I've really enjoyed being in this class with everyone. I wish everyone the best and pray that you all fulfill your goals and dreams. I learned so much! I hope that everyone else learned a lot as well and enjoyed this class as much as I did.
May God bless you and keep you and yours safe. Have a wonderful, happy summer.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
What I've Learned in EDM 310
I have learned so much in this class! I had never used Power Point or Excel in my life. I'd never even heard of a podcast! Now I know how to use these technologies and can't wait to make use of them when I begin teaching.
This class has far exceeded my expectations. I expected it to be tough, really tough. It wasn't challenging in that it was difficult, it challenged me to keep on top of the latest technologies. I'm convinced that if I don't keep up, my students will leave me in the dust.
Use of technology in the classroom today is simply essential. And it's exciting! I can't wait to get out there and make use of what I've learned!
This class has far exceeded my expectations. I expected it to be tough, really tough. It wasn't challenging in that it was difficult, it challenged me to keep on top of the latest technologies. I'm convinced that if I don't keep up, my students will leave me in the dust.
Use of technology in the classroom today is simply essential. And it's exciting! I can't wait to get out there and make use of what I've learned!
ACCESS Lab Tour
I chose to tour the ACCESS lab at Fairhope High School. Mr. Williamson, one of the vice principals of the school gave me the tour on Wednesday, April 22, 2009. The ACCESS lab at Fairhope High School is set up to serve 40 students with a laptop for each student. A white board is set up at the front of the classroom along with a projector. There are also two flatscreen televisions, one at the front of the classroom and one at the back.
One of Fairhope High School's teachers, Ms. O'Neill, is now in Northern Anartica. She will be studying a species of fish that can survive in sub-zero waters. She will be in contact with her students at Fairhope High School via the ACCESS lab. For information you can log onto Fairhope High School's website at http://www.fairhopehs.com/.
ACCESS stands for Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators and Students Statewide. It provides students with access to classes that are not offered at their school via the internet, videoconferencing and other technologies. It is a wonderful program that helps educators provide students with equal opportunities for learning.
ACCESS still has hurdles. The main hurdle is cost. The systems and equipment are expensive. Many schools just simply can't afford them. Also, ACCESS is now only available to high school students. I'm hoping in the future it will be available to all students.
Electronic Contact
Jamison, Kelli, Andrew, Abigail
and baby Maddie
My electronic contact is my cousin, Jamison Creel. Jamison is thirty-five. He's a pastor at the Mount of Olives Church of God and director of the Jerusalem Urban Discipleship Center in Jerusalem, Israel. Jamison teaches History, English, Social Studies and whatever else is needed at Jerusalem School. He lives on the Mount of Olives with his wife, Kelli and their four children.
Jamison's blog, Life and Ministry on the Mount of Olives, can be reached at http://abushakra.blogspot.com/. The following are a few of his posts from that blog:
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Teaching
My wife Kelli and I are both certified school teachers. She's an elementary teacher and I am certified in high school social studies. Because of this we have always used education as a gateway into the community here. We teach English, History, Religion, or whatever as a service to the people here. My ministry, here in Jerusalem, has always revolved around students and schools. We now have a team of interns here at the church and so I, naturally, have them doing a lot of work in local schools. Mondays and Wednesdays are our long days. On Mondays and Wednesdays we leave the house at seven and drive an hour to a little West Bank village called Aboud. Aboud is one of the few remaining villages here that is largely Christian. The Church of God has a school there. (I detailed their struggles in a previous post.) We are there for three hours, from 8-11, teaching English. We leave there and go to Jerusalem school where we teach Bible classes and aid teachers for three more hours. When that is over, I send the interns to Ramallah to teach another English class, this time to University students. I stay in Jerusalem and coach basketball. The Ramallah classes end at six and the interns get home a seven, just in time on Wednesday for Bible study.
