meliwilson

"The $100 laptop and the Creation of Social Structure". Week 14

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 19:25:28 GMT

The article that I found regarding One Laptop Per Child is titled “The $100 Laptop and the Creation of Social Structure”. I found this article be interesting because it was looking at the social aspect of this project. Most of the article’s I found were regarding the benefits of learning that apply to children. However, I was wondering whether or not having children using a tool such as this would create difficulties in their ability to socialize with others. Sometimes it is thought that individuals who spend a lot of time on the computer or playing video games keep to themselves. Keeping this stereotype in mind I began wondering if children who frequently use the laptop would have difficulties socializing with other children. The article states that OLPC “supports the creation of new relationships among human beings -- relationships that promote learning but also engender political, economic, and social frameworks” (Maza, 2006, p.1). When I was researching OLPC for the Google lab I learned a great deal about its features and allowing others to discuss ideas with others. I was astounded to see that this laptop allowed children to interact with others. It makes me believe that there is more than an “educational value” to this learning tool. I do believe that social development is part of education but I placed brackets around it because some unfortunately do not. When children are given the opportunity to discuss concepts and ideas with others and evaluate other’s perspective I feel they have a greater chance of developing their own sense of self.

Throughout the entire article there was one quote that stood out in my mind as a valuable point for OLPC to express. “The OLPC lets people find each other, help each other, support each other, and work with each other. The OLPC is a relationship enabler” (Maza, 2006, p.2). This quote also made me think about how useful a tool such as this will be for children who may be shy. When I was younger I was often shy talking to people I didn’t know very well. I found it hard to further my learning when we had people visit the school or when we went on field trips because I became very nervous and anxious about asking questions. With the OLPC project, children who have one may feel more comfortable asking questions or saying what is on their mind in an online discussion rather than face to face, allowing them to further their knowledge.

To further this idea I also feel it can be difficult to build a relationship in general for children. The fact that she mentioned this is a “relationship enabler”, made me wonder about the difficulties children have creating relationships. I think that both adults and children have difficulties building relationships for a variety of reasons and a tool like this will take off some of the initial pressure of creating a relationship.

Word Count: 487

One laptop per child or more teachers? Week 13.

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 15:46:15 GMT

The article I found regarding One Laptop Per Child is titled “India rejects One Laptop Per Child”. It is more of a “news” article than a scholarly piece but there were many good ideas that this provoked. I began thinking about the financing aspect of this project and how it would impact a country if they participated in OLPC. The first thing that was mentioned was from The Indian Ministry of Education, Sudeep Banerjee. He stated that “we need classrooms and teachers more urgently than fancy tools." Unfortunatly I think that sometimes this is the case. Although every child having a lop is a fanstastic idea my wonder is who would assist them and facilitate their learning if they have a question or need to build on their knowledge. Their parents may not have the knowledge or skill to act as a teacher so my wonders are which would you consider more important, the fancy tools or classrooms and teachers? To me it is a toss up. Without teachers and classrooms the children do not have someone to push them further or help them build on their knowledge. However, without the “fancy tools”, as Banerjee calls them, I wonder the obstacles the teachers and students would have to overcome in order to build their knowledge. However, we have often learned about allowing a child to use their own strategies to develop their learning.With all of the “fancy tools” we have now a days in Canada, learning has only improved.Does this apply to every country. I would love to hear anyone’s thoughts on this because to me it seems difficult to choose which is “better”.

The Indian Ministry of Education also said “if money were available it would be better spent on existing education plans”. Do you think that it would be better for Canada to apply its finances on the exisiting education plan instead of “fancy” tools. Our existing education plan is currently taking out useful tools and sessions for children to use and attend in order to further their development. A specific example I am thinking of is the after school Literacy programs that they are thinking of getting rid of in the Toronto District School Board. Would it be better to get rid of this program and bring in laptops that may assist the child or would it be more beneficial to have the program? I feel that when it comes to literacy, having a teacher facilitate your understanding of strategies would be more useful than a laptop.

This article was from 2006 and may be a little outdated, meaning that India may have jumped on the bandwagon. However, this article allowed me to realy think about which is more important, more classrooms and teachers or fancy tools that assist the teachers. If an individual wants to become a teacher he/she should be able to use the tools they already have in the classroom as best as they can.

Word Count: 491

The Integration of the Arts. March 28th, Week 12.

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 20:05:00 GMT

The article I found discusses the idea of incorporating all “non traditional” core subjects into the curriculum. The article uses the term “encore subjects”, which I found incredibly interesting because unfortunately that is how the arts, subjects such as music, visual art and drama, are usually treated within the school system. As I had mentioned in my blogs last semester, the schools I attended were very traditional, using a lot of paper and pen activities. I also did not have much musical training in school, nor did I get the chance to sing songs after kindergarten. I think that is why this article stood out so much to me, because the arts really have been left out as if they are not important. What I am really having trouble understanding is that even in this day and age, where there is a variety of research backing up that the arts are beneficial and can be integrated, there are still teachers who never use music in the classroom and only do art on Fridays. When they do have art or music within the classroom it is used as a bargain tool for the children to behave during the week. In my opinion I find it sad and it is no wonder that we have individuals, myself included, that have no understanding of basic music concepts.

