MP3 Player

As an avid user of my iPod, I was intrigued to see a post on the ListServe about the uses of MP3 players or iPods in the classroom. I must be honest, I only use my iPod for personal, music use. An avid collector of music I have roughly 16,000 songs on my iPod. However, I have always been skeptical of how this portable music player could be used in the classroom. The post by Miguel Guhlin changed my stance.

(http://www.mguhlin.net/archives/2007/04/entry_3123.htm)

Miguel uses the iPod, or MP3 to teach students learning English as a second language. This is a great tool for this very difficult task. Students are given the opportunity to listen to the sounds of English and follow along while they read. They can speak into a recorder to hear their own voices played back to them to check their diction. The player can then save the sounds for later practice and use. Very cool.

When thinking of the uses of an iPod or MP3 player in a high school history classroom, I still have my doubts. I believe the device could be used, but not with the effectiveness that an ESL teacher may be able to use the tool. Podcasts for students to download would be the most viable way to use the player. However, when you see your students everyday, the ideas brought from the podcast would probably be covered during the day's lesson. Sometimes students have a hard enough time listening to me in class, I can't imagine them wanting to listen to someone else talk about a historical subject. This being said, I do think if a topic was presented well in the podcast format it could be a nice vacation, or weekend assignment when the kids are away from school.

Cyber Bullying

I can across a few articles posted on the ListServe this week which dealt with cyberbullying. It is amazing how the world is connected in some cosmic way. Last evening I got an email from a student at school with a link to a website. This website was a "Burn Book" for the class of 2009. In the post, there were numerous students listed by name. These students were insulted in awful ways meant to demean their appearance, actions, sexual orientation, their friends, even their parents. It was shocking for me to read because a person not from the Internet age, to be this out in the open with your insults was remarkable. This is posted, literally, for the world to read. Disgusting. As a kid, it would be unimaginable to have your dirty laundry placed on the Internet. If it was scrawled on the bathroom wall, you could always erase it, but the Internet is something else. There must be a way for schools to police this type of action, especially if the student posting is from the school injured. I am afraid that schools will be fearful to take action because the actions took place outside the school computer, or off school grounds. Lawmakers need to put into place laws which protect the schools which punish these assaults from their own students. Otherwise, students will continue to insult each other in very public ways.

Times have changed.

Social Software

The Social Software found on the del.icio.us software is tremendous. As a teacher who is always on the look out for good information, these types of sharing websites can be invaluable. Finding common interests between users can be very helpful. For example, I have targeted an excellent World War I website. The web (no pun intended)of other websites is enormous. Since other users favorites are accessible, a search of your favorite site can lead to so many different possibilities. Secondary lesson plans, websites from Australia, and searches of key word really open doors for teachers conducting research. In addition, students looking to conduct research on a specific topic will have access to potential websites that do not come up from huge Google searches. A good way to focus your research by topic area.