Mr. Culbert’s Blog

In trying to find a new technology, I have chosen to talk about the iPhone and other smart phones. As far as a short description about this technology, “M-learning is mobile learning, and generally refers to using cell phones for learning. One of the major advantages of cell phones is that they allow learning to happen anytime, anywhere and are not restricted to the classroom.”

I think this technology is the NEXT thing in learning and teaching. It seems like all the students in my school have a phone, and it seems like more students got a phone quicker than most of the students getting a computer and internet access back in the late 90s.

I know that the iPhone technology is too expensive right now…but the idea of a smart phone (a phone that does basically everything that a computer does) for every student is not that far off. If all my students had a smart phone, our connectivity would be unparalleled and the things we could do would be almost limitless in regards to communication and collaboration. In regards to Web2.0 technologies, the iPhone and other smart phones can basically do it all.

Sources: http://electronicportfolios.org/blog/2007/01/apples-iphone-in-education.html

Hello all,

Here are the procedures for tomorrow morning.  Send all rafting students to the auditorium first thing in the morning.  If you are going rafting, then you must send your advisory to someone else.  Here is a list of where people will be sending their kids.

Culbert sends to Lizins

Slider sends to Balmer

Morrison sends to Denadai

Smith sends to Hoeffer

Kertis sends to George

Bateman sends to Rodriguez

Gardner sends to Lussier

Please take attendance before you send your advisory students on their way.  I think the best way to do that may be to stand at your door with your advisory roster and as you see your students mark them as present and send them to were they need to be (either in another advisory or in the auditorium).  Then enter your attendance in the computer once you have seen all of your students.  Rafting will be leaving as closed to 8:00 as possible.  Hershey will be slightly different.  Everyone will be meeting in the cafeteria for the Hershey Park trip at 8:30.

Please let me know if I left any details out of this email, or if you have any questions.  Thank you so much for all of your help.

Blogging in the classroom is becoming increasingly popular.  Educators are witnessing the immense effects of student blogs in the curriculum.  Blogs are now being used as a means to promote better writing, reading, and communication skills amongst students. 

Will Richardson pioneered a book blog in 2002 with the book, The Secret Life of Bees.  Eric Langhorst caught onto the idea, and in the fall of 2006, he started his own book blog for the novel, The Guerrilla Season.  An article summarizing the idea for the student blogging project can be found at: http://www.edutopia.org/blogging-is-history

You can check out Will Richardson’s book blog at:  http://central.hcrhs.k12.nj.us/bees/

You can check out Eric Langhorst’s blog at: http://www.guerrillaseason.blogspot.com/    

In this project, the teacher assigned his students to read a book.  He set up a blog where the book could be discussed by his students.  He posed questions on the blog, and the students were given assignments to answer the questions for homework.  The teacher even invited parents, sibling, etc. to get involved.  Taking that one step further, he even invited a classroom from another district to join in, and their teacher assigned them to read the same novel.  Other teachers mimicked this idea, yet took it one step further:  they invited the author of the book to join as well.

(adapted from Kelly’s blog: http://cavek.edublogs.org/)

My vision of the world in 2020 (wow, it is only twelve years away) is not that much different then how things are today. Hopefully life will be better…people will live longer, gas will be cheaper and kids will be better educated. But I believe that we will still be trying to, as we are today, struggling to find ways to live longer, find cheap gas, and better educate our children.

As I thought about this assignment, I felt that in order for me to more accurately predict what life and education will look like twelve years from now I first need to look at the past twelve years and examine how much the world has changed. Twelve years ago (1996) we did not have iPods or smart phones. Video games were very popular, especially with college kids (I have a vast amount of research in that particular area, specifically NHL ‘93.) Cell phones (40 million people had cell phones as compared to today…over 110 million) and home computers (42 million households had home computers as compared to today…over 70 million) were definitely getting more prevalent (1,2.)

There have definitely been some new technologies, but it seems like the main ones that we would use in education have been around for a while, except that more and more people have access to them. I see that trend continuing in general society as well as in education. We will continue to use what we have but expand on their use. Sure, new things will be invented and come about, but I think that more and more we will see our current technologies fused together. Think about it…take your computer, cell phone, iPod and digital camera. Mix them all together and you have the iPhone…and that is just the FIRST version of it. In 2020, we will probably have iPhone 5.0 complete with GPS, television, video camera, virtual credit cards and drivers licenses all in one device.