This idea of integration was brought up in the podcast regarding the positive effects that music can have on children’s social skills. This article also draws upon the idea of social skills and some other benefits that the incorporation of music can create. This includes cooperative learning and performances. According to the article, “music groups are perfect examples of cooperative learning at work, and music teachers possess exemplary skills in cooperative teaching” (Larson, p. 29). It also states that “performances show peers, parents, and the community what middle level students can accomplish. Moreover, they show that students at this age, who have unbounded energy and continually shifting interests, really can concentrate and produce a fine musical product if given a chance” (Larson, p.29). If teachers integrate these ideas then maybe we will help individuals understand the “authentic voice” that Danny and Jason had mentioned on the podcast and of course potentially become less timid to share their own voice and ideas.

The article also mentioned that “encore subjects, such as music and the arts, should not be given second-class treatment, nor should encore teachers be treated any differently than core teachers” (Larson, pg.27). It has been my experience that the music teachers are often looked upon as different, or even in some cases, not an actual teacher because he/she only teaches music and nothing else. However, I think it is the exact opposite because although they are “only teaching one subject” they are responsible for teaching the entire school their knowledge and understanding of music. There is a lot of pressure that comes with that and unfortunately they are not always appreciated as “teachers”.

Music Programs at The Middle Level: Scheduling for Success Bill Larson

http://bul.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/76/544/27

Word Count: 498

Music in Early Childhood. Week 11, March 23rd. Oops two days late. Sorry.

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 00:48:01 GMT

The article that I decided to talk about for this week’s readings is called “Music in Early Childhood”. This article was fantastic to read and inspiring for future teachers. It showed the variety of benefits that music plays on children and their development. Although there is a lot of recent strong research being done on music and its impact on children, what struck me the most about this article is that it was written in 1990. This was the time period when I was in school. My wonder is regarding the fact that music was absent during my school years. If they had this information and knowledge in 1990 why was it not used? I’m not saying that it wasn’t used at all but very rarely because myself and everyone else I have met had the same experience, non existence of the integration of music.

The article had also touched upon the integration of music into curricula. The article states that the integration of music “benefits in the areas of social, cognitive, motor, affective, and creative development” (Feierabend, 15). This is something that is being seen more and more each day and I think because of this children are able to understand concepts better. Incorporating music can reaffirm or introduce concepts they have learned or will learn in other subjects. An example that the article touched upon was looking at the impact that music can have on physical development. Children’s song’s can not only help the move about and gain better gross or fine motor control but it can also help them learn about their body. Body awareness can be seen in songs such as head and shoulders. In kindergarten, body awareness is a part of the physical education curriculum. Therefore, if teachers introduced and used songs such as these children would have a better learning experience and opportunity.

After reading this article it made me think about the importance of music teachers. In my personal experience, at a Catholic School, music was taught by our regular teacher. We did not have a different teacher come to our class to teach us music. This is one of the main reasons as to why my musical abilities are almost nonexistent. I do think that main teachers should have musical knowledge. However, if schools were to incorporate actual music teachers into the school then music class would be much more beneficial. I am aware that most public schools have music teachers, but in my experience some of the music teachers do not have any music experience and take the job because it is all that is open. In my recent placement the children visit a music teacher once a week. The music teacher they have is working on concepts and terminology that I have been recently introduced to by the music course I am taking offered by Ryerson. This teacher has an extensive musical background and this is one of the reasons those students are so successful.

http://pao.chadwyck.co.uk/imageConversion.do?method=viewPdf&id=3091-1990-091-06-000002&pdfPaperSize=letter&pdfFont=&pdfPointSize=&pdfHpadding=&pdfVoffset=&pdfHeadAllPages=false&pdfPageRange=1-6&pdfHeader=FEIERABEND%2C%20JOHN%2C%20%3Cbi%3EMusic%20in%20Early%20Childhood%3C%2Fbi%3E%2C%20Design%20for%20Arts%20in%20Education%2C%2091%3A6%20(1990%3AJuly%2FAug.)%20p.15

Word Count 496

Assessing with Technology:Can it work? Chapter 10 and Epilogue March 14th.

Sat, 15 Mar 2008 03:30:09 GMT

I am glad that this chapter finally came into this course because I have been wondering how one would go about assessing the children when they are completing on line activities. My one concern was assessing the children and making sure that the assessment was not based on how much they finish but the means in which they create to complete the activities. I also agreed with the textbook and feel that it is important to make students “aware of the scoring system and the criteria used to determine the scores for the assessment of the activity” (p.219). Unfortunately some teachers do not address this point and it is often that the children become more overwhelmed and concerned with what the teacher is looking for instead of showing their skills.

After reading the chapter there was one idea that really made me wonder, and that is the idea of using technology based rubrics. I am not in any way against rubrics, I think when they are used properly they can be a quick and effective way to assess a child’s learning. However, with that being said rubrics can also create problems for some individuals. Throughout my experience in the field I have seen teachers create their own rubrics, which can also be beneficial to a child’s knowledge about where he/she needs to improve. Nonetheless, some of the rubrics created by teachers simply lump the students into a number category of 1-4 and do not express how they can improve. This is where my problems with using a lot of rubrics to assess children’s learning stems from.

Also, the text was discussing using an online rubric bank. My wonder with this is if teachers would just simply print them off and use them to assess the children. I would hope that teachers would “assess” and possibly adapt the rubric and make sure that it’s adequate for the group of children they are working with before incorporating it into an activity. However, as the textbook had mentioned in the beginning that is more work for the teachers and unfortunately some teachers do not have the drive or want to put in any more work. I do think it is important and valuable for the textbook to include the portion titled “Characteristics of a Good Rubric”. Teachers can use this as a checklist or guide to creating or adapting rubrics in order to make them adequate for assessing the children.

