Research Paper

Here is a research paper I just finished for a master's class called "Cognition & Technology." The title of the paper is Student-Created Online Materials to Engage and Challenge Younger Students. You can read it if interested.

I'm finished with my first of 5 summers of master's classes! Yahoo!! It was very informational and stimulating, but I'm excited to be done with homework and prepare for another great school year.

Google Earth Virtual Field Trip

Here is the first virtual field trip I have made with Google Earth.
Instructions on how to view:

1. Click on "Here" above, then download the .kmz file from the ge.tt site.
2. Make sure you have downloaded and installed Google Earth before opening the downloaded .kmz file.
3. When you open the file and successfully start the program, make sure to close the tips that pop up, then click on the little triangle to the left of "Geography Trip" folder on the far left side of the program's window. 
4. Double click on "UCAES!" to read the directions and start your adventure!

This virtual field trip will introduce my students to the basic geography of the earth as well as the potential of the Google Earth application. Specifically, it will familiarize them with terms like hemispheres, equator, latitude, longitude and prime meridian. They will also learn some interesting facts about each of 7 continents including where they are located and something they are well known for. They will learn unique tools in Google Earth, such as weather, historical imagery, and ruler.

Aside from the above learning outcomes, my students (or anyone who views this) will develop a broader view of our world, which will help them not take their home for granted (especially when compared with Antarctica's weather). This virtual field trip will help students learn to appreciate the unique highlights found on each of the continents, and hopefully interest them in finding out more about a specific continent and/or country. Plus, just using Google Earth is fun and engaging. You can't help but move the world around, playing with it like ball. I'm sure students will 'accidentally' come across things around the world that will fascinate them and distract them from the tasks just because the scenery is so amazing in the app. Hopefully they will see how our earth is similar in its geographical features, and be inspired to keep it beautiful and inhabitable.

By learning about our continents and interacting with Google Earth, my students will develop their respectful mind. They will understand the world and their place in it better. They will value the variety of scenery, history and culture around the globe and acknowledge how different theirs is from others. They will also develop their ethical mind by seeing their place in the world, and that even though they only take up a small space, they are responsible for doing their best to preserve and improve that space. Hopefully they will discover this by thinking about how everyone in the world, with that same healthy mindset, will help maintain a wonderful, beautiful place to live.

Developing the 5 Minds for the Future in My Students

Respectful & Ethical Mind Project

"Today’s students face a future where boundaries are abstract and global learning is critical. Tomorrow’s citizens must be global communicators, must be able to participate successfully in project-based activities, and must have collaborative skills" (2007, Reed).

In Howard Gardner's book, Five Minds for the Future (2006), he recommends 5 ways of living and thinking to be successful and productive in our 21st century globalized world. This post will discuss a classroom project that can be used to develop 2 of Gardner's proposed minds - the respectful and ethical minds.

Gardner defines a respectful person as one who "accepts the differences of others, learns to live [and/or work] with them, and value those who belong to other [groups]" (2006, p.107). By and large, my students do this pretty well, but it is easy to form a special or exclusive group because it provides them with some friendship security. As a teacher and Christian, it is always my goal to teach my students to follow the golden rule, found in Matthew 7:12, "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets" (2011, NIV Bible). I think that describes a respectful person just as well as Gardner's. I always want my students to be inclusive of others, value everyone's unique contributions to life, and as Gardner recommends, "search for common ground" (2006, p. 125).

For Gardner, an ethical person is one who "is responsible - meaning they take into account the implications of their actions for the wider community that is affected by them, they have a set of principles and values which they themselves abide by no matter what, and ultimately embrace the virtues of truthfulness, integrity, loyalty and fairness" (2006, p.128, 136). As a Christian who believes in a loving Creator God that sees and knows everything, my ethics stem from what the Apostle Paul says in Colossians 3:23,24 - "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving" (2011, NIV Bible).

So, to help develop these two minds in my students, I need to model them as best I can as an example to them. If I cut corners here and there, there's no way I can expect my students to be respectful and ethical.

One project I could do in the classroom would be to have my students do a "Flat Classroom Digitween Project." This is a great way to not only connect my students with other students around the globe, but to have them collaborate on a specific task! In other words, students will do individual and collective research for a humanitarian purpose. They will listen to and value one another's work, they will learn to be responsible digital citizens and learners, and they will work toward the betterment of humanity! In the process they will learn how to use great collaborative tools such as Edmodo and Wikispaces. I hope to try it soon.


References

Gardner, H. (2006). Five Minds for the Future. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.

Holy Bible, New International Version. (2011) Biblica, Inc.

Reed, J. (2007, September 28). Global Collaboration and Learning. EdTech Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2007/09/global-collaboration-and-learning