Project Overview
Project Calendar
Rubric
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Project #14
Project Based Learning #2
In this project students will apply the skills they learned on quantities and reasoning with equations. Students apply their ability to write, interpret, and translate various forms of linear equations. A period of one weeks is needed for preparation. Our students will be divided into five groups with four in each. Students will have the option to choose which local market they want to research. The students must use the search engine iCurio for their research or a local market. They can present their project by a google presentations, poster, or any other media tool. Finally, students will be required to present their group presentation to the class.
Project Overview
Project Calendar
Rubric
Project Overview
Project Calendar
Rubric
Blog Post #10
Randy Pausch was an amazing speaker. He acquire the credibility of achieving his dreams but he also uses his positivity to inspire others. Pausch's Last Lecture speech shows that regardless of how superficial, simple, or extravagant our childhood dreams may seem they can mold us into the person we will become.
He teaches us that there are key elements to learning. I learned that it is very important to never give up. We need to treat others like we want to be treated if we were being taught. In this way, you will know that people will help you if you ask. To tell the truth and apologize when we mess up. You should take a honest person over a good person any day. Randy quote "There is nothing like watching kids have fun learning something hard." I love this quote because being a future math teacher will be very challenging for my students as well as me but rewarding if it's fun for us. " Bricks wall are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something." Don't let nothing stand in your way of your dreams. We will always have road block but there's ways around them to achieve our goals.
What I can learn is that teaching is all about learning. We will never stop learning about new things. Pausch's advising us to not complain, just work harder. "You can not change the cards you were dealt, you can only change the way you play your hand." as quoted by Randy Pausch. This is my favorite quote by him. I can't expect the perfect classroom, school, or great students. I can only be the best teacher that I can be. provide my students withe the knowledge they will need for the future. I have always let others influence me to no follow my dreams but after watching Randy Last Lecture has inspire me to never give up on my dreams. I hope when my students watch this video in my classroom they will be inspire to follow their dreams and goals in life. Most important thing to remember is to HAVE FUN!!
He teaches us that there are key elements to learning. I learned that it is very important to never give up. We need to treat others like we want to be treated if we were being taught. In this way, you will know that people will help you if you ask. To tell the truth and apologize when we mess up. You should take a honest person over a good person any day. Randy quote "There is nothing like watching kids have fun learning something hard." I love this quote because being a future math teacher will be very challenging for my students as well as me but rewarding if it's fun for us. " Bricks wall are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something." Don't let nothing stand in your way of your dreams. We will always have road block but there's ways around them to achieve our goals.
What I can learn is that teaching is all about learning. We will never stop learning about new things. Pausch's advising us to not complain, just work harder. "You can not change the cards you were dealt, you can only change the way you play your hand." as quoted by Randy Pausch. This is my favorite quote by him. I can't expect the perfect classroom, school, or great students. I can only be the best teacher that I can be. provide my students withe the knowledge they will need for the future. I have always let others influence me to no follow my dreams but after watching Randy Last Lecture has inspire me to never give up on my dreams. I hope when my students watch this video in my classroom they will be inspire to follow their dreams and goals in life. Most important thing to remember is to HAVE FUN!!
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Blog Post #9
What can we learn about teaching and learning from these teachers?
Authors: Douglas Jarvis, Kristie Bell, and Kynyetta Barren
In the video Back To The Future, Mr. Brian Crosby tells us about how he gets his class of multicultural and at risk students to learn how to use project based learning. He starts off by telling us about his class and how most of his students do not know what city they live in. Crosby uses technology to gain the interest of his class. The students use laptops to connect to different students around the world. Mr. Crosby collaborated with a local university to create a balloon that would carry a camera and microphone into the different layers of the atmosphere. By doing this, students were able to see first hand the journey that the balloon made. The students were able to create the payload of the balloon and take a hands on approach to this project creating a highly motivating learning environment. They were each asked to write a story about the balloons journey from the perspective of the balloon. These stories were then posted to a class blog along with photos and videos to be shared with the world in a project called “High Hopes”. The students made stratocards with the high hopes that they had for their lives and this also allowed students around the world to post theirs as well. This project also tied into the science atmosphere with cultural and language learning. In this way, children around the world were able to share ideas and information which makes the world a smaller, more neighborly place. What we can learn from this is that teaching is not about giving students busy work and hoping that they will grasp the concepts from that work. Learning is more effective when the students are captivated by the material. We think that teaching is about making the students learn for themselves and from their peers around them. We also believe that by doing projects this allow students to be interactive with each other. By motivating students with exciting projects they will actively absorb information and retain it for life. Mr. Crosby also showed us the value of public sharing when he was able to use technology to allow a young girl with cancer to be part of his class and participate with her peers instead of being homeschooled. That is a beautiful gift and he should be applauded for not allowing that girl to be isolated.
