What?
Today in class we discussed knowledge construction. There are 2 ways in which learning takes place:
1) Individual constructivism where learners are on their own, interacting with the environment to learn.
2) Social constructivism where learners work together to make meaning of something and each person is contributing to the learning.
We also learned about concepts, schema, script, personal theories. With students we will be teaching all will come into our classrooms with knowledge they've gained. In some cases, where individual knowledge interferes with their progress it will be our responsibility to promote a change in thinking. We can do that by:
1) identifying misconceptions
2) convincing students existing beliefs are inadequate
3) motivating students to learn correct explanations
4) maintaining self-esteem
5) monitoring what students say and write for persistent misconceptions
So What?
As a teacher it is important to know the basic understanding of how knowledge is constructed so we can be better teachers. Teachers who can help students discover and learn on their own and also encourage group learning where each student in a group is contributing so they gain a greater understanding of what's being taught. It's also important to understand that students do come into our classrooms with knowledge of their own. As we build upon their knowledge it is also important that we help change some of their existing knowledge if it is serious enough that it is going to interfere with their future learning.
Now What?
Now that I am aware of the process of knowledge construction I hope that the way in which I teach will encourage students to share the knowledge they have and I hope that I will also be able to change some erroneous thinking when it shows. I will also reflect on myself and my reaction when faced with information that contradicts what I believe to be true. I tend to think I am easy going and quick to accept when I am wrong, however looking more closely at this might teach me something about myself.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Week #9 - Google Site, & Digital Story - final thoughts
So I finished my google site and actually had a great time. I ended up figuring out how to insert the calendar correctly so that as updates are made to the calendar through google, it automatically updates on the site. It was fun to put together and I look forward to using this site (or one similar) for my future classroom.
We also finished our digital story. I was able to take our 3 pieces of music and combine them together using Audacity and overlay the music with the narration (done by my husband). My partner and I were pleased with the level of sound of the music behind the narration when we listened to it in Audacity. So, then I combined the music track with the narration and saved it. Later when we listened to it through Media Player we noticed it's difficult to hear the drum music in the beginning of our digital story. The music throughout the rest of the story is perfect. I found out the hard way that because I saved the project as the original instead of saving a new project with the narration and music combined, I couldn't go back and adjust the volume on the drum section to make it more audible. Because I didn't keep a seperate file of the music tracks seperate from the narration, I would have had to start over. We decided to leave it as is and are pleased (with the exception of the low audio on the drum part) with our final product. I loved, loved, LOVED! using Audacity. At first it was quite intimidating but once I allowed myself to just play around with it I learned it was surprisingly easy...and fun! I learned 2 things from using this program that would apply to any project one is working on while using the computer:
1) Don't be afraid or intimidated by a program. It can't bite or be broken. Play and explore and if needed, usually there is a help tab to look to for additional assistance.
2) Save, save, save your work. When working on a project, if you are making a change that can't be undone, save it as a new project. That way if it doesn't turn out you can go back to the step just before and you don't have to start over.
I definitely think upper elementary students would have a great time making their own audio tracks for presenations using the Audacity program. I think it is an easy to use program that allows students to use their creative talents to make their own music track.
We also finished our digital story. I was able to take our 3 pieces of music and combine them together using Audacity and overlay the music with the narration (done by my husband). My partner and I were pleased with the level of sound of the music behind the narration when we listened to it in Audacity. So, then I combined the music track with the narration and saved it. Later when we listened to it through Media Player we noticed it's difficult to hear the drum music in the beginning of our digital story. The music throughout the rest of the story is perfect. I found out the hard way that because I saved the project as the original instead of saving a new project with the narration and music combined, I couldn't go back and adjust the volume on the drum section to make it more audible. Because I didn't keep a seperate file of the music tracks seperate from the narration, I would have had to start over. We decided to leave it as is and are pleased (with the exception of the low audio on the drum part) with our final product. I loved, loved, LOVED! using Audacity. At first it was quite intimidating but once I allowed myself to just play around with it I learned it was surprisingly easy...and fun! I learned 2 things from using this program that would apply to any project one is working on while using the computer:
1) Don't be afraid or intimidated by a program. It can't bite or be broken. Play and explore and if needed, usually there is a help tab to look to for additional assistance.
