The last assignment for LTC 2008 has been completed! It is a digital story on what I realized about American schools and culture after seeing British schools and living in Plymouth for 3 weeks. Enjoy!
Thursday, 17 July 2008
Google Map Lesson
Here is a map that I created using Google Maps. It is the major battles of the Civil War. I could use this in my future American history classes. I would have my students explore the map and perhaps map out the different theaters of the war (western, eastern, etc) or more specifically certain routes taken by the Generals of either side.
View Larger Map
View Larger Map
PLATE tech-tonics conference
Today the year 2 MAET students put on a tech conference. It was extremely informative and I learned a bunch of new technologies that I am excited to use in my classroom. The first was screen captures by using a program called Jing. Jing allows you to take images from your computer screen to make an instructional video. Here is my sample, giving directions on using Picnik to edit pictures.
(I am having some technical difficulties posting my screen capture, but hopefully it will be up soon!)
(I am having some technical difficulties posting my screen capture, but hopefully it will be up soon!)
The next seminar I attended was on copyright issues. It was very confusing because copyright laws are a huge mess and never match up. I did learn a few tricks on making sure my students and I are protected from copyright laws. I also learned about Creative Commons which will be useful in finding pictures, videos, and sounds to use in my classroom.
The last seminar I attended was on using podcasts and vodcasts in the classroom. I already had the background on creating a podcast, which was helpful. But, we also learned about different places where a teacher can find podcasts/vodcasts that are pre-made and ready to use. We also discussed how we could use podcasts in our classrooms and recorded it onto a podcast that will be up on the PLATE website.
Tuesday, 15 July 2008
London Scavenger Hunt
Royalty
I talked to several British people about their perception of the queen and the royal family. They all told me of their great respect of the Queen. They saw her as extremely regal and intelligent. They also said that they did not want Prince Charles to become King because they do not think that he could ever be as regal. The people did not think of the Queen as powerful, but instead as a human being who serves the people.
English as a Second Language
I went to little Saigon, an area outside of central London, where a majority of the population is Vietnamese. The culture of the area really shaped the neighborhood. The streets were filled with Vietnamese restaurants, stores and people. It was interesting to see a place that was so different from the city that was only a few miles away. There I ate at Cay Tre, a restaurant that came highly recommended by the local newspapers. Here I experienced food that I had never seen or heard of before, something I did not expect to do in England.
Park
I visited a few parks in London and was surprised to see how many Londoners spend their time there. In the United States, parks are not as common in our cities, but when I have visited them, many people are playing Frisbee, playing with their dogs, or walking around. In all the little parks throughout London, I noticed that the locals would just sit on the ground, either talking, reading, or eating. I did not see anyone playing sports or games.
Class and Culture
I went to explore the neighborhood surrounding Brick Lane. This neighborhood was a mix of Indian and Bangladeshi cultures. Here I found a very unusual bakery called the Beigal Shop. It was a Jewish and Indian bakery. Here I ate a traditional Jewish bagel and an authentic Indian samosa. I found it very interesting to see this mixture of two extremely different cultures in one place.
Technology and Learning
After riding the tube many times during my trip to London, I noticed the use of technology in the stations. Many of the advertisements were screens that played an advertisement. Some of the screens even worked together to play an ad for cat food, where a cat jumped from screen to screen. Looking at advertisements for products is always a good way to get a sense for a culture and the technology used for these ads told me how ideas are spread in London.
Market
On Sunday, I went to a Bengali market on Brick Lane in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. I was expecting to find a traditional farmers market, but when I arrived I was very surprised by what I saw. Instead of only fruits and vegetables, a wide variety of products were being sold. Computers, shoes, power tools, and video games were all together in one market. I had never been to a market that sold used chainsaws and laptops; it was very different from any market in America.
I talked to several British people about their perception of the queen and the royal family. They all told me of their great respect of the Queen. They saw her as extremely regal and intelligent. They also said that they did not want Prince Charles to become King because they do not think that he could ever be as regal. The people did not think of the Queen as powerful, but instead as a human being who serves the people.
English as a Second Language
I went to little Saigon, an area outside of central London, where a majority of the population is Vietnamese. The culture of the area really shaped the neighborhood. The streets were filled with Vietnamese restaurants, stores and people. It was interesting to see a place that was so different from the city that was only a few miles away. There I ate at Cay Tre, a restaurant that came highly recommended by the local newspapers. Here I experienced food that I had never seen or heard of before, something I did not expect to do in England.
Park
I visited a few parks in London and was surprised to see how many Londoners spend their time there. In the United States, parks are not as common in our cities, but when I have visited them, many people are playing Frisbee, playing with their dogs, or walking around. In all the little parks throughout London, I noticed that the locals would just sit on the ground, either talking, reading, or eating. I did not see anyone playing sports or games.
Class and Culture
I went to explore the neighborhood surrounding Brick Lane. This neighborhood was a mix of Indian and Bangladeshi cultures. Here I found a very unusual bakery called the Beigal Shop. It was a Jewish and Indian bakery. Here I ate a traditional Jewish bagel and an authentic Indian samosa. I found it very interesting to see this mixture of two extremely different cultures in one place.
Technology and Learning
After riding the tube many times during my trip to London, I noticed the use of technology in the stations. Many of the advertisements were screens that played an advertisement. Some of the screens even worked together to play an ad for cat food, where a cat jumped from screen to screen. Looking at advertisements for products is always a good way to get a sense for a culture and the technology used for these ads told me how ideas are spread in London.