Overall, this chapter was able to clear up some of the concerns I had with implementing technological activities into my future classroom. In general this textbook has been an eye opener to me. I am hoping that through the concepts learned from this textbook I can not only implement technology into my classroom but help other individuals understand the value and benefits of learning with technology.

Word Count: 473

Chapter 1: Meaningful Learning is NOT shown through "tests". March 3rd.

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 19:05:44 GMT

After reading this chapter, the other chapters began to click in, more than they had before. I was taking in the knowledge and ideas given by the other chapters. However, after reading this chapter I began to comprehend their reasoning to a greater extent.

In the beginning of this chapter the idea of multiple choice and standardized testing is addressed. This is an important area for me for many reasons. The first being, as a child I always felt a great deal of pressure because of tests. I would often have trouble, and ask many questions during tests because I was nervous and could barely read the questions. Although I was able to show my learning and understanding in other ways, tests often negatively affected my marks. The second reason this area is of importance to me is because of the variety of placements I have been exposed to. I have been able to see two types of classes, one that assesses on the basis of testing and multiple choice and another where assessment took the form of anecdotal records recording development rather than just the final product. This form of assessment encourages children’s view of themselves as well as allowing them to know where they stand and where they have to work. Multiple choice tests don’t often show that.

When the text book begins to break down the characteristics of meaningful learning there were some that jumped out to me as common sense to incorporate them into a classroom. However, they are often left out. The first characteristic was being active, when children are manipulating objects and working within their environment. Hands on learning is not just for younger grades, nor should it cease when children get into grade two or three. However, this is often what occurs in the older grades. Children are sitting at desks completing questions from text books. None of this is being active or manipulating, let alone working in their natural environment. There are many ways to use the curriculum and put it into context, which allows the children to relate it to their own life or to the real world. Unfortunately, this is not always the case in present classrooms.

The other characteristic was cooperative. Often teachers are worried about report cards for each child and have each child tested individually. A lot of teachers use minimal group work throughout elementary school because it is “easier” for them to asses each child and know which child completed which portion of the work. When children get older and are faced with group work in high school and post secondary difficulties arise and has stemmed from their previous knowledge of group work, which is almost non-existent.

If educators were to focus less on standardized testing and individual testing meaningful learning characteristics could be implemented. However, the issue of being accountable seems to be more worrisome for present teachers instead of the development of children in their classrooms.

Word count: 492

Visualization tools chapter 8 and 9.

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 16:30:46 GMT

When I finished reading chapter 8 there were some questions that came to mind. The idea of using the CAD programs in a classroom and school concerns me a little. Although, I feel it is important for them to convey their ideas and have the possibility of designing, I am wondering how “light” these programs really are. I myself have tried to use a version of CAD that design students have a two semester course on. The program is called AutoCAD, and with this program you are able to create furniture, walls and pretty much an entire room fully furnished. However, the fact that it took me over an hour to learn how to create a couch and it takes college design students two semesters to understand AutoCAD, how would children learn how to use this program? And how much are these programs simplified for the children. Maybe because I have such a negative experience with this program that it has created a bias towards using these types of programs with children. I am interested in reading others ideas as well as reading comments on this post in order to get some feedback. I am also wondering if the concepts in the earlier part of this chapter are geared towards teaching older grades such as high school.

Towards the end of the chapter the book talks about programs such as scratch. After watching some individuals work with the Scratch program, it makes me wonder if this program in similar to Kidswork, a popular program used throughout the peel school board. I think it will be interesting to work with the Scratch program today and compare the two programs. However, Scratch seems to be a more musical based program where as Kidswork works more with images. Kidswork does include some sounds and the children are able to record a short message but the schools do not have microphones for them to work with. This makes me wonder about the cost factor. Although Scratch looks like a phenomenal program and may be beneficial would schools incorporate it in to the school?

Throughout chapter 9 I liked that the text talked about visualization tools and the importance of visually representing what we know. In my opinion visualization tools are extremely important because not everyone is an artist. Personally, my drawings are not the best but it doesn’t mean that just because I can’t draw that I don’t know how to represent my thoughts. In my placement class the children are working n story writing and will soon be drawing pictures to represent their writing. It is often that the children will say “I can’t draw that”. They often feel their drawing skills aren’t up to par with others and would rather use a program like this to represent their ideas. Overall, I feel there is nothing wrong with that!

Word Count: 476

Chapter 3: Experimenting with Technologies

Sat, 09 Feb 2008 04:13:14 GMT

After reading this chapter I realized that my feelings towards my personal learning style were correct. Throughout this chapter I felt confident about the material and began to understand it. I believe that the websites listed in the text were a great deal of help. Knowing some names of the programs allowed me to research the topics and read other opinions of them. Even with just seeing that there were websites for me to look at I became at ease with the material and ideas put forth in this chapter. It again made me think about my professional practice and the importance of allowing children options for learning about concepts. It is extremely beneficial to a child’s confidence level and self esteem when they know that their learning style will not affect their learning outcome in a negative way.

I found this chapter reminding me of ideas discussed in our science course last semester and I feel that some of the programs will reaffirm previous learnt science concepts. These concepts include creating hypothesis or predictions and then testing them out.

