games can be adapted just like scratch can be. Teachers need to keep students busy doing fun things that they can be successful doing. But, who will modify the games? Are you going to pay the owners to do that? You aren't going to do it. Why didn't the authors post an online portion of the book and demonstrate some of their ideas? It's easy to do, I think. Maybe it's because the authors are college professors like myself who don't know how to teach? Or, what? Well, I can see War Games being used to demonstrate historical battles. And, I can see students simulating alternatives like, "What if General Custer had never gone to subdue the Sioux? Would we still have casinos in Wisconsin?" Maybe students could use games to operate on dead bodies anmd create Frankenstein monsters. Or, what if students could modify the actions of Romeo and Juliet? That reminds me that I accidentally went to a movie that I thought was Romeo and Juliet but turned out to be "The Secret Sex Lives of Romeo and Juliet". It turned out to be a comedy. I didn't stay long because I was afraid it was something more. Maybe it was. I'll never know. If there is too much content in these so called games, will students still have fun playing them?
"Performance-Based Assessment" Page 113
During this year I have become increasingly interested in the idea of performance based assessments. Show me what you can do? During the interview last week, the new auto shop teacher who will soon start at Adams-Friendship was taken into the auto shop by the vice principal (former principal) and asked to show (proove) that he knew how to use the equipment and machines there. I thought that the vice principal was quite wise for doing that.
If students can show me that they can do something and I can record video of their performances, why do I need to give them written tests? This seems so very logical. I feel that this idea has to be considered any time I develop an assessment. Can they find the information? Can a student show me how to reeconstruct a skeleton? Can a student construct a concept map of the biosphere? Can a student construct a food web of plants and animals that are sympatric on the shortgrass prairie in eastern Colorado? Can a student cut down a tree and make it fall on a specific target? Can forestry students identify the types of wood in a series of samples. Can forestry students measure the volume of wood in a stand of trees? Can a forestry student scale (measure it and esrtimate the board feet of lumber it has) an individual tree? Sometimes the score would be pass/fail. They can do it, or not. When they can perform enough specific tasks, they pass because they are qualified for the job. I like the idea. Gee, it sounds like vocational education.
"Students would create a portfolio of credentials for purposes of employment or college applications.......................Developing a performance-based certification system would also force educators to be more careful about defining what they expect students to know and to do." Page 116
Didn't I just say this? Why should it take a threat from technology to make schools do this? Shouldn't schools be doing this regardless of technology? Is the problem expressed in the saying, "Those who can do; those who can't teach"? Is it any wonder that Neil Simon would write lyrics like, "When I think back on all the crap I learned in high school.........."?
"....., its a wonder I can think at all!"
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Rethinking 7
"The danger is that public schools may be left with uninterested students, while parents who want to give their children a good education avail themselves of home schooling, private schools and learning centers." Page 106
After Lyndon Johnson got schools integrated during the 1960's this has been goiung on in the South ever since. But, public schools did not end up with disinterested students. A student body is a social dynamic that does not depend on racism or income class. That's why I am not inclined to think the authors concerns have much merit. However, I know a couple in central Wisconsin who are both graduates of Colorado State University. Their 3 children are all home scooled, work in the family business and behave more like young adults than any students I encounter in public schools. Based on this comparison, public schools fail because I rarely feel respected by the students. This is true of all 4 districts I work in. There must be a way to get discipline back so that education can improve. All of this talk about how the Koreans and Chinese are so far ahead of us and there is no talk about how they compare in discipline.
"Education will be directed more toward what people want to learn, and hence, will be more excited and drawn to learning."
I agree if the authors are talking about video games. But, if they are talking about academic content, I say, "Dream on, Jack". For adults after war, yes. For spoiled children, no. Maybe this will be true when the children have to suffer without food and stuff. But, our kids are so naive regarding the realities they will face in the future that they have no vision for it. How do we make them wonder how they will eat when their parents either kick them out or die?
"But people are not going to learn much unless they take responsibility for their own learning." Page 111
After WW II and Korea, people came back to civilian life and entered educational institutions with personal missions to learn so that they could develop their careers. There was a general belief that education was the way to get there. It was. They did it with a vengance. They became the new leaders of major political and educational institutions. They had military discipline and military styles. I worked for those people and when they retired and/or died my job became less by a magnitude. Those who replaced them couldn't come close. Col. Tom Hansbrough flew corsairs in the south Pacific and helicopters in Korea. He would never speak of Korea. Col Hansbrough met Jimmy Doolittle once. His kidneys failed about 2 years ago. Paul Burns fought in the Battle of the Bulge. He still calls and e-mails me. Paul is 90 and still plays tennis usually beating the 80 year olds in competition. I can't remember where Dr. Efferson served but we named a building after him at Louisiana State University. These men came out of the Great Depression and wanted the education they had earned by their military service. Those administrators who replaced them couldn't shine their shoes and my job satisfaction went south. Do we need to take the welfare safety net away to make education respected by today's students? The students who ask me for a little money or to play catch with them are the needy who never seem to be disruptive or disrespectful. Interesting thought.
