Special Post on Metaphors

Use of Metaphor

Metaphors are comparisons that show how two things that are not alike in most ways are similar in one important way. A metaphor is more active than an analogy because metaphor asserts two things are the same, whereas analogy implies a difference.

Metaphors are created for the purpose of insightful close reading, usually for the purpose of better internal visualization and comparison to another concept from which one can draw his or her own conclusion. A 'dead metaphor' may appear transparent upon first glance. However, dead metaphors are the most common of all usages because of common cultural or origin specific universal meaning. "I just can't shake it" is an example of a universal metaphor that, because of its contextual reference has an established implied message. Interpretation of metaphorical speaking is 'in the eyes of the beholder.' Is the reader insightful enough to recognize a metaphor? Metaphorically speaking, "we should remove our blinders."

So this is the case of John Spencer's "Dont' Let Them Take the Pencils Home" Mr. Spencer is using the pencils as a metaphor for any/all technology. Unfortunately some people took the post literally - I did not. This makes me wonder, why did I know that pencils was a metaphor for technology? I think part of it has to do with the fact that I have been paying attention in Dr. Strange's class! I have been looking at the ideas behind what we are learning. I believe that Dr. Strange's main objective in this class is to increase our knowledge base on how to use technology in the classroom. If you replace the word "pencil" with "technology" the Mr. Spencer's post makes much more sense.

Students should be very familiar with metaphors... but most do not recognize them at first glance. In everyday English, words are very commonly used metaphorically. We use metaphors so regularly that we often don't even register that we are using them. For example, we have lots of metaphors about weather.

• The sky was dark and angry.
• His lightning reflexes saved his life.
• His sunny face was just what I wanted to see.

The sky cannot be literally angry and no-one can have reflexes as fast as lightning; a sunny face helps us to think of the warmth of the sun and we transfer this to the character of this person. These words (metaphors) are used to express our understanding or our interpretation of the world around us as clearly as possible.

A lot of metaphors relate to nature in general.

• I think this will throw some light on the issue.
• I've made some punch with wine, fruit juice and a little brandy to break the ice.
• The agreement was hedged around by a large number of restrictions.
• That politician is a sly fox.

The use of "light", "break the ice" and "hedged" are all nature-based metaphors that are used to express how we view the world.

A lot of metaphors are based on gardens or agriculture. For example, we often use the word root to refer to the cause of a problem. It can also be used to describe something starting to grow.

• The root of this problem is Blair's decision to go into Iraq.
• If we keep on pushing this idea forward, it might actually take root.
• The Labour Party wants to have a very strong grass-roots campaign.
• After a rocky start, their romance blossomed.
• This is a thorny issue so it will take some time to sort it out.

Many metaphors relate to water.

• The ocean of his mind was awash with new ideas.
• I don't want to go out with him. He's so wet!
• Waves of disappointment swept over him.
• He watered down his proposal quite a lot and in the end it wasn't radical enough.
• My legs turned to water and I couldn't move.

Have a look at these metaphors and think about how they relate to the literal meaning.

• I swallowed his story whole, I'm sorry to say.
• Her eyes were filled with pain and I couldn't look at her.
• Taking this job is a gamble but I hope it works out well in the end.
• Hotels have sprouted up all over Thailand.
• The minutes crept by as the party was so dull!
• Bush said he would stay the course in Iraq.
• There was a huge amount of fallout over Blair's decision.
• Low interest rated fuelled the house-prices boom.
• His idea was warmly received.
• The two presidential candidates were neck and neck.
• We'd better go back to square one and start again.
• His refusal set off a chain of events that ended in his arrest.
• She made a fatal mistake when she signed the agreement.

So - we should recognize metaphors right away - and we should pay attention to what we are reading! I think most students may have missed the metaphor because well ---- they weren't paying attention! They were just trying to complete the assignment.

Blog Post Assignment #13

Media Fast

HOLY COW! I thought that completing a media fast would be simple. I routinely commit to fasting for religious beliefs. I thought that a media fast would be simple. After all I had books to read for another class - no problem, or so I thought!

I attempted this fast not just the three times Dr. Strange suggested before calling it quits, but multiple times! I would begin on a day that I has TONS of things to get accomplished, before long I found myself needing the computer to type something for class. The one that got me most often was the cell phone. I use it all the time! Also, I am a photographer by hobby (definitely not trained!) I found that I wanted to take photos with my "free" time.

I was bored out of my mind! Although my home did get cleaned and my laundry got finished... ummm is using the dishwasher and washing machine forbidden, if so... I really failed!