Paul Anderson’s Blended Learning Cycle In this video, Mr. Anderson talks about his combination of blended learning and the learning cycle. Blended learning is a combination of online, mobile, and classroom learning. The Learning Cycle contains five key components: Engage, Explore, Explain, Expand,and Evaluate. He uses this system of learning to create his own unique learning style he names QIVERS`.Q: Question-Mr Anderson begins each unit with a driving question about a subject matter the students are unfamiliar with. I: Investigate- he asks the students to hypothesize what they believe the answer to that question is. V: Video- he gives the students video links with instructions and information so that they can explore the subject matter independently. E: Elaboration- he then explains the subject matter and provides his class with more detailed information. R: Review- in this stage, he reviews with the students one on one to ensure the student understands the information. S: Summary quiz- he gives a quiz to evaluate the students knowledge. What we can learn from Mr. Anderson is a successful way to teach our students. His method allows students to be engrossed in the learning process. He allows them to question freely and learn why they are wrong or right. In this way, he is teaching science and how to be an independent learner at the same time.
Mark Church’s Making Thinking Visible video, he discusses how his students make their thinking visible. He explains an assignment where he records his student’s learning and follows their thought process. He has them create a headline summarizing the introduction to his unit in one sentence. He then teaches the unit and has them do this again so they can see how far their understanding has come. Through projects like this, we can learn how to get in touch with our students thoughts and how to document those thoughts. With this information we can begin to have a better understanding of how our students evaluate information. This allows us to be better teachers by allowing us to adjust our way of thinking to be more compatible with our students. By making thinking visible, we can give our students the ability to see their understanding grow. We can challenge them to be creative and learn to work with their peers. This method of education is positive because of the direct feedback the student gets when they see their mind has changed with the additional lessons. This encourages and produces a much more motivated learner.
Authors: Douglas Jarvis, Kristie Bell, and Kynyetta Barren
In the video Back To The Future, Mr. Brian Crosby tells us about how he gets his class of multicultural and at risk students to learn how to use project based learning. He starts off by telling us about his class and how most of his students do not know what city they live in. Crosby uses technology to gain the interest of his class. The students use laptops to connect to different students around the world. Mr. Crosby collaborated with a local university to create a balloon that would carry a camera and microphone into the different layers of the atmosphere. By doing this, students were able to see first hand the journey that the balloon made. The students were able to create the payload of the balloon and take a hands on approach to this project creating a highly motivating learning environment. They were each asked to write a story about the balloons journey from the perspective of the balloon. These stories were then posted to a class blog along with photos and videos to be shared with the world in a project called “High Hopes”. The students made stratocards with the high hopes that they had for their lives and this also allowed students around the world to post theirs as well. This project also tied into the science atmosphere with cultural and language learning. In this way, children around the world were able to share ideas and information which makes the world a smaller, more neighborly place. What we can learn from this is that teaching is not about giving students busy work and hoping that they will grasp the concepts from that work. Learning is more effective when the students are captivated by the material. We think that teaching is about making the students learn for themselves and from their peers around them. We also believe that by doing projects this allow students to be interactive with each other. By motivating students with exciting projects they will actively absorb information and retain it for life. Mr. Crosby also showed us the value of public sharing when he was able to use technology to allow a young girl with cancer to be part of his class and participate with her peers instead of being homeschooled. That is a beautiful gift and he should be applauded for not allowing that girl to be isolated.
Paul Anderson’s Blended Learning Cycle In this video, Mr. Anderson talks about his combination of blended learning and the learning cycle. Blended learning is a combination of online, mobile, and classroom learning. The Learning Cycle contains five key components: Engage, Explore, Explain, Expand,and Evaluate. He uses this system of learning to create his own unique learning style he names QIVERS`.Q: Question-Mr Anderson begins each unit with a driving question about a subject matter the students are unfamiliar with. I: Investigate- he asks the students to hypothesize what they believe the answer to that question is. V: Video- he gives the students video links with instructions and information so that they can explore the subject matter independently. E: Elaboration- he then explains the subject matter and provides his class with more detailed information. R: Review- in this stage, he reviews with the students one on one to ensure the student understands the information. S: Summary quiz- he gives a quiz to evaluate the students knowledge. What we can learn from Mr. Anderson is a successful way to teach our students. His method allows students to be engrossed in the learning process. He allows them to question freely and learn why they are wrong or right. In this way, he is teaching science and how to be an independent learner at the same time.
