Monday, April 29, 2013
Project #13
In doing Project #15 and #16 we used several different types of technology to not only stay in touch and make sure that what we were doing was right but to also communicate different ideas. We used Google + twice to make sure that the dates for our meets and recording times were correct and to go over what we each were to write in the Google Documents. It was a lot of fun because while we were talking we could also change up the Document at the same time so that we did not forget or miss anything that was crucial. We also used texting and the flip cameras to show off ideas and record parts we might want in the videos. The iMovie was were each were created and finished and, even though it took awhile because we wanted them to be right, we loved staying connected and getting it done together.
C4K - Part 3
Week One: Alex P.
Alex P. wrote his post about his home state of Nebraska. He talks about the monkey, alligator and lion exhibits in the Healy Dourly Zoo as well as the Koolaid museum and the Great Plains landscapes. He also seems very proud when he writes that Nebraska made the BT Sandwhich and that the state bird is the meadowlark. I told him about my own home state of Alabama. I talked about how much I love the fact that we are apart of the beaches along the Gulf of Mexico, that the sand is as white and soft as sugar and that no matter where you go you in the state you always find miles of lush greenery. I told him that we are know as the "Heart of Dixie" and that our state bird is the Yellowhammer. I told him that I liked what we wrote about Nebraska and that one day I hope I could see it too.
Week Two:
Charlotte wrote her post about camping with her friends, exploring Warrnambool, her cousin's baptism and eating chocolate eggs from the Easter Bunny over the Easter Holiday. She talked about exploring around the campsite with her friends, how happy she was that Eric brought a stove for eggs, bacon and even pancakes one morning and her landmark for the Easter Bunny. She made a little signs for the Easter Bunny to know where they were so that he could find them and from her "we would explode by the end of eating it all!" comment I say he found them and left plenty of goodies. I told her that it sounded like she had a lot of fun over the Holiday and that I was glad to hear that she could spend it with her family. I said that all weekend long I was helping my parents get different dishes ready and on Sunday we spent all day at my Aunt's home with my entire family. During the big Easter Egg hunt the Golden Egg, a special one the parents make that can hold anything plus some money, was hidden by throwing it in the river and several of my cousins jumped in to get it. Everyone was wet, full of Easter goodies and happy to be together. I told her that I found it very funny and touching that even though we are miles apart we spend the holiday in the same manner: with our family. I also said that I hoped that she will keep writing and that she had very good grammar/writing skills.
Week Three:
Jayden wrote his blog about his Easter weekend camping in Stieglitz and Easter egg hunting with his family. Thanks to help from his mom his was able to collect half a bag of Easter eggs and even got to play with his friend Luke. Later on they went camping where not only did he have his own tent but he went to sleep with the sounds of the water moving in the creek right beside their campsite. You do not need to read "it was a lot of fun" to see that he very much enjoyed his holiday weekend. I told him that I went Easter Egg hunting too over the holiday but since I was helping my baby niece find them I did get any but was happy to hear that he too enjoyed it. I also said that from he and others in his class have told of their camping trips it sounds like I need to go and to bring an extra tent encase one leaks like his brother's. I ended saying that I was glad that he is writing this blog and when I compared his first post to his current one I could see that he was getting better. I told him good luck with his writing and that I couldn't wait to hear more.
Alex P. wrote his post about his home state of Nebraska. He talks about the monkey, alligator and lion exhibits in the Healy Dourly Zoo as well as the Koolaid museum and the Great Plains landscapes. He also seems very proud when he writes that Nebraska made the BT Sandwhich and that the state bird is the meadowlark. I told him about my own home state of Alabama. I talked about how much I love the fact that we are apart of the beaches along the Gulf of Mexico, that the sand is as white and soft as sugar and that no matter where you go you in the state you always find miles of lush greenery. I told him that we are know as the "Heart of Dixie" and that our state bird is the Yellowhammer. I told him that I liked what we wrote about Nebraska and that one day I hope I could see it too.
Week Two:
Charlotte wrote her post about camping with her friends, exploring Warrnambool, her cousin's baptism and eating chocolate eggs from the Easter Bunny over the Easter Holiday. She talked about exploring around the campsite with her friends, how happy she was that Eric brought a stove for eggs, bacon and even pancakes one morning and her landmark for the Easter Bunny. She made a little signs for the Easter Bunny to know where they were so that he could find them and from her "we would explode by the end of eating it all!" comment I say he found them and left plenty of goodies. I told her that it sounded like she had a lot of fun over the Holiday and that I was glad to hear that she could spend it with her family. I said that all weekend long I was helping my parents get different dishes ready and on Sunday we spent all day at my Aunt's home with my entire family. During the big Easter Egg hunt the Golden Egg, a special one the parents make that can hold anything plus some money, was hidden by throwing it in the river and several of my cousins jumped in to get it. Everyone was wet, full of Easter goodies and happy to be together. I told her that I found it very funny and touching that even though we are miles apart we spend the holiday in the same manner: with our family. I also said that I hoped that she will keep writing and that she had very good grammar/writing skills.