2) Save, save, save your work. When working on a project, if you are making a change that can't be undone, save it as a new project. That way if it doesn't turn out you can go back to the step just before and you don't have to start over.
I definitely think upper elementary students would have a great time making their own audio tracks for presenations using the Audacity program. I think it is an easy to use program that allows students to use their creative talents to make their own music track.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
My Study Help
What?
The study techniques we went over today were:1) identifying important info
2) taking notes
3) retrieving relevant prior knowledge
4) organizing
5) elaborating
6) summarizing
7) monitoring comprehension
The technique I chose to experiment with as I study chapter 7, is questioning as I go through the chapter so I can better apply the information and hopefully have it stick in my long term memory. Studying information that is unfamiliar to me and having it remain in my memory past test time has always been a challenge. However, after reviewing the studying techniques I realize that I have never used the most effective techniques for studying. I am hoping to see an improvement in my understanding and applying and remembering of what I study this week in Chapter 7.
So What?
I did try to ask myself questions about what I was reading to apply it to myself, and while it was more helpful than not asking myself questions, I did find it difficult to come up with questions to help me apply the information because all of this information is so new to me. I do think this would be a great study help for other topics where I am more familiar but still struggle, such as science or social studies. For this particular subject, I think a better study help would have been for me to summarize after each paragraph of reading to make sure I was retaining and understanding what I was reading or taking notes on what I read.
Now What?
Knowing the different study helps is a wonderful thing. I am so grateful that we went over this information. I learned that previously I have always used the most ineffective method of studying, when left on my own to study. I am grateful to have these other techniques to try and experiment with to better my learning and understanding in the future.I did try to ask myself questions about what I was reading to apply it to myself, and while it was more helpful than not asking myself questions, I did find it difficult to come up with questions to help me apply the information because all of this information is so new to me. I do think this would be a great study help for other topics where I am more familiar but still struggle, such as science or social studies. For this particular subject, I think a better study help would have been for me to summarize after each paragraph of reading to make sure I was retaining and understanding what I was reading or taking notes on what I read.
Now What?
Cognitive Processes
What?!
Today we learned about Cognitive Processes. It was very interesting and helped clarify some things (for example that your brain has unlimited capacity and can never be too full - or overload as I sometimes feel it is). Information comes in and hits the sensory register. If the subject pays attention to that information it goes on to working or short-term memory. If no attention is paid to it, that information is lost. Working memory does have limited capacity and only holds onto the information for 5-20 seconds. If while in working memory the information is learned, or encoded, then it is then moved to long-term memory. Long term memory, as mentioned above likely has unlimited capacity. Our long-term memory is made up of 3 components:
1) declarative/semantic (facts)
2) procedural (cooking, tying shoes)
3) episodic (memories, pictures)
The best methods for encoding information are:
meaningful learning - relating new information with what we already know
organization - way in which learners find connections by forming categories, or using other methods of organizing to group various pieces of info
elaboration - learners expand on new information based on what they already know
visual imagery - process of forming mental pictures of objects or ideas.
We also discussed the best methods for studying which are:
- identifying important information - elaborating
- taking notes - summarizing
- retrieving relevant prior knowledge - monitoring comprehension (asking questions)
- organizing
So What?!
Knowing how the brain processes information is helpful, useful and important as we become teachers. It can help us understand the best way to plan lessons in order to help students get and encode the information in order to retain it long-term memory. As for methods on how to study, that is helpful now to me as a student as I learn new, unfamiliar information. It will be helpful to know as a teacher as well because I can help give my students good methods to use for studying.
Now What?!
As a student, knowing this information makes me more aware of how important it is to pay attention to the material and make an effort to encode the information so it sticks. I have never intentionally thought about making a connection to information I learn in school. It probably seems silly but it makes perfect sense as to why I have a hard time remembering information learned in subject areas such as Physical Science, Social Studies, etc. Those were always difficult subjects for me and now I know why - because to remember the information and for it to mean something, (beyond taking info in to spit back out on a test), there has to be a connection made that makes it relevant and important to the student. This requires intentional thought and questioning to encode that information. As a future teacher, I hope to be able to teach in way that helps students relate information they learn to something they know so they do retain it and see it as important.
