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

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!!

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.

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.

Blog Post 8: Tools for Tomorrow’s Classroom

EcoMuve

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	Causality Concepts	EcoMUVE Design
Conservation of matter Decomposition	Non-obvious Causes Cyclic causality	Submarine tool Atom tracker
Inquiry and measurement	Inquiry over time Balance and Flux	Water measurement tools Calendar tool Data table and graphs
Ecosystem boundaries, watershed	Effects over distance Distributed causality	Spatial layout of virtual world – pond, housing development, golf course
Photosynthesis and respiration	Effects over distance Non-obvious causes Cyclic causality	Water measurement tools Atom tracker

Chart courtesy of http://ecomuve.gse.harvard.edu/

Podcast Project #9

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Project#8 Book Trailer

Blog Post 6

What do we need to know about asking questions to be an effective teacher?

Teacher present themselves to be the ones with all the answers, but as they talk to students they begin asking questions as if they have doubt about what they are talking about. Asking questions gives feedback to the teachers and gets students involved. In Joanne Chesley's video, Asking better questions in the classroom, she discusses the difference between an open-ended question and a closed-ended question. A open-ended question leaves the form of the answer up to the person who is responding, which gives the opportunity for more brainstorming about the questions. A closed-ended questions structure a response for the students and can be answer by a very brief phrase. As teachers, we have to be more careful about how we ask a question to students, so that we can get the response we are expecting from the students. When I was in high school, my teachers would always ask us closed-ended questions but would want us to respond as an open-ended response. It really does make a difference with how you ask a question.

In Three Ways to Ask Better Questions in the Classroom, Maryellen Weimer, PhD, gives three ways to ask better questions. The first is Prepare questions, always have questions ready for the students, so that way neither the teacher nor the students get confused. Being prepared early makes asking questions a lot easier so you can get the answer that you are expecting from the student. The second idea is to Play with questions, which means to leave it unanswered so that students can put on their thinking caps. Students can write the question in notes along with ideas pertaining to the question. The final idea is to Preserve good questions,and good questions can be kept and saved for later. Good questions can be used on a test or quiz. We need to ask good questions so that students see the importance of asking questions. We as educators don't have all that answers to the questions that students may ask, but we will do our best to answer them.

All of these strategies will help me make improvements when asking questions as a teacher. I want the students to get more involved and have their minds thinking critically about the questions being asked. I will be using these techniques in the future. As stated in EDM310, "Questions are more important than answers."

Project #7

My Passion Is...

My Sentence Is...

Blog Post#5

Icurio and Discovery Ed.

Project #3 Presentation

C4T

C4T#1
My teacher that I was assigned to is Ms. Sara Allen. She is a fifth grade teacher. In Sara Stay Determined: A reflection of a Math Workshop blog post, she emphasize on how being a math teaching works and what works for students. She understand the concept of what work for one class doesn't works for another. You have to change tactics, skills, organization and brainstorms. It's not about giving the students grades for their work but the skills that they need to learn and take with them in the future. It's about challenging there minds to problem solving. What I admired about this post was that she never gave up on the students. She challenge herself to find other solutions so that the students would understand. To grow as a team we have to work together and dream big.

C4T#2
Sara's Open Letter to My Class blog post was about how she doesn't want to leave her students. She expresses how most teacher would love to take vacation, reading novel, and sleeping in. She feels that her students was very special to her and it's hard to say goodbye. Sara reflects on the hard times and fun times that she had shard with her students. She explains that being there teacher has made a big difference in her life. What I love about this post was that she shared with them what she wanted them to remember as they move on to middle school. For example, she states that every person is a human being that deserves dignity and respect. We all never like to say goodbye to our students but we love to let them know how much we care as educators.

Blog Post #4

Langwitches 1st Graders Create Own Read Along Book
Reading in Langwitches blog about 1st grader who created their own read along book lead me to how podcasting works. It enables the students to learn more and understand what they are reading. Podcasts are useful when a students does not know how to pronounce a word. They can listen to the podcast and then repeat the words. This helps them learn the correct pronunciation. I love how they could use the handout to follow along as they were read to. It's good to have printed copy of what is being read in front of you. Students was able to give there opinions about what they learned. It's amazes me what technology can do for such young students. The most important part is that the students are learning.

Langwitches-Flat Stanley Podcast
After reading and listening to the Flat Stanley podcast by Jim Brown, I thought it was great. The class brainstorms with their teacher and comes up with a storyline for their audio story. I really enjoyed how all the students had a different part to record. As they were telling the story, you could really imagine the story that was being told. They use unique sounds to let you know when they were moving to the next state. The students were reminded that they needed to think about the senses and sound effects in their audio segment. This was very educational for the students as well as the teacher. We have to make education fun for the students and podcasting seems to be the key. I would love to have this method of education for my future students.

