NYT Middle School Article

This article from the New York Times was debating the need for middle schools and if we break them up if they should stay in elementary school or get moved up to high school. The reason people think middle schools need to be abolished are because of slumps in learning and the crime rates that are evident during this period. The debate is more than just which school they will be placed in. The debate is nurse the children for a few more years or give the children an early push towards adulthood and prepare them for college.

I feel that this is a horrible idea for any child in this age demographic. I feel that middle schoolers need their own school due to the drastic behavioral changes that occur in this time span. I think middle school children experience alot of changes and it would not be beneficial for them to be grouped in either high school or middle school. I feel that the transition into middle school is a step towards maturity and tells the children that they are starting to grow up but also tells them that they aren't grown up quite yet. I feel that the step up will create a lot more harrassment for the middle schoolers, but if held in elementary school the middle schoolers will be more likely to harass younger students. I think that the poor academic performance and the increase in crime at this age is directly linked to the changes that occur along with puberty.

As a teacher I think it would create alot more violence, harrassment, and overall chaos in an already stressful situation at a high school. I think it would not prepare the students better for college, and I think some kids would really hqave a hard time finding their self-identity which would mean they wouldn't perform as well in the classroom. The plus side to this for me as a health teacher is that they would need to open up more health positions and possibly increase the requirements for health.

QR The Irish Whip Podcast

This is a podcast that features a conference call/interview with real life Olympic Gold Medalist and multiple time WWE Champion Kurt Angle. This is a question and answer session with him that talks about his departure from the WWE and several matches that he has had. His answers are shoot answers which means he is not in character when he gives his responses. When a wrestler talks about "the wrestling business" it is also referred to as breaking "kayfabe". Kurt Angle discusses how he plans on protecting himself better in the ring now as opposed to when he was in the WWE. Kurt answers alot of questions about his joinging TNA and how he intends on carrying the company.

QR Speed of Creativity

I actually downloaded the wrong podcast off the wevbsite at first and it was a conversation between three people and there was a quote about work that stated "if you wait until the last minute it only takes a minute". Okay, that wasn't the assignement but i really liked that quote. I liked this lecture on podcasting because she was a beginner as well. I found it amazing that podcasting is the fastest growing technology in history. I also think that podcasting is great because as she stated you can pause it, listen to it when you have time to. It also would be nice if you could give students a podcast to listen to if the go on a field trip while they are on the bus. I agree when she says that a student will apply themselves more when their assignment is going to be broadcast. I would love to have my students make podcasts, and if a kindergarten can make one then I think most freshman in high school are capable. i also like how she instructs them on how to make one but for some reason I still don't know how to make one which is one downfall to not having the visual portion of a lecture.

QR Blogging

So far blogging has been great. I have gotten frustrated with blogging when I couldn't get into my account at first. Also I feel these assignments are for the most part pointless and often times very redundant. I think that blogging in your class as well as Grace's class is totally unneccessary, and is kind of beating the topic into the ground. However, since starting blogging I have found a cure for the Avian Flu, saved 12 rainforests in South America, learned that unicorns do not actually exist, purchased and raised four national champion greyhounds, won $247,000,000.00 at the cockfights in Hong Kong, competed and lost in the World Series of Poker, grew a garden full of mangnolias, purchased a child named Boobla Boobla for a dollar a day from Sally Struthers, and managed to find time to watch re-runs of: Full House, Who's The Boss, and Family Matters. Yes, blogging has had a great impact on my life and has so far made me a fantastic indvidual.

Copyright an Fair Use LR

Okay, #14 is one of the most aggrivating things I have ever heard of. I feel if i go to the story and buy a VHS, DV, or a cd I should be able to do whatever I want to with it. I don't care if if you want to share music let little kids watch it as a form of day care so you don't pull your own hair out, or if you just watch it by yourself. You bought it, it should not be illegal. Let's pretend I bought a DVD, we'll just say its Braveheart. Is it illegal for me to have some cute girl over to watch it? What if we ended up making out and never actually watching the movie but listened to the fight scenes, is that illegal. I mean, it's all entertainment, right?
On Top of this being completely obsurd, Disney will charge me onlt $25 to show it that one time. Let's keep in mind I probably payed $18.88 for the damn thing at Wal-Mart. Again, this is erroneous. I want to show a video to three kids I am babysitting but its going to cost me roughly $43.88 plus tax...erroneous. I hate the majority of copyright restrictions and fair use "laws". I think I should be able to download whatever the hell I want to download or play whatever video I want to (so long as its appropriate). I would think that a musician who "loves to make music" would be happy to see that somebody is actually listening to them.