Today we learned about Cognitive Processes. It was very interesting and helped clarify some things (for example that your brain has unlimited capacity and can never be too full - or overload as I sometimes feel it is). Information comes in and hits the sensory register. If the subject pays attention to that information it goes on to working or short-term memory. If no attention is paid to it, that information is lost. Working memory does have limited capacity and only holds onto the information for 5-20 seconds. If while in working memory the information is learned, or encoded, then it is then moved to long-term memory. Long term memory, as mentioned above likely has unlimited capacity. Our long-term memory is made up of 3 components:
1) declarative/semantic (facts)
2) procedural (cooking, tying shoes)
3) episodic (memories, pictures)
The best methods for encoding information are:
meaningful learning - relating new information with what we already know
organization - way in which learners find connections by forming categories, or using other methods of organizing to group various pieces of info
elaboration - learners expand on new information based on what they already know
visual imagery - process of forming mental pictures of objects or ideas.
We also discussed the best methods for studying which are:
- identifying important information - elaborating
- taking notes - summarizing
- retrieving relevant prior knowledge - monitoring comprehension (asking questions)
- organizing
So What?!
Knowing how the brain processes information is helpful, useful and important as we become teachers. It can help us understand the best way to plan lessons in order to help students get and encode the information in order to retain it long-term memory. As for methods on how to study, that is helpful now to me as a student as I learn new, unfamiliar information. It will be helpful to know as a teacher as well because I can help give my students good methods to use for studying.
Now What?!
As a student, knowing this information makes me more aware of how important it is to pay attention to the material and make an effort to encode the information so it sticks. I have never intentionally thought about making a connection to information I learn in school. It probably seems silly but it makes perfect sense as to why I have a hard time remembering information learned in subject areas such as Physical Science, Social Studies, etc. Those were always difficult subjects for me and now I know why - because to remember the information and for it to mean something, (beyond taking info in to spit back out on a test), there has to be a connection made that makes it relevant and important to the student. This requires intentional thought and questioning to encode that information. As a future teacher, I hope to be able to teach in way that helps students relate information they learn to something they know so they do retain it and see it as important.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Week #8 - Google Site
Today we got to add pages to our google site and put it together as though it were a site for our students and parents. This was wonderful. We were introduced to google sites a few weeks back and created our home page. However, after not doing anything else I thought that was the extent. I was glad to have this opportunity to develop our site more and expound on what we first learned. My favorite thing about it is imbedding the google calendar into the site. I haven't figured out if I did it correctly, but I believe that once it's imbedded correctly, any updates made on google calendar are made automatically on the site. I also love the idea of having an announcement page and student of the week page. I definitely plan to have a class website when I become a teacher. I think the benefits are wonderful for parents, students and the teacher. It's a great way for everyone to be on the same page and is another great way to help get parents involved.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Extra Credit: Jill Stamm
What?
Jill Stamm is a professor at Arizona State University, a lecturer on infant learning and cognition and is also president of a company called New Directions Institute in Arizona - a company which collects the newest scientific research on brain development in infants up to age three. With the data collected the company educates new parents and caregivers about the importance of healthy brain development and the impact they have on their child's brain development. She points out that it's not about the toys and the stuff, it's about the relationship with mom and dad. It's about one on one time, eye contact, face-time and having their needs met quickly. Doing these simple things helps a child feel secure and once a child feels secure they can go on to learn other things. Her company has created the "Baby Brain Box" which is a practical application of toys that help a baby's brain develop through using the:
Three ABC's of Early Learning
- Attention
- Bonding
- Communication
According to Jill Stamm, what infants need for optimal brain development is attention, bonding and communication. All the interactions between an infant and parent or caregiver, as simple as returning a smile to an infant while having eye contact, or narrating daily activities, are extremely important in early brain development. She also points out that the number of words an infant hears within their first 3 years of life has a direct correlation to later I.Q. scores - hence the importance of narrating daily activities and talking to infants from the time their born.
