On Google Earth

First and foremost, I want to say that controversy aside, I love Google Earth and Google Maps.
Once upon a time, I was a lowly MapQuest user...
I don't have a GPS, no turn by turn navigation for me. So when I have to go somewhere I've never been, I look it up on Google Maps. The unique and fantastic thing about this is the "street view" function. If there are tricky intersections, or weird turns that you might have to take on your route, just glance at the street view and note what the surrounding area looks like.
And which of you hasn't looked to see if your own house was on there yet?
Why just the other day as I was applying for transfer to JSC, I had to drive up there, and I looked at the street view for that five-way intersection in (I believe) Essex. The written instructions told me to go right on Maple Street and then turn left on Main Street. Really, I just had to go straight through. The other nice thing about this function is that you can look to see if there are turn lanes and whatnot, so you are prepared ahead of time.
Google Earth in particular is a lot of fun. When my sister first moved to Germany, I was able to look up her house on Google Earth, and see just how tiny of a little village she really did live in. According to Wikipedia, the population is 2,884. (Also according to wikipedia, Middlebury is over 35,000). So yeah, it's a tiny little town. But it was so cool for me to be able to go and actually see her house, without ever having been there.
The other thing that I did when I first got Google Earth was to go and look at all the places I really want to see.
The Kremlin, the Taj Mahal, the Golden Palace, the Great Wall, the Amazon Rainforest, the Sydney Opera House...
It was amazing to me that now I could actually see them. Right there.
Let's not forget the contribution that this technology has made in other areas. Now, rather than purchasing a GPS, there are applications for various cell phones that can, in conjunction with Google, provide turn by turn directions as you drive! I swear, some day we will be down to one portable device that will do it all. I mean, we're practically there but for the physical size of a computer and the greater comfort it provides for long typing/browsing sessions.
And there is so much more that can be done with Google Earth that I haven't even begun to explore. Ocean floor and surface data, Audio recorded tours! I mean, come on. You really can see the world without ever leaving your computer chair (or couch, or whatever).

I can just imagine how fantastic it would be to use this technology in the classroom. Besides exploring the world, it would provide a perfect segue to a discussion on privacy rights and safety with technology!

Thanks for reading,
Katie May

Thankful!!!

Well, here I am supposed to be blogging about all of the wonderful things that technology does for us, and for what about technology I have to be thankful.
Today I walked into work to discover that we had gotten a "Windows Anitvirus Pro" malware program on our main computer. Since I am no whiz, I have no idea what to do about it. I found a patch that stops the malware running, but you have to open it before the malware program opens, or the malware blocks you from opening the patch. Hooray.
I would be really thankful if we could get some new computers at work (maybe even Macs) and maybe, perhaps, perchance some professional grade antivirus software, instead of relying on the freeware.

Ok, done being sarcastic.
All said and done, technology has allowed us to make wonderful advancements in our quality of life and our quality of education. Information is so available now, it's almost scary. When you google a topic, it's hard to imagine there is anything left yet to be studied, researched, pondered, tested, examined, designed, or invented.

I am thankful for Facebook. I know that might sound trite, but really, I am. I am in contact with so many people I would never have found again. I can talk to people all over the world (including my sister in Iraq) at the push of a button. For that matter, I'm thankful for Skype.
But back to Facebook. I am thankful that at any given moment that I have a random question, I can see who is online and bug them for an answer. One friend might tell me what movie to watch, another might tell me what is the best vocabulary word for my sentence, and yet another might help me fix my computer problems. And yes, I really do bug people with such questions. They're on Facebook, which they maybe oughtn't be if they are doing anything important...

I am thankful for my TI-83 Plus calculator, without which, Statistics would be... well, really time consuming.

I am thankful for my debit card, the most pervasive piece of technology perhaps... I am thankful for the microwave oven that cooked my dinner, and
And don't even let me go into all of the medical equipment that I am sure to one day be thankful for...

I am thankful that I can attend my classes at 2:30 on a Sunday morning in my pyjamas, and that I can renew my library books online.

There really is a lot to be thankful for when it comes to technology. It really makes our lives so much more connected to one another, when we choose to use it that way. It allows me to know the answer to just about any fact based question my little brain might invent, such as, what is the average flight speed of a Monarch Butterfly?...

