Finding Superman in Technology
#edtech #edchat #elearning The big buzz right now in education is the new movie Waiting for Superman which puts a spotlight on many of the problems with education today. Since I am a geek, and I look at everything though my geeky glasses, I see a lot of the solutions to the problems with education using technology. Today I would like to talk about two problems that are presented in the movie and my technological solutions.
Problem Number 1: A Bad Teacher.
A high school student I know had a bad Spanish teacher last year. By bad, I mean a Spanish teacher that refused to speak Spanish. She would have the students learn Spanish using textbooks and worksheets, and not by speaking it even though she was fluent in the language.
Tech Solution: Buy Some Apps.
By spending less than $10, this student was able to make up for the inabilities of her teacher and buy some Spanish apps for her Smartphone. Apps that not only spoke to her, but also listened to her speak Spanish and compared her spoken words to native Spanish speakers. She also bought a flashcard app that helped her pass off all of her “textbook” work that her teacher assigned.
This is one example of one subject in school, but trusts me, if there is a bad teacher, chances are, there is an app to replace him/her.
Problem Number 2: A Bad School
Let’s say a student has more than just one bad teacher, instead she has an entire school that is bad.
Tech Solution: Take It Online.
Today there are incredible online alternatives to brick and mortar. Companies like K12 offer a solid curriculum that in most cases is free and sometimes the school district will even provide a laptop.
So perhaps instead of waiting for Superman, maybe we need to download him, or install him, or log-in to him.
Of course I am not saying that all of the educational problems of our country are going to be solved by technology, but a few of them could.
How to start a successful FLL team – Part 1
#edtech #fll #elearning The School Technology Report for Wednesday, October 6, 2010: This is part 1 of how to start a successful First Lego League team at your school.
Read MoreGetting Started with The First Lego League
#edtech #elearning The School Technology Report for Tuesday, October 5, 2010: How to start a First Lego League team at your school and why it is so important.
Read MoreThat’s a wrap! – Movie Making With Kids
#edtech #elearning Well, it is finally done. This quarter’s movie making club finished shooting their last scene on Tuesday and by the end of yesterday it was all edited and ready to go. I am really proud of their work — as always I am blown away by the ability of these fourth and fifth grade students to make great movies.
I get a real mix of students that sign up for my seven week movie making club. We meet every Tuesday before school and we work really hard to have our movie done by the end of the quarter. This year we have gone away from our usual dramatic movie in favor of making movies with a message. Last year’s movie called Don’t Eat the Cookies was so intense in a few parts that we couldn’t show it to the younger grade — but this new movie is great for all ages.
The movie is called “Confidence” and it is all about a girl who is afraid to sing in from of people, when is is alone she sings great, but when she gets in front of people she is really bad. So the best singer in the school offers her some advice on how to get confidence and you’ll just have to watch it to see how it ends.
Teaching students how to make movies is one of the most rewarding parts of my job as an elementary tech teacher. I love how much the students change. Take Avree, the lead actor in this movie. She had no theater training at all, but yet she turns out to be a very talented actor. Then there is Erik, he turned out to be one of the best student-directors that I have ever worked with. He was very professional and knew how to get the kids to stay on task and on time.
This year we have added a worksheet to go with our movie to help teachers use the movie as a lesson. On the worksheet there are discussion points as well as writing prompts to get the students to learn how they can develop confidence in their own lives.
So now is the time to pop some popcorn and sit back and relax as you watch our 4 minute movie called Confidence. If you want a peek behind the scenes check out the making of movie and don’t forget to look at the worksheet as well.
http://www.bethkeelementary.com/kbob-studios-movies.html
Read MoreMaking an iPhone App part 4
#edtech #elearning The School Technology Report: Update to my quest to get my iPhone/iPad app developed. I finally have a few developers that love my idea and want to make the app.
Read MoreHow to make a school podcast.
#edtech #elearning The School Technology Report: How I make a daily podcast at my elementary school using Atomic Learning.
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