Monday, April 29, 2013
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Blog Assignment #13
Back to the Future
I think the way Brian Crosby helps his students to learn is phenomenal. The most inspiring thing that I heard him say was that students can't "understand what there can be if they don't know what there is". He said this in regards to many of his students, mostly those in poverty, who knew very little about the world around them. He has a fourth grade class, but many of them couldn't identify their phone number, address, city, or state. Mr. Crosby tried to create ways that they could connect with the world around them. My favorite was the balloon experiment. Using their own, and other kids around the world's 'high hopes', they created their own hot air balloon and sent it up in the sky, along with a video camera in the basket. They got to see the whole journey on film and then create their own story as if they were the balloon, and they had to describe their experience. They posted these stories on their blogs and received comments from many other students. This whole assignment allowed them to actually see the process, replay it in their own fashion, and then share it with everyone. Not only does it help them begin networking, but it also gives them a sense of diversity. They get to see where all the kids live that comment on their blogs in comparison to their own surroundings. Mr. Crosby had some great tools to help his class learn what the needed to know in the curriculum, and also about the world around them.
Blended Learning Cycle
Mr. Andersen uses a blended learning strategy called QUIVERS: question, investigate/inquire, video, elaborate, review, and summary quiz. The purpose of a question is to get the students' attention. By awakening their curiosity, he opens the door for investigation. Letting them explore the object(s) that they are questioning gives them a more realistic view. As he showed in the video, he let his students use forceps to move small beads and beans. He used this to show comparison to the beak of a finch. Further explanation is given with a video, in which Mr. Andersen can explain what's going on, while also giving a visual and real life example. Once students have a better idea of what is happening, they can begin to elaborate. An example was given in which he wrote down a list of section numbers and asked them to read and be able to understand certain aspects of the text. Once they get a visual of the process and how it connects to the world, he reviews with them to make sure they know the material well enough to answer probing questions that he has. The last step is a summary quiz. This allows the students to check themselves and go back to do more review if there are any areas that they still have problems with.
I think Mr. Andersen has a good strategy; it's something I'll have to try. I like how he gets the students curiosity and lets them explore the topic before he asks them to read about it in the book. I know for me personally, it is a lot easier to understand text if I already have some idea of what's going on. Sometimes reading text first can be confusing if you don't know how to relate to what you're reading. I also think it's very beneficial that he sits down with them to have review sessions and asks them questions that really test their understanding of the topic. He said that 'if you really learn something, you should be able to teach it' and I completely agree with that. Checking to make sure that his students can explain to him what they know ensures that they actually comprehend what they're saying, and aren't just spitting out answers. It's a solid learning process; I think most students would benefit from it!
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Progress Report on Final Project
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Special Assignment #1
Metaphors are best used to explain emotions that we don't know how to put into words. For instance: time is money. We associate money with having value, meaning that we also consider time to be valuable to us. Sea of grief is another one. Grief is a feeling that can range from very extreme to not at all. We know a sea is a vast expanse of water; that informs us that the level of grief runs deep or is very extensive.
Some of the best works of literature and poetry in the past and present times have been filled with metaphors. "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day" is a famous one written by Shakespeare. He's comparing the pleasantness and elegance of the summer season to his opinion of a special woman. "Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life" came from Picasso, one of the greatest artists of the late 19th-20th century. To him, art is as meaningful as being able to brush yourself off and start a new day off right when you have problems. Dr. Strange uses a metaphor all the time when he says we have to get rid of burp back education. He tries to drive home the point that there is no reason to learn things if you are just going to burp it right back up and not even be able to use it. Metaphors are everywhere and you have to know how to understand them if you want to comprehend what's going on in the world around you.