Week Three:
Jayden wrote his blog about his Easter weekend camping in Stieglitz and Easter egg hunting with his family. Thanks to help from his mom his was able to collect half a bag of Easter eggs and even got to play with his friend Luke. Later on they went camping where not only did he have his own tent but he went to sleep with the sounds of the water moving in the creek right beside their campsite. You do not need to read "it was a lot of fun" to see that he very much enjoyed his holiday weekend. I told him that I went Easter Egg hunting too over the holiday but since I was helping my baby niece find them I did get any but was happy to hear that he too enjoyed it. I also said that from he and others in his class have told of their camping trips it sounds like I need to go and to bring an extra tent encase one leaks like his brother's. I ended saying that I was glad that he is writing this blog and when I compared his first post to his current one I could see that he was getting better. I told him good luck with his writing and that I couldn't wait to hear more.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Teacher Comments - Part 4
My Comment to John Spencer's Adventures in Pencil Integration Blog
Subject: Remember Pencil Quests?
In this latest post Mr. John Spencer talks about a Pencil Quest that one of his sophomore teachers created and how different it was from what other teachers at that time were doing. It was a very simple game: follow your map to each site where a page is waiting, there you will answer the questions and go to the next site. When they began the game a "crazy part" took over because all of the kids, even though you were using a pencil and you could not follow a different map, were having fun. This teacher was teaching the same subject as others but did so in a way that made it exciting because he was not strapping them down to a desk but engaging them in the subject. Mr. John Spencer says that when he thinks back on those quests he gets a little embarrassed but at the same time you can feel his pride in his teacher for being a "Pioneer" for his generation of teachers. He ends by saying that even though his students love the concepts of their projects, blogs and pen pals he wonders when they look back what they will see as "quaint" like he did with the Pencil Quest.
I told Mr. John Spencer that I too was proud of those teachers who were "different" in terms of their teaching styles because those were the ones that, while the lesson might have been simple or short, engraved it deeper than others. In my sophomore year of high school I moved during Christmas and had the chance to see two very different teachers, one from New York City and the other from Alabama, teach the same lesson of math. The first stayed with the concepts of the book, taught each lesson in order and we did lots, lots of worksheets over the weeks. But in Alabama the first day our teacher can in, wrote all the formulas on the board from the chapters and started singing on her guitar. The songs were simple because instead of saying the formulas we were singing them but even after all these years I still remember those songs. I told him that I wanted to be more like her, him and his teacher because they were different and students want more and do more than they might have in another teacher's room. I ending saying that I hope when it is my time that I never settle for what others are doing but instead show my students to keep moving forward and thanks him for all that he has done.
My Comment to John Spencer's Adventures in Pencil Integration Blog
In this latest post Mr. John Spencer talks about a Pencil Quest that one of his sophomore teachers created and how different it was from what other teachers at that time were doing. It was a very simple game: follow your map to each site where a page is waiting, there you will answer the questions and go to the next site. When they began the game a "crazy part" took over because all of the kids, even though you were using a pencil and you could not follow a different map, were having fun. This teacher was teaching the same subject as others but did so in a way that made it exciting because he was not strapping them down to a desk but engaging them in the subject. Mr. John Spencer says that when he thinks back on those quests he gets a little embarrassed but at the same time you can feel his pride in his teacher for being a "Pioneer" for his generation of teachers. He ends by saying that even though his students love the concepts of their projects, blogs and pen pals he wonders when they look back what they will see as "quaint" like he did with the Pencil Quest.
I told Mr. John Spencer that I too was proud of those teachers who were "different" in terms of their teaching styles because those were the ones that, while the lesson might have been simple or short, engraved it deeper than others. In my sophomore year of high school I moved during Christmas and had the chance to see two very different teachers, one from New York City and the other from Alabama, teach the same lesson of math. The first stayed with the concepts of the book, taught each lesson in order and we did lots, lots of worksheets over the weeks. But in Alabama the first day our teacher can in, wrote all the formulas on the board from the chapters and started singing on her guitar. The songs were simple because instead of saying the formulas we were singing them but even after all these years I still remember those songs. I told him that I wanted to be more like her, him and his teacher because they were different and students want more and do more than they might have in another teacher's room. I ending saying that I hope when it is my time that I never settle for what others are doing but instead show my students to keep moving forward and thanks him for all that he has done.
My Comment to John Spencer's Adventures in Pencil Integration Blog
Subject: The Con Academy
In this post Mr. John Spencer wrote about, in a very unusual and entertaining manner, the Khan Academy and their way of "flipping" a classroom. In this sense the class is divide into those who get the material, those who do not and those who wish to push further into the subject. They chose what worksheets they will do for class, how many and to "work at his or her level independently" of the teacher. When Mr. John Spencer was introduced to the man from this academy he did not like it because, while yes it would keep the students busy it gave them too much freedom in what got done for the class and at what level. Mostly it was a stack of worksheets meant to keep the students free of any time that they would either be listing to the teacher or not doing any work. Mr. John Spencer found this pointless but the principal chose the Academy over the warnings and concerns of a seasoned teacher. He ends saying that while the "con academy" was a free gift so was the Trojan Horse.
I commented saying that I understood that he did not like a system that valued the "busy work" of students who might simply be working below their grade/skill level to make it easier on then over the teachings of a real teacher. I told him how every time I had to do it it felt as if the teacher did not care about us and just wanted us to be quite. I said that I liked it when I had the textbook on-line because I could easily look up information and still study if I had to leave my backpack at home while on a trip but I needed a teacher more. They are the reason why a child wants to learn or not and sending them to a school where they are asked "how much work would you like to do for your grade?" and not "I see that you can do better" makes them question if trying is worth it. I told him that I was sorry that the principal did not listen to him but maybe because he wrote this article that others will see it and begin to really question is this version of flipping a class is good or not for the students.
