"Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works." -Steve Jobs
That nerd has got the right idea.
A major topic of discussion that is very pertinent to technology invading classrooms is Offloading. This was defined by myself (kind of) as making a human task able to be done by a tool that can do it more efficiently, making the potential for us to produce more.
As soon as this idea was circulating around the room I began to draw a picture.
The picture started with a large circle. This circle represented the time it takes for humans to create "work". As we evolve, we come up with better and faster ways for the "work" to be done. This led to an arrow in my picture pointing to a smaller circle labeled "Making the 'work' easier through technology". Then in my picture I have an arrow drawn to another large circle. Inside that circle I wrote "we now have more time to create new 'work'", which eventually points to a smaller circle with the same label as the first. And then my drawing connects as a cycle.
The way we evolve as a society is in itself a form of design. We must be warned because if we do not bide our time to create new "work", then we turn into a society fully dependent on the machines that we have created for our old "work".
What is funny is that I am reminded of a Mike Judge movie entitled, "Idiocracy" which is based in the future where people are so dependent on machines that they have stopped thinking for themselves. It is a really really dumb movie, but the more I learn in this class, the more I find myself referencing it.
Ok, hopefully I made a good point. Peace out.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
I create, I teach, I inspire
A teacher as a designer means several things to me.
By definition to design could mean "plan: make or work out a plan for".
If this is true than anyone who can tie their shoes is a designer.
In education I am an architect to design. I not only plan, or work out plans, I implement those plans. I form lessons from topics given to me by a higher power ... the Standards of Learning. Do I stop there? No. As any great architect could tell you, the first draft [plan] always needs revision.
So I revise.
What worked?
What would make this lesson better?
Are the students getting enough practice in class?
Was that joke about the decimals staring at the sun a good one?
To be a designer you must be able to be able to critique yourself and learn how to accept criticism. Take suggestions seriously. Implement them. See if they work. Try again.
Design could mean "An arrangement scheme".
I design my classroom to be conducive to learning. An interactive word wall. Visual representations of past and present lessons. A large calendar. Pittsburgh Steelers paraphernalia. The things children look at every day in class should somehow coincide with the learning at hand. Cover the walls with covered material. They are a silent reinforcer of knowledge.
Design: "Intend or have a purpose".
What you say to your students every day makes you valuable to the learning process. Inside and out of the classroom you are a model of what they are to learn. To a 6th grader, you know it all. You must design what you say before, during and after a lesson. Behave how you want them to behave. Show them what you want to see.
You are the architect. Your lesson is a design. Your classroom is a design. Your words are designs. Your students are the mold. Fine tune and perfect your designs, and your structure will not falter.
By definition to design could mean "plan: make or work out a plan for".
If this is true than anyone who can tie their shoes is a designer.
In education I am an architect to design. I not only plan, or work out plans, I implement those plans. I form lessons from topics given to me by a higher power ... the Standards of Learning. Do I stop there? No. As any great architect could tell you, the first draft [plan] always needs revision.
So I revise.
What worked?
What would make this lesson better?
Are the students getting enough practice in class?
Was that joke about the decimals staring at the sun a good one?
To be a designer you must be able to be able to critique yourself and learn how to accept criticism. Take suggestions seriously. Implement them. See if they work. Try again.
Design could mean "An arrangement scheme".
I design my classroom to be conducive to learning. An interactive word wall. Visual representations of past and present lessons. A large calendar. Pittsburgh Steelers paraphernalia. The things children look at every day in class should somehow coincide with the learning at hand. Cover the walls with covered material. They are a silent reinforcer of knowledge.
Design: "Intend or have a purpose".
What you say to your students every day makes you valuable to the learning process. Inside and out of the classroom you are a model of what they are to learn. To a 6th grader, you know it all. You must design what you say before, during and after a lesson. Behave how you want them to behave. Show them what you want to see.
You are the architect. Your lesson is a design. Your classroom is a design. Your words are designs. Your students are the mold. Fine tune and perfect your designs, and your structure will not falter.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
What has God wraught?
It was close to 26 years ago when the good Lord gave to the earth and parents Robert and Rosalie a child who has the potential of being the most influential teacher of his time. Close to 26 rotations of the earth around the sun later, here he sits ready to become more powerful. In order to obtain a connection with all of whom his path may cross, he decided to further enhance his ability to form relationships with his students by participating in the Instructional Technology Cohort at George Mason University. A reflection of the night soon followed:
As I walked into the soft "goat puke green" colored room and begin to listen to the woman that will soon guide me towards multiple approaches of academic success, one word came to mind: Honored.
To be a part of a family of teachers with similar goals in mind.
To be in the presence and under the tutelage of a highly qualified, down to earth, caring, sensitive and honest woman.
To once again feel nervous about embarking in a journey of higher education.
What did I learn tonight?
My goals are to learn, adapt and implement the practices found in this cohort. I desire to be the best at what I do, not for my own selfish desires, but for the benefit and academic excellence of all of my students.
What should I say to this challenge which lay before me. Would the mighty Achilles go into battle worrisome of his one flaw that may cost him his life?
Heck yeah I'm ready. Bring it on!
Brandon
As I walked into the soft "goat puke green" colored room and begin to listen to the woman that will soon guide me towards multiple approaches of academic success, one word came to mind: Honored.
To be a part of a family of teachers with similar goals in mind.
To be in the presence and under the tutelage of a highly qualified, down to earth, caring, sensitive and honest woman.
To once again feel nervous about embarking in a journey of higher education.
What did I learn tonight?
- I was told and repeated the names of those in the cohort, but have yet to truly "learn" them.
- A definition of technology as a mediator between myself and the rest of the world.
- I learned that when I am reading, I should be looking for the main idea, however in my mind I know that I should still keep an eye out for the smaller details that will help lead me to the idea.
- I learned that communication is going to be more than essential to my success. This includes e-mail, blogs, attendance, participation, and a dash of humor.
- I know that through this class I know that I will learn how to use technology as a mediator in my classroom to connect with the students, parents, co-workers, etc.. I also have to keep in mind that it should not overshadow the invaluable relationships that should be formed with a child through my physical presence.
- I know that, through others that have traveled this path, I will find exactly the pushes I desire to find ways to connect with a student on a different level and make my classroom unique and stray from the typical lecture style teaching.
My goals are to learn, adapt and implement the practices found in this cohort. I desire to be the best at what I do, not for my own selfish desires, but for the benefit and academic excellence of all of my students.
What should I say to this challenge which lay before me. Would the mighty Achilles go into battle worrisome of his one flaw that may cost him his life?
Heck yeah I'm ready. Bring it on!
Brandon
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