Despite the hype, she pointed out that current research is showing that videos claiming to help a the brain development of infants (such as Baby Einstein) do not have the benefits consumers think. She said, "We need to get real and understand that what children need is people." The impact of the television on the developed brain is totally different than the impact on an adult brain. She referred to the Academy of Pediatrics which states a child under age 2 should not watch television. As the brain is growing itself in those first little years, it grows itself through repetitive use and through experiences that the child is having. So at age 2 and under, TV has a detrimental affect, (an example was delayed speech) whereas at age 5, it can be used as an educational tool.
She gave an excellent example of how quickly the brain grows in an infant. She said an infant heart is a fully developed organ. It functions the same as an adult heart. However, the brain is least developed at birth and develops so quickly that first year that if the child's body grew as quickly as it's brain in that 1st year, the child would weigh 170 pounds at age 1. That is incredible!! Although the brain develops quickly between the ages of 0-3, the brain stays pliable and plastic throughout our lifetime. So, it is never too late to begin showing a child attention, bonding and communicating with them.
So What?
Learning this information makes me realize that unintentionally I may have done something right in the early years of raising my daughter. I would incessantly talk to her and tell her what I was doing. I didn't know I was doing anything for her brain, I have always talked to myself and having someone, even an infant, to talk to made it seem less crazy so I did it all the time. It's amazing and also startling to learn that the brain is so active and is learning so much in those first couple of years and the great responsibility and influence we have in our child's brain development. It's also important to know this as a future teacher. One of the most wonderful things about the brain I am learning is how pliable it is. It is not fixed and unchangeable. That means it is never too late!
Now What?
As a parent, and hopefully future parent of another young infant, I will be a better parent knowing this information. Although I did the three ABC's of Early Learning with my first daughter, I didn't realize the impact of it. Just knowing and being aware of the importance I believe, will make me a better parent. It is important for me as a future teacher as well. I will have students from all kinds of different circumstances and likely have students in my class who don't receive attention, face-time, bonding, etc. from parents. And although students I will be teaching will be between the ages of 6-12, I can have an influence because of the fact that the brain is changeable and pliable. I think it will be important for the success of each and every student to feel they are given attention, have a bond and that there is good communication between myself and the student. It will be especially important for those students who may come from circumstances where they don't get that necessary time with their parents or caregivers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baek--_1ZfU (part 1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XV1u56fDyTg&feature=related (part 2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHnH-YPHRuk&feature=related (part 3)
Jill Stamm is a professor at Arizona State University, a lecturer on infant learning and cognition and is also president of a company called New Directions Institute in Arizona - a company which collects the newest scientific research on brain development in infants up to age three. With the data collected the company educates new parents and caregivers about the importance of healthy brain development and the impact they have on their child's brain development. She points out that it's not about the toys and the stuff, it's about the relationship with mom and dad. It's about one on one time, eye contact, face-time and having their needs met quickly. Doing these simple things helps a child feel secure and once a child feels secure they can go on to learn other things. Her company has created the "Baby Brain Box" which is a practical application of toys that help a baby's brain develop through using the:
Three ABC's of Early Learning
- Attention
- Bonding
- Communication
According to Jill Stamm, what infants need for optimal brain development is attention, bonding and communication. All the interactions between an infant and parent or caregiver, as simple as returning a smile to an infant while having eye contact, or narrating daily activities, are extremely important in early brain development. She also points out that the number of words an infant hears within their first 3 years of life has a direct correlation to later I.Q. scores - hence the importance of narrating daily activities and talking to infants from the time their born.
Despite the hype, she pointed out that current research is showing that videos claiming to help a the brain development of infants (such as Baby Einstein) do not have the benefits consumers think. She said, "We need to get real and understand that what children need is people." The impact of the television on the developed brain is totally different than the impact on an adult brain. She referred to the Academy of Pediatrics which states a child under age 2 should not watch television. As the brain is growing itself in those first little years, it grows itself through repetitive use and through experiences that the child is having. So at age 2 and under, TV has a detrimental affect, (an example was delayed speech) whereas at age 5, it can be used as an educational tool.