Blog Assignment #12
Many people view Physical Education as nothing more than fun and games. For those of you who plan to be Physical Education instructors, it is your job to make sure that it will be a useful learning experience. Read Dylan Blain's post iPads/iPods in PE – Practical Workflow with Edmodo. What is Edmodo? Share your thoughts on Mr. Blain's post and tell us how you would implement it in your classroom. Even if you don't plan to be a PE teacher, it will benefit you to know how important Physical Education is as a learning process.
iPads/iPods in PE – Practical Workflow with Edmodo
Edmodo is used to connect people with the contacts and resources they need to help them reach their full potential. It helps to personalize learning and uses educational apps to enhance learning in the classroom. According to Mr. Blain, this is beneficial in the PE environment because it allows the students to join groups and participate in assigned tasks. For example, say students are learning how to do a particular skill set, such as shooting a lay-up in basketball. The kids can join whichever group they need to in order to work with people who are on the same level of experience. Even though the skill is a lay-up, some students will need to work on jumping off the correct foot when shooting, while others might need to work on shooting with their non-dominant hand. The grouping and tasks that this app provides allows less experienced students to learn at their own pace, rather than getting left behind by those that may already know how to do most of the aspects of that particular skill.
Another reason that Edmodo is great for Physical Education is because of the mobility that it provides. Using an IPod or IPad, images and film can be recorded in the gym or on the field; wherever the lesson is taking place. There is a separate app called Coach's Eye to do that, but Mr. Blain informs us that Edmodo makes it possible for students to access and assess their footage at any time and even create a portfolio. This is one of the most beneficial ways for students to learn because, using the film, they can see specifically what they are doing wrong and how it should be reformed, rather than hearing a teacher tell them how to correct it without a visual to guide them.
As a Physical Education teacher, I will definitely be using Edmodo. Not only will it give my students access to something that will help them see how to correct their movements, but it also allows them to learn how to monitor progress. I think it will be a great motivation for them to be able to watch the footage and see their progression in small steps, and eventually their achievement of the skill. With the video evidence, they can see just how far they have come with the whole process; and they definitely need that reinforcement that they've done a good job! Edmodo will go a long way in terms of organization, and the resources that it will provide me with to help enhance the learning environment of my students will be a positive movement towards making Physical Education a better and more beneficial experience for the whole class.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
C4T Summary Teacher #3
The next post, Google Chrome in Education, gives us insight to the many benefits of using Google Chrome. You can have as many different user accounts as you want and personalize them to make them accessible to whatever you need. In essence, it puts all of your educational resources right at your fingertips. To me, this is just one more step to make technology user friendly and help it meet the needs of everyone. These tools that Mr. Wickens has brought to light are giving school systems every reason to want to include technology to give students a better educational experience.
C4K Summary March
Rocky's teacher is Ms. King, and he attends Pt. England School in New Zealand. He informs us of why he thinks Easter eggs are a part of Easter. One suggestion he made was that they symbolize new life, and the other was that the hollow egg represents the tomb of Jesus. I told him that those were both great ideas, and that new life made sense, seeing as eggs are the beginning of a new life and coloring them gives them personality like a human would have. I could tell he really thought about the true meaning of the holiday, rather than just assuming it's purpose was for the Easter bunny to make his rounds giving out candy.
Blog Assignment #11
Ms. Cassidy's use of technology gives her students an advantage over most. Having the kids create individual blogs is something that I will definitely make use of in my future classroom. I've always realized that it is an effective way to give them an audience for their work, but I never considered that it enhanced their writing skills. Then again, if you are frequently writing and receiving encouraging feedback, that motivation is almost guaranteed to result in skill improvement. This is one of the most beneficial ways for students to write because it gets the kids excited about what they are doing. Even in the video you could hear how thrilled they were to know that other people read and comment on what they write, and it makes them eager to learn and share more. The students themselves want to be successful and that's the most important thing.
I believe her use of the Smart Board is also an excellent idea. It's a great way to teach them how to use the technology that we have today to their benefit, and to prepare them to reap the full rewards of future learning tools. I say that because not all students will be receptive to it. There are going to be a number of kids who won't want to use something so big or stand in front of their peers to do so. However, I believe that with practice, encouragement, and a little one-on-one time with the Smart Board, they will become more comfortable with it and be able to use it productively. This in itself is valuable, but the best skill that they learn from this is how to embrace the new tools that they are given; not be afraid of them.
