Saturday, November 8, 2014
Sunday, November 2, 2014
Blog Post #11
What can you learn about teaching and learning from these teachers?
Back to the Future: Mr. Crosby Mr. Crosby compares the education children have before they reach his class as constricted. He uses tools such as Blogs and heavy internet access to broaden the spectrum by which students explore and enhance their knowledge. His students maintain blogs-just as we do-posting videos, links, activities and other tools to broadcast their knowledge. His students accessed and created Wiki pages to integrate them into their projects. This gave them different perspectives and had them analyze the driving question in depth. A recurring statement by the teachers we've read about before is the extreme positive impact leaving comments does for his students and others. This motivates them to want to excel in everything they do to receive the accolades they long for. The main thing I would take away from Mr. Crosby is that Project Based Learning (PBL) truly helps students learn more and that collaborating through technology is key for greater success. This is extremely helpful for students like Celeste. She has leukemia and due to this horrible ailment she is not able to always attend class. With Mr. Crosby's in depth involvement with technology she is able to interact in ways she otherwise would not have been able to. She does not get left in the dark or behind and is able to feel as normal as possible when dealing with her disease. Technology is changing our world in more than just education, it is changing children's lives.
Blended Learning: Paul Anderson Just as we assume what the future should look like with hovercrafts and flying cars this video Mr. Anderson portrays what most believe the future classrooms should appear as. Classrooms, he says, will be collaborative strictly through mobile online classes that will integrate directly into everyday life. Mr. Anderson goes through the "e's" of the learning cycle: evaluate a question, engage, explore, explain, and expand after the answer and continue to push the envelope of the question. Putting these two concepts together you in turn attain blended learning. To entice the students the teacher-instead of asking tons of questions-show a video to capture the students and get the wheels turning so that they are the ones elaborating. Students will perform lesson diagrams and then go into a review section. Lastly, they will have a summary quiz. The quiz will be a touchstone to see if the students are ready to move forward or need more practice with the subject. When finalizing the lesson you will give the students and test using pen and paper. Using Mr. Anderson's blended learning will help integrate technology and establish a great system to use when formulating lessons.
Building Comics: Sam Payne Sam Payne is a fifth grade teacher who understands the importance of internet safety and introduces to his class by way of your beloved neighborhood Spider-Man. He challenges students to be digital citizens and recognize the overwhelming power they possess when they have the internet at their fingertips. He has his students create a digital superhero. By using their laptops they are capable of completing this task. They create comic books and they analyze technology structure. They will then peer review their classmate's works. This idea Mr. Payne brings forward is a great collaborative and technologically safe project that still follows the guidelines of his lesson.
PBL: Dean Shareski These two teachers from Canada found a way to incorporate two lessons into one by way of technology. They particularly used it as a means of feedback on their English and History lessons. They concurred that students learn more when utilizing more subjects at the same time through technology. The lesson play did its job of helping expand the students' thinking.
Roosevelt Elementary's PBL Program The video first reiterates the meaning and importance of PBL; it's collaborative and students work together to solve real world issues. Student's are encouraged to speak publically early on. This helps deter fear of public speaking that some adults still battle with to this day. It creates more responsible learners that self-motivate and strive to do better because they want to. PBL's push students to be more independent; but, they must still know how to work together, communicate, and solve problems. It is an adaptive style of learning that helps students in all subjects do better. It is a better way for students to learn due to the fact that it keeps them interested and interactive so that they are not stagnant. Every student has a curious streak and PBL shines a light on it.
Back to the Future: Mr. Crosby Mr. Crosby compares the education children have before they reach his class as constricted. He uses tools such as Blogs and heavy internet access to broaden the spectrum by which students explore and enhance their knowledge. His students maintain blogs-just as we do-posting videos, links, activities and other tools to broadcast their knowledge. His students accessed and created Wiki pages to integrate them into their projects. This gave them different perspectives and had them analyze the driving question in depth. A recurring statement by the teachers we've read about before is the extreme positive impact leaving comments does for his students and others. This motivates them to want to excel in everything they do to receive the accolades they long for. The main thing I would take away from Mr. Crosby is that Project Based Learning (PBL) truly helps students learn more and that collaborating through technology is key for greater success. This is extremely helpful for students like Celeste. She has leukemia and due to this horrible ailment she is not able to always attend class. With Mr. Crosby's in depth involvement with technology she is able to interact in ways she otherwise would not have been able to. She does not get left in the dark or behind and is able to feel as normal as possible when dealing with her disease. Technology is changing our world in more than just education, it is changing children's lives.
