Jason Gaylord
EDSS 530, Heil
February 2, 2010
Reading Response 1
Rethinking High School: Best Practice by Design
This chapter talked about the foundation of a new high school in Chicago, Illinois. The school focuses on “reading,” “writing,” and “thinking.” Not only are Best Practice High Schools supposed to produce students that were well versed in reading, writing, and thinking, but also, become a school were safety, personal attention, and extra help would be a staple. The book, in particular, speaks on reforming existing high schools, starting new programs within the larger school, breaking big schools into smaller ones, creating new public, charter or independent high schools, and starting to think about what these new choices mean in our own public school districts. Issues most significant in starting a new and effective school include size, climate, voice and leadership, teaching, curriculum, community experiences, scheduling, technology and materials, assessment, professional development, and finally relationships. This list was compiled by looking at several different factors that affect schools in the United States today. Several philosophies the first chapter discussed briefly were student-centered teaching, experiential, holistic, authentic, expressive, reflective, social, collaborative, democratic, cognitive, developmental, constructivist, and challenging learning.
Keeping this new model in mind, several schools have implemented several forms of this and been fairly successful; however, there is no way to be for sure since the ideas are fairly new and recently limited in funding. Right now, America’s high schools need to be reformed and brought into the future. We must challenge our students and hope that we will find the support we need. There is a great need to keep up with the times and further America’s education system into the future.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Friday, May 8, 2009
Final Blog
Jason Gaylord
May 8, 2009
Professor McCulloch
I think I would like to use all of the tools explored in class in my own classroom because they were all useful. I really liked Inspiration, iMovie, and Delicious. To point out other things I like for further recognition, I would like to talk about google sites and this blogger. I like putting things on the internet especially when the product is fairly professional looking and easy to use. Google sites is really cool because you can link out from there and also post some really cool pictures. Things that I think could be improved in the class have less to do with the course content and more to do with Webct. I know that I am supposed to fix the settings on my computer, so that I can easily get on the site, but many times and sporadically, my computer and every other computer I used had problems with the site. I mean even on computers at Cal State San Marcos, there were problems using the site.
May 8, 2009
Professor McCulloch
I think I would like to use all of the tools explored in class in my own classroom because they were all useful. I really liked Inspiration, iMovie, and Delicious. To point out other things I like for further recognition, I would like to talk about google sites and this blogger. I like putting things on the internet especially when the product is fairly professional looking and easy to use. Google sites is really cool because you can link out from there and also post some really cool pictures. Things that I think could be improved in the class have less to do with the course content and more to do with Webct. I know that I am supposed to fix the settings on my computer, so that I can easily get on the site, but many times and sporadically, my computer and every other computer I used had problems with the site. I mean even on computers at Cal State San Marcos, there were problems using the site.
Post #14/15
Jason Gaylord
May 8, 2009
Professor McCulloch
After getting together with my group and working on the video or iMovie project, I found the editing process to be very gratifying. It is like taking a big chunk of clay and whittling down into a fine piece of art. I was very impressed with the final product and thought that iMovie was a fairly easy tool to use in order to create such a professional looking piece of work. In fact, though I always start out with this idea that anything I make is going to be totally awesome and it always does not meet very high expectations, I find that this project came out pretty close to expectations. The only real problem I see in the future is keeping the film on time and not going over the limited allotted.
In the article "Splicing Video into the Writing Process" by Scot and Harding, there are several valuable illustrations and points the authors make. For instance, they write, "Using digital videos as a tool for teaching content ties what could be just a glitzy, new technology directly to the curriculum and increases students capacity to communicate in the digital age." I agree with this assessment because after making a movie myself, I found that there were several elements that went into actually executing the production. For example, like Scot and Harding point out, there is a lot that goes on before actual filming. The process, on a whole is actually quite complex. There is a formulation of a thesis, a storyboard, and conclusion, which is then followed by revising and editing. Consequently, it is easy to see how using video technology is very comparable to writing a full length essay; however, as Scot and Harding point out, there are several other elements to creating a video that an essay might not have. With video production, there is a tremendous amount of participation by the students, working to together and building communication skills, and completing a project that students are proud to show off to others.
I think video production is a good tool, if used correctly, to reach students on multiple levels.