In this post Mr. John Spencer wrote about, in a very unusual and entertaining manner, the Khan Academy and their way of "flipping" a classroom. In this sense the class is divide into those who get the material, those who do not and those who wish to push further into the subject. They chose what worksheets they will do for class, how many and to "work at his or her level independently" of the teacher. When Mr. John Spencer was introduced to the man from this academy he did not like it because, while yes it would keep the students busy it gave them too much freedom in what got done for the class and at what level. Mostly it was a stack of worksheets meant to keep the students free of any time that they would either be listing to the teacher or not doing any work. Mr. John Spencer found this pointless but the principal chose the Academy over the warnings and concerns of a seasoned teacher. He ends saying that while the "con academy" was a free gift so was the Trojan Horse.
I commented saying that I understood that he did not like a system that valued the "busy work" of students who might simply be working below their grade/skill level to make it easier on then over the teachings of a real teacher. I told him how every time I had to do it it felt as if the teacher did not care about us and just wanted us to be quite. I said that I liked it when I had the textbook on-line because I could easily look up information and still study if I had to leave my backpack at home while on a trip but I needed a teacher more. They are the reason why a child wants to learn or not and sending them to a school where they are asked "how much work would you like to do for your grade?" and not "I see that you can do better" makes them question if trying is worth it. I told him that I was sorry that the principal did not listen to him but maybe because he wrote this article that others will see it and begin to really question is this version of flipping a class is good or not for the students.
Blog Post #14
I.) Summary of Teacher Knows if You Have Done the E-Reading by David Streitfeld
At this moment in Texas A&M several professors are creating an on-line E-Reading system after realizing that not only were their students not doing the readings they needed to do for class but that a good portion of them have never even opened their books. Thanks to the program the teachers and professors can look over and see if the students are actually reading the book to see if they need to change. Does what the program say mean that I need to make the class harder? Easier? Should I speed up or slow down? It tells them this as well as giving an early alert in case one or more students look like they are going to fail based on their scores on-line. Now the professors can alter the teaching lesson to keep everyone on track while watching over the ones who are in the red zone; this helps a lot for freshmen because a bad G.P.A. can take years to fix. Some students did not like the program at first because of "big brother" watching them at then again later because of either bugs in the system or being recorded opening the book only once when it as opened many times that day. These and other problems will be taken care of and hopefully the drop rate at the college will begin to decrease thanks to the program and its professors.
II.) Thoughts On the Article if I was a Teacher
I like this because I can see if my students are actually reading the book, why or why not and if I need to slow down/speed up in class. If they understand the subject in class but no one is opening their books I can ask if they do not understand the chapters and contact the publishers to tell them this so that they can make betters ones in the future. This would also help me see which students are trying hard to keep up with the class but are falling behind or if someone is doing nothing for the class in terms of grades too. If at the end I see that Amy has been working hard all year and is only a few points away I have proof that she has earned a chance to get the points but if Johnny does nothing and his parents ask why I failed him I also have proof. It is also a way to hold the students accountable for their own reading and preparing for the exams by showing that they have all that they need, other than the notes they take in class, on the website.
III.) Thoughts On the Article if I was a Student
I think that I would like it since everything was on-line (being green is very important to me) and everything I needed would be on one page making it so that I would not have to keep searching again and again for a term that might be different from what is said in the subject. I can prove that I have been doing the work and reading the chapters just as we would be told to do for homework in case I need a few more points to get to the next letter grade. It would also have a list of what I need to do for the week, be able to see what I have done/need to do and research information on projects. The only thing that I do not like is that if I write notes in class then I get points taken off and if I find a mistake the book will not be fixed right away which means that others will learn a false fact.
IV.) Questions to Ask a Teacher of The Class That is Described in the Article
1.) How do you know that the students are really reading the book and not just clicking on the chapters?
2.) What do you do if your students show you and/or see that parts of the chapter/book are wrong?Do you call the publisher? Can you get a new book?
3.) Is it possible to add quizzes to their reading on-line?
4.) If the students scan in their notes from class will they still how a low score?
V.) Questions to Ask the Students in the Class of a Teacher That is Described in the Article
1.) Is it easier to read the book if it is a textbook or on-line?
2.) What do you do if what the teacher teaches is not the same as what is shown in the book?
3.) Do you like the teacher knowing if you have done the reading or not?
4.) If there was one thing about this program you could change what would it be?
VI.) Comment
I would like this system because everything would be on-line, no paper trail that could get lost and I can monitor if my students are doing their work or not. I can also place the class into two parts: the on-line reading and a class blog. The on-line reading would help keep them on track, like a Checklist, so that they knew what is due when and what to do if they have questions. It can tell me if someone is falling behind or if I can speed up the class; being able to alert me if someone is going to fail is a plus too. The class blog would also have them apply what they have read, project ideas that they might want to do in class and to show that they are really listening/getting what I am teaching. I can assign them reading then have them write about what they have been doing in the class to their blog and try to apply it to a read-world event or idea. With this I cam help reach more students by monitoring their progress and their communication on all levels.
