21st Century Skills-Week Three

My students this week worked on developing their 21st skills in the critical thinking area. I asked them to investigate the process of developing goals and understanding the difference between an actual "goal" and a "wish." Students were asked to provide multiple examples of what they considered a goal and we dissected the goals and the validity of those goals. We considered measurability of the goal and the accountability involved. The students definitely had a different perspective on what constituted a goal and the process of setting milestones. Many students admitted that they thought they had been setting goals but realized that they were actually just making a wish because they had no measurability or accountability toward that goal. Taking a deeper look at the process of goal setting will hopefully encourage these students to consider what their goals are more seriously and deeply than they have before.

Technology Trouble-Week Two

This week was actually pretty smooth technology wise. All computers and projectors cooperated and worked.

My students are working in presentations in several classes and we are constantly frustrated by their inability to use the right click option on images. We work around it by using keyboard shortcuts, however students now are so used to being able to click and go that "short cuts" actually take longer to explain and demonstrate than they once world have.

Another time we have had to work around technology to allow progress is in my accounting class. The examples that accompany the text are extremely useful, we are lucky to actually have a good textbook for the course, however it is setup to use with an overhead or Elmo. A couple of weeks ago my overhead projector broke and was unable to be repaired. The replacement that was sent was not very functional either. I have been experimenting with different ways to overcome the projector issue. I have used PDF files and displayed them on the board which works somewhat but often the answer is displayed before appropriate. I have tried using a document camera but can't get a good resolution shot to display. I have started having the students write the answers piece by piece on the board which seems to work somewhat but not ideal.

I think the key to dealing with technology is to be flexible and willing to try different solutions and approaches until something fits. Keep Calm and Carry On :)

What to use the iPad for?-Week One

I am honestly not sure how to incorporate the iPad into the classroom in a way that utilizes it in a way separate from a laptop.  I posed the question to my students and they also were unsure of how to use it in an educational manner.

We finally decided that we could use it to research topics on the fly during class discussions.  My students have to present a current event article related to our topic that week, they mentioned that they could use audio clips as part of their presentations. They also thought about loading their presentations onto the iPad and using it to present. They also threw out ideas for different games and activities on it. 

After all there's an app for everything now.