It sounds, from reading this, like I'm a slave driver. And, honestly running full-speed from seven to seven can be taxing, but it's worth it because we encounter a different segment of the population at each stop. In the village, we are trying to be a blessing to village dwelling Christian Arabs. At Jerusalem School, we are working with secularized, Westernized, wealthy Arabs. And, at Ramallah we are working with a more "normal" segment of the population. I guess you would call them city Muslims. Educationally, I think that it's important to understand that the Arab world is not homogeneous. There are great variations between different regions and people groups. My students are exposed to this by interacting with some of the different segments of the society. I also think that it's important for ministry. By getting to know all of these different people, we get a chance to be witnesses to them. All of this work is paying off. Thursday night, we had about thirty people here for our youth night. The vast majority of them were kids we know from Jerusalem school. I would ask you to pray for us on Mondays and Wednesdays. They are long hard days, but they are also when we do most of our relationship building. Pray that God will put the right people in front of us and that He will gives us the right words to say to them. We don't want to work just to do something. We want to impact the land and society here for the Kingdom of God.
********
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Learning the Land: Caesarea
Now that we have students here at the discipleship center, part of what we are doing with them is teaching them the land of Israel and how it relates to their Bibles. This past Friday, we took them to the Mediterranean coast to see Ceasarea. I was a history teacher before I became a pastor and the historian in me gets excited to go to the places where important events happened.
Caesarea was Herod's capitol city. He built it in Greco-Roman style with aqueducts, bath houses, and theatres. The city, which has a very limited natural supply of fresh water, was made possible by Roman engineering. They built an aqueduct that brought water from Mt. Carmel, over 70 miles away.
The Romans also invented hydraulic concrete, concrete that hardens under water. Herod made extensive use of this substance in Caesarea. He built two giant piers that extend out into the ocean and create an artificial harbor to facilitate shipping. He also built a palace that extended out into the ocean. One of its many luxuries was a swimming pool that was bordered by the sea on three sides. Herod built his palace extending into the sea because it was beautiful, but also because he was paranoid. He kept a boat docked at the end of the palace at all times. The boat was there so that he could escape if he needed to.
The palace was later taken over by the Roman governors. I wondered as I walked there Friday, just where Paul stood before Felix and Festus. The Bible says that Paul was sent for, so probably somewhere in the palace. It's pretty cool to walk around thinking "maybe Paul stood here" and trying to imagine the scene.
Caesarea is also important in recent Biblical archeology. For years, critics of the Bible complained that there was no extra-Biblical source naming Pontius Pilate. They pointed out that the Romans were great record keepers and that there should be some document somewhere with his name on it. They used the absence of such a document as evidence against the Bible.
When Israeli archaeologists began to excavate Caesarea they made an interesting find. The found a cornerstone for one of the buildings there. The cornerstone had an inscription. In Latin it said roughly, " built under Pontius Pilate, Prefect of Judea." It's funny how the truth defends itself.
As the weeks go by, and as we visit more of the country's sites, I'll keep you posted on what we see and learn.
********
Abu Shakra???
Several years ago I was volunteering at a local Christian missions school that ministers to Arabs. I was teaching religion and history to high-schoolers. The girls in my tenth grade history class decided that Mr. Jamison was too much to say and not sufficiently descriptive. They started calling me Abu Shakra. It means "father of the blond". The name stuck and for quite some time I answered to it. I don't get called that as much as I used to, but I think that it is pretty representative of my life here. First of all it was given to me and used by the Jerusalem students that I love so much. Secondly, it symbolizes a life lived in a place where every single person who sees you immediately knows that you are a foreigner. And lastly, it's exactly where I am now. I am currently the father of four beautiful blond children.
and baby Maddie
My electronic contact is my cousin, Jamison Creel. Jamison is thirty-five. He's a pastor at the Mount of Olives Church of God and director of the Jerusalem Urban Discipleship Center in Jerusalem, Israel. Jamison teaches History, English, Social Studies and whatever else is needed at Jerusalem School. He lives on the Mount of Olives with his wife, Kelli and their four children.