This was a short chapter and getting toward the end of the book. I felt that the authors were searching for something to say and were suffering from writing fatique. Chapter 8 is similar but has a couple of thought provoking ideas.
After Lyndon Johnson got schools integrated during the 1960's this has been goiung on in the South ever since. But, public schools did not end up with disinterested students. A student body is a social dynamic that does not depend on racism or income class. That's why I am not inclined to think the authors concerns have much merit. However, I know a couple in central Wisconsin who are both graduates of Colorado State University. Their 3 children are all home scooled, work in the family business and behave more like young adults than any students I encounter in public schools. Based on this comparison, public schools fail because I rarely feel respected by the students. This is true of all 4 districts I work in. There must be a way to get discipline back so that education can improve. All of this talk about how the Koreans and Chinese are so far ahead of us and there is no talk about how they compare in discipline.
"Education will be directed more toward what people want to learn, and hence, will be more excited and drawn to learning."
I agree if the authors are talking about video games. But, if they are talking about academic content, I say, "Dream on, Jack". For adults after war, yes. For spoiled children, no. Maybe this will be true when the children have to suffer without food and stuff. But, our kids are so naive regarding the realities they will face in the future that they have no vision for it. How do we make them wonder how they will eat when their parents either kick them out or die?
"But people are not going to learn much unless they take responsibility for their own learning." Page 111
After WW II and Korea, people came back to civilian life and entered educational institutions with personal missions to learn so that they could develop their careers. There was a general belief that education was the way to get there. It was. They did it with a vengance. They became the new leaders of major political and educational institutions. They had military discipline and military styles. I worked for those people and when they retired and/or died my job became less by a magnitude. Those who replaced them couldn't come close. Col. Tom Hansbrough flew corsairs in the south Pacific and helicopters in Korea. He would never speak of Korea. Col Hansbrough met Jimmy Doolittle once. His kidneys failed about 2 years ago. Paul Burns fought in the Battle of the Bulge. He still calls and e-mails me. Paul is 90 and still plays tennis usually beating the 80 year olds in competition. I can't remember where Dr. Efferson served but we named a building after him at Louisiana State University. These men came out of the Great Depression and wanted the education they had earned by their military service. Those administrators who replaced them couldn't shine their shoes and my job satisfaction went south. Do we need to take the welfare safety net away to make education respected by today's students? The students who ask me for a little money or to play catch with them are the needy who never seem to be disruptive or disrespectful. Interesting thought.
This was a short chapter and getting toward the end of the book. I felt that the authors were searching for something to say and were suffering from writing fatique. Chapter 8 is similar but has a couple of thought provoking ideas.
Rethinking 6
"Perhaps the most revolutionary idea advanced by Horace Mann and his colleaugues was for the state to take over responsibility for educating children from their parents." Page 91
When I was a teen, all we ever heard was how the Russians would instill kids with propaganda and that good Russian word became a bad word for us. But, "This often led to children developing attitudes and values that their parents did not share." Page 92 And, to insure that parents did not interfere, kids were physically removed from their parents' homes to live in a state dormitory. Then, they would be assessed as to aptitude and trained to be a professional in that area. So, we ended up with serious controversies regarding whether Russian olympians were amatures or really professionals. Who would have thought that we were doing much the same thing just in another way.
"When the student completes the problem, the computer might review the procedure with the student, pointing out the criticakl steps to solve the problem and the general ideas that the problem encompassed." page 97
In the question of computer learning without a teacher, I don't see that it could be effective for young students. My opinion is colored by an experience I had learning algebra from TMAC in 8th or 9th grade. I was given a book to work through problems at my own pace. Once I learned a section, I could test out and go to the next. I did well but never really learned algebra. So, I really struggled in trigonomettry and calculus courses later. I always knew that I had never really learned algebra by that method and have never made it up by taking a real algebra course. Maybe, I can learn online regarding those things I want to learn, but will children learn core subjects by that method without guidance? In addition, would it be easier to brainwash kids with just a computer? I suspect that it would. I think it takes a human teacher who kids interact with to ensure thast they can actually think critically about things. I pledge allegiance to the ..............
