u07_a2: Project 3 Digital Board

Please click here to view my "Tibetan Buddhism in Lost Horizon" Digital Board.

Reflection

I created a Discovery Education board that uses a series of images, videos, and text to guide students through the Buddhist pathway to Nirvana. Students will view this board and complete the associated writing prompt which requires them to use this information to analyze the character progression of Conway from James Hilton’s Lost Horizon. In the novel, Conway followed a similar progression to reach the fictional Shangri-La, which is a physical location equatable to the Buddhist Nirvana.  The combination of digital media and investigation of another culture will help develop my students’ respectful and ethical minds.

First, this board will help develop my students’ respectful minds. When describing how to develop respectful minds, Gardner (2007) “call[s] on human beings to accept the differences, learn to live with them, and value those who belong to the other cohorts” (p. 107). A logical way to help students accept cultural differences is to teach them about different cultures. My students will learn about the beliefs and practices of Buddhists while navigating through the Discovery Education board. Most of my students have little to no familiarity with Buddhist practices, so this board is a great way to expose them to new cultural beliefs.

This board will also help develop my students’ ethical minds. Gardner (2007) explains that ethics is “embodied in tolerance, respect, and other examples of personal morality” (p. 130). Viewing the material on this board will help students understand Buddhism better, which can lead to tolerance. Studying Buddhism also provides one perspective about how to achieve ultimate peace through a series of thoughtful actions and reflections. Students will be able to see how millions of people around the world work to maintain ethical minds.

This Discovery Education board will provide an engaging way to present new information to my students via digital media. Further, it will help develop their respectful and ethical minds by introducing them to the practices of a different culture. Finally, it will still help me meet educational standards by having students apply what they learn to what they have read in the novel Lost Horizon.

References

Gardner, H. (2007). Five minds for the future. Boston: Harvard Business School Press

u07_a1: Video Blog on Developing Your Five Minds

Click here to view this week's video blog post.

References

Gardner, H. (2007). Five minds for the future. Boston: Harvard Business School Press

u06_a1: Blog on Respectful and Ethical Minds

Julie Lindsay and Vicki Davis have outlined a detailed approach to creating global classrooms. Davis mentions, “I don’t think you can have a world-class education without the world” (Future of Education, 2007). This perfectly sums up the importance of “flattening” our classrooms in order to open our students up to the world outside of the local school district.  My favorite part of the concept is the gradual way in which the two suggest easing into global communication. Transitioning from intra-connection within the classroom to inter-connection within the school, and then ultimately ending up with varying degrees of global connections, allows teachers to ease the “flattening” process (Future of Education, 2007). Following these steps can help create global learners.

After reflecting upon Lindsay and Davis’ ideas about “flattening classrooms” and Gardner’s notes on respectful and ethical minds, I have thought of a way to plan a lesson to help foster collaboration and develop students’ respectful and ethical minds. Currently, the connections that occur in my class are primarily intra-connection interactions. It would be a large leap to try to make global connections at this point, but I believe I could transition my students into making inter-connections. As part of my seniors’ final reflection activities, I usually have them create videos of advice to incoming freshmen. In order to promote more connection within the whole school, I could have my seniors interview students from every grade level to show how their thoughts, fears, interests, etc. change over time. This would allow the seniors to collaborate with many different students with whom they typically would not interact. I believe that this could help promote respectful and ethical minds for all involved. Gardner (2007) notes, “In overcoming hatred, rivalry, the burdens of history, it is crucial to search for common ground” (p. 125).  Common ground can be found by listening to others’ feelings and imagining yourself in their position. Having seniors interview other students in the school will help them to find common ground with these individuals and reflect upon their own journey through the four years of high school. Establishing this common ground could help the upperclassmen empathize more with the underclassmen because they will remember how, once, they were in the same position. The underclassmen will also be thankful that the seniors are willing to hear their opinions. Similarly, Gardner (2007) notes that ethics is “embodied in tolerance, respect, and other examples of personal morality” (p. 129-130). The common ground created through the interviews could help my students become more respectful and understanding of individuals (in this case, underclassmen) who are not as experienced or confident in their positions. It may even inspire them to reach out and provide guidance or assistance to those in need.

As our world becomes increasingly interconnected, it is important that our students have the skills that will help them succeed. Positive collaboration goes hand-in-hand with maintaining a respectful and ethical mind. Fostering these transferable skills in the classroom will help students succeed in multiple contexts as they transition into the global world .

References

Future of Education. (2014). Julie Lindsay & Vicki Davis on "flattening classrooms." [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVZuwIhjQvA

Gardner, H. (2007). Five minds for the future. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

u05_a2: Spotlight on Strategies

SOS Reflection

I decided to create my SOS on assessing bias in the media. As the internet is quickly becoming the sole source of news for individuals, it is important that students are aware of how to find reliable information for research projects in school, but also just for common everyday knowledge. Based upon my own experiences with my students, I see that the majority of the “news” they receive comes from social media. Further, I’ve also noticed that students do not evaluate a source before reading and immediately believing the information. The research presented by the Stanford History Education Group (2016) aligns with my own findings and is summed up with, “Overall, young people’s ability to reason about the information on the Internet can be summed up in one word: bleak” (p. 4). It is essential that students have more guidance about how to evaluate bias within sources.