She gave an excellent example of how quickly the brain grows in an infant. She said an infant heart is a fully developed organ. It functions the same as an adult heart. However, the brain is least developed at birth and develops so quickly that first year that if the child's body grew as quickly as it's brain in that 1st year, the child would weigh 170 pounds at age 1. That is incredible!! Although the brain develops quickly between the ages of 0-3, the brain stays pliable and plastic throughout our lifetime. So, it is never too late to begin showing a child attention, bonding and communicating with them.
So What?
Learning this information makes me realize that unintentionally I may have done something right in the early years of raising my daughter. I would incessantly talk to her and tell her what I was doing. I didn't know I was doing anything for her brain, I have always talked to myself and having someone, even an infant, to talk to made it seem less crazy so I did it all the time. It's amazing and also startling to learn that the brain is so active and is learning so much in those first couple of years and the great responsibility and influence we have in our child's brain development. It's also important to know this as a future teacher. One of the most wonderful things about the brain I am learning is how pliable it is. It is not fixed and unchangeable. That means it is never too late!
Now What?
As a parent, and hopefully future parent of another young infant, I will be a better parent knowing this information. Although I did the three ABC's of Early Learning with my first daughter, I didn't realize the impact of it. Just knowing and being aware of the importance I believe, will make me a better parent. It is important for me as a future teacher as well. I will have students from all kinds of different circumstances and likely have students in my class who don't receive attention, face-time, bonding, etc. from parents. And although students I will be teaching will be between the ages of 6-12, I can have an influence because of the fact that the brain is changeable and pliable. I think it will be important for the success of each and every student to feel they are given attention, have a bond and that there is good communication between myself and the student. It will be especially important for those students who may come from circumstances where they don't get that necessary time with their parents or caregivers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baek--_1ZfU (part 1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XV1u56fDyTg&feature=related (part 2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHnH-YPHRuk&feature=related (part 3)
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Week #7 - Photo Story
Today I had the opportunity to actually learn Photo Story. It was awesome! And so user-friendly. Today I uploaded our pictures and adjusted the start and stop point for each frame. I love that you can do that! Although you can edit pictures, Doc Waters said the best place to do that is Picassa. You can add text to your digital story very easily as well. We still have to record our narration. I think I was successful in converting our music from YouTube to MP3 format to be able to insert into our Photo Story. I am thrilled that the conversion worked. I was a little worried because my husband tried doing it before I did and said it didn't work. (However, he probably didn't follow my directions and that's why it didn't work for him.) Hopefully we will get our narration recorded and be able to overlay it with the music using Audacity. I am excited to use that program and get that part of our digital story completed. I am also excited to use this program on my own to create digital stories (featuring my little one) as gifts to family.
After using this program, I can see this as a program that students could use for presentations of material they have learned. It would be fun for students and fun for teachers to assess learning. It is a very easy program and one that I believe would be exciting for students to use and one that would be exciting for fellow students to view. I think that when a student creates a project like this, the information they research and gather together is retained much better than simply reading it from a text or writing a paper. I also think that the impact it has for the students that view it is increased and that they too retain more information. This is definitely a resource I plan to use in my future classrooms to teach as well as assess the learning of students.
After using this program, I can see this as a program that students could use for presentations of material they have learned. It would be fun for students and fun for teachers to assess learning. It is a very easy program and one that I believe would be exciting for students to use and one that would be exciting for fellow students to view. I think that when a student creates a project like this, the information they research and gather together is retained much better than simply reading it from a text or writing a paper. I also think that the impact it has for the students that view it is increased and that they too retain more information. This is definitely a resource I plan to use in my future classrooms to teach as well as assess the learning of students.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Social & Moral Development
What?!
Today we talked about social and moral development. We discussed, acted out and hopefully can now remember, Erikson's stages of Social Development. They are as follows (listed here for my own benefit):
1 = bun --> infant --> trust vs mistrust
2 = shoe --> toddler --> autonomy vs shame
3 = tree --> preschooler --> initiative vs guilt
4 = door --> elementary --> industry vs inferiority
5 = hive --> early teen --> identity vs role confusion
6 = sticks --> adolescence --> intimacy vs isolation
7 = heaven --> middle years --> generitivity vs stagnation
8 = gate --> seniors --> integrity vs despair
We also talked briefly about moral development and the stages associated with moral development. There are 3 stages:
1) Preconventional - punishment avoidance/ obedience
2) Exchange of favors
3) Conventional - good boy/ good girl
4) Law and Order
5) Post Conventional - social contract
6) Universal Ethical Principal - ex. Ghandi. Martin Luther King
So What?!