"..........what will happen to learners who are unwilling or unable to take advantage of the technologies the diverse lifelong-learning environment?" Page 104
At the end rthe authors ask this question. I don't know the answer but maybe schools will have fewer students to concentrate their efforts on. Maybe all schools will be privatized and only available to those who can pay. Maybe students will see education as more relevant and valuable then. Maybe education will be more relevant and valuable then. I think teachers should charge more money for their services. Right now, public education is obviously not worth much. Maybe we should sell education insurance? We really ought to be selling prison insurance also in high schools. This is actually justified because more people will go to prison than will be in a serious car accident.
When I was a teen, all we ever heard was how the Russians would instill kids with propaganda and that good Russian word became a bad word for us. But, "This often led to children developing attitudes and values that their parents did not share." Page 92 And, to insure that parents did not interfere, kids were physically removed from their parents' homes to live in a state dormitory. Then, they would be assessed as to aptitude and trained to be a professional in that area. So, we ended up with serious controversies regarding whether Russian olympians were amatures or really professionals. Who would have thought that we were doing much the same thing just in another way.
"When the student completes the problem, the computer might review the procedure with the student, pointing out the criticakl steps to solve the problem and the general ideas that the problem encompassed." page 97
In the question of computer learning without a teacher, I don't see that it could be effective for young students. My opinion is colored by an experience I had learning algebra from TMAC in 8th or 9th grade. I was given a book to work through problems at my own pace. Once I learned a section, I could test out and go to the next. I did well but never really learned algebra. So, I really struggled in trigonomettry and calculus courses later. I always knew that I had never really learned algebra by that method and have never made it up by taking a real algebra course. Maybe, I can learn online regarding those things I want to learn, but will children learn core subjects by that method without guidance? In addition, would it be easier to brainwash kids with just a computer? I suspect that it would. I think it takes a human teacher who kids interact with to ensure thast they can actually think critically about things. I pledge allegiance to the ..............
"..........what will happen to learners who are unwilling or unable to take advantage of the technologies the diverse lifelong-learning environment?" Page 104
At the end rthe authors ask this question. I don't know the answer but maybe schools will have fewer students to concentrate their efforts on. Maybe all schools will be privatized and only available to those who can pay. Maybe students will see education as more relevant and valuable then. Maybe education will be more relevant and valuable then. I think teachers should charge more money for their services. Right now, public education is obviously not worth much. Maybe we should sell education insurance? We really ought to be selling prison insurance also in high schools. This is actually justified because more people will go to prison than will be in a serious car accident.
Rethinking 5
"Home schooling has been burgeoning in America over the last 25 years. Children who are schooled at home score significantly better on standardized tests in every subject area. Page 67
So, home schooling is the way to go because the public schools are failing. Everybody wants to blame the teachers, and teachers want to blame the parents. I blame the judges who won't allow me to smack the kids who should be smacked. I think it would help a lot if schools worked with police and judges regarding discipline in schools. I think that innovations are needed to help teachers keep order in schools. On the other hand, maybe kids who refuse to respect others should just stay home. Won't the average student perform better if a certain few are left at home? I think so. It just isn't fair to make teachers be police without authority and to make average students suffer from lack of excellent instruction. The authors explain on page 101 of the next chapter that parents are trying to protect their kids from learning the wrong things from peers in schools.
"In about 10% of families that do home schooling the mother works outside the home." Page 69
So, some adult who cares about the kids stays home in most home schooling families to maintain discipline. Is this evidence we should pay attention to? I think so. Maybe there will be more home schooling as the job market gets increasingly worse. Parents and sudents might really start to value education again. Public schools will become places to house the bad kids and all of the good kids will stay at home. When I was a child few mothers worked outside of home. Discipline was higher in schools generally and punishment was both swift and harsh. We still had bad kids in schools but there was less tolerance of disruptive behaviors. However, some teachers literally pounded on kids with behavioral disabilities. We did not understand these then. And, as I remember, corporal punishnment did not work for the 22 year old students who were still in junior high.
"Workplace learning has been rapidly expanding over the last 25 years........." Page 71
As schools dropped a lot of the applied disciplines like shop classes, junior colleges and technical schools started to fill some of these roles. My brother has a header and dye shop in Rockford, Il. He complains that it is hard to find trained workers and that training a person to really be competent takes 3 years. So, I suspect that he trains people to do individual functions. He gives very limited benfits and blows lots of money in Casinos that he could use for employee incentives. This would not be my way. I have told him. He has a lake cottage about a mile from my home that he uses on week ends. I saw him once 2 years ago. he still owes me $100 from when O'bama got elected. That's what family is all about, right?
