C&I Ed. Research Project

Web video created and narrated by educational maverick Sir Ken Robinson. In it, he explains, in a student-centered way, why it is crucial for teachers to embrace technology in the classroom.

I think Sir Ken Robinson's ideas about the curriculum were right! One thing he mentioned that stuck out to me was about the divergent thinking being the essential capacity for creativity. He stated that there were several possible answers instead of just one. He used the example of the ways to use a paper cup to support his ideas. He explained how knowledge deteriorates over time when students become "educated". He says that what is considered as copying or cheating is referred to as collaboration in the environment. I think society is constantly changing and some aspects of the curriculum may need to be modified to meet those needs but not completely. I think with the changing curriculum, students and teachers are so overwhelmed by the emphasis placed on standardized testing that it is difficult for learning to occur in a fun, relaxed environment, except in lower grade levels where the students are still excited about learning. I agree with Sir Ken Robinson in saying that we can meet the future by doing the past, when the stakes weren't so high and so many students weren't being medicated, learning could occur in an environment that wasn't divided!

Joshua, I am so glad you posted this video! I think that all educators need to watch this video simply because it is real. Technology should be essential in the classrooms today's simply because it is what the students see and use when they are not in school. Think about how many students have cell phones, Ipad's, Ipods and video games, we should be taking into consideration these things to strengthn education. I agree with Jessica on the divergent thinking--we sometimes forget that no 2 students are the same so their perspectives on learning and life will be totally different. I think a lot of times we do want the "perfect" classroom but the truth of the matter is we have to consider all learning styles. Students learn best from each other and group work is something that Sir Ken made a point in his presentation. In this course we talk a lot with each other SO that we can learn from each other so why not implement this same learning style into the classrooms?

This article outlines different things done in classrooms that could raise issues of copyright and ways ways to address them. The author also addresses the copyright rights of students and how they should be protected.

This article proposes and answers the question of a specific copyright quandary. Today's teachers often use DVDs as teaching aids, yet few of us know how to or even bother with attributing copyright to it. The narrow focus of the article, however, can be taken to heart and expanded to cover related issues.

The article outlines how teachers should present media to class and rules to follow so they don't violate copyright laws when taping shows to show to their students in class. The four factors he outlines for material to be considered fair use includes the purpose for use, the nature of the work, the amount used and the effect on the value of the work. Overall, this article gives a detailed guide of how teachers can keep themselves safe when presenting media to students.

This Article is about the basics of copyright law. Understanding the law will help people not to break them. 

In this article, examples are given from teachers about their experiences with their opinions about copyright and teaching practices. It discusses how copyright laws are provided for educational use. Insight is given to how teachers can misunderstand fair use and how teachers cope. According to the interviews in this study, teachers are not impressed with copyright rules.

Participants in this study included 122 preschool children, which included 57 boys and 65 girls in a head start program. The results indicated that 53% of the participants had a home computer and 83% had children software. There were 29% that played on their home computers daily. An additional 44% of the children played on the computer on a weekly basis. Children that had computer access showed improvement measures in cognitive development in this particular study.

According to this article, regular use of computers has an effect on student performance. In this study, they used 986 fourth graders from 55 classrooms in nine Massachusetts school districts. Most of the students only used computers to write their papers. However, they found that students that used their computers for fun and games had a negative effect on students reading scores. As long as students used the computers for writing purposes this had positive effects on their test scores.

Provides tools to evaluate whether your action constitutes fair use.

This offers information on frequently asked questions dealing with copyright and fair use laws. It breaks down the questions by categories. Videos, software, internet, etc. 

This article gives an overview of K-12 distance education. The article discusses the factors associated with instructional quality and effectiveness.

I found this article interesting because my nephew (who lives with me) is taking a few classes on-line through Texas Tech in order to graduate early. I do think the instructional quality is not as high as an actual teacher and it is not for everyone. A student has to be self-motivated in order for it to work and be effective.

This site addresses the guidelines of Copyright and Fair Use policies. It is interesting because it separates what is allowed to students and what is allowed to teachers. Enjoy!

Stanford University provides an overview of fair use law.

This article talks about the characteristics of pbl, the reasons to use pbl, examples of pbl, and more. It serves a a great framework on how to get started.

I just took on the position of a 7th/8th grade math lab teacher and the person before me spent a lot of time using packets to teach the students material. I very quickly realized that this method only left the material in the students' mind for a day or two. So for the past week i've been trying to figure out exactly how to use methods of instruction like project-based learning. PLB is an amazing method that more teachers should be aware of, the only issue is that there seems to be a lot of planning up front for this to be a success. I've decided though, that if all that time of planning up front would help my students to KNOW mathematics, then it's worth it.

Reading the article and being a 7th grade math teacher I have realized that their are alot of teaching stratgies that could work if we had more time to actually focus on mastery and understanding. Alot of teachers are placed on calenders on what has to be taught. With the Texas curriculum being so data driven it has become hard for us to really use those fun teaching stratigies.

This site monitors the use of copyright claims to silence free speech. There's a generator for responding to complaints that you're violating copyright.

This website provides power point presentations about interactive science notebooks.

I was interested to read this article about interactive notebooks. We do science notebooking in our school. I try to modify it to a lifeskills level. I like the idea of vocabulary briefcase. I also like the comment about teachers should only write in blue or black ink. I think that it is important that the students doesn't think it is being "graded" that way they aren't afraid to share ideas.

My school is a large advocate of interactive notebooks. I like them alot for math it makes students have to show ownership for their notes. From this article I enjoyed reading about the vocabulary brief case. I think I will try to modify that idea for math. :)

This just like all the other articles on Athletic scholarships states what exactly goes on behind the scenes. Even though it is a very short and brief article it does not sugar coat and sale anything to the athletes. It shows what the realities are and what one needs to be aware of. It is better to be informed of the reality than to let your dream live on what you think something is. Knowledge is power, in this case it is also going to alleviate stress and headaches.

Wow! This is another good article. I found the whole website interesting. I actually have a teenager that is about to graduate within the next year. He runs cross-country, and he is pretty good at it. He is top two in his school. We have been discussing colleges and scholarship offers that are available. After reading this article, it really had me thinking about the scholarship offers that are even available for my son. As a business teacher, I enjoy discussing college options for my students as well. This article gave me some helpful information that enlighten my knowledge of divisions and which sports usually get a full-ride. It is important to have a backup plan and not to rely on one school. Students should always have a plan B. Sports are not everything without a good GPA.

The article was a good read. I think working with the coaches and athletes you have to understand it is a business but in the same breath. It also depends on the sport your child is playing. Basketball. Basket, Football are the most grueling sports when it comes traveling and practice times. So, just research the school and what are the practice times if you have a focused student then they can come out with the right degree.

In a research done by Sarah Thuele Lubienski and her husband Christopher, they found that once they controlled for a family's socioeconomic background, students who attended public school actually outperformed private school slightly.

I enjoyed this article! I enjoy the debates of whether public or private schools are better. I like that the writers pointed out that many public schools are doing better than private schools. There are so many factors that come into play when dealing with topics such as these. For instance, parental involvement. There's more than what meets the eye, many people need to see that rather than set their hearts on one type of school that is "correct". Good stuff!

I totally agree with ending of this article and how children do in school.(its truly up to if students like their teachers). What happened to that parental support so that with any teacher a student can be successsful. Every time the debate comes up I really wonder how much control the students have over US teachers.

Electronic Frontier Foundation's FAQ about fair use.