Copyright and Fair Use QR

Comment on #1: I am glad to see that schools can make copies of the materials however I was kind of mad because it doesn't tell you what "unreasonably priced" material is. This leaves alot of room for error in my opinion

Comment on #2: I really don't see why everybody can't use the same software at the same time. The law is so does not make any sense.

Comment on # 6: I am glad to see we are allowed to "download away" however I'm a little angry that it can't go back up on the web without copyright permission. It's not like we are trying to make money off the stuff.

Comment on #7: I don't really think we should post students work without the permission of the student. If someone did hack into the site then all of a sudden it is not so protected anymore. Plus if the studnet was a musician he would complain that people actaully wanted to listen to his work without paying for the download.

Comment on #9: Do teachers have to pay for the downloads on mP3.com or are they free. i don't see why we can't download anyway

Comment on #11: This one is just funny. I'd like to do that in this class or something similar to it. I also think its a great way to draw the interest of students

Comment on #16: I agree with the author of this site on the fact that I would buy a machine to get rid of technology blocks for students to use...but I would probably use it at home.

Comment on #19: Nobody really wants a DVD yearbook anyway so I guess its not a big deal to me or anybody else. I hate copyright restrictions and Fair use agreements

Net Day Results

1) Am I a digital Native?

I would have to say that I am a partailly a digital native. I think in comparison to older generations I am a digital native but in regards to younger generations would be a digital immigrant.

2) What impact will this have on my teaching?

I think I will try and steer away from the areas that I am unsure about because I feel it is a great way to lose credibility as a teacher. I think children expect a teacher to be really smart and know everything. The reality is we don't know everything, but students don't want to see that. I think if we used technology and looked like a fool it would sacrifice that credibility because as we have discussed this stuff comes natural to them.

3) What are my reactions?

I am not shocked to see that most students prefer IM over e-mail. I was shocked however to see that there are more computer science classes in the k-3 range instead of the 6-8 grade levels. For some reason I was also shocked that only 6% of students felt that cell phones should not be allowed in schools at all. The fact that 70% of students feel that having good technology skills in school is needed to receive good grades tells me that students are expecting technology to be integrated into the classroom. This is somewhat disturbing though when we look at the information we have read about multiple intelligences and different learning styles because some students may not like using technology which could lead to frustration with school work.

QR Chapter 2

Chapter 2
Respect, Liking, Trust, and Fairness

This chapter spoke to me because the “hard-ass” coach that was described was me as a football coach. Players feared practices with me at the beginning of a season because of what older players had told them. They would get there, and be stretching the first day and I would walk to the practice field, and it was really funny because you could see that they knew they were in for an intense season, but they also knew that they would win football games because of it. It really summed it up for me when the student discussed learning the difference in respecting and liking

QR Chapter 1

Chapter 1
Knowing Students Well

This chapter really allowed me to understand just how important it is for you to get to know your students and how to make them feel included without trying to be their “friend”. Everybody likes to talk about their strength or expertise and they feel alienated if you don’t let them should the opportunity arrive. I think it is very vital to make sure you take the time to get to know your students and allow them the chance to connect with the learning they are doing.

QR Introduction

Introduction

I think the part of the introduction that spoke to me the most was the very beginning portion that had all the different inputs of what students what from a teacher. As I said with the Preface this just goes to show that all students want different things and it is expected of you to be able to deliver what each individual student wants. It’s funny because it seems that a lot of students tend to feel like teachers expect a lot from students, but never stop to think that they expect a lot from their teachers

QR Preface

Preface

I really think this book could be helpful to me as a teacher. There are some points that have really gotten me thinking. I love the quotes from the students in the preface, they really opened my eyes and allowed me the chance to see that not all kids want the same things and that they look for different qualities in teachers. We as teachers have the difficult task of exhibiting all of these characteristics, whether we truly have them or not.