So, home schooling is the way to go because the public schools are failing. Everybody wants to blame the teachers, and teachers want to blame the parents. I blame the judges who won't allow me to smack the kids who should be smacked. I think it would help a lot if schools worked with police and judges regarding discipline in schools. I think that innovations are needed to help teachers keep order in schools. On the other hand, maybe kids who refuse to respect others should just stay home. Won't the average student perform better if a certain few are left at home? I think so. It just isn't fair to make teachers be police without authority and to make average students suffer from lack of excellent instruction. The authors explain on page 101 of the next chapter that parents are trying to protect their kids from learning the wrong things from peers in schools.
"In about 10% of families that do home schooling the mother works outside the home." Page 69
So, some adult who cares about the kids stays home in most home schooling families to maintain discipline. Is this evidence we should pay attention to? I think so. Maybe there will be more home schooling as the job market gets increasingly worse. Parents and sudents might really start to value education again. Public schools will become places to house the bad kids and all of the good kids will stay at home. When I was a child few mothers worked outside of home. Discipline was higher in schools generally and punishment was both swift and harsh. We still had bad kids in schools but there was less tolerance of disruptive behaviors. However, some teachers literally pounded on kids with behavioral disabilities. We did not understand these then. And, as I remember, corporal punishnment did not work for the 22 year old students who were still in junior high.
"Workplace learning has been rapidly expanding over the last 25 years........." Page 71
As schools dropped a lot of the applied disciplines like shop classes, junior colleges and technical schools started to fill some of these roles. My brother has a header and dye shop in Rockford, Il. He complains that it is hard to find trained workers and that training a person to really be competent takes 3 years. So, I suspect that he trains people to do individual functions. He gives very limited benfits and blows lots of money in Casinos that he could use for employee incentives. This would not be my way. I have told him. He has a lake cottage about a mile from my home that he uses on week ends. I saw him once 2 years ago. he still owes me $100 from when O'bama got elected. That's what family is all about, right?
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Rethinking 4
"Until the 19th century, education was largely the responsibility of the parents. ...........This was an apprenticeship system where individual children were taught all they needed to know by those close to them". - page 50
I think of an apprenticeship system to be more of an individual training of a youth by a master to do a specific job. Regardless, I was reminded of the many times I realized that many employers train their new employees to do exactly what the employer wants. I have often wondered what the real value of public schooling was in those cases. An extreme case would be that of Woodward Governor which was headquartered in Rockford, Il. When I was in high school, some students were selected to work during summers for that company. If they were good workers the company recruited them for full time work after graduation. They were specially trained and socialized to be company loyal. The had doctors on staff as well as dentists and barbers. Everything was conformity. The company provided all. The company even provided Christmas presents for all children of employees by sex and age. It still does. My father used to say it was a communist company. The company also pays only some of the wages monthly. The remainder is saved to be awarded as a Christmas bonus. So, many employees get as much as half of their wages once per year at Christmas. If a person works for a company like that, then there is no need of further education. It is not really desirable either because ignorance is bliss. Why should we make a person dissatisfied by allowing him to become aware of other ways? Sounds sort of religious doesn't it? Let's get to the next quote.
On page 52, the authors write "Maris Vinovskis sees the enactment of these early school laws as a reflection of the attempts to promulgate correct religious views...........", and on page 54; " Horace Mann............. He was particularly concerned about preparing the many new immigrants with the values and skills needed by the new republic". One function of public schools is to socialize students politically so that they will not revolt against the government. It is taboo in our country to talk about how our military kills innocents by the tens of thousands so that we can have oil, other resources and political power. I often ask students what they think about saying the pledge of allegiance every day in school. Such brainwashing of innocent children makes me disgusted. I believe that it would be better to teach children to think and question the government. But then, they might need to kill me. After all, for hundreds of years it has been the practice of WASPS to control the world by making all of its peoples believe in the same things that they believed in or it would be OK to kill the infidel. In fact, when I attended federal law enforcement school during 1986, we were told that our targets were any persons who did not believe in main stream American values. Our job was to destroy all of those people and any methods were acceptable. Under Reagan laws were changed so that all federal agents could and still can operate with total impunity for any otherwise illegal act against a target. For example, a federal agent can not be prosecuted for lying or for planting false evidence against a target.
On page 61, the authors write, "Compulsory attendance was the main thrust of universal schooling"
They go on to make idealistic claims that seem childish and unreal to me. I think the government wanted people to make the correct political decisions and not "wise" political decisions. In other words, we brainwash them before we give them the vote. There is another side of this. I bet the authors do not know that Mississippi did not enact compulsory education of children until 1981. Some people thought education was not necessary for rural farmers? Some people thought that education was not necessary for blacks? What were they thinking? What do you think? Even JFK failed to change this. It is not as simple as what you are thinking, really. Does education really empower people? And, based on what happened in North Africa recently, is our government spooked by the power of social media? Or, did our government use social media to expidite its own political agenda in the region? According to a recent interview on PBS radio, we do study and plan for this. We scan social media constantly looking for information in other countries. Are we afraid of our own citizenry? I don't know but I wonder. I do believe that our government tends toward being a control freak. I suspect that social media can help maintain and restore freedom. Should we teach children how to use it more effectively?