I think I managed to go about 16 hours without using/watching/listening to media. Here is a list of Dr. Strange's rules:

Do not use any electronic (powered by electricity or batteries) entertainment or communications

device for 24 consecutive hours. If you break this activity by using a banned device, you must

start the activity over again.

What is banned:

Any use of television, video records or players

Computers, tablets, notepads or similar devices

Video cameras, audio recorders or equipment, radios, iPods, iPads, iPhones (or any cell phone),

Telephones of any kind, hearing aids (if applicable)

You may go to a movie in a movie theatre, participate in personal conversations, read one or

more books, attend a lecture in person. No FaceBook however for 24 hours.

My failure was complete and total!!!

Smartboard Part 2

Blog Post #12

I have been racking my brain trying to think of something that would be appropriate to add to the contents of this class. I like the idea of using other sources to blog about. One source would be The New Tech Network found here.

The New Tech Network is a non-profit organization that helps high school students gain the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in life, college, and the careers of tomorrow.They work nationwide with schools, districts, and communities to provide services and support that enable schools to implement innovative high schools that promote deeper learning.Beginning in the mid-90s in Napa, California. The local schools were meeting education standards, and the community thought of Napa High School as a good school. However, local business leaders remained concerned that meeting basic standards would not be enough to ensure that students were graduating with the skills needed to meet the needs of the new economy.These business and community leaders decided to make a difference. Working with the local school district, they began researching innovations in education to re-imagine what a truly great school might be like. In 1996, the Napa Valley Unified School District established Napa New Technology High School with the first class of 100 students. As Napa New Technology High School thrived, local business leaders and education advocates came together to ensure the school’s long-term success and sustainability by establishing the New Tech Foundation. In 2001, New Tech was awarded a $6 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Today, their name is New Tech Network and they support 87 public high schools in 16 states. New Tech schools leverage what research tells us about how people learn to create an exceptional teaching and learning environment. Based on this research and experience, they create a rigorous and engaging high school experience that features project-based learning, the seamless use of technology, and a positive and empowering school culture.

Now that you know a bit about the site and why it was created, let's move to the assignment. One this page is the blog for the site. I think the assignment would be to assign each student a blog and require them to post on the blog and explain how they could possibly use the technology discussed in his/her classroom. I think it would be a big help to future teachers to see how other teachers view technology and apply it to their classrooms...

What do you think?

Progress Report on Final Project

Our group has been corresponding about our final project. I think we have agreed on a concept, but we are working out the contents. We are thinking that we will do a lesson plan revolving around use of technology in our respective classrooms. We are in contact (we have come a long way since the beginning of class!) and we are working on ideas!

Project #14 Skype Interview

Interview with Melinda Long

Melinda is the author of the book "How I Became a Pirate". You can find my book trailer to "How I Became a Pirate" here. Please enjoy the interview with author/teacher Melinda Long.

C4K#10 Part 1

Mrs. Yollis' Classroom Blog

One day I hope my students are able to create a quality blog like these 3rd graders have created! I know that in order for this to happen, I must learn as much as I possibly can to teach them how to create the blog. Once you view what Mrs. Yollis has done here, you will see that she is not only educating her own students, but she is educating students all over the world. She is teaching parents how to access their children's work, grandparents on becoming involved in their grandchildren's education and she is educating future teachers.

Mrs. Yollis' blog shows us what can be accomplished through dedication and hard work. She sets up Skype interviews with other countries like Australia! She also creates opportunities for the kids to learn about giving to others with her post regarding UNICEF here. Mrs. Yollis is educating her students on how to learn and how to give back! She isn't teaching them by standing in front of them talking, she is educating them by showing them how to learn. This is something I want to emulate in my future classroom! It is the main reason I wish to become an educator! Mrs. Yollis is educating the students on how to learn - therefore she is teaching them to become self learners which will entice them to be life long learners!

I am so excited by this blog! I can see what can be done with students in a classroom environment. Honestly, what excited me even more was a link that Mrs. Yollis has on her blog called Educational Blogging Resource for Teachers! What an informational website! I have added that site to my Delicious account for future use. It is something I will definitely be going back to and using!

C4T#4

The Scholastic Scribe

Melissa is amazing with gathering photos that speak louder than words. Although I am unable to completely understand why I am commenting on her blog, I do enjoy it a lot!

THE FINAL C4T

This week The Scholastic Scribe was connecting to Camera Critters. Such a cute post about animals. This one appears to have a long tail or should it read TALE! Hmmm --- maybe the latter!

Blog Post Assignment #11

Ms. Cassidy

I thought it was pretty awesome that Ms. Cassidy didn't expect to be technologically advanced in the classroom! She started using technology because she was all of a sudden given five computers in her classroom.She then decided that since there were five computers, she had to make a center for her young five and six year old's to use. She started to learn how to create web pages and others things on her blank computers. This soon turned into blogging and many other things she discovered with the use of internet.

