Web 2.0 Educator

I read some of Wes Fryer's blogs and am completely impressed. Not only does he seem to be up to date with all areas of technology but he is willing to share his examples. I liked that he is a teacher and talks about how he uses the applications in his classes. He tells you what went well and what could have gone better. It was refreshing to see that even someone that is on the cutting edge of technology in the classroom makes mistakes. I guess it will always be man versus the computer.

Chapter 2: Respect, Liking, Trust, Fairness

In this chapter the eye catching moment was where it talked about caring what is going on with the students.
I have started conversations with the quiet kids in class and with some coaxing they will come out of their shell. It is nice to see a student warm up to you as a person when you ask about them and actually listen to the answer. They all have something going on and sometimes they just do not have anyone to share it with.

Chapter 1: Knowing Students Well

The part of this chapter that was important to me was connecting the material to the interests of the children. The students will learn better if they feel that the material is related to something they are interested in.
This jumped at me because I have always thought I will ask students what they are interested in and then develop math tests targeting those subjects. It will be time consuming but eventually I will have a pile for people who like sports and a pile for people who are into theater, and any other thing the students are passionate about. I believe math is everywhere and this is a good way to show that to the students.

Type I and II Technologies

The article introduces us to Type I and II technology applications in a good versus bad format. Type I applications don't enhance the learning, they just incorporate the technology into the learning that is already going on. Pretty much using technology just to be using technology. Type II applications actually add something to the teaching that was not there before the technology was. Therefore the application is actually enhancing the teaching and learning experience.

Type I:

• Laptop Program in Maine- If a good teacher used it then it would be type II but that is not the case in the classes I have been in. When I have subbed for teachers in junior high they did not leave plans that would have the students using the laptops for projects or research. Instead they plans always ended, when they are done the papers, they can play games on their laptops.
• CD ROM Reproducibles-The big books of reproducibles have been put on CD now so the teacher can just print the page she wants and copy that. It doesn't change the way anything is taught but it does make storing the prep work easier.
• Elmo- This type of projector just puts the image of a book or paper on the screen. The same information is being used but it is on the wall. This is effect could be done by making multiple copies or having more than one book.

Type II:

• Laptop program-Every student having access to a word processor at school and at home has made assigning written work easier. Teachers do not have to schedule computer lab time anymore.
• Internet-Before the Internet all the research that was done in schools was done in libraries. Now teachers and students have access to the same information instantly from their desks.
• Smart Boards-The interactive white boards can save images to notes for students to get later. They allow all the students to see the step by step instructions while they are being done. There is also a lot more potential for these boards, I do know one way or another I will be using one.

My MEL Experiences

• Hands On-While in technical training for my career in the Air Force we split time in the classroom and actually performing some of the parts of the job that we would eventually do. The blocks of the course that involved touching the bombs and working hands on were easier to test out of. Some of the blocks required simply to read and try to remember. It is much easier to remember the safety aspects of an explosive when you have had it in your hands.
• Learning Styles- Last semester with Dr. Sue Thorson I saw first hand how to run a class that allowed all learning styles to succeed. She had a grading system based on points, 1200 points would get you an A. At the beginning of the semester we received a list of all the possible assignments we could do and their respective point values. As the classes went on when she was hit with a good idea she would add an assignment aimed at different types of learning. It allowed everyone the freedom to only do the assignments that they were interested in doing, creating a sense of ownership that resulted in a higher quality of work.
• Context-While I was stationed in Korea I taught a 3 day course to all the AMMO troops on base that was their yearly requirement to stay qualified. Most of the students were airmen that had been in the service for years, and many of them had more experience with some of the munitions than I did. I was able to keep them interested because I tied in how the material we were covering was the same information that they need to know everyday in their job. When you work with explosives everyday it is very easy to forget that they are dangerous. By covering the safety guidelines and regulations in class I was able to keep them interested in the material.
• Avoid Rewards-As a long term sub in a resource room I saw first hand a reward system that I thought was a terrible idea. There was an 8 minute timer and every time it went off if the student was good he got a sticker. At the end of the day he was given rewards for his sticker accumulation, including playing soccer with me. The problem was that some days the student would know that his morning was so bad there was never going to be a reward that day so he did not need to act right in the afternoon either.
• Student-Teacher Relationship-In child and adolescent philosophy I struggled to care based on my preconceived ideas about philosophy, however Dr. Joel King provided a witty and humorous approach that grabbed my attention. If you were listening closely he would include all kinds of little sound bites that seemed specifically designed for my sense of humor. That made it easy to stay alert in the night course even on the most exhausting days.

Learning Style Inventory Results

Your overall scores:
Visual Style 10 / 20
Aural Style 7 / 20
Verbal Style 13 / 20
Physical Style 14 / 20
Logical Style 14 / 20
Social Style 12 / 20
Solitary Style 13 / 20