Creativity Exercises

To exercise my right brain I looked at the problem about moving the matches to make four squares with one of the four squares larger than the others. It helped my creativity because I had to keep trying to solve the puzzle by using a different approach each time. The directions were simple, but it took me awhile to get the the answer correct. The exercise for my left brain was the question about the birds and the beasts at the zoo. Once I thought about it, the answer came to me quickly, but you have to get creative by turning the question into an equation. To add a little humor to my life I watched the movie Sydney White, which I had never seen before and it turned out to be very funny. This helped my creativity because it gave me a chance to relax, laugh, and recharge my batteries before attempting more homework. My roommate gave me some inspiration by telling me one of her favorite quotes: "a true friend is someone who knows the song of your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words". This quote can help out a friend when they are feeling sad and need some inspiration. I thought it would potentially help my creativity if I were feeling sad or lonely, but then I can think of all of my friends and family who love me.

How to help someone use a computer

One point on the list that I have to tell myself is that "beginners face a language problem: they can't ask questions because they don't know what the words mean, they can't know what the words mean until they can successfully use the system, and they can't successfully use the system because they can't ask questions". There is a great deal of truth behind this statement and I can relate to it because my generation falls somewhere between the digital natives of today and the digital immigrants of the past. Growing up side by side with technology meant that I was a beginner once too, so I can understand the possible language barrier. This understanding should help me in taking students’ needs into consideration while I am teaching. The important rule to follow was to “never do something for someone that they are capable of doing for themselves”. This is a powerful statement that can be used to not only describe technology education, but many other types of education as well. If we continuously do something for someone else, they are missing out on a huge learning opportunity or a skill that they may need later on in life.

After completing our team presentation, I think we should have addressed the first statement a little more because not everyone was familiar with Google Earth and we should have taken that into consideration.

Agre, P. (1996). How to help someone use a computer. Retrieved February 12, 2008 from http://polaris.gseis.ucla.edu/pagre/how-to-help.html.

Focus the Nation

On Thursday I attended a presentation by Beth Nagusky titled “Global Warming- The Clock is Ticking”. The speakers at this event included Andrea Freed, UMF President Kalikow, and Representative Tom Saviello. From this presentation I learned that the U.S. produces 5.47 billion metric tons of carbon emissions, which is much higher than any other country. I also learned that the U.S. makes up only five percent of the world’s population, but creates twenty-five percent of the world’s carbon emissions. Nagusky also stated that nine of the hottest years on record have occurred in the past ten years.

After attending the Focus the Nation presentation, I believe this information on global warming is extremely important to teach our students. In the subject of health, students will discuss what steps they can take to help the environment. There are so many small things we can all do to reverse the affect of climate change including driving a vehicle that gets 25 miles/gallon or better, using energy efficient appliances, or fixing any drafts around the house. Once students understand the importance of making these small changes, they can pass the information on to their parents who are more capable of making the changes. Global warming is a topic that we will be talking to students about for years to come because it is not going to end overnight.

Web 2.0 Educator

I decided to read the blog of Cool Cat Teacher, Vicki Davis. She has a very positive attitude about using technology in the classroom. In fact in her latest blog posting she recommends to “think possibilities, not limitations!” when it comes to integrating technology in a class. She is also discussing ways of using cell phones and ipods in class, which is such a great idea because students not only have these items, but they are using them all the time.

She uses her fame to help other teachers with their curriculum by posting their questions and comments on her blog. For example, she has a few posts about internet lessons in rural Cambodia where they only have one slow computer for the whole class. Her blog viewers can help out by donating money to the school or offer advice to enhance their technology class. Cool Cat Teacher has great advice for integrating technology into the classroom and is an inspiration to many, as you can tell by her almost 2,000 readers and her full calendar of events.