I thought the reading for this week was very informative yet I thought it was a no brainier. I'm not a teacher so I wouldn't know how hard it is to actually teach a group of kids and try to get them to think critically, or use kid cultural in the classroom. But if I was a teacher, the first thing I would do is include kid cultural in the classroom because as a kid, I loved it when the teacher would include things that I like or was familiar with. For some reason there are people like White and Walker who thinks that “kid culture is often subject to condemnation, censorship, and regulation. Kid culture has always been questioned regarding its legitimacy and impact on youth and society…What one finds in schools is a negative reaction to kid culture in whatever form (rap, Pokemon, video games) through stereotypes, banning, and demeaning acts and comments” (77). I like I mentioned early think different.
I believe that videos should be used in classrooms to engage students in the subject or topic espeicailly if it's a drier topic. I think that using t.v. shows such as Liberty Kids and Histeria is a wonderful idea. Sometimes when teachers use older more scholarly videos is confusing and boring to students. I remember when I was in high school and we were learning about the Boston Tea Party, I couldn't' really grasp the whole story and history behind it. One day after school I was babysitting and Liberty Kids was on and the episode was The Boston Tea Party! In thirty minutes I had a better understanding of the Boston Tea Party than I did during that whole week in history class! What made the TV show so much easier to understand was that it was fun to watch and it caught my attention. Not only that but the characters on the show explained what was going on in terms that could be easily understood. Instead just just dates and numbers, things were explained in terms that I could understand and follow easily.
Like the one of the reading said, course information have to be deliver in ways other than just lectures and textbooks, it has to be deliver in a way that will get students to think critically and want to learn. Otherwise it just becomes a memorization and we all know that with memorization, the information doesn't stay with us for very long. Not only that, but learning becomes a chores instead of something that the students should want to do.
I believe that using kid culture in classrooms is a very good idea because it will get the students' attention and and it's for their own benefit. I mean it is their future and education that we are dealing with, why not do in a way that will benefit them and let us do our jobs!? I don't think that teachers should just throw away the text books and curriculum, but finding something that will work with those two things and get kids' attention would be great. Of course there will always be times where educators can't make learning fun and exciting, but using kid culture every now and then would be a good change, and even then not all kids will be engaged, but a few is better then none!
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Monday, March 2, 2009
Avatars?! What!
It’s crazy to think that people are coming out with new technology that can talk! Not only can these new technlologies talk, but they listen and respond! It’s like talking to a real robot! Lol. I know I sound like I am extremely fascinated by this whole thing with agents and avatars, and I am! It’s crazy to me that technology has come so far to the point where we can create 3D looking cartoons to talk and respond. What really fascinates me is that these avatars understand what is being said and can respond to whatever the other person is saying.
I think that an avatar or agent would be very useful in a classroom especially if it was an online class like this one. First of all, I think it would just be cool to have a robot talking to me instead of me just looking at my computer screen and read a bunch of text. I also think that it would really get students’ attentions because it is so different from what everyone is use to. I am a person who learns best by being told and hands on, so I think it would be very helpful and interesting to have an avatar talk to me and give me the information that I needed to learn. I also think that it would be very useful to have an avatar in a classroom when a teacher is absent. Even though there are substitute teachers, they don’t always know what’s going on, so having a robot that can portray you and teach your students what you were going to teach would be very beneficial.
Even though this new technology sounds very interesting and cool, it has its down fall as so does a lot of technologies. Like the article that we had to read for Sunday, there are always going to be people who will abuse their privileges. Like the examples that the article gives, there are going to be students who won’t actually use the avatar for what they are really going to be there for. Like the conversation where the student was asking the agent about sex and cursing at the agent. It’s hard to control these kids if there’s not actually anyone there to control and watch them. I think it will always be a problem because kids are always going to be kids.
One thing that I did think of that could maybe control what goes on between students and an avatar is the avatars can be programmed so that they have user names and passwords to get into. By having each student have their own user name and password, you can watch and control what is going on. If they don’t use the avatar for the right reasons, they can get kicked out!
I make that sound easy, but when I thought of the idea, I thought it was brilliant! Lol. Anyways I feel like the whole abusive thing is always going to be an issue so I think that people shouldn’t make such a big deal out of it. I mean don’t get me wrong, I don’t think that we should just ignore the fact that sex and drugs are being brought into education, but then again where else are they going to learn about it? Like I mentioned earlier, kids are always going to be kids and one of the things that kids are best at is being curious. By being curious, they are going to push the limit and ask inappropriate questions all because they are curious.