Blended Learning: Paul Anderson Just as we assume what the future should look like with hovercrafts and flying cars this video Mr. Anderson portrays what most believe the future classrooms should appear as. Classrooms, he says, will be collaborative strictly through mobile online classes that will integrate directly into everyday life. Mr. Anderson goes through the "e's" of the learning cycle: evaluate a question, engage, explore, explain, and expand after the answer and continue to push the envelope of the question. Putting these two concepts together you in turn attain blended learning. To entice the students the teacher-instead of asking tons of questions-show a video to capture the students and get the wheels turning so that they are the ones elaborating. Students will perform lesson diagrams and then go into a review section. Lastly, they will have a summary quiz. The quiz will be a touchstone to see if the students are ready to move forward or need more practice with the subject. When finalizing the lesson you will give the students and test using pen and paper. Using Mr. Anderson's blended learning will help integrate technology and establish a great system to use when formulating lessons.
Building Comics: Sam Payne Sam Payne is a fifth grade teacher who understands the importance of internet safety and introduces to his class by way of your beloved neighborhood Spider-Man. He challenges students to be digital citizens and recognize the overwhelming power they possess when they have the internet at their fingertips. He has his students create a digital superhero. By using their laptops they are capable of completing this task. They create comic books and they analyze technology structure. They will then peer review their classmate's works. This idea Mr. Payne brings forward is a great collaborative and technologically safe project that still follows the guidelines of his lesson.
PBL: Dean Shareski These two teachers from Canada found a way to incorporate two lessons into one by way of technology. They particularly used it as a means of feedback on their English and History lessons. They concurred that students learn more when utilizing more subjects at the same time through technology. The lesson play did its job of helping expand the students' thinking.
Roosevelt Elementary's PBL Program The video first reiterates the meaning and importance of PBL; it's collaborative and students work together to solve real world issues. Student's are encouraged to speak publically early on. This helps deter fear of public speaking that some adults still battle with to this day. It creates more responsible learners that self-motivate and strive to do better because they want to. PBL's push students to be more independent; but, they must still know how to work together, communicate, and solve problems. It is an adaptive style of learning that helps students in all subjects do better. It is a better way for students to learn due to the fact that it keeps them interested and interactive so that they are not stagnant. Every student has a curious streak and PBL shines a light on it.
Saturday, November 1, 2014
Project #14
In this project my group collaboratively came up with a special education lesson plan. It is centered around mathematics, mainly counting coins. Together, Group #3 came up with a week's worth of activities to introduce, practice, and master counting coins. We were able to connect the project to a life skill as well. Day one, we will introduce money and its values by use of the catchy Money Song. On the next two days students will be provided with Worksheets to practice on as well as iPad Games to play. On day four students will use the skills they've learned and play a Grocery Shopping Game, this shows the connection of learned materials and life skills. We found this game and we agreed on it solely for the capability it has of changing its levels of difficulty which helps in a special education classroom due to its variety of special needs students. The final day of this lesson will end with a collaborative project where the students will get into groups of four. The students are given "$20" ($5 a piece) to work as a team to spend less than $20 on their "Grocery Shopping Trip". This will be formulated on an iPad by the instructors so that it is accessible to all students. After they complete the project towards the end of class students will be able to cash in their good behavior money they have accumulated throughout the week for a prize from the treasure box. This is a great way for students to utilize the skills they've learned while being appreciated for their good behavior. According the class size or variety of students, accommodations would have to be made in order to complete the lesson. When beginning the lesson I must first think of my students and whether or not it would be a plausible lesson for them and the outcome in either a large or small classroom.
