This discussion on pseudonyms was a very good one with solid points on both sides. Because of this I think that this has to be done on a case to case basis. For kids in elementary and middle school I don't think that students need to be using their full names. Part of the reason is for safety, however, to what extent is that truly effective can be debated. The main reason I think that I would vote this way is that these kids are still developing and they don't need to start something for the world to see that can later be criticized. When they are older and start producing quality work that they can be proud of and can be confidentially shown to a prospective employer, then that is when a real name should be used.
That brings us to these cases, primarily to those in high school. Students in high school can produce very quality piece of work. They should be able to take credit for them. That is why I think in some cases high schoolers should sign with their name. However, some students won't want to use their name throughout all of high school maybe because they are not ready. That is fine. Give them a pseudonym and let them enjoy posting work free of fear and judgement. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Mark Twain, signing off.
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Monday, March 18, 2013
The Creation of Learning
The Department of Education has begun to investigate how advances in computer science might affect education. They have worked thoroughly to improve how information gets passed to the classroom. They want to see innovators of techniques work closely with practitioners to advance a test of a practice. They argued that school don't need thoroughly tested methods with certain techniques. That requires too much time. We can move forward and begin to test these ideas and get them into classrooms faster.
Next they began to talk about cloud technology and how this can quickly improve data collection for researchers. This will greatly quicken the rate that new ideas and practices can be used for technological development in the classroom. The last thing that was discussed in the article was how to use web 2.0 to better analyze data and how to evaluated tools. This will allow thousands of students to access these tools to evaluate their effectiveness.
Strawn, Clare (March 4, 2013) Research Windows: Forward Thinking from Washington, DC. http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-leading/l-l-march-april-2013/research-windows-forward-thinking-from-washington-dc
Next they began to talk about cloud technology and how this can quickly improve data collection for researchers. This will greatly quicken the rate that new ideas and practices can be used for technological development in the classroom. The last thing that was discussed in the article was how to use web 2.0 to better analyze data and how to evaluated tools. This will allow thousands of students to access these tools to evaluate their effectiveness.
Strawn, Clare (March 4, 2013) Research Windows: Forward Thinking from Washington, DC. http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-leading/l-l-march-april-2013/research-windows-forward-thinking-from-washington-dc
Monday, March 11, 2013
Friday, March 1, 2013
Computational Thought for the Whole Family
This article made the claim that computational analysis is not only for the computer science minded. They described computational thinking (CT) as “solving problems, designing systems, and understanding human behavior by drawing on the concepts fundamental to computer science.” By using this definition we can use computational thinking in virtually any field.
One of the key aspect of CT is being able to break down problems to be solvable tasks for a computer and using computers to analyze and represent data in a desired fashion. Computers are a great tool and will only continue to encompass our society. Students need to be familiar to using these skills to be able to solve tomorrow's problems when we are all looking for answers. Several case studies in the article show how CT can be used to analyze problems in the classroom. A number of 7th grade students used CT to write an algorithm to show the fastest way out of the school in the event of an emergency. Then a class of 5th grades are working on a project to include a virtual xylophone helping them understand the concept of pitch in a music class. There are a multitude of areas where this is applicable and can be beneficial to the student.
Since the essence of CT is problem solving there are possibilities galore for its application. Whether we are involved in a hard science and we are trying to calculate the speed of an electron through a field or if we are in a US history class and we are trying to track battle movements through the Civil War, there are and will always be problems to solve. This is why computational thinking is here and will continue to be a useful tool for this generation and the next.
One of the key aspect of CT is being able to break down problems to be solvable tasks for a computer and using computers to analyze and represent data in a desired fashion. Computers are a great tool and will only continue to encompass our society. Students need to be familiar to using these skills to be able to solve tomorrow's problems when we are all looking for answers. Several case studies in the article show how CT can be used to analyze problems in the classroom. A number of 7th grade students used CT to write an algorithm to show the fastest way out of the school in the event of an emergency. Then a class of 5th grades are working on a project to include a virtual xylophone helping them understand the concept of pitch in a music class. There are a multitude of areas where this is applicable and can be beneficial to the student.
Since the essence of CT is problem solving there are possibilities galore for its application. Whether we are involved in a hard science and we are trying to calculate the speed of an electron through a field or if we are in a US history class and we are trying to track battle movements through the Civil War, there are and will always be problems to solve. This is why computational thinking is here and will continue to be a useful tool for this generation and the next.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)