"Let me give you an example. Here is one of today’s examination questions: How long will it take a 5 Kg mass to fall to the ground if dropped from a height of 20 metres? (Do not use computers, calculators or any other aids. Do not talk) This could easily be changed to: Use the Internet to find out how long it will take a 5 Kg mass to fall to the ground if dropped from a height of 20 metres. Discuss the answer with your colleagues and report the results of the discussion. Justify why you think the answer is right."
This is a quote from an interview in Steve Wheelers' blog. To me, the pros and cons are as follows: The first question is testing memorization of a formula and the application of the formula. It helps to ensure that the student does the math carefully, and enables the student to apply the concept to other similar math problems. The second question does not require the learning of the formula, but does require the student to think critically and understand the rationale behind the rule. The discussion with other students can also help to clarify the concept. If this gives the student a greater feel for the "truth" behind the theory of gravitational pull etc., I think, despite being a bit of a tech skeptic, that the second question will lead to a more important learning experience.
Lisa Nielson (http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.co.il/2013/03/3-ways-to-connect-with-parents-via-cell.html#more) has a nice idea for keeping parents updated. The basic idea is to do a weekly podcast style update for the parents to hear what has been going on in the classroom, or for upcoming events. As a parent, this sounds like a good idea. No more finding out about the book report the day before it is due, not that MY kids would ever do such a thing :). She recommends the "phonecasting" service called iPadio. This enables you to record a podcast through calling a phone #, then the service makes it available to you online. You could then post it or email it to parents. I watched a how-to video on their site (http://blog.ipadio.com/11/introduction-to-ipadio/) and it does seem pretty easy to use.
I got to the following chart from the 2 cents worth blog (http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/). This was very striking to me. This is an example of using technology (a computer generated graphic) to present information in a clear and understandable way. The way it enables the student/reader to compare and contrast the wars, and to see the overall cost of the wars, in terms of both life and money, is more effective that a frontal lecture replete with statistics on the subject
Hey Yehoshua, hope you had a great vacation.
ReplyDeleteI think that your words about the way we teach math have merit. How much can a student get from formula questions one after another. Maybe the better approach is to vary the material. The way your second question was set up seemed more beneficial for students to work in teams and to think critically about problem solving.
Your second selection of podcasting for parent teacher conferences seems like a very great idea. Of course it would take planning and need to be limited in time. It also gave me the idea that not only on a general level can it be done but also for private one on one parent teacher conferences.
Great work, looking forward to next week.
David
I don't know if I would use the podcasting to give info to a specific parent. You can't really rely on them to listen, and it may be hard to ensure that the file remains private (most podcasting services are public). I see it more for weekly/monthly updates on what is going on in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I just wrote out this whole long response and the whole thing got deleted when I tried to send. I think it was divine intervention- the heavens's way of saying "girl, you talk too much".
ReplyDeleteIn a nutshell, I was wondering about podcasts, and whether the extra effort of maintaining one for the purposes of relaying information is justified by yielding some sort of reward unattainable via blogs or social web pages (such as facebook). What do you think?
I think that it is not a question of if the benefits are "unobtainable" in other ways, but whether this could be an alternative or a supplement. I am a big podcast listener myself, and I find that the ability to access the info on the go enables me to listen to things that I would not read otherwise. Also, there may be some parents whose listening literacy is much better than their reading literacy, so if I want to communicate with them in English, a podcast might be better.
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