Saturday, July 23, 2011
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Blog Post #14
Pseudoteaching: MIT Physics
First, lets discuss what pseudoteaching is. It is when you are teaching a lesson and it seems like it is an amazing lesson, until you have finished teaching and then you realize that none of the students have learned. Pseudoteaching seems like it is a good lesson, the students feel like they are learning, other people feel like they are watching a great lesson, but in the reality very little information is being absorbed by the students.
An example of a pseudoteacher is Professor Walter Lewin who is a physics teacher at MIT. Professor Lewin had a very high energy towards his students. He was showing them multiple demonstrations per class, and the students loved it. The only problem was that the attendance and grades in his classroom started to drop. The students weren't learning anymore, so they were becoming frustrated. This lead them to stop coming to class at all, because it became a waste of time for them. Lewin was known for being an amazing teacher, but the MIT staff knew there was a problem when Lewin's grades began to fall.
The way that MIT decided to fix this was to incorporate TEAL into the classroom. TEAL stands for Technology Enhanced Active Learning. With this, the teachers were able to change out black boards for interactive whiteboards in which they could involve the students more. This pushed for students to attend the class, because with these boards came clickers that they used to check attendance. With these clickers, they also were able to interact with the lecture by answering multiple choice questions through them. This helps the teacher to know how much information the students are actually learning. Not only did they add interactive white boards into the curriculum, they also cut down classroom size to make the lecture more personal with the students.
Another thing that was noted in this article, is that you don't have to have an interactive white board to push the students further. One teacher from Carey Academy gave his students basic white boards and urged them to learn on their own by helping each other figure everything out. The teacher never lectures, he lets the students teach themselves, as he guides them along. The students draw models on the boards and think of their own ways of learning that works best for them. The students love this because they are feeling like they are accomplishing goals.
Noschese says that when he was first teaching he would plan his lessons around "what am I going to do in class tomorrow?" Now, he plans his lessons around "What are my students going to do tomorrow? How will it help them to progress towards our learning goals?"
To me, this TEAL program has seemed to really work for the students. They are learning more and attending class more, and the results have shown it. Students can get bored with hearing the same thing everyday and not being able to comprehend what is going on, so they decide to just stop all around because it becomes a waste of time. I understand this, because I have had a class like this. Teachers need to be sure to keep the students interested, and once students start learning, it sparks their brain to want to learn more because they feel accomplished. We as teachers need to continuously go over our lessons and make sure that it isn't being made to appease a supervisor, but it is being made to make the students learn what we are trying to get across to them.
First, lets discuss what pseudoteaching is. It is when you are teaching a lesson and it seems like it is an amazing lesson, until you have finished teaching and then you realize that none of the students have learned. Pseudoteaching seems like it is a good lesson, the students feel like they are learning, other people feel like they are watching a great lesson, but in the reality very little information is being absorbed by the students.
An example of a pseudoteacher is Professor Walter Lewin who is a physics teacher at MIT. Professor Lewin had a very high energy towards his students. He was showing them multiple demonstrations per class, and the students loved it. The only problem was that the attendance and grades in his classroom started to drop. The students weren't learning anymore, so they were becoming frustrated. This lead them to stop coming to class at all, because it became a waste of time for them. Lewin was known for being an amazing teacher, but the MIT staff knew there was a problem when Lewin's grades began to fall.
The way that MIT decided to fix this was to incorporate TEAL into the classroom. TEAL stands for Technology Enhanced Active Learning. With this, the teachers were able to change out black boards for interactive whiteboards in which they could involve the students more. This pushed for students to attend the class, because with these boards came clickers that they used to check attendance. With these clickers, they also were able to interact with the lecture by answering multiple choice questions through them. This helps the teacher to know how much information the students are actually learning. Not only did they add interactive white boards into the curriculum, they also cut down classroom size to make the lecture more personal with the students.
Another thing that was noted in this article, is that you don't have to have an interactive white board to push the students further. One teacher from Carey Academy gave his students basic white boards and urged them to learn on their own by helping each other figure everything out. The teacher never lectures, he lets the students teach themselves, as he guides them along. The students draw models on the boards and think of their own ways of learning that works best for them. The students love this because they are feeling like they are accomplishing goals.
Noschese says that when he was first teaching he would plan his lessons around "what am I going to do in class tomorrow?" Now, he plans his lessons around "What are my students going to do tomorrow? How will it help them to progress towards our learning goals?"
