Data Shmata

"He who learns but does not think, is lost! He who thinks but does not learning is in great danger". - Confucius

So as teachers in training we can sort of  distinguish between all the different types of media but most don't really recognize the difference between a spreadsheet and a database. And since most don't know the difference, a great learning aid for teaching is being rendered useless. So step one to making the most out of this information is to know the difference. A spreadsheet is a tool used to organize, calculate, and analyze numerical data. While a database isn't the same the functions are pretty similar. A database is an organized collection of data that is used to look up information among other things. Now since you understand the difference you should know why they are so beneficial. Out of all the ways that I could express the main two that come to mind are the understanding of information and the promotion of decision making. Before technology it was a good tool, but now that it has upgraded to the 21st century it's great!  It takes less time and effort to find and sort through  information that would have taken hours before databases and spreadsheets.

As a student I was always taught to think critically and to explore all my options. Using a database or spreadsheet we are able to see the information and come to important deductions that introduce well informed decisions. When teaching the children can better visualize and understand. That by using their critical thinking they can  apply the same skills to the outside world and in their personal lives. For instance, say you want to buy a house or total all of your living expenses month to month. With a spreadsheet you can lay out all the data, analyze. Further understand the implications and the costs of living.

Flipping the script, as a teacher the spreadsheet is extremely handy. They are able to provide contextual learning, promote higher levels of thinking, access student learning opportunities, utilization of teacher performance, make administrative tasks easier. All these and more are just the tip the iceberg and as you look further into this topic you will find so many more. Don't forget about all the tools that we have been given !

Try this tongue twister:
If you understand, say "understand".
If you don't understand, say "don't understand".
But if you understand and say "don't understand".
how do I understand that you understand. Understand!?

Just to make sure you were paying attention. :)

Check it Out!:

Spreadsheets Made Easy

More Spreadsheets

 

21st Century Thinking

"The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability to learn is a skill; the willingness to learn is a choice."
-Brian Herbert

In our current day and age technology is everywhere we look. It has become a means for shopping, entertainment, and most of all education. Since we are entering this new culture, students, now more than ever need to be prepared for the future. In the U.S. the amount of people going into the workforce is decreasing while technological change is rapidly increasing. And due to our current situation countries who are keeping up are filling the need and adding to the competition.

With this said, I believe that it all starts in the classroom. I have experienced many a different teachers and classroom settings in which all were not good experiences. The teachers that received the most negative feedback from me were, in a nutshell, very closed minded and did not teach in a fashion that allowed you to think about information and apply the knowledge to other subjects of learning. It seemed as if the didn't really care so much about incorporating anything other than context. However the teachers that I enjoyed and learning the most from all ways connected information and urged me to see past the context and apply what I learned and put to other areas of learning. This not only allowed me to think differently, but to begin to critically analyze the processed information in my head.

The whole point of learning is to build upon knowledge to understand and move forward and I think that that is exactly what 21st century thinking skills are doing. Because children have grown up in the era of technology they take in information in different ways. Without a change in approach nothing is going to change and we would be teaching a generation that they aren't good enough. Each and every person is different and goes through different circumstances and these differences can lead to different ways in which learning occurs. Albert Einstein said "Everybody is a genius but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." So I am willing to learn and take the time to  learn and understand a new way of teaching. Even if it is technology, tech promotes creativity, innovation, communication, collaboration, research and literacy. As teachers we have a job that ultimately makes a way for generation and paves the future. Invest in learning.


Check it Out!:
Teacher Who is Breaking Boundaries

More Awesomeness

Rita Pierson on Teaching

Newsletter 101

"The more things that you read, the more things you will know, the more things that you learn the more places you will go." Dr. Seuss

As upcoming teacher and educators we need to know how to adapt more than ever to help the upcoming generation to become contextual. To not only look at things and struggles for their outward appearances but to critically think and come up with solutions. We need to move together as a group united with the same vision so that we can head the way to a new definition of learning.

Everyday in the classroom, there are countless ways to explain an idea. Sometimes through a lecture or a power point, sometimes one-on-one or hands on. Or you can use all of them in a project! If you are teaching using a project such as a newsletter you can launch so many 21st century skills. In a newsletter that I recently created I included a large amount of creative elements. The most important skills that I used was visual. By inserting art and adding in pictures I aided the reading along and kept things interesting. Using these skills you can exercise and encourage differentiation based upon the range of different learners. Visually learning exercises the brain and causes knowledge to be connected to previous understanding. This process aids you and your students to start thinking about thinking. Written and spoke words are our primary way to communicate but we must not forget that graphics, music, and cinema are equally as powerful. As for my classroom, I want not only include multimedia but spatial thinking. Thinking that is outside the box and doesn't just let the brain do all the heavy lifting. In my class you also have to step out of the box with your body and mind! Using this type of learning I am constantly appealing to the visual learners, intellectually challenged, and academically gifted. So I encourage you to give it a try!

Think outside the box and see if you can figure it out. Post your answer in the comments below and check out the links.

 Happy Thinking!

Q: A man rides in on Friday, stays two nights three days and then leaves on Friday. How is that possible?

Check it Out!:
Good Mythical Morning- Brain Teasers

Pun and Funny

Carrie Green- Programing for Success