This chapter also brought up an excellent point that I wanted to take even further. The idea that a “computer is an object to think with”. Often we use computers as a way to organize and simplify our lives. However, we do not often look at them with the thoughts of them helping us think. Especially when it comes to ages 4-12, computers are mainly used to type up projects researched at the library because there were not enough computers to complete the research. I am hoping that with taking part in a course such as this that I will be able to convey that concept to other faculty members as well as children.

My other thoughts on this chapter were regarding the idea of “procedural actions”. Unfortunately, this is still something that is occurring in schools. It is quite clear to me from my education at Ryerson and my experience in the field that not only are you not allowing them to think for themselves but you are impacting their self-esteem. It is unbelievable how many children in my placement class have the “I can’t do it mentality” and after observing the classroom it is clear why. The children are often explained steps of how to complete an activity. Especially when it comes to art this step by step process come to life. The children literally watch the teacher complete the art at the front of the room, sometimes on an overhead. When she finishes one step the children then complete the same step and she goes around and tells them if they are doing it correctly. It is discouraging for me to even watch so I can only imagine how discouraging it is for the children to be a part of. On a positive note this chapter and experience has made me make sure that I never repeat this mistake.

Word Count: 492

Chapter 6: Community Building with Technologies

Sat, 02 Feb 2008 04:47:30 GMT

After the first page of chapter I began to feel like it was starting off the same as the other chapters did. I felt as if I had heard it before. However, I got a different feeling after continuing the chapter. I began to feel as if some of the information was over my head and even after reading the section twice it just wouldn’t sink in. The text began to talk about “knowledge form”, something I have never heard of before. I think the reason I was having so much difficulty understanding exactly what it does is because I am a visual learner. I need to see something before I can picture it in my head and try to understand how it works. I would need time with it to search through it and play with it before I could understand the concept let alone incorporate it into a classroom. Due to the fact that I have never worked with a “knowledge form” before I was unable to understand the concept of it. If there are any others who may have understood it and feel they could explain it that would be greatly appreciated. However, when the chapter began discussing the concept of WIKIS I found myself not only more interested in the section but that I was able to focus and pay attention to what the text was discussing. I have had many experiences using a WIKI because of the music course I took last year with Danny Bakan. I was given time to search through the WIKI and see the different ways it could be edited and used. Therefore, when I was reading about the WIKI I felt confident and could comprehend the text. I think what I have taken most from this chapter is to allow children exposure to the technology before having them complete a project or complete anything that is being used for assessment. Some children will not understand the content or ideas unless they are looking at or browsing through the screen themselves. Even at the age of 21 I need exposure to certain technology because I have never seen them before. However, I have come to the realization that just reading the chapters may not be enough. That is where these unmarked labs come into play. I felt before that it was almost a waste of time to be doing work when we aren’t getting a mark for it. I felt this way simply because we are so mark oriented in University and so bogged down with work. I am obviously wrong because completing the Google lab, and browsing through all of the different types of search engines made me realize that it’s beneficial to my grades simply because I am now better equipped to research ideas. I feel confident that my research time may be cut down because I spent a little bit of time becoming familiar with different tools.

Word Count: 489

Communicating with technology: Chapter 7. Week Three

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 16:01:06 GMT

After reading this chapter it made me think back to the type of communication that occurred through technology. I began to think about my past experience with technology and all the ways I kept in touch with friends or family who has lived far away. However, a lot of the communication that occurred was through letters. It wasn’t often that I sent emails or talked on msn. Whereas now, looking at my younger cousins, email or MSN sis often their means of communications. The text made a comment about “connecting scattered people”. A comment such as this cannot go unnoticed because computers and technology really does connect scattered people. This made me think about my 10 year old cousin who has Facebook and my mom’s family from Peru who also keep in touch with us through Facebook. Having this technology has allowed them to not only keep in touch with us but view pictures of our dogs and ultra sound pictures of my sister’s baby. Connecting people can be important on so many levels.

There was another comment in the text that stood out to me as “interesting”. The text talks about “worries regarding face to face contact”. I feel there is more than one way to look at that comment. If teachers only interact with children through computers and do not include that face to face interaction in classrooms than I feel it could become a problem. An example of this that comes to mind is certain university courses that are strictly online. For a university student I don’t feel that is a problem. However, where do you draw the line, will they begin to make high school courses a DVD that you hit play and listen to an instructor talk? I think in order for a class at that age level to be beneficial there should be someone there to facilitate each child’s development. However, after all this is said I do think that possibility of face to face contact can be improved through technology. A key example of this is using a video phone. Although extremely expensive at the moment it allows family and friends to connect and have that face to face interaction even when they are countries apart.

Towards the middle of the chapter the text talks about video conferencing. The text states that “video conferencing overcomes barriers of cost and distance since physically transporting a classroom of student to another location is often impossible” (pg 153). I feel that it is not only often impossible but often expensive so some schools tend to minimize field trips. In the long run adding computers may actually be less expensive and more beneficial because children can replay the conversation or recording over and over. I am not implying that videos are better than the real thing but in some circumstances it works out best for all.

Overall, technology can play a huge impact in communicating with everyone.

Word Count: 490

Computers in the classroom? Chapter 2 & 4 January 18, 2008

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 16:16:22 GMT

After reading the chapter’s there were a couple of things that came to mind. In chapter two there were sections regarding invisible web and feeds. I found this portion confusing for me to understand. I have always thought that I was computer literate but I do worry about discussing concepts with children. I guess what I’m wondering is does it need to be simplified or will children be able to understand these concepts? Also, if children should be taught the terminology of the web, at what age should they be introduced?

