Finally Finished with Capstone I

I finally finished! If you are interested in reviewing my final product, the link is  My Capstone I Portfolio. I took 15 hours of graduate credit the summer of 2007, and I admit it was challenging, BUT not more challenging than teaching full time and one Capstone class. Praise the Lord I am done!

Collaboration and Technology Vision for Norfolk Christian Schools

Collaborating with colleagues is a very important concept I learned over the years. In the “real” world, I was a member of W. D. Armstrong which was simply a group of companies all selling the same type of products. We all had a gentleman’s agreement not to compete with each other; therefore, we could share openly what was happening and share our opinions freely. Teaching is no different. Our customers are our students. Our goal is to make all students succeed.

Currently I am involved with several local learning communities with my school. As technology department head, I work with other department heads to lead the school in technology usage. Working with the media specialist, I also help share new technology with various departments in the school. Recently we have been asked to share at the HRACS Winter Conference in February 2011.

Being a global learning community member of SMART Board Revolution is new for me and will help further my knowledge of the SMART Board. As I learn more and more of the needs of our local school, I will be able to use this forum further and hopefully one day also be a contributor to the forum as well.

The vision Norfolk Christian has for its students regarding technology is simple; NCS want to prepare students for college. TCC and Liberty University require students to pass a technology course. TCC’s course is entitled ITE115 which we taught as a dual credit course last year. NCS’s vision versus UNESCO’s vision is similar in that we want our students to be challenged. UNESCO also found that people want to pursue careers that they are passionate about and that is one thing I teach clearly in Internet Marketing as students are deciding upon a business to create.

Another avenue NCS is pursuing is teaching online classes. Our principal is requiring NCS students to complete an online course in the very near future as a graduation requirement. Hopefully I will be able to teach ITE115 this summer as an online class.

Well, Capstone I is finally coming to a close and Thanksgiving break is upon us. Hope you have a wonderful break!

Works Cited

"UNESCO INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY & ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION NEWSLETTER VOL. XXXI, No. 1-2, 2006." UNESCO’s Role, Vision and Challenges for the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014). UNESCO. Web. 24 Nov. 2010. <http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001469/146976e.pdf>.

Park the Computers, Exercise Outside, and Engage in Active Conversation and Watch the Grades Go Up

Dr. Myers in his article entitled Entertainment-Soaked Culture Damages Kids’ Brains; Here’s the Antidote explained how Christian young men averaged 33.25 hours per week watching videos, playing games etc. while Christian young women averaged 27 hours per week. His research was conducted in 2003 so you would assume that the time spent in front of a computer screen is even more now seven years later. He continued by explaining how the brain works.

“Take a look at this picture of the human brain. The frontal lobe, shaded in purple, is the executive center. This part of the brain lights up when you come up with a plan and execute on it. In the center, in red, is the nucleus accumbens - a collection of neurons that forms the brain's pleasure center. When a person experiences pleasure, this part of the brain displays stimulation.” God created our brain to allow the cortex prefrontal, purple section, to be stimulated when work and accomplishments are completed. However, the pleasure center of the brain is bypassing the executive center and allowing stimulation without accomplishments. Hence, the once “work brings satisfaction, and the desire for life satisfaction motivates people to work” is no longer.

           

            To continue, Mr. Lax in his book, Boys Adrift, found that video games are shutting down the blood flow in the brain’s executive center in boys 7 – 14 years old. These same boys are receiving gratification while accomplishing nothing in return. Could this be the reason for lower grades and less social relationships? Mr. Lax would say yes. One study used the following to contradict the above mentioned outcomes. First a series of steps was followed as mentioned below:

• Take out TVs, Ipods, video game consoles, and computers from your kids' bedrooms.
• Allow no more than 30 minutes of video gaming per week.
• Set a bedtime of 9pm on weeknights, 10pm on weekends.
• Provide three nutritious meals a day (note that the headmaster had to define "nutritious" for the parents).
• Plan for one hour of playing outside every day, and three hours on the weekend days.

Secondly, engage in active conversation with your students. We are reminded by Paul Stanley that in the three years Jesus walked from place to place and asked over 288 questions to his disciples as displayed in the gospels.

Works Cited

Myers, Jeff. "Entertainment-Soaked Culture Damages Kids’ Brains; Here’s the Antidote." 16 Nov. 2010. Web. 21 Nov. 2010.

Problem Solving 101

Is it possible to train today’s students to become intrinsic learners? One professor at Regent University, Dr. Lou, simply says NO. But are we as educators able to create problem solvers? Hopefully the answer to that statement is yes. Being a career switcher, I know how important it is to train our students to go beyond the “I’m stuck” mentality. Employers want employees who are able to find the answer. Employers today do not have the time to explain everything in complete detail. Many times in web design I will tell my students to Google it. I also train my students in how to use F1 in the various applications we are using to find help when they get stuck. Do they get frustrated with me at times? Well, yes, but I know they will be thankful one day. And the look on their face when they finally figure out how to do the unknown is priceless. Amy Cavender in her article, Encouraging Students’ Digital Problem-Solving Skills, agrees that we need to allow students to problem solve. She continues, “Too many students, too often, will stop as soon as they get stuck.” I try to encourage them to continue by simply asking what are they going to do when they get to the SAT and get stuck. Do they stop the test and ask for an answer? No, they have to persevere. Life is hard at times and we need to strive onward. In middle school our job is to train our students to be successful in high school. In high school our job is to train them to be successful in either the “real world” or college.

In closing, let’s all strive to take our students to the next level of thinking. How do you do this very thing in your classroom? Please share your successes and failures. As mentioned in the Great Lakes Technology Camp, lets train our “net generation” to go beyond “button pushing.”

Works Cited

Cavender, By Amy. "Encouraging Students' Digital Problem-Solving Skills - ProfHacker - The Chronicle of Higher Education." Home - The Chronicle of Higher Education. Web. 15 Nov. 2010. <http://chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/encouraging-students-digital-problem-solving-skills/24372>.

"Instructional Strategies for Teaching Technology That Go beyond “button Pushing.” - Great Lakes THAT Camp." Great Lakes THAT Camp - The Humanities & Technology Camp. Web. 15 Nov. 2010. <http://www.greatlakesthatcamp.org/2010/03/instructional-strategies-for-teaching-technology-that-go-beyond-button-pushing/>.

Are Student's Brains Really Different

As teachers of today’s students, we need to try hard to stay ahead of the technology curve. Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis conducted brain scan research which proved children’s brains are different than adults. The study involved over 200 participants aging from 7 to 31. The study showed, “children were much more likely to have connections between brain regions close together while older subjects were more likely to feature links between parts of the brain that are physically farther apart.” How are we as teachers going to meet the needs of these students? Studies also show that students are spending 6.5 hours outside of school using some sort of media. If we do not catch their attention, they will multi-task right on to something else which of course they feel is equally important. So let’s engage these students, share are resources, and work together to create the next generation of continuous learners.

Works Cited

"Wired Up: Tuned out | Scholastic.com." Teaching Resources, Children's Book Recommendations, and Student Activities | Scholastic.com. Web. 08 Nov. 2010. http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3752302.