Mark Church’s Making Thinking Visible video, he discusses how his students make their thinking visible. He explains an assignment where he records his student’s learning and follows their thought process. He has them create a headline summarizing the introduction to his unit in one sentence. He then teaches the unit and has them do this again so they can see how far their understanding has come. Through projects like this, we can learn how to get in touch with our students thoughts and how to document those thoughts. With this information we can begin to have a better understanding of how our students evaluate information. This allows us to be better teachers by allowing us to adjust our way of thinking to be more compatible with our students. By making thinking visible, we can give our students the ability to see their understanding grow. We can challenge them to be creative and learn to work with their peers. This method of education is positive because of the direct feedback the student gets when they see their mind has changed with the additional lessons. This encourages and produces a much more motivated learner.
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Blog Post #8
21st Century Learning and Communication Tools
Author: Kynyetta Barren
I want to teach Pre-Algebra, Algebra, or Algebra II to middle or high school students. To help with my teaching, I would like to use a software called FluidMath. FluidMath is a software used on Tablet PC or Interactive Whiteboards. I can use this software to assist in creating instructional learning experiences. For my students, It will help them explore and understand the concepts in mathematics. It animates, graphs, creates, and solves math problems. FluidMath graphs equations and animates them by allowing teachers or students to change pieces of the equation to show how each section of the equation can be affected by the graph appearance. I can use the animation to show the shape changes on a graph. It will be easier for me instead of having to draw a new graph to show the differences in how they look. FluidMath can be used on different platforms such as:
Smart Board
PC with a keyboard
Promethean Board
Hitachi Starboard
Mimio
Polyvision
I choose FluidMath because most students learn better with technology and hands-on experiences. It will be a great source for clarifying abstract concepts in math. I want my students to feel comfortable in what they are learning and I think using this software will help tremendously. I will be using this software and other tools that I discover throughout my journey as an educator. I have provided a video below as an example of how FluidMath works.
iCivics
By: Kristie Bell
The tool that I chose to tell my readers about is called iCivics. Justice Sandra Day O’Connor actually founded iCivics in 2009 out of concern that students were not getting the information and tools they need for civic participation, and that civics teachers need better materials and support. This project has truly grown and now has volunteer teams in every state. Anyone can have access to iCivics and all of their resources are free.
Identifying iCivics and the Benefits
iCivics is a web-based education project designed to teach students civics and inspire them to be active participants in our democracy. iCivics has a variety of lesson plans designed to fit your classroom. The lesson plans are also relevant to the student so they can captivate their interest. The best part about the lesson plans is that all iCivics games, lesson plans, and web quests have been linked to standards from all 50 states. This means you can easily find out if the lesson plan fits in with your state's curriculum standards. All you have to do is search iCivics content by using the “Curriculum Finder” function. iCivics also has educational games that offer printable instructions or an in-game tutorial if you are a first time user whose experiencing difficulty. Students gain achievements, compete on leader boards, and earn points that they can use to vote on different “Impact Projects.” Students can make a real-world difference because the Impact Project that earns the most collective points will receive a $1,000 donation from iCivics each quarter. If you ever have an idea for a new game iCivics actually has an online form that you can submit and it is possible you could be chosen to have your game created.
Why I choose iCivics and My Future Intentions
iCivics would be a perfect technology tool to use in my classroom because I will be teaching History. I also chose this tool because it is a free resource and anyone can have access to it without having to pay a fee. This tool has relevant information that appeals to students and my goal is for them to be engaged. I believe that tools such as iCivics are very beneficial to educators because we can make learning enjoyable. I think Sandra Day O'Connor came up with a very resourceful tool and I have every intention on using it in my future classroom. I would like to incorporate the lesson plans that focus mainly on politics, international affairs, civil rights for now. iCivics plans on adding more units and hopefully by the time I am an educator the options will be endless. I feel that my students could greatly benefit from this tool and enriching their knowledge about History is my main goal.
Author: Kynyetta Barren
I want to teach Pre-Algebra, Algebra, or Algebra II to middle or high school students. To help with my teaching, I would like to use a software called FluidMath. FluidMath is a software used on Tablet PC or Interactive Whiteboards. I can use this software to assist in creating instructional learning experiences. For my students, It will help them explore and understand the concepts in mathematics. It animates, graphs, creates, and solves math problems. FluidMath graphs equations and animates them by allowing teachers or students to change pieces of the equation to show how each section of the equation can be affected by the graph appearance. I can use the animation to show the shape changes on a graph. It will be easier for me instead of having to draw a new graph to show the differences in how they look. FluidMath can be used on different platforms such as:
Smart Board
PC with a keyboard
Promethean Board
Hitachi Starboard
Mimio
Polyvision
I choose FluidMath because most students learn better with technology and hands-on experiences. It will be a great source for clarifying abstract concepts in math. I want my students to feel comfortable in what they are learning and I think using this software will help tremendously. I will be using this software and other tools that I discover throughout my journey as an educator. I have provided a video below as an example of how FluidMath works.
iCivics
By: Kristie Bell
The tool that I chose to tell my readers about is called iCivics. Justice Sandra Day O’Connor actually founded iCivics in 2009 out of concern that students were not getting the information and tools they need for civic participation, and that civics teachers need better materials and support. This project has truly grown and now has volunteer teams in every state. Anyone can have access to iCivics and all of their resources are free.
