D/B6

I probably won't be by a computer the rest of the week, so I'm trying to get my reflections done.

I read this chapter(14) twice because I had absolutely no idea what I read the first time, and still am not too sure about it after the second time. I thought this was a very hard chapter to read and was hard to keep my attention while reading it. I feel it didn't do that great of a job explaining things in simple terms. However, there is one thing I am going to take from this chapter, I now know how some of my students must feel after reading a section in their math book, completely clueless! I think the one thing that may have gotten me to some sort of understanding was the "rocking chair company" scenerio. They needed to train new craftsman to make the chairs, but in doing so, they need to find a way to do it fast and inexpensively. To do so, technology such as instructional programs and videos would be a likely answer. However, training alone isn't going to make a company successful. Along with the knowledge of making rocking chairs, there are other things that affect whether a company survives as laid out by Gilbert in his Behavior Engineering model. There needs to be other factors that make the worker want to work, besides sheer knowledge, such as incentives. Now I can definitely relate this to education, especially in my classroom. Everyone needs some sort of motivation or incentive, I know I do. It just makes the learning process so much more fun, and you are definitely more willing to do something if there is something in it for you. I may be way off on the understanding, but that is what I got out of it. Hopefully after reading your posts, your ideas will help me understand this a little better.

Now as for podcasting, I could definitely see using it at the college level. What a great thing to have if for some reason you would happen to miss a class and still want to hear the lecture. You could subscribe to that podcast and still feel like you were a part of the lecture, kind of like "lectures on tape." I know it wouldn't be the same as if you were there, but it would definitely be better than not hearing what went on at all, and you wouldn't feel like you were behind. Whether it be an audio or video podcast, I think it would be very beneficial. Finally, I know that one of the morning radio shows in Grand Rapids, "Free Beer and Hot Wings", does a podcast for those who really want to listen, but aren't able to when they are actually broadcasting. Podcasting offers convenience, if anything. You can listen when ever you want, no need to be at a certain place at a certain time.

Would podcasting work for high school? I think you could find a way for it to be helpful. I know when I was browsing iTunes for different podcasts, I had seen some Geometry podcasts that I am going to check out. I think if you would happen to find a podcast that relates to the topic or subject you are dealing with, it could serve as an extra tool for the students to turn to look at or listen to. I also thought that they could maybe even create their own podcast, instead of a written report. That would even be nice for me, I wouldn't have to read the report, I could just listen to it. It would be a nice change of pace for me, and probably a lot more fun for the kids.