I think of an apprenticeship system to be more of an individual training of a youth by a master to do a specific job. Regardless, I was reminded of the many times I realized that many employers train their new employees to do exactly what the employer wants. I have often wondered what the real value of public schooling was in those cases. An extreme case would be that of Woodward Governor which was headquartered in Rockford, Il. When I was in high school, some students were selected to work during summers for that company. If they were good workers the company recruited them for full time work after graduation. They were specially trained and socialized to be company loyal. The had doctors on staff as well as dentists and barbers. Everything was conformity. The company provided all. The company even provided Christmas presents for all children of employees by sex and age. It still does. My father used to say it was a communist company. The company also pays only some of the wages monthly. The remainder is saved to be awarded as a Christmas bonus. So, many employees get as much as half of their wages once per year at Christmas. If a person works for a company like that, then there is no need of further education. It is not really desirable either because ignorance is bliss. Why should we make a person dissatisfied by allowing him to become aware of other ways? Sounds sort of religious doesn't it? Let's get to the next quote.
On page 52, the authors write "Maris Vinovskis sees the enactment of these early school laws as a reflection of the attempts to promulgate correct religious views...........", and on page 54; " Horace Mann............. He was particularly concerned about preparing the many new immigrants with the values and skills needed by the new republic". One function of public schools is to socialize students politically so that they will not revolt against the government. It is taboo in our country to talk about how our military kills innocents by the tens of thousands so that we can have oil, other resources and political power. I often ask students what they think about saying the pledge of allegiance every day in school. Such brainwashing of innocent children makes me disgusted. I believe that it would be better to teach children to think and question the government. But then, they might need to kill me. After all, for hundreds of years it has been the practice of WASPS to control the world by making all of its peoples believe in the same things that they believed in or it would be OK to kill the infidel. In fact, when I attended federal law enforcement school during 1986, we were told that our targets were any persons who did not believe in main stream American values. Our job was to destroy all of those people and any methods were acceptable. Under Reagan laws were changed so that all federal agents could and still can operate with total impunity for any otherwise illegal act against a target. For example, a federal agent can not be prosecuted for lying or for planting false evidence against a target.
On page 61, the authors write, "Compulsory attendance was the main thrust of universal schooling"
They go on to make idealistic claims that seem childish and unreal to me. I think the government wanted people to make the correct political decisions and not "wise" political decisions. In other words, we brainwash them before we give them the vote. There is another side of this. I bet the authors do not know that Mississippi did not enact compulsory education of children until 1981. Some people thought education was not necessary for rural farmers? Some people thought that education was not necessary for blacks? What were they thinking? What do you think? Even JFK failed to change this. It is not as simple as what you are thinking, really. Does education really empower people? And, based on what happened in North Africa recently, is our government spooked by the power of social media? Or, did our government use social media to expidite its own political agenda in the region? According to a recent interview on PBS radio, we do study and plan for this. We scan social media constantly looking for information in other countries. Are we afraid of our own citizenry? I don't know but I wonder. I do believe that our government tends toward being a control freak. I suspect that social media can help maintain and restore freedom. Should we teach children how to use it more effectively?
Rethinking 3
What do the skeptics say? I wonder whether the authors have really looked in the schools or are they really writing from the college level perspective? On page 37 the authors say, ......... cost is still a serious barrier to these technologies becoming central to schooling". Every school I have worked in has a lot of computers and nearly enough technicians. So, I look at how those resources are being used. Students word process and do Internet searches for information. About half and even more of their time is spent playing games or getting around blocks to forbidden sites. The problem that I see to be most important is managing students on computers. I think to do this effectivcely and consistently, schools might need a computer policeman who automatically and consistently supervises students when they are on computers. I know how to use Vision to block students but as a substitute, I can't stop students from constantly going back to the forbidden pages. If I shut their computers down, I risk physical violence in the room with many of the student populations I supervise in some schools. Keeping order is my top priority in those situations.
