Sniff & Scurry

 Do you think an Administrator should be like “Sniff and Scurry.” How can an administrator deal with “Hem and Haws” in your schools?
 As a principal I want to be like Scuff and Scurry in that they were aware of what was happening to the cheese. They were aware that the cheese supply was being depleted. As a principal we must be aware of the things happening within our schools. By Scuff and Scurry noticing what was going on, they were able to make provisions for the changes that were about to take place. To deal with the Hem and Haws, as principal, I would have to get the two to see that change is inevitable. Haw was more willing to change than Hem and this is how some staff members will be. As principal we will have to encourage them and turn them into a Haw and have this attitude about change.

Beneficial Apps

New apps are constantly being developed for tablet computers and smartphones with anywhere from 45 to 98 billion mobile apps dowloads project by 2015. People seek apps for everything from recreation to communication to learning.

 a) What smartphone and tablet computer apps are you using to suppport your learning as a college student in a teacher education program?

b) How has using the app changed how you function as a student or as a consumer , it at all?

       As a college student in the teacher education program, I currently only use 2 computer apps to supplement my learning. I am currently using Google Drive and MyScript Smart Note. Google Drive allows me to take notes, build presentations, and other cool things. MyScript Smart Note also allows me to take notes in my handwriting while studying.

       These apps have changed how I function as a student by allowing me to reflect on my learning. It allows me to take notes while reflecting on lessons and creating notes that would allow me to memorize the information better.

Powerpoint is Evil

**In a 2003 article, "PowerPoint is Evil" (http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.09/pp12.html Edward Tufte says that the PowerPoint style routinely disrupts, dominates, and trivializes contents. Thus Powerpoint presentations often resemble a school play-very loud, very slow, and very simple.

      This is not the first time I've heard that powerpoints are more or less useful. I've been in presentations in which the presenter used a powerpoint and I've felt like it was a complete waste of my time. I always felt that I could just read the slides on my own if he/she is reading directly from them. Many times I am wondering how many more slides are there until the end. I guess I am saying a powerpoint presentation has never made me smarter.

However, with that being said, I have used powerpoint presentations in my class. I thought somehow this would interest the students more. I always made it colorful and visually appealing. It was something new for them to get them motivated. Although I think it doesn't help as much in seminars or professional developments, I find it useful in the classroom. I am able to present the material to the students as I walk around the classroom to keep students on task. That beats staying at the board with my back turned anyday. I like using powerpoints with my students, yet not when they are used for something I am attending.

What about Technology?

**In Sherry Tucker's latest book, Alone Together:Why We Expect More From Technology: Why We Expect More From TEchnology and Less From Each Othe (2011), she says that "technology is changing how people relate to one another and construct their own inner lives" and people are making "convenience and control a prority while diminishing the expectations we have of other human beings". (See http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/22/books/22book.html) Turkel's argument is that the virtual life made possible by technology tools is changing our "real"lives in fundamental ways. What evidence can you present that we relate to each other differently because of our techology tools?

        As I think about myself and those around me, I can definitely see how humans relate to each other differently because of technology. Every day we see people risking their lives to be one on their cell phone. Think about all the people driving and texting. Can we let that text sit unread until we park? I also witnessed a group of adults "having coffee" but were on their cell phones the entire time. Sometimes I would rather text someone than to call them. We are able to hide emotion from text. You won't know I am crying if I text you, however if we are on the phone you can definitely hear the tremble in my voice. Sometimes it is just easier to text. 

We can also use the iBot vacuum cleaner as an example. We can watch this robot clean our house. I know my grandmother would have loved that back in the day. Another example is how we can control the safety of our homes through our cellphones. We are able to make sure our home is safe before entering or control the temperature of our homes.

Technology is definitely changing how things are done and will continue to change society.

What do you prefer?

**Take a position for or against on the following controversial topic.
In their Educational Psychologist article, "Why Minimal Guidance During Instruction Does Not Work: An analysis of the Failure of Contstructivist , Discovery, Problem Based, Experiential, and Inquiry-Based Teaching," http://www.cogtech.usc.edu/publications/kirschner_Sweller_Clark.pdfKirschner, Sweller, and Clark (2006) say that inquiry-based methods are a "failed approach" (p.84) and that, to acheive best results, all instruction should be highly structured and systematically delivered.


        As I read the article, I found myself leaning toward each learning style at one point. I think there is a time and place in which each of the type of instruction could produce the desired results. For instance, beginning in elementary school, students need guidance. We cannot put a kindergarten student in the class and tell them to figure out how to read. What are they to do if they do not know the letter-sound relationship. Then I move up to upper elementary, these students need guidance on working through skills. It is also at this point in which students can begin to receive minimal guidance from their teachers. In upper elementary, I think science is the subject in which the students are able to discovery and guide their own learning. This belief further extends to the middle and high school grades. At some point, ALL students need guidance as they learning. To just give students something and say figure it out is setting them up for failure. Just like the saying "practice make perfect" is flawed, allowing a student practice something wrong is also ludicrous. With that being said, I am not sure if I can take an actuall side because there is a time and a place for each teaching style.