At this moment in Texas A&M several professors are creating an on-line E-Reading system after realizing that not only were their students not doing the readings they needed to do for class but that a good portion of them have never even opened their books. Thanks to the program the teachers and professors can look over and see if the students are actually reading the book to see if they need to change. Does what the program say mean that I need to make the class harder? Easier? Should I speed up or slow down? It tells them this as well as giving an early alert in case one or more students look like they are going to fail based on their scores on-line. Now the professors can alter the teaching lesson to keep everyone on track while watching over the ones who are in the red zone; this helps a lot for freshmen because a bad G.P.A. can take years to fix. Some students did not like the program at first because of "big brother" watching them at then again later because of either bugs in the system or being recorded opening the book only once when it as opened many times that day. These and other problems will be taken care of and hopefully the drop rate at the college will begin to decrease thanks to the program and its professors.
II.) Thoughts On the Article if I was a Teacher
I like this because I can see if my students are actually reading the book, why or why not and if I need to slow down/speed up in class. If they understand the subject in class but no one is opening their books I can ask if they do not understand the chapters and contact the publishers to tell them this so that they can make betters ones in the future. This would also help me see which students are trying hard to keep up with the class but are falling behind or if someone is doing nothing for the class in terms of grades too. If at the end I see that Amy has been working hard all year and is only a few points away I have proof that she has earned a chance to get the points but if Johnny does nothing and his parents ask why I failed him I also have proof. It is also a way to hold the students accountable for their own reading and preparing for the exams by showing that they have all that they need, other than the notes they take in class, on the website.
III.) Thoughts On the Article if I was a Student
I think that I would like it since everything was on-line (being green is very important to me) and everything I needed would be on one page making it so that I would not have to keep searching again and again for a term that might be different from what is said in the subject. I can prove that I have been doing the work and reading the chapters just as we would be told to do for homework in case I need a few more points to get to the next letter grade. It would also have a list of what I need to do for the week, be able to see what I have done/need to do and research information on projects. The only thing that I do not like is that if I write notes in class then I get points taken off and if I find a mistake the book will not be fixed right away which means that others will learn a false fact.
IV.) Questions to Ask a Teacher of The Class That is Described in the Article
1.) How do you know that the students are really reading the book and not just clicking on the chapters?
2.) What do you do if your students show you and/or see that parts of the chapter/book are wrong?Do you call the publisher? Can you get a new book?
3.) Is it possible to add quizzes to their reading on-line?
4.) If the students scan in their notes from class will they still how a low score?
V.) Questions to Ask the Students in the Class of a Teacher That is Described in the Article
1.) Is it easier to read the book if it is a textbook or on-line?
2.) What do you do if what the teacher teaches is not the same as what is shown in the book?
3.) Do you like the teacher knowing if you have done the reading or not?
4.) If there was one thing about this program you could change what would it be?
VI.) Comment
I would like this system because everything would be on-line, no paper trail that could get lost and I can monitor if my students are doing their work or not. I can also place the class into two parts: the on-line reading and a class blog. The on-line reading would help keep them on track, like a Checklist, so that they knew what is due when and what to do if they have questions. It can tell me if someone is falling behind or if I can speed up the class; being able to alert me if someone is going to fail is a plus too. The class blog would also have them apply what they have read, project ideas that they might want to do in class and to show that they are really listening/getting what I am teaching. I can assign them reading then have them write about what they have been doing in the class to their blog and try to apply it to a read-world event or idea. With this I cam help reach more students by monitoring their progress and their communication on all levels.
Friday, April 26, 2013
Personal Learning Network (PLN) - Final Report
After spending several weekends trying to find the right system of organizing my items, web pages, blogs, etc. I finally decided on Symbaloo l and I love it! It has brought much of my stress levels down knowing that everything I need is on one page. I can easily separate my social life into four parts: school, work, play and news/important items. For school I have the school website, blogger, a document where I have listed different professors' and teachers' blogs, Twitter and Pinterest. For work I have their website, the work scheduled and contact information on my coworkers. For play lately it has been placed right beside my school section because from YouTube, iMovies and The Last Lecture they have begun to over lap where what I was doing last year merely for fun I am now doing it also to learn. For news/important items it holds my Gmail, Facebook, links to Linkedin and Amazon where I check any message I might have or items that might be for sale. It has helped me a great deal because now I do not have to write down something I want to keep an eye on for my future classroom or look through one web page after another trying to find which email I used. Everything is in one place that I control and can keep adding to for years to come.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Blog Post #13
Part One: Mr. Brain Cosby's Back to the Future
In Mr. Cosby's video was incredible because here is a teacher who is not only using different types of technology to teach the school's requirements but he is also impeding other subjects as well. Instead of teaching only from the book and giving out quizes to measure if they are learning he has then film the projects or examples done in class, embed them on their blogs and write about what is going on in the video. In that one sentence it shows that they are learning how to listen to instructions so that the project goes right, how to share what they have learn to others and how to put what they have seen/learned into words. BUT HE DOES NOT STOP THERE! Later on with the ballon and flight parts of their lesson he showed them the history of ballons, how they have changed over the years and after they released their own large ballon called "High Hope" High Altitude Ballon in to the sky they wrote about what it would be like if they were the ballon. His students even took it a step further and asked every blog they could find to sent them their "high hopes" to put in the ballon and they received so many from all over the world that they burned a disk of them and put them along side their own hopes. At the beginning of school most of them did not even know where they lived or their own address BUT now he has motivated them to keep going, he gave them the tools to learn on their own and to connect to others. I loved most the parts where they worked on their communication skills to teach other teachers/students in different parts of the world how to do the projects they have done in the class and how they connected Celeste via Skype so that she could be apart of the class. He has proven that if a child learns where education is done in a "meaningful and motivational context" instead of one where learning is in fact memorization for an exam then anything can be possible for them. I aimer someone who starts off with children who not very little and by the end of the year turn them into children who are becoming more of the person they wish to be when they grow up by giving them the means to learn and connect to others.