Identifying iCivics and the Benefits
iCivics is a web-based education project designed to teach students civics and inspire them to be active participants in our democracy. iCivics has a variety of lesson plans designed to fit your classroom. The lesson plans are also relevant to the student so they can captivate their interest. The best part about the lesson plans is that all iCivics games, lesson plans, and web quests have been linked to standards from all 50 states. This means you can easily find out if the lesson plan fits in with your state's curriculum standards. All you have to do is search iCivics content by using the “Curriculum Finder” function. iCivics also has educational games that offer printable instructions or an in-game tutorial if you are a first time user whose experiencing difficulty. Students gain achievements, compete on leader boards, and earn points that they can use to vote on different “Impact Projects.” Students can make a real-world difference because the Impact Project that earns the most collective points will receive a $1,000 donation from iCivics each quarter. If you ever have an idea for a new game iCivics actually has an online form that you can submit and it is possible you could be chosen to have your game created.
Why I choose iCivics and My Future Intentions
iCivics would be a perfect technology tool to use in my classroom because I will be teaching History. I also chose this tool because it is a free resource and anyone can have access to it without having to pay a fee. This tool has relevant information that appeals to students and my goal is for them to be engaged. I believe that tools such as iCivics are very beneficial to educators because we can make learning enjoyable. I think Sandra Day O'Connor came up with a very resourceful tool and I have every intention on using it in my future classroom. I would like to incorporate the lesson plans that focus mainly on politics, international affairs, civil rights for now. iCivics plans on adding more units and hopefully by the time I am an educator the options will be endless. I feel that my students could greatly benefit from this tool and enriching their knowledge about History is my main goal.
Blog Post 8: Tools for Tomorrow’s Classroom
Summary by Douglas R. Jarvis Jr.
EcoMuve is an exciting new way to teach biology lessons. Centered on teaching ecosystems to the middle school age science student, this product allows students to be consumed by the science of ecosystems. EcoMuve was developed by the Harvard Graduate School of Education. It is a two week learning module that uses a 3-D virtual world to allow students to explore every aspect of a pond or forest ecosystem.They can see changes that take place over time to understand the impact of pollution or population change of endemic species. This product is an amazing way to prepare your students to go into the field and truly understand the world around them. See more here.
Ecosystem Concepts
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Causality Concepts
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EcoMUVE Design
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Conservation of matter
Decomposition
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Non-obvious Causes
Cyclic causality
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Submarine tool
Atom tracker
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Inquiry and measurement
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Inquiry over time
Balance and Flux
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Water measurement tools
Calendar tool
Data table and graphs
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Ecosystem boundaries, watershed
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Effects over distance
Distributed causality
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Spatial layout of virtual world – pond, housing development, golf course
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Photosynthesis and respiration
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Effects over distance
Non-obvious causes
Cyclic causality
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Water measurement tools
Atom tracker
|
Chart courtesy of http://ecomuve.gse.harvard.edu/
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Project #13 Lesson Plan One
Project Based Learning
Authors: Kynyetta Barren, Kristie Bell, Douglas Jarvis
This lesson plan addresses a presentation on the History of the United States and is intended for students in the twelfth grade. A period of two weeks is needed for preparation. Our students will be divided into six groups with four in each. Students will have the option to choose which century or historic event they would like as long as it evolved the United States in some way. The students must use the search engine iCurio for their research. They can present their project by a powerpoint, poster, youtube, re-enactment, or any other tool we have listed in the instructions. Finally, students will be required to present their group presentation to the class.
Project Overview
Project Calendar
PBL Rubric
Authors: Kynyetta Barren, Kristie Bell, Douglas Jarvis
This lesson plan addresses a presentation on the History of the United States and is intended for students in the twelfth grade. A period of two weeks is needed for preparation. Our students will be divided into six groups with four in each. Students will have the option to choose which century or historic event they would like as long as it evolved the United States in some way. The students must use the search engine iCurio for their research. They can present their project by a powerpoint, poster, youtube, re-enactment, or any other tool we have listed in the instructions. Finally, students will be required to present their group presentation to the class.