"Traveling at an average speed of 12 mph (but sometimes going up to 30 mph), the monarchs cover about 80 miles a day. They can fly at heights of up to 2 miles."

-gomexico.about.com

It truly is amazing that I can be walking down the street and learn that my sister in Iraq shot 98% accuracy on the range that day, or that my older sister just arrived at Venice Beach and it's beautiful...
I really admire the connectedness we have now with our world. Because, really, at what point, pre-technology, could a person even know the average flight speed of the Monarch Butterfly?

Thanks,
Katie May

Vlogging!!!

Ok, so I have no sort of video camera. I can do 45 second clips on my phone, and the video quality is really not great. So, I'll blog about vlogging!

First of all, let me say that I have watched a bajillion and one "Vlogs" in my day, and never really knew there was a name for them... I mean, it's essentially what you-tube is, when the content is original and of the user posting it, no?

My favorite type of vlogs are the cooking ones. I love to cook, and for the most part, I can figure out a recipe. But sometimes, recipes and certain types of things require special techniques that are better shown than told. For example, I am not so good at stovetop frying. When I was a teenager, my mom bought a countertop fryer, and I've worked in many restaurants. When you are spoiled having machines that keep your oil at the perfect temperature, getting it right atop a burner can be tricky business! Alas, one of my favorite foods ever in the world demands perfection in the stovetop frying department.
Enter Manjula's Kitchen! This woman shows you step by step. And though the frying is the tricky part, it's really helpful to get a visual on the dough as well. Those of you familiar with the multitudes of textures and consistencies dough can demonstrate will understand why.

I believe I have already mentioned the prodigiously young fashionista, Tavi, who occassionally posts vlogs to her blog at http://tavi-thenewgirlintown.blogspot.com/. Though, she blogs a lot, so it can be hard to find the video entries...

I really like any educational Vlogs I can find. Ones that show me how to do something I didn't know I could... In all honesty, if I had a camera, I would vlog cooking shows at least once a week...

It's the latest trend in the world of the internet. But I think it's a concept that will stick. I think it's probably also a great way for those who are slow at typing to get their message across without feeling so frustrated at their limitation.
It does lead me to wonder, though, whether we aren't coming up with more and more permanent trends on the internet. I mean, chat rooms were cool for a little while, but private IM's have stood the test of time, as has e-mail. But I really can't imagine things like photo and video sharing are going to dwindle the way chat rooms have...

Thanks,
Katie May

Ken Robinson: Schools Kill Creativity

First of all, I really don't even know what I can add to this. I have been of this very opinion for years now.
I had an interesting argument with my mom a while ago. We were discussing the allotment of school funding to arts programs, and what should be cut when the budget falls short. I have always argued that it's wrong to prioritize subjects in education. I know a lot of different people who think in a lot of different ways. I saw some of the most talented people I know be just miserable in the public education system because they just did not think that way. Someone who is a brilliant artist should not be told (which they are, indirectly when such programs are cut) that their area of expertise, that their talent field, is less valuable than mathematics, or language arts.
The question remains, though, how do we properly allot the budget so that all areas have the resources they need?
I had another mini-debate with a friend of mine over private versus public education. I was (in my current opinion) naive in the belief that public education is the only way to ensure that everyone has a fair shot. But then I realized that just because a child is stuck in a school building, doesn't mean that s/he has a fair shot, now does it?
Whatever the answer is, it was nice for me to see someone validate my opinion. Thanks Ken!
And, of course, I'll be spreading this video around....

Thanks,
Katie May

Not entirely sure what to blog about here.

So, the assignment was titled, "Blog about Powerpoint" but the description asked us to blog about how we are doing in the class so far. So, I'll go ahead and do both.

In class:

I think I am doing fairly well in this class so far. I have had an off day now and again that has put me behind on the discussion board, forgetting or neglecting or plain not having time when I thought I would to get to replying to people, but I am satisfied with the quality of the work that I have turned in, and I am especially satisfied with the material that I am learning. Considering that I have learned so much already, I can't imagine what more there is to learn. Therefore, there is nothing that I am so strongly hoping to achieve, because I just plain don't know what else there is!
However, I do hope that the lessons for the rest of the semester match the quality of the lessons past.