May 8, 2009
Professor McCulloch
After getting together with my group and working on the video or iMovie project, I found the editing process to be very gratifying. It is like taking a big chunk of clay and whittling down into a fine piece of art. I was very impressed with the final product and thought that iMovie was a fairly easy tool to use in order to create such a professional looking piece of work. In fact, though I always start out with this idea that anything I make is going to be totally awesome and it always does not meet very high expectations, I find that this project came out pretty close to expectations. The only real problem I see in the future is keeping the film on time and not going over the limited allotted.
In the article "Splicing Video into the Writing Process" by Scot and Harding, there are several valuable illustrations and points the authors make. For instance, they write, "Using digital videos as a tool for teaching content ties what could be just a glitzy, new technology directly to the curriculum and increases students capacity to communicate in the digital age." I agree with this assessment because after making a movie myself, I found that there were several elements that went into actually executing the production. For example, like Scot and Harding point out, there is a lot that goes on before actual filming. The process, on a whole is actually quite complex. There is a formulation of a thesis, a storyboard, and conclusion, which is then followed by revising and editing. Consequently, it is easy to see how using video technology is very comparable to writing a full length essay; however, as Scot and Harding point out, there are several other elements to creating a video that an essay might not have. With video production, there is a tremendous amount of participation by the students, working to together and building communication skills, and completing a project that students are proud to show off to others.
I think video production is a good tool, if used correctly, to reach students on multiple levels.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Post#12
Jason Gaylord
April 19, 2009
M-W 1/2:15
Educ 422, McCulloch
The themes my group talked about were focused on the way that we could make a short video that was easy to understand and fun and exciting. Because we were all interested in the humanities, we wanted to focus on a video that was a little more Hollywood and historical than the other subjects that we could have chosen to have done. The creative process had only lasted about a class period and the actual shooting of the film an hour and a half. I am satisfied what we got done. It was very efficient and done well. I felt good about the whole thing. We chose the battle of Iwo Jima to give students a good grasp about the major battles that took place on the South Pacific. We also decided to print the movie in black and white to give it a more fitting feel.
April 19, 2009
M-W 1/2:15
Educ 422, McCulloch
The themes my group talked about were focused on the way that we could make a short video that was easy to understand and fun and exciting. Because we were all interested in the humanities, we wanted to focus on a video that was a little more Hollywood and historical than the other subjects that we could have chosen to have done. The creative process had only lasted about a class period and the actual shooting of the film an hour and a half. I am satisfied what we got done. It was very efficient and done well. I felt good about the whole thing. We chose the battle of Iwo Jima to give students a good grasp about the major battles that took place on the South Pacific. We also decided to print the movie in black and white to give it a more fitting feel.
Post #11
Jason Gaylord
April 13, 2009
McCulloch
I learned in the Wiki assignment that it can be harder than I thought working in groups and not being able to communicate with partners other than through the internet. Also I learned how it important it is that the Wiki be informative and easy to access for teachers who want to use the site. I personally did the helpful sites list. It was really informative looking up the sites and figuring out which sites would be helpful and easy to access for teachers to use. As far as the group work was concerned, it was very compartmentalized, so I did not really get to do the other work. I still think, however, that I got a good understanding on what it takes to make a wiki site.
April 13, 2009
McCulloch
I learned in the Wiki assignment that it can be harder than I thought working in groups and not being able to communicate with partners other than through the internet. Also I learned how it important it is that the Wiki be informative and easy to access for teachers who want to use the site. I personally did the helpful sites list. It was really informative looking up the sites and figuring out which sites would be helpful and easy to access for teachers to use. As far as the group work was concerned, it was very compartmentalized, so I did not really get to do the other work. I still think, however, that I got a good understanding on what it takes to make a wiki site.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Midterm
Jason Gaylord
3/29/2009
MW 1-2:15
Instructor McCulloch
Blog #10
Both the midterms were fair and offered challenging questions that required some analytical thought. The only difficulty I faced was me. I did not take enough time to check over my answers, and as a result, I made a couple mistakes on the Excel questions that I should answered correctly. I guess another difficulty was the question about Iste. I do not remember going to advanced searches in class, and so it took me awhile to figure out exactly how to get there. I guess the questions could have been a little clearer, so that I could have known exactly how the questions should be answered. This may have been my own anxiety but the detail required for the Inspiration question was unclear to me.