Calendar
Project Design Overview
Rubric
Calendar
Project Design Overview
Rubric
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Blog Post #10
First Graders in Mrs. Cassidy's Class
A Summary of the Videos: The students are fond of writing in their practice books; however, they prefer writing on blogs. This gives them the opportunity to showcase their hard work. It is rewarding to them when they have their very own family members comment on their posts. The students get the opportunity to grow and improve their writing skills via public blog pages. With these blogs the kids use it as a sort of online portfolio that shows their progress. A very strict rule that the kids enforce themselves is that when commenting you must be nice. The students organize all of their collective blogs on a class blog like our own in EDM 310. Another tool they used were Wikis, when the students didn't know something they looked it up and found the information themselves. They also utilized Skype in order to converse with students around the world.
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 Overview:
Mrs. Cassidy's videos provided an abundance of information about the usefulness of blogging as well as the importance of having a strong and sturdy team. She has had a successful 5 years blogging with her students. The parents especially like that it broadcasts the students hard work they also are able to keep tabs on their progress. Another great point is that it becomes more hands on with technology and enticing than the usual pen and paper. When thinking of the most important aspect of a blog for the students, Mrs. Cassidy says that they need an audience above everything else. With an audience, students then are more inclined to push themselves to perform better. My favorite little tool Mrs. Cassidy uses with her students is the cluster map tool. It shows the students where in the world people are viewing their blog to show them their impact. The lessons you are able to cover with the use of blogging are reading, writing, videos, and commenting. The use of research via the web is a wondrous tool for students. Mrs. Cassidy was asked if "Teachers need to be Technology Literate?", her response was "Yes, technology is here to stay". The growth of technology today provides bigger and better outcomes in the classroom. Using online networking new teachers can connect and advance together. Twitter is a very useful way to do so. Mrs. Cassidy says that we should always keep in touch through technology. She goes on to inform you that you should go where your interests are. This way you are educated and interested in the conversation and are able to comment and start a network amongst similar minds. She uses the term "piggybacking" which may sound negative but put into context it is not cheating off of another's works. It's a collaborative learning process using technology as its medium. A major issue she addresses which is privacy and safety. She teaches her students to not put out their last name, pictures of themselves, and to be aware of what websites they are visiting.
My Classroom:
Mrs. Cassidy definitely has a lot of great insight for future educators. In my classroom I will definitely use blogs so that students can broadcast their written works and view their progress. As well, we will use Skype. Possibly in order to Skype an author or even students around the world to teach each other about different cultures. The teachers and other experts can solidify my lessons and help drive home any subject matter we may be discussing at the time. The class as a whole can think together on a driving question to start a research quest and a discussion. I would also use Wiki so that students can research and collaborate with each other.
A Summary of the Videos: The students are fond of writing in their practice books; however, they prefer writing on blogs. This gives them the opportunity to showcase their hard work. It is rewarding to them when they have their very own family members comment on their posts. The students get the opportunity to grow and improve their writing skills via public blog pages. With these blogs the kids use it as a sort of online portfolio that shows their progress. A very strict rule that the kids enforce themselves is that when commenting you must be nice. The students organize all of their collective blogs on a class blog like our own in EDM 310. Another tool they used were Wikis, when the students didn't know something they looked it up and found the information themselves. They also utilized Skype in order to converse with students around the world.
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 Overview:
Mrs. Cassidy's videos provided an abundance of information about the usefulness of blogging as well as the importance of having a strong and sturdy team. She has had a successful 5 years blogging with her students. The parents especially like that it broadcasts the students hard work they also are able to keep tabs on their progress. Another great point is that it becomes more hands on with technology and enticing than the usual pen and paper. When thinking of the most important aspect of a blog for the students, Mrs. Cassidy says that they need an audience above everything else. With an audience, students then are more inclined to push themselves to perform better. My favorite little tool Mrs. Cassidy uses with her students is the cluster map tool. It shows the students where in the world people are viewing their blog to show them their impact. The lessons you are able to cover with the use of blogging are reading, writing, videos, and commenting. The use of research via the web is a wondrous tool for students. Mrs. Cassidy was asked if "Teachers need to be Technology Literate?", her response was "Yes, technology is here to stay". The growth of technology today provides bigger and better outcomes in the classroom. Using online networking new teachers can connect and advance together. Twitter is a very useful way to do so. Mrs. Cassidy says that we should always keep in touch through technology. She goes on to inform you that you should go where your interests are. This way you are educated and interested in the conversation and are able to comment and start a network amongst similar minds. She uses the term "piggybacking" which may sound negative but put into context it is not cheating off of another's works. It's a collaborative learning process using technology as its medium. A major issue she addresses which is privacy and safety. She teaches her students to not put out their last name, pictures of themselves, and to be aware of what websites they are visiting.