On PowerPoint: Bad Experiences.
Probably one of the most unanimous complaints about PowerPoint is that it is too oft used as digital note cards for the presenter. I have sat through presentations like this, where, not only were the slides merely text/bullet points, but the presenter added no information not on the slides. I have, sadly, seen this in both the educational and professional setting.
There is really not much worse than having an instructor show you a slide show, reciting the notes on the slides, and moving on. Nothing, of course, except for having that instructor hand you a printed copy of his presentation, and move too fast for you to even take decent notes. (For me it was in Anatomy & Physiology, which made it especially heinous, as there was so much more that could've been done in that class to make it interesting.)
While I do, in fact, appreciate this use, I would have to say that the most creative/effective use I have seen for this program so far has been to use as a photo slide show. And I speculate that there are far more inventive and enjoyable uses available for this program. I am looking forward to investigating what those might be...

Thanks

Week 7- Make-up... Bloom

Blogging about Bloom and his seemingly infamous taxonomy of higher cognitive engagement.

• Have you come across this theory before in your educational training?

I believe we touched on this in one or two of my other classes, but I'm sure it's this class that will have me remembering it forever. Honestly, I'm a bit surprised not to have been more familiar with it, considering that it's so useful and important. Though, I suppose most of my classes so far haven't really covered lesson planning...

• Does it help you understand some educational concepts you've never quite grasped?

It helps me organize my explanations for why I want to teach in certain ways. I don't know that it helps me to understand certain concepts, but it certainly helps me to organize and verbalize them.

• How will you apply it in your classroom?

Well, first and foremost, it is a great reference point for any lesson plan. I will compare my lessons to the taxonomy to see what higher levels the lesson addresses. I can then look at the missed levels and see if there is a way to tie in another activity to the lesson that can address those issues. It will also be interesting for me to see how children do at the tasks addressing the different levels. It will be useful to see if some children perform better at the higher levels, and if there is any sort of correlation between how high up the scale a lesson goes and how successful my students are at said lesson.

• Can you make connections between Bloom's and some of the other educational theories you've come across?

Well, I think it's interesting to compare Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs to Bloom's Taxonomy. I have to wonder if one didn't influence the other, at least on a basic level. It's almost as though Bloom took to creating a hierarchy of academic needs. First and foremost, we need information. It's the food and water of education... and so on.

Overall, I think it's a wonderful theory to keep in mind. It certainly seems useful, but I don't know that it would be feasible, or even a good idea to try and reach the highest level with all lesson plans. Some things, the multiplication tables, for example, you just have to know. And as far as I can imagine, while there are a few tricks to learning them, they are really just something that must be memorized. It's not until much later in mathematics that you actually get to do anything really creative with... well, math. And I may be wrong.
I'm not saying that we shouldn't make the lessons as fun as we can, more simply that a person, a teacher, only has so much time, and has so many lessons to plan that it would be nigh impossible to really develop every lesson in a school year to that highest level of cognition and learning. Further, students are already engaged in so much, and it seems to me that the work load of the average, at least 6-12th grade, student is increasing exponentially. So I think it would be important to really focus on applying the higher-order learning to those subjects for which it is less of a stretch.

Alright, well, that's all I really have to say about that...
Thanks,
Katie May

I Believe in Miracles...

Because that's probably what it's going to take to get someone to make the flowers grow. Unless you're a classmate, you've no idea what I'm talking about. Here, watch this...



First of all, I love his narration of all of the changes on the graph. His enthusiasm is contagious, certainly, but more than that, he actually makes the changes make sense.

I was completely amazed to see the disparities in the data on various African countries. I was especially appreciative of his use of trailing on one particular graph to show just how fast and how far the countries were moving, and to really highlight the various speeds at which those countries were making their progress.

"Improvement must be highly contextualized." If ever there was a truer phrase uttered, I'm sure I don't know. In affecting attitudes, there are three main components, the credibility of the person delivering the message, the manner in which the message is delivered, and the current attitudes of the person viewing/receiving the message.

Hans Rosling is a genius, I think... not because he has all of this data, or because he understands it. Though he argues that the data is hardly accessible, I see it as no great feat that he has the data, and I have never found data all that particularly difficult to understand. No, he's a genius because he recognizes that publicizing this information is the key to real change. He sees that we need to take the information that we already have, and turn it into something that the world can see. I mean really see. Thank goodness it's not officially impossible anymore. Now if only we can find someone who can do it.

Now I'm off to check out the graphs at Gapminder.org

Thanks for reading,
Katie May