Imagination time!

Imagine that you have moved into a new classroom in a brand new building, and no audio or visual technology has yet been ordered. You have been asked to prepare a wish list of your audio and visual needs to submit to the media center. What will you order?


Ok...first of all I will get a TV. Those are needed. You can show movies on them when a sub is gone and basically it's a staple for all technology in a classroom. 
I would then get a projector and a computer, that way I can post my notes on a PowerPoint and not have to worry about making a slide for the overhead. Plus the internet is very useful in finding other resources I can use.
I guess I could probably use an Elmo as well. Those are very useful when going over worksheets, because I can place the worksheet directly under the elmo or the kids can put theirs there instead.
That is pretty much all I would need. I would not need a stereo, because my TV, projector and computer would cover any audio stuff I would need. Speakers would be nice...so we can actually HEAR what the videos and stuff are saying. ;)

Legit sources?

Ok. So, the question is whether or not it is a teacher's job to teach kids what sources have proper ethos/credibility.
I think it is our job to do that. We're teachers. If we're going to make them do research we should teach the proper way to do so. To teach them what is credible and not I would show them examples and make restrictions.
I would show the kids Ebscohost which has credible journals on it. I would also show them .gov and .org sites, which are always credible.
The kids need to look at a site and ask, "who wrote it?" "Does it have a bias?" "Can it be edited?" "What connection to the topic does the author have?" Ex: they have a PHD in veterinary medicine.
http://www.usa.gov/
is a good site because the GOVERNMENT made it and they are experts on the government. lol
http://www.ushistory.org/
This is a good site because it was made by an association that specializes in history.

Silence is Golden?

According to the article here: http://www.childrensmusicworkshop.com/advocacy/academicsuccess.html students really do succeed better when the use music. In order to better enhance my class I would use music to help the kids remember things. There are many songs out there that can help kids learn. Such as the video that sings the capitals of the States. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSvJ9SN8THE&feature=related If a kid memorized that song they would know all of the state capitals. This has also been used to help learn about factoring in the famous, 'Teach me how to factor' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFSrINhfNsQ   
I personally would go for a good mix of what my students like and what I like. I would let them vote one what music we listen too. All would be provided by me so the kids do not fight. "Today you can choose from Disney or rap..." During tests I would play instrumental pieces only. Music would only be played when I am not teaching, so when kids are working on stuff alone or in groups they would get to listen to it.
I think the music will increase motivation and thus increase test scores, but if the kids get too distracted I would take the music away. ;)
In order to match up to my content I would play for them the "Capitals" song and one about the elements to help them learn those things.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFIvXVMbII0 Songs help with memorization, so when ever I need something memorized I would look for music out there or create my own. Or even better for the countries of the world :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3S13Z7NMfcA&feature=related
Even Daniel Radcliffe knows the element song...sorta... lol http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSAaiYKF0cs&feature=related

A Virtual Field Trip?

So, the scenarios is: that I have been teaching my students about famous eighteenth- and nineteenth-century artists. As a final activity, I want to take my students on a field trip to an art museum. The nearest museum, however, is three hours away, so the trip requires bus transportation. Due to the cost of the proposed field trip, my principal has asked you to explore other possibilities.
There is a possibility of using a virtual "art museum" through one of the museum's web site and I think this is a great tool to use for say...a project or a lesson, but I do not think this can substitute going to a real museum. The kids would probably find looking at pictures online and listening to videos boring. They would much rather go on a field trip.
I also think that you cannot fully appreciate art unless you see it up close, the texture of the paint, the marks of a chisel...Art should not be seen over a computer screen. Sure it would save a lot of money and it's better than no field trip at all, but I still do not like it.
I think that instead we should work as a class to raise money to go on the trip. We could have a car was or sell our own art. It would be worth seeing the art in person.
Now, the virtual field trip would work much better if the site was in CGI and made the "tour" look realistic and not just be a wall of information, a picture and a cartoon clip. I think the online tour is a very good resource, but it cannot replace seeing the real thing.
-Cassie Burris   

Information Overload?

In this day in age students have a strong availability to an infinite amount of information due to the internet and other forms of technology. One does not even have to read a book anymore with tools such as the Kindle(c) and the Nook(c). So, how are kids supposed to deal with this, "information overload"? I personally do not see this as an issue at all. We, the Millennial Generation, have grown up with the internet and have managed just fine with all of the ways to collect information. There can never be too much information, because as life time learners we value all the information there is. We should praise the fact that anyone can access any information out there.


All of this information will allow students to excel more outside of class and even help teachers learn more as well. Students can go online and find extra help in math or find videos that explain conjugating words in Spanish in a fun and creative way. The problem is trying to find reliable sources online. There are many unreliable sources out there, so we would have to teach the students in our classes how to decide what is a credible source and one that is unreliable. But the problem with all this information is that students might stop listening to teachers, since they have other pools of information available to them. Teachers can also be sucked into false teachings and teach their students something untrue if they use an internet source in their teaching. 


Although, there is an issue of organizing this information, but this could occur no matter how you collect your information. When someone gathers research for a paper they will have to organize their thoughts and research no matter how much they collected or where they collected it. As teachers we need to teach students how to organize their information so they are not overwhelmed by all the information they gathered up.


Overall I believe that all the access to an infinite amount of information is a good thing. The more access to information one has the smarter they can be. Plus, they will be very prepared  for Jeopardy. ;) Though an information overload can be a bad thing, with good organized thoughts and a good process it can be very helpful.  As Thomas Jefferson  once said, "I was bold in the pursuit of knowledge, never fearing to follow truth and reason to whatever results they led, and bearding every authority which stood in their way." Having access to information is a good thing, how we use it is another.