My Classroom:
Mrs. Cassidy definitely has a lot of great insight for future educators. In my classroom I will definitely use blogs so that students can broadcast their written works and view their progress. As well, we will use Skype. Possibly in order to Skype an author or even students around the world to teach each other about different cultures. The teachers and other experts can solidify my lessons and help drive home any subject matter we may be discussing at the time. The class as a whole can think together on a driving question to start a research quest and a discussion. I would also use Wiki so that students can research and collaborate with each other.
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Blog Post #9
What can teachers and students teach us about Project Based Learning?
Seven Essentials for PBLs This article gives the reader two main perspectives to focus on: one that it is a meaningful task and two that it is truly an educational project. The site breaks it down into seven parts.
1. A Need to Know: This is where the teacher entices students about the project. This in turn causes the students to want to find out more about the task at hand. The teacher would do this through videos, field trips, reading an article, or handing out a newsletter. Like the first paragraph to a great paper this grabs the attention of the reader-students-and leads them towards learning more about the task.
2. A Driving Question: The teacher gives an open ended question to the students so that he or she can mull it over while doing their project. The site compared their driving question to a thesis which was a clearer analogy for me to grasp.
3. Student Voice and Choice: This piece stated that students should be given the free range necessary to utilize tools and sources to fully express their knowledge on the subject.
4. 21st Century Skills: These skills are collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and technology. With these tools-the same ones we use in EDM 310-the opportunities for different and unique outcomes are endless.
5. Inquiry and Innovation: This is a culmination of little steps used to answer one big question in the form of a project. Teachers can utilize this to answer extra questions along with everyday questions with project based learning.
6. Feedback and Revision: This is a great time to use rubrics so that students know what is expected of them. As well, peer reviews can come into play so that students can grade themselves along side their fellow classmates.
7. Publicly Presented Product: This step gives the students the opportunity to show their pride in their work. They are able to broadcast their hard work to their peers and teachers. This list of 7 is helpful in remembering steps in project based learning.
Project Based Learning for Teachers The WHAT to projects are the Common Core Standards. The ideas that make up a project and understanding are the HOW. Technology opens many doors for PBL and is a huge role in the classroom. PBL is a greatly shared idea across many websites. With it being connected to countless other sites it provides opportunities for students to branch out and explore new venues for knowledge. My favorite key point with PBL is that teachers are not there to "spoon-feed" or "hand-deliver" information. We are here to provide them with the tools and skills necessary to complete complex tasks and questions. Every student should be able to follow a rubric for the project, know the purpose of the project, be able to work in groups, adhere to the deadlines, have a process to complete project, and provide a product at the end.
Project Based Learning in PE I never thought PE could achieve project based learning activities until I read this interesting site. Using PBL helped students learn more about their bodies and were able to achieve this knowledge and pass it along to other students. This lesson adheres to NASPE as well. Through the awesome use of PBL students were able to question, analyze, and design a PE class of their own. This goes to show when following the steps for PBL it can be utilized in any subject!
What Motivates Students Today? This video is truly my favorite. The responses from all of the students are genuine and are reminders of why we are becoming teachers. It's to better a future for them. Not just a brighter future for ourselves. Giving students the proper tools will help them excel and exceed past the goals they originally thought they could never reach. Positive reinforcement is very helpful in reminding the students what they are working very hard for.