I remember when we had no computers in the classrooms, and I am only thirty six years old! Then we had those little Apple Macintosh’s and dot matrix printers. Now we have multiple computers as well as other technologies (SmartBoards, data projectors, etc.) And as these new technologies come along, we are continuing to figure out ways to use them in more efficient ways…ways to make our lives easier and richer. I see that happening in education as well in regards to learning and teaching. In this class we discovered and learned about a lot of web based technologies. These read/write web technologies were basically used to help bring all of us educators together in ways we have never before been able to do. From Google Reader to Del.icio.us and from Skype to weblogs, we can now connect with hundreds of thousands of educators and other resources like never before. The wikispaces group projects were excellent examples of how students from all over the country can work together and collaborate on learning. Though some of the social networking applications, like myspace, seem to be more trouble than they are worth, one can not discount their power and potential to bring people together. In 2020, blogs and various casts (pod, vod, screen) will not only be integrated, but I imagine that we will be able to view them in real time on our phones or whenever we want in our classrooms. I also think that television and computers will be more integrated than they are today. I am beginning to see some of that now, but I think it will increase as the years go on.

As far as teaching, I am looking forward to 2020 as a time when all students will have either some sort of laptop or phone to be connected to the content. Students and teachers will not only be more connected with each other, but also with  fellow students and teachers. Students will be able to work with other students from anywhere in the world on learning projects and safely collaborate with experts. Teachers will offer courses that can be accessed by anyone at anytime, giving students more choices and flexibility. Assessments will, hopefully, be tailored to students learning styles and be authentic. Standardized tests will be long gone. Full access and full inclusion will be standard. Group work will be more valued than individual assessments. All children may not be proficient, but no child will ever be left behind.

As great as these technologies are, however, it is important to remember that these technologies, are in fact, merely tools. There was a time in the most ancient of history when humans wrote with burnt charcoal-tipped sticks on rocks…then some time down the line came pencils and papers…and now I am typing and you are reading digital words, along with the ability to display pictures and sounds on a high definition screen. In the past, people could only communicate with those in their physical area. Now, we can communicate with virtually anyone in the world at any time, for free! In some areas of learning (for example…basic math facts or things that are absolutes and do not change) it is not that these technologies produced much of a different result, but the avenue or vehicle to arrive at the result has changed for the better. However, for new things that are being realized (like cures to diseases or scientific theories) this new found, efficient and amazing communication helps to speed along learning and discovering at an incredible pace. I think that in 2020, we will be even more connected and have betters ways to collaborate. Like I have stated, I think that we will have a few “new inventions” that will surprise us all, but overall I think that we are going to have what we have now in better, more integrated, collaborative and connected packages.

Sources:

1. http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/user/bam/www/numbers.html

2. http://www.census.gov/prod/2005pubs/p23-208.pdf

Pick one of the web applications and describe a situation in which you would recommend this application to a student to support his or her individual learning style.

I try to incorporate art and drawing in my class for those who like to draw and color…for those who need to draw and have that learning style (visual/tactile.) One project that I would like to do is have the students draw a picture of themselves, imagining themselves as they would be, but 15 years in the future. I would have them create their body wearing the clothes of their profession and then paste a photo of their face on their head/face area.

Now that I have been introduced to Picnik, I can see this assignment taking on a new look. I could have the students take a picture of themselves and use the editing tools to create their head/face image. Next, I could have them draw on the picture using something like Google Sketchup, ajaxSketch or Microsoft Paint to add details that would be particular to their career.

I would then display their artwork around the school for all to enjoy.

• How would a paperless class change your role as a teacher?
  • I would actually prefer to teach this way. I f I could provide all my students with laptops, this would be the way to go. It would mean less time by the copier, for sure. I would be more of a guide. I would LOVE it!
• How would paperless classes change learning?
  • As the article says, a paperless class would test the limits by bringing together traditional learning with online elements. Students would be able to express themselves in a variety of ways and I would be able to present topics in different ways too!
• How would you measure learning in a paperless class?
  • Well, I would still have oral assessments in the way of small group, large group and individual assessments. Most other assessments that I do with paper could easily be done electronically.
• Would a paperless space make it easier or harder to build a learning network? Why?
  • I feel it would not only make building a learning network easier, but it could potentially make it larger. Students are already so social online, this would only enhance their ability to build this network of learning and learners.