To me, this TEAL program has seemed to really work for the students. They are learning more and attending class more, and the results have shown it. Students can get bored with hearing the same thing everyday and not being able to comprehend what is going on, so they decide to just stop all around because it becomes a waste of time. I understand this, because I have had a class like this. Teachers need to be sure to keep the students interested, and once students start learning, it sparks their brain to want to learn more because they feel accomplished. We as teachers need to continuously go over our lessons and make sure that it isn't being made to appease a supervisor, but it is being made to make the students learn what we are trying to get across to them.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Final Report on PLN
My PLN has been very useful to me throughout this semester. I like that I have all of my websites that I use frequently, combined together so I can get to them with one click of a button. This makes it easier for me to get to the websites, and it also makes me visit each website at least once a day, because they are all right there! I'm sure I will continue to use my PLN throughout my education, and into the teaching field!
C4T Comment's for Teachers #4
In our last C4T, I followed the blog, What Ed Said. She is a teacher, who is very inspirational in the way she thinks. In the first blog that I commented on, 10 Things I have Learned about Leading, Ed states the past 10 things she has learned in her first half year as the Teaching and Learning Coordinator at her school. The main things she has learned that I know will help me are, to have good communication and to have empathy. I think everyone needs to have good communication, this leads to better understanding of situations, people, and everything going on around you. I also think it is good to have empathy because you need to understand peoples stories and why certain things happen the way they do. Ed has a lot of other good advice, and I urge new teachers to read all of this.
Ed's second blog post that I read is, Opportunities for Creativity. In Ed's school, they always have had two extra creative classes for the students to go to. Now at her school the creative classes consist of, art, drama, music, film, poetry, and technology for the students to choose between. They will have one of these classes weekly and not with their "homeroom" class, but with the other students who choose the same elective. By having this, it will inspire the kids to be more creative and love what they are learning. I remember when I was in elementary school and we had art class, I loved it. But when we had music class, I wasn't so crazy about this. Mainly because I was more interested in learning how to paint and draw, but learning about music and music notes didn't interest me, I'd rather just listen to it. I think by having this, more students will enjoy what they are learning, and having the option to pick what they are learning is amazing! I would have loved that when I was in elementary school!
Ed's second blog post that I read is, Opportunities for Creativity. In Ed's school, they always have had two extra creative classes for the students to go to. Now at her school the creative classes consist of, art, drama, music, film, poetry, and technology for the students to choose between. They will have one of these classes weekly and not with their "homeroom" class, but with the other students who choose the same elective. By having this, it will inspire the kids to be more creative and love what they are learning. I remember when I was in elementary school and we had art class, I loved it. But when we had music class, I wasn't so crazy about this. Mainly because I was more interested in learning how to paint and draw, but learning about music and music notes didn't interest me, I'd rather just listen to it. I think by having this, more students will enjoy what they are learning, and having the option to pick what they are learning is amazing! I would have loved that when I was in elementary school!
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Blog Post Number 13
Top 10 tips for using technology in the classroom
Jose Picardo has 10 great ideas for using technology in the classroom. They include: streaming video, music, teleconference (skype), interactive exercises, interactive whiteboards, podcasts, blogs and wikis, social networks, internet tools, and gadgets. A lot of these ideas are great to get the students more interested. I think the two most interesting and useful ones are blogs and interactive exercises. These keep the students thinking and paying attention by being hands on.
As a student in Dr. Strange's class, I am already familiar with a lot of these tips. The ones that are new to me are streaming video and music. Although I know what a streaming video is, I haven't really thought about playing a video in my classroom. This could help by having some other source, other than the teacher to help the students learn. Also, if there is a catchy song or poem to help the students learn like the one playing in this video at the beginning, it might help them to memorize it, that way they won't forget it. Mr. Picardo also mentions using music video's and things done through technology. Although I see what he means that students are interested in music, I can see it being more of a distraction than anything. Personally, I have to work in complete silence to get my work done, and I know a lot of other people are like that too. These top 10 tips are very useful and I think they could help someone who is new to technology!
Monday, July 11, 2011
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Blog Post Number 12
Watch Integrating Technology in the Classroom and tell your thoughts on how these teachers use SMART boards in their classrooms. Be sure to listen to what the students say too.
This video interviews teachers at Minnehaha Academy who are using technology in their classrooms. In particular, SMARTboards. The children mention that they love to use the boards because they are interactive and they get to participate more. One device they use are the "active votes." These are really useful while quizzing the students, because the teacher can see who is and isn't getting the answers right. This also forces the students to participate. They are not embarrassed if they get the answers wrong, because the students can't see what everyone else answers. The students in the high school classes also use these boards as simulations to help them understand physics better.
All around, I think these boards really help out the students who attend this school. The teachers don't just use these boards to show power point presentations on, they also use them to help the students get involved with learning and playing games about what they are learning. They get the students active in their learning and this helps them to have a better future as they are growing up. These boards, with the help of the teachers, are pushing students further, and that is what we need in our school systems.