I ask this question because in my experience computers have played a minimal role in classrooms and child development. It has also been my experience that most schools have two or less computers in the classroom and maybe 10-12 computers in the library. Even when the classrooms may have computers the teacher is often the only one who uses the computer. Therefore, my experience has led me to my conclusion that incorporating computers and technology to facilitate learning has been almost non existent. When I have seen computers used children will usually receive 2 periods (40 minutes each) to complete research. Their “research” usually consists of random facts about one animal and to top it all off the children were rushing because of minimal computer time. Most of the children admit that they didn’t read the facts and were not given enough time to really explore pictures of the animals, which I feel is another important aspect of researching using the internet. For an assignment such as this I feel it would be important to have the children complete the assignment using the 1 or 2 computers in the classroom at a time and have them finish at different times. In my opinion this would be a beneficial option for the children because they would be given sufficient time to research and explore their topic.

The text states that “too many educators tacitly equate information searching with learning” (pg 15). This has been my exact experience. Teachers often feel that because they have found some facts and wrote them down that they have internalized their learning. However, I feel that is not always the case and that researching on the internet is essential to their learning. Giving them the time to research information will familiarize them with the different search engines they can use. It will also allow them to look at pictures or even videos of the animals which can also help them internalize information.

I was interested in taking this course because I feel that most students are not given the opportunity to use the computer to learn. Teachers are often not aware of the value of a computer, other than to type information up. However, in this day and age technology and computers will only advance further. If teachers do not prepare themselves, how will the children learn?

Word Count: 482

Post #13- “tying it all together” The Environment Chapter 16, November 22

Thu, 22 Nov 2007 22:09:41 GMT

After reading this chapter I felt that with my own opinion and ideas about all of the material covered in this text that I would complete a unit about the environment at the end. I think completing a unit such as this would be a great way to tie in all of the ideas covered over the year as well as allow children to make connections with the material. The text states that “the experiences suggested for this chapter will help children create connections between concepts studied earlier” (pg.313) and that is my thought exactly.

Another statement that really stood out to me in the text was also on page 313. The text stated that “because of the broad topic of the environment is complex, it is better suited to second and third graders than to younger children”. As soon as I read this the only words that came to mind was “you’ve got to be kidding me.” I don’t agree with this statement and feel that as educators it is our job to teach to the children’s level and that includes coming up with activities that touch upon every unit. I am not saying to complete the activities from the text but I do think that the concept of environment can be looked at in the younger grades. The topic of environment does not need to be an in depth analysis. Younger children are more than capable of learning simple concepts of the environment through discussion created by a nature walk. They are also able to begin ideas about the three R’s, recycle, reduce and reuse as well as the positive impacts they can have on our planet.

There was one activity that I was extremely interested in and could see my self using and adapting the activity. “Living in the web of life”, was a nice way of connecting all of the creatures on the earth. I also felt that a nice way to incorporate drama into this activity would be to have the children act out the plant, animal or creature they are pretending to be. Children love to act silly and take on the role of another person and that can be one way of integrating children’s interests into science.

In regards to my personal experience of the environment I would have to say that the only environment talk received in school was the one about “recycle, reduce and reuse”. We also had one week in school where we were unable to bring in food that was packaged in plastic. Due to the fact that it only lasted a week and was never spoken of again the following week went back to normal, meaning a lot of plastic.

Overall, I felt this chapter was pretty good and was able to give me some creative ideas to build on for the future.

Word Count : 487

Post# 12- Why can’t I see the light? Chapter 15 Light. November 18,2007

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 01:28:03 GMT

Compared to the previous chapter on sound, the ideas discussed in this chapter regarding light seemed very dry. In my opinion, the experiments and activities discussed seemed very plain and almost common sense to incorporate into the classroom when discussing light. There were no activities that stood out to me as innovative. I found the activity based around needing light a little elementary and would like to think that they are better ways to incorporate this idea into the classroom. I think if that if I were to incorporate this concept into my classroom it would be added to by taking the form of a discussion with children first and then an activity in the text.

I was also wondering about the book mentioned in this chapter titled “Great experiments with light” by Phyllis and Noel Fiarotta. I have looked for it in libraries and have not been successful in locating it. I am hoping that this book may add some more insight and intriguing ideas into incorporating concepts into the classroom. I was also curious about light concepts and decided to research some ideas on the internet and found the website listed below. The website is called “Some Interesting facts about Light” and has some interesting ideas about light and rainbows which children would not only enjoy learning about but would be a great way to tie into art activities about colors.

After reading the integrated ideas I felt that some of the ideas I would not necessarily refer to as activities but more as discussions. I see integrated ideas as actual activities, such as the extensions completed in class.

Usually, after reading the chapter and doing some thinking I am able to come up with ideas that I would add to the classroom or further ideas given in text. Unfortunately, after this chapter it became very difficult to do this because I just couldn’t find the jumping point that would usually be given by the text. Therefore, I am looking forward to Thursday’s class, labs, extensions and discussions in hope that I will be able to further my understanding and create innovative activities. Where I stand on light is uncertain and uncomfortable with exploring these concepts with children in the future.

Website:

http://library.thinkquest.org/22915/light.html

Word Count: 375

Post#11 Sound as science!! Chapter 14 November 8th 2007

Thu, 08 Nov 2007 23:54:33 GMT

I think that this is a great way of incorporating a concept such as sound into the curriculum. I feel the textbook broke it down nicely for the children. Relating concepts to the children’s body is important. However, I feel the voice example was much better then the activity that used the children’s fingers.

