"Dharmendra Modha of IBM Research – Almaden, in San Jose, California, hopes to build a shoebox-sized supercomputer with 10 billion neurons and 100 trillion synapses that consumes just 1 kilowatt of power. That may still sound a lot – a standard PC uses only a few hundred watts – but a supercomputer like IBM's Watsonuses hundreds of kilowatts. By contrast, the ultra-efficient human brain is estimated to have 100 billion neurons and at least 100 trillion synapses but consumes no more than 20 watts."
How is your use of ICT going in your block placement? Are you trying some new uses of ICT to improve student learning??
I'm using the teaching round as a sort of trial period for various types of ICT in class. I have set up public, collaborative documents for each class I'm teaching which includes any handouts from class, an annotated timeline that allows students to see what was done and what is coming up. I also add any videos, links, or other resources directly on the page. I find it helpful for my planning and easing my job of keeping track of student work and keeping students up-to-date when they miss class, etc. At the very least, I will definitely be using ICT for this type of classroom management, having a central data location where students are responsible for keeping up with the class.
I've also been exploring other uses of ICT during the block. Inspired by my fellow teacher candidate, Duncan, I used a website called stixy to organise a computer-based investigation. Students followed the tasks directly on the board itself and posted their findings in their section of the board which I prepared. The students found it easy to find and use and within 25 minutes of investigation, an informative, colourful board with lots of redox chemistry information! Two things about stixy that I need to improve for next time: Somehow, the board wasn't saved. I would love to still have it as a resource, and it should have saved but something failed, possibly the fact that all students and I were guests and not logged in. Also, I would leave a day between their research, allow them to finalise their section as homework and lead the students through a discussion, rather than have students present the very same day. It rushed things and at the end they were getting bored.
I've still been using PowerPoint, but have used google presentation since I can access them online easily. I'm not sure about this yet, as the google's lacks the full features such as all the animations and formatting options.
Overall, I look forward to providing useful and interesting resources for students online as well as manage all the administrative and assessment responsibilities. I'm always looking and thinking about creative ways to directly improve learning, especially during class time. I would like to use it to make lessons more connected and allow students easy access to what they are expected to do and what will be coming up.
Hello friends,
I'm sure many of you have heard of Khan Academy before. If not, it's a free database of thousands of video lessons that include his explanations and a screen-captured video from a digital "whiteboard." Salomon Kahn started off by making the videos for his niece but has now committed full-time to the website.
Anyways, I really liked how he uses such a simple concept, a direct approach using ICT. But, I wondered how someone could utilize that software in their classroom. I would think that if a teacher could get this kind of software onto an iPad and connect wirelessly to the projector, and make a seamless transition, having a fully digital whiteboard at your fingertips but remaining able to move about the room. Students would also be able to collaborate on the document and a digital textbook as a class, as small groups, or just individually.
Those are just a few of my thoughts on how ICT could become more seamlessly integrated and useful.
I had a look at this Ted Talk which was mentioned in the lecture this morning:
I thought this video was rather inspirational but also touched on an important aspect of ICT in education that hasn't been discussed much in the course so far. As developing teachers, we are constantly thinking of how we can use ICT in our teaching to supplement what we want students to learn. We think of ways to use ICT to help us present an organize lessons. We try different ways to plan and assess and deliver content to students through ICT. We hope to have ICT seamlessly embedded in our lessons, assisting and complementing us as teachers.
But what about the situation when the computer IS the teacher? The video shows an extreme example of impoverished children who don't have access to computers, but it got me thinking of this in a broader sense; When you want to learn something on your own in this day and age, a computer is by far the way you would do it. Personally, I've used computers to learn all sorts of things, from guitar to bike repair. Having the necessary skills to find and use the endless supply of digital information is all it takes to embark on a self-regulated learning adventure.
So what does this have to do with us as teachers? I hope we see this as an opportunity and use it to its fullest advantage. I'm thinking of mini-research tasks which students could at home. I'm thinking collaborative group projects with student-directed goals. I'm thinking of students developing investigation and creativity skills while simultaneously learning subject-specific content.
What do you think? How will you engage students without simply discussing things that are just a google away?
Anyone who:
A) Has a science method
B) Is fascinated by the human brain
C) Likes music
I'm linking in an episode of one of my favorite podcasts, Radiolab from WNYC (Public radio, New York).
As a science and music fan, this episode blew me away. It's about a ragtime piano player named Bob Milne who was tested by a neurologist at Penn State University after the way he described how his brain thinks of music. Apparently, he can listen to four symphonies in his head simultaneously. The episode get a bit subjective and dramatic, but if you have 20 minutes to spare on the train sometime, I highly recommend this. It's a great example of how amazing the human brain is and our lack of understanding of how it functions. Enjoy. Radiolab 7/27: A 4-Track Mind
I think making movies could be great fun and highly educational if done properly. I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of ideas/experiences everyone has related to this. A few thoughts I've had about it so far:
I actually wanted to make a video with some year 11 Biology students last semester, but my mentor started going on about privacy in the digital age, and it became too much trouble to go attempt as a teacher candidate. As an employed teacher, could you see yourself making videos with your classes? I think there is potential but I'm still not sure about the execution.
I also observed a chemistry class last semester where the students were shown a video made by a teacher and several students. It was funny, entertaining, and educational... but looked to be produced in the early '90s at best! Corniness factor was up there, which was enough to get the attention of most students. While I was impressed by the shelf life of the video, I was actually surprised no other teacher since had stepped up and attempted to make a sequel...
What about you? Would you make a video to show students? Would you have students produce a video that you could assess? Class project? Music Video?? Drama???
What if there were a site that would be only for student-produced, educational videos which could be organised by subject and year level, sharing educational videos produced. I think it could be a great resource and encourage some friendly competition between schools. (Maybe it already exists?)
I guess I'll conclude with a few of my own thoughts:
First of all, I'm a Mac snob. I must suggest iMovie as a much cleaner, intuitive, and user-friendly program with some snazzier features than Windows Movie Maker. Hopefully I'm not offending anyone here!
Secondly, if you're looking for some kind of footage for your video and you can only find it on youtube, there are programs available that allow you to download youtube videos. Copyright issues aside, that can open up a lot of possibilities.
Finally, as far as blogging/blog-following goes, check out google reader. Any blog you're subscribed to will be added to one page, where you can quickly see any new posts from blogs you follow. Very handy, especially if you start to get more involved and start following more and more blogs.