This video interviews teachers at Minnehaha Academy who are using technology in their classrooms. In particular, SMARTboards. The children mention that they love to use the boards because they are interactive and they get to participate more. One device they use are the "active votes." These are really useful while quizzing the students, because the teacher can see who is and isn't getting the answers right. This also forces the students to participate. They are not embarrassed if they get the answers wrong, because the students can't see what everyone else answers. The students in the high school classes also use these boards as simulations to help them understand physics better.
All around, I think these boards really help out the students who attend this school. The teachers don't just use these boards to show power point presentations on, they also use them to help the students get involved with learning and playing games about what they are learning. They get the students active in their learning and this helps them to have a better future as they are growing up. These boards, with the help of the teachers, are pushing students further, and that is what we need in our school systems.
Final Project Progress Report
For my final project, I am in a group with Kelsey Hayward and Christy Hayes Wilson. Although we have not yet decided what we are doing for our project, we plan to meet Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and next Monday to make sure we get everything done!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Blog Post Number 11
First Graders in Ms. Cassidy's Class and Skype Interview with Ms. Cassidy
In Ms. Cassidy's first grade class, the students use a lot of technology. They have blogs, websites, wiki's, and they also use skype to connect to other people. I think the thing that is most useful are the student blogs. This helps them to read and write. The students even said that having the blogs have improved their spelling. They also love that their family members comment on their blogs because this makes them feel like they are doing something right, and every child needs support. To me, blogs are a very interactive way to get the students involved, because they are typing what they want to say and learning how to spell and how to use grammar correctly while doing it.
Another tool that I know I will use is skype. This is a fun way that changes up the everyday routine of classroom procedures. I think it would be really neat to skype with another class who is from somewhere other than the US so that the students could compare what they are learning and also learn from each other.
I'm sure that while being a teacher I will run into some problems with parents. The problem would probably be a parent doesn't want their child to learn technology, they want them to learn the way they learned. If that was to happen, then I would invite them into my classroom for a day so they could see what goes on while their child is at school. I think once they were to see how interactive technology makes the classroom that they wouldn't have a problem with their child learning through technology, instead of just books!
In Ms. Cassidy's first grade class, the students use a lot of technology. They have blogs, websites, wiki's, and they also use skype to connect to other people. I think the thing that is most useful are the student blogs. This helps them to read and write. The students even said that having the blogs have improved their spelling. They also love that their family members comment on their blogs because this makes them feel like they are doing something right, and every child needs support. To me, blogs are a very interactive way to get the students involved, because they are typing what they want to say and learning how to spell and how to use grammar correctly while doing it.
Another tool that I know I will use is skype. This is a fun way that changes up the everyday routine of classroom procedures. I think it would be really neat to skype with another class who is from somewhere other than the US so that the students could compare what they are learning and also learn from each other.
I'm sure that while being a teacher I will run into some problems with parents. The problem would probably be a parent doesn't want their child to learn technology, they want them to learn the way they learned. If that was to happen, then I would invite them into my classroom for a day so they could see what goes on while their child is at school. I think once they were to see how interactive technology makes the classroom that they wouldn't have a problem with their child learning through technology, instead of just books!
Sunday, July 3, 2011
C4T #3
This past week I have been reading "Teacher Tom's" blog. He is a preschool teacher in Seattle with a great approach to his teaching methods. He let's this children do almost everything on their own. The kids do not do much inside, except maybe on a rainy day. Everything they do is outside on their new outdoor playground. In Teacher Tom's first blog that I read, motivation, sociability, and the ability to work with others, the children are adding an addition to their outdoor playground. They are building a waterway with half pipes that leads from the top of a hill with a mini cast iron pump to the bottom of the hill. The children take on different roles and all work together to build it without any teachers help. To me, this is amazing. This just shows that if you let children's imaginations run free, they can do anything. They are so much more creative than most adults and they have unique ways of doing things just like this. While pictures with captions were being shown of the children who were making this, Teacher Tom was telling about a study a few years back in the Perry School, which was a preschool. The students who attended this preschool were said to have higher IQ's at first but then they dramatically dropped. They were continuously tracked throughout their life and the study showed that although they had a lower IQ score than originally, they showed to have less behavioral problems, greater academic achievement, and they were less likely to be assigned to special education classes.
Since I plan on working with younger kids, these blogs really interested me. I couldn't stop reading them! I read A LOT of them, so, I am going to pick just one more to talk about, which is his most recent one, evidence you've been somewhere. In this, Teacher Tom is showing pictures of the students and their secret hideout. It is tucked away up a steep slope behind some trees in their outdoor playground. The children go here to imagine with their friends. To create stories and games where adults can't intervene. The blog is called "evidence you've been somewhere" because in order to get down from the hideout, its hard to not slide down on your bottom resulting in dirt stains on you-- evidence. Teacher Tom is great at what he does. I think it takes a courageous person to let a bunch of preschoolers run around and do all of this. He doesn't try to stop them, he only motivates them to imagine more, in return making them think about real life scenarios. How to build things, how to make things work, and most of all how to have fun while doing it.