Knowing the different stages of both social and moral development is important for teachers because a teacher wears many hats. Part of their responsibility is to teach children social and moral behaviors so they can function in the world. The stages set a standard and allow teachers to spot which children may need additional help.
Now What?!
As a parent it is interesting to learn of these stages and see where my child fits. As a teacher it will be helpful to know this information to guide and help students that may be struggling or need assistance. As a teacher I also have the opportunity to use class discussions, historical figures we are studying, stories, etc. to help teach moral and social issues.
Today we talked about social and moral development. We discussed, acted out and hopefully can now remember, Erikson's stages of Social Development. They are as follows (listed here for my own benefit):
1 = bun --> infant --> trust vs mistrust
2 = shoe --> toddler --> autonomy vs shame
3 = tree --> preschooler --> initiative vs guilt
4 = door --> elementary --> industry vs inferiority
5 = hive --> early teen --> identity vs role confusion
6 = sticks --> adolescence --> intimacy vs isolation
7 = heaven --> middle years --> generitivity vs stagnation
8 = gate --> seniors --> integrity vs despair
We also talked briefly about moral development and the stages associated with moral development. There are 3 stages:
1) Preconventional - punishment avoidance/ obedience
2) Exchange of favors
3) Conventional - good boy/ good girl
4) Law and Order
5) Post Conventional - social contract
6) Universal Ethical Principal - ex. Ghandi. Martin Luther King
So What?!
Knowing the different stages of both social and moral development is important for teachers because a teacher wears many hats. Part of their responsibility is to teach children social and moral behaviors so they can function in the world. The stages set a standard and allow teachers to spot which children may need additional help.
Now What?!
As a parent it is interesting to learn of these stages and see where my child fits. As a teacher it will be helpful to know this information to guide and help students that may be struggling or need assistance. As a teacher I also have the opportunity to use class discussions, historical figures we are studying, stories, etc. to help teach moral and social issues.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Week #6 - Audacity & Zamzar
Today we had the opportunity to learn of a tool that we can use to record the narration and music for our digital stories. It is called Audacity. Although I haven't yet played with it, I did read the tutorial and it seems really user-friendly. I love the idea that you can use this program to record voice over background music. This is what we will be doing for our digital story. I also learned of a tool called Zamzar that allows you to convert files for free online. I am not exactly sure about all the details of the program, but from what I understand, if I find a video from YouTube or TeacherTube I can enter the URL for that video and then choose the conversion format (ex. MP3) and then receive an email with that coverted music file. It seems like a wonderful tool that will hopefully benefit Marla and I as we search for music and add it to our storyboard. I am so thrilled that through this class I am getting the opportunity and experience to discover tools and resources such as Zambar and Audacity. We will be using Photo Story to put our digital stories together. This too is a program I haven't used before but am looking forward to learning and using for this project, for future assignments and for my future classroom.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Piagetian Tasks
Today we were able to see Piaget's stages of cognitive development in action as Prof. Cox illustrated her 3 year old and 7 year old doing several Piagetian Tasks. It was very interesting to see the difference between how her 3 year old responded to the questions and how her 7 year old responded to the questions. I found it very interesting that at 7 years old, her daughter was able to explain very clearly the reasons behind why she made the decisions she did. I was very excited to go home and "experiment" with my child.
So, here are the results of my "experimentation" with my 3 year old daughter "Livvy". You will see a blurb of the water task, however after attempting that one I realized that although I was using a taller glass, the difference in the level of water wasn't great enough for her to recognize it. (So we scrapped that one). Enjoy.
