Kris
Very comprehensive entry Kris. Well done. You mentioned being late on your posts, however, I am just now getting to my week one responses so..beat that:)
This issue of pirating and being made into new age criminals has always haunted me. I have always known that I should be referencing every photo that I grab from google. I have always appeased myself by not making students reference some of their works knowing that it was only for my eyes and it is not be being published on the web. However, with the days of blogging and creating their own web pages I no longer have this blanket to hide behind.
It is certainly very good to be reading about and finding out what the experts are saying on this topic. Even they seem confused. I don’t expect to have all the answers by the end of this course but I do think we will have a much better idea of whether or not we should be feeling guilty about our ‘illegal’ practices.
Laura
Great food for thought Laura. This makes me think of our Upper Intermediate crew at Valley View Elementary. During my past four years there we have consistently had a team of three to four teachers teaching 6/7 splits. We move the kids around for Math, Socials and Science. We share resources and often triangulate in on behaviours as well as success. We often use the same strategies which helps the kids realize that you do need to be able to ‘use text clues’ in Science, or that you do need ‘note-taking’ skills in Math.
I feel very strongly that our open sense of sharing and camaraderie is noticed, and dare I say appreciated, by the students. I would hazard a guess that our attitude of sharing and cooperation is in some way transferred into their state of being.
I hope this makes sense in relation to your statement. I too will be taking note over the coming years of the effect that these resources have on our students.
Very comprehensive entry Kris. Well done. You mentioned being late on your posts, however, I am just now getting to my week one responses so..beat that:)
This issue of pirating and being made into new age criminals has always haunted me. I have always known that I should be referencing every photo that I grab from google. I have always appeased myself by not making students reference some of their works knowing that it was only for my eyes and it is not be being published on the web. However, with the days of blogging and creating their own web pages I no longer have this blanket to hide behind.
It is certainly very good to be reading about and finding out what the experts are saying on this topic. Even they seem confused. I don’t expect to have all the answers by the end of this course but I do think we will have a much better idea of whether or not we should be feeling guilty about our ‘illegal’ practices.
Laura
Great food for thought Laura. This makes me think of our Upper Intermediate crew at Valley View Elementary. During my past four years there we have consistently had a team of three to four teachers teaching 6/7 splits. We move the kids around for Math, Socials and Science. We share resources and often triangulate in on behaviours as well as success. We often use the same strategies which helps the kids realize that you do need to be able to ‘use text clues’ in Science, or that you do need ‘note-taking’ skills in Math.
I feel very strongly that our open sense of sharing and camaraderie is noticed, and dare I say appreciated, by the students. I would hazard a guess that our attitude of sharing and cooperation is in some way transferred into their state of being.
I hope this makes sense in relation to your statement. I too will be taking note over the coming years of the effect that these resources have on our students.
Verena
Wow!. Thanks Verena. I woke up thinking I knew what I was going to blog about but I think you have changed my mind:)
Sonny
Interesting experiment Sonny. Thanks for sharing. It all seems very cloudy to me. Would your principal really take action against you or another teacher using your lessons? Would they really shut you down? I like your point that it is all government funding in the end. However, would the province allow you to take your work across the border?:)
The wonderful thing about Moodle in our district was that up until a few years ago you could go into other teachers accounts and cherry pick their lessons. This option was pulled away a few years back and I never found out if it was because some were deleting others’ work by accident or if it had to do with ‘ownership’ issues.
Wendy
Thanks for the post on Clayton Christensen Wendy. It’s funny how stern-looking academic types using big words can still be quite humourous. I love how he says he looks forward to the days of half the universities in America being bankrupt with a straight face and the crowd bursts out laughing.
It is also very interesting that someone working at Harvard can say out loud, and admit, that we are teaching students stuff we want them to learn, not stuff that they may use on the job. It just proves that we are stuck in this system in which we have so much invested and it is very difficult to get out of it.
It will be very interesting to watch what happens to education over the next 10-20 years.
Ben
Wow! You have been busy Ben. Way to go.I was wondering how you split your screen on the Robot video.
I this great to see you digging in and trying out some of these programs and networks. I have always been good at getting kids to explore but seldom go and explore myself. I learned this year with our most recent Inquiry project that it is much more powerful if you are creating and exploring along side them. A few weeks back I had a student ask me, “What are you going to make Mr. F?” This reminded me that they get excited watching us create on the spot and make mistakes along the way. It is also another way for us to break down the barriers between teacher and student if we are asking for their help and making messes along side them.
Thanks for the inspiration Ben,
Thank you Kris. I love hearing about how these things just grow and blossom. I bet some teachers would be amazed to find out about how their ideas were adapted and shared. It reminds us that we don't always hear or see the effect we have on students and even other teachers. I think it is so important to keep the founding teacher's name attached to the idea so people have a sense of the history of that particular project.
Great job Wendy.
I think that it is very important that we question both the ideas that are being brought forward to us as well as those presenting us the information. I would imagine, for the most part, they would be the first to admit that this healthy dialogue is what will help us grow and understand which concepts work for us and which ones do not.
Wow!. Thanks Verena. I woke up thinking I knew what I was going to blog about but I think you have changed my mind:)
Sonny
Interesting experiment Sonny. Thanks for sharing. It all seems very cloudy to me. Would your principal really take action against you or another teacher using your lessons? Would they really shut you down? I like your point that it is all government funding in the end. However, would the province allow you to take your work across the border?:)
The wonderful thing about Moodle in our district was that up until a few years ago you could go into other teachers accounts and cherry pick their lessons. This option was pulled away a few years back and I never found out if it was because some were deleting others’ work by accident or if it had to do with ‘ownership’ issues.
Wendy
Thanks for the post on Clayton Christensen Wendy. It’s funny how stern-looking academic types using big words can still be quite humourous. I love how he says he looks forward to the days of half the universities in America being bankrupt with a straight face and the crowd bursts out laughing.
It is also very interesting that someone working at Harvard can say out loud, and admit, that we are teaching students stuff we want them to learn, not stuff that they may use on the job. It just proves that we are stuck in this system in which we have so much invested and it is very difficult to get out of it.
It will be very interesting to watch what happens to education over the next 10-20 years.
Ben
Wow! You have been busy Ben. Way to go.I was wondering how you split your screen on the Robot video.
I this great to see you digging in and trying out some of these programs and networks. I have always been good at getting kids to explore but seldom go and explore myself. I learned this year with our most recent Inquiry project that it is much more powerful if you are creating and exploring along side them. A few weeks back I had a student ask me, “What are you going to make Mr. F?” This reminded me that they get excited watching us create on the spot and make mistakes along the way. It is also another way for us to break down the barriers between teacher and student if we are asking for their help and making messes along side them.
Thanks for the inspiration Ben,
Thank you Kris. I love hearing about how these things just grow and blossom. I bet some teachers would be amazed to find out about how their ideas were adapted and shared. It reminds us that we don't always hear or see the effect we have on students and even other teachers. I think it is so important to keep the founding teacher's name attached to the idea so people have a sense of the history of that particular project.
Great job Wendy.
I think that it is very important that we question both the ideas that are being brought forward to us as well as those presenting us the information. I would imagine, for the most part, they would be the first to admit that this healthy dialogue is what will help us grow and understand which concepts work for us and which ones do not.