Class 7/13 Reflection:

Well, I experienced another first for me while in this MAC program. Two firsts for me actually. Today I used Google Docs AND I created and published my first Podcast!  LOOK AT ME!  LOLOL!  If my friends could see me now :-).  These are BIG deals because for me to be one who has been in IT for nearly 17 years, I am THE most AVERSE person about using technology than one would ever expect.  Do not get me wrong, I like the idea of technology, and I love the conveniences that come from the advancements of technology.  However, generally I use technology for professional purposes only and not personal.  For example, I am not on Twitter, I do not have a Facebook Account and I enjoy when I can pay my bills in person as opposed to on-line.  I appreciate human interaction.  But I digress.

Today, for the morning session of EDUC 504, we worked in our content area groups to develop a lesson plan for a 1 day teach-in session on New York City's proposed ban on the sale of large sodas and other sugary drinks.  Because of the seating arrangement, one member was constantly being excluded (unbeknownst to the group) because he could not hear the discussion of the topic by the rest of us.  Once he made us aware of his problem, someone else in the group stated that using Google Docs could mediate that problem and it did! Using Google Docs helped to make sure everyone was included in the formulation and cohesion of ideas for the lesson plan.  It also helped us to better track collectively where we were in the planning and to identify gaps in our plan.

For the afternoon session of EDUC 504 we learned how to create our own Podcasts!  I feel like I am a successful recording artist now! Haha!  Watch out Beyonce! [Just teasing :-)] Incorporating and mixing music to fade in/out before and after my podcast clip was an awesome experience.  In fact here it is.  Check it out. LSB Podcast  [I hope this works otherwise you will not understand the sentence that follows.  If clicking on the link does not work try pasting this url in your browser: https://rookery.s3.amazonaws.com/15203500/15203710_850c.mp3].  Now I am not jumping the gun here, I am just looking toward the future for this MAC Cohort.  

I have to admit I was a little apprehensive about a 6 hour technology class session.  However the experience turned out to be exciting, fun and rewarding.  One liiiiitle suggestion for improving the session is to have the students think of what to say for their podcast PRIOR to the date of the scheduled class.  I believe some of us lost a lot of time trying to think of something profound to say and settling for whatever came to mind.

A Reflection on the readings prior to class 7/13/12

I sense a lot of bitterness and tension in the author of Dumbing Down.  He seems to think that the replacement of the word “computing” with IT (Information Technology) is somehow degrading the field.  I disagree totally!  I think the name change shows just how much technology has evolved.   Computing sounds much more like a mathematical term or calculation and is, in my opinion limiting.  It in no way reflects the kaleidoscopic view of technology.  There are many aspects to IT that some people may not realize.  I believe that there are people who only attribute IT to computer games, iPods, iPhones, GPS, Vehicles, computer hardware.  However, IT covers anything that processes data.  The information scanned during checkout at the grocery store, the information that is collected when performing automated payments via telephone, any and every on-line transaction that is conducted are just a few examples of the data handling perspective of IT.  The information that is collected via these means has to be stored somewhere for future data retrieval.  How that information is collected, transmitted, stored, retrieved and maintain is all a part of IT.  In addition, there is another side of IT that involves the testing and debugging of applications and systems created by programmers.  Quality Testing is done in a methodical manner.  It is not typically done haphazardly.  This is another side to IT.  With the continued expansion of this Industry, there may be a chance that the name will have to change again!

The author also seems to believe that training students on software such as MS PowerPoint and Excel provide meaningless secretarial skills.  I disagree again! Excel alone can be used for budgeting, programing, graphing, and processing advanced calculations, just to name a few.  In addition, PowerPoint is used heavily in the Educational and Business worlds for presenting.  Therefore, I cannot see how providing instruction on these tools can possibly be seen as meaningless.

The author mentions a quote by Seymour Papert that has gotten me to thinking: ““Does the child program the computer or does the computer program the child?” It is kind of like, “Which came first?  The chicken or the egg?” type of deal. 

When the author stated: “Isn’t it odd that technology directors are not held accountable for such failure over three decades? Could they possibly be enabling co-dependent behavior and helplessness in the teachers they are meant to lead?” It reminded me of the learned helplessness that is a cognitive functioning deficit experienced by individuals with MR. If the author were aware of that I am sure he would have LOVED to use that in his blog J.