Jamison's blog, Life and Ministry on the Mount of Olives, can be reached at http://abushakra.blogspot.com/. The following are a few of his posts from that blog:
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Teaching
My wife Kelli and I are both certified school teachers. She's an elementary teacher and I am certified in high school social studies. Because of this we have always used education as a gateway into the community here. We teach English, History, Religion, or whatever as a service to the people here. My ministry, here in Jerusalem, has always revolved around students and schools. We now have a team of interns here at the church and so I, naturally, have them doing a lot of work in local schools. Mondays and Wednesdays are our long days. On Mondays and Wednesdays we leave the house at seven and drive an hour to a little West Bank village called Aboud. Aboud is one of the few remaining villages here that is largely Christian. The Church of God has a school there. (I detailed their struggles in a previous post.) We are there for three hours, from 8-11, teaching English. We leave there and go to Jerusalem school where we teach Bible classes and aid teachers for three more hours. When that is over, I send the interns to Ramallah to teach another English class, this time to University students. I stay in Jerusalem and coach basketball. The Ramallah classes end at six and the interns get home a seven, just in time on Wednesday for Bible study.
It sounds, from reading this, like I'm a slave driver. And, honestly running full-speed from seven to seven can be taxing, but it's worth it because we encounter a different segment of the population at each stop. In the village, we are trying to be a blessing to village dwelling Christian Arabs. At Jerusalem School, we are working with secularized, Westernized, wealthy Arabs. And, at Ramallah we are working with a more "normal" segment of the population. I guess you would call them city Muslims. Educationally, I think that it's important to understand that the Arab world is not homogeneous. There are great variations between different regions and people groups. My students are exposed to this by interacting with some of the different segments of the society. I also think that it's important for ministry. By getting to know all of these different people, we get a chance to be witnesses to them. All of this work is paying off. Thursday night, we had about thirty people here for our youth night. The vast majority of them were kids we know from Jerusalem school. I would ask you to pray for us on Mondays and Wednesdays. They are long hard days, but they are also when we do most of our relationship building. Pray that God will put the right people in front of us and that He will gives us the right words to say to them. We don't want to work just to do something. We want to impact the land and society here for the Kingdom of God.
********
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Learning the Land: Caesarea
Now that we have students here at the discipleship center, part of what we are doing with them is teaching them the land of Israel and how it relates to their Bibles. This past Friday, we took them to the Mediterranean coast to see Ceasarea. I was a history teacher before I became a pastor and the historian in me gets excited to go to the places where important events happened.
Caesarea was Herod's capitol city. He built it in Greco-Roman style with aqueducts, bath houses, and theatres. The city, which has a very limited natural supply of fresh water, was made possible by Roman engineering. They built an aqueduct that brought water from Mt. Carmel, over 70 miles away.
The Romans also invented hydraulic concrete, concrete that hardens under water. Herod made extensive use of this substance in Caesarea. He built two giant piers that extend out into the ocean and create an artificial harbor to facilitate shipping. He also built a palace that extended out into the ocean. One of its many luxuries was a swimming pool that was bordered by the sea on three sides. Herod built his palace extending into the sea because it was beautiful, but also because he was paranoid. He kept a boat docked at the end of the palace at all times. The boat was there so that he could escape if he needed to.
The palace was later taken over by the Roman governors. I wondered as I walked there Friday, just where Paul stood before Felix and Festus. The Bible says that Paul was sent for, so probably somewhere in the palace. It's pretty cool to walk around thinking "maybe Paul stood here" and trying to imagine the scene.
Caesarea is also important in recent Biblical archeology. For years, critics of the Bible complained that there was no extra-Biblical source naming Pontius Pilate. They pointed out that the Romans were great record keepers and that there should be some document somewhere with his name on it. They used the absence of such a document as evidence against the Bible.
When Israeli archaeologists began to excavate Caesarea they made an interesting find. The found a cornerstone for one of the buildings there. The cornerstone had an inscription. In Latin it said roughly, " built under Pontius Pilate, Prefect of Judea." It's funny how the truth defends itself.
As the weeks go by, and as we visit more of the country's sites, I'll keep you posted on what we see and learn.
********
Abu Shakra???
Several years ago I was volunteering at a local Christian missions school that ministers to Arabs. I was teaching religion and history to high-schoolers. The girls in my tenth grade history class decided that Mr. Jamison was too much to say and not sufficiently descriptive. They started calling me Abu Shakra. It means "father of the blond". The name stuck and for quite some time I answered to it. I don't get called that as much as I used to, but I think that it is pretty representative of my life here. First of all it was given to me and used by the Jerusalem students that I love so much. Secondly, it symbolizes a life lived in a place where every single person who sees you immediately knows that you are a foreigner. And lastly, it's exactly where I am now. I am currently the father of four beautiful blond children.
