How Learning Can Be Fun!

 

Our message is heartfelt, as are our means!

Video Reflection

The process of making our "Revolutionizing Education Through Technology" video was very helpful but kind of stressful. I first imagined that it would take much less time to make a video, like 5 min to make a 1 min video. Turns out to be more like an hour for a minute. At least...

I was able to gain a decent proficiency within the span of 3 days (kind of like 0-45 in 10 seconds). I don't know all the tricks, but I was lucky enough to create our video on my computer, so I became fluent in importing, cropping, splitting, voicing over, and adding music clips to our video shots. It was also great to develop my Jing skills during that time, necessary for my video. I liken this project to my podcast, which forced me to apply what I've learned and add my own two cents by troubleshooting. These kinds of hands-on experiences were the best part of this class, and they have given me tools that I will remember long after this class is over.

For me, this was the most inspirational project of the class - it required us to synthesize our classroom and tech knowledge into one coherent set of beliefs, share that with our peers, and collaborate to publish a meaningful representation of those beliefs. The group part turned out to be a blessing for us because long hours of staring at a screen were interrupted with uncontrollable laughter. Although I had some "backseat typers" at times (particularly when it was time for second lunch), this proved to motivate our communication skills to better the whole group's effort to be efficient with our time. All in all, I appreciated the project very much, and envision myself encouraging this kind of project in my classroom (when possible).

The True Cost of a Gallon of Gasoline (NRDC)

iMovie in the 21st Century Classroom

iMovie is a great tool to utilize in the classroom. Much in the same way that students could express themselves creatively with digital storytelling, iMovie presents itself as a user-friendly way to use video in order to publish your work. I can attest to this because my group was able to create a 7 minute video within the span of 3 days - not what I would have expected to be able to do 3 days ago. There are 10,000 options to customize your own story in iMovie, including uploading a digital story you've already made (which is true in our case). Importing and cropping audio and video files, as well as inserting text is easy as 1,2,3.

The M.A.T. program thus far has emphasized the importance of our interest when it comes to learning. For me, I find the outdoors incredibly interesting, particularly the uses of plants. Though I would be a 20th Century educator (sage on the stage) to suggest that my students should feel the same. For me, I realize and want to encourage a diversity in the classroom - in terms of demographic, skill set, knowledge base, but also interest. If a student in my bio class is interested in massage, then I want him/her to relate that to fascia energy transmission or muscular anatomy. If another is curious about food, then I'd ask for an edible botany project. Whatever it is that interests them, I will find an analogy that has to do with life (bio), and I'm here to help them learn in whatever way suits them. For many students, a visual component is necessary (including me).

I want my students to excel in what makes them excited, and then have the tools to share with their colleagues (myself included) what they've learned. iMovie is one of these tools, one that opens new horizons for students, and I will suggest it where ever possible. Some uses of iMovie would be to publish student research projects (individual or group), make a mid-year class video, or even create a tutorial of what my class was like for the next years prospective students interested in my Environmental Science/Bio/AP Bio class. iMovie has unlimited potential, like the minds of students, and I will encourage both to realize that potential.

Podcast Usage

I would allow students to explore their ideas, and publish their work with podcasts. They could encourage some linguistic or musically inclined students (from Gardiner’s MI’s) to publish their ideas - either by adding some rhythms or hearing what their sentences sound like.
    I really suggest linking onto the “really BAD example” of a podcast from New Zealand -it’s really funny, and shows one way that students can use this in an environmental science class (as well as how NOT to use it...)

Alcohol Fuel Re-discovery

I want all of you to check out this link and tell me what you think on your blog...
scottish whiskey fuel

Where do we look for Genus names?

Don't we have to find the genus name for the Asteraceae plant we identified today? I forgot the link that he gave us to look that up...

Homework for Tonight

How much do we need to write in our field journal???

Classroom Website

My website was intended for a general audience of folks concerned with sustainability issues and local farming. The Anthill Farm is highly connected with New York City, and that's where more of half of our income comes from. I realize this as a potentially vast intern resource, and hope to tap into the vibrancy and enthusiasm existing around "green living" today.

I am hoping to develop a more intensive internship program after I complete my Masters of Arts program next summer. I will certainly be using a website (and I will most likely upgrade to a more sophisticated server/host) to educate, but in a more general sense of the word. The internship will be directed at mature high school students all the way up to interested adults. Visit my site here

Gapminder World Agriculture 1961 - 2005!

Notice how my people from the Netherlands make smart investments...
Agro-economics over time

The Anthill Farm Podcast

Here's The Farm in Pennsylvania that I worked at for summer 2008/09. I hope this gives everyone a sense of what its like down there, and also a reason why my new abode in Orono is so incredibly awesome

2010 Horizon Gadgetry

Reminiscent of Paramount Pictures Iron Man, the 2010 Horizon Report shows how new technologies will emerge and become critical for educators every where to stay abreast of. One particularly nifty factoid in the report is that the Edinburgh college of art has put out an app called "Walking Through Time" that allows mobile computer users the ability to look into the past, wherever you go. I could walk downtown NYC and find where old parks were, see if their were any battlefields where McDonald's now stands, search for the beginning of Wall Street, etc. For me, this would be very helpful as I am mainly a kinesthetic/visual learner. If I could walk around and point out a physical location where a historical event took place, it would be much more real for me.

