The History Teacher


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

TalkingPoints

Image
Talking Points is a free communication tool allowing teachers to quickly message students' families throughout the day. The free application can be downloaded onto iPhone or Android phones (and managed through a computer). If someone does not have a smartphone, fear not! The teacher's communication is sent as a standard text message as well.  Its primary purpose is to give teachers a quick and direct way to connect with their students' family (assuming you have their mobile number). How is this any different than texting or emailing, you ask? This is where Talking Points stands apart from other apps I've used for family-school communication:  IT AUTOMATICALLY TRANSLATES THE TEACHER'S MESSAGE INTO THE FAMILY'S HOME LANGUAGE.  The individual who receives the message can then respond in the native language , send the message, and it will appear in the teacher's language of choice. As the education field continues to change, I feel tha...
Read more

Diving into Disney: Perceptions of the Perfect, Pretty Princess

Image
Growing up in the 1990s, it was inevitable that I watched the Disney movies and related Disney shows. There were even the biweekly trips to the Disney Store in the local mall, a quick fifteen minute drive from my childhood home (though, I must admit, we went mainly because my younger sister insisted on it). While I did enjoy the trips to the store and the movies, I constantly remember my aggravation that they never had "the right Belle costume" (her blue one, basket in tow  with a book in her other hand) or that they "only had Sleeping Beauty's costume--who wants to be the sleeping princess? That's boring ." As I continued to watch the Disney movies, I remember being happy when the princess wound up with the prince, but I also remember asking my mother, "What else does she get? Is that really it ? Where are her books? Her friends? Who cares about the prince--he didn't even say anything smart!" (In case you couldn't tell, Beauty and the ...
Read more

Connecting Is Not the Same as Conversing

Image
What is the relationship between Turkle and Wesch? Do you see them as allies, or opponents in this discussion of new media and technology? I sit here, chuckling a little bit because as I was reading these two articles, I found myself thinking, "What do these have to do with each other at all ? Turkle is talking about constant connectivity through technology that leads to a disconnect and lack of communication in real life while Wesch is discussing how educators need to find true ways for their students become engaged in learning. How are they relatable?" But as I continued to think on the topic and the underlying themes between the two articles, I found myself seeing that these needs for connectivity and conversations arise from both authors. While Turkle continuously noted that "we are together, but each of us is in our own bubble, furiously connected to keyboards and tiny touch screens," I could not help but think of how Wesch's students must be in...
Read more