Overall, I think that the avatars are pretty awesome, I really had fun making my! Feel like a kid again! Lol.
I think that an avatar or agent would be very useful in a classroom especially if it was an online class like this one. First of all, I think it would just be cool to have a robot talking to me instead of me just looking at my computer screen and read a bunch of text. I also think that it would really get students’ attentions because it is so different from what everyone is use to. I am a person who learns best by being told and hands on, so I think it would be very helpful and interesting to have an avatar talk to me and give me the information that I needed to learn. I also think that it would be very useful to have an avatar in a classroom when a teacher is absent. Even though there are substitute teachers, they don’t always know what’s going on, so having a robot that can portray you and teach your students what you were going to teach would be very beneficial.
Even though this new technology sounds very interesting and cool, it has its down fall as so does a lot of technologies. Like the article that we had to read for Sunday, there are always going to be people who will abuse their privileges. Like the examples that the article gives, there are going to be students who won’t actually use the avatar for what they are really going to be there for. Like the conversation where the student was asking the agent about sex and cursing at the agent. It’s hard to control these kids if there’s not actually anyone there to control and watch them. I think it will always be a problem because kids are always going to be kids.
One thing that I did think of that could maybe control what goes on between students and an avatar is the avatars can be programmed so that they have user names and passwords to get into. By having each student have their own user name and password, you can watch and control what is going on. If they don’t use the avatar for the right reasons, they can get kicked out!
I make that sound easy, but when I thought of the idea, I thought it was brilliant! Lol. Anyways I feel like the whole abusive thing is always going to be an issue so I think that people shouldn’t make such a big deal out of it. I mean don’t get me wrong, I don’t think that we should just ignore the fact that sex and drugs are being brought into education, but then again where else are they going to learn about it? Like I mentioned earlier, kids are always going to be kids and one of the things that kids are best at is being curious. By being curious, they are going to push the limit and ask inappropriate questions all because they are curious.
Overall, I think that the avatars are pretty awesome, I really had fun making my! Feel like a kid again! Lol.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Shopping is my therapy!
I love shopping, it's probably one of my favorite things to do. I think that shopping can be good and bad at the same time. First of all, I think shopping is good because it helps our economy going. I mean if no one shops we wouldn't have the hundreds and thousands of jobs we do today! But than again, it could be bad because some people spend way too much money on shopping and when I say shopping I don't mean grocery shopping. I mean clothes and appliances that people may not really need. Speaking from personal experience, I know I shopping sometimes just because I have nothing to do, and usually spend way more money than I should!
I guess one thing young kids could learn from shopping is that, it helps to shop when you can afford too, but it's something that you shouldn't have to do all the time. You don't need to buy a new cellphone every two months because there's a new phone with a new technology. Or you don't always have to buy new clothes just because someone in your school has it.
It's very hard not to buy things because it's the latest thing out there, or it's very hard not to buy something because someone else has it because some people base their status on the things they own. For an example, I person who makes $100,000 a year wouldn't be driving a 1995 Toyota (no offense to anyone that does, just an example) They would be driving a BMW or a Lexus. Why? Because by having a nice car people will know that you make a lot of money. Same goes to brand name clothes and houses. I think that it's sad that that's what people do, but than again you can't blame them because that's their money, and when people have the money, they spend it on nice things. And I believe that's how it's been for people in the U.S. we spend money to show off our status.
I'm not sure on how to get young people to think about their experiences with shopping, but I believe that we can try to teach them that there is a smart way to shop and a not so smart way. I mean like buying things that they don't need, or to buy things that are a cheaper brand. And just because you have money doesn't mean you should spend it.
I guess one thing young kids could learn from shopping is that, it helps to shop when you can afford too, but it's something that you shouldn't have to do all the time. You don't need to buy a new cellphone every two months because there's a new phone with a new technology. Or you don't always have to buy new clothes just because someone in your school has it.