After thoughts: Now, for the "block" test, I modified the one listed and used blocks instead of beads because we didn't have any. I am not sure if that contributed to the difference or not. You will see that she says that there are more blocks than blue blocks (contrary to what she is "supposed" to say). I did this task with her twice and both times she said there were more blocks than blue blocks. However, you will also see that she doesn't have the ability to defend her answer.
I loved doing this assignment and had a blast....as did my little one. She was ever so eager to help mom with her homework!
So, here are the results of my "experimentation" with my 3 year old daughter "Livvy". You will see a blurb of the water task, however after attempting that one I realized that although I was using a taller glass, the difference in the level of water wasn't great enough for her to recognize it. (So we scrapped that one). Enjoy.
After thoughts: Now, for the "block" test, I modified the one listed and used blocks instead of beads because we didn't have any. I am not sure if that contributed to the difference or not. You will see that she says that there are more blocks than blue blocks (contrary to what she is "supposed" to say). I did this task with her twice and both times she said there were more blocks than blue blocks. However, you will also see that she doesn't have the ability to defend her answer.
I loved doing this assignment and had a blast....as did my little one. She was ever so eager to help mom with her homework!
Friday, October 3, 2008
TIME: Fertile Minds
After reading this article, I have a greater understanding and more appreciation for how amazing the brain is, especially as it begins to form and develop. The article pointed out that for years there has been debate over whether nature or nurture is most important. What scientists are discovering is that it's not a competition but "a dance". The two are very importantly related and interconnected. When a child is deprived of a stimulating environment or healthy emotional support and love, a child's brain suffers. It doesn't mean that all is lost however. The brain is a unique and awesome machine and as it is developing it will compensate and change. In the article, it gave the example of a child suffering autism. If intervention begins early enough (age 3) and the underlying cause is found and treated, then a child suffering from autism can sometimes be "snatched" back. How amazing!! This reminds me of my brother-in-law Russ. He was in a snowboarding accident at age 21 and suffered a traumatic brain injury. It was so severe that doctors told his parents that he would be vegetable forever and that they might consider taking him off life support. They chose not to and though he was in a coma for about 9 months, he came out of it. And, although doctors said he wouldn't progress, he did. And after 1 year, when doctors said that he wouldn't progress anymore after 1 year, he has. It is about 7 years later and he is still progressing. There are some things his brain wasn't able to repair, such as his ability to speak. However, his brain has compensated and allowed him functions that doctors thought would never happen because of his age and the severity of the accident. It just goes to show how amazing our brains really are.
The experiences a child has during the early years when their brain is developing acts as the blue print for the rest of the development of the brain. I found that to be a critically important fact that I wish all parents understood. It is so important for us as parents to nurture our children and raise them in loving, enriching environments free from stress, abuse, etc. With parents working more leaving little time to interact positively with their children, the article pointed out the importance of good daycares and preschools and how they can help offset the deficits in the home. The article stated, "good daycare is essential brain food." I never thought to look at daycare that way however it is very comforting to me. I go to school and work part-time and feel much guilt for the time I am away from my daughter. I know she is in a "good" daycare and can now feel good that it is good for her.
Another section of the article mentioned "Windows of Opportunity". I found it interesting that while we will acquire new language after 5 or 6, our ability to learn syntax closes around that age. I was also surprised to learn that the easiest time for a children to learn a 2nd language is between birth and 6 years. I found out in class that language immersion programs start in Kindergarten, however this is about the last year of ease according to the article. Knowing this has made me want to make a greater effort to teach my daughter Spanish. I haven't figured out quite how to do that yet since my husband doesn't speak Spanish (so we can't have our own secret language) but maybe I can incorporate the room language or something. Food for thought.
As a future teacher and as a parent, I found this article enlightening. Although many of us in the education program will be teaching children who are age 6 years and up, I still feel it is important for us to know. It points out the importance of nurture and environment. Children will be spending a large part of their day at school, with us. For those students who do come from a home where there are deficits, abuse, stress, I think it is especially important to make our classrooms and our interactions with our students positive and enriching. For me as a parent, this article just opened my eyes and helped me understand brain development a little better and the extreme importance of providing stimulating surroundings, enriching interactions and emotional support. It also made me realize just how critical early intervention can be in perhaps reversing or bettering a disorder caused from bad wiring.