On page 40 the authors say, "The innovative instruction that drives many computer applications also makes the teacher's job more difficult." I agree but would like to add also more fun. I know that David Grabski works 70 -80 hours per week with Jeff Milsna at PJ Jacobs Junior High School in Stevens Point. They work together to incorporate computer literacy into their classes. And, it does create extra work. One problem is that beginning teachers work about 60 hrs per week and earn about $8/hr (no time and a half). Using the technology effectively reduces this to about $5/hr. People often think it inappropriate to talk about teacher salaries but the reality is that Wisconsin teachers have created problems for themselves because they have not done so. I see this aspect evolving so that teachers have more and more technical assistance for incorporating technology. My thinking is that it will be something like the evolution of having teacher's aids. It is significant also to mention here that Grabski and Milsna have not deeply incorporated technology in their teaching. What they have really done is to train students to use the Internet for Moodle and for information searches. Their young students are not collaborating with people outside of class and when they collaborate with each other it is F2F. Their web applications encourage and even demand more parental involvement but not a great deal more.
On page 41 the autrhors say, "Computers act to dilute the authority that teachers have in classrooms ..............Teachers like to share their expertise. were they to use computers extensively, they would have to give up center stage". A teacher who really knows the content can not be intimidated by Internet sources and center stage might now include things like demonstrating computer expertise. These complaints are the arguements of those without courage or confidence. These teachers hide behind the ignorance of others and might be exposed by computer resources. To make learning relevant, teachers should expose students to real world experts. This will also encourage students to think about careers for themselves and just maybe students will desire information beyond games.
On page 40 the authors say, "The innovative instruction that drives many computer applications also makes the teacher's job more difficult." I agree but would like to add also more fun. I know that David Grabski works 70 -80 hours per week with Jeff Milsna at PJ Jacobs Junior High School in Stevens Point. They work together to incorporate computer literacy into their classes. And, it does create extra work. One problem is that beginning teachers work about 60 hrs per week and earn about $8/hr (no time and a half). Using the technology effectively reduces this to about $5/hr. People often think it inappropriate to talk about teacher salaries but the reality is that Wisconsin teachers have created problems for themselves because they have not done so. I see this aspect evolving so that teachers have more and more technical assistance for incorporating technology. My thinking is that it will be something like the evolution of having teacher's aids. It is significant also to mention here that Grabski and Milsna have not deeply incorporated technology in their teaching. What they have really done is to train students to use the Internet for Moodle and for information searches. Their young students are not collaborating with people outside of class and when they collaborate with each other it is F2F. Their web applications encourage and even demand more parental involvement but not a great deal more.
On page 41 the autrhors say, "Computers act to dilute the authority that teachers have in classrooms ..............Teachers like to share their expertise. were they to use computers extensively, they would have to give up center stage". A teacher who really knows the content can not be intimidated by Internet sources and center stage might now include things like demonstrating computer expertise. These complaints are the arguements of those without courage or confidence. These teachers hide behind the ignorance of others and might be exposed by computer resources. To make learning relevant, teachers should expose students to real world experts. This will also encourage students to think about careers for themselves and just maybe students will desire information beyond games.
Rethinking 2
On page 9 the authors say, "Enthusiasts predict that the sweeping technological changes experienced in the worlds of business and entertainment must also take place in schools". I think that they are behind the 8 ball on this. It already happened. We call it vocational education or junior college on the one hand and computer games in schools that can't be blocked on the ohther.
The authors also say on page 9 that, "Reading , writing, and thinking are what education is all about." We call that bone head english and bonew head math. There is nothing wrong with using he old tools. I think that they may be superior to the new technologies. I would like to see strudents getting fundamental skills before thsey are cut loose on the Internet.
And, "The notion of just-in-time learning is that whenever you need to learn something to accomplish a task, you can find out what you need to know." I think that this is an interesting idea that I embrace partly but also question. It can be a dangerous ides because it flies in the face of the concept of "expert". A neophyyte will most likely make mistakes because they do not know enough of the ins and outs of a subject. I can't accept the notion that "just-in-time learning will ever adequately replace "expertise". Let's see what the skeptics think.
The authors also say on page 9 that, "Reading , writing, and thinking are what education is all about." We call that bone head english and bonew head math. There is nothing wrong with using he old tools. I think that they may be superior to the new technologies. I would like to see strudents getting fundamental skills before thsey are cut loose on the Internet.
And, "The notion of just-in-time learning is that whenever you need to learn something to accomplish a task, you can find out what you need to know." I think that this is an interesting idea that I embrace partly but also question. It can be a dangerous ides because it flies in the face of the concept of "expert". A neophyyte will most likely make mistakes because they do not know enough of the ins and outs of a subject. I can't accept the notion that "just-in-time learning will ever adequately replace "expertise". Let's see what the skeptics think.