Research is a key component in my content area of English Language Arts, but it also applies to many other subject areas as well. In order to obtain objective information about a subject, it’s necessary to find reliable, unbiased sources. The SOS I designed highlights how the same exact news story can be covered in four different ways. Students will analyze each for bias which is a skill that aligns with the PA Common Core Standards and is also a beneficial life skill.

The digital media components of this SOS play a vital role. It would be difficult for the lesson to even exist without digital media. Since the internet is the primary medium for obtaining information, it makes sense that this lesson would be completed using online sources. Gardner (2007), notes “a good pedagogue will invariably draw on several intelligences (p. 33). The availability of the video news stories, in addition to the print news stories, provides different ways for students to access the information. Students may choose the format that they prefer. Additionally, the chart of biased and unbiased news sources provides an easy-to-understand visual of the types of sources that should be trusted when looking for factual, objective information.

My goal is that this strategy will inspire an awareness within students about the wide variety of information that is available on the internet. In order for individuals to get the most out of the resources available on the internet, they must first learn how to properly navigate. This SOS will help build core skills that are necessary for countless lessons that involve internet use.

References

Gardner, H. (2007). Five minds for the future. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

Stanford History Education Group. (2016, November 22). Evaluating information: The cornerstone of civic online reasoning. Retrieved from https://sheg.stanford.edu/upload/V3LessonPlans/Executive%20Summary%2011.21.16.pdf

u05_a1: Blog on Content Creation

This week I turned to my Honors English 9 students for their input on creativity in the classroom. I first asked them to answer four different questions on a sheet of paper, and then we discussed each question as a class.  The questions were:

1. How do your teachers currently allow you to express creativity in the classroom?
2. What could teachers do to help you better express creativity in the classroom?
3. What kinds digital media are teachers currently using that you would like to see more of in your classes?
4. How could teachers use digital media to better help you express your creativity?

I purposefully left out any reference to digital media in the first two questions because I wanted to see if anyone would mention it on their own. Out of 27 students, only three mentioned anything regarding digital components. Two responses referenced how they enjoyed teachers using videos to help explain topics. One referenced how they enjoyed when teachers invited them up to the Promethean board to interact with the board in some way. The overwhelming majority mentioned nothing specifically regarding digital media, and the consensus was that they would like more hands-on activities and they would like to have more choice in what they do.

In regards to questions #3, and how teachers are using digital media to help foster creativity, most students mentioned that several of their teachers have them create PowerPoints or Prezis. Two students also mentioned videotaping themselves for a Civics project and presenting the video to the class. The only answers that really stuck out were from students who take a Project Lead the Way class and use computer drafting programs and 3-D printers on a regular basis.

 On paper, they did not have much input on question #4. I got several answers referencing allowing students to make videos for classes and a few vague references, such as "use more technology in the classroom." I even had several students ask if they could leave the question blank because they did not know what to write. This was a red flag to me, because this group of students is not the type to just freely leave questions blank.

After seeing students struggle so much with question #4, we focused most of our discussion around the topic of how teachers could use digital media to promote creativity.  An overwhelming majority said they are just as happy (or even happier) to create traditional projects (posters, dioramas, drawings, paintings, etc.) that do not require technology. There was also a lot of resentment geared towards Prezi. I usually give my students an option of using Prezi, Powerpoint, or Google Slides, but my students said they hate when they are "forced" to use Prezi because it is too hard to use. Although no one wrote about it, someone mentioned a Tic-Tac-Toe project we did in our class with Animal Farm, and students said they would love to do more activities like that. The options ranged drastically from various analytical, reflective, and creative writing assignments to filming videos and creating visuals. Students had to choose any three assignments, and they seemed to like that there was a good mix between technology and non-technology based assignments. This Tic-Tac-Toe discussion also sparked comments about a time I showed a series of snapchats based upon the Odyssey. They said that was an engining way to review some of the events from the poem.