Even though I enjoyed the chapter, I wonder if the majority of these activities have to be initiated by the teacher. A lot of the set up of the activities started with the teacher suggesting to look at certain concepts. However, I have seen children play with their rulers off of the desk. Therefore, if teachers are observant they may be able to complete some of these experiments by building on children’s curiosity.

One activity that was not mentioned, and is a personal favourite of mine, is the water glasses. The text used water in bottles and children could blow in them to see the different sound. However, water glasses are also another inventive way that children can learn about sound and vibration. As a teacher you could also use both of the activities and have the children create their own band. This could take place after working with the water glasses and bottles as well as the activity with the rubber band. I feel tying everything together is important and these ideas lend this opportunity.

I also feel that this chapter lends a lot of opportunities of incorporating music into this unit. This is extremely important and beneficial for the children. In my past experience I have seen teacher's incorporate music into their classroom, which I previously had thought was good enough. However, I think it is important to discuss what is occurring and how the sounds are being made. This is something I have never seen a teacher do. Usually music is tied in with literacy and math, regarding songs ad rhymes that will help them remember concepts.

In the promoting concept connections section the text discussed talking about loud noises and the scares that children can experience when working with loud vibrations. This is a simple idea that I think is often forgot by adults because we know what most loud sounds are such as thunder. Some children do not have that knowledge and may scare away from participating in some of these activities. Therefore, I feel addressing the scary factors regarding loud noises are important. Also, being aware of children’s fears is important in every concept because some children will shy aware from activities they are scared of.

Word Count: 432

Post#9- relating to the world. Chater 13. November 1st

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 22:38:01 GMT

Before reading the beginning of this chapter I would have never thought that friction and heat belonged in a simple machines unit. When reading it I felt as if it should have been in the magnet chapter. I now think that it is important to mention it in the simple machines unit because it allows a child to connect friction and simple machines. However, I do feel that these concepts should have been touched upon in the magnet unit and then could have been reinforced with this unit.

I also found it important that the text book included an idea about how friction can be useful. Including not only activities about friction but how it is useful to us connect the concept of friction to the child’s everyday life. Not only do they understand the concept through an experiment but they can relate it to their personal experience, which we have learnt in other courses, is extremely beneficial for their development. Throughout the majority of this chapter I felt that they were connecting a lot of the ideas to experiences children would have in their everyday life. This may have been touched upon in other chapters, however i felt in this chapter it was more eminent. I really enjoyed the idea of field trips which was mentioned in a lot of the other chapters but I also really enjoyed the actual activities that incorporated children experiences such as the teeter tater.

I do feel as if this chapter is missing a section on ramps. In my opinion ramps are a simple machine’s which can cause toy cars to go faster. Looking at a concept like this would be valuable and fun for children to explore. It allows them to create hypothesis and make observations. I completed a similar activity in grade nine. We had to create the toy cars our selves, which may be a little advanced for younger children but even an idea that grade three students could complete. We not only learned a lot about ramps but the different materials that made the cars go faster. This is also another way for children to show their knowledge of simple machines by creating a machine that can move down the ramp.

Overall, I quite enjoyed this chapter. I was able to link the chapter to my own experience, which made the reading more interesting than other chapters in which I could not relate.

Word Count:406

Post # 8 Magnets, the effects of gravity and more Chapters 11-12 October 25th, 2007

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 21:52:37 GMT

After reading chapter eleven on magnets I found that although some classrooms do incorporate them into science, the majority keep it simple. By this I mean they end after exploring the concept that magnets attract some things but not others. I have seen and created activities regarding this concept and they were all greatly enjoyed by the children. However, I made the mistake of thinking this was all that children really cared to know about magnets. After reading this chapter and reflecting back to my previous experience in the field I am certain that the children would have loved to complete some of the activities in the chapter. I think that I enjoyed the chapter because of this and recognized the extra steps taken to go above and beyond the attraction of magnets. I also felt that the integrated activities were fairly good. I think that with objects such as magnets or even rocks that it is easy for teachers to leave them in the science center and feel that is good enough reinforcement. I on the other hand do not agree with it, there is no point in just leaving random pieces around the room if they are never going to be talked about or reinforced. In our first year placement, at a daycare, I had collected a variety of magnets and the children were able to create their own picture on a metal board. This allowed the children to explore the materials without having to have any prior knowledge of magnets. Overall the children enjoyed the activity and began asking questions as to why they were able to stick to the metal boards and wanted to see what else they could stick it to.

The chapter regarding gravity made me think of grade nine science class because that was the first time the concept of gravity was explored. Although I feel grade nine was a little late to begin some of these concepts I was wondering if some children will have problems understanding some of the concepts. The material can be pretty heavy but if delivered properly then maybe children will be able to grasp them.

I also cannot remember seeing anything in the text about connecting gravity to themselves. I think it is important for the children to relate gravity to the fact that they are standing on the floor but if they were to be in space then gravity would not exist and they would be floating.

Although I felt the two chapters were interesting I found it hard to comment on all of the concepts because some of them I am hearing about for the first time. As silly as that sounds and as hard as that is to admit it’s true. However, I feel that it will allow me to be sympathetic towards children who do not have prior knowledge of the concepts. It will also remind me to make sure that I introduce each concept properly before rushing into an activity.