Rethinking 1
I have been reading this book a little at a time for some time and did underline certain specific sentences. Bur, now that I know the assignment, I can try harder to be faecetious. There are some real thought provoking ideas presented in this really biased book. And, as a former associate editor of scientific journals, I feel confident about saying that the authors are biased and I must ask whether they ever really had their work edited professionally. First, on page xiii they say, "The revolution is advancing globally, but America appears to be at the leading edge, just as it was during the democracy revolution. We, Ugly Americans" are so full of it. First, America includes all of the countries north and south of the U. S. Second, there is no data to support their presumption. Third, people make too much of a new tool. It reminds me of traveling through Mexico (an American country) with cheap socket sets to wow local Mexican mechanics who had only open end wrenches. Our new technologies are only new tools. There is no so called "revolution". I see a movement promoted by relatively few. My experience has been that most teachers and most students do not know how to use the new tools. Students are less capable than we are often told. I think I have been told that students are so far ahead of their teachers by teachers (and authors) who don't know what the students can really do, and/or who don't know how to do much themselves. In the latter circumstance, teachers are misled because they don't take the time to watch what students really do on computers.
In another statement on page xiv, the authorts say, "Education is a life long enterprise, while schooling for most people encompasses only the years between 5 and 18 or 21". What does that mean? What about college? Further, do the authors really believe that most people stop learning after high school? I think they are looking down on people who have less formal education than they. That seems so very scandanavian of them. And, it demonstrates the problem that southern gentlemen call the "Yankee Attitude".
On page 3, the authors say, " People around the world are taking their education out of school into homes, libraries, Internet cafes, and workplaces, where they decide what they want to learn, when they want to learn, and how they want to learn. So what is knew about this? People have been conversing in taverns for centuries, serving apprenticeships and even reading books. The Amish store in Westfield has this nice looking bottle of elixer for sale that has lots of health benefits, or so they (the Amish) say. I think Cher sang about it and called it Dr, Good. This nice thing about the electronic tool is that people don't have to look at, smell or directly talk to each other anymore. Wow, what an advancement!
On pager 8, the authors (YES, I CAN COUNT; THIS IS 4) say, "In this book, we appear neither as advocates nor opponents of the new technologies". I say, "Look in the mirror; Ollie and Leana are laughing at you.
In another statement on page xiv, the authorts say, "Education is a life long enterprise, while schooling for most people encompasses only the years between 5 and 18 or 21". What does that mean? What about college? Further, do the authors really believe that most people stop learning after high school? I think they are looking down on people who have less formal education than they. That seems so very scandanavian of them. And, it demonstrates the problem that southern gentlemen call the "Yankee Attitude".
On page 3, the authors say, " People around the world are taking their education out of school into homes, libraries, Internet cafes, and workplaces, where they decide what they want to learn, when they want to learn, and how they want to learn. So what is knew about this? People have been conversing in taverns for centuries, serving apprenticeships and even reading books. The Amish store in Westfield has this nice looking bottle of elixer for sale that has lots of health benefits, or so they (the Amish) say. I think Cher sang about it and called it Dr, Good. This nice thing about the electronic tool is that people don't have to look at, smell or directly talk to each other anymore. Wow, what an advancement!
On pager 8, the authors (YES, I CAN COUNT; THIS IS 4) say, "In this book, we appear neither as advocates nor opponents of the new technologies". I say, "Look in the mirror; Ollie and Leana are laughing at you.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Interactive White Board Lesson
I can't think of another lesson that reminded me more of the blind leading the blind. None of us really knew how to design a lesson for a IWB before we started and I'm not certain that we do now. There are several reasons as to why I feel this way. First, we did not interact F2F. So, we had no real discussion of ideas that were really developed discussions. Second, I have been designing a science unit and it is only 2/3 finished, but is already 70 pages long. This makes me feel like we developed some IWB activities but I question whether they should be identified as lessons. Maybe they should. Significant parts of our activities were no different than power point informational slides so that the actual interactives were relatively small portions of the lessons. I realize that this all depends on how we use the activities with the students. In mine, some of the interactives were intended primarily as warm ups with the main activities being development of food webs. After considering the initial draft, I added a blank page so that students could discuss and develop other food webs for other biomes. I wanted students to associate trophic levels reasonably well with the proper habitats so that they could demonstrate their understanding of ecosystems. I also wanted students to think seriously about the complexity of food webs and move beyond simplistic views of herbivores and carnivores. I want them to think about whether there really are pure carnivores by researching some primary literature on food habits. They will find that almost all so called carnivores are really omnivores witrh some exceptions. they will also find that they never really thought about what some animals ate previously. For example, why are there so many skunks around pastures and places where cattle and horses are kept? Think about it.
So, I'm thinking that one of the objectives is to think about those things. How do we use the technology appropriately? How do we actually accomplish the learning goals that we have identified? Obviously, it was not a learning goal for us to become IWB lesson plan experts. We are all far from that.
The other problem is that like it is with so many other computer programs, there are no directions. There are examples but a majority of those are poor examples, actually. So, some teacher posts a couple of interactive slides on smart exchange that are not accompanied with an explanation or lesson plan. So what? That leads me to the final topic which is the amount of time I spent on this.
