Our fourth theme is a definition essay. What that means is that you will choose a word, concept, idea and offer us your personal definition of it. We will talk at length in class about this.
The first word/concept we will explore is beauty. What follows is a two part introductory assignment to the concept.
FIRST:
As way of an introduction to the concept, read the following story from the Washington Post entitled "Pearls Before Breakfast" and be ready to discuss it in depth on Tuesday in class.
Here is the link to "Pearls Before Breakfast."
Here is a video of the actual experiment from the article.
SECOND:
Go the wallwisher site below and leave ONE entry with a link to something (audio, video, or jpeg) that you consider to be 'beautiful' and a short statement explaining why you consider to be so. We will discuss these in class too. Be original and truthful.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Remember,
Here is a great tweet from one of the world's greatest teachers on a very important topic
"Reading stamina" is an absolutely essential skill for you to develop. Some of you who are taking PSEA classes know this already. One reason I heap on the readings is for you to figure out your own individual skills concerning how to tackle the reading load.
As you saw a few weeks ago, the one thing ALL my previous students in college now said was that they wish they would have had been taught how to read critically or how to manage the reading load at college.
In truth (or so I believe), there is no real way to teach this. The only way is for you to learn how to do it yourself. Only you know your tendencies and strengths/weaknesses and your study habits. Develop those as you work through these readings.
"Reading stamina" is an absolutely essential skill for you to develop. Some of you who are taking PSEA classes know this already. One reason I heap on the readings is for you to figure out your own individual skills concerning how to tackle the reading load.
As you saw a few weeks ago, the one thing ALL my previous students in college now said was that they wish they would have had been taught how to read critically or how to manage the reading load at college.
In truth (or so I believe), there is no real way to teach this. The only way is for you to learn how to do it yourself. Only you know your tendencies and strengths/weaknesses and your study habits. Develop those as you work through these readings.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
20 Things Kids Want the Nation to Know About Their Education
There are two parts to your next assignment. The first part is to let me know what you guys think of this? Please leave feedback below. Remember, you have to register for an account if you do not have one. As always, you can email me a response if you can't figure it out (come on! You're millennials though!) or turn in the assignments on a sheet of paper (boooooorrrrrrriinnnnnnnggggg!).
1. I have to critically think in college, but your tests don't teach me that.
2. We learn in different ways at different rates.
3. I can't learn from you if you are not willing to connect with me.
4. Teaching by the book is not teaching. It's just talking.
5. Caring about each student is more important than teaching the class.
6. Every young person has a dream. Your job is to help bring us closer to our dreams.
7. We need more than teachers. We need life coaches.
8. The community should become more involved in schools.
9. Even if you don't want to be a teacher, you can offer a student an apprenticeship.
10. Us youth love all the new technologies that come out. When you acknowledge this and use
technology in your teaching it makes learning much more interesting.
11. You should be trained not just in teaching but also in counseling.
12. Tell me something good that I'm doing so that I can keep growing in that.
13. When you can feel like a family member it helps so much.
14. We appreciate when you connect with us in our worlds such as the teacher who provided us with
extra help using Xbox and Skype
15. Our teachers have too many students to enable them to connect with us in they way we need them
to.
16.Bring the electives that we are actually interested in back to school. Things like drama, art,
cooking, music.
17. Education leaders, teachers, funders, and policy makers need to start listening to student voice in
all areas including teacher evaluations.
18.You need to use tools in the classroom that we use in the real world like Facebook, email, and other
tools we use to connect and communicate.
19. You need to love a student before you can teach a student.
20. We do tests to make teachers look good and the school look good, but we know they don't help us
to learn what's important to us.
Again, in a coherent paragraph (or longer. You know I love to read your writing!), react to a couple of these.
The second part, is to respond to someone else's feedback in a coherent paragraph (remember, you are millennials your like discourse and to engage and discuss, right?).
Thanks
1. I have to critically think in college, but your tests don't teach me that.
2. We learn in different ways at different rates.
3. I can't learn from you if you are not willing to connect with me.
4. Teaching by the book is not teaching. It's just talking.
5. Caring about each student is more important than teaching the class.
6. Every young person has a dream. Your job is to help bring us closer to our dreams.
7. We need more than teachers. We need life coaches.
8. The community should become more involved in schools.
9. Even if you don't want to be a teacher, you can offer a student an apprenticeship.
10. Us youth love all the new technologies that come out. When you acknowledge this and use
technology in your teaching it makes learning much more interesting.
