Google Does it Again!

Once again, the folks at Google are making me eat my words. As if Google Earth was not impressive enough, they now have come up with Google Earth in the Deep Blue sea! Now not only can you see underwater formations, but they claim to have the ability to find and follow migratory tagged fish! See the video here.

What a cool idea! Kids can "adopt" an animal and see how the habits and habitats are impacted by pollution, shipping, climate change and the like! Check it out!

Google and the Age of Information

I have long despised Google as an intellectual wasteland. Last summer, the Journal The Atlantic seemed to bear me out. The author of the article, "Is Google Making us Stoopid?", contends that he and co-workers were having difficulty with reading passages that were lengthy. He attributed this difficulty to the short snippets of information that show up in a Google search and the habit of scanning the results.

However, the January 2009 issue of Discover disputes this claim. The author contends that Google not only is not making us stupid, but that it is making us smarter. By tapping into what he calls the natural way we think and process, Google is actually making us think and learn more; not less.

Further, he tackles the texting debate, where educators fret that the use of texting shortcuts but teens is threatening literacy. He quotes a book called Txtng: The Gr8 Db8 by linguist David Crystal who writes:

"texting actually improves your literacy, as it gives you more practice in reading and writing".

I am curious as to what you all think...

Check out this new tool!

I am always looking for ways to improve teaching and learning. Today while browsing the Web, I came upon a curious tech tool. Now some would refer to it as a toy...not I! For any level of student, this is a great tool. A pen that will remember your pen strokes and then download the information to your computer to save/store for later. When you get tired writing, it'll record for you! Check it out here.

I love the implications of this for public education. What do you think?

Who says that our kids can't read?

I am in my 18th year teaching physical science, but in my first year of US History. It has been a bit of a struggle...a work in progress if you will. At times I feel like a first year teacher. I have been trying to bring in technology when possible and will continue to do so. However, my most successful lesson to date came not out of technology or some grandiose elaborate scheme. No, it came from reading. Let me explain...

We have just completed the Revolutionary War and are starting on the Article of Confederation (AOC). I asked the kids to brainstorm a list of issues that they would face when developing their own country. The list that they came up with was impressive...teacher certification, military, voting and so on. Here comes the reading part...I asked them to them read the AOC to find how these topics were addressed. They read and re-read looking for these things that the authors of the AOC did not include. They were shocked to find that if they, mere 8th graders, could come up with them and that our forefathers did not! And they had to read to be successful!

So don't tell me that our kids cannot read. They choose not to. So maybe it is not the reading that is the issue...maybe itis that we are not giving them the right reasons or motivation to read.

I welcome your thoughts...

Schools are Changing?

In this age of instant gratification using computers, I have a few concerns from a technology and an educational view.

1. If we are so tech savvy, then why was Sarah Palin vetted better?
2. If we are so tech savvy, then why are son many companies asking to be bailed out? Can it be that they were blind to what was coming or that they did not use technology properly to see what was coming?
3. If we are so tech savvy and want our students to be, then why do so many school systems block sites or worse, not have policies that govern technology use adequately or even worse, lack the hardware to use technology properly?

Just a few of my favorite questions at Holiday time...

Modern politics and technology

So we have elected a new President. Pres-elect Obama raised much of his money by on-line donations. He is a leader in technology by that alone! Will it be enough to get the schools on-board?

Content Review using Technology

Here in Maryland, we are forced to have kids prep for a number of exams as well as classrooms assessments (tests and quizzes). Often for kids who cannot or do not take good notes, a review of material is a must. However, time is of the essence and in the school day, there is not always time to review. So, I have begun to use quia for review. It has several ways to review...quizzes and games. Both of which I have found to be of great value. The quizzes save me time as the computer grades them for me as long as I have put in the proper answer key. The review games are valuable for those who need something a bit more interactive.

Another site that I like for review games is this game. This does the same thing but with a sports type theme. Kids can take a shot on goal in soccer or a 3-point basket in basketball for each question that they answer correctly.

Scores here have gone up, so they are working.