I don't know that I would use it in my classroom, but her idea to use the Nintendo DS to let her students play games which teach them skills like how to take care of an animal is ingenious. No, that may not be in the curriculum, but what a great way to get them to learn something that they might not know otherwise! Knowing how to comment on blogs isn't in the curriculum either, but it's a step in the right direction to helping the kids understand the right and wrong way to interact with other people. That's something that they'll have to know in the real world all through life; and shouldn't one of our main goals be to teach them how to be successful in whatever they do?!
Ms. Cassidy is putting her students on the fast track to success, and guiding them along until they can walk the path themselves. More teachers should take her approach.
Monday, April 1, 2013
Blog Assignment #10
The above cartoon was drawn by John T. Spencer. When I first looked at it, I wasn't really sure what it meant. After doing a little searching, I found out that it's comparing Mac and PC computers. Once I was able to make that connection, I understood the point (no pun intended) that Mr. Spencer was trying to communicate. Commercials for both of these two types of computers make it seem as if they are the best option, and the competition has nothing to offer. His description compares a cheap Papermate pencil versus a more expensive Ticonderoga. Essentially, PC's are cheaper but they don't have all of the bells and whistles that a Mac has. It just goes to show you how you can advertise anything to look the way you want it so that it will sell, but in reality you're going to get either an overpriced toy or something that won't last you very long. It's important to know what you're really buying so that you don't get distracted by the pretty ads and forget the purpose of your purchase!
Why Were Your Kids Playing Games?
The principal at Mr. Spencer's school is completely against any type of game. In his mind, "games" can't be used to learn and usually lead to trouble with parents. What Mr. Spencer is trying to explain to him that he can't seem to understand is that his activities are being used to help his students comprehend the material; they're not useless. I find it interesting that the principal talks of "abandoning slate-based learning", but then suggests a system using worksheets and packets, exactly the type of learning that he says he wants to stay away from. No, it's not the same as the teacher standing in front of the class and lecturing, and yes, it does allow the class to work at their own pace and do work individually; but that type of learning is not interactive at all. Mr. Spencer integrates the concepts into his games so that the students are able to learn and apply the information. Unlike the principal, he understands that learning should be more valuable than getting the kids to memorize information for a standardized test. Learning standards are constantly changing anyway!
The Con Academy
The principal at Mr. Spencer's school wants him to talk to a man about the idea of flipping his classroom. Instead of the teacher lecturing for most of the period and having little or no time for application of the subject and individual help, a flipped classroom allows for the students to be able to go over the material beforehand and lets the teacher spend precious class time answering questions that the students have and doing activities to help them apply the concepts that they learn. The system that the man proposed was to let each child learn skills on their own and use a step by step process to master each of those skills independently. It takes away the teaching role. While it does allow students to work at an individual pace, the only thing that they are actually learning to do is follow set of instructions. It won't show them how to interpret a passage from Shakespeare or write a good essay. They need someone instructing them; written guidelines can't explain a concept the way a teacher can. You can read more about it here.
I think Mr. Spencer is trying to make a point that you have to care about your students. Every kid deserves the best education possible, and it's our job as teachers to provide that. We have to be willing to learn along with them and be their guide to success. They eventually do have to know how to learn on their own, but we have to give them the tools to do that first.
Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff, Please?
Scott McLeod plays a major role in technology advancement issues. He is the Founding Director of the only place that solely works to meet the technology needs of school administrators. In his post, he begs parents, teachers, and schools alike not to view technology as being evil. If it's monitered properly, it can be one of a teacher's greatest tools. Denying them use of these valuable assets isn't going to do anything but deny them a better learning experience. If students can use those tools to share knowledge with the world and spread their ideas and creativity, we shouldn't deny them the privilege. There's no need to assume they're going to abuse the privilege and deny them the experience, we're better off teaching them how to use it to their advantage.