The Benefits of Pod casting in the Classroom
After watching Joe Dale's , Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom, I have learned a lot about podcasting. Students were more interested in how it works and the things that they could do. Podcasts enable students to access information anytime they want. Teachers can record their classes and upload it online and upload them as podcasts. This allows students to access previous lectures for reference and clarification on a subject. It encourages students to develop their own podcast, improve their listening skills and enhance learning. They enjoyed making podcasts more then watching them. The sound effects in the podcast made students more alert. I will definitely be using podcasting in my classroom when I become a teacher.

Blog Post #3

Meaningful Feedback To Your Peers

After watching the videos on peer editing, I have learned that giving compliments, staying positive, and making suggestions are three key factors. By giving compliments, you may gain the writers trust and boost their confidence. This may make the writer feel comfortable with sharing their work. However, we must face constructive criticism, which will help us to become successful writers.

Also stay positive, you should never give any type of negative feedback. Remember, you should never be mean or pushy when critiquing someone’s work. Most importantly, making suggestions may help the writer fix any errors in their work. Practice is the best method to become a successful writer. As the old saying goes, practice makes perfect.

Blog Post #2

Our Thoughts on Mr. Dancealot
Author: Kynyetta Barren, Doug Jarvis, And Kristie Bell

In the Professor Dancealot video we see the problem with not engaging our students. He simply spends the entire semester reading power points word for word to his class. Obviously, this is boring and considering his class is a dance class, allowing the students to actually perform the dance and then correct them as they are trying would be a much better method of teaching. The final exam in his class was a videoed activity test in which his students were expected to perform the numerous dances he lectured about during the semester. Of course, having never been allowed to practice these moves, the students were very unsure and did not perform well. We can learn that it is ridiculous to teach by reading to people from this video. Children can read the text without us. What we need to do is expand on the written word with activities that excite our students about the subject matter and allow them to apply the knowledge they obtained through their reading. What is the purpose of a degree if all we are going to do is read to our kids. As educators we are being taught useful techniques to create the total learning experience for our children and we must also continue to find new ways to present material to ensure we are giving the best for our students. video can be seen at: Professor Dancealot

My Thoughts On "Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts"

In Vicki Davis,”Harness Your Students’ Digital Smarts” she uses all sources of electronic devices to teach the students such as computers, cell phones, videos, podcast, and blog sites. She feels that students need more than just pens, pencil, and paper to learn. She wants students to think on their own. The students learn from different students around the world through a website called Digi Teen. This is a way for students to blog and share ideas with each other. She allows the students to teach each other as groups. I think that idea is great because it prepare the students for the world today. I agree and disagree with this movie. I agree with the idea that the students can learn from the blogs, other students, and the internet. We all need to know what other different resources are out there. Some students learn better using the latest technology. I disagree because we don't want the students to just rely on the internet to understand the concept. Whatever happened to reading books to get information? What would you do if there was a blackout? Where will the backup come from without electricity? Generators simply do not last forever. I think we still need to re-educate our students to all sorts of way to learn without the use of some of the technology. This is where pencils, pens, and papers comes into play. If it was me, I couldn't just rely on the technology that is used today.Here is the video links to Vicki Davis, “Harness Your Students’ Digital Smarts”

Doug Jarvis's thoughts on "Teaching in the 21st Century." What does it mean to teach in the 21st century?

Everyday, technology makes leaps that allow us to access information easily and quickly from smaller and smaller devices. As an educator, we need to learn to incorporate these devices to teach a group of students that are becoming more and more technologically advanced. The internet allows us to get answers instantly on any subject matter imaginable. It is our job to ensure that we guide our students to understand that tools such as the internet,facebook, twitter,and skype can be great sources of information. However?, not all information is reliable and factual. We want to help students to understand what a good source is and how to ask the right questions to evaluate information they look up is a must in an age of instant gratification. We need to encourage our students to question things and to analyze information that they come across. One way to do this is to teach them to always use multiple sources; to compare and contrast different perspectives and then use what they learn to form their own opinions that they can support with facts. There is certainly a risk of privacy and plagiarism because of the temptation to use work done by others easily obtained from numerous sites. We have to do our work in both educating them in the dangers and the immorality of this act, as well as following up their work by checking sources they cite to ensure that their work is truly their own. As we move forward in this world of technology, we must continue to educate ourselves and engage our children in the format they are most comfortable with. We have to challenge them to push the boundaries of learning and to make full use of the age of information. As an educator in America today, I want our children to be the stars of tomorrow. I hope all of us realize that we are behind the powers of the world in education today ( especially math and science) and we must all help to prepare our students to the best of our abilities, so that they can be relevant and competitive in the world market. We must be different as educators, we owe it to our country to never be complacent. We must always remember that the children are the future as educators. We have the sacred duty to mold them so that a bright future is given to them and the great nation we all call home. Video can be found at: Teaching in the 21st Century