11. You should be trained not just in teaching but also in counseling.
12. Tell me something good that I'm doing so that I can keep growing in that.
13. When you can feel like a family member it helps so much.
14. We appreciate when you connect with us in our worlds such as the teacher who provided us with
extra help using Xbox and Skype
15. Our teachers have too many students to enable them to connect with us in they way we need them
to.
16.Bring the electives that we are actually interested in back to school. Things like drama, art,
cooking, music.
17. Education leaders, teachers, funders, and policy makers need to start listening to student voice in
all areas including teacher evaluations.
18.You need to use tools in the classroom that we use in the real world like Facebook, email, and other
tools we use to connect and communicate.
19. You need to love a student before you can teach a student.
20. We do tests to make teachers look good and the school look good, but we know they don't help us
to learn what's important to us.
Again, in a coherent paragraph (or longer. You know I love to read your writing!), react to a couple of these.
The second part, is to respond to someone else's feedback in a coherent paragraph (remember, you are millennials your like discourse and to engage and discuss, right?).
Thanks
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Test entry for KB Drive in
Hello. Follow the link below to our wallwisher site to get talking.
http://www.wallwisher.com/wall/kbfalldriveintestwal
http://www.wallwisher.com/wall/kbfalldriveintestwal
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
10.4.11 response
I found this interesting story this morning via twitter.
It talks about social media vs. social learning. The two terms are not synonymous. That got me to thinking about the Steven Johnson text and what he is arguing (that social media has vast potential to impact your social learning and actually make you smarter). That, in turn, got me reflecting back to the sections of the Mark Bauerlein text that we previously read and what he is arguing (social media is making you all narcissists and social learning via social media is actually non existent).
Look at this chart from the story. The author uses this image to illustrate that while social media and social learning and not the same things, they do, however, overlap. He argues when that happens, there is great potential for learning, growth, and engagement. You know - all the good stuff that you millennials love.
Here is your assignment: think of a time when your social learning overlaps with one of your favorite types of social media (blogs, wikis, youtube, twitter, facebook . . .). Then write a short response explaining this interaction helps you learn better. Leave your response in the feedback/commentary section below this entry. If you have questions how to do this, text or tweet me, and I'll assist you.
It talks about social media vs. social learning. The two terms are not synonymous. That got me to thinking about the Steven Johnson text and what he is arguing (that social media has vast potential to impact your social learning and actually make you smarter). That, in turn, got me reflecting back to the sections of the Mark Bauerlein text that we previously read and what he is arguing (social media is making you all narcissists and social learning via social media is actually non existent).
Look at this chart from the story. The author uses this image to illustrate that while social media and social learning and not the same things, they do, however, overlap. He argues when that happens, there is great potential for learning, growth, and engagement. You know - all the good stuff that you millennials love.
Here is your assignment: think of a time when your social learning overlaps with one of your favorite types of social media (blogs, wikis, youtube, twitter, facebook . . .). Then write a short response explaining this interaction helps you learn better. Leave your response in the feedback/commentary section below this entry. If you have questions how to do this, text or tweet me, and I'll assist you.
Monday, October 3, 2011
First Assignment for "Everything Bad . . ."
Here is the link to your first discussion points for the introduction and Ch. 1 of Steven Johnson's Everything Bad is Good for You.
The directions are on the wallwisher, but here they are again. I know how millennials love to read directions closely (just like Gen Xers).
Leave TWO observations for our first reading (intro and Ch. 1). One of the observations must include a link to a related source. Be willing to share in class both your observations and also how your outside source relates to the ideas discussed in the first reading.
If you are interested in (and millennials always are), here is an amazing TED podcast from Steven Johnson. Let me know what you think by leaving a comment below.
The directions are on the wallwisher, but here they are again. I know how millennials love to read directions closely (just like Gen Xers).
Leave TWO observations for our first reading (intro and Ch. 1). One of the observations must include a link to a related source. Be willing to share in class both your observations and also how your outside source relates to the ideas discussed in the first reading.
If you are interested in (and millennials always are), here is an amazing TED podcast from Steven Johnson. Let me know what you think by leaving a comment below.
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