With the help of the government and give time off,she was able to build her program for her students. I think that from ten years ago when she was given these computers, she has built something really special that she does every year with her first graders. It is great that she was given the opportunity to teach her students about technology and not be discouraged by faculty,staff, and principals. She said she has an amazing technology coordinator who supports her and backs her up.What an awesome place to teach!

I only hope that when I become a teacher that the parents of my students are supportive and want to know how their children are doing while learning about technology. Ms.Cassidy says to future teachers who think that teaching technology to younger children does not matter right now, that technology is here to stay and that we have to change because the world is changing. This really made me think about how important it is going to be for me to learn more about technology so that I can one day help my students.Watching the skype conversation with Ms.Cassidy and Dr.Strange and his class was really interesting and made me do a lot of thinking about my future teaching career.

Although I will not be teaching at the Elementary level -- I can see the difference using technology makes in the classroom, even with the younger kids. It is my desire to use as much technology as I possibly can in my classroom. I am hoping to teach in an environment that allows me to utilize technology to its fullest potential!

I feel overwhelmed each week with the knowledge I gain in this class!I hope that I can evolve into the type of educator that emulate Dr. Strange's methods of learning! I will graduate in the Spring of 2013 and I am now CONVINCED that I am pursuing my PASSION!

C4K Post # 3

Final C4K Post

Mr. McClung's World...

Philosophy

Won't you look up at the skyline
at the mortar block and glass
and check out the reflections
in my eyes
you see they always
used to be there
even when this all was grass
and I sang and danced
about a high-rise

you were laughing at
my helmet hat
laughing at my torch

CHORUS
Go ahead you can
laugh all you want
I got my philosophy
keeps my feet on the ground
and I trust it like the ground
and that's why my philosophy(my phil-)
it keeps me walking when I'm falling down(o-so-phy)

I see that there is evil
and I know that there is good
and the inbetweens
I never understood
won't you look at me
I'm crazy
but I get the job done
yeah I'm crazy
but I get the job done

CHORUS

I pushed you 'cause
I loved you guys
I didn't realize
you weren't having fun
I dragged you up the stairs
and I told you to fly
you were flapping your arms
you started to cry
you were too high
too high

You may take this all for granted
take the mortar, block and glass
and you forget the speech
that moved the stone
but it's really not that you can't see
the forest for the trees
you've never been out
in the woods alone

So you can laugh
all you want to
but I got my philosophy
keeps my feet on the ground
and I love you
you're my friend
but you got no philosophy
now it's time for this song to end

Although I was not sure exactly why I would need to look at this particular post. It was just about a singer and some of his work. Until... I read the lyrics and looked at the video (see above) what a great sentiment for today's educators. We all have a philosophy. Sometimes we change our philosophies in order to appease administration or our co-workers. I believe this song needs to be kept in the heart of all future teachers and current teachers. If you lose your philosophy when you teach o then you need to stop teaching or regain your philosophy!

Or --- I could be all wrong!

Mrs. Yollis's Class

This week I was assigned to comment on Mrs. Yollis's Classroom Blog here. This blog was about traditions. As a visitor we were specifically asked to post a tradition in our family. I posted about our family tradition of going to all of my siblings and my parent's home on Christmas. It is a fun time that we share with each other. There are a bunch of us in my family since I am one of FIVE children, so it makes for a chaotic but enjoyable time of fun, fellowship and eating!

Britney at PT England School

Britney is a Year 6 student at the PT England School. She is a great writer and does an excellent job telling what happens on "blog day"! I commented on her blog post here. Britney is doing an excellent job with her blog post. It is very colorful and well written!

Last C4K

I can understand why Dr. Strange wanted us to comment on the kids blogs. This shows us a tangible way that we, as future teachers, can include blogging in the classroom. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading and responding to each kid's blog and I look forward to having my high school students maintain a blog!

___________________________________________

At the beginning of the semester, I wondered why the heck we would be leaving comments for kids. I get that now. Leaving comments forces one to see how the teachers/students are using blogs. This gives a prospective educator an idea of what he/she can do in their own classroom.

The one thing I would have enjoyed seeing in a blog with Secondary students. We saw some middle school students using blogs, but not any ninth-twelfth grade students using blogs. I wish there had been more opportunities for viewing upper schools blogs. I know there is probably a shortage of blogs for high school students. I hope that I can change that in a year or so!

I really enjoyed this assignment and I am surprised to say that I am sorry to see it ending!