Project Overview
Project Calendar
PBL Rubric
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
C4T#2
C4T
My teacher name was Mrs. Kathleen Morris form Victoria, Australia. In her blog post Blogging and the Literacy Curriculum, she explains that the concept of literacy education has changed as technology has evolved. Our students need to become transliterate and develop the ability to read, write, and interact across a range of platforms, tools, and media. With all the new technology being create, we won't need to teach kids how to read a book or write on paper.
C4T#2
In Mrs. Kathleen Morris post Looking Back, Looking Forward, she explains about getting ready for maternity leave and packing up her classroom. When reading her post, I realized that technology can be much more useful and time efficient. When she decided to get rigid of worksheets and use google docs to get the students more involve in the learning process. Mrs. Morris states that "It is clear to me that hands-on, authentic, collaborative, open-ended tasks have a much bigger impact on students than a prescribed worksheet." I definitely would be one of the ones with a worksheet but after reading her post I can value technology a lot more and how much it has evolved.
My teacher name was Mrs. Kathleen Morris form Victoria, Australia. In her blog post Blogging and the Literacy Curriculum, she explains that the concept of literacy education has changed as technology has evolved. Our students need to become transliterate and develop the ability to read, write, and interact across a range of platforms, tools, and media. With all the new technology being create, we won't need to teach kids how to read a book or write on paper.
C4T#2
In Mrs. Kathleen Morris post Looking Back, Looking Forward, she explains about getting ready for maternity leave and packing up her classroom. When reading her post, I realized that technology can be much more useful and time efficient. When she decided to get rigid of worksheets and use google docs to get the students more involve in the learning process. Mrs. Morris states that "It is clear to me that hands-on, authentic, collaborative, open-ended tasks have a much bigger impact on students than a prescribed worksheet." I definitely would be one of the ones with a worksheet but after reading her post I can value technology a lot more and how much it has evolved.
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Blog Post #7
Authors: Kristie Bell, Kynyetta Barren, and Doug Jarvis
PBL Part One:
In the interview with Dr. Strange and guest Anthony Capps, they discuss project based learning. Anthony shares his experience about doing PBL with his third grade class. He states that the goal of PBL is for them to own their own learning. The goal of a good project is to have an authentic audience so they are motivated to do good work. Another quality is that the project must peak the student interests and be relevant to their lives so they get that real world experience. The project must also revolve around the common core standards and actually teach them content that the state requires them to know.
What we can learn from this conversation is that it is important to keep our students motivated and interested in their work. We have to think outside the box and be creative with PBL. As an educator, we also need to understand that PBL is not about what the students achieve, but what they are learning. PBL is about reaching out to the students and allowing them to enjoy learning. This type of learning is meant to make an impact on their future and teach them how to achieve goals in the workplace instead of being forgotten information once the class has ended.
PBL Part Two:
In PBL not everything is going to go as we plan. Sometimes we have to improvise changes to the project and in some cases the outcome could turn out to be even better than expected. For example, Anthony Capps had his students write a narrative script as if they were a kid in Afghanistan. This project turned out to be one of his favorite projects because the children delivered so much variety. The outcome was phenomenal because these students really explored their options and did research. Some of his students went as far as focusing on the food they eat and how they have to grow the crops. The only issue in the classroom was that one of the students was not allowed to participate in this project because his father had served in Afghanistan, and did not feel comfortable with his son learning about this particular subject. Mr. Capps resolved this right away by letting him do an alternate science project and it turned out great.
What we can learn from this conversation is that PBL is a lot of hard work, but it certainly pays off in the end. There are many hours of extra work that goes into this type of teaching method, but seeing your student’s high scores is the best reward an educator can receive. There will also be times when we have to accommodate students with alternate options like Mr. Capps had to do but, that is how PBL was intended to be used. Just imagine how many students lives we could change if they truly enjoyed what they were learning. PBL really should be implemented into every grade level and we could change the way of thinking one step at a time.
iCurio
Icurio is a directory and search engine that is curated by other educators in order to provide access to only safe websites for students to do research for their educational purposes. It also is an easy way to store and organize virtual files. iCurio is a personalized way of learning that accommodates each student’s individual needs. Students also have access to the content and tools they need to take charge of their own independent learning.
Discovery Ed
Anthony Capps states that Discovery Ed is a great visual aid resource because students can use videos to enrich their research experience. Students are be able to use visual aids to gain knowledge about their learning content. Discovery Ed brings experts into the classroom via video and allows students to obtain credible information for PBL.