Part Two: Mr. Paul Anderson's Blended Learning Cycle
Mr. Anderson uses a teaching strategy he calls a "Blended Learning Cycle" that he calls "Quivers". This cycle is in two parts. The first uses the classroom, the web and all mobile devices to teach by connecting the students to others in the world who might be teachers, professors or just other kids who want to learn too. The second is in the five parts that many science teachers use in their own classes and each part starts with "E". The first is Engage where he might ask questions to get the students thinking both in terms that they already know and in a way where they have to think outside the box. The second is Explore where he shows different places they can go to to get answers or to ask their own questions. The third is Explain where he explains the answer. The four is Expand where they build on what they already know and think about the answer in different forms or scenarios. The fifth and final part is Evaluate where they have to think over and over what they learned and how it apply to the topic at hand and in their own lives. To remember this he calls it "Quivers": QU - question, I - investigation/inquiry, V - video, E - elaboration, R - review and S - summary quiz. Here he gives them a problem or question where they first think about what the answer could be only by looking at it and working together. They then investigate by not only using the web but also videos that he makes for them so that they can keep checking to see if what they are doing/thinking is right. They then elaborate and review their findings, what was right/wrong and most importantly why. He ask them one-on-one about the topic and until he knows that they understand it they cannot move to the quiz. I love his strategy because he is having them think in terms of facts from the book as well as how they can physically find the answers from projects and how to explain it in words. My favorite part is where he does not allow a student who does not understand the material well to take the quiz at the end of the sections because he know that they do not know and tries to find ways to explain the subject further. When they were going over Natural Selection he could have played a video or read from the book but by creating a project where they were the "birds" and having them time themselves to see how long it took to pick up the beans if they were big/small with a "beek" that was long/short he made it more about learning for fun than for an exam. I am saving his videos on my YouTube account so that when I begin teaching I can go back to him and remember tips or tools to keep teaching my students.
In Mr. Cosby's video was incredible because here is a teacher who is not only using different types of technology to teach the school's requirements but he is also impeding other subjects as well. Instead of teaching only from the book and giving out quizes to measure if they are learning he has then film the projects or examples done in class, embed them on their blogs and write about what is going on in the video. In that one sentence it shows that they are learning how to listen to instructions so that the project goes right, how to share what they have learn to others and how to put what they have seen/learned into words. BUT HE DOES NOT STOP THERE! Later on with the ballon and flight parts of their lesson he showed them the history of ballons, how they have changed over the years and after they released their own large ballon called "High Hope" High Altitude Ballon in to the sky they wrote about what it would be like if they were the ballon. His students even took it a step further and asked every blog they could find to sent them their "high hopes" to put in the ballon and they received so many from all over the world that they burned a disk of them and put them along side their own hopes. At the beginning of school most of them did not even know where they lived or their own address BUT now he has motivated them to keep going, he gave them the tools to learn on their own and to connect to others. I loved most the parts where they worked on their communication skills to teach other teachers/students in different parts of the world how to do the projects they have done in the class and how they connected Celeste via Skype so that she could be apart of the class. He has proven that if a child learns where education is done in a "meaningful and motivational context" instead of one where learning is in fact memorization for an exam then anything can be possible for them. I aimer someone who starts off with children who not very little and by the end of the year turn them into children who are becoming more of the person they wish to be when they grow up by giving them the means to learn and connect to others.
Part Two: Mr. Paul Anderson's Blended Learning Cycle
Mr. Anderson uses a teaching strategy he calls a "Blended Learning Cycle" that he calls "Quivers". This cycle is in two parts. The first uses the classroom, the web and all mobile devices to teach by connecting the students to others in the world who might be teachers, professors or just other kids who want to learn too. The second is in the five parts that many science teachers use in their own classes and each part starts with "E". The first is Engage where he might ask questions to get the students thinking both in terms that they already know and in a way where they have to think outside the box. The second is Explore where he shows different places they can go to to get answers or to ask their own questions. The third is Explain where he explains the answer. The four is Expand where they build on what they already know and think about the answer in different forms or scenarios. The fifth and final part is Evaluate where they have to think over and over what they learned and how it apply to the topic at hand and in their own lives. To remember this he calls it "Quivers": QU - question, I - investigation/inquiry, V - video, E - elaboration, R - review and S - summary quiz. Here he gives them a problem or question where they first think about what the answer could be only by looking at it and working together. They then investigate by not only using the web but also videos that he makes for them so that they can keep checking to see if what they are doing/thinking is right. They then elaborate and review their findings, what was right/wrong and most importantly why. He ask them one-on-one about the topic and until he knows that they understand it they cannot move to the quiz. I love his strategy because he is having them think in terms of facts from the book as well as how they can physically find the answers from projects and how to explain it in words. My favorite part is where he does not allow a student who does not understand the material well to take the quiz at the end of the sections because he know that they do not know and tries to find ways to explain the subject further. When they were going over Natural Selection he could have played a video or read from the book but by creating a project where they were the "birds" and having them time themselves to see how long it took to pick up the beans if they were big/small with a "beek" that was long/short he made it more about learning for fun than for an exam. I am saving his videos on my YouTube account so that when I begin teaching I can go back to him and remember tips or tools to keep teaching my students.