Since I plan on working with younger kids, these blogs really interested me. I couldn't stop reading them! I read A LOT of them, so, I am going to pick just one more to talk about, which is his most recent one, evidence you've been somewhere. In this, Teacher Tom is showing pictures of the students and their secret hideout. It is tucked away up a steep slope behind some trees in their outdoor playground. The children go here to imagine with their friends. To create stories and games where adults can't intervene. The blog is called "evidence you've been somewhere" because in order to get down from the hideout, its hard to not slide down on your bottom resulting in dirt stains on you-- evidence. Teacher Tom is great at what he does. I think it takes a courageous person to let a bunch of preschoolers run around and do all of this. He doesn't try to stop them, he only motivates them to imagine more, in return making them think about real life scenarios. How to build things, how to make things work, and most of all how to have fun while doing it.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Special Assignment #2
PART 1
Kahn Academy
Kahn Academy is a nonprofit website that is a great learning device for students to use. It is a way to access videos, or any learning material. If you want to practice math problems-- any kind of math problems, then you just go to the math portion of the website and start working. The problems can be broken down step by step and problems are randomly generated so you won't get the same question twice. The student can also get a progress report because the site records everything they have done on here. Kahn Academy will also let the student know when they need to review materials. For teachers, they can look at how their class is progressing with a statistics report. They can also look at individual students to see how they are doing and what they need work on.
iTunesU
iTunesU is a way for students to view teachers lectures and other assignments that teachers want their students to see. Teachers set up a class site where the class can see what all the teacher posts for them. Students will then download the lectures that the teachers post, straight to their computer, iPhone, or iPod. Teachers can make this website private, so only students in the class can see, or they can make it public for anyone in the world to view.
TED
Technology, Entertainment, Design. TED was first an annual conference, later developed into a website. There are numbers of inspirational speakers videoed at these conferences and then posted to this website for the world to see. The videos are subtitled in many different languages so people anywhere can understand what is being said. These videos are there to change attitudes, lives, and ideas of everyone.
PART 2
Kahn Academy has many different ways in which a student can learn. Kahn covers every subject that you can think of and everything about the subject. Teachers could easily use this tool to their advantage. This is a great way for students to learn and get practice at what they are learning. The great thing for teachers is that you can see the progress that each of your students are making.
iTunesU would be great for teacher to use. It is a way for teachers to share their lectures through the internet and to control who gets to see them. It is also good for students because it can automatically download without them doing anything. One major way this can help the teachers is with time management. A teacher can use iTunesU to upload a video/podcast etc. of a math problem for example. They wouldn't have to repeat them self over and over because the student could just watch the video multiple times if needed.
Teachers could use TED to show to their class of uninspired students. This might help the students to feel more motivated to do better at school. Teachers could send a specific video to each individual student who they think needs to see that. This could be a better way for teachers to get across their point of what they want to say to the students, without having to say it them self and sound like a broken record.
PART 3
Kahn Academy provides many different links to a video explanation from different subjects. I chose to watch a brain teaser exercise, liar or truth teller. The problem in this video was this: there are two doors. Behind one there is a prize and behind the other there is despair and horrible things. There are two people, a liar and a truth teller and they both know whats behind both of the doors. You only have one question to ask to one of the people. What do you ask? He then tells you to wait a little while before continuing the video-- but of course I didn't. The answer is "what would the other guy say is the correct door to open?" If you ask the liar this then he will tell you the incorrect door, and if you ask the truth teller this he will say what the liar will say, which is actually the incorrect door. Therefore, you know to open the opposite of whatever one of the people tell you. These exercises could be great to stimulate the students brain and get them thinking. There are also many more videos that explain different subjects that would also be great to use!
My Class 2.0 by Marc Coleman can be found under the K-12 section of iTunesU. In this video, Marc discusses using the online website, Evernote. Evernote is a place where you can write notes and then search each note by key word. You can then send those notes out to other people if needed. You can also use Evernote to take pictures. Evernote can read writing in pictures and use those words in each picture as keywords. Evernote can connect directly to your accounts (twitter, facebook etc) so you can update via Evernote. This is an easier way to have all of your information into one organized spot and I'm sure it is very useful to a lot of people.
The hidden power of smiling by Ron Gutman is about the positive effects of smiling. He took older year book photos and tracked the life of each of the people. He could actually tell from each photo who's life was good, who's marriage was happy and so on. Gutman goes on to tell a lot of statistics about smiling and how its good for your life. He says to live a longer, happier, and healthier life, then smile! Although I wasn't crazy about this video in particular, I can see the good that this website can do through spreading inspirational videos like this.