Moving along to the articles about the Soda Ban, it is mentioned, “we tend to consume what’s put in front of us.”  This comment somewhat suggests to me that the writer believes we just behave instinctively rather than act based on our own free will.  The types of food choices made by many of us are the results of our own decisions.   What we all need to be are educated consumers of our food intake.  Think about what we are eating and the nutritional value (if any) that our body is receiving from the food.  The society in which we live is all about getting more, which more often than not leads to excess.  I have on occasion gotten wrapped up in this same ideal when, for example, posed with the question on whether or not I want to supersize my grilled chicken combo meal at Wendy’s.  Or when at the movie theatre and presented with the option of upgrading my popcorn for just a few cents more which will give me access to free refills.  Now how many times do you leave the movie that you are watching that you have paid $10+ to see to go get more popcorn? Me? NEVER.  So why would I get this upgrade?  My mother used to always tell me to think before I speak.  This is an area that I am STILL working on.  But we as a nation need to think before we EAT!

Teaching ideas related to the NYC Soda Ban

A possible suggestion for making use of the topic on “Bloomberg Plans a Ban on Large Sugared Drinks - NYTimes.com” is to have a group of students conduct a study on the student population to decipher whether or not they would support such a ban.  Such a poll could be performed via an on-line survey or via the old fashion way – paper survey.  The group should begin by making predictions about the outcome of the study and continue with polling the entire student body.  Once the poll data has been collected the students will then perform statistical analysis on the data and provide summative results grouped by age, grade, and gender.  How the outcome compared to their original predictions should also be included.  The group participants will be asked to note any trends apparent in the results.  In addition, the results are to include graphical data summarizing the outcome.  Another idea is to look into the qualitative or quantitative research that supported the reason for the band and have a group of students write their views on what arguments they may have on the conducting of the research.  These types of exercises actually address all 4 Knowledge Dimensions of Bloom’s Taxonomy and will in some way address all 6 Cognitive Dimensions as well.  

Class 6/29 Reflection:

OMGosh!  If my friends could see me now!  ME!?!?! . . . Blogging!?!  They will never believe this news.  I read other people’s blogs I do not write them! J

The first day of teaching with technology was not what I expected.  I was expecting a deep dive into an introduction of instructional tools that we may one day decide to integrate into the classroom’s where we teach.   However instead the class resembled that of the other courses in the MAC program to date, full of discussion and sharing of ideas publicly.   The first reading discussed during class was about the impact of incorporating technology into course instruction for students who are in essence born technologically adept.  I agree with Sheskey when he states, “to make authentic connections with students, we must change our strategies to fit this new age of students.”  The CCSS impact the content that is taught in the classroom, but the generations of students impact the method of delivering instruction and the generations will continue to evolve.   On a different note, we often refer to a person’s marital status, financial status, educational status, but Sheskey introduces another category: technological status.   That is a status category that I had not considered previously.  He makes a great point.  When you see someone sitting on a park bench using an iPad or Kindle for instance to read a magazine as opposed to reading an actual paper magazine or book, it clearly lets you know where that person is as far as embracing technology and incorporating it into their everyday lives.  It sets a certain tone or status.  However that status is beginning to fade away with commonality.    

The other reading that was discussed in class was about banning the sale of big sized sugary drinks in places such as restaurants, movie theatres and the like.  I feel this solution is like putting a band aide on an elephant sized wound . . . it is not very beneficial.  Many students in classed mentioned that there are work arounds to this ban.  But really, there is a bigger issue at hand here.  Given that Obesity is a nationwide problem tells me that what is missing is the practice of healthy eating habits on a regular basis (moderation!).  Changing the size of a sugary drink that can be purchased does nothing for the 1000+ calorie burger that was bought with the drink, along with the honey bun and ice cream.  We need to change more than just the size of a drink, we need to change our eating habits. 

I look forward to getting exposure to the technology tools and web-based resources that we will cover in class.  With the recommendation of sites by a fellow MAC student (http://www.flashcardmachine.com) and a MAC instructor (http://750words.com) I am already learning of sites that may be helpful to me in my career as an educator.