Project #16 - Progress Report
PROJECT #16 - Progress Report
Our group decided to go with option B
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Blog Post #12
Possible Blog: Post
It is never good for a student to get any form of editing or help from only one person or group because it limits them to a handful of thoughts and opinions. If a child is only around those who see the world in terms of A then they will begin to see the world the same and will not know how to function with or speak to those who see it in terms of B. As a teacher you need to find a way to connect your students to others in the community or the world so prevent this. Skype is one of the most popular ways to accomplish this action because it links others together in a way that allows all to learn and grow from each other.
For this week I want you to look into the Skype in the Classroom and poke around to see what you can find. Think of a classroom activity, after school time or even a field trip where this can be used and write it out. Keep in mind the area, subject or grade you want to teach while writing and have it connect.
Possible Blog: Answer
I am currently coming to the University of South Alabama to be a librarian and I want to use Skype in the Classroom in two forms to help the students. The first is an after school tutoring program where the students are joined with another school somewhere in the same time zone for help in different subjects. For example, if a child is having problems adding fractions then everyone from both sides will be placed in the same room where they will help each other. Maybe a student from the other school can share a trick they learned or one person from either side can write a problem out on the boards and everyone work together to solve it. This way everyone is learning together and they are making connections with other students. The second form where I would use Skype in the Classroom is for story times for the younger children. Each week a librarian, teacher or even a parent will read a story to both sides and then they will discus what they learned or found interesting about the book. If there is a part that someone from one side did not understand then have someone from the other side stand up and explain it to them; this will help in listening, making connections and communicating with others. While the main parts from both will be education, speaking and working together there is another that many times a teacher might forget to teach: using your manners. Before either project begins I would first have the teachers explain why it is so important to use their manners, how to speak to someone who needs help without being disrespectful and why learning how to work with others will help them later in life. If I were allowed to use this in my school I know that within a few years that those students will leave with a better view of how to treat others, how to communicate when they need help or are helping someone and that learning something new can be fun.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Teacher Comments - Part 3
My Comment to Dr. John Strange's "Dr. John Strange's Strange Thoughts" Blog
Subject: How the World Helps Me Teach Pre-Service Teachers - In Less Than 24 Hours!
Dr. Strange wrote about when one of his students last year left a comment on a teacher's blog asking how their post that the student said was full of "flutter" and "opinions" was going to help him be a better teacher. The student then left a comment on his own blog about what he left on the teacher's blog but then stated that he did not understand how this was going to help him. He was asking anyone out in the world who found his blog if they could explain the importance of this class and what the benefits of reading and writing on the blogs was going to help him. In less than twenty-four hours he was given comments by sixteen people from New Zealand, Canada, American and all but three were either teachers, administrators or IT directors. They explained why in their own terms and using their own experiences to say that what he is learning is important not only as a teacher but as a person who is getting prepared for a world that is changing everyday. They all worked to help the student understand why they needed to stay in the class and Dr. Strange was very happy that it was other bloggers, others who were connected by technology, who showed the purpose of his class and now he uses this to help others understand too.
I commented saying that of all of the assignments we have done for the class the blogs by teachers have helped me the most because they are presenting what they have learned over the years so that others can learn and not repeat them to other students. They are full first-hand knowledge by those who are on the "front lines" and live everyday what we are getting read for; we need their help. When I had to do a paper on the Gulf War I asked my Dad because I knew that someone who was there would have more to say and that the information would be more creditable than what I could get from a book. That is what the purpose of commenting on the teacher's blogs: to get us to see what is coming, what we need to do to get ready, skills that we should begin to master and projects that the have found taught better than only from a book. We all want to be "good" teachers but in order to do that we need to see the real world and then start working on what is coming.
My Comment to Dr. John Strange's "Dr. John Strange's Strange Thoughts" Blog
1. The SACS places a great burden on the University to gather all the information needed to approve a professor. If they were to explain, clearly and in a manner that everyone will understand, what they need then the process would be easier to begin and end.
2. The University waited too long to request the information from the professors making the task an impossible challenge at best. If the SACS stated that they were going to be approving the professors in my University one week before they came I would all that I could but I would also explain the unnecessary burden they are placing on us. And if I knew that they were coming, regardless if it is next term or next year, I would inform the professors early so that they can get all of their materials in on time.
3.) The SACS needs to state what they want from what they need in terms of material from a professor to state their qualification. If the class is about technology it is "absurd" to state that everything must first be in print and then in a . pdf document.
4.) It seems odd that after teaching the same course for 25 years the SACS is now looking into his works and education to see if he is qualified to teach; to me this seems to be the perfect example of the bureaucratic problems that plague the school systems.
5.) The SACS policy states that a professor must show the degree they received to teach their subject but, as in Dr. Strange's case, that degree might show nothing to do with their current field His Ph.D from Princeton might state that he is approved to teach political science even though he is teaching more so in terms of teaching in the classroom with technology.