It's very hard not to buy things because it's the latest thing out there, or it's very hard not to buy something because someone else has it because some people base their status on the things they own. For an example, I person who makes $100,000 a year wouldn't be driving a 1995 Toyota (no offense to anyone that does, just an example) They would be driving a BMW or a Lexus. Why? Because by having a nice car people will know that you make a lot of money. Same goes to brand name clothes and houses. I think that it's sad that that's what people do, but than again you can't blame them because that's their money, and when people have the money, they spend it on nice things. And I believe that's how it's been for people in the U.S. we spend money to show off our status.
I'm not sure on how to get young people to think about their experiences with shopping, but I believe that we can try to teach them that there is a smart way to shop and a not so smart way. I mean like buying things that they don't need, or to buy things that are a cheaper brand. And just because you have money doesn't mean you should spend it.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Women+game=?/ Gaming Strategies in classrooms
I don't know much about games or gamers, but the little I do know is that the game industry is geared more towards men. Most of the games out there today are made to catch men's attention not women's. For an example, World of War craft, don't get me wrong there are females who love this game, but really think about it. Do you really think that this kind of game was made to attract women's attention? I don't think so! I believe that there are very few games out there for women because there is a lack of women in the industry. There are not very many women working in these industries, designing these games, they might do the graphic design but they're not actually making the games. Not only that, but I think that the industry don't go after the women because a lot aren't into gaming. Even though there are a number of women who game, it's always been known that men do most of the gaming and they are the ones that actually buys the games. Not to sound old school, but women are portray to be house wives who cooks and clean, playing a video game is out of the picture!
I can't say they I would like to see more women gaming because I myself is not into gaming what so ever so I could really care less. If people want more women in this industry, I say more power to them! What I do think is important is that if we want to incorporate gaming strategies in our field of education today than it would be nice to have women in the industry. Why? Because the students include both boys and girls. If the only people designing these games are men and they are only gearing towards males, then what does that do for the girls? If we are going to incorporate gaming strategies in classrooms, then it should include girls also. Which leads me to say that I think it's extremely important that we use gaming strategies in classroom. If kids learn best when it's about things they like or they way they learn best then I think that we should do it. It is so hard to get kids these days to get engaged in the stuff that are being taught in schools, I know because I was a student and still am. But what I did come to realize is that, if the subject is being taught in away that will get my attention, I'll pay attention even if I don't care for the subject!
Some people may argue that gaming strategies in a classroom will only cause a distraction, but there has been many research showing that there are benefits to using gaming in a classroom. For an example, there is a medical school professor that encourages his students to play a game call Monkey Ball. This game helps the student's eye-hand coronations, the study shows that the students who did play the game had a less chance of making a mistake during surgery. Because the game forces them to use their eye-hand coronation, they have a better eye-hand coronation during surgery compared to the students that didn't play the game.
Not only are medical schools using games, but even the people who swears to protect this country. Some soldiers are getting trained by a video game. These games put the soldiers in real life situations and they have to figure out what to do.
Here is a website to an article where a teacher used a game designed for a economical class. It's really interesting. http://www.ucea.edu/resources/pubs/infocus/200604coverstory.html
Maybe we can't literally use games in classrooms like this teacher did, but I think that if we can incorporate gaming strategies in our classrooms, students would be more engaged in what we have to teach them.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
A Fan
I think it was 7th grade when i first really got into fashion. I have always been interested in fashion and how i looked, but it wasn't until middle school that I decided I was really into fashion. It all started one day in English class, for an assignment we had to write on our dream career and how we were going to achieve it. At first I didn't know what my dream career was going to be. After about twenty minutes, i still couldn't think of anything to write on. All of a sudden i noticed that my teacher had on the ugliest shirt on, and as I looked around the room I noticed that all the kids had on similar clothes. Everyone had on clothes that all looked the same, but just in different colors and patterns. I also realized that the students that didn't have the same kind of clothes were the ones that weren't "cool". I couldn't believe how much of an impact clothes had on people, and ever since then I decided i was going to become a fashion designer. I was such a big fan of fashion that I subscribed every fashion magazine out there. Fr
om Vogue to Elle to Bazaar, I had it all. I would 
every waking moment looking at these magazines. I even had a journal where I kept of all the new fashion of every season. I was so obsessed with fashion that I would go to the store, buy clothes, bring it home, take it apart and add my own touches to it. Most of the time it turned out very nice and unique. It got so bad that there's been a couple of times where I told the workers in retail stores that the clothes on their mannequins didn't look right and fixed it for them! Some days i would sit in front of the t.v. and just watch fashion shows. I was beyond thrilled when Project Runway came on air! There was never a day that I would miss that show, I would schedule my week just so I could watch the show. I was such a big fan of fashion that when I came to college, I actually started out majoring in clothing design. After two years of taking design classes, I came to realize that i love fashion, but I don't like making it. I love looking at clothes and see how it looks on people, but I don't actually like making it. After realizing that, I some how become very interested in art and art education which lead me to where I am now.