Amount of Time?
I don't know. I do know that I spent hours trying to make something work (one little thing and then another). I spent time trying to find the introductory slide. I sent messages but finally found it on my own in the gallery. I spent time trying to make an interactive response slide. I asked experts in the schools. They couldn't do it either. I luckily spent time contacting smart help and one of them sent me a link that fixed the program I had downloaded. Apparantly, one of their auto updates failed to install the response part of the program. Lucky me that I got that fixed. I would still be trying to fugure it out, otherwise. I spent another large block of time click, click, click, clicking on my food web figures and their sounds attempting to select both so that I could group layers together. None of the experts could tell me specifically how to do that either. I spend one whole 8 hr stretch trying to get that one. Every so often it would work. Then, I realized that I must have done something different when it did work. I discovered that I could right click on the top layer while holding down the ctrl, and then left click on the bottom layer to select it. Then when both were selected, I could select group from the drop down on either of the selected boxes. It worked nicely and I edited that slide in about 10 minutes (marvelous). So, I posted that on the discussion in D2L hoping to help somebody else. Frustration? Yes! I was remined of the old days when you would get an assignment in a computer class and had to spend countless frustrating hours trying to figure out how to program some function without help.
So, does all of this frustration create better learning? I don't think so. How much more could I learn if I had not wasted so much time with a few details? That's a question worth considering, especially with assignments that I might give students. I am involved in a shop class where students were given a mouse trap and some supplies. They were told to make cars that will travel a certain distance and then cut loose to work on their own in teams. I have video of the results. I will link to it after I edit it, if I find time. Tomorrow we finish with the mouse trap cars. Some groups succeeded although poorly. Others broke all their stuff and threw it all over the room. What if they and I had been given additional instruction? I know the answer to that. Dr. Cook shared with us a theory that if you give kids some stuff to play with, they eventually will come up with the correct solution or product. Maybe that's true for some kids, but not for all, and not for the majority of those who I encounter. Most people need and appreciate a good set of directions when they are putting together. Yes, I do feel accomplished, but tired.
So, I'm thinking that one of the objectives is to think about those things. How do we use the technology appropriately? How do we actually accomplish the learning goals that we have identified? Obviously, it was not a learning goal for us to become IWB lesson plan experts. We are all far from that.
The other problem is that like it is with so many other computer programs, there are no directions. There are examples but a majority of those are poor examples, actually. So, some teacher posts a couple of interactive slides on smart exchange that are not accompanied with an explanation or lesson plan. So what? That leads me to the final topic which is the amount of time I spent on this.
Amount of Time?
I don't know. I do know that I spent hours trying to make something work (one little thing and then another). I spent time trying to find the introductory slide. I sent messages but finally found it on my own in the gallery. I spent time trying to make an interactive response slide. I asked experts in the schools. They couldn't do it either. I luckily spent time contacting smart help and one of them sent me a link that fixed the program I had downloaded. Apparantly, one of their auto updates failed to install the response part of the program. Lucky me that I got that fixed. I would still be trying to fugure it out, otherwise. I spent another large block of time click, click, click, clicking on my food web figures and their sounds attempting to select both so that I could group layers together. None of the experts could tell me specifically how to do that either. I spend one whole 8 hr stretch trying to get that one. Every so often it would work. Then, I realized that I must have done something different when it did work. I discovered that I could right click on the top layer while holding down the ctrl, and then left click on the bottom layer to select it. Then when both were selected, I could select group from the drop down on either of the selected boxes. It worked nicely and I edited that slide in about 10 minutes (marvelous). So, I posted that on the discussion in D2L hoping to help somebody else. Frustration? Yes! I was remined of the old days when you would get an assignment in a computer class and had to spend countless frustrating hours trying to figure out how to program some function without help.
So, does all of this frustration create better learning? I don't think so. How much more could I learn if I had not wasted so much time with a few details? That's a question worth considering, especially with assignments that I might give students. I am involved in a shop class where students were given a mouse trap and some supplies. They were told to make cars that will travel a certain distance and then cut loose to work on their own in teams. I have video of the results. I will link to it after I edit it, if I find time. Tomorrow we finish with the mouse trap cars. Some groups succeeded although poorly. Others broke all their stuff and threw it all over the room. What if they and I had been given additional instruction? I know the answer to that. Dr. Cook shared with us a theory that if you give kids some stuff to play with, they eventually will come up with the correct solution or product. Maybe that's true for some kids, but not for all, and not for the majority of those who I encounter. Most people need and appreciate a good set of directions when they are putting together. Yes, I do feel accomplished, but tired.
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