After reading this post I stated that I was very grateful that, even though both the SACS and the University made the process very difficult, he kept going to prove that he had what it took to teach. As much as I despised even hated this class at the beginning I know see why it is so important because it is not about how to make movies or blogs but instead about changing how we tackle a challenge. The reason for the class is to show that problems that we had with our own education system when we were children and what we can do to change it for our own students. What if my classroom was given a new set of computers or a SmartBoard? Before this class I would have used it to play games or to show PowerPoint. I would not know any other way to use it but now I cannot give such an excuse. We have been shown many, many different ways to use what both our students and we know to teach them and different levels that will help them now and later. A child learns to type, then to blog, then to comment on other blogs and by the time they enter college not only has their confidence in their writing skills improved but they now know where to go to ask questions to those who know the field. In my parent's time they looked in a book, we looked on Google but now this generation can go everywhere. Thanks to Dr. Strange we can now go into the classroom showing how to get this information.
Dr. Strange wrote about when one of his students last year left a comment on a teacher's blog asking how their post that the student said was full of "flutter" and "opinions" was going to help him be a better teacher. The student then left a comment on his own blog about what he left on the teacher's blog but then stated that he did not understand how this was going to help him. He was asking anyone out in the world who found his blog if they could explain the importance of this class and what the benefits of reading and writing on the blogs was going to help him. In less than twenty-four hours he was given comments by sixteen people from New Zealand, Canada, American and all but three were either teachers, administrators or IT directors. They explained why in their own terms and using their own experiences to say that what he is learning is important not only as a teacher but as a person who is getting prepared for a world that is changing everyday. They all worked to help the student understand why they needed to stay in the class and Dr. Strange was very happy that it was other bloggers, others who were connected by technology, who showed the purpose of his class and now he uses this to help others understand too.
I commented saying that of all of the assignments we have done for the class the blogs by teachers have helped me the most because they are presenting what they have learned over the years so that others can learn and not repeat them to other students. They are full first-hand knowledge by those who are on the "front lines" and live everyday what we are getting read for; we need their help. When I had to do a paper on the Gulf War I asked my Dad because I knew that someone who was there would have more to say and that the information would be more creditable than what I could get from a book. That is what the purpose of commenting on the teacher's blogs: to get us to see what is coming, what we need to do to get ready, skills that we should begin to master and projects that the have found taught better than only from a book. We all want to be "good" teachers but in order to do that we need to see the real world and then start working on what is coming.
My Comment to Dr. John Strange's "Dr. John Strange's Strange Thoughts" Blog
Subject: Competence and Accreditation
Dr. Strange discusses what it took for him to be certified by the SACS (Southern Association of Colleges and School) which is the regional accrediting system that gives teachers and professors the "OK" to teach their subject. The process in theory is very simple: print out all that proves you are qualified to teach your subject and, if the SACS approves, you can teach it. However for Dr. Strange all that he had to do to be approved was as far as "simple" could get. First the policy for giving proof that a professor is qualified to teach their subject has not been in place for many years and he was given the news to get all of his paperwork to his chairman within one week. He was told on December 3rd so needless to say he was in a frenzy getting ALL of the paperwork he could get but that is when the next "bump" happened. When he sent everything in he was then told that it was rejected because it "summarized activities and lacked specifics such as dates and places of speeches, etc." so he had to write and rewrite again. It was not until he finally obtained a copy of the requirements by the SACS was he able to send in the final version of his qualifications. It was "13 pages long, contain[ed] 4,261 words, and is highly specific" and for the second time it was rejected. FINALLY, after he and others worked over 2,000 pages of material did he send it in again. This 5 1/2 inch high stack of paper was finally approved....but with a twist. Everything he wrote needed to be in a .pdf document. Anyone who has taken his EDM310 class knows that it is "Green" meaning that everything is online so it made him very upset that fist he had to print it all out to them and second he could not simply e-mail it so that the SACS was not wasting paper. So after he and several secretaries rushed to complete the latest demands of the SACS he concluded five parts by both the University and SACS need to fix in order for this fiasco not to happen again:1. The SACS places a great burden on the University to gather all the information needed to approve a professor. If they were to explain, clearly and in a manner that everyone will understand, what they need then the process would be easier to begin and end.
2. The University waited too long to request the information from the professors making the task an impossible challenge at best. If the SACS stated that they were going to be approving the professors in my University one week before they came I would all that I could but I would also explain the unnecessary burden they are placing on us. And if I knew that they were coming, regardless if it is next term or next year, I would inform the professors early so that they can get all of their materials in on time.
3.) The SACS needs to state what they want from what they need in terms of material from a professor to state their qualification. If the class is about technology it is "absurd" to state that everything must first be in print and then in a . pdf document.
4.) It seems odd that after teaching the same course for 25 years the SACS is now looking into his works and education to see if he is qualified to teach; to me this seems to be the perfect example of the bureaucratic problems that plague the school systems.
5.) The SACS policy states that a professor must show the degree they received to teach their subject but, as in Dr. Strange's case, that degree might show nothing to do with their current field His Ph.D from Princeton might state that he is approved to teach political science even though he is teaching more so in terms of teaching in the classroom with technology.