Additional Thoughts About Lessons
By: Kristie Bell
Anthony Capps states that a lesson is four layers thick and we need to make sure we are very precise about this. The first layer should be about how the lesson fits in a year time frame and making sure you are covering all of the standards that are required by the state. The next focus is the unit size plan and making sure that the lesson is scaled properly. The third is called the week plan and you need to have goals to make sure you are getting everything done in that time period. You also have the daily lesson plan that focuses on how you deliver information to the students and it is very important. The daily plan focuses on making sure you have an attention hook for your student and keeping them engaged while you are delivering the content. Then you must have something afterwards to actually measure what they have learned in that day so you know where to pick up the next day. These are the four components to make one successful lesson plan.
Don’t Teach Tech Use It
By: Kynyetta Barren
In Dr. Strange and Anthony Capps’ video, Don’t Teach Tech Use It, Anthony talks about technology in his classroom. An important way to incorporate technology into the classroom is to use different tools. He stated to start with doing small reflection on iMovie one week and then have them create a movie the next week. By using technology such as iMovie, it gives the students the opportunity to learn how to create and share their projects with different students around the world. As students begin using technology, they become excited about the lessons being presented to them. Students learn more from being involved in using technology. Don’t expect greatness because we are all still learning new technology. Use It, Don’t Teach Tech!
What can be learned from the video “ The Anthony Strange List of Tips for Teachers Part-1”
By: Douglas R Jarvis Jr.
In this video, Anthony Capps and Dr. John Strange engage in a conversation regarding insights and tips that can be beneficial to a young educator. First on their list was the idea that to be a solid teacher you must be a lifelong learner yourself. This is definitely true. New information is always being learned. What we may have thought to be the best way to do something today simply may not be true for tomorrow. Theories are proven wrong and new techniques replace old and ineffective ones. In order for us to be the best at what we do, we must be willing to learn and change with the times. Secondly, they discussed the fact that teaching can be hard so why not find a way to make it fun. This is a wonderful idea. Many times we become bogged down and begin to dread tasks because we lose the joy in it. So to avoid that feeling becoming part of our mindset as educators; we need to find new and exciting ways to present the material so that we are as excited to deliver it as our students are to learn it from us. Next, the importance of flexibility was discussed. We never know what unexpected challenges await us in life. Adapting to change and learning to be innovative and creative with your lesson plans can allow us to overcome life’s little curve balls and keep our classrooms on track. The fourth principle that was discussed is the importance of engaging our students. No one wants to do the same thing everyday. To really excite our students we need to find content and lesson plans that allow them to be creative in a way that allows them to demonstrate their understanding of the material we are presenting to them. Make it something that is a learning experience and also something they can be proud that they created. when students are given opportunities to show off their work, there is a sense of pride that drives them to put a little more into the project. Lastly, reflection was discussed. Listen to your students, take into consideration their opinions on the lessons you design. Learn from what they like and what they do not. By understanding what they believe works best for them, we can create more effective lessons that will be relevant and exciting for our students. Being willing to self critique and listen to ideas that students have is a great way to improve as teachers.
PBL Part One:
In the interview with Dr. Strange and guest Anthony Capps, they discuss project based learning. Anthony shares his experience about doing PBL with his third grade class. He states that the goal of PBL is for them to own their own learning. The goal of a good project is to have an authentic audience so they are motivated to do good work. Another quality is that the project must peak the student interests and be relevant to their lives so they get that real world experience. The project must also revolve around the common core standards and actually teach them content that the state requires them to know.
What we can learn from this conversation is that it is important to keep our students motivated and interested in their work. We have to think outside the box and be creative with PBL. As an educator, we also need to understand that PBL is not about what the students achieve, but what they are learning. PBL is about reaching out to the students and allowing them to enjoy learning. This type of learning is meant to make an impact on their future and teach them how to achieve goals in the workplace instead of being forgotten information once the class has ended.
PBL Part Two:
In PBL not everything is going to go as we plan. Sometimes we have to improvise changes to the project and in some cases the outcome could turn out to be even better than expected. For example, Anthony Capps had his students write a narrative script as if they were a kid in Afghanistan. This project turned out to be one of his favorite projects because the children delivered so much variety. The outcome was phenomenal because these students really explored their options and did research. Some of his students went as far as focusing on the food they eat and how they have to grow the crops. The only issue in the classroom was that one of the students was not allowed to participate in this project because his father had served in Afghanistan, and did not feel comfortable with his son learning about this particular subject. Mr. Capps resolved this right away by letting him do an alternate science project and it turned out great.
What we can learn from this conversation is that PBL is a lot of hard work, but it certainly pays off in the end. There are many hours of extra work that goes into this type of teaching method, but seeing your student’s high scores is the best reward an educator can receive. There will also be times when we have to accommodate students with alternate options like Mr. Capps had to do but, that is how PBL was intended to be used. Just imagine how many students lives we could change if they truly enjoyed what they were learning. PBL really should be implemented into every grade level and we could change the way of thinking one step at a time.
iCurio
Icurio is a directory and search engine that is curated by other educators in order to provide access to only safe websites for students to do research for their educational purposes. It also is an easy way to store and organize virtual files. iCurio is a personalized way of learning that accommodates each student’s individual needs. Students also have access to the content and tools they need to take charge of their own independent learning.