Post to your blog a response to one of the arguments summarized by one of the other groups on their wiki. Do you agree or disagree with the statements made? Why? Be sure to provide a link to the wiki page you’re responding to in your post. If you use any other sources in your response, be sure to cite those as well.

I am responding to the argument posted on the class wiki: A Stand Against Connectivism, specifically the section that asks the question; Is connectivism revelant to yourteaching practice? Revelance in Mathematics.

I feel that the post on the wiki is a support for the argument FOR connectivism. The writer talks about how math is foundational and how it builds assumptions and absolutes upon assumptions and absolutes. These connections are, I believe, supportive of connectivism because it shows how basic math nodes of learning build and relate to other, more complex math nodes of learning. Therefore, I agree with what the writer is saying, but only because it supports the argument FOR connecivism.

the grand house dinner

Originally uploaded by Romy Schneider

How can I use Flickr in my classroom? Well, just like the language arts teachers, I would use pictures (like this one) to generate discussions and writing prompts about different types of careers. Just looking at this picture, I would ask students to think of all the different careers that may be related to this scene or different scenes. They could come up with answers from a wedding planner to a waiter, or from a hotel manager to a grounds keeper. We could then talk about how those careers are related and how they differ. A picture may not always be worth a thousand words, but when thinking of careers, it comes pretty close to it.

Is there a particular example of a classroom wiki which inspired you?

Not really. I have been very interested in wikipedia for a while, but never really saw an education site that inspired me. It to was mostly just the idea and concept behind a wiki.

What was most challenging about creating a wiki together as a group in Activity 5-C-1?

Communication was challenging. Since we were online at different times and solely relied on the message board, that proved to be a challenge. Also, I felt like if we were assigned specific roles, it would have been completed with more efficiency.

What did you learn from the group wiki project?

I learned that the wiki is a great tool for collaborative projects. It is very powerful in that we can make changes to the main page very easily. I also learned that when doing a wiki project, it is necessary to have clearly defined, specific directions, roles and responsibilities.

Has your opinion of Wikipedia changed at all this week?

No, I have always believed that wikipedia is a great source for current and hard to find information. However, I also know that, since it can be edited by most anybody, it must not be used as a primary source of information.

Are you encountering resistance to using wikis in your class, either from others or from yourself? If so, how do you plan to respond?

No, I am not encountering any resistance. In fact, I am working along side of our school librarian to incorporate the use of wikis in a project we currently do together to make it better and more streamlined. I am thankful for learning about this useful and powerful collaborative tool.

Hi Folks,Wow…what an amazing super bowl. I hope you all had as much fun as I did watching the game. I wonder if anyone did not watch it? Or did you only watch it for the commercials? Obviously those are not my discussion starters…just curious. I am neither a Giants or Patriots fan, but I personally enjoyed a pretty amazing and exciting game of football, along with some good food, beverages and great friends! OK, on to the assignment…A neighboring school district has been in the news recently, Downingtown School District. They are on strike. I personally have never had to endure a strike and am grateful for that fact. I have been involved in our local union and am pretty familiar with all the ins and out of contract negotiations. One major factor in Pennsylvania (and I assume all over the country) in regard to contracts is health care benefits. It is a huge expense for the district and most districts are now requiring some sort of shared cost health care plan or co-pay. In my district, we have always had great coverage and it, in the past, cost us nothing. In our most recent contract (2006,) we are now required to pay $50 per month toward family coverage ($20/individual.) By the 5th year of the contract, we will be paying $80 per month for a co-pay ($50/individual.) I assume this is still pretty good in comparison to other schools, but am wondering what others pay, if anything, for health benefits. Here is another thing happening in our state…our state government is considering moving all teachers to a state wide health care program.  Here are some excerpts of an update I just received:The big news in the (Pennsylvania) House is the passage of House bill 1841 by the House Education Committee on Wednesday. The bill, as amended, would create a 20 member board to study the issue of state wide health care for school employees and to make recommendations. All of the amendments supported by PSEA (Pennsylvania State Educators Association) were adopted and those opposed by PSEA were defeated. The bill now heads to the Appropriations Committee. … The questions and dialogue that occurred during the briefing demonstrated that, although this is a complex issue, there is considerable interest in further evaluating whether statewide health care can be accomplished for Pennsylvania’s public school employees. So here is my question: What do you think of statewide health care for school employees? Pros? Cons? General thoughts? Could care less because your husband gets great coverage at his job and you don’t even use you school’s health care? Looking forward to reading your posts!