MI Theory and Technology

"Our emotions open and close the doors to our ability to learn new information and perform specific tasks. We are emotional about things for which we have a passion." (Carlson-Pickering, 1999)

If students enjoy the subject they are more likely to do well. Also if a student doesn't like a certain subject but it is being taught in a fun way then they will have a greater chance of doing better.

"Additionally, we are most motivated to learn when we are involved in activities for which we posses some talent."(Carlson-Pickering, 1999) The MI theory supports the relationship between emotions and learning by proving the statement above. If a student is a hands-on learner then they will enjoy and learn better with activities that are hands-on.

"... if you are exposed to new ideas that are presented to you through a minimum of three different intelligences, you will have a better chance of remembering the information." (Carlson-Pickering, 1999)

So teachers should just review the topic for the verbal learners, show a power-point for the visual learner, then give a worksheet for the hands-on learner? No. Teachers just skim the surface when they do that.

"If a teacher weaves together several teaching strategies to present information about one topic, then we can say that his triple coding the educational experience. As an example, let’s take a look at a class learning about simple machines. The teacher may introduce the topic first, by showing a demonstration (using a simple machine) on how a simple machine can perform work. Next, he may introduce new terminology to the class via vocabulary words, reading in the content area, or through similar (verbal) activities. A third method of introducing the topic might include showing the students how to create a mind-map of their chapter on “Simple Machines.” (Carlson-Pickering, 1999)

Above is a perfect example of how to teach to children with multiple intelligences.


My least favorite subject is math and my strongest MI is interpersonal. Interpersonal means I like to work in groups and learn from other people. Using the internet I would be able to get on websites and be showed how to do problems I don't understand.

My Picasso head (above) represents me having a interpersonal MI. The pictures shows me being in the middle of the group with everyone talking.

I believe there are different learning styles and that they can help you.

"...knowledge of one's learning styles can be used to increase self-awareness about their strengths and weaknesses as learners." (Clark, 2012)



Reference List:
Carlson-Pickering, J. (1999). Teachers in technology initiative. Retrieved from http://www.21learn.org/archive/teachers-in-technology-initiative/


Clark, D. (2012, March 6). Learning Styles & Preferences. Retrieved from http://nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/styles.html

Reading and Writing Differently

In the article, Reading and Writing Differently, the educators disagree that digital media and texting has a negative impact on children's abilities to read and write. They argue that new media and texting is just a different way to read and write.

Multiliteracies is the change in communication due to new technologies.

Micah Morris on the Computer by Matthew T. Radar

Benefits of new media and texting include:

• "Building classroom connections with students’ (different) extracurricular reading and writing will prepare them to understand, evaluate, organize and produce multimodal texts. Teachers can and should create these connections." ("Reading and writing," 2008)

• "Students who composed blogs in an American literature class created various identities for themselves. This self-transformation helped them develop new ideas about the books they read as well as new ways of communicating ideas to their classmates." ("Reading and writing," 2008)

 

• "Students’ reading achievement is significantly increased in classrooms—elementary, secondary, and post-secondary— where explicit reading instruction, cooperative learning, and mixed-method approaches (both variation in group size and in media employed) are used." ("Reading and writing," 2008)

This comic strip shows that even though people text in short hand it doesn't mean they will write papers like that. Also by using a comic strip a teacher could have the children of her class address big problems by making them simple with a twist of humor.
"Create activities that allow students to apply literacy skills to real world problems and knowledge building, including opportunities to publish their work to a global audience." ("Reading and writing," 2008)

Reference List:

(2008). Reading and writing differently. National Council of Teachers of English, 15-21. Retrieved from http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Journals/CC/0182-nov08/CC0182Reading.pdf

Wordle!

This Wordle represents my Poll Everywhere answers.

This Wordle represents the "I have a dream" speech by Martin Luther King.

