Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Monday, January 28, 2013
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Today's post discusses the article, "Are Digital Media Changing Language?" written by Naomi S. Baron.
"Gradually, we have become less obsessed with correctness and more focused on tolerance and personal expression. This shift, however admirable, has linguistic consequences. School is no longer necessarily a place to instill a sense that linguistic rules (or even linguistic consistency) matter."
I found it a little disconcerting to read that the importance of proper grammar is diminishing in our schools. Don't get me wrong, I am not a grammarian, or even close for that matter however, removing higher expectations in favor of an emphasis on informal speech/writing is an injustice to our students, particularly in preparing them for the professional world.
Example: Precision matters in mathematics and the sciences. Being able to properly communicate research findings and collaborate with peers and colleagues across a multitude of disciplines are compelling reasons for linguistic consistency.
“Whatever the benefits of digital media, it is destroying the ability of young people to construct the basic unit of the English Language...the sentence.”
I disagree with this statement because:
"Gradually, we have become less obsessed with correctness and more focused on tolerance and personal expression. This shift, however admirable, has linguistic consequences. School is no longer necessarily a place to instill a sense that linguistic rules (or even linguistic consistency) matter."
I found it a little disconcerting to read that the importance of proper grammar is diminishing in our schools. Don't get me wrong, I am not a grammarian, or even close for that matter however, removing higher expectations in favor of an emphasis on informal speech/writing is an injustice to our students, particularly in preparing them for the professional world.
Example: Precision matters in mathematics and the sciences. Being able to properly communicate research findings and collaborate with peers and colleagues across a multitude of disciplines are compelling reasons for linguistic consistency.
“Whatever the benefits of digital media, it is destroying the ability of young people to construct the basic unit of the English Language...the sentence.”
I disagree with this statement because:
- Writing is less formal these days, since informal social communications dominate our interactions.
- Incorporation of pictures, video and audio creates a richer method of communication
Additional resource:
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Sunday, January 20, 2013
I just watched a video on the future of work in the 21st century and here are the three different things I have the strongest reaction to:
1. I love the idea of a virtual workplace! Physical location shouldn't have to matter for many fields when so much in our lives relies upon technology and the digital realm. This gives people the flexibility to work from any place, hours can be more varied which allows for time to complete a variety of tasks and take care of family responsibilities, to name a few benefits.
2. I whole-heartedly agree with merit based pay systems using quality and productivity measures. Seniority and longevity should be acknowledged and rewarded as such (bonuses?), but they have no purpose being a "heavily" weighted factor in promotions (or lay offs).
3. I was surprised and deeply concerned in learning about the re-captcha project in which users are unknowingly used in 'projects' to digitize written works. I have no qualms about volunteering for such a worthy endeavor but to be used without my knowledge to complete someone else's work/vision is extremely disconcerting and begs the question, 'where does this rabbit hole go?'
I don't have many examples of how my own education experiences are preparing me for the Future of Work as most of my classes are still taught in a very traditional sense. This class, EDU 2201, has potential to be the first class that exposes me to the various types of technology available and indeed, provide my first glimpse at the paradigm shift that is happening.
Another possible example could be Blackboard in that we use it to communicate in our classes as well as with the University. It is a portal, a means of learning (discussion boards, lesson postings), source of metrics data for instructors/university. Through Blackboard, we can have online classes - a type of virtual classroom!
Unfortunately, we don't use too much new technology in my science classes though I wish we did....
Here is a video I'd like to share that relates to schooling and the future of work. It's a charter school that uses the hands on, real life experience approach to teaching. There is not much technology used here, but the concept is important and can certainly be applied in a more technical sense. This school is in Kihei, Hawaii on the island of Maui. This is my home state!
1. I love the idea of a virtual workplace! Physical location shouldn't have to matter for many fields when so much in our lives relies upon technology and the digital realm. This gives people the flexibility to work from any place, hours can be more varied which allows for time to complete a variety of tasks and take care of family responsibilities, to name a few benefits.
2. I whole-heartedly agree with merit based pay systems using quality and productivity measures. Seniority and longevity should be acknowledged and rewarded as such (bonuses?), but they have no purpose being a "heavily" weighted factor in promotions (or lay offs).
3. I was surprised and deeply concerned in learning about the re-captcha project in which users are unknowingly used in 'projects' to digitize written works. I have no qualms about volunteering for such a worthy endeavor but to be used without my knowledge to complete someone else's work/vision is extremely disconcerting and begs the question, 'where does this rabbit hole go?'
I don't have many examples of how my own education experiences are preparing me for the Future of Work as most of my classes are still taught in a very traditional sense. This class, EDU 2201, has potential to be the first class that exposes me to the various types of technology available and indeed, provide my first glimpse at the paradigm shift that is happening.
Another possible example could be Blackboard in that we use it to communicate in our classes as well as with the University. It is a portal, a means of learning (discussion boards, lesson postings), source of metrics data for instructors/university. Through Blackboard, we can have online classes - a type of virtual classroom!
Unfortunately, we don't use too much new technology in my science classes though I wish we did....
Here is a video I'd like to share that relates to schooling and the future of work. It's a charter school that uses the hands on, real life experience approach to teaching. There is not much technology used here, but the concept is important and can certainly be applied in a more technical sense. This school is in Kihei, Hawaii on the island of Maui. This is my home state!
Thursday, January 17, 2013
My name is Denise Ambrose and I am originally from Hawaii. My husband and I have lived in West Virginia for the past three years, after spending some time experiencing life in a few other states as well. I have always been fascinated by the physical sciences and I am planning to teach high school chemistry and/or other high school science classes.
I believe young people learn best in an enthusiastic and engaging environment that includes hands on projects and activities where they can apply the concepts they're learning.
Students in my future chemistry classroom can expect to perform a variety of experiments aimed at reinforcing their knowledge of topics such as states of matter, the relationship of molecular structure to properties of matter, and formula writing. I would also love to take my students on field trips to laboratories and a variety of other places so they can appreciate how the field the chemistry is used in today's world.
I believe young people learn best in an enthusiastic and engaging environment that includes hands on projects and activities where they can apply the concepts they're learning.
Students in my future chemistry classroom can expect to perform a variety of experiments aimed at reinforcing their knowledge of topics such as states of matter, the relationship of molecular structure to properties of matter, and formula writing. I would also love to take my students on field trips to laboratories and a variety of other places so they can appreciate how the field the chemistry is used in today's world.
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