Sony Wonder Technology Lab

I have not been to the Sony Wonder Technology Lab yet, but I plan on getting down there sometime this week. As soon as I return I will let you know how it went and how it's technology can be integrated into the history museum!

Google Earth

Google Earth is simply amazing! I toyed with it for the first time about 1 year ago and I was blown away; little did I know that, at the time, I was only "scatching the surface" of the features it offers. I explored it extensively this time around and realized how amazing a resource it truly is and how easily it can be incorporated as an educational tool. Among other things, I was especially impressed with the ruler feature (for measuring distance) and the "create a tour" feature. I found out that 1,922 miles lie between my place of birth (Hopewell Junction, NY) and the location of my dreams (Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii) . . . that's quite a hike!!!

The Google Earth tour was awesome because it makes all the stops you select throughout the world, giving the actual path along the way; it's cool to see how far you have to travel across the ocean to reach Europe! I think the coolest part is all the pictures that are nested into the tour stops. There are buttons you click on to see the pictures of the exact locations, which really "wet the appetite" so to speak. The tour really connects the pictures with the locations like nothing I've seen prior. I joined the Google Earth Community as well, but I have not interacted with others on it as of yet. I am anxious to see what it has to offer.

Check out the following link to a really good article outlining the educational use of Google Maps . . . Google Maps Inspires Creativity.

Darfur is Dying

This game, although quite simple, is a unique and thought-provoking approach for teaching about the horrors of genocide in Darfur. It took me a little while to figure out how to play this game, but when I caught on it seemed pretty easy. I suppose I am a bit more experienced at playing video games than some of my fellow teachers, and as a result I was not drawn in by the "intense" situations; rather, it seemed very easy and a bit lame. However, I'd completely be missing the point if I just left it at that. To think that real-life human beings really have to deal with the circumstances presented in this game is truly unbelievable.

I think the designer of this game had a really great idea with great intentions: Catch students on this serious issue of genocide through a video game. Clearly this is a great motivation for most teenagers. Now, much like myself, I assume that most teenagers will not be impressed with the level of game play this offers; however, they will get engaged, and it can surely be used as a great stepping stone. A teacher could assign the playing of this game as homework and then spend next day's class period discussing Darfur. The logical way to start the discussion would be to begin about the game -- how far they got; how much they liked it, etc. But from there can come the more important discussion: How would you feel if you were the character in that game and you really had to live like that? How much different are our lives from the lives of the people of Darfur? What dangers do we face in our daily lives? What can we do to help these people in Darfur, to make their lives more like ours? I think a great, deep, thought-provoking discussion can easily follow!

As for adding complexity to the "Darfur is Dying" game, I think it would have to do with graphics and player-character interaction. Improving the graphics makes the game more real, which is a standard in gaming that kids this day and age expect. As for player-character interaction, I think it would be better if there were more voices involved in the game, instead of all of the written messages. Vocals would make it easier for players to get engaged and would also make it easier for them to catch the tone of fear and/or urgency from the characters; some times the written word does not do justice to the situation.

Visionlearning.com -- Website Evaluation

Attached is a link to my evaluation of the educational website, www.visionlearning.com, which was designed as an educational resource for the science classroom. It features great information, pictures, and animations.
The link for website evaluations is: http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/eval.html
Visionlearning.com evaluation

Mitt Romney '08

As a conservative Republican (which is atypical to be as a teacher), Mitt Romney's name comes up often in some social circles which I am involved/exposed to. Many people speak loudly AND carry a big stick when discussing presidential candidates they support/oppose, whether they know anything about him/her or not. I am very firmly grounded in my political views, but I do not follow politics too closely; therefore, I am not too quick to jump in someone's favor or opposition unless I know for certain his/her stance on a political issue which I feel strongly about. I have heard a lot of appealling things about Romney, but I took this assignment as an opportunity to find out more about a presidential candidate that I may end up supporting.

I attempted to check out Mitt Romney's Facebook, but I was unable to get in because I do not have an account, so I could not add him to "My friends" or become his friend. However, it was clear that his sight on Facebook contained a lot of information because there were 195 photos, 1192 wall posts, and 36 notes.

Mitt's MySpace is awesome. The campaign add and "welcome" speech by Mitt are both very compelling. There's also a ton of information on various views he holds and battles he wishes to fight (and win) if he were to be elected president; you can find them all on the blogs that he has posted on the site. You also have the option of subscribing to his MySpace blog; in doing so, you will receive his latest blog everytime he comes out with one . . . what a great idea! The beauty of the technology and the internet is the convenience, and Mitt's MySpace offers that luxury. I'm sure it is much the same for the other candidates as well, so I'm not intending for this to be a plug. Nonetheless, it is such a great idea because, aside from the convenience, it is also an instant connection with America's youth (teenagers / young professionals) . . . instant repoir! However, I'm a bit jealous that he has 19,486 friends!

I spent a lot of time on Mitt Romney's YouTube location to get a better feel for his political views and moral character (though this is very hard to judge with any politician!). I was impressed with his business/financial savvy, as well as his views on immigration, Iraq, faith, and family values (the latter being perhaps my number one concern in voting for a president). YouTube is an incredible resource, perhaps the best, for those people, like myself, who would prefer an A-V bite over reading an article any day of the week.