The Ketchup Bottle Case This is a cool article about students who came up with their own everyday problem and a driving question to push them towards a solution. By using PBL, their hard work paid off and now these two young students are very well known for their interesting accomplishment. They are a prime example to students and teachers everywhere that PBL is a highly effective tool in driving students towards more intense education.
Seven Essentials for PBLs This article gives the reader two main perspectives to focus on: one that it is a meaningful task and two that it is truly an educational project. The site breaks it down into seven parts.
1. A Need to Know: This is where the teacher entices students about the project. This in turn causes the students to want to find out more about the task at hand. The teacher would do this through videos, field trips, reading an article, or handing out a newsletter. Like the first paragraph to a great paper this grabs the attention of the reader-students-and leads them towards learning more about the task.
2. A Driving Question: The teacher gives an open ended question to the students so that he or she can mull it over while doing their project. The site compared their driving question to a thesis which was a clearer analogy for me to grasp.
3. Student Voice and Choice: This piece stated that students should be given the free range necessary to utilize tools and sources to fully express their knowledge on the subject.
4. 21st Century Skills: These skills are collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and technology. With these tools-the same ones we use in EDM 310-the opportunities for different and unique outcomes are endless.
5. Inquiry and Innovation: This is a culmination of little steps used to answer one big question in the form of a project. Teachers can utilize this to answer extra questions along with everyday questions with project based learning.
6. Feedback and Revision: This is a great time to use rubrics so that students know what is expected of them. As well, peer reviews can come into play so that students can grade themselves along side their fellow classmates.
7. Publicly Presented Product: This step gives the students the opportunity to show their pride in their work. They are able to broadcast their hard work to their peers and teachers. This list of 7 is helpful in remembering steps in project based learning.
Project Based Learning for Teachers The WHAT to projects are the Common Core Standards. The ideas that make up a project and understanding are the HOW. Technology opens many doors for PBL and is a huge role in the classroom. PBL is a greatly shared idea across many websites. With it being connected to countless other sites it provides opportunities for students to branch out and explore new venues for knowledge. My favorite key point with PBL is that teachers are not there to "spoon-feed" or "hand-deliver" information. We are here to provide them with the tools and skills necessary to complete complex tasks and questions. Every student should be able to follow a rubric for the project, know the purpose of the project, be able to work in groups, adhere to the deadlines, have a process to complete project, and provide a product at the end.
Project Based Learning in PE I never thought PE could achieve project based learning activities until I read this interesting site. Using PBL helped students learn more about their bodies and were able to achieve this knowledge and pass it along to other students. This lesson adheres to NASPE as well. Through the awesome use of PBL students were able to question, analyze, and design a PE class of their own. This goes to show when following the steps for PBL it can be utilized in any subject!
What Motivates Students Today? This video is truly my favorite. The responses from all of the students are genuine and are reminders of why we are becoming teachers. It's to better a future for them. Not just a brighter future for ourselves. Giving students the proper tools will help them excel and exceed past the goals they originally thought they could never reach. Positive reinforcement is very helpful in reminding the students what they are working very hard for.
The Ketchup Bottle Case This is a cool article about students who came up with their own everyday problem and a driving question to push them towards a solution. By using PBL, their hard work paid off and now these two young students are very well known for their interesting accomplishment. They are a prime example to students and teachers everywhere that PBL is a highly effective tool in driving students towards more intense education.
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Blog Post #8
Randy Pausch's Last Lecture put me in a state of awe. He explains that no matter your situation you can reach the goals and dreams that you set for yourself as a child. The "head fake" is a funny concept where students learn more than they perceive they are learning. Also, he goes on into stating that those that oppose you, your critics are your best allies. The critics will inevitably motivate you to work harder. As many teachers and mentors have taught me before, "if no one is critiquing you, you're not doing it right". He goes into talking about his life and a few of the obstacles he had to face. Many of which are troublesome and yet he never gave up on his dream and his path. His dream fulfillment factory is another fun concept. He incorporates technology to drive learning forward. With technology it opens more opportunities for advanced learning. Randy Pausch truly represents a true believer in Project Based Learning alongside the strong use of technology.
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