After reading this post I stated that I was very grateful that, even though both the SACS and the University made the process very difficult, he kept going to prove that he had what it took to teach. As much as I despised even hated this class at the beginning I know see why it is so important because it is not about how to make movies or blogs but instead about changing how we tackle a challenge. The reason for the class is to show that problems that we had with our own education system when we were children and what we can do to change it for our own students. What if my classroom was given a new set of computers or a SmartBoard? Before this class I would have used it to play games or to show PowerPoint. I would not know any other way to use it but now I cannot give such an excuse. We have been shown many, many different ways to use what both our students and we know to teach them and different levels that will help them now and later. A child learns to type, then to blog, then to comment on other blogs and by the time they enter college not only has their confidence in their writing skills improved but they now know where to go to ask questions to those who know the field. In my parent's time they looked in a book, we looked on Google but now this generation can go everywhere. Thanks to Dr. Strange we can now go into the classroom showing how to get this information.
C4K - Part 2
Week One: Alex
Alex wrote about how different her life would be if we did not have the First Amendment. She talks about how she could treat others who were of a different race than her "unfairly" and that nothing would stop it. I said that I agreed because the First Amendment has given us so much freedom to live the lives that we want instead of being under a Kings' thumb. I told her that even today I still do not understand how a person could justify their hateful actions towards them simply because they saw the person as different. America was created to be a safe haven for all who wanted to live their own lives in freedom and thanks to the First Amendment that is what we are today. I also told her that I liked her Book/Movie Review she did on the Three Stooges because both my dad and I still watch them and I was happy to find someone else who liked them too. I hoped that she keeps writing because I could tell from her other post that she has a lot to say and that doing so on her blog was a perfect first step.
Week Two: Kyla
Kyla wrote about how much she liked the new tablets her classmates and she have to use in the classroom but that there were many thing that she also did not like. She finds it confusing when the tablet messes up, "everything" is blocked and they are limited to what they can do on them. Because of this when she goes home all she does is place it in the charger. She states "what's the point of having these tablets if we can't do anything with them at home" as the reason why she does not like them. I told her that I understood because when computers first into my classroom all we were allowed to do on them was type or do research. I was mad too until the teacher explained that we first needed to be taught how to be responsible with the computers before we could move on; once I got that I listened better so to know what to do. When we learned about typing, looking up research, how to start the computer and showed that we would take care of the computer she allowed us to finally play game on it. I told her that I knew she wanted to do more but that these baby steps she is taking are needed so that she can be able to do more later. You cannot run until you learn to crawl.
Week Three: Kaycee
Kaycee wrote her post about the history behind the Easter Eggs in that they are a celebration of new life and that the giving of Easter Eggs has been going on for hundreds of years. I told her how the egg represents the Easter Story. The the hard shell is the tomb that held Jesus and, just as an egg will with time, when it broke it have way to a new life. I also told her how there are some cultures use paints or dyes to decorate the eggs while others use candle wax or sew fake eggs covered in decoration. I have seen these and all of them are very beautiful I was glad that she wanted to learn more about the history of the Easter Egg because many see an everyday item and think nothing of why we have it or where it came from. I hoped that she would keep looking for history with other events and share them with us again.
Week Four: Ryan
Ryan wrote his post on himself. He lives in Farmersburg, Iowa with a population of about 300 and jokes saying that "if u blink while driving through it you will miss it". Farmersburg is about twenty miles from the Mississippi so he goes to the river a lot. He loves being outdoors hunting, fishing or target shooting with his family. Even during the winter he is still outside wither snowmobiling or ice fishing. I told him that I loved in Satsuma, Alabama which is about the same size as his own town and that sister and dad were the ones who loved hunting. I liked going to Steel Creek instead were I can read, fish or ride on an inner-tube. In my spare time I enjoy swimming, reading, writing stories and rock-wall climbing. I told him that if he wanted to try it that he should not look down when at the top; no one told me but while it was scary it was also very fun.
Blog Post #11
Technology in the Today's Classroom
Ms.Cassidy is a first grade teacher in Canada who is using technology in terms of blogs, wikis, videos and even the Nitendo DS games to help teach her students. In her first YouTube video titled First Graders in Ms.Cassidy's Class the students talk about what they have learned in her class and what they do with the technology. I loved the part where the students are talking about how you are to comment on another's page and what you can/cannot do so to not "be mean". It shows that what Ms.Cassidy is teaching is not only how to make a video or play a game but that they are learning how and why they are using this technology With the blogs two students said that their writing was getting better because they kept using their blogs and you can tell that when others comment on their blog that it made them want to keep writing more. One part that I want to use in my classroom is the DS games because, while most might see them as a waste of time, over the years I have seen why they are very important. While babysitting one afternoon one of the boys showed me a game on his DS that he loved and in it you had to spell any item that would help the hero get to the end. Like if he was at a cliff, the boy needed to spell "rope" correctly so that the hero could keep going. Over time I saw that his spelling and reading were getting better because of the game and I want my own students to see that they can both learn and have fun. In the second video titled Skype Interview with Ms.Cassidy talks about how she started using technology in her classroom, why she using Twitter and Skype, what other teachers in her school think about what she is doing and most importantly why those in EDM310 need to keep learning. In the past knowing how to type or make a PowerPoint was all that someone needed to know but today, as Ms.Cassidy and her students have shown, you need much more if you want to keep up and thrive. It was sad though to hear that there were many teachers in her school who did not want to change their teaching styles simply because they have been using it for so long and did not want to learn. She keeps going in spite of what others say or do and her students will not only be more prepared for the real world but will also see learning a new system or program as something to enjoy and not fear. I hope that I can inspire my own students to love all that technology can do for them in the coming years too.
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