The length of the test was easy to me. I thought the test would be longer and take more time. I feel that I am less precise on the computer, and so a longer test would make me feel like I have proven more of my skills. As well, some of the questions did not challenge the tester as much as it could have, such as the questions that only required short answers. These question required more memorization than thought.
3/29/2009
MW 1-2:15
Instructor McCulloch
Blog #10
Both the midterms were fair and offered challenging questions that required some analytical thought. The only difficulty I faced was me. I did not take enough time to check over my answers, and as a result, I made a couple mistakes on the Excel questions that I should answered correctly. I guess another difficulty was the question about Iste. I do not remember going to advanced searches in class, and so it took me awhile to figure out exactly how to get there. I guess the questions could have been a little clearer, so that I could have known exactly how the questions should be answered. This may have been my own anxiety but the detail required for the Inspiration question was unclear to me.
The length of the test was easy to me. I thought the test would be longer and take more time. I feel that I am less precise on the computer, and so a longer test would make me feel like I have proven more of my skills. As well, some of the questions did not challenge the tester as much as it could have, such as the questions that only required short answers. These question required more memorization than thought.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Post# 8
Jason Gaylord
3/14/2009
Educ 422,
Instructor McCulloch
Post #8- Creating Valuable Class Websites by Elizabeth A. Baker explains the simplicity of creating a website in class for students to post assignments and create on their own. What is apparent is that many teachers know that making class websites and getting their students on the computer is a necessary part of the curriculum for this age of technology; however, what is also apparent is that most teachers are not certain about how to work technology into their class. Many teachers cite the difficulties and lack of resources (personal and material) they have for reason enough to not include technology into the classroom and for activities. Baker’s main point is that no matter what the resources available are nowadays there is enough free resources and knowledge out there for teachers to acquire and successfully integrate technology into the classroom. For instance, she talks about blogs, free servers, and wikis, and makes clear that all of these resources are at the finger tips of all teachers and students. Each resource she points out requires different levels of skill knowledge, but as she suggests, there is access to making web pages for all levels. One interesting point she makes is that though teachers may work off of a simpler server, teachers can approve other resources for their students to use that require a more specific knowledge about creating websites. This she suggests allows students to do some of their own exploring about the possibilities about websites and learn some of the more advanced skills that are required for working a professional looking website.
Personally, I find Baker’s information useful for all teachers because she points out several resources that I, myself, have never though about using and will eventually have to tryout. There is a sense of accomplishment after posting something on the web for all to see, but again, as Baker points out, a teacher can also limit who is allowed to view his or her website for the purposes of privacy of the teacher and students in the classroom.
3/14/2009
Educ 422,
Instructor McCulloch
Post #8- Creating Valuable Class Websites by Elizabeth A. Baker explains the simplicity of creating a website in class for students to post assignments and create on their own. What is apparent is that many teachers know that making class websites and getting their students on the computer is a necessary part of the curriculum for this age of technology; however, what is also apparent is that most teachers are not certain about how to work technology into their class. Many teachers cite the difficulties and lack of resources (personal and material) they have for reason enough to not include technology into the classroom and for activities. Baker’s main point is that no matter what the resources available are nowadays there is enough free resources and knowledge out there for teachers to acquire and successfully integrate technology into the classroom. For instance, she talks about blogs, free servers, and wikis, and makes clear that all of these resources are at the finger tips of all teachers and students. Each resource she points out requires different levels of skill knowledge, but as she suggests, there is access to making web pages for all levels. One interesting point she makes is that though teachers may work off of a simpler server, teachers can approve other resources for their students to use that require a more specific knowledge about creating websites. This she suggests allows students to do some of their own exploring about the possibilities about websites and learn some of the more advanced skills that are required for working a professional looking website.
Personally, I find Baker’s information useful for all teachers because she points out several resources that I, myself, have never though about using and will eventually have to tryout. There is a sense of accomplishment after posting something on the web for all to see, but again, as Baker points out, a teacher can also limit who is allowed to view his or her website for the purposes of privacy of the teacher and students in the classroom.
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