PART 4
I believe that Kahn Academy will be used to a great extent in my classroom. I can see myself using this as an extra learning device for the students to learn. I think that it is so great to have extra material and extra problems for the students to participate in if they are having a hard time. I also like the fact that the teacher can track the progress of the class to see what needs more improvement and what is working.
iTunesU is a great way to share your podcasts and videos. I think this device can help students learn more by having each lecture right there at their finger tips. It is good to have this because they can access it anytime from anywhere whenever they feel as if they need help.
TED is probably not something I would use regularly in my classroom. Although it is a great site, I can't see too many benefits this has in the classroom, but to motivate unwilling students. So, whenever I have a student who is slacking, I will find the perfect video and show it to them!
PART 5
I think this assignment has surprised me. What surprised me the most was Kahn Academy. I didn't even know a website like this existed! It is such a great tool and teachers would be crazy not to use it. It is free and easily accessible. It isn't a hard website to work so the "computer illiterate" teachers could work it easily.
Kahn Academy
Kahn Academy is a nonprofit website that is a great learning device for students to use. It is a way to access videos, or any learning material. If you want to practice math problems-- any kind of math problems, then you just go to the math portion of the website and start working. The problems can be broken down step by step and problems are randomly generated so you won't get the same question twice. The student can also get a progress report because the site records everything they have done on here. Kahn Academy will also let the student know when they need to review materials. For teachers, they can look at how their class is progressing with a statistics report. They can also look at individual students to see how they are doing and what they need work on.
iTunesU
iTunesU is a way for students to view teachers lectures and other assignments that teachers want their students to see. Teachers set up a class site where the class can see what all the teacher posts for them. Students will then download the lectures that the teachers post, straight to their computer, iPhone, or iPod. Teachers can make this website private, so only students in the class can see, or they can make it public for anyone in the world to view.
TED
Technology, Entertainment, Design. TED was first an annual conference, later developed into a website. There are numbers of inspirational speakers videoed at these conferences and then posted to this website for the world to see. The videos are subtitled in many different languages so people anywhere can understand what is being said. These videos are there to change attitudes, lives, and ideas of everyone.
PART 2
Kahn Academy has many different ways in which a student can learn. Kahn covers every subject that you can think of and everything about the subject. Teachers could easily use this tool to their advantage. This is a great way for students to learn and get practice at what they are learning. The great thing for teachers is that you can see the progress that each of your students are making.
iTunesU would be great for teacher to use. It is a way for teachers to share their lectures through the internet and to control who gets to see them. It is also good for students because it can automatically download without them doing anything. One major way this can help the teachers is with time management. A teacher can use iTunesU to upload a video/podcast etc. of a math problem for example. They wouldn't have to repeat them self over and over because the student could just watch the video multiple times if needed.
Teachers could use TED to show to their class of uninspired students. This might help the students to feel more motivated to do better at school. Teachers could send a specific video to each individual student who they think needs to see that. This could be a better way for teachers to get across their point of what they want to say to the students, without having to say it them self and sound like a broken record.
PART 3
Kahn Academy provides many different links to a video explanation from different subjects. I chose to watch a brain teaser exercise, liar or truth teller. The problem in this video was this: there are two doors. Behind one there is a prize and behind the other there is despair and horrible things. There are two people, a liar and a truth teller and they both know whats behind both of the doors. You only have one question to ask to one of the people. What do you ask? He then tells you to wait a little while before continuing the video-- but of course I didn't. The answer is "what would the other guy say is the correct door to open?" If you ask the liar this then he will tell you the incorrect door, and if you ask the truth teller this he will say what the liar will say, which is actually the incorrect door. Therefore, you know to open the opposite of whatever one of the people tell you. These exercises could be great to stimulate the students brain and get them thinking. There are also many more videos that explain different subjects that would also be great to use!
My Class 2.0 by Marc Coleman can be found under the K-12 section of iTunesU. In this video, Marc discusses using the online website, Evernote. Evernote is a place where you can write notes and then search each note by key word. You can then send those notes out to other people if needed. You can also use Evernote to take pictures. Evernote can read writing in pictures and use those words in each picture as keywords. Evernote can connect directly to your accounts (twitter, facebook etc) so you can update via Evernote. This is an easier way to have all of your information into one organized spot and I'm sure it is very useful to a lot of people.
The hidden power of smiling by Ron Gutman is about the positive effects of smiling. He took older year book photos and tracked the life of each of the people. He could actually tell from each photo who's life was good, who's marriage was happy and so on. Gutman goes on to tell a lot of statistics about smiling and how its good for your life. He says to live a longer, happier, and healthier life, then smile! Although I wasn't crazy about this video in particular, I can see the good that this website can do through spreading inspirational videos like this.