Wordles is a great learning tool in the classroom. What I did in the wordle above is I added the whole speech into the Wordle text cloud. This now shows all the words Martin Luther King kept saying in his speech. In the classroom this could be used to analyze the speech by seeing what words were used. A child who hasn't heard the speech could figure out what the speech was about by looking for the biggest word in the wordle.

A wordle is a fun way to break a long and sometimes confusing speech or document into single words. The uses in the classroom could be endless.

Poll Everywhere

Poll Everywhere is a way teachers can see where a class is as a whole. This allows students to be honest since no one will know what they send. Also on student blogs they could use Poll Everywhere to get people answers from all across the world.


Below is an example of a Poll Everywhere.


Click here to answer on the computer!

Are Digital Media Changing Language?

"Are instant messaging and text messaging killing language? To hear what the popular media say, a handful of OMGs (oh my god) and smiley faces, along with a paucity of capital letters and punctuation marks, might be bringing English to its knees" (Baron, 2009)

I disagree with this statement a 100%. It's a new century! Everything else is changing so why shouldn't the English language change? Texting lingo has been around for years so if it was going to destroy the English language wouldn't it have already? OMG first appears in a 1917 personal letter from Lord Fisher to Winston Churchhill (Allen, 2012). In 2010 LOL, OMG, and the first every symbol, ♥, was added to The Oxford English Dictionary (Lee, 2011). If dictionaries are accepting these abbreviations then why can't we?

This image shows that texting language is everywhere

OMG SRSLY? by Quinn Dombrowski


Real facts about texting:

• Texting helps students read 
• Texting boosts phonology 
• Students know when not to text 
• Texting is a fun way to play with words 
• Textisms have historical roots 
• Texting does not distract students ("Can't texting help,")

Reference List:

Allen, E. (2012, August 7). O.m.g it's so old! phrase loved by today's teenagers was first used 100 years ago in letter to Winston Churchill. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2184777/O-M-G-old-Phrase-loved-todays-teenagers-used-100-years-ago-letter-Winston-Churchill-thought-LOL.html

Lee, A. (2011, March 24). Lol, omg, ♥ added to the Oxford English Dictionary. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/24/lol-omg-oxford-english-dictionary_n_840229.html

Baron, N. S. (2009). Are digital media changing language?.Educational Leadership, 66(6), 42-46. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar09/vol66/num06/Are-Digital-Media-Changing-Language¢.asp
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Can texting help with spelling?. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/can-texting-help-spelling

The Joy of Blogging

I think the three main reasons why teachers should use Blogging as an instructional tool in school are:

1. Students learn to be better writers.

• "When their audience is the whole world, students are motivated to be the best writers they can" (Davis & McGrail, 2009, n.p.).

2. It's a way to get the child's point of view out there.

• "Anni's post provoked thought among several university students who had not thought about the need for water fountains on school grounds. Anni has planted an idea that may carry these conversations to others" (Davis & McGrail, 2009, n.p.).

3. Children get the chance to talk to and get the views of people all around the world.

• "Donna, a teacher in Australia, explained that water fountains are called "bubblers" in Australia and that each school has rows of bubblers outside for student use" (Davis & McGrail, 2009, n.p.).

I chose this picture because it shows how just one blog can connect so many people.
Models of Blogs by Robin Hamman

When children blog they are practicing reading, writing, and spellings skills. While this is not how a lot of us learned, this type of teaching is the new 21st century learning.

Miriam, a young girl, is the prime example of how blogging is an awesome way to learn. Miriam's blog, Miriam's Magical Moments, shows how much time and thought goes into a blog post. She has excellent writing skills. Also each post has a lot of history about the subject she writes about.

Blogging is a fun and new way for students to learn everyday skills. While a lot of us are iffy about the whole blogging thing for learning, I think you should try it before you decide.

Reference list:
Davis, A., & McGrail, E. (2009). The joy of blogging.Educational Leadership, 66(6), Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar09/vol66/num06/The-Joy-of-Blogging.aspx