Market
On Sunday, I went to a Bengali market on Brick Lane in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. I was expecting to find a traditional farmers market, but when I arrived I was very surprised by what I saw. Instead of only fruits and vegetables, a wide variety of products were being sold. Computers, shoes, power tools, and video games were all together in one market. I had never been to a market that sold used chainsaws and laptops; it was very different from any market in America.
My Voice Thread is an exploration of the Bengali market and Brick Lane.
London: Day 3
For 2 weeks now, we have been in England, but have not had high tea, so today we decided to go. We researched and found that the capital hotel had really good tea for an affordable price. When we got there, it was not time for high tea (apparently it doesn't start til around 2 or 3 in the afternoon). The Capital hotel was extremely fancy and we were wearing blue jeans!! They were very kind however and set us up in the sitting room and put together a tea service for us! We each had our own pot of tea, tea sandwiches and cake. It was a very authentic English tea. After, we went over to Harrods to check that out. I could not believe all the things that Harrods sells. I was most amazed at the prices. The market in Harrods was my favorite. They sold everything from Betty Crocker cake mix to a ₤2000 bottle of wine! After Harrods we w
ent to little Saigon. Little Saigon is a Vietnamese neighborhood in London. There we sampled some middle eastern and Vietnamese food. The Vietnamese food was really fresh and different from anything that I have ever eaten. The servers were extremely friendly, but we did run into a little language misunderstanding. We tried the Vietnamese iced coffee and really liked it so we wanted to know if we could get some more to go. At first the waiter thought that it would be ok, but he found that they didn't have any plastic cups. He told us that he could put the coffee into a little soup bowl instead. Kristin said that we had to go on the tube and it would spill, but he thought that we said that we will take two. So, he made two iced coffees and put them in the soup bowl and cut a hole in the lid for our straws! People gave us some weird looks as we walked down the streets sipping from our soup bowls. After our dinner, we went and saw Blood Brothers, a famous London musical. It was really good, dramatic and funny.
ent to little Saigon. Little Saigon is a Vietnamese neighborhood in London. There we sampled some middle eastern and Vietnamese food. The Vietnamese food was really fresh and different from anything that I have ever eaten. The servers were extremely friendly, but we did run into a little language misunderstanding. We tried the Vietnamese iced coffee and really liked it so we wanted to know if we could get some more to go. At first the waiter thought that it would be ok, but he found that they didn't have any plastic cups. He told us that he could put the coffee into a little soup bowl instead. Kristin said that we had to go on the tube and it would spill, but he thought that we said that we will take two. So, he made two iced coffees and put them in the soup bowl and cut a hole in the lid for our straws! People gave us some weird looks as we walked down the streets sipping from our soup bowls. After our dinner, we went and saw Blood Brothers, a famous London musical. It was really good, dramatic and funny. A Very Busy Day in London
Today I was on my feet for 12 hours, walking and biking around London. In the morning I left the dorms before 7 am and headed out to a neighborhood in zone 2 of London. It was a Indian/Bangladeshi neighborhood that was home to the Brick Lane market. There I experienced one the strangest markets. Fruits, computers, clothes, power tools, shampoos were all being sold in the same market. After walking around, I stopped at a Jewish bakery. Instead of only selling Jewish baked goods, they also sold samosas. So, I had a bagel and a veggie samosa for breakfast. I then went on a bike tour of London. I did the same one in Barcelona and loved it. I was able to see central London all while riding a bike. 
The tour guide was very informative, I learned a lot and found out about some other cool places to visit. After the tour, I explored some of the smaller parks spread around London. For dinner I went to a Hummus bar, where you get a bowl of hummus and pick your toppings. It was a different way of experiencing middle eastern food. I see a ton of ethnic restaurants all around London. It is a city where many different cultures are together in a small area. After dinner, I walked over to the Tower and London bridges to see them light up. After exploring the area and seeing the Tower of London lit up, I walked across the Tower Bridge. Thinking that Parliment and Big Ben were not that far, I walked all the way along the Thames River to Big Ben. It was an extremely long walk!! It was worth it however, to see Big Ben lit up.
The tour guide was very informative, I learned a lot and found out about some other cool places to visit. After the tour, I explored some of the smaller parks spread around London. For dinner I went to a Hummus bar, where you get a bowl of hummus and pick your toppings. It was a different way of experiencing middle eastern food. I see a ton of ethnic restaurants all around London. It is a city where many different cultures are together in a small area. After dinner, I walked over to the Tower and London bridges to see them light up. After exploring the area and seeing the Tower of London lit up, I walked across the Tower Bridge. Thinking that Parliment and Big Ben were not that far, I walked all the way along the Thames River to Big Ben. It was an extremely long walk!! It was worth it however, to see Big Ben lit up. London!
Today was mostly a travel day. We traveled by train from Plymouth to London, which took about 4 hours. When we arrived we had to lug our suitcases from the train to the tube to the dorms. Note to self: never bring a duffel bag, rolling suitcases are the best bet. When we arrived I quickly realized how good we had it in Plymouth at Radnor hall. The dorms were less than desirable, but I was just happy to be in London. After settling in a bit, I met my friend who is also studying abroad in London. We went to Covent Garden for dinner. It was a really cool place, an indoor market with restaurants and shops. We sat down in the courtyard and ate while watching an orchestra ensemble play. After dinner, we made our way to the tub
e to the Apollo Theater to see Wicked. I have always wanted to see Wicked was really excited to finally be able to see it. It was a great experience. After the show, we went to a London pub for a drink. Although it was a short day in London, I did some pretty cool things that one can only do in London!
e to the Apollo Theater to see Wicked. I have always wanted to see Wicked was really excited to finally be able to see it. It was a great experience. After the show, we went to a London pub for a drink. Although it was a short day in London, I did some pretty cool things that one can only do in London!
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