PART 4
I believe that Kahn Academy will be used to a great extent in my classroom. I can see myself using this as an extra learning device for the students to learn. I think that it is so great to have extra material and extra problems for the students to participate in if they are having a hard time. I also like the fact that the teacher can track the progress of the class to see what needs more improvement and what is working.
iTunesU is a great way to share your podcasts and videos. I think this device can help students learn more by having each lecture right there at their finger tips. It is good to have this because they can access it anytime from anywhere whenever they feel as if they need help.
TED is probably not something I would use regularly in my classroom. Although it is a great site, I can't see too many benefits this has in the classroom, but to motivate unwilling students. So, whenever I have a student who is slacking, I will find the perfect video and show it to them!
PART 5
I think this assignment has surprised me. What surprised me the most was Kahn Academy. I didn't even know a website like this existed! It is such a great tool and teachers would be crazy not to use it. It is free and easily accessible. It isn't a hard website to work so the "computer illiterate" teachers could work it easily.
Blog Post Number 10
Do You Teach or Do You Educate?
Teaching is something that I've always seen myself doing. I feel like I have always been a teacher even though I hadn't gone to school for it. I was the student who helped out the other kids who just couldn't seem to grasp the concept of multiplication. Not only do I feel as if I was teaching back then, I feel like I was educating other people around me by showing them the way and helping them rather than just telling them what to do.
I hope to bring this in my classroom when I am a teacher. I hope to keep kids inspired to learn and for them to trust in me that I have their best interest in mind. I think a main way to educate is by example, by showing the students right from wrong in everything they do.
Tom Johnson's: Don't Let Them Take the Pencils Home!
In this blog, Mr. Johnson is arguing with Gertrude the "School Curriculum Instructional Interventionist Academic Specialist." Mr. Johnson allows his students to bring home pencils so they can do their homework. Gertrude argues back that he can't do that because it will lower test scores! She had just read a journal article that stated students who come from a low income neighborhood and bring pencils home ultimately have lower test scores. Mr. Johnson replied back that students view pencils as a source of entertainment, to play hangman and other games like that. He continued, that he met with the parents and they agreed that pencils could be used for learning. Mr. Johnson made up fun interactive ways for the students to learn and therefore bring pencils home and actually WANT to use them to learn, not to play. But if they wanted to play then so be it, because they are probably learning from that to.
I think the main point of this blog is that students are always learning. We can try to influence the way the students learn by urging them to to do something (bring your pencils home to do your school work) but if they still don't do what you tell them to then they will more than likely still be learning in some way. Maybe they will learn that they should have done their work, because now they have a bad grade for not doing it. This will then make them do their work because they want good grades. Therefore, a lesson has been learned to always do your school work. Even if students aren't always learning things that are part of the curriculum, they are continuously learning life lessons.
Teaching is something that I've always seen myself doing. I feel like I have always been a teacher even though I hadn't gone to school for it. I was the student who helped out the other kids who just couldn't seem to grasp the concept of multiplication. Not only do I feel as if I was teaching back then, I feel like I was educating other people around me by showing them the way and helping them rather than just telling them what to do.
I hope to bring this in my classroom when I am a teacher. I hope to keep kids inspired to learn and for them to trust in me that I have their best interest in mind. I think a main way to educate is by example, by showing the students right from wrong in everything they do.
Tom Johnson's: Don't Let Them Take the Pencils Home!
In this blog, Mr. Johnson is arguing with Gertrude the "School Curriculum Instructional Interventionist Academic Specialist." Mr. Johnson allows his students to bring home pencils so they can do their homework. Gertrude argues back that he can't do that because it will lower test scores! She had just read a journal article that stated students who come from a low income neighborhood and bring pencils home ultimately have lower test scores. Mr. Johnson replied back that students view pencils as a source of entertainment, to play hangman and other games like that. He continued, that he met with the parents and they agreed that pencils could be used for learning. Mr. Johnson made up fun interactive ways for the students to learn and therefore bring pencils home and actually WANT to use them to learn, not to play. But if they wanted to play then so be it, because they are probably learning from that to.
I think the main point of this blog is that students are always learning. We can try to influence the way the students learn by urging them to to do something (bring your pencils home to do your school work) but if they still don't do what you tell them to then they will more than likely still be learning in some way. Maybe they will learn that they should have done their work, because now they have a bad grade for not doing it. This will then make them do their work because they want good grades. Therefore, a lesson has been learned to always do your school work. Even if students aren't always learning things that are part of the curriculum, they are continuously learning life lessons.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Blog Post Number 9
What I've Learned This Year By: Mr. McClung
When Mr. McClung wrote this blog, he was a first year elementary education teacher. Through that year, he said he grew as a teacher and person. He learned a lot from his first year of teaching and he summarized it all in this post.
