Thoughts?

I would like to know your thoughts on allowing former students to be friends on Facebook. I have a number of former students- 6th grade and up, who keep requesting me as friends of FB. By the way, I am no longer teaching.

I have a personal account and a Full Sail account. I don't want to hurt their feelings and they are sweet kids, but I don't want to have to censor myself, nor do I want them following me around town.

Options?

Thoughts?

What do you think?

Should I ignore them?

Should I direct them to my Full Sail account?

Should I quit worrying so much?

:)

Show Me What You Know Project

Wk 1 Comments

Friday, October 2, 2009
Week 1 Blog 1 - Revisiting my Thesis


I have changed schools in the last year and this has made me less excited about my original thesis topic. I am worried that my lack of enthusiasm will make this month's thesis draft grueling. I am hoping that this post will help me get excited again about the topic. So my topic is Podcasting and Vodcasting in Science Classrooms. I have written the following thesis statement:

The problem of students not understanding homework can be fixed by reversing the traditionally accepted notion of homework. If the teacher podcasted or vodcasted the classroom material the student could view the material before class and be prepared to practice the material in the classroom with the teacher.

I decided that this was a good topic after I went to a conference where another chemistry teacher presented this concept. I saw how this was working in his classroom and I thought that my classroom could be changed for the better by utilizing my podcasting and vodcasting skills. Since I have changed schools I don't teach chemistry any longer and I don't quite know how it would jive with my current school's philosophy of education. I think weekly recap podcasts would go over extremely well, but course casting most of my classroom content may not.

My other thought is that there are already podcasts about each chapter in my AP Biology book. Am I reinventing the wheel if these casts have already been created? Any encouragement, support, or resources are greatly appreciated.

Picture Credits - KHirt 2009
Posted by Hirt at 7:55 PM
1 COMMENTS:
Joann@FullSail said...
Maybe it is not the idea of reinventing the wheel, but making the wheel better. I understand the frustration of seeing your idea already out there, however, I can tell you, there were no podcasts about anything in my 5th grade science book. Maybe it is about training wheels- appeal to a younger audience. I think sometimes technological advances are concentrated on high schools and middle and elementary schools get overlooked.
Think about how beneficial a podcast would be for a science chapter for a struggling reader- perhaps it would make homework easier if they could hear the instructions, rather than read them.
My fifth graders often struggled with the text- it sometimes went over their heads and only after careful explanation did they understand what I was looking for. In the classroom, they had the benefit of my presence- for homework- not so much.

I think your topic is great! I definitely get the lack of passion making it a more tedious task. Good luck!

October 4, 2009 1:43 PM

Sources:

Blog Name: The Hirt Connection

Link: http://khirt.blogspot.com/

Week 1 Blog 1 - Revisiting my Thesis. Hirt, Katie. http://khirt.blogspot.com/ retrieved October 4, 2009.

Week 1 Reading, Chapter 2, Buying into American Idol

Week 1 Reading, Chapter 1, Spoiling Survivor

Hi, My name is Joann and I am a recovering Survivor addict.

Ok, not so much recovering as "grew bored with it and stopped watching", but there was a time that everyone who knew me knew not to call between 8 & 9 on Thursday night. I would discuss it at length at the water-cooler, so to speak, with my coworkers. We would debate endlessly about who should be voted off, who was voted off and the behavior of the players- Thursday and Friday were pretty unproductive.

I understand the difference of opinion in ChillOne's status as hero or villian. The fun is in the speculation- spoiling is never really about "winning the game". It is more about using your powers of deductive reasoning and getting it right. Of course some people correctly guessed who was going to be voted off the island and they strutted around the office triumphantly, but they did it without inside information.