Word Count: 498

Rocks and minerals, who knew? Post# 7 Chapter 10. October 21st 2007

Sun, 21 Oct 2007 20:39:23 GMT

I would have to say that out of all of the chapters this one made me realize that there are some units that I missed out on in my elementary school days. Until I received my curriculum documents from Monica I was unaware that rocks and minerals had their own unit let alone the variety of ways in which you could implement activities regarding rocks and minerals. However, even though I was able to come to this realization from this chapter does not mean that I necessarily enjoyed every activity. The activity regarding how rocks look when they are dry and wet seemed a little dry. I was very interested in it and I don’t think that children would be that interested in it. I think that a concept such as this could be incorporated into other activities or could even be expanded. I was thinking that an activity such as this could incorporate not only how they look dry and wet but how they feel or what it looks like inside of the rock.

I did enjoy reading about rock foundation and felt that including them into the classroom in beneficial to the children. Not only for their knowledge of rock but to enhance their vocabulary and language. I feel that incorporating these kinds of terms will help the children articulate concepts learnt about rocks at an early age.

I also found the activity regarding drawing with rocks to be extremely interesting. I love to integrate art into other subject areas because I feel it gives children a way to express their learning in ways other then words. Although words are very important in our society I also feel that expressing your feelings in other ways can also help children learn.

Overall, I was not extremely impressed with this chapter. After reading it I did not feel like researching the topic or wanting to ask questions. I was satisfied with the activities provided but not interested in the material. As a future teacher it is important to have these moments because they allow you to see your interests and lack of interests. It also made me see that it is important to keep the lack of interest to your self when teaching children and allow them to develop their own interest.

Word Count: 394

Post#6 Air and weather together! Chapters 7&9 October 13th

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 01:05:09 GMT

After reading the air chapter I felt that out of all the chapters we have read air is the most difficult to teach. Other concepts have revolved around a concrete object, whether it is a person, an animal or plants. This makes is harder to teach air concepts to children because they learn better with concrete activities. However, air makes it difficult to include concrete objects.

I enjoyed the first activity regarding empty containers and have seen a similar activity completed in my placement. Overall, the children enjoyed and learned a lot from the activity because concrete aspects were incorporated.

The text also talked about children filling up sandwich bags and popping them. When I read this activity I smiled because I have seen tons of children do this and the first reaction of every teacher is negative. They yell at the child and say it is disruptive to the classroom to make loud noises. If teachers were to realize that classrooms are meant to be noisy because it means learning is occurring then maybe their reaction to the noise would be positive instead of negative.

Another activity that caught my attention is the airplane activity. I felt there were too many instructions for children to follow and wondered if the children made a mistake in making the plane would it affect their results. I also found this chapter to use the term “they will” very often.

The book was quick to assume that children will answer in a certain way or will have exposure to certain concepts. This is not always the case, sometimes children do not have any exposure to concepts and teachers should not assume that children will come with certain knowledge and responses.

The weather chapter immediately gave me the idea of seasons. Quite often we will see in the primary grades art work on seasons and that is their weather unit. However, reading into this chapter I was reaffirmed that art work and discussion on seasons does not qualify for a unit on weather.

After I continued to read the chapter the activity regarding evaporation reminded me of another experiment completed in the water chapter. I felt that as a future teacher this would be a great area to remind the children about the other activity and the concepts they learned from it.

This chapter also reminded me of things I have seen in placement which is graphing the weather. However, even though they do this they use it in the morning and write it down but they never go back to the chart to discuss the findings. I think an important part of the chart process in not only to learn how to graph but to understand the data you are recording.

Last but not least the chapter discussed field trips. A lot of teachers see field trips as extra expenses when that is not the case. Field trips can occur around the school when dealing with concepts like air, weather and water.

Word Count 499

Post#5 The joys of water!Chapter 8. October 7th, 2007

Sun, 07 Oct 2007 23:09:24 GMT

I found that after reading this chapter I couldn’t help trying to think of my past experiences in school regarding water. After about 10 minutes I realized that water was only looked at in the junior grades regarding evaporation and condensation. I cannot remember learning about how things can sink or float. This doesn’t mean that these concepts were not looked at but it does mean that the activities were no where near memorable to me. There is also the chance that it wasn’t touched upon in the younger grades which also disturbs me. When I was reading about objects sinking or floating I remembered, to every last detail, completing an activity in Monica’s CLD316 last year. She gave us a bunch of different items such as cloth pegs, tin foil and Styrofoam. With these materials we were to create a boat which ever way we liked and with which ever material. The only goal I can remember her giving us was to try to make it float, the rest was up to us. Every group really got into it and discussed what we should use and why and we all learned a lot from each other. An activity such as this is amazing for children at a young age to play around with. Its hands on, fun but most of all the children are interacting with one another and sharing their thoughts.

The text also talked about outdoor water play. This section made me think about water tables. After jk/sk you rarely see them in the classroom. Teachers usually think that water tables are for children to play with and after grade one they are no longer of use. How wrong they are to think this. Water tables can still be used in grade one and two science and math activities. It teachers were to include a water table in their classroom after kindergarten not only would they be including useful hands on tools for the children to work with but they would eliminate boring desk work.

The text book moved on to connecting concepts which I feel strongly about. Making relationships to other concepts can be very beneficial to children’s learning. It reinforces the concepts learnt in class and could help them understand the concept they are presently working on. It made me think about the human body chapter. Water also fills our body up and it is important to nourish our body with water in order to properly care for it. Although this is a small connection I think even a statement such as that can help some children understand the concept of water better.

