Top 10 reasons to use technology in my classroom
1. It lends itself well to be utilized in best practice for students
2. It facilitates student/teacher connections by its very nature
3. It eases work of teacher with record keeping, clerical issues
4. It could be integrated flawlessly into project based learning
5. It's relevant in students lives
6. It can, when used properly, lend itself well to higher level thinking skills
7. Many technological tools are dynamic with back-and-forth interaction
8. It allows for cheap, easy, and instant communication between students from different parts of the world
9. It allows for a potentially global audience for student's works and sharing of ideas
10. Since technological progress is inevitable teaching students using current technologies sets them up for success in their future employment.
Ok so they started to become - no particular order
Signing Off - Chris Yoder
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Computer Architecture Week 4
The questions that were prompts for this week . . . How does this course and its content connect to me? Is it useful information that will help me in the future? If so how?
These are good questions for any course. The answer is that I feel this course actually helps me become a technology leader. Through this course and it's content, I feel more confident about the technical aspects of a computer. It's that relative confidence ( I say relative confidence because there's still more to learn and I'm keenly aware of all that I don't know) that directly translates to building wide technology leadership. When someone in the building comes to me with a technology problem I really think that because of this class I feel just a bit more confident about troubleshooting.
I really liked the Under the hood activity but still was never totally clear on what it was I was seeing and would have liked more information.
I enjoyed the alternative operating systems activity and enjoyed making the live CD.
The component activity took a lot longer than I thought though was very interesting.
Overall a useful class
These are good questions for any course. The answer is that I feel this course actually helps me become a technology leader. Through this course and it's content, I feel more confident about the technical aspects of a computer. It's that relative confidence ( I say relative confidence because there's still more to learn and I'm keenly aware of all that I don't know) that directly translates to building wide technology leadership. When someone in the building comes to me with a technology problem I really think that because of this class I feel just a bit more confident about troubleshooting.
I really liked the Under the hood activity but still was never totally clear on what it was I was seeing and would have liked more information.
I enjoyed the alternative operating systems activity and enjoyed making the live CD.
The component activity took a lot longer than I thought though was very interesting.
Overall a useful class
Computer Architecture Week 3
Sometimes I wonder just how much of an environmentalist I really am. It was during some of the discussion of week 3 in which the topic was on the disposable nature of computers that got me thinking. I'm slowly trying to recycle more in my life and it's my goal to get a compost going. The disposable nature of our modern society disturbs me more and more. So my question is why am I OK with buying a new computer about every 5 years - sometimes less? Anyway, that's been my track record for the last 15 years or so.
Maybe it's the program ending but I find myself looking ahead to the future of technology and my prediction/hope is that we're going to see longer and longer life spans of computers and hardware.
Maybe it's the program ending but I find myself looking ahead to the future of technology and my prediction/hope is that we're going to see longer and longer life spans of computers and hardware.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Computer Architecture Week 2
I'm very impressed with the series "Triumph of the Nerds". Two themes struck me the most in this series so far. First was the fact that these early Silicon Valley pioneers were simply having fun and set out to create computers out of an interest and hobby rather than to simply create enormous personal fortunes. I was immediately struck with something that I do in my classroom called the fish philosophy. It's a little on the cheesy side but I keep it a little more low key for my students. The one part that I was struck with was the "play" part of their philosophy which is that students can learn and achieve while having fun and doing something that doesn't feel like a chore. That's certainly what these early Silicon Valley creators were doing and look at the results. This is a good example that I could share with my students.
The other thing I was struck with was the fact that Microsoft bought the right to DOS for $50,000 ( I think I have that right). The commentary by the narrator was something to the effect of typically the fortunes go to the exploiter of the product and not necessarily the inventor of the product. HMMM. Issues of equity and fairness come to mind when I hear stories like that. I fully realize that Gates had the vision for the product and seized an opportunity. . . still.
The other thing I was struck with was the fact that Microsoft bought the right to DOS for $50,000 ( I think I have that right). The commentary by the narrator was something to the effect of typically the fortunes go to the exploiter of the product and not necessarily the inventor of the product. HMMM. Issues of equity and fairness come to mind when I hear stories like that. I fully realize that Gates had the vision for the product and seized an opportunity. . . still.
Computer Architecture Week 1
Interesting stuff! I like history in general but it seems to be in fields like natural history, US history etc. But computer history I knew very little about. The concept I found most interesting was that the basic design of the computer are really relatively old, going back to Charles Babbage and similar pioneers of his age. I'm struck with a larger question of what causes someone to think "outside the box" like this. I think it's a natural human tendency to just go with what you're given. So what caused him to be so innovative? Clearly the spirit of technological innovation at the mid 19th century had something to do with it, but I'm continually struck with the relevance of Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences. Clearly Babbage by this measure was gifted in the area of Logical mathematical intelligence.
I'm also very interested to learn in week one the process by which computers work. I was simply ignorant of it before. Sure I had some knowledge but lacked clear understanding of just what an operating system is or what the startup process is doing on any given computer. I'm starting to feel that, with this in mind, this would be a better class to have in the beginning of the program.
I'm also very interested to learn in week one the process by which computers work. I was simply ignorant of it before. Sure I had some knowledge but lacked clear understanding of just what an operating system is or what the startup process is doing on any given computer. I'm starting to feel that, with this in mind, this would be a better class to have in the beginning of the program.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
CEDU 534 Week 4
Social Bookmarking seems like yet another way of connecting to people about information and content. As far as application to the classroom, this one seems more applicable to teachers in the classroom and to a lesser extent to students. Teachers can really benefit from peer to peer collaboration. I know that I've always benefited from this collaboration.
Over the last couple of weeks I've had an idea that I think would be a good one. Any school district (mine for example) could spend one inservice day hooking up all of their teachers in a social networking site of some kind. They could pitch it as fun and entertaining - posting pictures and at the same time posting cool lesson plans that they've done and evaluations about them. In addition to this why not give all of their teachers an account on a social bookmarking site. The growing number of teacher and education related sites is getting too big to keep track of. By having these this could really benefit all teachers and thus their students.
Over the last couple of weeks I've had an idea that I think would be a good one. Any school district (mine for example) could spend one inservice day hooking up all of their teachers in a social networking site of some kind. They could pitch it as fun and entertaining - posting pictures and at the same time posting cool lesson plans that they've done and evaluations about them. In addition to this why not give all of their teachers an account on a social bookmarking site. The growing number of teacher and education related sites is getting too big to keep track of. By having these this could really benefit all teachers and thus their students.
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