Kristie Bell's Thoughts On "The Networked Students" 

In video "The Networked Student," it effectively presents the importance in having a strong network as your support. The video was an actual project that was presented by Mrs. Drexler’s students. Most of the time, as students, we do not realize that a strong network can greatly benefit us and also help us long term with our future careers. I have heard so many students say after they graduate,” well maybe I could have gotten that job if only I had the right connections. This is where this video comes into play and it also points out the significance of why an educator is still needed even if we are well networked. First, let me just start by saying that we live in a modern world where technology is advancing and we should certainly learn how to get the most use out of these devices. This is where a teacher is needed because he or she is the educator on this knowledge. The educator teaches the students how to use this knowledge in their everyday educational learning and, if done properly, the student should find their studies to be easier with these new skills. The educator can show a student many different skills such as how to formally act when using the internet. Just for example, Dr. Strange let us know in advance that our work would be seen all around the world and that we should show professionalism in every single assignment. So in this case, the educator could show his or her students how to be professional in their blog posts or if they interact with other educators. A great motto that we were told in this class was "Always ask, never tell," and what that indicates is that we cannot possibly know everything and it is always better to ask than to just be unsure. This the purpose of educators, they love to answer our curious questions and help us get on the right track. This is why teachers tell us all the time to have a network and stay involved. This video repeats this information for a very particular reason and really gets across that students should explore in their educational learning on their own as well. Podcasts and rss feeds are both great examples of ways to enhance your learning. Instead of listening to that song on your ipod, why not download an educational podcast that is affiliated with your major. This broadens your learning and you can then take the knowledge you obtained and pass it on to others. Mainly, networking is this continuous process of education and how we can always learn something new. Educators are always networking themselves so they can serve as connectors to their students providing them with accurate knowledge. My reaction to this video was a positive one and it honestly made me think on what all I can possibly do to be a more networked involved student. Here is the link to the video so you can refer to it as well The Networked Student

Blog Assignment #1

If I built a school it would be like wal-mart. It would be filling with all kinds of things and divide into different sections of the school. Every student would be dividing into different sections according to how much they know about mathematics. Every student have there own way of learning. Some learn better from one on one session, video games, parents or other students. The main focus would be counting numbers. We all need to know mathematics. It's used in everything we do today in society. My school will be a fun place for kids to come. Just like wal-mart we will rollback numbers, divide, addition, subtraction, and have equal equations. Sections will be divide among electronic addition, multiplication of toys, dividing the candy, subtracting the vegetables (which most kids hate to eat), and we all will come together for an equal equations.

What do I want my students to know? The main goal of mathematics education in my school is the mathematisation of the child's thinking. There are many ways of thinking one learns in mathematics is ability to handle abstractions and approach to problem solving. It's important for students to learn math for architecture, business, economics, etc. depending on what they would want to be when they grow up.

What do I want my students to be able to do? I want my students to learn the skills, concept, analysis, and the way numbers work when problem solving. I want them to have fun while doing it such as challenging one another in the classroom. I want my students to be able to teach me as if i was the student.Students will be able to take what they have learn and use it to help someone else in need in the community.

What will be my methods of teaching? My methods of teaching would be to make sure that they understand the concept, analysis, ideas, and how to break down problems when solving. I would offer tutoring classes for those who need the extra help. I would have ipad, tablets, and all sorts of video educational games for the kids.

 What role will students play in my classroom? How will they participate in the learning process?They would play in competition to see who can solve it first to win a prize. I would have certain days where the parents could come and learn with them. There nothing likes having your support system with you. The parents will be learning also so that they can help there child at home. I know some of you may be saying this lady is crazy math is a very hard subject but to me it's my passion. My vision for being a mathematics educator is that all students can learn mathematics and that all students need to learn mathematics. Don’t let mathematics intimated you because math is just numbers.

My New Test Post

This is my First Post. I click the HTML button which I should always do in EDM310. I am now a Blogger!

My Test Post Title

This is my First Post. I click the HTML button which I should always do in EDM310. I am now a Blogger!