The experiences a child has during the early years when their brain is developing acts as the blue print for the rest of the development of the brain. I found that to be a critically important fact that I wish all parents understood. It is so important for us as parents to nurture our children and raise them in loving, enriching environments free from stress, abuse, etc. With parents working more leaving little time to interact positively with their children, the article pointed out the importance of good daycares and preschools and how they can help offset the deficits in the home. The article stated, "good daycare is essential brain food." I never thought to look at daycare that way however it is very comforting to me. I go to school and work part-time and feel much guilt for the time I am away from my daughter. I know she is in a "good" daycare and can now feel good that it is good for her.
Another section of the article mentioned "Windows of Opportunity". I found it interesting that while we will acquire new language after 5 or 6, our ability to learn syntax closes around that age. I was also surprised to learn that the easiest time for a children to learn a 2nd language is between birth and 6 years. I found out in class that language immersion programs start in Kindergarten, however this is about the last year of ease according to the article. Knowing this has made me want to make a greater effort to teach my daughter Spanish. I haven't figured out quite how to do that yet since my husband doesn't speak Spanish (so we can't have our own secret language) but maybe I can incorporate the room language or something. Food for thought.
As a future teacher and as a parent, I found this article enlightening. Although many of us in the education program will be teaching children who are age 6 years and up, I still feel it is important for us to know. It points out the importance of nurture and environment. Children will be spending a large part of their day at school, with us. For those students who do come from a home where there are deficits, abuse, stress, I think it is especially important to make our classrooms and our interactions with our students positive and enriching. For me as a parent, this article just opened my eyes and helped me understand brain development a little better and the extreme importance of providing stimulating surroundings, enriching interactions and emotional support. It also made me realize just how critical early intervention can be in perhaps reversing or bettering a disorder caused from bad wiring.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Week #5 - Digital Storybook II
Today we further studied and looked at digital storybooks in class. We were able to see a variety of different examples that really helped me understand the whole idea much better and helped me think of different ways to create a storybook. I was picturing a documentary type presentation before today's class whereas now, I see the different ways it can go. We also talked quite a bit about the process into creating a digital storybook and the different methods. One method was to use index cards. Text written on both the front and back of an index card amounts to about 3 min. of dialogue. I was quite surprised because that seems like so little text. "Doc" Waters also offered the method she uses and I really liked the idea. She uses post-it notes and has one for each picture. Then she has a post-it note for the text, music, transition and citations for each picture. I think this is a really easy, yet very organized way of doing it. I also think it is an idea that would be great to introduce to students in the classroom to help them organize their own storybook, a paper, etc. It is visual and very easy to do and re-arrange if necessary. I LOVED this idea!
Other aspects of the storybook we talked about were the use and purpose of photos in a digital storybook creation. The photos should stick out on their own and not need to be narrated. They should be able to tell a compelling story on their own which inspires, haunts or touches the audience. There is a quote that "A picture is worth a thousand words" and in this case, it is true. It was pointed out in class that students learn better when they can visualize something and read text that goes along with a picture, more so than they learn from just hearing a lecture. Digital storybooks allow that kind of opportunity for students to learn "better". And, they are versatile allowing for different purposes, and can be used for any subject matter. I have never done a digital storybook before but am thrilled to be learning how to create my own so I can use this valuable resource in my future classrooms to teach subject material and hopefully to give students the opportunity to use this method to present material.
Other aspects of the storybook we talked about were the use and purpose of photos in a digital storybook creation. The photos should stick out on their own and not need to be narrated. They should be able to tell a compelling story on their own which inspires, haunts or touches the audience. There is a quote that "A picture is worth a thousand words" and in this case, it is true. It was pointed out in class that students learn better when they can visualize something and read text that goes along with a picture, more so than they learn from just hearing a lecture. Digital storybooks allow that kind of opportunity for students to learn "better". And, they are versatile allowing for different purposes, and can be used for any subject matter. I have never done a digital storybook before but am thrilled to be learning how to create my own so I can use this valuable resource in my future classrooms to teach subject material and hopefully to give students the opportunity to use this method to present material.
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