********
Jamison's passions are God, his family, his students, and the people of Israel. He truly puts himself out there for them. Israel is a dangerous place to live these days. My family and I do not watch any news segments about Israel or read anything in the newspapers about Israel because we worry enough about Jamison, Kelli and their four young children (all under the age of six) as it is. Jamison rarely tells us any bad news because he doesn't want to frighten us with what they must face living in a war torn country. They choose to stay there and face the dangers because of their love and devotion to the people.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Week 15 Blog
The first podcast I listened to was "The Edible Schoolyard." It was recorded by some students at Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School in Berkley California. The teachers used a garden to teach the students about science and life skills. The students would work in the garden daily and were eventually able to harvest their crop and cook what they had grown. They learned about photosynthesis, the life cycles of the plants and water cycles.
The second podcast I listened to was "A Night in the Global Village." This was my favorite of the two podcasts. Students and their teachers from the Rocky Mountain School of Expenditionary Learning in Perryville, Arkansas went to the Heifer Ranch. The Global Gateway Program had set up different 'areas' at the ranch resembling different parts of the world - Thailand, Zambia and other countries - affected by poverty and hunger. The teachers and students were assigned and taken to an area and 'left there', overnight, with very little resources or supplies. They got a taste of what it was like to live as the people in those countries for just a few hours.
Both podcasts depicted hands-on learning. In the first podcast, the students got to enjoy the fruits of their labors. In the second podcast, the students - and teachers - had to learn to maximize the use of their limited resources. They also experienced something that will impact them for the rest of their lives.
I'll never forget my second trip to the Bahamas. I'd gone the first time when I was five and all I can remember was swimming and playing with the Bahamian kids. I think my grandfather didn't show me the hidden side of the Bahamas because I was little. I was fifteen when I went back. The beauty of the island and the towering hotels was still just as beautiful as I remembered. But then I was shown what was behind all of that... the slums, people struggling to put food on the tables. It really opened my eyes to the fact that things are not always what they appear to be. I once teased my grandfather about being a missionary to the Bahamas. I never teased him again after that trip. I got a major shock of reality.
The second podcast I listened to was "A Night in the Global Village." This was my favorite of the two podcasts. Students and their teachers from the Rocky Mountain School of Expenditionary Learning in Perryville, Arkansas went to the Heifer Ranch. The Global Gateway Program had set up different 'areas' at the ranch resembling different parts of the world - Thailand, Zambia and other countries - affected by poverty and hunger. The teachers and students were assigned and taken to an area and 'left there', overnight, with very little resources or supplies. They got a taste of what it was like to live as the people in those countries for just a few hours.
Both podcasts depicted hands-on learning. In the first podcast, the students got to enjoy the fruits of their labors. In the second podcast, the students - and teachers - had to learn to maximize the use of their limited resources. They also experienced something that will impact them for the rest of their lives.
I'll never forget my second trip to the Bahamas. I'd gone the first time when I was five and all I can remember was swimming and playing with the Bahamian kids. I think my grandfather didn't show me the hidden side of the Bahamas because I was little. I was fifteen when I went back. The beauty of the island and the towering hotels was still just as beautiful as I remembered. But then I was shown what was behind all of that... the slums, people struggling to put food on the tables. It really opened my eyes to the fact that things are not always what they appear to be. I once teased my grandfather about being a missionary to the Bahamas. I never teased him again after that trip. I got a major shock of reality.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Week 14 Blog
I chose to read all of Joyce Fisk's blogs. She and I seem to have the same philosophy in our approach to teaching; and she is a stay-at-home mom, like me.
Technology is growing at such a rapid pace today. I can imagine the frustration that technology coordinators can have with 'those' teachers (as Joyce put it) that do not use technology in their classrooms. Their students suffer for it, in my opinion. Technology is essential and to not use it can make your class boring, very boring indeed. Students learn when their schoolwork and classes are exciting, informative, and interesting. Like Joyce, I am also eager to learn about new technologies and use them in my classroom.