om Vogue to Elle to Bazaar, I had it all. I would 
every waking moment looking at these magazines. I even had a journal where I kept of all the new fashion of every season. I was so obsessed with fashion that I would go to the store, buy clothes, bring it home, take it apart and add my own touches to it. Most of the time it turned out very nice and unique. It got so bad that there's been a couple of times where I told the workers in retail stores that the clothes on their mannequins didn't look right and fixed it for them! Some days i would sit in front of the t.v. and just watch fashion shows. I was beyond thrilled when Project Runway came on air! There was never a day that I would miss that show, I would schedule my week just so I could watch the show. I was such a big fan of fashion that when I came to college, I actually started out majoring in clothing design. After two years of taking design classes, I came to realize that i love fashion, but I don't like making it. I love looking at clothes and see how it looks on people, but I don't actually like making it. After realizing that, I some how become very interested in art and art education which lead me to where I am now. But back to fashion, fashion like a lot of other pop culture stuff has a lot of impact on people and their lifestyle. Like me in the past, some people live their life around fashion. They try to stay on top of the latest trend, and spend hundreds of dollars on clothes that they think will make them look "cool" or "fit in". People spend so much money on brand name products because they see people they look up to wear it. For an example celebrities, kids who look up to their favorite celebrities will try to look just like them and want to get the things these celebrities have. All because they are a fan of these people, they want to be like them. I don't think that my obsession with fashion had anything to do with the people I was friends with or anyone around me, but more like I just wanted to make a fashion statement. I just wanted people to look at me and say, "wow I wish I had her clothes" or "I wish I had her taste of fashion". I just wanted to be different from everyone else in a good way.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Tooning In Ch:1,2,3
Chapters one, two, and three talked about why popular culture is important, why educators need to include it in curriculums instead of thinking of it as a distraction. In chapter 2, it talked about how students choose to learn what they want to learn and how they want to learn it. So as educators, one should take that into consideration and use that to engage students. The example the book used was social studies. Because it is a much more dry subject to learn and teach, one should concentrate on how to use media to help engage the students to learn social studies.
I have been in classrooms where the teacher did not even know how to turn on his laptop, or open a folder and thought to myself, "where in the world have you been?" And it is those classes that are usually more boring because I did not have anything to focus on other than the teacher and the lecture. But what I did not realize at the time was that not everyone is comfortable with today's technology. Some people especially for the older generation, they were not born with computers and all these fancy toys that we have today. Even though they did not have all the technology we have today, they still got by just fine, which makes me think that maybe we don't always need all these fancy technologies.
Overall, as much as I agree that popular culture is a big part of the lives of everyone today especially the young kids today, and media is a big part of that, we can't forget about rules and morals. I believe that new technology could and would help students learn better, and it is a lot more interesting when the teacher is up to date on today's technologies and popular culture, but those popular culture shouldn't cross with rules and morals. Rules and morals are there to teach us from right to wrong, and we all know that there are many things in today popular cultures that would be considered wrong in the book of morals.
I have been in classrooms where the teacher did not even know how to turn on his laptop, or open a folder and thought to myself, "where in the world have you been?" And it is those classes that are usually more boring because I did not have anything to focus on other than the teacher and the lecture. But what I did not realize at the time was that not everyone is comfortable with today's technology. Some people especially for the older generation, they were not born with computers and all these fancy toys that we have today. Even though they did not have all the technology we have today, they still got by just fine, which makes me think that maybe we don't always need all these fancy technologies.
Overall, as much as I agree that popular culture is a big part of the lives of everyone today especially the young kids today, and media is a big part of that, we can't forget about rules and morals. I believe that new technology could and would help students learn better, and it is a lot more interesting when the teacher is up to date on today's technologies and popular culture, but those popular culture shouldn't cross with rules and morals. Rules and morals are there to teach us from right to wrong, and we all know that there are many things in today popular cultures that would be considered wrong in the book of morals.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)