Inquiry-Based Learning is the Learning of the Future..

What place would inquiry-based learning and/or historical thinking have in your classroom?

Inquiry based learning in a short definition is the information gathering using our senses - smell, taste, touch, feel, sight and hearing. It is the hands-on approach to learning about the world. In comparison to a traditional, "old school" style classroom - there are no spelling tests or memorization of facts and simply regurgitating them back to your teacher. In an inquiry-based classroom, the teacher is simply a facilitator in the learning process, guiding students to use the information out to and organize it into something that will change their thinking about this topic from "unknown" to "known".

I have used inquiry-based learning as a student in college. During my later years in college, professors used computer-based simulations often to teach us the necessary skills needed in problem solving that we would actually use in a real-world setting. The professor in this setting were more of a facilitator, whom guided us through the process of information gathering about the business-world (my major in college). I  think this type of learning is highly-effective. It allows for a hands-on approach and allows the learner (or student) to take in information in a way that is most effective for them. This learning method also, in my humble opinion, made the learning experience much more enjoyable because it allowed the topic studied to be specifically tailored to my interests and personal experiences. With that said, I feel I took more away from the courses I used the inquiry-based learning method within, much more so than simply listening to a teacher lecture and taking a test based on reading and powerpoint definitions.

In my future classroom inquiry-based learning would be used virtually in every lesson I could fit it into. For example, giving a social studies lesson,  I would give students an opportunity to study different events or countries under a particular time period or region of the world. Instead of assigning tasks or specifics, I would let the students pick something of interest to them and give them the opportunity to experience it hands-on by creating an interactive research project that would enable them to get into the culture and perhaps actually go visit (i.e, a museum, restaurant, etc. etc.) depending on the project. 

In my classroom historical thinking is essential. As an organized learner myself, I need concrete events to be presented in a very logical and chronological way. Thus, I always enjoyed history because of the progression it was presented to me as, as well as the cause and effect way of thinking. In my classroom, I would use this thinking in order to present most lessons - from the very beginning and show progression to the students so they can develop that improving and progressive way of thinking. 

Copyright & Education

What are the implications of copyright issues for educators?

Copyright within the education realm weighs heavily on teachers. It is essential for teachers, or any educators for that matter, to understand the copyright laws before using other people's work and copying it to hand out to a class. Sounds easy, right? Wrong. 

The copyright laws in this country are very broad, making them hard to define in a concrete way. Most work which is copyrighted is allowed to be used for educational purposes if it meets one of the four criteria for fair use. These four things are taken into considered when weighing whether or not a piece of work qualifies for fair use of the copyrighted piece: 1. purpose of use, 2. nature of work, 3. amount used, 4. effect on the market. 

I was surprised to learn that a work's effect on the market does not necessarily mean reproducing something and selling it for profit. This can simply mean copying a piece of copyrighted work and handing it out so it becomes public. Another question that came up during our class discussion was the meaning of the "public domain". This is that a copyrighted piece is available for public use after the life of the author plus seventy years. A great example of this are Emily Dickinson's poems to be copied and given out during an English lesson in school. This, of course, would not be considered a violation to copyright laws because Emily Dickinson has not been around since the late 1800's. 

The implications of these broad and vague "fair use" copyright laws in education create a blurry reality of what teachers can use copyrighted material for in their classrooms. The implications of these copyright laws should open the eyes of educators everywhere to ensure they are following the laws correctly, and when in doubt either look them up, or don't use it! After all, it is someone else's work and we wouldn't want to be posed as a thief.... 

Playing with Photoshop

Here is the original photo I have used for Picnik, which I now used in Photoshop. I have transferred clip art of butterflies and altered their size to add them into this photo of a hill on the Amalfi coast in Italy. This program looks easy, but it is actually very complex. In Photoshop you can accomplish just about everything and more that you can imagine doing to a digital photograph. When I was using Photoshop (which was the first time I've ever encountered the program), I almost felt that there were too many options. You can alter every megapixel in the photo...well almost.

This program can be very useful in the classroom for teachers. I would not use this program with my students, however, since my students' ages range from five to ten, I think Photoshop is a bit too much for them to use at this point in their young lives. For teachers, however, I feel that this is a wonderful way to be able to merge scenes throughout history, comparing the modern world with a historical scene for virtually every event in history which is perfect for a social studies lesson. Another example is if you are printing a poem, quote or song, adding an digital photo to the text helps students to visually see the text that is written, and it is also a way to make the learning fun for students by adding a bit of a whimsical touch to the lesson.

Photoshop teaches the skills to both teachers and students that learning, assignments and lessons in school can all be fun. It is a great way to expand thinking beyond the realm of simple lessons into helping students make connections between all disciplines learned in school. It also provides an opportunity for students to use their imagination, which they cannot use much as they progress through school.

All in all Photoshop is an excellent too if you ever have the opportunity as an educator to check it out. Do not be afraid. I repeat do not be afraid. All you need is an hour to figure out all the small bells and whistles, and after all: practice makes perfect.