DECEMBER 6th, 2012

Jon Corippo Presentation

COPYRIGHT AND FAIR USE

 Jon Corippo emphasized the importance of technology in the classroom. The model and ideas exposed are very interesting. The access that students have to use phones in the classroom and the way to motivate them to be responsible in the use of technology are examples to follow. He mentioned that teachers play an important role in the way to encourage students and they set the tone for academic success.

Copyright and Fair Use are two concepts important to research more. I need to expand my knowledge in these two areas. The presentation in reference to Fair Use is very informative. Commonsense and Teaching Copyright are two important sites to learn more in reference to these topics and learn about legal rights and responsibilities in the digital area.

December 4, 2012

“Being an educator is a calling”

It is what Mike Vollmert stated. His presentation was inspiring to me. He is a teacher with a great experience and his advice makes me think about my role as an educator in this century. Making connections from previous classes and presentations the goal and challenge that we have now is how to lead our students in the direction that the future is demanding. Collaboration, communication, creation are skills for students to learn. Having technology tools to support this have vision is very exciting and I am learning and preparing to head in that direction. 

November 29,2012.

The Puzzle of Motivation, Diane Main, Google Sites, The Classroom of the Future.

Tonight’s class was very informative. We have the video: “The Puzzle of Motivation” These are some ideas that make me reflect in my daily life and to think about what

 I want for my students when I became a teacher.

Intrinsic motivation, the desire to do things because they matter, autonomy, mastery and purpose. I really believe that if we want get results for high performance around in education we need to be able to motivate students and find the desire to do things that are important to them and to find the way to direct their lives with a purpose. I like the video and the ideas presented.

Diane Main presentation provided a lot of information. The links provided on his site are very rich in information. One of the sites that I checked was Google Lit Trips. This site is a great site in reference to Literature. It has books that you can download providing information about the characters from the books. The focus of this site is creating engaging and relevant literary experiences for students. It has references for k to 12^th grade students in even for higher education. It is an excellent site to continue exploring.

The classroom in the future is also a great site.

Moving Education Forward

“If we're going to change the world, we need to start with education.  Classroom in the Future attempts to feature the ideas, tools, and inspirational materials in education in order to help teachers drive change within their schools.”

It has very inspirational videos and materials to support the teaching experience.

I like very much the video: “The future is about thickeners”

Another video that I liked is the speech at the Stanford commencement ceremony given by Steve Jobs. I have seen this video many times and every time when I watch and listen I get a new message.

I can connect the first video “The Puzzle of Motivation” with the Steve Jobs speech at Stanford and the boy from Africa.

Steve Jobs words are:

“You have to find want you love”

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life”

“The only way you be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work”

“Keep looking and don’t settle”

“Stay hungry. Stay foolish”

The boy from Africa is following his heart. He will be able to follow his heart and intuition. I am sure he will do great things to help his family and his community.

He will work in things that matter to him.

Social Media in the Classroom

Social Media in the Classroom

Social Media in the Classroom

November 20, 2012.

Social Media in the classroom

I did not attend the class on November 20, but reviewing the information in reference to Social Media in the classroom, my position is against the use of it in the classroom.

I recognize the possibilities that social media might offer to a student. I agree that using social media in the classroom will improve communication among parents, students and administrators, but I feel that the culture some schools have and the students’ population is not ready to implement this instrument of communication. I think that it is necessary to educate all the parties involved in how to use this way of communication in a beneficial manner.

I am a little concerned about having your personal profile and how other people can use this, besides sometimes students share information that is not appropriate to see.

I feel that it is necessary to have more statistics and review policies / guidelines regarding the use of social media in the classroom.

Technology in the classroom

 November 15, 2012

Today I learned different ways a teacher can be supported by technology in the classroom. Podcasting, YouTube videos, Screen cast and Flip teaching are some of them. I believe the term for this type of instruction is “Blended Learning”. This approach combines face-to-face classroom methods with computer-mediated activities to form an integrated instructional approach.

YouTube, Screen cast and Flip teaching are some methods I would like to implement in my future practice as a teacher.

In this class, I am learning with some of these methods. For example in the past two classes, I have had access to review at home the information presented in class.

I have worked at my own pace having the opportunity to do online research for sites that support the presentations. In the classroom, I have the opportunity to listen to my instructor and to ask for his support. I really like this way of teaching because like in one of the videos mentioned, students have the opportunity to learn if they want.

I am still having problems understanding how all these digital media technology work, but practice makes the teacher. So I'll keep practicing and looking for support.

Singapore's 21st Century-The Future of Learning

November 13, 2013.

Singapore’s 21^st Century-The Future of Learning

The first video, “Singapore’s 21st Century, Teaching Strategies”, describes the importance of technology in the present. Ngee Ann Secondary School is one of the seven “Future Schools” in the country. This school emphasizes the use of technology, digital media, and integration.

When I was watching the video, I was surprised seeing how this school is equipped.

It is true that kids live in a different world nowadays. I agree when they referred to how savvy kids need to be when using technology. At the same time, I think in the differences that exist between the United States and Singapore the area of education. Singapore being a country with high technology, must prepare their students to meet the needs of its workforce. Therefore, my question is: How do they fund education to have schools like Ngee Ann Secondary provide these sophisticated classrooms? When I think of the USA, I reflect and the first thing coming to my mind is the disparity in financial resources that our schools have.

In the video, The Future of learning, I like the expressed views.

“Learning is just beginning”, the students do not have to be taught as an identical people. It is very interesting to listen how all these experts share their ideas to have a more meaningful education. Technology during this time is very important because it is accessing information in a more extensive way, helping students to collaborate and communicate globally. The analysis in reference to standardized testing and how this idea corrupts the principle of education is very interesting. I agree when they say that standardized testing does not reflect what students know and how important it really is for students, parents, teachers, and administrators.

Millennium Promise and Coursera, two of online sites mentioned in the video are very interesting to search. Millennium Promise’s mission is to provide the operational platform and resource mobilization for the Millennium Villages Project, which empowers communities to lift themselves out of extreme poverty.

Coursera is a social entrepreneurship company that partners with the top universities in the world to offer courses online for anyone to take, for free.

They offer a wide variety of topics. Coursera Headquarters is located in Mountain View, Ca.

Yes, this is the beginning to redirect education. As prospective teachers, we must take the advantages offered by technology. Our role also must focus in helping and engaging students to be creative and reflexive thinkers and to motivate students to find the meaning of education and to use technology in an intelligent way.

I hope that in the future of Santa Clara County, the gap among school districts

comes to an end. We can maybe have a well equipped school like Ngee Ann Secondary School in Singapore. It is our job to work for the future of a better education.