Discovery Ed
Anthony Capps states that Discovery Ed is a great visual aid resource because students can use videos to enrich their research experience. Students are be able to use visual aids to gain knowledge about their learning content. Discovery Ed brings experts into the classroom via video and allows students to obtain credible information for PBL.
Additional Thoughts About Lessons
By: Kristie Bell
Anthony Capps states that a lesson is four layers thick and we need to make sure we are very precise about this. The first layer should be about how the lesson fits in a year time frame and making sure you are covering all of the standards that are required by the state. The next focus is the unit size plan and making sure that the lesson is scaled properly. The third is called the week plan and you need to have goals to make sure you are getting everything done in that time period. You also have the daily lesson plan that focuses on how you deliver information to the students and it is very important. The daily plan focuses on making sure you have an attention hook for your student and keeping them engaged while you are delivering the content. Then you must have something afterwards to actually measure what they have learned in that day so you know where to pick up the next day. These are the four components to make one successful lesson plan.
Don’t Teach Tech Use It
By: Kynyetta Barren
In Dr. Strange and Anthony Capps’ video, Don’t Teach Tech Use It, Anthony talks about technology in his classroom. An important way to incorporate technology into the classroom is to use different tools. He stated to start with doing small reflection on iMovie one week and then have them create a movie the next week. By using technology such as iMovie, it gives the students the opportunity to learn how to create and share their projects with different students around the world. As students begin using technology, they become excited about the lessons being presented to them. Students learn more from being involved in using technology. Don’t expect greatness because we are all still learning new technology. Use It, Don’t Teach Tech!
What can be learned from the video “ The Anthony Strange List of Tips for Teachers Part-1”
By: Douglas R Jarvis Jr.
In this video, Anthony Capps and Dr. John Strange engage in a conversation regarding insights and tips that can be beneficial to a young educator. First on their list was the idea that to be a solid teacher you must be a lifelong learner yourself. This is definitely true. New information is always being learned. What we may have thought to be the best way to do something today simply may not be true for tomorrow. Theories are proven wrong and new techniques replace old and ineffective ones. In order for us to be the best at what we do, we must be willing to learn and change with the times. Secondly, they discussed the fact that teaching can be hard so why not find a way to make it fun. This is a wonderful idea. Many times we become bogged down and begin to dread tasks because we lose the joy in it. So to avoid that feeling becoming part of our mindset as educators; we need to find new and exciting ways to present the material so that we are as excited to deliver it as our students are to learn it from us. Next, the importance of flexibility was discussed. We never know what unexpected challenges await us in life. Adapting to change and learning to be innovative and creative with your lesson plans can allow us to overcome life’s little curve balls and keep our classrooms on track. The fourth principle that was discussed is the importance of engaging our students. No one wants to do the same thing everyday. To really excite our students we need to find content and lesson plans that allow them to be creative in a way that allows them to demonstrate their understanding of the material we are presenting to them. Make it something that is a learning experience and also something they can be proud that they created. when students are given opportunities to show off their work, there is a sense of pride that drives them to put a little more into the project. Lastly, reflection was discussed. Listen to your students, take into consideration their opinions on the lessons you design. Learn from what they like and what they do not. By understanding what they believe works best for them, we can create more effective lessons that will be relevant and exciting for our students. Being willing to self critique and listen to ideas that students have is a great way to improve as teachers.
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Project #2
I chose Symbaloo to begin my personal learning network. Symbaloo provides easy access to the sites that I'm constantly using everyday. I use daily tools such as Gmail, YouTube, and Twitter. I add education tools such as Teacher Tube, Alex, and Math Resources. I am looking forward to adding on to my PLN throughout the semester.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
C4K Summary for September
C4K#1
Kongo
My first C4K assignment was to comment on a student name Kongo in Mrs. Miller Class. In Kongo's This I Believe post, he emphasize about how he felt about two rappers who had passed away years before. The rappers names are Christopher Wallace also known as "Biggie Smalls and Notorious B.I.G" and Tupac Shakur also known as "2pac" in the rap industry. He reflected on how each rapper inspired him in their music. In Christopher Wallace song "Juicy", lyrics "It was all a dream", Kongo felt that he was telling him that dreams do come true if you work hard at it. In Tupac Shakur song, "Dear Mama" lyrics "Nobody could ever take my mama place", he expresses that you should appreciate having a mother who cares and loves you dearly. Kongo feels that Christopher Wallace and Tupac Shakur still lives in our heart. To this day their music still gets played on the radios worldwide. Everyday we reflect back to their songs that touches our heart. This is what we believe.