The first main thing he learned was "how to read the crowd." When teaching, it is not about meeting certain requirements and doing exactly what you are told, it is about making sure your audience is comprehending what is being told to them.
The next thing he learned was to "be flexible." By this, he means you do not have to stick to what you were planning. If things don't go according to plan, it's okay! Being flexible means you stay teaching the main idea but it doesn't have to go perfectly. As long as the students are learning what they need to learn, then it doesn't matter if your lesson didn't work out like you imagined it to.
"Communicate." To me, this is the most important thing to do. Communicating makes everything better in every situation. Lack of communication can only lead to more problems. Communicate with classmates, fellow employees, superiors, student's parents, anyone!
Mr. McClung also says to "be reasonable." This means to not have high expectations that can't be met. It is good to have high expectations to push the students to their personal best, but it is not good to set the bar so high that it only leads to disappointment when the student doesn't meet that goal.
"Don't be afraid of Technology." If I have learned anything in this class, it is this. Computers and other devices are only there to HELP us. Not take over our job or replace us. Technology is used as a tool for the students to learn even more than before.
Also, we need to "listen to our students." In order to gain respect from them, you need to make sure to understand them as a person and create a personal relationship. One that they can trust you with, therefore wanting to learn from you.
The last main point that Mr. McClung made was to "never stop learning." We only owe it to our students to give them the most efficient form of education we can. The world never stops changing, meaning there is more new things to learn everyday and we must embrace this and use it to our advantage.
Mr. McClung has made some very great points, ones that I will for sure listen to and think about while teaching. The main one I think I'll personally need to focus on is to be flexible. I know I can sometimes get stuck in my own ways and want things to go a certain way, but I'll need to realize that things won't always go as planned! I feel like I have learned from this blog and I am glad that it was assigned to us!
The first main thing he learned was "how to read the crowd." When teaching, it is not about meeting certain requirements and doing exactly what you are told, it is about making sure your audience is comprehending what is being told to them.
The next thing he learned was to "be flexible." By this, he means you do not have to stick to what you were planning. If things don't go according to plan, it's okay! Being flexible means you stay teaching the main idea but it doesn't have to go perfectly. As long as the students are learning what they need to learn, then it doesn't matter if your lesson didn't work out like you imagined it to.
"Communicate." To me, this is the most important thing to do. Communicating makes everything better in every situation. Lack of communication can only lead to more problems. Communicate with classmates, fellow employees, superiors, student's parents, anyone!
Mr. McClung also says to "be reasonable." This means to not have high expectations that can't be met. It is good to have high expectations to push the students to their personal best, but it is not good to set the bar so high that it only leads to disappointment when the student doesn't meet that goal.
"Don't be afraid of Technology." If I have learned anything in this class, it is this. Computers and other devices are only there to HELP us. Not take over our job or replace us. Technology is used as a tool for the students to learn even more than before.
Also, we need to "listen to our students." In order to gain respect from them, you need to make sure to understand them as a person and create a personal relationship. One that they can trust you with, therefore wanting to learn from you.
The last main point that Mr. McClung made was to "never stop learning." We only owe it to our students to give them the most efficient form of education we can. The world never stops changing, meaning there is more new things to learn everyday and we must embrace this and use it to our advantage.
Mr. McClung has made some very great points, ones that I will for sure listen to and think about while teaching. The main one I think I'll personally need to focus on is to be flexible. I know I can sometimes get stuck in my own ways and want things to go a certain way, but I'll need to realize that things won't always go as planned! I feel like I have learned from this blog and I am glad that it was assigned to us!
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Google Form Results
My Google form was about pets. I asked if they have one, what kind, and so on. 71% of the people that answered my form do have a pet. 43% of the people who do have a pet, have a dog. Followed up by a cat at 29% and a fish and rabbit tied for third at 14%. Everyone answered that they want a pet if they do not already have one. 71% of people said that they are responsible for their pet and the other 29% answered "other" when asked the question. 86% of the class said that they enjoy the company of their pet, and 100% of the class said that having a pet has made them more responsible and caring. Dogs are the most favorite pet while snakes, spiders, and rodents tie for last place as the least favorite type of pet. 43% of the class never brings their pet to public places.
Google forms could possibly be my favorite thing that we have learned in EDM310. I think they are very useful and fairly easy to use. I know that I will use Google forms throughout my teaching experience.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Blog Post Number 8
This is How We Dream Parts 1 and 2
In this video, Richard Miller emphasizes how much easier the internet makes our lives. We have so many resources right there in front of us, that it would be an inconvenience to not use it. Any kind of definition or facts we need to get, we can access by using Google, or any other search engine. There isn't much need in going to the library anymore because we all have one right in front of us!