Although... I cannot bring myself to accept these gadgets and apps whole-heartedly. The environmental cost of e-books, for example, is mentioned as a contribution to environmentally conscious campuses. Put this way, it sounds green, but it is not simply an environmental "gain" because of less paper. Instead of paper, we have another reason to drill for oil, more ongoing energy usage, and another piece of junk (when all is said and done). So there are certainly trade-offs with these "advances" and they remain undisclosed in the name of the majority. If we, as a society, could somehow build in economic incentives for sound environmental practices (within manufacturing and resource flow), then I would be gung-ho for gadgets. But as an accountable environmental policy would sacrifice the short-term profits for some, and there is simply not enough public concern or dialogue about the issue, I am fairly sure that I will remain halfheartedly invested in these gadgets (with hopes that I will be whole-hearted sooner than later).

If the coming climatic crises were merely an informational conundrum, then gadgets could solve it.  Unfortunately, the world our children face will require much more than that, and they will need to develop keen intuition, critical discernment, and moral questioning skills in addition to technological "gadgetry". These skills have been translated forever in time without gadgetry... Although these gadgets are very helpful, I would like to see more energy put into their sustainable production and reproduction (and by this i don't mean green-washing e-books).

the anthill farm podcast

the anthill farm podcast

SAVE YOUR PODCASTS!!!

SHUT EVERYTHING DOWN WHEN YOU USE GARAGEBAND!!! And save it!!! I just lost 3 hours worth of work. Luckily, I was developing some skills during that time, so it wont take THAT long to redo. I naively assumed that Garageband would save itself regularly, like my Word documents do... WRONG!!! I was considerably frustrated, but I realize there's nothing I can do about it but warn y'all... hopefully you read this before it's too late!

Dan Pink

Pink has profound ideas about motivation that translate not only into the workforce and workplace, but that could easily be applied to the ways in which we educate ourselves (as students, as teachers, adults, etc.). He claims we need autonomy so that we may feel that we are independent and empowered - speaking from experience, I couldn't agree more. If I have some sort of control over my education, I feel not only more motivated to do it, but the process itself becomes fun. An example is having the opportunity to make a video in my history class in high school. My friend and I took footage of us snowboarding and skateboarding and then put music to it. At a time when I thought school was "stupid", this motivated me to put into words my passion for boarding. It was a great way to get me engaged in history because I got to choose what I read. I can still remember that book - it's called "Sick! - a cultural history of snowboarding". Literacy in the curriculum??? I think so!

Another attribution that Pink feels strongly about is mastery - mastery over skills that we may have a passion or particular skill set for. I also agree with this claim because I believe that every person is born with a set of skills that makes them inherently valuable and they also have interests that are... natural. Interests that come from within the individual, a passion that could never be artificially manufactured. Interests that Robinson and I would claim will grow ad infinitum unless suppressed time and again by a "sage on the stage".
Finally, individuals need a purpose, so that we might have an idea that our work means something - both to ourselves, and to the greater world. This video is beautifully done, with visuals, audio, and many "fun" references that our culture can relate to.

Sir Ken Robinson's TED talks

Robinson's philosophy is outstanding! Creative, witty, and brilliant, it is no wonder that he has TED talks. His understanding of creativity is so tangible, that our creative power is simply the combination of our own passions and talents. Citing WB Yates, he exposes how dreams are thrown at our feet every day, and we can either pick them up, and support them, or we can do the industrial model of stepping on them.

creative commons

I love the idea of the creative commons, and have in fact had my undergrad senior project from College of the Atlantic "commonly copyrighted" by a younger student who knew the tech ropes. It was a handbook to recycling and composting in local areas, with the hopes of reaching a "zero waste" industrial system. The ins and outs of our current wasteful systems are much the same anywhere you go, so this guide was going to be accessible online. But I still need to scan the guide itself. Maybe someone could help me with that?

Either way, my physical project is creative commons copyrighted, and I did so with the intention of helping educate anyone interested. But now that I've learned about fair use rights, I guess I didn't need to do that. Although I wouldn't be too excited about someone pirating and making bank on my hard-earned creativity.

first tech reflection

Predictions are that by 2049 a $1,000 computer will exceed the computational capabilities of the human race. But will they be able to identify and solve our problems? If current CO2 outputs remain at their current levels, it is estimated that as many as 1 billion people will be displaced due to dramatic atmospheric changes by 2050. These changes will increase droughts in arid areas, and flooding in humid environments. They will increase oceanic acidification and cause current sea levels to rise at a rate that could put New York City under water. So many island communities will be displaced that it will make hurricane Katrina look like an episode of Baywatch.

These are signs of the times – burning hot and running fast. Everything is moving at increasing speeds: technological innovation, population growth, philosophical exploration, understanding of the nature of the universe, depletion of natural resources, natural disasters, etc. As a human race, we will need whatever means possible to equip our students to a rapidly changing, and increasingly unpredictable environment. Technologies will and must keep up with the times if we are to address the myriad challenges ahead of humanity, and teachers need to recognize this simple fact. We need to be creative in our application of technologies and pass this knowledge onto our students.

For those “against technologies”, they must learn to recognize the unlimited ways that they can help us solve problems. I mean, the wheel is technology and it has helped in more ways than I can say. For those of us who believe “technology will solve everything” we need to understand the proximity and nature of the problems in the world, and consider how best to practically apply our know-how.

I see many benefits and pitfalls of a digital dossier, and believe that having one is simply unavoidable (and considering that a student could create some account for me – forget about keeping out of the loop). The "Inter-webs" is proving to be an increasingly user-friendly form of long distance communication, and I am a frequent user. But considering the amount of weirdos and angry parents out there, I see the need to be tentative in posting provocative pictures and controversial opinions that I freely jest with my friends about. After all, they could be seen as serious threats to some wacko, fundamental/terrorist’s way of life.

The nature of the 21st century

The 21st century will be one of massive change and necessary adaptation. Adaptation to new political, economic, and environmental conditions that, in their very nature, are wildly unpredictable and complex. This blog will explore emergent issues of these times, celebrating all of its diversity and challenges.