There are many pros about blogs. I agree with Joyce. Having a class blog would hold your students to a whole new level of accountability. However, what about your students that do not have the internet? This is one of the cons. Some people have very limited access to the internet. Some students only have access at school. Another pro is that your students and parents would have easy access to information through your blog. No more asking "Do you have any homework today?" or "What are you doing at school? What are you learning?". You can just log on and go to your child's classroom blog and see for yourself.
Technology is growing at such a rapid pace today. I can imagine the frustration that technology coordinators can have with 'those' teachers (as Joyce put it) that do not use technology in their classrooms. Their students suffer for it, in my opinion. Technology is essential and to not use it can make your class boring, very boring indeed. Students learn when their schoolwork and classes are exciting, informative, and interesting. Like Joyce, I am also eager to learn about new technologies and use them in my classroom.
There are many pros about blogs. I agree with Joyce. Having a class blog would hold your students to a whole new level of accountability. However, what about your students that do not have the internet? This is one of the cons. Some people have very limited access to the internet. Some students only have access at school. Another pro is that your students and parents would have easy access to information through your blog. No more asking "Do you have any homework today?" or "What are you doing at school? What are you learning?". You can just log on and go to your child's classroom blog and see for yourself.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Week 13 Blog
EDM 310 Podcasts
The first podcast I listened to was the one I did with Lynda Rigsby: "What I Learned from the 'The Last Lecture of Randy Pausch'". In this podcast, we discussed Randy's Last Lecture and the impact it had on our lives. We discussed his life's philosophies, his teaching techniques and his life experiences.
I felt that our podcast went pretty well. I do wish that Lynda and I had met and gone over our podcast more outside of class, but that's life. We had both gone over our individual parts over and over, so our podcast went a lot more smoothly and lasted longer than I expected.
The second podcast I listened to was "Pick of the Day: Useful Internet Sites for Elementary Teachers" hosted by Briana Browder, Andrea Richards, and Kristen Younce. They discussed four different websites that they felt were very useful for elementary school teachers. ACCESS, Starfall, Scholastic, and Funbrain.
I really liked this podcast. It was informative and "flowed" well. You could tell they had gone over their podcast together, were prepared and knew their material.
The third podcast I listened to was "Can Facebook Be Used As An Educational Tool?" hosted by Samantha Mason, Kandis Dyess and Jessica Kiser. Their podcast was also good. It did have some pauses and you could tell they were reading. It didn't flow as well as the second podcast I listened to, but they knew their material and the podcast was informative.
The fourth podcast I listened to was "Pick of the Day: Source Materials for High School Teachers on the World Wide Web. " hosted by Anne Gardner and Kimberly Hinojosa. Their podcast wasn't as 'scripty' to me as the others and you could tell they really knew their material.
The first podcast I listened to was the one I did with Lynda Rigsby: "What I Learned from the 'The Last Lecture of Randy Pausch'". In this podcast, we discussed Randy's Last Lecture and the impact it had on our lives. We discussed his life's philosophies, his teaching techniques and his life experiences.
I felt that our podcast went pretty well. I do wish that Lynda and I had met and gone over our podcast more outside of class, but that's life. We had both gone over our individual parts over and over, so our podcast went a lot more smoothly and lasted longer than I expected.
The second podcast I listened to was "Pick of the Day: Useful Internet Sites for Elementary Teachers" hosted by Briana Browder, Andrea Richards, and Kristen Younce. They discussed four different websites that they felt were very useful for elementary school teachers. ACCESS, Starfall, Scholastic, and Funbrain.
I really liked this podcast. It was informative and "flowed" well. You could tell they had gone over their podcast together, were prepared and knew their material.
The third podcast I listened to was "Can Facebook Be Used As An Educational Tool?" hosted by Samantha Mason, Kandis Dyess and Jessica Kiser. Their podcast was also good. It did have some pauses and you could tell they were reading. It didn't flow as well as the second podcast I listened to, but they knew their material and the podcast was informative.
The fourth podcast I listened to was "Pick of the Day: Source Materials for High School Teachers on the World Wide Web. " hosted by Anne Gardner and Kimberly Hinojosa. Their podcast wasn't as 'scripty' to me as the others and you could tell they really knew their material.
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