Comments on: Technology Literacy and Sustained Tinkering Time

By: Robyn

Robyn — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:02:40 +0000

I believe that silent reading is an excellent way to provoke the mind when it comes to learning. This blog really made me think and I honestly do appreciate the interesting facts and examples

By: Ana

Ana — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 20:12:46 +0000

The key to success for students is that they all have the opportunity to learn in various ways, whether it is with a book or computer. Technology today is very crucial within the society because it allows an individual to become adapted with what is going on around their surroundings. Technology in the classroom is important for students because as the years go by technology will be changing day to day.

By: Mark Pennington

Mark Pennington — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 01:14:58 +0000

The key to effective SSR is to properly match reading levels of the text to reading levels of the student, while maintaining some semblance of student choice. Learn how to match reading levels of texts to reading levels of your students without time-consuming assessments. Also, learn how much independent reading is needed to make grade to grade progress. Check out How to Choose the Right Book.

By: Steve Spaeth

Steve Spaeth — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 12:50:24 +0000

I wrote a post in my blog relating to this post and tried to trackback here.
“Some members might want to find out what makes devices tick. This could generate some interest in what Sylvia Martinez calls Sustained Tinkering Time.”
Click on the “name link” above to read more.

By: Brad Ovenell-Carter

Brad Ovenell-Carter — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 17:54:18 +0000

We shouldn’t be surprised that tinkering is useful. The ancients already figured that out. Dorothy Sayers updates the old trivium/quadrivium for us: http://www.gbt.org/text/sayers.html

By: Bringing the world into the classroom « Birds fly, fish swim

Bringing the world into the classroom « Birds fly, fish swim — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 06:16:54 +0000

[...] Martinez written beautifully about all of this in her post on Sustained Tinkering Time. There she wonders what we might learn from successful reading practices (like SSR – sustained [...]

By: homeschool10x

homeschool10x — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 13:56:53 +0000

I think Dr Krashen has a very strong case and as John points out, it’s basically a case for unschooling. In the case of consumer electronics, there are some issues (as Sylvia points out).

Many homeschoolers, when they start, go thru a “deschooling” phase. Again, you can check a homeschool glossary to get a real definition but essentially, it’s the time when students and parents try to shed the school mentality. Kids tend to veg out watching TV and playing video games. Most kids, after a few weeks, start showing interest in learning and then the family starts to layer in a homeschool education program.

But, the electronic game world and the net in general is so durn full of so many interesting things, some kids start learning and immersing themselves in sort of a single narrow direction.

Online, much more than books, requires more “help”. I’d say. Extremists would just say that I’m a wimp and scared of following my own principles.

By: homeschooling

homeschooling — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 13:46:44 +0000

Sylvia, I don’t know if you’ve had time to explore the homeschooling approaches to education. A vast amount of Americans (perhaps 3%) have opted to take this approach for their children. And indeterminate percentage of them believe in UnSchooling.

Much your post and Dr. Krashen’s writing on this topic sounds like a rationale for UnSchooling.

I have no particular idea how this approach to giving space and time and the right environment fits into the context of large scale public schools. Do you? It’s easy however, if you restructure the institutions, to see how UnSchooling is successful in case after case after case.

John

By: Home School Online

Home School Online — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 13:42:20 +0000

[...] read with great interest two items: Technology Literacy and Sustained Tinkering Time and 88 Generalizations about Free Voluntary Reading. Both posts make the case that…that [...]

By: Sylvia Martinez

Sylvia Martinez — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 22:49:20 +0000

John,
Great point – good PD is something that sustains over time, and should include time for teachers to “do stuff”.

It’s a tough thing to get schools to move past the 3 hour PD session and admit that lesson study and other longer, more involved collaborations are necessary.

And still, do we always have to do PD away from students? Couldn’t a group of teachers and students work long term on projects that don’t have a due date or a grade attached?

Maybe this is why some kids (and teachers) find solace in band, drama, and other extra-curricular activities.