Communication is made so much easier through the internet. We can talk to anyone anywhere with just a click of a button. We no longer have to use pen and paper, we can do everything right here on our computers. Creating and editing images, videos, podcasts, and other things can easily be done with the advancement in technology that has made this capable for us.
I am glad that I have learned all of these different tools because I will definitely be teaching and using them all in my classroom. By using the computer to do research and write papers/other assignments, it helps to maintain better organization. Not only does using a computer keep you organized, but you also get sources much easier instead of having to look everything up in books and newspapers, and it is more economically friendly without the use of paper and pencils!
Carly Pugh's Blog
Any student who has Carly as a teacher will be lucky. She seems like she will be a wonderful teacher. It is great to see someone who is so excited about teaching! Her idea about a playlist seems like it would be very effective in a classroom environment. I know that it is sometimes hard to get interested in literature especially when you're reading something you don't quite understand, but having students make their own playlists about the topic they are reading using videos they find on the internet would definitely be more interesting! Carly did exactly what Dr. Miller intended. She accessed the internet and used it to her advantage!
The Chipper Series and EDM310 for Dummies
Both of these videos are similar in the fact that they portray EDM310 perfectly. In the beginning of the class, it is hard not to be frustrated at how much work and how difficult it all may seem. But both of the videos show that as you go on in the classroom, it gets easier. And it has! I was so overwhelmed when I first got into this class, but now I feel like I have gotten used to it and it's not such a pain to do.
In the Chipper Series, Chipper drops out of school because she doesn't like the way Dr. Strange "teaches." She starts up her own school and eventually ends up coming back to EDM310. In EDM310 for dummies, the students are very frustrated, but once they read the book, everything becomes much better. If I were to create a video, I would like to do something that would help future students while in this class. Something that would help them get through it all!
Learn to Change, Change to Learn
"Technology is not really a choice." This was said in the video, and it is so right. We can't get away from technology because it is everywhere that we are. This video was a mix of different educators from various parts of the world and various institutions that all agree that what is being taught needs to change. We need to use more technology and less books. I agree with this video in the sense that educators need to change their teaching methods to form to the way society is today
In this video, Richard Miller emphasizes how much easier the internet makes our lives. We have so many resources right there in front of us, that it would be an inconvenience to not use it. Any kind of definition or facts we need to get, we can access by using Google, or any other search engine. There isn't much need in going to the library anymore because we all have one right in front of us!
Communication is made so much easier through the internet. We can talk to anyone anywhere with just a click of a button. We no longer have to use pen and paper, we can do everything right here on our computers. Creating and editing images, videos, podcasts, and other things can easily be done with the advancement in technology that has made this capable for us.
I am glad that I have learned all of these different tools because I will definitely be teaching and using them all in my classroom. By using the computer to do research and write papers/other assignments, it helps to maintain better organization. Not only does using a computer keep you organized, but you also get sources much easier instead of having to look everything up in books and newspapers, and it is more economically friendly without the use of paper and pencils!
Carly Pugh's Blog
Any student who has Carly as a teacher will be lucky. She seems like she will be a wonderful teacher. It is great to see someone who is so excited about teaching! Her idea about a playlist seems like it would be very effective in a classroom environment. I know that it is sometimes hard to get interested in literature especially when you're reading something you don't quite understand, but having students make their own playlists about the topic they are reading using videos they find on the internet would definitely be more interesting! Carly did exactly what Dr. Miller intended. She accessed the internet and used it to her advantage!
The Chipper Series and EDM310 for Dummies
Both of these videos are similar in the fact that they portray EDM310 perfectly. In the beginning of the class, it is hard not to be frustrated at how much work and how difficult it all may seem. But both of the videos show that as you go on in the classroom, it gets easier. And it has! I was so overwhelmed when I first got into this class, but now I feel like I have gotten used to it and it's not such a pain to do.
In the Chipper Series, Chipper drops out of school because she doesn't like the way Dr. Strange "teaches." She starts up her own school and eventually ends up coming back to EDM310. In EDM310 for dummies, the students are very frustrated, but once they read the book, everything becomes much better. If I were to create a video, I would like to do something that would help future students while in this class. Something that would help them get through it all!
Learn to Change, Change to Learn
"Technology is not really a choice." This was said in the video, and it is so right. We can't get away from technology because it is everywhere that we are. This video was a mix of different educators from various parts of the world and various institutions that all agree that what is being taught needs to change. We need to use more technology and less books. I agree with this video in the sense that educators need to change their teaching methods to form to the way society is today
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
C4T Comment's for Teachers #2
The second blog I commented on was More Google Doodle Fact Checking-- Did they get the Eclipse Right?. In this blog he picks apart one of Google's animations to see if they got the scale right on the lunar eclipse that is displayed. He goes through a process of different mathematical equations to figure out that Google in fact did get it right, or as close to right as it can be.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)