I left a comment on this blog post saying that I really like his post. I knew the rappers that he wrote about. I like how he went into details about each rappers and their songs that he like. The fact that I could relate to how the rappers song inspired me also to believe in my dreams and how I appreciated my mother for what she had done for me. I encourage him to keep up the good work and follow his dreams. Hard work pays off and This I Believe.
C4K#2
Corbin
My second assignment was to comment on Corbin's blog post Guess What I Am? He had to write a point of view and I had to guess what it was. I guess that it was about a laptop. He used descriptive sentence in his post that help us to get ideas of what he was.
My comment was that I love his blog post. I love how you use descriptive clues for us to imagine what you was. My favorite one was "my volume doesn't work," which could have been a radio. You did a wonderful job Corbin. Keep up the good work. GREAT JOB!!
C4K#3
PJ
My third comment was on a 5th grader name PJ who attend Pt England school in Auckland, New Zealand. His blog post was called The Cabin In The Hill. He used a google powerpoint presentation to discuss what you will need to bring on a camping trip. He also gave us a list of safety rules to follow while camping in the great outdoors such as if there is a dangerous animal we should stay still.
I left a comment saying that I like his post about camping. I have never been on a camping trip before. The information that you have provided in your presentation was very educational. I will definitely follow the safety rules. Great Job. Keep up the good work.
C4K#4
Brandon
The student that I was assigned to this week was Brandon who is in Mr. Rhodes 6th grade class in Robertsdale, Al. His blog post was about How Much Does The Air Weigh?. In his post, he tells us that scientist thinks the air weighs about 5 million billion tons. The air pressure is spread around the whole earth which is why we don't get crushed by the air.
I comment on the post stated that I never knew how much the air weigh. I also thought that the information he provided about the way the air is measure with a barometer was educational to me. I love what eh had to say about the air weigh. He's a good writer.
My first C4K assignment was to comment on a student name Kongo in Mrs. Miller Class. In Kongo's This I Believe post, he emphasize about how he felt about two rappers who had passed away years before. The rappers names are Christopher Wallace also known as "Biggie Smalls and Notorious B.I.G" and Tupac Shakur also known as "2pac" in the rap industry. He reflected on how each rapper inspired him in their music. In Christopher Wallace song "Juicy", lyrics "It was all a dream", Kongo felt that he was telling him that dreams do come true if you work hard at it. In Tupac Shakur song, "Dear Mama" lyrics "Nobody could ever take my mama place", he expresses that you should appreciate having a mother who cares and loves you dearly. Kongo feels that Christopher Wallace and Tupac Shakur still lives in our heart. To this day their music still gets played on the radios worldwide. Everyday we reflect back to their songs that touches our heart. This is what we believe.
I left a comment on this blog post saying that I really like his post. I knew the rappers that he wrote about. I like how he went into details about each rappers and their songs that he like. The fact that I could relate to how the rappers song inspired me also to believe in my dreams and how I appreciated my mother for what she had done for me. I encourage him to keep up the good work and follow his dreams. Hard work pays off and This I Believe.
C4K#2
My second assignment was to comment on Corbin's blog post Guess What I Am? He had to write a point of view and I had to guess what it was. I guess that it was about a laptop. He used descriptive sentence in his post that help us to get ideas of what he was.
My comment was that I love his blog post. I love how you use descriptive clues for us to imagine what you was. My favorite one was "my volume doesn't work," which could have been a radio. You did a wonderful job Corbin. Keep up the good work. GREAT JOB!!
C4K#3
PJ
My third comment was on a 5th grader name PJ who attend Pt England school in Auckland, New Zealand. His blog post was called The Cabin In The Hill. He used a google powerpoint presentation to discuss what you will need to bring on a camping trip. He also gave us a list of safety rules to follow while camping in the great outdoors such as if there is a dangerous animal we should stay still.
I left a comment saying that I like his post about camping. I have never been on a camping trip before. The information that you have provided in your presentation was very educational. I will definitely follow the safety rules. Great Job. Keep up the good work.
C4K#4
Brandon
The student that I was assigned to this week was Brandon who is in Mr. Rhodes 6th grade class in Robertsdale, Al. His blog post was about How Much Does The Air Weigh?. In his post, he tells us that scientist thinks the air weighs about 5 million billion tons. The air pressure is spread around the whole earth which is why we don't get crushed by the air.
I comment on the post stated that I never knew how much the air weigh. I also thought that the information he provided about the way the air is measure with a barometer was educational to me. I love what eh had to say about the air weigh. He's a good writer.
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