These sites are great idea to utilize in a social studies classroom, because it would engage students through its connection with their iworld. The teenagers love MySpace and FaceBook, as I stated earlier, and everyone uses YouTube, so bringing these sites into the classroom to use for education purposes will be embraced without reservation. Giving a similar assignment to the one we were given in this course would be ideal for social studies class.

EASE History - Campaign Ads Have Multiple Goals

What an amazing critical thinking activity for the history classroom! I thoroughly enjoyed my "Campaign Ad investigation" at the EASE History website (http://easehistory.org/c7guide.html). This activity is designed for students in small groups to analyze 2 campaign ads from a given election year. A worksheet is provided for the students to record the strengths/weaknesses, as well as other details, they observed.
I tried it out myself, randomly clicking to explore the ads of the 1956 election between Eisenhower and Stevenson . . . it's amazing how different the times are. Though the ads took entirely different approaches, it seems that campaign ads always want to strike a cord of fear, in one way or another, in the audience. In these examples, Stevenson focused on the "cost of living" which was the highest in U.S. history under Ike; Eisenhower, on the other hand focused on the time of peace that had been enjoyed while he was in office, and the potential work that may errupt if Stevenson is elected. Though we all know the outcome, it seems Ike simply took a better approach in his campaign . . . WAR -- the ultimate fear! Of course there was no reason Stevenson was any more likely to go to war than Eisenhower (especially considering that Ike was a general); however, his campaign directors were well aware, I'm sure, that the U.S. citizens did not demand to be swayed via reason. When most people hear "war" they run, no questions asked. The "cost of living" approach is effective, and is still used today, but the chance of war will always beat the former head-to-head. Another weakness to the "cost of living" approach is the consistent and steady inflation that has been going on seemingly forever; though, this too can only be challenged by a rational thinker (which most of us are, until it comes to election time).
Overall, it was a great activity. There's so much to learn from the setting and language as well. For instance, the role of women in '56 was clearly illustrated in Stevenson's "Libertyville" ad.

Field Experience

1.) Sat down with five Social Studies teachers to tutor them through EaseHistory. Two of them were already familiar with it, but I helped the other three. After I explained the websites purpose and all of its functions, they loved me for introducing them to it. They were especially pleased with the "Learning Guides" that the site provides!

2.) I sat in on a biology teacher's class. He has mastered teaching the special education students and he incorporates a lot of technology, so I wanted to observe his class. It was great to see his pace and control, as well as the constant engagement of his students. He uses a lot of internet sites in his lessons.

3.) I proposed a grant for the High School science department to get a cordless mouse for each room to compliment the SMART Boards already present. I believe the mouse will allow teachers the freedom to roam around and interact with the students more, which is conducive toward student-centered learning, as well as continual assessment. I am confident we will receive the grant in time for the start of the 2007-08 school year.

Discussion of Reading and Website

The goals of the Cognitive Flexibility Theory (CFT) seem to be all-encompassing in regard to the need to educate people to become both individualistic free-thinkers and collaborative social (group) thinkers amidst a very diverse, technological society/world. Further, it promotes (if not demands) the use of technology in achieving this goals, which would only make sense in this day and age. I really like how CFT offers a simplified path in meeting the challenge of higher-order (abstract) thinking, both from a teacher and student perspective. As a teacher I know that it can be very challenging to get the students engaged in higher-order thinking activities. As a result, you occassionally get the typical "Why do we have to learn this? I'm not going to be a scientist/historian/writer . . ." The reason for this is because we're (I'm) not bridging the gaps for the students, enabling them to connect what they're learning with why they're learning it and how it affects their lives. The challenge in utilizing CFT is truly understanding its goals and how to achieve its goals. Once it is understood, it just takes time, like any other pedagogical approach, to develop methods appropriate for a given curriculum and putting it into practice.

My exposure to the EaseHistory website, both before and after reading Brian's paper, made it a lot easier for me to follow and understand exactly what CFT is and what it seeks to achieve. It also illustrated how crucial technology (such as this website) can be in achieving what CFT sets out to accomplish. The EaseHistory site is an amazing resource for any U.S. history teacher (or any history teacher for that matter). The analytical process just comes natural with the use of this site in the classroom; it lays everything out for the teacher to engage students in critical/analytical discussions. Further, the images and motion pictures are phenomenal . . . they really catch the theme, or "character", of the particular day and age. The website takes an artistic approach to history, which epitomizes CFT as I understand it. This approach allows for interpretation at many different levels, especially as a group (class) and individually, just like art does. Further, it challenges you to think beyond the picture itself and to delve into the "unseen" realities that set the scene. The site also offers "Learning Guides" which make it so easy for teachers to present the material in an engaging educational format, and create a stepping stone for teachers to develop their own lessons using the site as a resource. After exploring it for a while, I had to pull five different social studies teachers aside and show them the site. Some of the wind was taken from my sails when two of them informed me that they were already familiar with it.

The concern I have with the CFT approach is not the theory itself, but how we can all tailor it affectively for various subjects. EaseHistory is exemplary, but how can achieve this same level of higher-ordered engagement in the science (chemistry) classroom? Does CFT require the incorporation of a historical perspective? If so, great! I would love to know how I could do it.