I remember in the mid-nineties when Mr. Burns was shot on the Simpsons. Who did it? It was a very big deal amongst my friends- everyone had their theories and ideas. It was the big night (I lived in AZ at the time) and we were at rehearsal waiting to go home to watch. The assistant director's cell phone rings and with that fateful call- the game was over. He hung up and loudly announced the killer. On the phone was his friend from the east coast who had just watched the episode. No one was happy or excited- in fact- I think he had to bid a hasty retreat to his car. He ruined everyone's fun! It was never about knowing before the show aired- it was about figuring it out. (By the way, none of us had guessed Maggie.)

This text is a very interesting read. Not only do I find its information useful and fascinating, it keeps bringing up all these memories from my past. I have anecdotal evidence to support much of the information. Isn't that the mark of effective media- not only telling a story, but evoking an emotional response to that story?

Jenkins, H. (2006). Convergence Culture: Where old and new media collide. New York: New York University Press

Week 1 Reading, Introduction

Intro: "Worship at the Altar of Convergence"
What does old media mean by "convergence" and has it happened yet?

According to Jenkins, convergence is "technological, industrial, cultural, and social changes in the ways media circulates within our culture." I think it has definitely happened.

I stopped getting the newspaper because I get the headlines pushed to my Twitter account, also, I can find out more on the internet.

I cannot tell you the last time I hand wrote an entire letter.

In high school, I knew everyone of my friend's phone numbers by heart- now I couldn't tell you one. In fact, I often struggle with my own- although, I can still recite my home phone number from high school.

I used to wonder what happened to my old friends from elementary school, high school and college- now I just look them up on Facebook.

These are just singular examples about myself, but it is these sort of changes that lead to convergence.

I found the example of "Evil Bert" particularly effective to illustrate convergence partly because I remember that phenomenon. I remember seeing the website and I also remember the malay that followed.

Convergence is a double-edged sword, so to speak. It is a remarkable thing to be privy to so much information, however, it is the misuse of this information (or the avenues it travels through) that calls it into question.

It reminds me of a story that was told to me by a local principal. A teacher in his school reprimanded a student- in front of the class. Apparently she got upset and embarrassed so, she went into the hall and called her mom and told her he touched her breast. Instead of calling the principal or coming to the school, the parent called the local media who swarmed the school. The faculty and staff had no idea about the incident. The police arrived even before it was sorted out. The teacher had to endure the humiliation (he was married and his daughter attended the school) and was suspended pending an investigation. You can read more about it here. This is a case where traditional methods of communication would have been a much preferred route for this information to travel.

My opinion is that convergence is a powerful tool that when used effectively can be a wonderful thing, but in the wrong hands or when abused, it is very dangerous.

I am truly excited to learn everything I can about this influential phenomenon.

Jenkins, H. (2006). Convergence Culture: Where old and new media collide. New York:

New York University Press

Schools who block technology are inhibiting their teachers too

Social networking is the red-headed step-child of education. It's presence is a powerful one to be reckoned with, but the "adults" hope that if they ignore it or sweep it under the rug that it will go away. Let's forget, for a moment, how effective a tool this would be for the students and focus on the other people who are missing out on opportunities because of this narrow-minded view.

Teachers are missing out on a huge resource because of districts reckless and blanket policies involving the blocking of many sites. The reason that this happens to be my current soap-box issue of choice is because of an article that I came across entitled The World's Largest English Department. It began by describing a pretty typical situation of a brand new teacher stumbling across The English Companion Ning out of sheer desperation and how it saved the day. She posted her situation on the site and less than 12 hours later she had sixty responses ranging from sympathy to advice. How amazing would it be if she could refer to this while sitting at her desk during planning? It would save time, energy and probably some sanity. First year teachers often feel isolated and confused. Often, they do not ask questions or seek advice because they do not want to be perceived as "not knowing what they are doing". In addition to tackling their new district's curriculum, they must also learn the ins and outs of their school environment. It can be daunting and depressing. It is important to be reminded that you are not alone. Also, I think it is important for veteran teachers to be reminded of their first few years and to expand their own knowledge with advice and suggestions from others. Our peers are often our best teachers.

The article also lists some excellent Web 2.0 resources geared toward teachers. As most teachers will agree, free=good.