Word Count 438

I'd like to add to that chapter! Post#4 The Human Body:Care and Nourishment September 28th, 2007

Fri, 28 Sep 2007 17:49:46 GMT

After reading and commenting on the first couple of chapters I realized that I was being optimistic about the activities included in the text. I thought that because it was our course text that it would be as close to perfect as one can get for activities. However, looking back on other readings and thinking about discussions in class I have come to the realization that nothing is perfect and that although they do give some excellent ideas some chapters are missing some essential pieces that I would add. This is not to say that I did not enjoy this chapter but I would like to add some of my own ideas into the text.

First, although I think it is important to teach the children about bones, I feel the beginning of the activity suggested “telling” them about bones instead of teaching, allowing them to explore. If I were to implement this activity I would have the children discuss possibilities by not only looking at the puppet but feeling the puppets arm and then comparing it to the feeling of their arm. This would create more discussion and ideas for the children instead of just saying “we have more then 200 bones in our bodies to hold us up”. I felt that completing the activity this way just gave the children an answer instead of allowing them to think and explore.

Secondly, I felt that it was essential for them to discuss exercise in a chapter regarding care and nourishment. Exercise is a very important aspect of caring for our bodies. I realize that exercise could be an extension from some of the activities but in my opinion it is important to include as a lab. Childhood obesity is increasing every year and if teachers do not discuss the importance of exercising and the impact it has on caring for your body then children will be left to learn at home.

Although there were things I felt were missing from this chapter I do like that they talked about food and healthy eating. It is important for children to know what they are putting into their bodies. This allows them to make their own healthy decisions about what they would like to eat. It is sad that at the age of two there are children who can identify the Golden Arches and ask for McDonald’s. I enjoyed that they added ideas of healthy cooking as science experiments. In my past experiences, if cooking was used then it was used for a math activity and not looked at as a science experiments.

This chapter also included activities with all of the five senses which I find important for the younger children because it directly relates to curriculum along with the children learning about their bodies. This will help them better understand their bodies and how they work

Overall, I felt this chapter was an ok chapter but there are things that I would do differently which I’ve identified above.

Word count: 499

Animals-not just zoo animals. Post #3, September 23rd. Chapter 5

Sun, 23 Sep 2007 18:45:46 GMT

After reading chapter five, it was interesting to see the idea of animals being portrayed in so many different ways. There were a lot of different ideas of how to look at all animals, including how they live and how they grow.

Unfortunately, yet again, my experience with animal curriculum has been pretty poor. Both working in a classroom and being a student in the classroom had left me with the idea that animal curriculum was referring to units on zoo animals. I have really never seen insects incorporated into science lesson plans. It has always been looking at pictures of zoo animals and discussing how they live. I have also seen in the later grades children researching on the computer how they live and what they eat, writing down word for word what it says on the screen and then writing a paragraph about what they learned. Therefore, they did not have the opportunity to experience how they live and what they eat, which can be done if they also learned about insects. I think that the fact that the book spent a lot of time mentioning insects was important for us to learn about and I’m glad that I have the knowledge to incorporate activities such as the ones mentioned in the text book.

I also enjoyed the fact that the authors included an “interesting facts about common insects” chart. I think this is an important table to be familiar with in order to help further children’s understanding of insects. I also think it is important to create a chart like this with children while learning about insects. This allows the children to go back to the chart and add new information when they learn it.

At the beginning of the chapter the book mentioned ways to catch and house insects. I feel this is important for teacher to know because if they are not housed properly it could potentially ruin the lesson plan. The book gave suggestions of dampened sponges and sprig of a plant, which is important to pay attention to because it will allow the insect being observed to live a semi-normal existence.

I also find important to mention the section about “are classroom pets necessary?” I think it is important for teachers to realize that although hands on experience is a great learning opportunity, it can be a negative experience for the child if they are forced into touching the insect or animal. As future educators we should all be aware that some things just take time for children.

The teacher’s role in learning

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 19:30:18 GMT

The course text has spoken about a child’s development including more then just the child. It states that it includes the teachers, families and communities as well.

I feel a teacher’s role, aiding in a child’s learning, to come with important guidelines that should be used to formulate the best learning environment possible. In previous experience I have had teachers and worked with teachers that do not use guidelines to encourage positive learning for any subject, especially science. The guidelines I am referring to are to be “emotionally warm, personal and involved, and a positive attitude toward science and the ability to carry out the catalyst, consultant, and facilitator role” (Harlan and Rivkin, 22). One classroom I worked in had a science centre that was a small table equipped with leaves, a magnifying glass and posters of different plants. On top of that science experiments were never really given anytime in the three months that I was present in the classroom. Interestingly enough the children weren’t even aware of what they were missing out because science had only been briefly covered that year and when speaking to the teacher her enthusiasm about science was very minimal. Thinking back into my own experience with science the same enthusiasm and lack of emphasis was put on science material. It wasn’t until grade nine that the science curriculum was introduced to me as a subject just as important as math and as fun as art. There are so many different ways to include science into other subjects as well as many ways to allow children to explore science without reading some text or looking at diagrams. The science curriculum allows teachers to provide hands on learning opportunities for children, while allowing them to explore and have fun with the material.

With all of the positive research about hands on approach and constructivist theories why is it that we are still finding teachers that hand out diagrams and have children fill them in by copying from a text book. Part of me wonders if it has anything to do with teachers being afraid of teaching a subject, like science, when they themselves have minimal background knowledge. Perhaps they figure it is better not to touch upon what they don’t know instead of using it to learn and explore side by side with the children.