So what do I make of all this? I have two major take-aways from this discussion. First, we need to ensure that when we incorporate new technology in the classroom that we are modelling it so that students fully understand it. The negative comments about Prezi lead me to believe that students were simply thrown into it.  Admittedly, since I always give students a choice of what program to use to for presentations, I do not review how to use Prezi. This, along with the fact that students had trouble even thinking of different forms of technology that could use digital media, makes me see this as a challenge as an educator to make more of an effort to introduce students to new forms of digital media. The second take-away I gain is that providing students with more options is the best way to help promote creativity. That includes providing students with several different topic/ project options and also providing them with different ways of synthesizing their ideas for each topic. I will use this insight to plan future lessons that more effectively use digital media to help foster creativity.

u04_a1: Blog on Creativity in the Classroom

Do schools kill creativity? Kill is a harsh term, but I would say that schools undoubtedly prohibit creativity to some degree. In his TED Talk, Sir Ken Robinson discusses this topic and seems to agree. He notes,“And we're now running national education systems where mistakes are the worst thing you can make. And the result is that we are educating people out of their creative capacities” (TED Talks, 2007). Often, education is such a strict environment, that there is little room for creativity. The emphasis placed on standardized tests frequently leaves teachers so rushed to cram in all of the relevant content material before test windows that they feel that creativity is not an option. 

Fortunately, though, it is possible to meet state standards while also fostering creativity. In regards to keeping creativity alive in my classroom, there are several steps I can take. Digital media provides a great opportunity for students to express creativity. It could be something as simple as using iPiccy to create a digital media writing prompt, as I did in my previous blog post with a lesson on imagery. Viewing a digital image can help spark creative writing that would be harder using just imagination alone. Another option would be to have students use digital media to create  a final project for a literature unit in lieu of a more traditional test or writing assignment. For example, for the Romeo and Juliet final project, I give students several options, including creating a movie or creating a fake twitter of Facebook page for one of the characters. These assignments promote creative thinking.

A remark that stuck with me from Sir Ken Robinson was his comments about renowned choreographer Gillian Lynne. He describes how she didn’t perform well in traditional school and succeeded in dance school where she was surrounded by “people who had to move to think” (TED Talks, 2007). By the time students reach high school, where I teach, the majority of their day is spent sitting in a desk, and they are often ridiculed or punished for doing anything other than sitting quietly in those desks and paying attention. Inevitably within our high school classrooms, there are students who work better with the opportunity to get up and move and interact with others. While it would be hard to allow my students to dance in class on a daily basis, I do believe there are some steps I can take to help reach these sorts of learners. Setting up learning centers with digital media can at least help students get up and moving throughout the period. They can visit various stations where they watch a video on a chromebook, listen to an interview or speech and analyze it, or interact with a series of images.The Prezi I made for the media-infused presentation could be adapted to work in such a setting. I believe that allowing students to get up and move around may keep them interested and help spark creative thinking.

By strategically incorporating digital media into the classroom, teachers can help keep creativity alive while also ensuring that state standards are being met. It simply takes some creativity from the teacher to foster creativity in students. 

References

TED Talks. (2007, January 6). Do schools kill creativity?| Sir Ken Robinson. [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY

u03_a2: Media Infused Presentation

Click here to view my Media Infused Prezi

Presentation Reflection

This media-infused presentation provides students an engaging and interactive opportunity to combine prior knowledge with new learning. In the process it will help foster the development of the disciplined and synthesizing mind. It may be used an interactive class lesson, but it may also be completed independently, which is beneficial because attendance is often an issue at my school, particularly with the students to which the presentation is geared.

Several components of the lesson will contribute to fostering a disciplined mind. The first is having students apply prior learning to analyze new material. As opposed to subject matter, which focusses on specific facts, Gardner (2007) argues, “a discipline constitutes a distinctive way of thinking about the world” (p. 27). Instead of simply having students memorize definitions and facts, teachers need to teach students how to think in order to foster disciplined minds. This particular presentation does just that by having students analyze material about another culture and draw conclusions about how similar and/or different that culture is from their own. Gardner (2007) also urges to “approach the topic in a variety of ways” (p.33).  The images, video, and audio components provide an engaging way for students to obtain new information and learn independently. Combining this new information obtained through digital media with the text component of the novel will help students understand the topic on several levels.

Next, this presentation also promotes a synthesizing mind in students. Gardner (2007) outlines four general steps to synthesis: a goal, a starting point, selection of strategy and approach, drafts and feedback (p. 51-52). This presentation guides students through each step of the synthesis process. The goal of comparing and contrasting American and Vietnamese perspectives of the war is clearly stated in the Purpose section of the Prezi. Next, students will recall their previous learned knowledge about the American perspective, which will serve as the starting point of their synthesis. Reviewing the images, video, and audio throughout the rest of the Prezi serves as the strategy in which to achieve synthesis. Finally, students will synthesize their findings into a digital Venn Diagram and present it to the class. The rubric-graded Venn Diagram and class discussion after the presentations will provide valuable feedback to help aid in the synthesis process.

This media-infused presentation is a good way to spark synthesis and discipline. As students progress and become more comfortable with the steps of synthesis, they will be able to complete more of the steps on their own. Eventually, my goal would be to have students develop all four steps of the synthesis process on their own in order to achieve true synthesis. Incorporating more media-infused presentations can help achieve that goal.

References

Gardner, H. (2007). Five minds for the future. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.