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Showing posts from June, 2021

Dr. Mike Wesch Response

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If asked how I learn best, I think that I would probably say experientially or experimentally. Though when I look back at my school experiences, those specific memorable moments of experimental or experiential learning are few and far between. They tend to center around elementary field trips, and dissection labs in high school. That is not to say I did not have incredible learning experiences in college, they just seemed regimented and restricted by the "norm" of what college classes should look like. You know, lecture hall with a professor speaking at you, chemistry labs where the TAs roam and help you clean up your (inevitable) chemical spills, or discussion courses where we all bring three points to speak on from the reading. Learning by stumbling through, getting messy, or making your own meaning happened rarely in those settings because the environment was not conducive to inquiry-based learning styles Dr. Mike Wesch discusses his philosophy on student learning in colle...

Prensky & Boyd Response

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       Based on the two readings, the first a recording explaining " Digital Natives" by Marc Prensky , the second "Literacy: Are today's youth digital natives?" from Danah Boyd 's book It's Complicated , I have mixed feelings about the idea of what a digital native is and how it should be applied. The general idea that we, as educators, can lump together all youths into one category called 'digital natives' makes me wary. Every day we see how students that are all the same age react and act differently as a result of their social, emotional, and cultural upbringings. Therefore, how could they all be digital natives? And what is a youth in the first place? For the purposes of my own understanding of these readings, I defined youths as the population of students prekindergarten through twelfth grade who are members in the United States education system.         After listening to Presnky's ideas, however, I do see his argument. If digital nati...

Introduction to Me!

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Hello everyone!  My name is Claire Howard and I am a seventh grade science teacher at Nathan Bishop Middle School in Providence, RI. I am a born and raised Californian, though I spent the last four years in  Cleveland, OH  earning my bachelor's degree in History, with minors in Chemistry and Medical Anthropology from Case Western Reserve University. I moved to Rhode Island as a part of Teach for America amidst a global pandemic, and what a ride it has been! I have fallen in love with teaching and learning about my students, their lives, and what makes middle school oh so special! I am an avid soccer fan and have enjoyed following the  Euro 2020  soccer tournament this summer, and cannot wait to watch the  USWNT  play in the Olympics later on! In my free time I love to bake, read, paint, watch awful TV (give me anything Bravo and I am a happy camper), and spend time with my family. I cannot wait to get to know everyone a little bit better through this t...